Exercise 4. Gretchen Romin

The object that I love the most is my 3^rd generation Ipod nano. I bought the ipod nano 3 years ago with my own money, which makes it even more special. There are no buttons on the ipod but the ipod has the signature click wheel that allows you to scroll up and down through your play list. It also has a menu button to take you to different components in the ipod and also to the main menu of your ipod. At the button of the wheel there is a play icon. This allows you to play and pause your music and videos. The middle button is used for selecting. The screen is much more wider and allows you to watch your movies or videos in wide screen. The headphone jack and the hold switch are all located at the bottom making it easier to find them.
The one object that I can’t stand is the Nexxtech 4-in-1 Universal remote controller. The controller always seems to break and once it does, you can’t change the channel or the volume on the TV. The worst thing about it is that once it break you have to enter a code in the controller according to your TV type (i.e. LG, Insignia, Sony). When that doesn’t work, there is a button that has a “P” oh it and you have to hold it down until the red light is solid. Once it does that you have to keep on pressing channel up until the channel changes. Then when it changes channel you have to press enter so the controller will recognize the TV. If you forget to press enter after the channel has changed, the controller will freeze and would have to start the whole process all over again.

Exercise Four - Andrea

LOVE

I love my Logitech Mx510 Optical Mouse, which is metallic blue and black. The affordances are planned out very well. The inward grooves allow me to know where to place my thumb, fourth finger and pinky comfortably. Two additional scroll buttons are placed above and below the scroll wheel (which is universally placed in the middle of the mouse), for more scrolling. Instead of hitting backspace or moving your mouse to the ‘Back’ or ‘Forward’ button in the Internet Explorer window, another set of buttons are located above the thumb to go back one page or forward one page.

The constraint of this mouse is the length of the cord. Fortunately, mine is long enough to be placed on the same surface as my keyboard. However the constraint of the mouse pointer is the boundaries within the monitor.

The mapping of the buttons and their movements are well planned. In my opinion, the buttons above the thumb are designed efficiently. It is easier for me to move forwards and backwards between pages on the web.

The audible feedback is the ‘click’ you hear after you’ve pushed down on a button. The visual feedback is the cursor moving on the monitor and the movement of your mouse out of the corner of your eye.

HATE

I hate my heater in my room. Even though it is powerful and it keeps me warm, the function of the dial is a failure. The inability to provide information of the strength and the temperature it is producing is very frustrating. Also, I can never understand which direction to turn the dial in order for it to produce heat.

The visibility of the dial is confusing. You would think that the addition/plus sign indicates higher temperature, or to turn up the heat. And the minus/negative sign indicates lower temperature. This is NOT the case. Yes, an arrow is present, but what is the point? When you turn the dial clockwise, does the temperature decrease? And why are the numbers significant? The designs of these visual indications do not work. To turn up the heat, you actually have to turn it towards the negative sign. And to turn it off, turn it towards the positive sign.

The constraint is the maximum and minimum amount of heat the heater can produce. In the winter months, if the dial isn’t around the maximum, my room is freezing.

Exercise 4, Andrea R

Love:

An object that I love is the Sony DSC- W30. I think the interface of this object is pretty good. The mapping is define and easy to follow. There are not too many buttons on this camera which makes it even better. The different features of it can be observe in the wheel located at the top right of the back. I like the fact that the screen is a moderate size, not to big not to small. The camera is not too thin like my moto razr (which always slips when you open it) it is the perfect size and weight. Even though I have a better resolution camera, I still carry this one around because it is just perfect. You don’t actually need a manual to learn how to work it. Since the DSC- W30 gives you all the feedback you need to go around it.

Hate:

The one object I can’t stand and I hate with all my heart (seriously I do) is my printer: Brother MFC-420CN. It does not give you a good feedback to actually make it work. Every time it is turn on, it takes between 5- 10 mins to “clean.” In addition, its mapping does not help the user (me) at all. Moreover, the printer does not print if one of the inks is low to less than half; so it becomes pretty expensive. It does not print in B&W if it doesn’t have all colour ink complete and running. I once called Brother to ask the reason why this printer isn’t user-friendly, and why is the deal with the inks. The answer they gave me was that if I don’t like it, I could buy another printer.I will never buy any product from brother. Also, the inks are just not labelled, so you don’t know how to put it, because it fits both ways!

