Tuesday, 13 November 2012

Megablog


THE REALLY RUBBISH INTERACTION (RRI) CHALLENGE

1. DESCRIPTION

Drink vending machine
You put in a pound coin to get the drink that you want after putting your money in you realise there isn’t a drink that you want so you cancel and get your money back but you get two 50p’s instead of your pound coin back.   

WHERE IDENTIFIED, and HOW OFTEN

Staples, Solihull
Over 10 times.

This has happened to me, other people that work there and customers.

WHY IT IS RUBBISH

Task
To cancel getting a drink from the machine and getting your money back.

Conceptual frameworks
Usability-in-life
Satisfaction

It should work how the user would expect it to work. You should get your pound back that you put in. The person using the machine gets annoyed as they don’t get the pound back that they put in; they now have more change that they have to carry around with them. The person using the machine is not satisfied with machine as they haven’t got back what they expected.

WHY THE RRI (REALLY RUBBISH INTERACTION) SLIPPED THROUGH THE NET 

I think they knew about the issue before the machine went out for the public to use, but they decided that they want it to easier for them not the members of the public. If they give out two 50p’s instead of giving them their pound back then there are fewer amounts of coins for them to collect when they empty the machine.

WHAT'S THE SOLUTION?

To make it do what the person using the machine would expect from the machine instead of making it easier for the manufacturer it should be about making it easier for user. So they need to change the design.
So when you put in your pound coin you get your pound coin back when the transaction has been cancelled.





2. DESCRIPTION

Computer rooms in the EC building
If you bring your own laptop to work on the labs and you haven’t got much battery they is no plugs to the plug your laptop into, so that you can charge it.

WHERE IDENTIFIED, and HOW OFTEN

EC building, Coventry University
Every time I’m in a computer lab

All the students that bring their own laptops to work on.

WHY IT IS RUBBISH

Task
For students to use their own laptops in the lab.

Conceptual frameworks
Usability-in-life
Satisfaction

Students should be able to use their own laptops and be able to charge if they need to. Students get annoyed as most students prefer to work on their own laptops and it isn't always possible for students to use their own laptops as they will need to charge them at some point in the day when they are working on them for a long time and it isn't possible when you’re in the computer labs.

WHY THE RRI (REALLY RUBBISH INTERACTION) SLIPPED THROUGH THE NET 

They probably want more people to use the computers that are supplied for them rather than them using their own laptops. They probably didn't amount for as many students using their own laptops as there actually are.   

WHAT'S THE SOLUTION?

To add some power sockets to the computer rooms to allows people to be able to plug their own laptops in so that people aren’t forced to use the uni computers when they don’t want to and would prefer to work on the own laptop.






3. DESCRIPTION

The windows in the EC building
The windows in the EC building have to all the way open or closed there isn’t an in between so the room is either really hot or really cold and nosey.

WHERE IDENTIFIED, and HOW OFTEN

EC building, Coventry University
Every time I’m in the building (mostly in the computer labs)

Everyone that’s the room.

WHY IT IS RUBBISH

Task
To be able to open the window a little bit.

Conceptual frameworks
Usability-in-life
Satisfaction
Mapping

Unless it is summer you probably won’t need to have the windows completely open. To have them open a little won’t cool the room down without making the room or the students to cold. If you could open the windows little bit without having them all the way open it would be better for the students as they wouldn't be sitting there feeling cold and finding it hard to concentrate as it is normally quite loud with the windows open if there is building work  going on nearby. The controls are confusing to use the buttons aren't clear on what buttons is what.

WHY THE RRI (REALLY RUBBISH INTERACTION) SLIPPED THROUGH THE NET 

They were probably aware of this before the students came in to the building as it is meant to have an ip address connected to each of the windows so when the building or particular room gets a certain temperature the windows should open the keep it rooms a certain temperature.

WHAT'S THE SOLUTION?

To get the windows to work how they are designed to work.
   







Studio 4


Scenario: Phone rings in the lecture (iPhone)

Your phone starts to ring in lecture. You need to turn the sound of as quick as you can, to stop you interrupting the lecture. Or to put the phone down, or letting the person that is ringing you know that you will ring them later.

