Re: [IxDA Discuss] Interaction design can affect everyone, not just people who own a computer. What does this mean for IxD?
I think the problem is that we (I'm a USAian) tend to care less about our fellow humans and more about whatever specific product we're trying to sell and the bottom line. I just spent two weeks in Tokyo and I often felt like someone actually cared about me, even during impersonal interactions with computers. It's not that Japan has better interaction designers than us, it's just that someone actually seemed to care about me as a person when they were putting things together. (footnote: if you're in Tokyo, go to Toyota Mega Web and check out the Universal Design museum/showroom.) Compare my Japan experience to last week here in the states when I was basically forced to use a self-checkout at a box store because they had closed all the human-operated registers. The business didn't care about me on multiple levels, and if they actually hired designers, those people didn't care much about me either. In the end, not only was the interaction pretty poorly done leaving me an unhappy customer, but the box store used it as a way to replace several humans who could have helped me have a good experience. On the other hand, I have had the joy(?) of working for a number of companies where the CEO and exec staff and their families used or relied upon the product the company produced. Without breaking past NDA, I can easily say that when the families of the exec staff rely upon the product, the product is much better than it would have been if we only had customers. David Rondeau wrote: So what can we do right now as members of IxDA? It's what we can start doing right now as people. We need to start taking personal responsibility for how our work (design or otherwise) changes the lives of others. 1. Change our own thinking. Stop designing for customers and users and start designing for people we care about: our best friends, our parents, our kids, etc. How differently would you do something if you knew your kid had to use it every day, or if an elderly relative would have to rely upon it? Forget your freakin persona for a few minutes and imagine someone you know similar to that persona using it and calling you to tell you what they thought about. (And if you don't know anyone like your persona, how do you know your persona is correct or that your design is correct for that persona?) 2. Convince our clients to change their thinking as well. As a person coming from the privacy and security area, I've discovered that my clients and coworkers often change their opinion about our product when I make it personal to them instead of about an abstract customer. It's not a matter of arguing with them, leading by example and showing how much better a product or experience could be. -- J. Eric jet Townsend -- designer, fabricator, hacker design: www.allartburns.org; hacking: www.flatline.net; HF: KG6ZVQ PGP: 0xD0D8C2E8 AC9B 0A23 C61A 1B4A 27C5 F799 A681 3C11 D0D8 C2E8 Welcome to the Interaction Design Association (IxDA)! To post to this list ... disc...@ixda.org Unsubscribe http://www.ixda.org/unsubscribe List Guidelines http://www.ixda.org/guidelines List Help .. http://www.ixda.org/help
Re: [IxDA Discuss] Interaction design can affect everyone, not just people who own a computer. What does this mean for IxD?
I recently ran across another good example of interaction design that affects people who don't even own a computer or use one at work. Traci Lepore wrote about the problems with Bank of America's new ATM machines on her blog at http://traciuxd.wordpress.com/2009/07/14/why-does-it-take-me-twice-as-long-at-the-new-atms-boa/ It's another good example of the disconnect between the actual end-user and the maker of the product. The effects of free market capitalism may be negated (because the end-user doesn't buy the product, but must still use it), but I suspect the problem is still going to negatively affect Bank of America's brand perception. -dave David B. Rondeau Design Chair InContext Design ( http://www.incontextdesign.com ) http://twitter.com/dbrondeau . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Posted from the new ixda.org http://www.ixda.org/discuss?post=43446 Welcome to the Interaction Design Association (IxDA)! To post to this list ... disc...@ixda.org Unsubscribe http://www.ixda.org/unsubscribe List Guidelines http://www.ixda.org/guidelines List Help .. http://www.ixda.org/help
Re: [IxDA Discuss] Interaction design can affect everyone, not just people who own a computer. What does this mean for IxD?
