I’d like to first say that I dislike Apple’s new ads that showcase their FaceTime feature. They feel cheap and are as painful to watch as a sitcom with poor acting. At the same time, I also think that they are brilliant.
FaceTime is one of Apple’s new features for iPhone 4 that supports video chatting with other iPhone 4 users (if you’re both using a Wi-Fi connection). The iPhone 4 has a new camera in the front so you can see who you are talking to (and they can see you). Get a tissue box ready and watch one of the ads:
This video is a reminder that there’s so much we can learn from watching others. This 2.5 year-old discovers a common problem that adults encounter: if you hold the iPad with your thumb on the screen, then you can’t use another finger to select an application on the home screen. The problem is that many people will find it natural to hold the iPad this way and now need to change their behavior to accommodate the device.
I am not sure whether Apple knew about this issue beforehand or not, but it demonstrates the importance of testing before release. Here’s a great quote I saw this morning on Twitter:
“A usability test is going to happen before or after you launch. The question is whether you want to be there or not.” - tsharon
When athletes are racing one-by-one instead of next to each other, the closeness of the results are a lot harder to perceive. To illustrate how close some of the results in Vancouver were, the New York Times created cool interactive piece called Fractions of a Second: An Olympic Musical. Turn your speakers on and try the women’s speedskating 1,000-m. Can you tell a difference between the top two finishers?
Even with both the audio and visual cues, the .02 of a second difference is impossible for me to distinguish. The physical distance separating the two Olympians would be a lot more meaningful to me. The fact that we are much better at distinguishing distance is one reason why you’ll notice that consumer products such as turn-by-turn GPS units will use distance instead of time to inform drivers when they need to turn. Distance is tangible, whereas time is invisible and fleeting.
Do you have long fingernails? Do you live in a cold climate and often wear gloves? Well, device manufacturers may be ignoring you.
There are two popular types of touchscreens: capacitive and resistive. Capactive touchscreens (e.g. iPhone or iPod Touch) work when a conductive object (e.g. finger or stylus) touches the screen. Resistive touchscreens (e.g. Garmin or TomTom GPS unit) work when pressure is applied to the screen. Digitimes reported on February 12th that most Taiwanese touchscreen manufacturers are not going to manufacture resistive touchscreens anymore.
Note: This week we are reacting to CES 2010, which was last week in Las Vegas.
The Internet is coming back in a big way to HDTVs. Since WebTV debuted in 1996, things have certainly changed. The biggest revelation is that we’ve realized we don’t want websites to look the same way that they do on our computers. The past two years of CES have introduced a large number of Internet-ready set-top boxes (STBs) and Internet-enabled TVs. Along with these changes, I’m afraid that something is being overlooked, something small but very necessary: the keyboard.
A checklist is one of the most useful tools during a usability study. It may seem trivial to check a box every time one starts or stops a video recording, but even the brightest researchers will forget at some point.
NPR’s Morning Edition did a great piece with surgeon and author Atul Gawande. Gawande discussed his own experience where doctors were hesitant to use checklists, probably because of perceptions that it was admitting weakness. After requiring a group of doctors to use checklists, 80% of them said they thought they were useful. When the same group was asked if they would want checklists used if they were having an operation, 94% said yes.
One of the most powerful statements in the interview:
I have not gotten through a week of surgery where the checklist has not caught a problem.
I dread going to the mall during the holiday season (Black Friday to Christmas Eve). But, this past Sunday night I was able to find a parking spot very easily. I went into a store to make an exchange and found that there was no wait. Then, I did a little browsing and went on my way. Surprisingly, my experience actually wasn’t that bad.
In the 1960s, Walter Mischel created one of the most famous psychological studies: the marshmallow experiment. In the very first study, a group of four-year-olds were given a marshmallow and told they could have another if they waited 20 minutes before eating the first one. Here’s a fun video of the study being repeated:
From their site: “SPARKcon is a showcase of creativity, talent and ideas of ‘The Creative Hub of the South,’ The Triangle NC.”
SPARKcon has great events that are worth checking out. Here are the basics:
Who: Volunteer-organized, local work is represented. What: A series of events which span Art, Music, Independent Businesses, Writing, Fashion, Food, Graffiti, Dance, Gaming…the list goes on. Where: Downtown Raleigh. Most events take place on Fayetteville street. When: September 17-20 (Thursday-Sunday) Why: To bring creatives together, showcase work and have fun
It’s rare to watch a fashion show in Moore Square, or sit outside watching local films. BazaarSPARK is also a great way to support Triangle vendors. You’ll probably see people who participate in the Handmade Market or the Rock and Shop Market.
The new Cowboys Stadium in Arlington, Texas has the world’s largest HD screen. It looks amazing. But, there’s one little problem: the $40 million 60×25 yard screen is a giant obstacle for punters. In the 1st preseason game of the season on August 21st, Tennessee Titans punter A.J. Trapasso hit the screen in the 3rd quarter. Trapasso said that NFL punters probably won’t hit the screen every time, but it’s “in the way”. The screen presents “a lot of issues”, saidTitans coach Jeff Fisher.
HumanCentric provides design solutions with.a focus on products, users and goals. Our process brings designers and researchers together to implement a customized approach for user and business needs. These are our thoughts on process, practice and life.