Exercise Four-Katie Gale

Love: Apple iPhone 1.14

I am in love with my iPhone. I consider it to be the best cellphone i've ever used. There are countless features that have been included with the iPhone that make it exceptionally easy to use. The way in which you scroll across the screen, for example is just one of the many affordances with the iPhone. You simply slide your finger across the screen in the direction you which to scroll-either up and down, or left to right. When you're at the end of the screen, the screen stays in place indicating there is nothing left to scroll through. The iPhone has great visibility-which is essential to its ease of use-as it is a touch screen phone. It gives great visual, as well as auditory feedback that allow the user to know when a certain function is being performed. For example, when typing on the keyboard, each key 'pressed' makes a typewriter sound, and the character is also magnified to ensure the user knows which button was selected. Without such feedback it would be very difficult to know what had been pressed since there are no physical buttons. The mapping of the screen and all of the buttons is customizable. It allows you to move any of the icons to any position on the screen. Therefor, you can place the ones that you use the most often at the bottom-making them always accessible. This is another great visibility feature as well. iPhone has a number of constraints incorporated into it. For example, when turing it off, you are required to hold down the power button and slide your finger across the screen, which turns red to indicate to the user that power will be switched off, and cannot be confused with any other function. The required combination of these two actions also eliminates the possibility of it turning off accidently in your pocket, bag ect. Once you have used an iPhone and discover all of it's features, it's very clear that a great deal of effort has been put into making all functions intuitive to operate. I could easily ramble on about the other features but this is meant to be a brief post...

Hate: My Radiator Control

I absolutely loath the control which operates my radiator. I look down on it contemptuously. First of all, I didn't even realize it had a function initially. I have two other radiators in my apartment which came on automatically once it became cold outside. They seemingly maintain their own temperature-and I can only presume that once it's warm outside again, they will turn off. When this radiator didn't come on, I assumed that it didn't work, and spent a few weeks  freezing in my apartment. Eventually in my desperation for heat, I decided I was going to turn the dial in hopes that I had nothing to loose. However, I encountered a problem. The dial has poor visibility. In fact, it has none. There is nothing that indicates which way one needs to turn the dial in order to turn on the radiator. There is also nothing to show that it has been turned on. The only way to figure it out is to wait an hour or so and see if it begins to emit heat. There is also no way to gauge what temperature you are setting it to. It has taken me weeks of trial and error in order to maintain a comfortable temperature in my apartment. It has, what I perceive, as counter-intuitive mapping as well. To turn it on, one turns the dial in the counter-clockwise direction, where I seem to have been conditioned that to turn a dial on, it turns clockwise. One affordance given, however,  is that the dial is circular, which is conducive to turning, but that's about the only thing. Considering what a simple device it is, one would expect that it would also be simple to use. It almost seems as though someone had to make an effort to design this apparatus so poorly.

Exercise Four- Anna

The object that I love is the SILVER Nokia 6500 Classic. I bought this phone from Finland from a Nokia store after falling in love with it ‘at first sight’. It is not found in
North America. I bought it last summer (2008) and I love it more and more everyday.

The affordances of this phone physically are clear. The design is ultra slim and sleek. It has a 2" display, which is really clear and I love viewing photographs on it. It comes in three different colours (black, silver and bronze).
The keypad is the best part. It is very simple and easy to use. Text messaging is made really easy for its user. The 2 megapixel digital camera takes “ok” photographs, but isn’t an issue with me.
The speakers on this phone are incredible. Very loud and clear music can be listened to while I do work, clean or just want to relax and hear good tunes.

Another spectacular thing about this phone is that it has no extra buttons apart from the keypad. Normally Nokia phones have many buttons on top, on the sides and at the bottom. This phone is charged with an USB cable, through the wall OR LAPTOP! Which is an amazing thing for me at school. Power button is the red button, which hangs up calls.

