MVC stands for model, view, controller and is the idea of separating Interface from functioning code to interactive elements. That is a blanket statement with many gaps but let us assume it is true. With that in mind, code and user interface happen in separate places, completely unique from eachother. In the web world, this means you may change the layout without consulting the owner of the content.
Now take into consideration alan cooper's book "the inmates are running the asylum". Again to paraphrase, cooper suggests that developers and designers need to work hand in hand from the beginning for a sucessful product. All stakeholders involved in development need to have a mutual understanding of eachothers needs and motivations and willingness to find solutions. So how does that model, that I agree with, compare to MVC?
If the design and the code are fundamentally separate, what is instigating their interaction? I do not think a new model has to be made for code. Instead, there needs to be a change to how the mental model of development is taught to parties involved. This happens in some academic program such as Carnegie Mellon's HCI program that I am a product of. Still, the majority of design and computer science education lives remote of the other fields involved. Until joint education is widespread the inmates issue cooper described by cooper will continue to exist and design, marketing, and developers will continue to struggle in the attempt to find a cohesive product.
Showing posts with label usability. Show all posts
Showing posts with label usability. Show all posts
Wednesday, January 21, 2009
Thursday, January 15, 2009
Smart phones that aren't
I have decided that society as a whole has settled for mediocracy in the department of mobile devices. We have the term 'smart phone' and believe our devices are augmenting our lives. True they keep calendars and contacts in order, let us check our email, and even write this blog. That does not make them smart. It does make them feature ridden.
I believe smart phones are more like trained dogs. Teach a dog a command and he responds. Sit and he sits. Speak, paw, roll over. Alarm, schedule, call. Are smart phones really that advanced? I see them as conditioned beings.
To side with Alan Cooper, I am the sole user of my iPhone. It should know I always want the device to turn on to the homescreen and should load the highest level of a feature upon load. That is what a smart phone would do. Instead I find myself following a series of actions to go back in hierarchy followed by hitting the home button so that the device is ready for my next encounter. That is not a smart phone. My need to take these steps are the same as needing to clean a dogs paws after taking him for a walk. The only difference is the dog might learn to expect this and wait while you put the leash up before tending to the animal. Smart phones have no memory of past events and dart into the house first chance they get, tracking mud for the owner and user to clean up.
There has to be a fundamental change in what users expect before technology will be updated. There has to be a movement for device names to accurately reflect their abilities. This change will not come from developers as it requires coding and learning on the devices part. Users don't know to ask or what doesn't exist. Which leaves the void to be filled by interaction designers. The only problem there is how to speculate on what should and should not be learned in a polite, wizard free manner?
I am open to ideas as technology becomes more pervasive innour lives.
I believe smart phones are more like trained dogs. Teach a dog a command and he responds. Sit and he sits. Speak, paw, roll over. Alarm, schedule, call. Are smart phones really that advanced? I see them as conditioned beings.
To side with Alan Cooper, I am the sole user of my iPhone. It should know I always want the device to turn on to the homescreen and should load the highest level of a feature upon load. That is what a smart phone would do. Instead I find myself following a series of actions to go back in hierarchy followed by hitting the home button so that the device is ready for my next encounter. That is not a smart phone. My need to take these steps are the same as needing to clean a dogs paws after taking him for a walk. The only difference is the dog might learn to expect this and wait while you put the leash up before tending to the animal. Smart phones have no memory of past events and dart into the house first chance they get, tracking mud for the owner and user to clean up.
There has to be a fundamental change in what users expect before technology will be updated. There has to be a movement for device names to accurately reflect their abilities. This change will not come from developers as it requires coding and learning on the devices part. Users don't know to ask or what doesn't exist. Which leaves the void to be filled by interaction designers. The only problem there is how to speculate on what should and should not be learned in a polite, wizard free manner?
I am open to ideas as technology becomes more pervasive innour lives.
Thursday, November 27, 2008
Everyone understands usability
It's true. On some basic level everyone understands usability and the difference between what is said and what is meant. It is the common example when a user says they want a handle on a product they really are saying they want to be able to move it from one place to another with ease.
The same happened on my at to the airport this morning. Pulling into departures the cab driver asked what airline. Tired and without thinking I responded that I already have my boarding pass - any door will do. Now I was not thinking "what does he mean by this question?" instead I implicitly understood why he as asking my airline - not to make conversation but because he knows the pairing of doors to airlines and he can make my morning easier. As the passenger I would normally make this assumption and provide my flight information.
Maybe it us because Pittsburgh is a central check in with the gates in a separate building and drop off points are limited but this brief interaction shows that everyone understands usability. The driver did not ask what door I wanted and I did not respond with unecesarry data.
It is always interesting to see real world applications of tools and methods that interaction designers and researchers use and act as if we discovered.