Function: Turning the sound off/ let person know that you ring them back later

Flipping the switch on the side of the phone to silent, so the sound stops. Or when the phone rings sending a text to say you will call them back.

   


Stages of how to send a text to the person calling to let them know that you will call them back.

Analysis

For someone that knows how to use an iPhone knows how to use the controls on the phone without having to think about it.

For someone that has never used an iPhone or looked at one before wouldn't know how to use the controls to switch the phone to silent.

The design of the controls such as the switch to turn it on to silent in a consistent design that apple have used. So the users that upgrade to the newest iPhone will always know that. That is the way to turn the phone on to silent. The controls on the side of the phone isn't really visible from the front especially when you have a case on the phone you can’t see them at all so you wouldn't know that they were there if you have never use a n iPhone before.   

Sending a text option to let the person know that you ring them back is new to the latest software (ios6).

A lot of the features that the iPhone has you discover as you use the phone. IPhones have a lot more feature than any standard user would ever use.









IDEO


Studio 3 | Creative Design Approaches


Car Park




Issue / problem


·         The person doesn’t know how to park
·         The person has parked so that the other person won’t hit their car door
·         So that they don’t hit another car
·         The spaces aren’t big enough

Changes

·         Have the car park spaces at a 45 degree angle so that the car doors won’t hit the other cars doors.
·         Have sliding doors on the cars, then spaces can stay the same
·         Have bumper strips on the car doors so it hits them first so that it doesn’t damage the paint work on the car doors.

Hand rail in the toilet



Issue / problem


·         Hand rail to close to where you get the toilet roll
·         Could reach for the wrong thing
·         The toilet roll is a bit far away from the toilet
·         Hand rail could be used for older people/ people that find too hard to get up
·         Older people may find it hard to reach for the toilet paper


IDEO

Inspire thoughts about design opportunities and consequences.
No definite explanations for each picture.   



Studio 2


What does ‘usable-in-life’ mean?

It means how it works for us in our everyday life. In a real context, with real users, with real motivation. For example how me use a mobile phone, how easy it is to use in everyday life. Receiving lots of texts at once and being able to replay to hem without any problems.

How is usability-in-life different to usability-in-itself?

It’s not relevant to real users. Decontextualised’ technology. It only really tests certain features of a device rather testing the features that a real user would use, and how they actually carry out certain tasks. 

Practical

Buses

·         Electronic timetables
-       Cancellations
-       Late (how many minutes)
-       What bus is due next (if multiple buses come to the same bus stop)
-        


Questions

How would it help you to know how late your bus is going to be?

If your bus gets cancelled, will it help you to arrange to get another form of transport to get home or to work?

What would the people that use buses like to see from an electronic timetable?

How often use the electronic timetables against the paper timetables?  

Studio 1


Definitions

Pervasive computing
·         The idea that technology is moving beyond the personal computer to everyday devices with embedded technology and connectivity as computing devices become progressively smaller and more powerful.
·         Also called ubiquitous computing, pervasive computing is the result of computer technology advancing at exponential speeds -- a trend toward all man-made and some natural products having hardware and software.


The devices are getting a lot smaller and a lot more powerful.

Ubiquitous computing
·         A post-desktop model of human-computer interaction in which information processing has been thoroughly integrated into everyday objects and activities.
·         Ubiquitous technology is often wireless, mobile, and networked, making its users more connected to the world around them and the people in it.

This diagram shows what the user can do on the move as more people use their mobile phones for most applications today. Such as communicating (text, phone, calls and emails), they are also used for gaming.



Ambient computing
·         Electronic environments that is sensitive and responsive to the presence of people.
·         As these devices grow smaller, more connected and more integrated into our environment, the technology disappears into our surroundings until only the user interface remains perceivable by users.


Disappearing computing
·         A vision of the future is one in which our world of everyday objects and places becomes infused and augmented with information processing and exchange.
·         Disappearing computing is technology evolving to become a part of our life without us noticing. Such as computer tables and TVs embedded into our walls and speakers under the floor etc.


Pervasive computing is also known as ubiquitous computing so they are very similar. Pervasive computing talks about how device are getting smaller.