Overall, I am impressed. I love the size and feel of the keyboard (pictured on the right). Unfortunately, I will need to send mine back since I decided to cut the cord on cable TV service and there is no way to hook up my HD antenna to the Revue box. Google TV’s connectivity to online streaming services such as Amazon VOD and Pandora is not a selling feature by itself. Google TV really shines when it’s paired with a cable or satellite box. The purpose is to provide one interface to access your content, whether the content is live on TV, prerecorded on your DVR, or available for streaming online.

I encountered some interface blunders during Logitech’s setup.

One of the steps during setup is to opt-in if you want to receive updates from Logitech (left half of the image above). By default, the box is not checked, but has a grayed out check that looks like it could be checked. So, I naturally checked it then unchecked it to make sure I would not receive emails from Logitech.

Another step is to set up an AV receiver (right half of the image above). I’m not convinced the majority of the public knows what an AV receiver is, but the biggest problem is that the acronym “AVR” is used. I consider myself very tech savvy and I had to think about that acronym because I seldom see or use it.

Other than that, the setup process was pretty good.

My only other complaint centers around HBO GO. If you don’t subscribe to HBO with your cable or satellite service, then you can’t use HBO GO. Back in February, Forrester analysts said that HBO could flip the switch at any point to allow anyone to access its content (for a price). In my opinion, they are missing out on a lot of money by not opening the service to everyone. People understand that HBO is premium TV and would be willing to pay for it if they didn’t want to go the ad-supported route (e.g. Hulu).

Google TV, Apple TV, Roku, or Boxee… who is going to win the Internet-enabled TV war? Sony is hoping for Google TV and above is their remote control for the Sony Internet TV, the first HDTV with Google TV built-in. You probably have seen it on a commercial.

The first thought that crossed my mind when I saw this remote was “is this really what I’m going to use to control my TV?”. I’ve been wary of remote controls since CES earlier this year, and I am very concerned that the first round of these remote controls will be clunky and frustrating to use. I am not convinced that simply shrinking the keyboard down is the way to go. At least it looks like it will be very difficult to lose the remote!

As a Logitech fanboy, I have already pre-ordered my Logitech Revue (for Google TV), which will feature a compact keyboard and iPhone/smartphone apps. I’m not convinced that a full or compact keyboard is the best approach for Internet TV either, but it sure does seem a lot better than the alternatives presented by Sony, Boxee, and Apple.

The screen on my iPad is gorgeous and I love reading magazines and newspapers on it, but for reading books in bed I go back to my iPhone because it’s light enough to hold in one hand. That’s a big selling point for most dedicated eBook readers, weight. The iPad weighs 24 ounces (1.5 lbs), but the new Kindle weighs just 8.5 ounces, and the Sony weighs just under 9. But I dunno, maybe this guy likes getting a forearm workout while he reads.

• Humans are best at (HABA) information retrieval using context and associations, machines are best at (MABA) information retrieval based on long lists and structured information.
• Humans are best at creative and adaptive tasks, machines are best at precise and repetitive tasks.

The lists change as machine capabilities change, but they are helpful when assessing a complex system and looking for places where machine automation can help, such as scanning barcodes at the grocery store instead of typing in prices, and where they introduce new problems, such as airplane pilots having difficulty staying awake during long flights because so many tasks have been automated. So how does this apply to my toothbrush?

The toothbrush takes care of the aspects of brushing my teeth that a machine is best at.

• It vibrates the head of the toothbrush, moving the bristles across my teeth much faster than I could ever hope to do (machines are better at small, repetitive motions).
• It automatically stops after the ADA-recommended 2 minutes, so I keep brushing until it stops (machines are better at judging time).
• It has a special beep (really a brief change in the vibrating speed) every 30 seconds that lets me know when to switch quadrants, so that I don’t over- or under-brush different areas (again with the time).
• It even has a quick 1- minute mode for days when I’m in a rush to make sure I get at least some minimal brushing in, since humans are even worse at judging time when they’re stressed (machines don’t get stressed about being late).

That leaves me, the human, to focus on the things that I’m better at, like slowly moving the toothbrush and getting that brush head into the back corners of my mouth. I get better brushing coverage, since I’m not distracted by trying to also keep up the repetitive brushing motions (humans aren’t very good at doing multiple things at once).

Cleaner teeth and a quick lesson in function allocation. I love it!

There are some problems with consumer products that you don’t discover until people start using them. For example, I bought my iPad in April, but it wasn’t until June when I started wearing shorts that I realized that the metal back is really cold! However, this is a problem that the mobile phone industry has known about for years. It was one of the factors in moving from external to internal antennas; users like to rest a finger on the antenna while making calls, which greatly interferes with reception. It’s because skin is slightly conductive, which is exactly why Apple can use a capacitive touchscreen on the iPhone (instead of a resistive touchscreen, which requires pressure), and why you can’t use your iPhone with gloves on.

