Last week’s post outlined the business case for transparent battery life figures. So the argument ran, manufacturer’s spec sheets are a major disappointment for customers and when the time comes, they are more likely to switch brands at upgrade time.
Holidays allow me to get through my reading list. Except, I’m increasingly finding that my ‘reading list’ has more videos that need watching than books. A sign of the times? Rachel Hinman thinks so. It’s what she would call ‘comfortable computing’. The changing nature of what people are doing with their mobile computing devices and therefore, how UI designers need to consider how Mobile HCI (Human Computer Interaction) is different.
Many years ago we used to think of this as lean forward and lean backward, but Rachel has moved my thinking on hugely in this 35 minute short through vimeo.
I particularly liked the idea that we need to ‘go to the gemba’ (where the truth is). Which meant that looking for answers in the lab can’t take you far in the mobile domain… we need to visit people in their natural habitat. Sounds like what is working for mobile HCI should resonate with test & measurement too. Although she also mentions why changing perspective is so damn difficult in practice, quoting Marshall McLuhan’s ‘rearview mirror effect’ as a difficult habit to jettison.
Well worth adding to your ‘reading list’ and thanks Rachel… I see there’s an old fashioned print version too.
Rachel Hinman: The Mobile Frontier from Interaction Design Association on Vimeo.
Creative Commons
- the friendly robot was drawn by Martin Pickles, although the © remains with Savage Minds
- almost all the other icons were drawn by Aleksandra Wolska who can be contacted through his website. Aleksandra’s drawings are licensed under the Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 Unported, creative commons t’s & c’s for which we are eternally grateful
- the only exception is the apple logo which was originally drawn by M Fayaz who can be found here