The same happened on my at to the airport this morning. Pulling into departures the cab driver asked what airline. Tired and without thinking I responded that I already have my boarding pass - any door will do. Now I was not thinking "what does he mean by this question?" instead I implicitly understood why he as asking my airline - not to make conversation but because he knows the pairing of doors to airlines and he can make my morning easier. As the passenger I would normally make this assumption and provide my flight information.
Maybe it us because Pittsburgh is a central check in with the gates in a separate building and drop off points are limited but this brief interaction shows that everyone understands usability. The driver did not ask what door I wanted and I did not respond with unecesarry data.
It is always interesting to see real world applications of tools and methods that interaction designers and researchers use and act as if we discovered.
Wednesday, November 26, 2008
No wonder users are confused
The topic says it all. I have been in my apartment four months and just this morning I noticed what is wrong with my range. And no I am not talking about the mapping of burners to controls. What I mean to discuss is the labeling. Both my microwave and oven are Whirlpool and one is positioned above the other in typical kitchen layout.
Still, the control on one reads "cancel/off" an the other reads "off/cancel". Now these ate two devices, often paired and the language is different for be same action. This then led me to think about other repetitive and confusing commands. Keyboards have enter and return keys. A logical and necessary separation in the days of typewriters. But wholly useless and confusing in modern day computing. I can tell you the technical separation between the task but not the axtuallbreapn the two are still separated in modern computing.
Even in he iPhone there is a done send and return button on my interface. Which performs what action? The only way to learn is to try and risk losing my data.
It is with this in mind that I challenge designers and corporations to design consisent products and identities. I can offer more examples both win the iPhone an elsewhere but I fine it interestingbto discover where systems are inconsistent. A company can not assume a user should see a solution without proper design and the first step toward this is consistency in one direction or another.
Still, the control on one reads "cancel/off" an the other reads "off/cancel". Now these ate two devices, often paired and the language is different for be same action. This then led me to think about other repetitive and confusing commands. Keyboards have enter and return keys. A logical and necessary separation in the days of typewriters. But wholly useless and confusing in modern day computing. I can tell you the technical separation between the task but not the axtuallbreapn the two are still separated in modern computing.
Even in he iPhone there is a done send and return button on my interface. Which performs what action? The only way to learn is to try and risk losing my data.
It is with this in mind that I challenge designers and corporations to design consisent products and identities. I can offer more examples both win the iPhone an elsewhere but I fine it interestingbto discover where systems are inconsistent. A company can not assume a user should see a solution without proper design and the first step toward this is consistency in one direction or another.
Tuesday, November 25, 2008
Now I can post my gripes
An aside: u found a free blogger application for the iPhone. I can't tag posts or edit the tyeface but at least I can post and modify the appearance later.
To start, this will not be a very technical post instead a compokagion of some of my initial iPhone reactions. I am trying to publish where I stand on the battle for iPhone functionality and don't intend to uncover any new truths. Topics will be described byname, my awareness to them prior to purchase and my current feelings gowards the mater.
Copy and paste
Known
Agreed
Nothing new to add to what the Internet critics gave already said.
Notification LED
Known
Underestimated, disagreed
I thought this was a minimal complaint of balckberry converts. It would be great go kniwnif k have a missed call without interacting with the device and, perhaps more importantly, know if the device is evenin.
Better camera, flash
Known
Disregarded
Owning the device though, I wish it had both
Customization of hiding unused native apps
Unknown
Wanted
I have a sutuon for the application I am designing, why doesn't apple?
Landcape keyboard in more applications
Known
Disagree
I initially thought I would want this. As I peck at the portrait keyboard writing this post and autocorrect covers for the size of my finger, I was wrong. It works great as is. It might even be faster given the Fitts law sudd of life.
Battery life
Known
Underestimated
But this kachina needs it.
Customize dictionary
Unknown
Wanted
Why can I turn off autocorrect thanks to firmware 2.2 but I can't add my own shorthand? Rimm definitely has the victory here.
Multiple apps
Known
Agreed
Though in all honesty they need a better battery first.
Louder ring, better vibrate
Known
Underestimated
But if my phone is in my pocket on the other end if my short desk you might as well put up smoke signals.
So I said nothing
New but I felt obligated to post my iPhone wishes now that I am a full user for a week
To start, this will not be a very technical post instead a compokagion of some of my initial iPhone reactions. I am trying to publish where I stand on the battle for iPhone functionality and don't intend to uncover any new truths. Topics will be described byname, my awareness to them prior to purchase and my current feelings gowards the mater.
Copy and paste
Known
Agreed
Nothing new to add to what the Internet critics gave already said.
Notification LED
Known
Underestimated, disagreed
I thought this was a minimal complaint of balckberry converts. It would be great go kniwnif k have a missed call without interacting with the device and, perhaps more importantly, know if the device is evenin.
