Week 3

Theme: "Behaviour and Interaction"

Introduction

This week our team focused on designing and conceptualising an input-output device that responds to user interaction and their associated behaviour. Our design team is required to demonstrate our final concept using an interactive model. This interactive model will be exhibited and tested in class for peer feedback and formal assessment. This task is not about the design of a product or an object, rather it is focused on the design of behaviour and human interaction.

Reading

Inmates Are Running the Asylum, The: Why High-Tech Products Drive Us Crazy and How to Restore the Sanity, by Alan Cooper, 2004.

"Interaction" Versus "Interface" Design

The theory discussed in this section of Chapter 2, analyses the consequences of isolating design at the interface level and the idea of postponing design until after programming when it becomes too late. Interface design is believed to be exploited by programmers as a means of 'dressing up' an existing behaviour. Alan Cooper goes on to state that although interfaces provide the user with rich, visual feedback and reduces visual clutter on screen, it is far from sufficient in terms of its significance and functionality with the product. Cooper uses Microsoft as a prime example of a company which invests millions of dollars in interface design, but neglects the design of their products, leaving them universally unsolved. 

Cooper builds on his argument that the term "interface" design gives the impression to programmers that only the interface can answer the user's needs by stating that, behavioural design tells how the elements of the software or interface should act and communicate. In my opinion, behavioural design tells software engineers and programmers exactly what functions and displays to apply to the interface without just 'slapping' it on after.  

The text discusses the role of an interaction designers and how they work from the outside in, starting with a user-centred approach and establishing the needs of the user. Interactive designers also consider the macro environment in terms of the business, the capabilities of the technology, and the component tasks. 

The most interesting section of this text is the statement made by Cooper about conceptual design. This theory considers what is valuable for the users and determines what their underlying goals and priorities are. The interface design is able to be customized or otherwise made specific to the user's behaviour without unnecessary functions being added.  Cooper ends his discussion by outlining the three stages interaction designers pass through. These include, conceptualisation, behavioural design, and finally interface design.

This reading enabled me to finally understand the necessity and importance of studying user interactions and how we as designers can take this knowledge and apply it. Interactive designers are able to enter the world of the user and determine how and more importantly why an interface does what it does. Furthermore, I strongly believe in the design process of starting from the outside and collecting data relevant to the market, user, technologies and competitors to best meet the user's needs and support the business's overall goals and objectives for the project. 

However, the main idea that I took away from this reading was to analyse a user's need and behaviour in order to determine the products functionality. Therefore, I will now be able to apply this new knowledge and make educated justifications.

Week 3 Task

As discussed earlier the task this week was to start initial brainstorming using sketching, photos and preliminary research to create a concept that uses an input-output function based on a user's interactions. 

Each group member brought in different electronic devices to gather extra resources and parts to help build and eventually prototype our design. In the salvage process the group focused on collecting speakers, microphones, LEDs, wires and any type of buttons as the primary interactive components. These components were selected as they provided a wide variety of different design solutions and means of user interactions. The pictures of these deconstructions are displayed below:

The team's final concept was a security system for prison guards to help control and reduce violence, damage and disruption in prisons. The device is placed inside each prison cell and it monitors noise or changes in volume/pitch and alerts the prison guards through sound and LED lights. Therefore, the input is sound and the output is sound and light. The device would alert security personal or prison guards when a certain level of volume or decibels is reached in the prison cell. 

The idea behind this concept was to instil confidence and safety for both prison guards and other inmates by offering them an alternative to cameras and motion detectors. The device also provides prison guards an added means of reducing crime and improving conditions for staff and other employees.

I decided to make a vector based map to contextualize and illustrate how the system works and the different means on input-output and human interaction.

In regards to the semesters project of 'sensing the news' i continued to look for inspiration for idea generation and to give me a better understanding of what technologies are already on the market. 

Video One: 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vOvQCPLkPt4

I was intrigued by this concept as it did not directly focus on a specific technology or a commercialized product, it actually analysed a foreseeable futuristic concept that could improve tablet interfaces. The video discusses how modern day touch devices allow people to interact with virtual objects and immerse themselves in new worlds. However, it has been identified that there is still a substantial delay between when a finger moves and when the display responds. As a result, Microsoft researches have built a laboratory test system that allows us to experience the impact of different latencies on the user experience. The results help us understand how far we still have to go to improve touch performance. 

Viewing this video made me realize information that is delayed can have a tremendous impact on the user's experience and uptake of the product. Users who have difficulty interacting with a device or display and receive limited or no feedback can become frustrated and annoyed. This poor experience could result in a drop in purchases, a rise in complaints and a subsequent decrease in market share. I believe it is important to consider this when designing a product that is sending and receiving information, especially when information is represented through colour and images.