The design is beautiful, classic and very formal looking. I love how it matches my MacBook Pro as well. It is the best phone I have ever had.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------


Object that I absolutely HATE:

“The Gillette Company introduces Oral-B Pulsar a new toothbrush that revolutionizes manual brushing and delivers a superior cleaning experience. Oral-B Pulsar is a first-of-its-kind toothbrush, featuring breakthrough bristle and brush-head technologies further enhanced by a gentle pulsing action that offers superior cleaning with the comfort and familiarity of using a manual toothbrush.”

- This is what they promise. But honestly, they failed. I bought this ‘new’ toothbrush a couple of weeks ago and hate brushing my teeth every morning when I normally look forward to it.

It doesn’t clean your teeth properly because the “breakthrough” bristles are in my way. I can’t do my circular motion, instead of brushing horizontally back and forth, which is the incorrect way to brush your teeth.

It is way too big and the vibrations that you can turn on don’t do anything. I don’t see how it helps me with getting my teeth cleaner than before.

Normal, soft toothbrushes with normal handles are the way to go.
This toothbrush is useless in its design and purpose.

exercise 4

I love my teapot it is transparent which gives you visual feedback for when the tea is ready. The affordances are very clear in the design. The lid has a handle which suggests it should be pulled upwards revealing a strainer for loose leaf tea. This can also be easily removed for tea bags. The physical restraint on the lip of the opening allows you to drop the strainer back in without it falling all the way through. The handle comes up over the tea pot and has groves on the underside that clearly suggest they are for your fingers. The spout informs you that it has to be tipped to pour and visual feedback of the curve of the spout and the tea coming out shows you where to place the mug. I prefer the handle coming up over the teapot to handles on the side. I have a steady hold on the pot and don't have to worry about hand being burned on the side of it. The spout is well designed and does not dribble tea after you have poured it. 

I hate the faucets in my bath tub. There are no affordances to show you which way the faucets turn and which one is for hot or cold water. The sensory feedback takes about a minute at first making it a pain to judge by trial and error. After a horrible first shower in my new apartment I learned the mapping: the left dial is for hot water and turns clockwise, right is for cold water and turns counter-clockwise. The physical constraints don't make it hard to find out which way the dials turn but in the middle of a shower when they are both turned halfway it is unnatural to change each dial a different way to change the temperature. The mapping goes against everything I am habituated to do. At the end of my shower I always turn off one of the faucets then blast myself with either hot or cold water before I get out because of these design flaws. 

Exercise Four - Jeannie

I LOVE my Body Mist from the Body Shop. The size of this small bottle alludes to its affordances. For example, the position of the pump is high and narrow enough to indicate that we use one finger to use it. The fact that the exiting hole is in one direction allows us to know which direction the mist is spraying. The last tier of the pump is textured and round, indicating a gripped turning action is needed to open it.

The mapping is clear and simple: the concave slope of the tip suggests that it is a downwards pressing action that is needed. A softer press delivers a milder spritz. The size of the pump is a physical constraint as it limits the flow of the spray. Similarly, the narrow tube inside constrains the amount of liquid used.

The spraying action gives audio and visual feedback: you are able to see and hear the mist.

I HATE my IKEA Compact Clock. Although the design is simple and its compatibility is a nice idea, there are many design flaws.

In terms of affordances, they aren’t bad as it’s clear that the cover can fold back to become a support stand and so on. However, there is no indication anywhere of the time being either A.M or P.M. There is no feedback when you hit a number to show that it has passed.

It is the alarm feature poses the most problems. The dial to change the time has an arrow that points counter-clockwise: most people are used to clock-hands moving clockwise, so there is confusion in the orientation of the mapping. The Off/On button on the back is unclear as to whether it’s to be used on the clock itself or just the alarm.