Better camera, flash
Known
Disregarded
Owning the device though, I wish it had both
Customization of hiding unused native apps
Unknown
Wanted
I have a sutuon for the application I am designing, why doesn't apple?
Landcape keyboard in more applications
Known
Disagree
I initially thought I would want this. As I peck at the portrait keyboard writing this post and autocorrect covers for the size of my finger, I was wrong. It works great as is. It might even be faster given the Fitts law sudd of life.
Battery life
Known
Underestimated
But this kachina needs it.
Customize dictionary
Unknown
Wanted
Why can I turn off autocorrect thanks to firmware 2.2 but I can't add my own shorthand? Rimm definitely has the victory here.
Multiple apps
Known
Agreed
Though in all honesty they need a better battery first.
Louder ring, better vibrate
Known
Underestimated
But if my phone is in my pocket on the other end if my short desk you might as well put up smoke signals.
So I said nothing
New but I felt obligated to post my iPhone wishes now that I am a full user for a week
Friday, November 21, 2008
Intuitive versus Logical - The Blackberry Strom Keyboard
When I posted my initial review of the Blackberry Storm a week ago, I mentioned I was dissapointed with the interactions needed to show and hide the keyboard. The system as I interpreted it required a single touch to call the keyboard to the screen and three steps to hide the keyboard. Since then, I have learned a second method to close the keyboard:
Simply swipe in a downward motion across the keyboards overall target area and the field will dissapear.
When I first read about this feature I thought "wow, how intuitive". In closer inspection of the interaction, I realized I mislabeled the interaction. There is no affordance (to add to the abuse of the term) that the keyboard closes at all. No virtual hinges, no hatch marks or trianges to denote any type of interaction. It was with this in mind I rephrased my discovery to "wow, how logical". The entire interaction makes sense after all - once it was shown to me. I thought "how could I miss that?!" If I were a random user I would have accepted it as a great solution and should have known better.
That is not the case though. I do know better and it shouldnt be the user who feels responisble for 'you shoulda known'. The only reason I discovered the interaction is because, in my waiting for the device to actually release, I read every piece of documentation I could get my digital hands on. That is not normal. I never read manuals and I would be shocked if the majority of people read much of them at all.So yes, I will admit in the UAR world this is a minor problem with easy learning and little persistence. But the feature is so rich that it should be learnable.
So to return to the subject of logical and intuitive. Logical interactions are not a replacement for intuitive interactions. A system is no good if the user spends half of their time not knowing about a rich interaction. (based on the two year contract for mobile phones) There should always be some way to display action and direction of functions, even if it is easily learnable. I want to clairfy, this is not an excuse for ad hoc overbearing labels, tags, and callouts. The system should intead talk with the user and not to it. To interact in a subtle way without additional clutter (remember combinatory explostion from psychology?) It is the challenge of interaction and interface designers to find this balance and I challange RIM to offer an alternate solution to this simple design issue.
Simply swipe in a downward motion across the keyboards overall target area and the field will dissapear.
When I first read about this feature I thought "wow, how intuitive". In closer inspection of the interaction, I realized I mislabeled the interaction. There is no affordance (to add to the abuse of the term) that the keyboard closes at all. No virtual hinges, no hatch marks or trianges to denote any type of interaction. It was with this in mind I rephrased my discovery to "wow, how logical". The entire interaction makes sense after all - once it was shown to me. I thought "how could I miss that?!" If I were a random user I would have accepted it as a great solution and should have known better.
That is not the case though. I do know better and it shouldnt be the user who feels responisble for 'you shoulda known'. The only reason I discovered the interaction is because, in my waiting for the device to actually release, I read every piece of documentation I could get my digital hands on. That is not normal. I never read manuals and I would be shocked if the majority of people read much of them at all.So yes, I will admit in the UAR world this is a minor problem with easy learning and little persistence. But the feature is so rich that it should be learnable.
So to return to the subject of logical and intuitive. Logical interactions are not a replacement for intuitive interactions. A system is no good if the user spends half of their time not knowing about a rich interaction. (based on the two year contract for mobile phones) There should always be some way to display action and direction of functions, even if it is easily learnable. I want to clairfy, this is not an excuse for ad hoc overbearing labels, tags, and callouts. The system should intead talk with the user and not to it. To interact in a subtle way without additional clutter (remember combinatory explostion from psychology?) It is the challenge of interaction and interface designers to find this balance and I challange RIM to offer an alternate solution to this simple design issue.
Friday, November 14, 2008
RIMM, you convinced me to buy an iPhone
Anyone who knows me is fully aware I have obsessed over the pending release of Blackberry's first touch screen device (the Storm, scheduled to be released November 21) for the last 12 plus months.