I'm surprised that this post did not talk about the fairly random sound 'cues' the new machines offer: the constant insistent bing sound that does not stop immediately when the user responds correctly. I find that really unsettling. Is the machine yelling at me? At itself? Plus, if you happen to visiting a teller within earshot of the ATMs, the clamor is amazing. Talk about a bad experience. What *were* they thinking? On Jul 15, 2009, at 8:28 AM, David Rondeau wrote: I recently ran across another good example of interaction design that affects people who don't even own a computer or use one at work. Traci Lepore wrote about the problems with Bank of America's new ATM machines on her blog at http://traciuxd.wordpress.com/2009/07/14/why-does-it-take-me-twice-as-long-at-the-new-atms-boa/ It's another good example of the disconnect between the actual end-user and the maker of the product. The effects of free market capitalism may be negated (because the end-user doesn't buy the product, but must still use it), but I suspect the problem is still going to negatively affect Bank of America's brand perception. -dave David B. Rondeau Design Chair InContext Design ( http://www.incontextdesign.com ) http://twitter.com/dbrondeau . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Posted from the new ixda.org http://www.ixda.org/discuss?post=43446 Welcome to the Interaction Design Association (IxDA)! To post to this list ... disc...@ixda.org Unsubscribe http://www.ixda.org/unsubscribe List Guidelines http://www.ixda.org/guidelines List Help .. http://www.ixda.org/help Joan Vermette email: jayeff...@mac.com primary phone: 617-495-0184 Welcome to the Interaction Design Association (IxDA)! To post to this list ... disc...@ixda.org Unsubscribe http://www.ixda.org/unsubscribe List Guidelines http://www.ixda.org/guidelines List Help .. http://www.ixda.org/help
Re: [IxDA Discuss] Interaction design can affect everyone, not just people who own a computer. What does this mean for IxD?
David - As an example of the far-reaching impact of interaction design, I recently wrote about the Boston MBTA subway system and the Charlie kiosks that are used to purchase fares. Every day, hundreds of thousands of people ride the Boston subway and many of them are confused and frustrated by the interaction design of the kiosk. http://incontextdesign.com/blog/interaction-design-and-the-boston-subway / I'll say! I was in Boston for CHI a few months ago and decided it was impossible to buy a simple ticket at the Charlie machines. After a crowd gathered around (just a small one) a kind women said it was possible and showed me how. Did they do ANY usability testing on those things? (Vienna subway machines also bad BTW, so I am not just getting at Bostong) And, yes interaction designers need somehow to be accountable, but regrettably, I am not sure that every project like this uses us. Regards, William Hudson Syntagm Ltd Design for Usability UK 01235-522859 World +44-1235-522859 US Toll Free 1-866-SYNTAGM mailto:william.hud...@syntagm.co.uk http://www.syntagm.co.uk skype:williamhudsonskype Syntagm is a limited company registered in England and Wales (1985). Registered number: 1895345. Registered office: 10 Oxford Road, Abingdon OX14 2DS. Confused about dates in interaction design? See our new study (free): http://www.syntagm.co.uk/design/datesstudy.htm 12 UK mobile phone e-commerce sites compared! Buy the report: http://www.syntagm.co.uk/design/uxbench.shtml Courses in card sorting and Ajax interaction design. London, Las Vegas and Berlin: http://www.syntagm.co.uk/design/csadvances.shtml http://www.syntagm.co.uk/design/ajaxdesign.shtml Welcome to the Interaction Design Association (IxDA)! To post to this list ... disc...@ixda.org Unsubscribe http://www.ixda.org/unsubscribe List Guidelines http://www.ixda.org/guidelines List Help .. http://www.ixda.org/help
Re: [IxDA Discuss] Interaction design can affect everyone, not just people who own a computer. What does this mean for IxD?
