Semi - Automatic Faucets...

So I duck into ladies room at JC Penny on Saturday afternoon to wash my hands.  Of course, I'm carrying my purse, a tote bag and sporting my bulky winter garb.  As I walk up to the sink that runs the length of the room, despair replaces optimism when I realize there are no faucet handles on this sink.  Instead, I find myself face to face with a 'semi-automatic' faucet.  Sigh.

There is something about me and 'semi-automatic' faucets.  I generally find myself doing deep knee bends and moving my hands in any variety of positions in order to trigger the water flow response from the faucet.  Once the water is flowing, I try to keep my hands steady so the faucet doesn't shut off before the soap is rinsed from my hands.  If not, I need to do some more aerobic moves to trigger to water to flow again.

As I leave the ladies room, carrying my purse in my almost non-soapy hands, I'm a little sweaty from my cardio-hand washing workout.  Of courses, I am thankful for running water, and for my hand washing success.   The user experience in this case isn't very positive, however for me, it is now expected.  When I walk into a bathroom with the semi- automatic faucet set up,  my visceral response is to sigh and wonder how long it will take for me to trigger the faucet to work.

I wonder how many people have had experiences similar to what I described when interacting with 'semi-automatic' faucets.  I'd like to hear some other stories on your experiences interacting with things that once required manual intervention like the faucet which is now automated.

~jill

Say a Command...

'Say a command' are the words that often startle me when I reach for my Blackberry and accidentally press the silver button on the left side.  The silver button to which I refer is strategically placed smack dab in the center sideline of the device, exactly where I tend to grasp it as I check for email or answer a phone call.  And every time it happens I think to myself,  'I wish I knew what voice commands would actually trigger action because I would like to give the voice command feature a try.'

Blackberry's have come such a long way in design and functionality during recent years.  For example, being able to be prompted by voice commands is a big leap in functionality.  However if I could redesign the voice command access  in any way, I would reposition the button from the middle of the sideline where it is today and move it to the lower corner on the sideline of the device.  Positioned there, it would still be easily accessed for those wanting to use voice commands, yet be out of the path of the most frequent grasping area.  I suspect the reposition of the silver button would result in fewer incidents of accidental activation of voice prompting and lower the frequency my Blackberry beckons to me to 'Say a Command'.

Has this ever happened to you?  How would you redesign the Blackberry?  What features would you like to see in a Blackberry or have easier access to?

Jill

Getting a Facelift....

I have to intro today by saying that although there are design flaws in the current Facebook design, the concept of Facebook still is brilliant.  Kudos to the team who developed the tool and executed on it to reconnect millions of friends and families around the globe.  Quite an amazing accomplishment to say the least!  

In yesterday's blog I referred to the Facebook 'facelift' that left so many of us feeling lost when we could no longer do the cool stuff we were once able to easily complete.  I remember feeling overwhelmed by too much information being presented on my home page.  The information seemed to be present without my consent and I didn't know how to manage it all.  Facebook, a simple tool that I had come to trust was suddenly responding in unexpected ways!  

What was once simple became complex.  I felt frustrated and was having a negative user experience on Facebook.  I stopped visiting Facebook for several months as a result of those design changes.  When we have a negative user experience with a product, often we're reluctant to go back to that web site or to use that product again.  More and more people are less forgiving of poor designs that result in negative user experiences than even just a few years ago.   We may seek an alternative web site or product, or may even avoid similar products all together in the future as a result of the negative user experience.  When there are no equivalent resources, we're apt to be more forgiving than if there were numerous options to fulfill the same need.  Although I gave Facebook another chance, to this day, I think there are features of it that I don't understand well and I have not yet regained my trust in the tool.    

There also continue to be a few things that frustrate me about it's design.  The first is that I have 52 Requests pending.  Some are two years old.  Why can't I select all and delete.  Why do I need to go through each on at this point when I just want them all to be gone?  Another thing is why does every one of my activities show up on my home page.  I know what I did.  Does everyone really need to know that I just commented on my friends status?  I don't think so.  And why, oh why, when I select an item to delete from my home page, does Facebook repeatedly ask if I really want to delete it.  This is social networking not medical information!  I actually don't want it displayed to begin with but if you're gonna display it, make it easy to delete.  Lastly, I'm really not sure if I understand who else sees what activities I complete.  Kind of weird at some level, yet to stay in touch through a common portal with friends and family near and far, I continue to use the tool.  

