Archive for the 'interaction' Category

Aurora future browser experience from Adaptive Path

The concept video below, from Adaptive Path, illustrates a vision of browsing in the future. This case study of a user interacting with the Aurora browser is of the highest caliber, and delivers a terrific sense of what it would be like the use such a powerful tool.

Some of the features shown, such as browser-integrated text/IM capability, shared desktop functions, and the nifty wheel menu, seem like they could be added to a standard browser in the near term.

Other features, like the chart-remixing, and history clouds with smart grouping, probably would require some signifigant planning for a common coding framework, plus massive processor power. But they are far from science fiction.


Aurora (Part 1) from Adaptive Path on Vimeo.

Overall, a ton of great ideas brought to bear in this video. Major kudos to Adaptive Path for their work on Aurora. Wow, wouldn’t it be fun to work on wild conceptual projects like this? A man can dream….

Posted
by
Rick
on August 5, 2008
in concept, ideas, interaction and luminaries
. 0 Comments

The new iPod nano: a letdown, and an inspiration

My iPod rough patch

I recently hit a rough patch with my iPods: first I lost my Gen2 nano. Then while using my iPod video on the treadmill, the earbud wire got caught on me and flung my iPod to the ground. Luckily the iSkin saved it from a fatal blow, but it does appear to be a little less stable than it once was. At the same time, my earbuds got munched in the treadmill. So I have been running and working out without my music for a couple of weeks now (an awful thing, right?), and clearly am in need of a replacement iPod to accompany me on my workouts and commutes.

The Replacements

Thus, recently I made a trip to my local Apple store to behold, caress, and otherwise inspect the new iPods (nano, classic, and touch versions) to determine their appeal and possibly buy one. I have to say that I was, if not disappointed, underwhelmed.

The classic holds essentially no appeal due to the fact I already have a 30gb iPod that looks almost identical. Yes, a 160gb drive sounds nice but aside from use as data storage, not really something I need at the moment. The touch is a different story: so similar to the iPhone, but without the AT&T contract. This feature is, at once, attractive and repellent, since the lack of cell service frees you of your monthly $70 bill, but then again without cellular internet access the novelty and utility of the device is radically diminished.

iPod nanoWhich, appropriately, leaves me with the nano as my contender. I have been a huge fan of its preceding generations, all the way back to the iPod mini, and have owned both mini and nano gen 1 and gen 2 models. But the new one leaves me cold. The form factor lacks the slick appeal of its ancestors, the screen is bigger but not for any practical purpose, and the interface has added silly superfluous background images - for no apparent reason.

I think Apple faced a dilemma with the new nano: the screen had to be bigger, but (for some reason) could not mimic the touchscreen of its more expensive brethren. So a clickwheel (and thus the space to house it) was required on the face of the machine, effectively defining the new form.

A better idea

After spending some time dealing with my disappointment and alternative solutions (I am going to buy a last-gen nano!) I think I’ve come upon a novel design solution that would at once a) push the iPod design envelope further ahead; b) allow the wow/sexy factor of a larger screen and slick proportions and c) avoid the cost and hassle of a touchscreen device.

A superior design would be to place the clickwheel on the back of the iPod, leaving the front surface to house only a large, 3″ diagonal widescreen. The clickwheel, housed on the rear surface, would appear and function like it always has, but when being used an overlay image would appear on the screen, to facilitate ease of ‘blind’ usage. That is, you hold the device in your hand but caress the back of it to manipulate the menus and functional navigation.

Bang! There you have it: a radical evolution of the clickwheel, a sexy new form factor that bears a family resemblance to the the big daddy iPhone, and a compact, must-have device that retains the ease of use iPods have always been known for.

What do you think?

Posted
by
Rick
on October 28, 2007
in design and interaction
. 1 Comment

Why great design is motivational

Do you ever encounter a product - physical or virtual - which is so enjoyable to use that it makes you want to use it? I’ll bet that there are a few of them. Such products - personal electronics, shoes, iPods, massage toys, or whatever - are amazing examples of the hugely positive impact we can find create with great design.

For designers, great design doesn’t just motivate consumptive behavior, but our own ambitions and conceptions of what is possible. As an ATM interface designer, I have always strived to create a luscious, friendly and ultimately enjoyable experience by making attractive, intuitive, and even delightful screen designs.

Of course a pretty screen overlaying a marginal product will never equal a great product - lipstick on a pig, as the saying goes. And often we designers feel helpless, beaten down by product managers or technology teams who deny our awesome ideas their right to live.

But still, when that chance to work on a truly innovative, robust, or cutting edge product comes my way, I burn the midnight oil and champion every improvement to customer experience that I can. It is worth every gray hair, every new wrinkle around my eyes, and whatever tension and anxiety I might incite.

Why? Because this might be my chance to create a product that is so enjoyable to use that people might just want to use it, and - who knows - maybe next time when they have a transaction to do, they’ll pick the product I designed, instead of waiting in a teller line or whatever their old behavior might have been.

Gruber just told me that the new iPod touch is super slim, much thinner than the iPhone. And, just because the iPhone touchscreen interface is so much fun to use, I sat here and tried to create conjure up justification as to why I could really use a new iPod (I already have 3!). (Note: I came to my senses before I did anything crazy).

The point is that great design is enticing, and for designers, it can serve as a reminder to what our practice can strive to be in its highest form. So when you are stuck at your computer, burning the midnight oil, just try to remember that one day, when your design finally sees the light of day, your work will translate into a better day for thousands of end-users.

And that is why we design.

Posted
by
Rick
on September 14, 2007
in design and interaction
. 0 Comments