01-27-2004, 05:30 AM
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Editor Emeritus
Join Date: Aug 2006
Posts: 15,171
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New Tech Gadgets Get Tougher To Operate
"Not only are the latest electronic gadgets packed with more features than ever, they're also harder than ever to figure out. Culprits span the gizmo gamut from DVD players to digital cameras and wireless devices. Even televisions are increasingly acting more like computers, those notoriously confounding beasts. Barry Jaruzelski would have never imagined he'd need to consult a 146-page owner's manual just to learn how to turn on his new cell phone."
Believe it or not, I'm mixed on this subject. I agree that many companies don't put any effort into making a decent UI, and that's a shame. But, at the same time, I see lots of consumers who don't bother to make any mental effort to learn new devices as well.
Here's a simple example: the toughest cell phone I've ever had to use was the (now venerable) Motorola StarTac. It had a horrible user interface, replete with up, down, and a middle button being used in all sorts of bizarre ways, especially when manipulating a phonebook. Being a geek, I figured it out and got it to work, but I had to comb through the book several times. I saw countless people's StarTacs not programmed optimally. Many modern cell phones are much easier to use, but people get used to one interface and refuse to learn others, calling them "complicated", unless they have a compelling reason to. People used to complain about fax machines all the time in the early days; now everyone uses one without second thought.
What's your take and/or experience with newer devices?
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01-27-2004, 05:59 AM
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Philosopher
Join Date: Mar 2004
Posts: 555
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I'm having a similar problem -- I'm having trouble figuring out the ins-and-outs of my Motorola MPx200 smartphone. Granted it's got its quirks, but I'm still having a hard time figuring out certain things (i.e. how to toggle to T9 instead of abc-input).
I do agree on one thing though -- I've gotten used to the Windows layout and UI and now I'm "lazy" to the point of "adverse" towards trying out new ways of doing things, and I'm only in college. For those that are older, I can see how it can be worse....
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01-27-2004, 06:53 AM
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Sage
Join Date: Mar 2004
Posts: 735
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iPod. Powerful and simple.
Nokia 3650. Powerful but very complicated.
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01-27-2004, 08:51 AM
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Pupil
Join Date: Mar 2004
Posts: 37
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Quote:
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Originally Posted by klinux
Nokia 3650. Powerful but very complicated.
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I wouldn't go as far as calling Nokia 3650 powerful. Complicated, yes, but not powerful
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01-27-2004, 09:21 AM
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Intellectual
Join Date: Aug 2002
Posts: 254
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Re: New Tech Gadgets Get Tougher To Operate
Quote:
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Originally Posted by Janak Parekh
"...people get used to one interface and refuse to learn others, calling them "complicated
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Now, where have i heard that before? :roll:
__________________
In times of change, its the learners who will inherit the earth, while the learned find themselves beautifully equipped to handle a world that no longer exist.
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01-27-2004, 10:30 AM
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Theorist
Join Date: Dec 2004
Posts: 291
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Quote:
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People used to complain about fax machines all the time in the early days; now everyone uses one without second thought.
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Heh, you reckon?
My desk is next to the office fax machine I'd say 70% of the people who use it have at least two tries to send a fax, I often wonder if there is some hidden pong game in it 
But its true people don't take the time to learn what they are using, I was in a training course a few weeks ago and while I sat there whizzing around my computer others wasted hours of the trainers time with him simply explaining the difference between double and single clicks :roll:
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01-27-2004, 12:46 PM
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Ponderer
Join Date: Jun 2002
Posts: 73
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OK, you need a fundamental foundation of knowledge to be able to use something (as mentioned - double clicks, drag and click, etc.), but that doesn't excuse bad or ill thought out design.
Some people treat anything that isn't a Nokia mobile phone as confusing. I took the plunge and moved away from Nokia and realised just how bad some user interfaces could be. Inconsistent was the worst culprit, where text entry would be different depending on which view you were in. You make an interface consistent, you give them less to remember, you make it easier to use.
Logical interfaces also follow the same formula, but what's logical to one person may not be logical to another, so it's always open to interpretation.
A lot of this, I think, is due to consumer demand. Products hit the shelves before they are really ready in a rush to get purchased. Couple this with the fact that it's inherantly hard to design a user interface for an new and evolving section of technology (colour screens, cameras, etc., etc.), and you're not only left with a manual that's far too long for its own good, but badly written (because of the rush to get product out on the shelves, etc...).
That said, I've not seen the latest wave of peripherals, but it would seem that the more you cram into it, the more you've got to focus on interface design.
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01-27-2004, 03:01 PM
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Ponderer
Join Date: Jan 2003
Posts: 85
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Re: New Tech Gadgets Get Tougher To Operate
Quote:
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Originally Posted by Janak Parekh
"Here's a simple example: the toughest cell phone I've ever had to use was the (now veritable) Motorola StarTac.
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"veritable" ?
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01-27-2004, 03:11 PM
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Philosopher
Join Date: Mar 2004
Posts: 555
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Quote:
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Originally Posted by cessquill
OK, you need a fundamental foundation of knowledge Logical interfaces also follow the same formula, but what's logical to one person may not be logical to another, so it's always open to interpretation.
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Yeah, that's a biggie. I've not jumped and tried a PalmOS device (hey, see what the enemy is up to right?  ) because I don't really understand the way their OS works. Whereaas for PPC2003 you see a clear hierarchy of features (start -> programs -> blablabla), it seems more like a web for the Palm -- but what about the menus? When do I know I'm accessing the Palm OS's base menu, and when do I know I'm accessing a program's menu? This is the same for some other OS's that I've used, like my university's distribution of linux -- I just don't get it.
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01-27-2004, 03:36 PM
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Pupil
Join Date: Dec 2002
Posts: 20
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I think that the digital UI vs. analog knobs and switches is a generational thing. Those over 30, except us geeky technical types, have trouble with the logic of device controls. Younger people, especially kids, who know nothing else in their lifetime I find have no problem with various and quirky UIs.
My kids, 9 and 13, have no trouble figuring out our various family toys (computers, MP3 players, PDAs, cell phones, digital cameras, networks, DVRs, remotes, etc...). On the other hand, my wife who is the typical of the average technically challenged, usually just gives up and asks one of us.
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