Leanring Log 5 - 2

I recently bought the Google phone (G1) and i bought one of these gel skin cases. After using it I realized that it is a bad interface. The gel skin gets caught when you try to slide the keyboard open. It actually got jammed so many times that it eventually ripped. Also, it is not as protective as a hard case. I dropped my phone once, with the gel skin on it, and there was still a mark on the phone underneath the skin. I think only way to improve this interface is to eliminate them and use hard cases. A week after having the gel skin i bought a hard case and have not had any problems.

Learning Log 5 - 1

After reading about service design, it made me think of how often this is used on a daily basis. Service design is projected towards the users, making it easier for them to use and find a service. Usually this has to do with clear way finding and signage, just like the project we just completed. The most intriguing part about service design to me was the fact that the designer finds a layout or design, and improves it to make it more accessible to the user's. Saffer also explained that when it comes to designing for interaction, their are many mistakes that can me made. Sometimes, i feel designers focus to much on the visual aspects rather that the actually usability of the service. I believe sometimes it is important to keeps things simple, especially when you are trying to hep users find their way in a complicated area.
There are many stores and corporations that use good service design. Septa for example, has a successful service design. Their are signs that are simply designed all throughout the stations, making it almost impossible to get lost. Also, their mapping signs are very easy to read. They do not include to much color and only include the information you need, no extra nonsense.
Another service design that i find easy to use is the ordering systems in Wawa. When you want to order a sandwich or some type of food you go up the the small touch screen tv's to order. Everthing is catagorized by breakfast lunch and dinner. Their are even more catagories once you choose which meal you are looking for. Once you pick the food you want, a screen then comes up with all the condiments and you simply press on each one you want on your meal. Once you press order a small slip prints out, and the person making your meal also gets a copy. This makes it less likely for the employee to forget what you ordered and make your meal the wrong way. This service design is easy to use and simple at the same time, making it a great design for interaction.
After reading about Service design i will think more about what Saffer said when i design services myself. It it important to focus on funtionality when designer a user based service.

Project 1

The above image is the original website for AWA. The logo does not seem legible and the information is scattered in an unorganized way.


This image is my redesign for the AWA website. Information is more legible and it is more apparent where you can click on the page. This is because the clickable items are organized through their color, buttons, and use of underlining. The central image also relates directly to the whole idea of the website itself.
The above image is the original subpage for the AWA website. Everything is align left, rag right and reads directly down the page. This makes it uninteresting for the viewer and possibly more difficult to read.This image is my design for a new subpage. Information is catagorized across the page making it more visually appealing. The surrounding information also matches the homepage making it known that you are still on the same website.This website for The Humane Society of The United States is where i drew some of my ideas from. They effectivly designed this page using color coordination and grouping. I also like the way they took a main image a put it in the center, relating directly to the websites intentions.

BAD interface

The design for this self checkout interface at Walmart is designed in a way that could make it easy to make a huge mistake. If you notice, the place where you get your cash back is all the way at the bottom, completely out of sight. Although there is a large sign that says cash out, it is not in plain for for someone over 3 feet tall to easily see. The sign would actually be covered by your own body since that is where most people stand in order to scan their items. I noticed most self check out interfaces are designed like this and I often wonder how many people accidently forget to take their cash after they pay. I can only imagine how angry I would be if this happened to me. To make this interface design more successful the designer should put the cash out section in a higher area, possibly directly next to where you put your cash in.

Response to Chapter 5

This chapter discussed all the errors that are made when using interfaces and how they usually happen. Norman describes these errors to be "slips" and puts them in many different categories. The main idea i got from this chapter is that as a designer you must presume that the person using your interface is going to make mistakes, therefore that must be taken into account. I can relate to some of the small errors Norman discussed. Just the other day i went to close a document i had made and was in a rush. I thought i had saved it and since i was in a hurry i exited it out and when something popped up asking if i would like to save my work i hit no without thinking. All of my work was erased even though the computer still tried to remind me to save it. I subconsciously was thinking of what else i had to do after that and did not acknowledge the pop up. Realizing how often errors can be made can better help a designer think of ways to prevent these errors. Although it is obvious that no matter what a design can not be slip-proof, there are steps that can be taken to make it easier to prevent errors.

Response to Chapter 4

This Chapter, "Knowing What To Do" talked more about certain limitations that can help us figure out what exactly we are doing. Norman related these "constraints" to switches for lights or electronics. It made complete sense when he discussed the problem with light switches. How can you effectively plan out where to out light switches for a 3 dimensional room on a 2 dimensional pad. That is why most people including myself find it difficult to figure out which switch controls which lights.
His new idea about making a 3 dimensional light switch panel seemed so much more functional, which made me wonder why no one else had thought of it. People don't think of it because designers sometimes look at the visual quality rather than it's usability. His new idea for the light switch panel was a 3 dimensional panel set up to replicate the room in which the lights were. Each light switch was placed in correspondence of where the light actually was in the room. This invention may not be as sleek and visually appealing, but it had amazing usability, which can be more important when you want to turn the light on. I hope that his new idea for light switch panels can become more dominant in the everyday world.

Response to Chapter 3

Chapter 3 was very intriguing to me. It was the first chapter that lead away from design and more into psychology and ourselves. Norman made complete sense when he differentiated the two types of knowledge: Knowledge in your head and knowledge in the world. He went into further detail when he talked about memory. Memory can be both knowledge in the world and in your head.
Knowledge in your head has more do to with short and long term memory. Knowledge in the world also has a lot to do with memory. The difference is that you are required to use natural mappings, like when he showed the different stove set ups. It made me think of my own stove and how i remember which knob goes to what burner through natural mapping. Usually you don't even realize you are doing this until it is brought to your attention.
Norman also discussed the different types of mental models. This first is what the designer makes, called the designers model. That is what the designer intended it to look like. The second is the user's model. That is what us as user's figure out about how we think the design works. The last is the system image. The system image is the way the product looks at the end when we use it. It often includes it's own manual, telling you how to use it.