User Centered

Originally posted by Aza Rask:

It’s ironic (and predicable) that the interfaces SUPPLE comes up with for dexterity/visually impaired people are just better interfaces than the controls. The optimized interfaces almost always display more information in a way that requires less clicking than the original interfaces. No wonder they perform better! It’s just a direct application of Fitts’s law and GOMs analysis.

One interesting thing to call out: The interfaces for SUPPLE are defined by schematic intent, not by layout. The computer translates a user-flow markup into an actual interface. We’ll probably see a lot more of this as we need to design web sites for truly divergent screen-sizes (computer, mobile, wall screens).

Have you seen the magic wheel?

Part unicycle, part skateboard add up to an interesting concept on having transportation you can carry with you. And seems to be something a little more adult looking than a scooter. You stand on the (not clearly visible in this picture) foot rests on both sides of it. You push with one foot like a scooter/skateboard.

Pretty neat overall, but it looks a little difficult to "scoot" on. But this seems like something I'd like to have handy every once in awhile. Aw, who am I kidding, I neither skateboard, bike, nor scoot.


Check the video on the company site
Courtesy of ergonomenon

Eddie and others with "Spoon Thumbs" might be interested to try out Microsoft and Mitsubishi's "Lucid Touch" system. It's a touch screen system that you use by touching the back of the screen. A small dot where your finger is registering on the screen enables you to use it accurately without having to use a stylus. As someone who uses multiple touch-screen devices daily, I am excited to something like this in action. I hate clicking on a GPS screen and having to battle it to make it figure out where I'm trying to click.

You can read more about it and see a video demonstration on Microsoft's site here.

Someone finally implemented an idea I mentioned here, integrating a Bluetooth headset directly into the phone!

Interesting concept, there's only a few details from gizmodo. The usability aspects are interesting- you charge only one device, you can choose to use it or not, but it's always available (not in your car when you want it elsewhere), you don't have to carry the headset around with you. I think it makes sense to combine phone with handset.

http://crave.cnet.co.uk/mobiles/0,39029453,49295452,00.htm

Here's the Modu phone concept. It's an interesting idea of having a core unit that might plug into other UIs that share some core functions and information (like an address book). The article shows a music player, phone and car stereo "plug-ins"

Of course, this is nothing new- we're already pretty darn close to this already. My iPod- I dock it at my computer at home, I (essentially) dock it into my auto's stereo system, I set it up with portable speakers, and dock it at work. It's already a device that works in harmony (sometimes) with all these other devices and interfaces, but with the added bonus of being it's own self contained UI. It's making these modules more meaningful such that the user experience is married to design of the devices that's missing- that's what this concept is looking to address.

I'd like something in the middle- ideally, I'd like an...well, let's say iPhone... that I could slide into a small lightweight keyboard, I want to be able to dock it *into* my computer at home, have it marry up into my car stereo; in which case I'd like to be able to just slide it in like an old cassette tape.