There is great difficulty setting the time for the alarm. An hour is divided into five points, which result in unusual positions for exact times therefore it’s almost impossible to set the alarm with precision: it will always be within a “general range.” There is also a negative constraint as there is no “snooze” button: the alarm is either on or off.

Exercise Four - Wendy

THE LOVE

Despite the fact that every other person I know has this phone now, I loved it ever since I bought it. It's the Sony Ericsson W580i, and mine is in urban grey in particular.

I think that the mapping on this phone is good because the buttons are directly underneath what you want to select on the screen. Also, because this is a slider phone, the main interface has more room than other phones (keeping with the general size of cell phones these days) for the screen and buttons, which means I actually get a physical constraint of two separate buttons for the walkman and "running applications". No accidentally turning on the walkman for me!

In terms of affordances, the sloping of the phone at the bottom encourages a place where the thumb can rest, and also push upwards to reveal the keypad. The icons on the main menu are a constant in all the Sony Ericsson phones I've come across, and are easy to figure out what they're used for (ie: wrench and screwdriver icon for Settings, an envelope for Messages).

The only complaint I have is that the phone sometimes randomly stops reading my memory card, and there is no visible feedback when this happens...or why this happens.

THE HATE

My family recently bought a LCD TV on Boxing Day, and it's the Samsung LN32A450. Screen quality aside (which isn't amazing anyway), the buttons on the side of the TV confuse me every single time I decide to use them. My instinct tells me to turn the TV on by pressing the button closest to me (while standing), which is the top button, but the actual ON button is the bottom one.

This wouldn't be so terrible if the TV actually turned on right away. On the off-chance I get it right and press the bottom button, the TV takes about six seconds to turn on, and during that time I begin questioning my technical intellect. The power indicator light does not change either. So the next natural thing I do is grab the remote control and press the big red power button at the top, again and again, wondering why the TV won't turn on -- simply because I'm actually turning it off before it fully turns on.

On the subject of the remote control, the mapping is horrid. Despite the length of the control, they're trying to fit too much onto a single remote. Most users like myself won't even touch half the buttons on it, yet merely trying to find the button to switch to the DVD player took much too long.

This television and remote control are not instinctual, and they force users to consult the manual thoroughly. The visibility of the labels are not clear at all, and sometimes users end up using trial and error to learn what each button is for.

Exercise Five - What's Golden

Exercise 5- Circle Square Triangle

Exercise 5 - Hong Kong Garden

Exersise Five- Day 'N' Night

Exercise Five- Head Smashed in Buffalo Jump

Exercise Five - Hong Kong Garden

Exercise Five- What's Golden Music Video

Exercise Five - Circle Square Triangle Music Video

Claudia's Music Video

Deep Fried Frenz Music Video

Exercise Five Video Example

Exercise Five: Make a Music Video, Make a Diagram

In Exercise Five, you will create a music video in iMovie HD, and then make a diagram of the interaction model of the experience. Please read the instructions that follow carefully, as there are many steps and a number of deliverables.

1) Locate the source files for the music video, located in TEMPORARY_STORAGE in a folder called "Exercise Five."

2) Check out the video clips and audio files. You're welcome to use your own video clips and/or audio files if you have any available.

3) Open iMovie HD, and save an iMovie Project to your desktop using a title of your choice.

4) Pick the audio file that you want to make a video for. Import it to iMovie HD by drag-and-dropping the file into the bar at the bottom of the iMovie screen. Note that this automatically changes iMovie from "clips viewer" mode to "timeline viewer" mode. You can also do this with the two buttons near the bottom right of the screen.

5) Pick some video clips that you might want to use to make your video. Drag-and-drop them into the "clips" pane at the right of the iMovie screen. From here, you'll drag-and-drop them into the upper bar in the timeline, once you've decided how you want to use them.

