Final Post - Finally

By taking this module and doing this project, I've learnt that the process of user experience design isn't easy. This could be due to my background: I'm a computing student and solves problem from top down approach. In the case of user design, it isn't the way. My group's first discussion takes place at Toa Payoh McDonald's. We had a couple of ideas, very creative ones. Some ideas include the ultimate "da bao" which is food wrapped using bun skin. This is environmentally friendly and we thought it could be a good experience for users. We also have the customizable pizza, which allow users to mix and match. However, all these ideas have already 'implemented' or suggested the functional aspect of the user's needs. This means that we've come out with the solution before identifying user's real needs; we're just marketing a new product for the sake of marketing. Designing for user's needs is a relatively tough process, you'll have to observe users in everyday life in order to identify the 'need'.

After weeks of discussion, we even have the food portal idea, which may not be feasible because of the failure of many such portal. Finally we have the GITA application, which we observe from some students having problems with module planning for their courses.

I've also learnt from the weeks of lecture that users may not be looking for functional specifications when choosing a product. Given the example in class of the Apple iPod and Creative Zen, Creative offers much more features than the iPod but iPod remains the dominant MP3 player in the world. This is because of the user experience that the product give users. The iPod interface is more user friendly than Zen. The features in the iPod are the essential (and probably more) ones that users usually use. Users begin to develop a sense of satisfaction and achievement while using the iPod and begin to develop trust in the product. A feature-packed device tend to be more complicated in terms of usage and that is the main reason iPod is the prefered device.

In conclusion, this module is an eye-opener for problem solver like me because what I've learnt in my years of course are not applicable in this module. This module designs products that take users into consideration, i.e. their experience in using the product. There are the emotional factors that we need to consider when they're using it. Enough said, products have to be what users desire and not one that the manufacturer/creator desires.

Final Project - GITA

Graduate-In-Time Application (GITA)

With reference to:
1. Admin page: http://www.jeremiahgoh.com/nm4210/gita/admin.php
2. Student page: http://www.jeremiahgoh.com/nm4210/gita/index.php

Graduate-In-Time Application is one that serves NUS student's needs by helping them plan the set of modules that could allow them to graduate in time. Before this system was borned, most students use MS Excel to tabulate the modules/CAP score, IVLE for module information, CORS for module offering and their respective faculty websites for course information. NUS Bulletin was used by some for the module information while some doesn't even know it existed. With the required information to plan modules distributed all over different websites, students have to do extra work, hence extra time, to source for these information to enable them to plan the module smoothly. There are times when wrong information (or outdated information) present in one website causes much confusion when the particular semester approaches. GITA solves much of these problems and provides an integrated web system to cater to student's needs for streamlined information.

We used card sorting to identify how users sort information. We've found out that while searching for modules to be shortlisted for planning, they go through such order:
1. Module type - which requirement the module fulfil for their course
2. Faculty
3. Department
4. Module Level

After they gotten the list of modules they would like to take, they would then slot it into the respective semesters. For modules that they didn't slot in, they still preserve the titles in case they can't get the planned module. Then as semesters gone by, some would update their CAP scores and input grades for next sem and calculate the 'targeted' CAP.

In this system, we try to map user's actions as closely to our designed system as possible so as to give them a familiar usage environment and minimize relearning. On top of that, we give them even more than what they expected, such as automatic calculation, persistent shortlist where they can just add and remove from the shortlist during every semester and checking of prerequisites/preclusions for them. I wished I have one of these systems online when I first entered NUS.

User Research Smoke & Mirrors

With reference to http://www.graphpaper.com/2006/07-10_user-research-smoke-mirrors-part-1-design-vs-science

The article is mainly about how user research (scientific or non-scientific) affect design process and that the wrong approach of interpreting use research results may have reverse effects on the resulting design

Design Vs Science

Using scientific tools to measure or evaluate design effectiveness may not be accurate most of the times. Some tools may produce redundant results that we would have known by common sense while some results may have been misinterpreted. I would have to agree with that because there are some aspect of design that can't be measured. As pointed out in the article, one such aspect is the subjectivity of the design. Different users have different preferences and usage behaviour. Therefore, the aesthetics of a design is subjective in this case and therefore could not be measured.

Research as a Design Tool

User interface test tool such as eyetracking may provide insights for researchers to know which part of the screen/interface the users focuses most. However, the technique only reveal what they are looking at (location of the screen) and not what they're seeing (the content of that location or why they're looking there). Some of the results are rather obvious because the improved design simply added graphic improvements to attract attention. In conclusion, using research to determine whether a design need to be improved or scraped, depends on how the results are being interpreted and how the research tool is being used.

