This document summarizes a student's observations and questions about potential design opportunities to improve user experiences and interfaces in various everyday situations. The student documented their observations of issues with controlling music players while cycling, managing reading time efficiently as a student, silencing keyboards during lectures, keeping utensils stable on food packages, designing less environmentally harmful mobile phones, and reducing boredom on subway rides. They posed questions about potential solutions such as gesture-based music control, technology to instantly inject information into memory, silent keyboards, more stable utensil holders, alternative phone form factors, and interactive windows or entertainment options on subways.
3. Shop
attendant Self-
checkout
machine
Customer
General observation : Saturday, 6.20PM
Empty line, very few customers, six self-checkout machines, one shop attendant standing nearby
for unknown reasons (customer help? security?)
4. Process :
Saturday, 6.20PM
CREDIT
Searching #2
- found a credit-
Checking out only checkout
- relieved to ïŹnd the - confusion in
right machine why âcredit-onlyâ Searching #1
- quickly learned - found a cash-only checkout
through the process - confusion in why âcash-onlyâ
- nervous about taking
photos for references
CASH Familiar w/ place
- look for available
checkouts
Finished First encounter
- a little surprised in how fast - a little nervous
- mood back to normal - uneasiness due to the
shop attendantâs position
6. Self-checkout steps:
Saturday, 6.20PM, about 2 mins
1. Press START
2. Scan the items (fabric storage boxes)
3. Put the items in a bag
4. Choose a payment method (debit)
5. Make a payment (swipe a card, insert a code)
6. Receive the receipt
7. Pick the bag
7. What is an interface?
The Free Dictionary
in-ter-face (n.)
1. A surface forming a common boundary between adjacent regions, bodies, substances, or
phases.
2. A point at which independent systems or diverse groups interact: âthe interface between
crime and politics where much of our reality is to be foundâ (Jack Kroll).
3. Computer Science
a. The point of interaction or communication between a computer and any other
entity, such as a printer or human operator.
b. The layout of an applicationâs graphic or textual controls in conjunction with the way
the application responds to user activity: an interface whose icons were hard to remember.
Dictionary.com
in-ter-face (n.)
1. A surface regarded as the common boundary of two bodies, spaces, or phases.
2. The facts, problems, considerations, theories, practices, etc., shared by two or more
disciplines, procedures, or ïŹelds of study: the interface between chemistry and physics.
3. A common boundary or interconnection between systems, equipment, concepts, or human
beings.
4. Communication or interaction: Interface between the parent company and its subsidiaries has
never been better.
5. A thing or circumstance that enables separate and sometimes incompatible elements to
coordinate effectively: The organization serves as an interface between the state government and
the public.
8. What is an interface?
Wikitionary
in-ter-face (n.)
1. The point of interconnection between two entities: Public relations ïŹrms often serve as the
interface between a company and the press.
2. (computing) The point of interconnection between two systems or subsystems: The data is
sent over the air interface to the remote system.
3. (computing) The connection between a user and a machine: The options are selected via the
user interface.
4. (computing) The connection between parts of object-oriented software: This interface is
implemented by several Java classes.
5. (chemistry, physics) A thin layer or boundary between two different substances or two
phrases of a single substance: The surface of a lake is a water-air interface.
6. (computing) In object-oriented programming, a piece of code deïŹning a set of operations
that other code must implement.
Related terms (Wikipedia: User interface)
User interface
- The space where interaction between humans and machines occurs
- A system by which people (users) interact with a machine
- Often used in the context of (personal) computer systems and electronic devices
Human-machine interface
- The user interface of a mechanical system, a vehicle or an industrial installation
- The âlayerâ that separates a human that is operating a machine from the machine itself
9. Encountered interfaces
Human-object
Spatial interface:
The space design of how the line should form, where to position self-checkout
machines and how a customer navigates through.
Human-machine
Human-machine interfaces:
The barcode reader, the card reader
User-program
Natural user interface (NUI):
The touch screens of the self-checkout machine and the card reader
Graphical user interface (GUI):
What appears on the touch screens of the self-checkout machine and the card reader
Multi-screen interfaces:
Menus on the GUIs of the touch screens of the self-checkout machine and the card
reader
Voice user interface:
The female voice response from the self-checkout machine to guide the customer
through the process of self-checkout via its touch screen
âAre natural user interfaces natural? No. But they will be useful.â
- Donald Norman, Natural User Interfaces Are Not Natural
According to his article, none of the above interfaces are natural. All has to be learned & developed.
