Using two products of the same genre back-to-back can sometimes give you a fresh perspective on design. Yesterday, I was running with a Sansa MP3 player, and found it surprisingly difficult to switch songs while I was running, especially when the player was in the armband case. Shortly after, I had a contrasting experience with my Ipod...the Ipod was in a messenger bag, but I had no difficulty changing artist, album, or track with a minimal amount of visibility. Both players are exceptional at playing music, but getting there is a different story.
Sometimes, the mark of good product design is being able to use a product without having to think about using it. -Garret
I wonder if this is because of the operational schema's that we create for products we interact with on a regular basis? I think we do it to reduce mental strain... kind of a defense mechanism.
I remember this problem happened with the BMW i-Drive. People were used to using a lever to select their gear, not a turn a knob.
Posted by: Reed | April 11, 2008 at 05:10 PM