Research as a Political Tool

Research could be used as a tool to explain and justify to non-experts. While a designer may act on his own instincts while designing, his superior or clients who are non-designers may not agree with his design without any proof or justifications. Therefore, research could be used as a tool to justify (at least politically) to them.

Research as Bullshit

The author noted that research is conducted as an interestingly absurd environment (persona room). The room is modeled to resemble actual user's environment. However, it may not be feasible to build a room (in terms of budget) just to build user's personas. The cost of building one may not be worth. Some research represents subjective opinions in terms of numbers. These numbers may be used for objective interpretation. However, it is still subjective because there are missing some of the "reasons" or answers to the "objectives" of the survey. In conclusion, research results may be used by people (probably designers) to justify or prove their design works but it is purely unnecessary because good designers base on experience to design. Research should be done only when necessary.

Research isn't a Bad Thing

Research, when used and results interpreted correctly, is useful for the design team which can provide valuable insights. Research is important for designers to build on stronger ideas.

Conclusion

I feel that the author makes sense in the ideas presented in the article. It is true that designers require experience to justify their design. They usually act on instincts/experience to design and seldom require research-based justifications. Therefore, research results some times may not be accurate to prove a design (or rather research cannot prove a design). This is because design is a very subjective matter. You cant use objective methods to measure or quantify it.

Assignment 4: Improving Learning Experience in Lecture Theatres

The objective of this assignment is to probe the various problems(if any) in lecture theatres that might hinder learning experience from user's perspective as well as other improvements that might enhance learning experience.

My team mate is Jeremiah and our powerpoint presentation is attached on the ivle.

Here is a brief outline of our findings. (For more information, please visit ivle for our full link)

Learning experience (as the "product" here) is influenced by the following factors:
1. Environment
2. Time

3. Place
4. Other people interpretation
5. Previous experience

We've used 2 of the methods taught in class to probe into the situation:

1) Ethnographic Study

2) Laddering

For our ethnographic study, we chose LT23 in an 8am class for the observation and our findings are:

1. Class started very late and ended late
2. Temperature was too cold
3. Chairs in this LT were uncomfortable
4. LT started to smell of food after the break
5. A lot of noise created as many students left early

Fig 1. Low back seat causes discomfort

Fig 2. Litter left behind after a lecture

The reason why we chose such a biased lecture class for a more "formal" study is because most of our lectures over the past years have been afternoon ones. We could get to observe the difference between an early class and those slightly later ones.

Some of these findings does not affect learning experience physiologically, rather it is psychologically. For example, starting lecture late may makes one come later (based on assumption that the class is gonna start late most of the time). Ending the lecture late may cause emotional displeasure as those who have class after might need to rush for next class.

For our laddering, we started with the question of "Do you like the learning experience in LTs?”. We have several findings and they are:

1. Dynamic lecture helps student understand better.
2. Comfort aids in concentration during lecture.
3. Temperature of LT affects concentration
4. Tables are not typically designed for left-handers
5. Big lectures are too distracting
6. Relevance of module to real-life aids in comprehension
7. Shorter lecture hours aid in concentration
8. Laptops (and therefore power points) aid comprehension
9. Creaky chairs affect concentration
10. Intrusive tables affect concentration (tables that swivel across neighbouring seats)

Fig 3. "Intrusive" tables that swivel across neighbouring seats

Fig 4. Chairs that are connected to a common "bar" rocks when one chair rock

We've identified the factors that influence learning experience:

1. Environment (architecture, temperature, furniture)
2. Time (duration, time of lecture)
3. Other people’s interpretation (reviews)
4. Conducting of Lectures (lecturer, methodology, size)

Some of the proposed changes are as follows (For more information, refer to powerpoint slides):

Fig 5. Semi-circular LT improves concentration

Fig 6. Chairs with higher seat back provides comfort which in turn improves concentration

Fig 7. Power points on every seat for everyone

Fig 8. Bad viewing angle (refer to picture) from the front row could be compensated by re-adjusting seats (not shown in picture)

Assignment 2 - Four Pleasure Analysis

This is the product that we analysed during lecture time. On first glance, this watch is rather big, old fashioned. However, it is a top designer watch. Here is a typical story of a user of this watch.

