Tagged : human centred design

in Misc Bin

Human Centered Design and Self Serve Lids

This post isn’t meant to be a rant, but more to show how poorly designed or thought out many things that we interact with on a regular basis are. The coffee shop I go to nearly every morning when in my hometown has unintentionally labeled their coffee cream canisters for left handed people, so any right handed person is constantly re-arranging the containers to see the label, but then turning them back around to pour. The obvious solution would be to label both sides.

The photo above is from a Quizno’s sandwich shop where the staff dutifully refilled the disposable soda lids and filled the container to capacity. The staff should be commended for their diligence, but in practicality by filling up the container with lids right to the edge it is nearly impossible to get one lid out without removing all of them.

In this case I think neither the staff, nor the company designing the container had given much thought to user interface. What is interesting is that I am willing to bet that this lid container exists in many other Quizno’s shops. Mass production of things that don’t work.

User interface is not just for gadgets and computer software. It is also for basic tools and implements, and should actually be emphasized for basic things that we interact with in our daily lives.

in Media Culture

Puma Phone

Smart phones have changed the world, of that I am sure, but there are so many things left to innovate. Recently leaked photos and info about the new Apple iPhone 4G provide some respite for the tech-needy, but I feel that some of the best product innovation is now going to come from the back of the pack. Enter the Puma Phone.

Puma — yes, the Puma of sneakers and tracksuits — is about to enter the mobile phone market in cooperation with Sagem Telecommunications with its version of the smart phone that attempts to shed the geeky-ness of the PDA for a playful fun interface. Call it human centred design for teenagers if you will.

It has features like a sarcastic calendar, icon messaging, and a faux digital scratch turntable, but it also has a sporty side with features like a GPS driven bike speedometer, running mileage calculator, and yachting compass. This is really a phone that is meant for play, not just business.

While the phone also solves some soon-to-be addressed issues with interface on other phones (ie. front facing camera for self-portraits and video chat), I feel that the most noteworthy feature of the entire phone is the solar panel.

Solar panel like on a calculator? You bet! I mean really, why has nobody put this into action yet? The pathetic battery life on most smart phones, particularly the Apple iPhone, could be easily boosted by something that we all have access to — the sun.

Adding a solar charging strip to the back of each phone is genius, and while it may not be enough to charge and power the phone completely, it will still provide a tangible benefit. Even if it extends battery life throughout the day by 10% that would be a substantial gain at little cost.

From an ergonomic and health point of view it would also get the phone out of our pockets and onto our desks thus also minimizing the potential for crotch cancer that can supposedly happen from keeping your phone to close to your person for extended periods of time.

For more information check out www.pumaphone.com