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:

Click here to view the embedded video.

When I was a kid, I was an avid reader of the Sunday comics section of The Boston Globe. The Sunday comics were in color and also had exclusive games and questions for kids. One Sunday, I replied to the question “what do you think will be invented by the year 2000?” I answered “phones that you can see who you are talking to” and my name and answer was published the following week (this was a big deal to a kid from Massachusetts!). Little did I know back then that the feature wouldn’t be in demand until the year 2010 and with the iPhone.

One thing that Apple has done well with the iPhone is communicate its value through ads.  They first marketed the iPhone as a do-everything device and showcased different features like YouTube. Beginning in April 2009 they focused on apps, and now they are focusing on FaceTime. All of their ads have made the iPhone look very easy to use.

In the field of user experience (UX), emotion is now seen as a critical element. The release of Patrick Jordan’s Designing Pleasurable Products in 2002 and Don Norman’s Emotional Design in 2003 triggered wide understanding that usability is not the only thing that matters. An easy to use product does not necessarily mean it’s enjoyable to use.

Apple understands that there is value in communicating that its products are enjoyable to use. For example, think about their iPod campaign with silhouettes dancing in front of multi-colored backgrounds with upbeat music.

The FaceTime ads are full of people smiling, laughing, and sharing important moments. The ads make it look like you need to own the device. They use emotion as a persuasion. And that’s why they’re brilliant.

Click here to view the embedded video.

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

Source: YouTube via Laughing Squid

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.

Personally, I prefer capacitive touchscreens and I think that the majority of people do too. It doesn’t get too cold in North Carolina, but I did need to buy some special gloves that work with my iPhone. However, there is a market for resistive touchscreens and we see it in our usability labs at HumanCentric all the time.

Device manufacturers should strive to explain both types of screens and give their customers an option instead of forcing them to conform.

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.

Source: Gizmodo

The above image scares me for three reasons: (1) it seems Vizio is stepping into the physical keyboard arena for the first time,  (2) I don’t use the remote that came with my TVs and (3) I don’t want a bigger remote for every STB that has text input. I’ve been a longtime supporter of Logitech’s Harmony Remotes, and I hope that they will create a solution soon to accommodate this problem. There’s also the possibility of mobile phone apps that can control devices over Wi-Fi or Bluetooth. The Apple TV remote iPhone application works great, for example.

TV/STB manufacturers need to accept the fact that the remote control business does not have to be tied to the display business. The idea of buying a TV without a remote control included may seem strange. But isn’t is also strange that I have several remotes sitting in my media console that will never be used? Physical keyboards are actually very complex, and I think TV manufacturers are better off investing in their core product and partnering with a universal remote company. The remote control is an accessory just like audio/video cables, speakers, and receivers.

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.

But, I think I know why it was so easy…

One reason for a lack of shoppers is probably the recovering economy, but another reason is because of a large increase in online retail sales. Forrester, the marketing research firm, recently forecasted that online retail sales will continue to grow till at least 2013. Personally, I do about 90% of my shopping online, and use an online wishlist so people can find presents for me  (feel free to comment if you want to buy me something!).

Due to the increase in online retail sales, companies need to heavily consider the online user experience. In particular, the customer service experience. The customer service experience is probably the biggest factor when it comes to maintaining customers. One company that does it right is Bonobos, then Men’s pants online retailer based in New York. They have a very friendly process. You can write notes when you order, which they actually read. They have an any pant, any time, any reason return policy. In fact, they encourage you to order a couple pairs if you are not sure what your size is.  The best part? Free shipping both ways. I’m not exactly sure how they can manage to do this (maybe because they don’t need to pay for the cost of running a brick and mortar store), but people love it. The company claims to have a very high customer return rate and they are not afraid to share their customer service secrets.

Shipping and handling and poorly designed websites are deterrents for ordering online. Zappos, the online shoe retailer recently acquired by Amazon, offers free shipping both ways and is often praised for great customer service. Poorly designed websites can lead users to abandon their purchase, or purchase elsewhere. A well-designed site will also instill trust and lighten the load of the customer service staff by making content easier to find.

Of course, actually talking to customers is another key component to customer service. Beyond phone calls and emails, Twitter can be used by companies to ask and answer questions of customers. Bonobos is a heavy user of Twitter and will often poll for feedback on garment design options. Web mining is also a great tool for gathering feedback.

The bottom line is that retailers cannot afford to treat their online business the same as a mail-order catalog, especially this holiday season.

Source: Oh, The Temptation from Steve V on Vimeo.

Decision making is mostly a process of the frontal cortex of the brain. Two regions are largely used when a person exhibits self-control: the DLPFC and the vmPFC. When a person is practicing self-control, activity in the DLPFC is increased and it interacts with the vmPFC to eventually make a decision (e.g. to eat a donut vs. an apple). If a health-conscious person chooses a donut, chances are activity in the DLPFC will be low. If a health-conscious person chooses the apple,  then DLPFC activity will probably  increase. Read more about the research that led to this discovery at Science Daily.

So, what does this mean for designers? Well, we can help people with poor self-control, including children, whose brains have not fully matured. We can make decisions easier for our users by clearly conveying potential benefits and drawbacks of different options. For example, furniture could be labeled with different interests of the buyer (e.g. assembly time, difficulty of assembly, materials used, country of origin). Or, travel itineraries could be organized by different options (e.g. travel time, impact on the environment, number of layovers). Of course, we won’t always be able to do this… Mars, Inc. sure wouldn’t like it if there was a label posted on every Snickers bar that showed healthier options!

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”, said Titans coach Jeff Fisher.

Trapasso also mentioned that it will be hard not to think about the jumbo screen overhead when punting. Since increased cognitive activity contributes to lower performance, this means that punting statistics will most likely be lower in Cowboys Stadium.

Raising the video board will cost approximately $2 million, which is relatively cheap compared to the $1.2 billion price tag on the stadium.

If the Cowboys had injected a little research-inspired design into the building process, they would have discovered the flaw. It would have been a lot cheaper than $2 million if they had brought in some punters ahead of time so they could judge how high the screen needed to be. But with single game ticket prices ranging from $59 to $239, it’s hard to feel any remorse.