6) Make your video! Play around. There are a lot of features in iMovie HD, but some that you'll want to be sure to learn how to use include:
-the volume control on the audio clip (select the clip, View>Show Clip Volume Levels, fiddle with the audio "line");
-how to cut the audio clip (place the playhead; Edit>Split Audio Clip at Playhead);
-the fact that iMovie measures time in Minutes:Seconds:Frames, and that there are only 30 frames per second;
-the fact that some of the video clips have sound in them already, which you may want to control/eliminate (again, select the clip, View>Show Clip Volume Levels, fiddle with the audio "line"), and
-the editing pane (the button for this is on the bottom right), especially transitions (once in the editing pane, the button for this is on the top right).

7) Keep making your video. Play for about an hour. Learn as much as you can. iMovie is a great tool for making quick videos, and will serve you well for Project One.

8) Remember to save your iMovie project often. iMovie doesn't create a playable file directly - in order to do this, you'll need to perform one last action. Click File>Export, and then select "Web Streaming". This will take a few minutes, and will create a playable Quicktime file, just like the video clips you were given to work with.

9) Upload your finished video to the course blog.

10) Last but not least, make a diagram of the entire interactive experience of creating your video and uploading it to the blog. It would be prudent to take notes throughout the process (it's also always prudent to read all of the instructions before you start a task). Draw the diagram by hand, scan it and post it to the blog in the same post as your video. There's a scanner in the lab, and the monitor can help you if you've never scanned before. Remember to name and label your post appropriately.

Exercise Five is due at 08:30 on Wednesday, February 4th.

Project One Edited Ethnographic Video Example

Exercise Four Example: Jesse Colin Jackson

An object I love is the STAEDTLER Mars technico 780 C lead holder. I have 4 of them. One I've had since 1996, and the rest I've acquired later. In each I keep a different weight of lead: 6H, 4H, 2H and HB.

Affordances are subtle yet clear. The knurled end gives a tactile indication of where to best hold the lead holder; the clip keeps it secure in my pocket protector (ha, ha). As we expect, the end serves as a push-button to advance the lead. More unusually, it also serves as a sharpener, a possibility subtly suggested by its size (the same as the lead) and clarified by a diagram on the Staedtler website.

When the end is depressed, the lead advances. One potentially problematic aspect of the design is that unlike most lead holders, the lead does not advance incrementally. Instead, the push-button opens the jaws at the end that grip the lead, allowing the lead to potentially fall out of the pencil (an expensive error, at 2 bucks a lead). Once learned, it becomes natural to guard against this with your other hand when advancing a lead, and the infinite adjustability allows the lead to be sharpened to both a sharp and rounded tip, but perhaps a physical constraint could be introduced that prevents the lead from falling out completely.

There's no way to automatically differentiate between the different weights of lead, as the only available colour is blue. I've added an ugly label made of masking tape to each, which provides crude visible feedback, but it's an ugly solution at best.

[Disclaimer: I'll concede that I don't actually use a lead-holder much anymore. So perhaps there's some wistful nostalgia in my praise.]

An object I hate is my Sony Ericsson W810i mobile phone. It seems clever, at first: I'm impressed with the fact that the camera elements are mapped to a conventional camera. To operate the camera, you turn the phone sideways, which places the shutter button exactly where you expect it to be. By taking advantage of my existing camera interaction model, Sony has made it easier to take pictures. . . if I could figure out how to turn the camera on. There are no physical constraints to keep me from pressing the buttons when the phone is in my pocket, and these affordances are way too small in the first place: I'm forever turning the walkman on when I want to answer a call, as the buttons for these functions are right beside each other.

The audible feedback is excruciating: why can't mobile phones come with a normal ring tone? Why does my phone have to sound like a cat? I know, I know, I can download new ring tones - perhaps one of you can show me how.

Exercise Four: An Object you Love, an Object you Hate

In your home, find two functional objects: one that you love, and one that you hate.

Make a brief post to the blog where you describe your love/hate relationships, using the tools and vocabulary introduced in the Basic Principles of Experience Design presentation. Before you post, download and review the following terms in Universal Principles of Design: Affordance, Constraint, Mapping and Visibility.

Be sure to include photographs of your objects in your post. Make sure the photographs adequately represent the source of your love/hate relationship.

Exercise Four is due at 08:30 on Wednesday, January 28.