Jackson is a 58 years old executive living in Singapore, landed property. He works for a MNC for the past 20 years. He started as a clerk doing desk job and rising through the ranks to an executive. He's very hardworking and productive. When it comes to rules, he always go by the book and makes little mistakes in his work. He would always ensure that everything is in order. He dislikes mess or disorder. He is not very ambitious and only wants to do best in his work. He would be very happy with a promotion but wouldn't ask for one. He believes great work would get rewarded eventually. His colleagues respect him for his experience and work attitude. He gets to travel overseas sometimes to meet up with other executives for discussion.

During his free time after work on weekdays, he would catch up with a friend or two to play chess at his friend's place. He believes keeping the mind active would ensure his brain don't fail easily as he age. During the chess game, they would have chinese tea served. Sometimes, they would have a chinese instrumental music appreciation session after the chess game. He would drink tea and listen to the music at the same time. He would feel very relaxed doing such activities after a long day of work.

He has a family of four, his wife, a daughter and a son. His son is 30 years old, a manager of an IT firm. His daughter is 28 years old, an accountant of a Big Four accounting firm. His wife is 56 years old, housewife. All of them live together happily in a landed property in Serangoon.
Being a family man who cares for his children and wife, he believes that being together is fate and that fate only last a few decades. Therefore, he feels fortunate to be with the ones he love and cherish those few decades of being together. His family loves him as much as he does. His friends envy him for having such a loving and close family. He is very happy that they can feel it too.

During weekends, he would spend most of his time with his wife. In the morning, he would bring them to a traditional coffee shop in Chinatown for a breakfast. In the afternoon when his children were out, he would watch tv, read newspapers or listen to his old chinese songs using his high end vacuum tube amplifier sound system. He belives in buying things that satisfy his needs and enjoyment and price does not matter. At night he would eat dinner with his family at the dining table together. Being a traditional man, he require his children to come back for dinner on Sunday. After that, he would read a novel before going to sleep. He believes reading keeps him knowledgeable.

Physio-Pleasure
- finds great meaning and do best in his work
- physically undemanding 8 to 5pm desk job
- Keeping his mind active through mind games like chess (Need Pleasure)
- Drinks tea while listening to music to soothe the mind after a chess game (Appreciation Pleasure)

Socio-Pleasure
- happy for being envied for having a loving family (Appreciation Pleasure)
- respected for being an experienced employee of the company (Appreciation Pleasure)
- feel fortunate being together with his family (Need Pleasure)
- family ties are very important to him and he is glad to have it

Psycho-Pleasure
- His office job is relatively simple and not stressful. However it requires some brain power for simple management of resources. Therefore keeping the mind active is the most important thing now because he is aging. As he is afraid that his mind would fail him too soon, he need to work his mind by thinking in chess games.
- He do a lot of reading, such as newspapers and books, to keep his knowledge up to date. It is also to ensure he remains knowledgeable in a modern society like Singapore. (Need Pleasure)

Ideo-Pleasure
- loves his job and believes "law and order". Everything must go by the book so that nothing goes wrong. No shortcuts would be tolerated to ensure the integrity of the company system.
- believes great work gets rewarded eventually. He fought through the ranks in the company for the past 20 years.
- feels proud for being rewarded by the company for his hard work over the years.
- believes friends are important and the need to catch with them frequently during his free time. (Need Pleasure)
- being a family man with traditional values, he cherishes his family very much. He believes fate brought them together and they only have a few decade together. Therefore he cherish the precious moments very much and giving the love to his love ones when he could. His family loves him too.

Product Specifications - Hand Phone (for Jackson)

Cost
1. Cost does not matter to him as long as it satisfy his requirements

Look and Feel
1. Simple, plain, rectangular and silverish (with probably brown cover)
2. Simple to use UI, relatively easy learning curve.

Need Pleasure
1. Mind games, such as chess, in-built
2. Contact list/address book - to contain the contacts of his list of friends in order to keep in constant contact with them
3. Able to receive news feed or sms (news).
4. Able to open e-book documents such as pdf.

Appreciation Pleasure
1. Music player capable (mp3) - for his chinese instrumental songs
2. Video call function - for keeping in touch with his family through video calls during his break times or overseas. Could also be used to solve the problem of travelling to meet executives overseas.
3. Photo gallery with memory storage - to keep his photos so that he can keep himself reminded of the sweet times when he's with his family.

Best phone recommendation


This is the best phone that suits the above specifications. It has a front silvery casing with maroon back cover. The complexity of the many number buttons are concealed as it is a slide phone. What you find is only the essential buttons to navigate the phone. It is a 3G phone that supports video calls, has a 5.0 megapixel camera and photo gallery for taking photos with his family. It has a contact list, web browser with wifi capability for him to read his news, ability to open simple pdf files for his e-book and music player with 1gb memory card for his music files.

