Based on a similar concept to a traditional lock and key his hotel keycard utilizes a series of punch holes to determine entry.
This is interesting for its mechnical design rather than the modern magnetic stripe or FOB touch technology.
I wonder how many hotels adopted these before they were phased out. I’ve never seen one of these before, but it screams 80′s product development.
Technology and the farmer’s market are not two things that I would normally associate or even want to bring together, but it’s the perfect example of when modern devices can really solve a problem in a way that doesn’t detract from the basic message of what a farmer’s market is about, which would be down home simplicity and “back to the earth” ideals.
Using cellular payment processing machines, the Trout Lake Farmer’s Market in Vancouver solves the “I forgot to get cash out” problem facing many cash only businesses these days. If you forget to bring money you can use your bank debit card to buy wooden market tokens which are as good as cash to get your farm fresh veggies and home baked goods.
Had they erected ATM machines all around the market I would feel that the message of the farmer’s market had been lost, but this is a subtle and creative way to solve a problem. To me this one is an example of technology applied correctly. It is not distracting and is totally effective.
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.
Normally UX (user experience) is a term assigned to tech related products, but sometimes we need to look beyond that to more basic things. When my local coffee shop asked me what I thought of their new muffins I couldn’t help but think of UX. Yes, I am a geek.
The old muffins were small, but moist and easy to handle. They were also tasty. Both of these things led to a superior user experience.
The new muffins are bigger, which in theory would be a bonus, but that makes them more cumbersome to handle. The inside of the muffin is no longer moist, but actually quite dry leading to more crumbs. To top it off, literally, there is some sugary substance sprinkled all over the top of the muffin. This makes an even bigger mess and leaves my shirt and the table covered in muffin debris.
Taking this forward, the new muffin may look more enticing, but really is just not as good. Sometimes change for the sake of change is not necessary, particularly when your product was good to begin with. If other people feel the same way I think this muffin will be the Windows Vista of the local coffee shop, and perhaps a Windows 7 like backpeddling is on the horizon.