Is it only me who has struggled with the Facebook redesign?    And why is it that so many people are tolerant of Facebook's design?  Any thoughts on why we willingly accept Facebook at face value?   

Jill 

Inspired ...

Welcome to Brain Logic Blog!

I've been inspired by the movie 'Julie and Julia' (which I loved) and Stephie's 365 Photos and Peg's 50 pounds before 50 years, daily blogs.  I now actually look forward to reading them everyday.   I'm going to follow their lead and begin what I've been thinking about doing for sometime.  I'll be blogging on a topic that is near and dear to my heart - Human Computer Interaction.    In other words, I'll be writing about the frustrations and accolades associated with interacting with selected web sites and products.

Here's what that means.....

Everyday we interact with all sorts of products from the moment we wake up.  We do things like turn off the alarm clock, get the coffee pot ready to perk the morning brew, visit Twitter or Facebook to get some news, or text Mom to say good morning.  Those are all examples of interactions with products and technology.

How someone feels as a result of those interactions, whether positive or negative, shape what is termed their 'user experience'.  The Facebook facelift frustrated many of us users resulting in a negative user experience.  While Google's simple, reliable design meets our expectations and makes us happy fostering a positive user experience.

Here's the simple version of the Human Computer Interact equation ...

interaction with a product or web site
+ how we feel
+ what we think
-------------------------------------
user experience 

Thinking in terms of user experiences reshapes how we interpret our everyday activities.  Brain Logic Blog is the place to explore web sites and products we like or ones that frustrate us and are in need improvements.  We'll talk about how we would improve web site and product designs.  We might even get to see a few of our recommendations implemented!

You're invited to share your comments and experiences to help transform frustrating user experiences into those deserving of accolades!  Come along for the ride, it's going to be fun!

Jill

Street Signs and Button Names

Okay, so how long has it been since I was first introduced to the Internet? Hmmm... 10, 12 maybe 15 years. Yes, it's been about fifteen years since I first heard about some of the vast potential of the Internet. I've heard many analogies to describe how everything on the Internet relates. You've probably heard many of the same eg, the Internet is like a web or its a superhighway, to name a few. I'm sure there are many more analogies too. I've always thought that these common metaphors refer to the infrastructure of the Internet, you know, the foundation that connects all the intersecting points together.

As I've continued to study Human Computer Interaction (HCI), my focus has moved from the infrastructure of the Internet and the external connections among web resources to wanting clearer understanding how the client is interacting with a particular web resource at any given millisecond. I often wonder about the thought processes that are occurring cognitively for a client as they glance at a navigation button on a screen or hear the button label read aloud while I observe clients exploring web based tools. How I can anticipate their next click of the mouse or their next move on the screen and build the navigate to support their cognition?

One analogy related to HCI that has become so apparent to me is how driving my car around town and web navigation are quite related.
Here's how....

Home is generally from where I begin my journey and where I end it. In between I have certain destinations that I want to reach as efficiently as I can. For example, home to grocery store. Okay, I have to deal with a few lights, but hopefully no detours and if I do get detoured, I sure hope it's well marked because I have a purpose, getting groceries, and I don't want it to take any longer then necessary. Home to the grocery store and I don't want to get diverted from my task.

Now apply these same concepts to how clients navigate through a web site. I'm on the home page of a web site and want to purchase a pair of shoes. So I click on the Buy Shoes button and want to be presented with shoe choices so I can select a pair that I like. When I click on the Buy Shoes button selection I don't expect to be presented with choices for things other than shoes, you know I don't want to look at coats, dresses, sporting goods. I just want to look at shoes. If I do get a message that leads me to a detour, I hope the web designer makes it easy for me to get back on track so I can buy shoes. Are you getting the connection, am I painting a picture? I have a purpose and a goal and I want to get there and get back Home(Page) without incident, without getting lost.

This morning I was driving home from the grocery store on one of several usual routes home. As I turned on my blinker to make a right turn, I did so with little thought and in anticipation of an expected outcome which was the right turn onto E Street. That right turn would make me one street closer to home. Please no detours, everything looked familiar and worked. Stop sign, right blinker again, accelerate...familiar with no exceptions. If someone knew me and where I lived they could almost anticipate my next move. Interesting. How can I apply this thinking and these principles to my customers and other customers web experiences?

Know thy audience. In web design, can we build a system or web site that anticipates someones next move? I think we're getting closer to that design every day. And like the street designs and intersections in our town, web sites also have street designs but they're called navigation. Navigation is at the root of every customer's experience.
Be smart. Build it wisely. Test it often.