Norman 3 Course Blog Entry

Norman gives so many living examples that have made me stop and think about design when looking at everyday items and places. The example given about the cafeteria in a museum was interesting. I thought about the layouts of restaurants in high traffic areas like in a shopping mall or in an airport. They seem to always have uncomfortable seats and tend to be very small. I never thought about the fact that they may have been designed that way for a reason. The owners would not want people with long layovers at an airport to hang out comfortably in their restaurant after they eat when they are not spending more money. One the other side of this issue I know of a McDonald’s restaurant that has only two registers on the inside and usually only uses one even on busy days. Adding one more register and two more employees at the registers would allow for many more customers to be serviced in a shorter time. When I would walk in and see this situation I would walk right back out. Making the changes would greatly affect the number of potential customers and increase revenue.

Another area that Norman discussed a lot was again the topic of usability versus aesthetics. A saying that comes to mind is one that I have heard from my friends many times when we discuss the use of a new product. We would see many products that have very limited uses. We would say “but it looks cool.” This stresses the fact that the architects often put looks over use. The case study of the Federal Aviation Administration where they allowed architects to design one set of offices and then took input from users to design another helps to prove the point. The architects won awards for their design but the other offices experienced an increase in productivity from their employees. This also shows a breakdown in priorities between what is considered good design of an office environment between the user and the designer.

The discussion of the everyday used products of the bathroom I also found interesting. The different costs and benefits of different faucet designs shows that even for a simple product, design is important. It was interesting to me that the faucets with sensors discussed by Norman show the dating of the book since they are now very commonly found, especially in public restrooms. Norman talks about the fact that the visibility of its function is no longer there for a faucet if a sensor is used. In today’s world, we seem to have overcome this problem. What came to my mind is the use of the sensor toilets and urinals at least in many public men’s restrooms. This is the case where the users do not need to know how to use them since there is nothing they need to do. This actually works out, especially in bars or at sporting events in particular where alcohol is served. Many users of these restroom facilities often did not flush the traditional toilets or urinals anyway. The sensors would help to keep the restrooms much cleaner.

Module 3 Blog Assignment 8-1

In the third module, there are detailed discussions and concepts regarding the whole process of interviewing users and the process of creating good questions. This also includes those for the questionnaire. In our group, we have found that this process can be a difficult one to do correctly. The whole purpose of the questions needs to be kept in mind during the entire process. It is way too easy to get off on a tangent that will really result in no useful usability information. It is also easy to shift to a marketing type survey instead of the intended usability type questions. I do however think that there is some value to those types of questions as well to developers when they are looking to see what direction they need to go in.

The main thing to keep in mind is to make the interview very specific in purpose so that specific questions can be created and asked. This will ensure useful answers. Also, the profiles of the questioned users and the intended users need to cover as broad of a range as possible. This will give insight from all users groups as well as shed light on where improvements need to be made for those particular profiles.

Another observation is on the questionnaire possible answers. It is very important to give answers to chose from that will give a true picture of what is going on. For example, if you asked how many minutes did it took to get the software installed and working. If you only gave the choices of 5 min., 6 min., 7min., or more than 7min. , this may limit the useful results of the question. What if the average installation time was 20 min.? This is where the testing of the questions is important. These types of questions need to give a proper set of answers. Answers should be gathered by talking to users of various levels to give a proper range.

Assignment 7-2 Norman 2 blog post

In Norman’s book, chapter four is loaded with great examples dealing with object constraints. It is amazing the knowledge that we have obtained that many of us take for granted. The simple example of putting together a small Lego police motorcycle toy is loaded with constraints. When reading this section, I thought to myself, I wonder what it would be like to try putting the toy together after having your memory erased. I guess it would be similar to being a baby but with a fully developed body and brain.

The section discussing doors and then the design of switch panels seem to be concepts to me that should be obvious. The whole switch design issue is one that has always annoyed. I have very rarely seen a good light switch design when multiple switches are used. I guess the notion that visual aesthetics are more important than function shows that the designers may be more artistic in thinking than they are in analyzing how a useful design should function. This is probably due to the fact that many people, when buying objects, seem to lean towards the pretty versus the practical. An example is that when selling a house, you are always told that you want it to be visually appealing. A little money spent on landscaping can make thousands of dollars of a difference in the price of a house.

In chapter five, the examples of mental slips bring to mind many of the same past experiences. Many times I remember going into a room while having a conversation with someone and forgetting what I went in to look for. I then would go back only to remember a few minutes later. Another common one for me is forgetting what I was going to talk about. This usually happens when there is a sudden interruption by someone or something that draws your attention for a few seconds. Afterwards, it seems that the harder you try to remember, the more blank your mind becomes. For me, I usually get something unrelated that keeps popping into my head repeatedly when I try to remember.

Another part of chapter five that I find very interesting is the discussion of brain function and activity. The section on the connectionist approach is particularly thought provoking. It is amazing to me that at this day and age that we still know so little about the true functioning of the brain. It is strange to think that it is made up of millions of simple cells whose functions and behaviors are anything but simple.