This morning I had the privilege to play with the device at a 'first touch' event and, though it was still beta software, I got a good feel of the device. Overall, I was not impressed. That being said, I kept the words "not final release" repeating in my head but I think I did a good job of separating beta release issues from true technical and interaction issues.
The top ten reasons I am disapointed with the Storm, in no particular order:
1. Haptic feedback
Over the last year I was led to believe the Storm would provide haptic feedback similar to the Verizon Voyager with a grid of speakers and localized bounce upon selecting a screen item. Instead, the whole screen is a single button, in a similar fashion to Apple's new track pad on their notebooks. While I think this could work on a notebook (haven't had the opportunity to try it) I think it completely defeats the purpose in a mobile device. Users rely on physical feedback to blindly type and find buttons in their pocket but that is not possible with a single feedback source. The entire concept of haptic feedback is voided by the inefficiency of the solution.
2. Suretype - Keyboard
They still use multitouch or suretype (user controlled preference) as the input method in the portrait mode. Apple was able to fit a QWERTY keyboard in portrait mode, why cant you? Suretype does not work for a touchscreen, plain and simple.
3. Suretype - navigation
The Storm does a great job of separating TAP from SELECT. Being said, target areas in lists are too small at the default size and I tap at a force deemed a click. Now this, I will outright admit is a learned motor skill, and the sensitivity can be changed but I like to think some basic testing could have uncovered this. Also, the need to tap a selection, then click it again (yes, you can click right away but then there is no confirmation that I selected the correct field) adds roughly 60% more keystrokes to my workload. (That statisitc has a 40% error to it and was made up entirely for this post.)
4. Keyboard Access
The combination of a touchscreen and a physical set of keys is bold (blackberry pun intended.) To open the keyboard is more than easy: tap a text field or select the keyboard icon. To close it, I need three keystrokes and to switch between input methods each time.
Step 1: Switch from typing to the physical blackberry menu key
Step 2: Switch back to the touch screen and scroll through the menu to find "close keyboard"
Step 3: Tap or Click my selection.
Now it was mentioned you can close the keyboard with a toggle. I couldn't find it and I had close to a half hour with the baby toy. Unfortunately, the representatives were too busy trying to sell the devices to help out a designer.
5. Browser
Simple put, I love the full html, alleged flash support (no time to see it but asked about) and the ability to switch to a mobile browser view. Being said, the overall interface is clunky and needs a touch screen redesign.
6. Icons, Animation, and Rendering
Tip of the hat to the designer who used color sparingly. This is a nice step from the single color gradient iPhone apps. Being said, the stroke on the icons is far too thin causing be to actually have to read labels. In the animation world, I am going to chock this up to BETA. I saw none of the advertised animation when switching device orientation and flicking was more a stepped jump than any type of accelerated/decelerating motion.
7. Predictive Type
Does not work in non-conventional fields such as URL input on the browser or where I need to put in my email address. Just shouldnt be there and it is.
8. SMS
Completing the TO field I switched to number mode in the keyboard (landscape mode).
1a. The numbers are ordered in a keyboard layout in cellphone order. Which makes no sense to any mapping technique. What happened to top row numbers?
2b. The numbers switch back to letters after each character. I am sure there is a way to change this but device: have the smarts to know if this can accept names OR numbers, and I type a number, the rest of the string will follow suit. I will tell you if the number is 412.867.530P
9. Zoom
Yes, I know Apple has the Monopoly on multitouch and hence the awesome zooming. Still, the zoom in zoom out toggle is a little too 1995 for me. See my final thoughts on that.
10. Paging
I realized this one a few hour after my initial notes. But every app for the Storm is listed on a single page that you must scroll though. This makes it difficult to know where you are in the list and how many you have. The iPhone offers a nice organization methods, so you can categorize applications any way you see fit... and they have those clever dots to let you know which page your on
11. Nickel and Dime
So not a design issue, but I feel Blackberry is really good at charging for every little feature. Granted they are a business centric not a consumer centric product, but they even charge for visual voice mail... a free utility in iPhones.
What I Would Like to See
Go back a few years ago to the blackberry without a trackball but an infinitely scrolling side wheel. Now use that to zoom in the website as you select.
Use that to navigate the Copy and Paste Function.
Use the accelerometer better... BRICKBREAKER... easily the selling factor for a blackberry user on the subway. Except I need to click and drag the bar across the screen. What happened to using the accelerometer to tilt the device? Or does Apple have the rights to that also?
Conclusion
So the Storm is innovative, sexy, and awesome. All true. I can't wait to see the second release though because as of right now, its lacking a lot of fixable functionality and interactivity. To use the Storm metaphor RIMM loves, they're at a Category 1 or Tropical Storm grade, far from the Category 3 Hurricane Andrew from 1992 or Katrina, or anything else.
-IMHO
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