uxmelina

If I had it my way!

Not the Tablet

One major drawback to a touch screen is that the user’s own input device (figure, hand, etc) obstructs the very interface objects they are trying to interact with. This fact, coupled with egonomics of how a user would hold an e-reader-targeted tablet (if the rumors are true), makes the on screen traditional keyboard even more awkward.

Imagine relaxing on your couch reading some online blog/book/site and you are promted to type something (a note in the margin, a password, a search term). You are then presented with the mock up. What do you do? Awkwardly hold the super thin device with one hand, stabalizing it with your stomach and typing with one hand? I hope not!

If this use case is intended to be supported on the currently-imaginary device, I’m thinking (ok, hoping) Apple has something cool up their sleeves.  Here are a few alternatives that could have been considered:

Touch Everywhere: Touch sensors that extend beyond the screen (sides, back, etc) could actually put “controls at your finger tips”, regardless of where your hands are holding the device. Controls on the back also lend it self providing tactile feedback, but that’s a whole other blog post.

Alternate input device: A stylus seems like an appropriate input to a tablet, and does only require 1 hand to use. Drawbacks include speed of input, but that could be addressed with really good recognition software.

Although, I think it’s likely their will be a stylus, I’m really hoping for the first alternative. Kind of like how the magic mouse brought touch sensors to the surface of the mouse, I don’t think alternative #1 is too crazy. Thoughts>

In September of 2008, my design partner Katie Cerar and myself set out to redesign the television viewing experience for our 4th year design project. Eight months later, the resulting prototype was a very well validated design.

In previous posts I promised a recording of the formal technical presentation delivered. However due to some technical difficulties, we were unable to capture the presentation.

Instead, check out this video story board that details the design!

Today, I took part in the “The Ritual of the Calling of the Engineer“, a ceremony taken by many students who complete accredited engineering programs in Canada. The ceremony involved making a moral, ethical and professional commitment to my profession. I was “wedded to cold iron” (as they say), when given an iron ring to wear on my pinky finger of my working hand. This ring acts as a reminder of this commitment.

The ethical obligation held by more traditional engineering disciplines is clear. If a civil engineer doesn’t act ethically, and fails to design a bridge safely, then people could, and likely would, be harmed when it fails.

Can ethics have as important outcome in UX design? I say yes! It may not be as obvious at first, especial to people just starting out in the feild (such as myself), but I saw this talk last week (shown below) and it started to make me think. Robert Fabricant talks about IxD, I recommend watching the whole thing, but around the half way point he talks about the difference between output, outcome, and impact of design. I understand it as the result on the project level, user level, and society level. He uses the example of purity pledges with Evangelicals. I will summarize his distinction in his example.

Output (project level) : purity pledges, purity balls, rings (as designed)

Outcome (user level): teens taking the pledge, father’s giving rings to daughters (as designed)

Impact (society level): Higher teen pregnancy in Evangelical (not intended design)

It’s the impact where ethics really come into play. As shown with the purity pledge, if designers don’t consider this level fully, it becomes clear of the unethical results that can occur with a design. Robert talks about the need for an “impact model” similar to business models used for new ideas.

Since an impact model doesn’t really exist right now, can you think of any methods to determine an impact model or elements that an ideal model would have?

Robert Fabricant - Behavior is our Medium from Interaction Design Association on Vimeo.