Using this external antenna was a carefully deliberated decision by Apple to achieve a particular look and shape. As a consulting company that works in product design, we are very aware that there are tradeoffs to be made between usability and design. In our own design process, we try to carefully balance aesthetics, fun, ease of use, and efficiency. You take into account how the product looks, how people react to it, how they use it, how many people will experience anticipated difficulties, and how severe these difficulties are. Not wanting to put a cold iPad on my lap? Not a big problem. Dropping a call because I’m holding my phone wrong? Huge! Apple is known for pursing elegant designs, which is why the front of the iPhone only has one button and their mice have none, but design should never come at the expense of basic functionality.

According to engadget, Apple’s suggestion is to hold the phone a different way. That’s ridiculous! It goes against one of our mottos in Human Factors and Usability, “fit the task to the person, not the person to the task.”  Or you can buy a case. This is why Apple has for the first time released their own iPhone cases, called bumpers, which insulate the band from your hand. I hear they’re selling like hotcakes. But I’ve never put a case on my iPod Touch, it’s too beautiful and thin, and certainly don’t want to cover up my lovely new iPhone. So now I have to choose between a phone with stunningly beautiful industrial design, or a phone hidden inside a case that can actually make calls. Completely ridiculous!

I’m sure that in a few weeks there will be dozens of companies offering their own cases and solutions, and hopefully some of them will be more elegant than the plastic bumpers from Apple. But shame on you, Apple, for giving design a bad name by creating a phone that forces you to choose between aesthetics and functionality! No one should have to make that choice.

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.

Come see some of the new ‘sophisticated and sleek‘ home decor accessories HumanCentric designed with PartyLite.

You will find traditional objects with a modern twist. Keep an eye out for lotus-inspired flourishes and obelisks that have found new life in new materials.

The Super Mario Party series of games has been a popular Nintendo party game for years, and it’s now on its 8th version. The game is oriented around dozens of mini-games, short games that last only a few minutes. Losing a single game isn’t a big deal because you play so many, and different people will be good at different mini games. You can also play a game in “practice” mode as many times as you like before starting the formal competition, which is important because in a 2-minute game you don’t have time to learn the controls. But the way the instructions are presented is terrible, so I found myself skipping the training and relying on my nieces and nephews to explain the rules. When I did really badly we’d go back to read the instructions and discover they’d been playing it wrong for weeks. Here’s why I disliked the instructions:

• Instructions are in a separate screen that you have to choose to read. No six-year-old (and few adults) will stop to read instructions before playing.
• There is a time gap between reading and using a move, so you are likely to forget it.
• All the moves are presented together, which makes them harder to learn than when you only learn one at a time.
• As an experienced user, watching someone read instructions is supremely boring.  I felt bad making the kids sit and watch while I read the instructions.

Wii Sports Resort has dozens of sports games, ranging from archery to skydiving to frisbee golf to swordplay, and each with several play variations (individual, team competitions, etc.). Like Mario Party, it’s a great party game because it has a variety of mini games to choose from. But it’s better because even though each game requires a different use of the controller, Nintendo has done an outstanding job of of integrating training into the game to helping newbies start playing.

Here’s what Wii Sports Resort did better than Mario Party 8:

• Practice mode allows you to learn the moves before starting a timed/scored/competitive game.
• Instructions are interspersed into the practice, with text overlaid on top of the screen as you try the move. It’s better for you because you can read the instructions while trying them out. It’s also better for everyone else because watching someone play a practice mode more entertaining than watching them read, and at least you can laugh when they swing their racket five times and still miss the ball.
• You are presented with one move at a time, and have time to practice before learning the next.
• Illustrations provide a basic level of instructions for those that can’t read, like young children.
• You use your own Mii (personalized avatar), and it remembers which Miis have been trained.
• Practice is always available if you want to repeat it.
• Games are used for sports that require extended training, such learning to steer your canoe by collecting ducklings and returning them to their mother, or learning how to aim your frisbee by popping balloons.

Wii Sports and Wii Sports Resort are great games because swinging the controller is like swinging a bat or a racket or a golf club, which makes it lots of fun. But what interests me as a product designer is that Nintendo has done such a good job of desiging the games for ease of learning.  This is a key element for party games, to make sure that someone other than the game owner has fun. If you are designing instructional media, I highly recommend playing these games to see some examples of good instructional design. A game should be challenging because it’s a good game, not because it’s hard to learn the controls.

Zomm has created a keychain fob that’s a Bluetooth accessory for your phone. It pairs with your mobile phone, and then it beeps if it gets more than 50 yards away from your phone, to help you remember to take your phone with  you.  It also doubles as a personal alarm and way to talk to emergency personnel. The folks at CES also thought it was cool, they awarded it “The Best of Innovations” Award. This is a great example of design to avoid mistakes. For many of us it’s pretty difficult to leave home without keys because we have to lock the front door and start the car, but it’s much easier to forget your phone at home or on a table at a restaurant. With Zomm, as long as you have your keys, you’ll remember your phone.  If you keep your phone in your purse it can help you remember both, but if you forget your keys too you’re completely stuck.