Auto Show Goodies Part 2

This is the second installment of the goodies I found on my trip to the Chicago Auto Show. I mentioned before that one of the main reasons I love going to the auto show, besides getting to hang out with my dad, is sitting in the awesome vehicles. College kids don't usually get the opportunity to hop into the latest BMW, Mercedes Benz, or Audi. So that's exactly what I did!

Mercedes brought their new AMG CL65 Coupe to the show and gave anyone the opportunity to sit in the cockpit of the $207,000 machine.
I jumped in the drivers seat and was immediately overwhelmed with the gadgets I had at my fingertips. It was almost interaction overload, but don't get me wrong- it was awesome! Compared to the Jeep I roll around town in this car felt like a luxury rocket ship. Buttons, dials, and knobs were everywhere, each with a very specific role in making the drivers ride the experience of a lifetime. At first glance the door panel featured too many buttons to even count. However, what was immediately identifiable was the seat controls located on that same door panel.
I thought this was a great place to put the seat controls. In most automobiles offering multi-directional power seats the control is usually on the side of the seat, not readily visible to the person sitting in the seat. Companies have done a good job mapping each button to the corresponding seat sections and movements, making it easier to intuitively adjust the seat. However, as the seat adjustment capabilities have become more advanced it is not as easy to adjust the seat without seeing the buttons. This design takes the seat mapping and puts it on the door panel to help adjust a very advanced powered seating system. As I pushed every button in front of me, just like the 10 year old kid was doing in the passenger seat next to me, it was very easy to see and feel the connection between the button arrangement and movement in correlation to how the seat reacted.

(Shout out to Jisi for making me think about this interaction)

Auto Show Goodies Part 1

Every year me and my dad try to get out to the Chicago Auto Show. Its one of those father son traditions that we started when I was younger. It's fun to go and see what each car company has been developing, look at the futuristic concept vehicles, and sit in some of the new cars.

This year I went to the show with a little different perspective on the car designs. I think most of the EDI peeps will agree that we are all looking at designs, specifically interaction designs, with a little more focus and criticism. So I went into this years auto show knowing that there would be a tons of interaction designs on all of the vehicles.

One of the first designs I came across was this car door handle with small black button on it.
Apparently this button is used in combination with a key fob to lock the door when the driver is leaving the vehicle. As the driver walks up to the car and has the key fob in his or her pocket the car will automatically unlock and can be started without inserting the key into the ignition. However, as the driver is leaving the car the button can be used to lock the car without getting the key fob out and pressing the lock button. I think this is a cool design, your hand is usually close to the door handle as you close the door so it wouldn't be hard to simply push the button. I also like the fact that this button was a very tactile button. It had a good feel to it and was satisfying when you pushed it.

The one thing that struck me initially about this design is that its a bit visually intrusive. The black button doesn't blend well with the silver metallic paint and the button placement, while convenient, is highly visible. I thought the button might be better suited if it were placed on the inside of the handle, out of direct sight line yet still easily accessible.

Touchscreen Crunch

I went up to the Wisconsin Dells this weekend for a retreat with FCA (Fellowship of Christian Athletes) and stayed at an indoor water park/resort. The weekend was great! Spent some time listening to speakers, meeting new people, and playing in the GIGANTIC indoor water park all weekend.

In our main meeting room I noticed this panel on the wall:

This is the interface panel that controls the microphone and speakers that are hardwired into the room. I thought it was interesting that the interface had a custom label on it reading: "Touch Screen Gently". I assumed it was there because the resort had problems in the past with guests pushing too hard on the screen and breaking it.

When I have used a touchscreen similar to this one in the past I can remember trying to push hard on the screen if at first it did not react. I think I was blending my mental model of pushing an actual physical button that doesn't work with my model of a touchscreen that doesn't work. When I push harder on a physical button that doesn't seem to work, sometimes the button loosens up or it just needed a firmer push. This process obviously does not work for touchscreens. Even if I push harder to get a "button" to work on the touchscreen nothing will happen if that function is not working correctly or not mapped to perform the function I think it should.

Even though most of the users know pushing harder will not produce any different result, we still try to because we are applying our mental model of physical button pushing. I think the label on this interface is addressing this mental model mix-up and trying to prevent damage to the touchscreen. I wonder how this insight could be incorporated into the design of touchscreens similar to this one?

New Pet Mouse

I just picked up the latest wireless mouse from Apple, the Magic Mouse. I was in need of new wireless mouse since my trusty old Logitec finally broke after 5 years of use. I'll admit that I decided to go with the Apple mouse not because it performs better than any other mouse, or that it more comfortable in my hand, or that it has more features. Quite frankly its not the easiest device to use. It has a very low profile that doesn't afford easy hand placement. It has hard edges where you want to put you thumb and middle finger. Comfort was obviously not what Apple was going for.


That being said I think it is one of the coolest and most stylish mouse devices I have ever seen.
I would describe it as a little piece of art that you can control your cursor with. Like most Apple products it is just asking to be used and played with. And that is partly why I bought it; I loved the way it looked in addition to the mulitouch surface. Yes, I admit I have been sucked in to the Apple cult.




The mulitouch interface is definatly the highlight. Scrolling is just a movement of the index finger and if you flick your finger off of the surface the resulting page will continue to scroll similar to the action of an iPhone. Overall responsiveness is great and very similar to the multitouch pad on my MacMook. All the levels of sensitivity can be adjusted in the setting box.




What I like:
Bluetooth - no wires, no docks, just Bluetooth goodness
AA batteries- no hassle with recharging batteries - just pop in some new AA's
Easy On- Off switch

What I am still wishing for:
Pinch zooming like on the iPhone screen and multitouch MacBook pad
Three finger swipe to initiate Expose or Spaces
Use your finger as a stylus to input signature or write (along with compliment software)

Tablet Time

Tablet PCs have been around for awhile, but until recently the technology has not been available to support the expectations of such devices. With the rumors swirling of a revolutionary new wireless tablet coming from 1 Infinite Loop in Cupertino, CA other companies have been racing to introduce their versions. Although Apple has not confirmed that such a device is in the works analysts expect them to reveal it later this month and possibly start selling it in the spring. The sudden rush of tablets will give us a great look at how human centered design interfaces have evolved and where they will go in the near future.

Below is a video showing some of the possible capabilities of Microsoft's Courier. I was pretty impressed by the demo- the motions and gestures used on the interface are movements that seem easy and intuitive.

There is a lot of buzz and speculation behind this new wave of tablet computers. Will this new way of interacting with our computers immediately be accepted or will there be resistance to change? Whatever happens, the introduction of wireless tablets will undoubtedly impact our computing habits and most likely change the way we live. Whether those changes will have the impact that Ben Kunz writes about in his BusinessWeek article are for you to decide and for time to tell.