Thanks for all the comments. Another example that someone mentioned here at work was the automatic checkout at the grocery store or large hardware store. I think part of Jason's comment really gets at what I've been thinking about: So how can we, as perhaps mere pawns in the game, become spokesmen (and spokeswomen) for emphasizing and encouaging a culture that allows for great interaction design? I've also been wondering if this doesn't tie into some of the other discussions about creating a language of critique for interaction design. If we could better articulate the benefits of good interaction design and then offer meaningful critiques (not just evaluations), could this help influence the quality of designs in the future? So what can we do right now as members of IxDA? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Posted from the new ixda.org http://www.ixda.org/discuss?post=43446 Welcome to the Interaction Design Association (IxDA)! To post to this list ... disc...@ixda.org Unsubscribe http://www.ixda.org/unsubscribe List Guidelines http://www.ixda.org/guidelines List Help .. http://www.ixda.org/help
Re: [IxDA Discuss] Interaction design can affect everyone, not just people who own a computer. What does this mean for IxD?
Great questions David R., The accountability as I see it, at a superficial level at least (because I have no real data to support this claim), falls on the relantionship between the project managers of the design team and the MBTA stakeholders. The problem with creating a great, empathetic design with so many people involved is getting passionate people behind its creation. I'd guess, and only guess, that the relationship between the people funding the project and the people designing the system malfunctioned in some way. I'm reminded of Dustin Curtis's recent example of American Airlines (http://dustincurtis.com). The culture makes it very difficult for great design to happen. My guess is that this example of the MBTA CharlieCard system is such a culture. So how can we, as perhaps mere pawns in the game, become spokesmen (and spokeswomen) for emphasizing and encouaging a culture that allows for great interaction design? Jared Spool recently wrote an article about how the market dictates the emphasis on quality UX. Perhaps goverment-like cultures aren't ready for that? Who know when they'll be ready. Although Obama seems to be headed in the right direction. Let's hope they can follow his administrations lead? Cheers, Jason R. -- Jason Robb http://jasonrobb.com http://uxboston.com http://uiscraps.tumblr.com . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Posted from ixda.org (via iPhone) http://www.ixda.org/discuss?post=43446 Welcome to the Interaction Design Association (IxDA)! To post to this list ... disc...@ixda.org Unsubscribe http://www.ixda.org/unsubscribe List Guidelines http://www.ixda.org/guidelines List Help .. http://www.ixda.org/help
Re: [IxDA Discuss] Interaction design can affect everyone, not just people who own a computer. What does this mean for IxD?
Ahhh public transport ticket purchasing systems are always dumb! This video (made by my partner) captures a couple more examples (the Melbourne, Australia tram ticketing system is covered at about 1:12mins). http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0Yy6WvLuAZMfeature=channel_page Enjoy. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Posted from the new ixda.org http://www.ixda.org/discuss?post=43446 Welcome to the Interaction Design Association (IxDA)! To post to this list ... disc...@ixda.org Unsubscribe http://www.ixda.org/unsubscribe List Guidelines http://www.ixda.org/guidelines List Help .. http://www.ixda.org/help
Re: [IxDA Discuss] Interaction design can affect everyone, not just people who own a computer. What does this mean for IxD?
While it may be difficult, I don't think it's necessarily impossible. Sometimes all it takes, is for people to be aware that there are not only problems with the user interface, but that these issues cause people to become frustrated and have the potential to cause loss of profits. The first meet up I had for the IxDA local group here in Phoenix addressed the issue of the user interface for the new light rail system. I had the attendees split into groups and find a way to enhance the user experience. We didn't have time to refine these ideas, but it would be nice to think that some day we could present these. They are also publicly available on our site. http://ixdaphoenix.ning.com/profiles/blogs/inaugural-meeting-recap . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Posted from the new ixda.org http://www.ixda.org/discuss?post=43446 Welcome to the Interaction Design Association (IxDA)! To post to this list ... disc...@ixda.org Unsubscribe http://www.ixda.org/unsubscribe List Guidelines http://www.ixda.org/guidelines List Help .. http://www.ixda.org/help
