First Impressions of Livescribe Pulse Pen (finally!)

I've been suggesting the potential benefits of the Livescribe pulse pen to user researchers for months now, and now I finally have one (well, two actually).  After a few of days of use, I am positively impressed by the product, but it does have a significant design flaw.

On the positive side, the pen's ability to synchronize recorded audio with your handwriting and then review via "paper replay" works very well.  The unique user interface takes a bit of getting used to, but is relatively simple.  Since the pen only has a single button for power on/off, all interface commands are done through tapping on various symbols pre-printed on the notebook paper.  For example, to navigate the menu structure you use the pen to tap on the four points of a cross-hair printed at the bottom of Livescribe's notebook (see image below). 

The four points of the cross hair are equivalent to up, down previous and next.  But you can also simply draw your own cross-hair if you need to access the navigation  - this user-generated user interface capability is quite clever and worth considering in other product experiences.

The audio quality was as good as expected.  With the recording quality set on high, I was able to follow a small conference room conversation playback relatively clearly, even though I had been sitting next to a digital projector.  Although I would probably use headphones during playback for greater acuity.  The recording function has settings for different size recording environments, but I haven't tinkered with those yet.

From a physical perspective, the pen is as large as a fountain pen, but light and comfortable for my larger than average hand size.  I used the pen in a recent client meeting and no one seemed to notice - or at least I didn't see anyone staring at the pen or asking about it. 

But it was during this meeting that I realized a major problem with the pen design.  If you put it down, it tends to roll.  There's no clip or any other protrusion to prevent the cylindrical pen from drifting off the notebook, to the table, and possibly the floor.  I tried various orientations to minimize the chance of rolling - perpendicular versus parallel to the notebook, but that didn't seem to matter much.  What I did find was that the natural resting place of the pen is with the micrphones face down.  This means that putting the pen down impairs the audio quality (not to mention that a rolling pen is noisy). 

This lack of a clip is counter to one of the primary benefits of the pen - the ability to record when you're not writing.  A clip would provide a roll-stop, and also allow the researcher to more easily attach it to his or her clothing, backpack, etc. while participating hands free.  I'm planning to create my own solution to this design gap.

One other point - the provided desktop software provides little in the way of useful functionality beyond storing and transferring the writing/audio recordings.  But there are expectations of third-party software development that will exploit the pen's capabilities.

All of that said, the Livescribe Pulse definitiely delivers on its claims, with functional, easy to use software and recording capabilities.  I just wish they had considered hands-free operation.  Also, if you can stomach David Pogue's cheesiness, here's a video review from last Friday's New York Times.