Assignment 1 - Pleasure with products

Visceral Design

What I learnt (or perceived)
It is the first impression that users have with a product, perceived by its appearance and outlook.



The above multimedia speaker is by Harman Kardon. It is quite a reputable brand and produces a lot high quality speakers, in terms of looks and sound.

This speaker set looks sleek and the looks of the speakers suggests it might sound good, it is not the case. Users may find this speaker of average performance. Subwoofer isn't as strong as it should given its size. Most people who bought this speakers just wanna make his/her desktop look nice. (nice decoration for $300+)

Visceral: Sleek, beautiful, modern
Behavioural: Looks does not compliment performance, average sound, poor quality.
Reflective: A good brand but not good enough to bring value to the owner's status

Behavioral Design

I've learnt that behavioral design is the overall feel and pleasure and the effectiveness of use of the product.

This product is the Creative Megaworks 250D. It looks like an ordinary set of black boxes with a relatively huge subwoofer box (which automatically mean powerful sound). However, don't judge a book by its cover. This set of speakers is THX-Certified (audiophile would know what this is) and has a 150-watt subwoofer. Sound is crisp and powerful. Deep bass with clear treble is how a listener would describe. It costs $200+.

Viseral: Ordinary looking, powerful sound looking

Behavioural: Powerful sound, worth the money, good sounding

Reflective: Not for showing off as Creative is an inexpensive local brand.

Reflective Design

I've learnt that reflective design is the image that the product portrays. Users may require further thoughts on how effective the product is in upholding the user's class.

This product is the Bose Companion 5 Multimedia Speakers. Audiophiles would know this brand very well. This is because Bose has a very well-known track record of producing high quality sound systems. Many places are equiped with Bose systems (including our LTs). This brand is a high end one and it comes with a price. Many yearn to own this product but find it too expensive.
Visceral: Ordinary looking, Small subwoofer suggest weak bass

Behavioural: Powerful sound despite small, save space in placement

Reflective: High end product that would bring class to the user, shows status in user's taste

Assignment 0 - The Bad Design

The bad design that I would like to point out is the layout of a video camcorder that I owned. It is the Canon MVX 350i. All these feedback are given by myself (as the main user) and my friends (whom I lend to)

There are 3 major design flaws (at least from a user's perspective) that would hinder speed in usage.

Design Flaw #1 - The record button

Look at the following pictures and identify the record button.

Well, if you're looking for something red... you won't be able to find it because the record button isn't red. But, why is our natural instinct telling us to look for something red? This is because most products with recording function has its record button colored red. If you're a first time user, you might have difficulty locating the button (as many of my friends who borrowed from me did). Anyway the record button is the one nearest to the thumb when you hold the camera.

"User friendly" it may seems as the record button is placed next to the user's thumb. However it is the obvious button (index finger) that confused the user. This is because the button position resembles a typical camera snapshot button. I have friends who called me in the middle of the event that they're shooting to ask me about the record button. Just a simple color to the button complicates the entire design.

Design Flaw #2 - The clock battery and SD card compartment

Initially I had a hard time trying to locate the SD card compartment. However, it is quite obvious after you open the LCD lid. It is located at the bottom of the camcorder.

There is a label indicating the direction to open the lid and take out the SD card. However, I accidentally discovered the clock battery compartment on the left.

There is no indication or what so ever on that compartment. So if one day my clock were to keep resetting, I wouldn't know what went wrong unless I read the manual (if a product is well-designed, who needs the manual anyway). My friend did call me to ask where to locate the SD card so that he can use his card.

The bad thing about this design is that the LCD lid needs to be opened in order to swap the SD card or change the battery. There is no easy access to the compartment to swap the cards.

Design Flaw #3 - Battery Cradle

Changing battery seem easy and natural without one knowing anything wrong with the process. I'm suppose to press the battery release button and lift up the battery to release the battery. However, the viewfinder blocked the lifting of the battery.

As such, I have to lift up the viewfinder before lifting and releasing the battery.

After releasing the battery, I have to push back the viewfinder after attaching back the battery to keep it in the bag. This is to ensure the viewfinder doesn't get damaged. Imagine the hassle of lifting up and lifting down the viewfinder each time you change the battery. This could cause the mechanism to get fatigue and damaged.

My friends who used this Canon product has expressed their concern over the reputation of the brand. Canon is supposed to be one of the leading brand in camcorders and cameras (FASS owns a few of them). Product design that focuses on user experience seems lacking. While a product could be packed with features, it is still a useless product if users have bad experience with the product.