10. Design intervention opportunities
An integration of a self-checking machine and a card reader
It could take up less space and provide less confusion to many customers in switching
between the machines.
A more visually-pleasing âcash-onlyâ or âcredit-onlyâ self-checking machine
Instead of attaching a piece of paper with the word in handwriting, both cash-only and
credit-only machines could have different colors from the rest, and been placed in separate
positions that are easy to recognize as unique to others.
Scan at spot
Use a shopping cart, a basket, or maybe a smartphone to scan items right at the shelves, then
make a payment at the exit. This reduces the space needed to put the self-checkout
machines, and processing time.
12. People photographing Wandering mascots People eating
People waiting in line Street performances Street vendors
People & babies on wheels People sitting People interacting w/ billboards
13. Solutions
1. Mobile app for locating people
2. People-locator interactive maps
- around the area
- input info and get a location-pointer bracelet
A) too crowded
The area is too crowded, because it's a tourist spot. Children/
people might get lost.
14. Solutions
Side steps to separate moving people from sitting
ones.
B) red steps users
People sitting here have to give a way to the ones going up and
down, which is irritating for both parties.
15. Solutions
Put the streets underground to make the whole
area car-free.
C) trafïŹc jam
People crossing the streets slow down the traffic, and vice
versa.
16. Potential improvements & User data needed
A) too crowded Solutions
1. Mobile app for locating people
The area is too crowded, 2. People-locator interactive maps
because it's a tourist - around the area
spot. Children/people - input info and get a location-pointer bracelet
might get lost. User data
population density, mobile phone usage, past cases
B) red steps users Solutions
Side steps to separate moving people from sitting
People sitting here have to ones.
give a way to the ones going User data
up and down, which is high/low usage time, activities on different spots
irritating for both parties. on the steps, entrance to the steps, vision, other
user activities nearby
C) trafïŹc jam Solutions
Put the streets underground to make the whole area
People crossing the streets car-free.
slow down the traffic, and
User data
vice versa.
population density, approximate loads, public
response
18. Cycling + Listening to music
To control a music player while riding a bicycle is really
uncomfortable and dangerous, because the focus has been
shifted from the road to the music player (which, for example,
could be an iPhone mounted to the handle.)
Q: What if there is a way in which you can control
a music player at will while still eyeing the road?
19. Reading + Time management
Reading can be a great way to spend time or relax, but what if you donât have enough time to
read? For example, a college student might have multiple projects due tomorrow, and she also
has to read ïŹve readings for a lecture class on the same day.
Q: Maybe another good idea besides trying to adjust time for everything
(and might not get enough sleep), could be using some sort of a device that
reads for you, then somehow inject them into your memory instantly?
20. Keyboard + Typing sound
You can use a pen or a laptop to take notes in a lecture class,
but it is quite disturbing to other people nearby when you
type really fast and loud, while writing in a notebook makes no
noise at all.
Q: Is there any way the keyboard would remain
silent while typing?
21. Utensils + Food package
To separate utensils from food boxes might be a good solution to organize selling shelves, but
the problem starts after the purchase, once you have utensils in one hand and a food box in
another hand. One has to be very careful not to drop their spoons. On a table, you have to
make sure the utensils stay clean on top of the closed box without falling down.
Q: Is there any way you can put a spoon on a food box (like in this photo) in
a more stable way, not having to worry it might fall from the box if got hit?
22. Mobile + Phone
Is holding a mobile phone in one hand near an ear, or plugging a bluetooth device in an ear
the ïŹnalized ways to use it? Does a mobile phone have to be the size about a humanâs palm,
made of toxic materials such as lead and plastic?
Q: Can a mobile phone be designed in another form which you might not
have to pick it up anymore, but becomes a part of your body, so that you
can use it more intuitively, with less harm to the environment?
23. Subway + Boredom while riding
Most of the time, the outside world to subway train commuters is total darkness with dim
spotlights along the way. Not only unable to ïŹnd a pleasant focus point for your eyes, you donât
even know where exactly you are. All you can do is waiting to reach the destination.
Q: To kill the boredom, should subway train windows be able to change views,
or have an interactive map telling the current location? What about
earphones holes to plug in for music and news? Or even better, a wiïŹ spot?
