DESIGNING *for humans

New User Interface Technologies

It was an eventful week in the field of user interface control design. Two new technologies were announced by industry leaders Synaptics and Logitech:

• Synaptics announced the Onyx phone concept - a concept platform for a new touchscreen technology.  Touchscreen control on mobile devices is nothing new, but the Onyx technology recognizes  more than just single touchpoint inputs.  It can identify natural behavioral patterns and gestures - for example the profile of a user's face as an indicator that the user is ready to answer an incoming call.  This can reduce interaction to basic gestures rather than deliberate controls.  It also makes the device extensible to a wide range of activities (e.g. phone, music, messaging, etc.).  It will be interesting to see who this potential is realized in the design of devices in the near future. 
• Logitech is launching a new computer mouse (MX Revolution).  The key innovation in this product is a new type of scroll-wheel that spins with less friction, along the lines of a flywheel.  This enables the user to scroll more quickly and with less effort compared to standard scroll wheel designs.  This change in function will require an adaptation in user behavior to adjust to this new method of scrolling.  As with the Synaptics Onyx, it will be interesting to observe the extent to which both product designers and consumers adapt to the potential benefits (and drawbacks) of new human-computer interaction technology.

Collecting Examples of User Research Tools

The IDSA Human Factors section is gathering examples of tools and technology used for user research. 

If you have shareable examples (photos, videos, case studies), of the tools that you or your firm uses to gather information on product usage, field research, anthropometric measures, etc., please forward to Rob Tannen at [email protected]

We're especially interested in unique or custom solutions that have been created to measure or document how people use products or systems.

New York Times Article on Field Resarch

"Get out of That Rut and Into the Shower" discusses the business advantages of conducting field research to understand customer experiences and product usage.  The article emphasizes the value of field observation over traditional marketing methods (e.g. focus groups) for identifying unexpected opportunities for innovation.  Design firm Continuum's research on how people take showers is cited as an award-winning example.

Human Factors at 2006 IDSA Conference

The detailed schedule for the 2006 National IDSA Conference in Austin has been posted.  Here are the highlights and relevant topics for those with an interest in Human Factors.  Monday definitely seems to be the day for user/design research topics:

Monday, September 18th -

• 10:00 am-12:00 pm
  Live General Session: "The Human Element"
  
  Presenters:
  Stephen Wilcox, PhD, FIDSA, Principal, Design Science (Live Session "Catalyst")
  William (Bill) Green, emeritus professor, University of Canberra
  Jamer Hunt, director, Graduate Program in Industrial Design, The University of the Arts
  Bill Moggridge, IDSA, co-founder, IDEO
  Maureen Thurston-Chartraw, IDSA, Access International

• 2:00-3:00 pm
  Touch. Smell. Hear. See. Taste. Feel. Dream. (This is a hands-on session; participation is limited to 60.)
  
  The goal of product innovation is to develop a unique offering that makes an emotional connection with the consumer. Participatory design research using multi-sensory stimuli offers one means of achieving this goal. A product experience is multi-sensory; design research should be multi-sensory, too.  An engaging "hands-on" creative activity to express an ideal experience using a multi-sensory toolkit will allow you to experience first-hand the process of building and expressing an ideal experience.
  
  Presenters:
  Justine Carleton, design researcher, Lextant
  Joshua Norman, industrial designer, Procter & Gamble
  Jooyoung Oh, design researcher, Lextant

• 3:00-4:00 pm
  Some Principles for the Design of Sound in Product Design (Human Factors Section)
  
  Industrial design focuses primarily on the visual and tactile aspects of products. Designers typically have little training regarding the auditory characteristics of product design, but sound can be an important attribute to communicate brand and support usability and safety. The session will cover: background regarding the physics of sound and sound production; principles regarding the perception of sound; examples of notable uses of sound in products; tools and methods for researching and incorporating sound into products; overview of the principles of alarm design; a variety of actual auditory demonstrations and hands-on experience with sound-generating devices.
  
  Presenters:
  David Bowen, Senior Consultant, Acentech Inc., RH Lyon Div.
  Rob Tannen, PhD, IDSA, director of human factors, Electronic Ink
  Stephen Wilcox, PhD, FIDSA, principal, Design Science

• 4:30-5:30 pm
  THE NAKED INTERFACE: Liberating Brain, Body and Digital Interactions
  
  In many senses, physical objects are becoming more important. In an immediate way, they can help us define new systems of relationships with digital information. This presentation will examine how perceptions and gestures formed through our experiences with physical products can effectively bring liberty to the relationship between brain, body and digital media interface.
  
  Presenter:
  Luke Williams, associate creative director, frog design, inc.

• 4:30-5:30 pm
  Universal Design Boot Camp (Universal Design and Human Factors Sections)
  
  A summary of the business case for universal design, including design that puts non-disabled people at risk at work and at home; the growing elderly population facing "dependence by design"; the economic costs of "exclusion by design"; business examples of successful universal design; tours and demos of internet resources for inclusive/universal design; how to include seniors and people with disabilities in participatory design; and hands-on demonstrations of tools and techniques for helping colleagues and clients “get it” (e.g., empathic exercises such as Ford’s Third Age Suit).
  
  Presenters:
  James Mueller, IDSA, principal, J.L. Mueller, Inc. and Chair, Universal Design Section
  William (Bill) Green, emeritus professor, University of Canberra
  Vicki Haberman, PhD candidate, Georgia Tech\

And on Wednesday the 20th:

• 10:00 am-12:00 pm
  Live General Session: "The Design Element"
  
  Presenters:
  Uday Dandavate, IDSA, principal, Sonic Rim (Live Session "Catalyst")
  Lorraine Justice, PhD, FIDSA, Swire Chair & Head, School of Design,
    Hong Kong Polytechnic University
  Bruce Nussbaum, H/IDSA, assistant managing editor, BusinessWeek
  Klaus Krippendorff, professor of communication, Annenberg School for Communication,
    University of Pennsylvania
  M.P. Ranjan, senior faculty member, National Institute of Design
  Anne Kirah, senior design anthropologist, MSN/Microsoft Customer Design Center