A last minute reflection…

When I reflect on the class and the new career that I am pursuing, I am really quite amazed that I have stumbled onto something so remarkable.  When I entered the program, I expected the focus to be on how to create user friendly technology/websites/etc.  There is a quite a big difference between user friendly and user centered.   What I have found is a very different way of viewing technology and the role of technology.  The seven themes impress me because underlying the themes is a real respect for the user.  The fact that the eighth theme (if I get it) is about facilitating human relationships/connections/communities just takes the respect for individual to the next level. 

Anyway, thank you all for a really remarkable semester.  

Any HCI/d Examples Out There?

…though I do enjoy movie time…

It seems as though we have spent a lot of time over the semester talking about seeing design examples in the world around us - archetecture, music, movie, and the such.  The examples were interesting, captivating, and broadening to be sure.  But I started thinking about whether we should be looking at more HCI/d examples.  We’ve seen a few in class here and there, but I wonder what the pedagogical influence is on us.  I don’t mean wonder in the “what were they thinking” sort of way.  Rather, it’s more like: “Marty and the crew have decades of experience behind their belts, so I’m sure they know what they’re doing.  I just wish I knew too.”  Maybe that’s what HCI/d II is all about…

Reflection on the Class

We are officially done or almost done with marty’s class. I wanted to reflect on the most important things that I learnt in the class.

To start off , the biggest thing to me was learning “How to think rather than What to think”. The process of thinking can be channelized and can be made more productive using a few techniques. Also how group thinking works was a big learning experience for me.

Then, Finding design patterns in objects, methods, processes in life was super interesting. I loved the way we started with looking into Light switches, Tea bags, Thermostats and ended up with Music

Next, Seeing multimedia content in the class. From Snow white to “Freedom is coming” … what a way to begin. This made me come to class early (atleast most of the times).

I cannot not comment on the 7 themes and the principles framework. I think they are strong guiding forces. Personally i use the principles framework and add a new attribute to it called the “Goals”, this is little different from the vision and mission statement.

Overall, i think this was a brilliant course .. and i am so glad we are ending it on a high note. Too bad this is the only course you teach marty …

Perception and Design Reception

Awhile back I somehow got into a conversation with someone (I can’t remember who at this time) and he brought up a study he had read or heard about where an experiment was conducted on monkeys. I’m reiterating his reiteration of what the experiment was, so forgive me if it’s not accurate. Essentially monkeys were raised having only been exposed to vertical lines and edges, and over time after shown a horizontal line (a table edge, perhaps) the monkeys actually perceived a blurred edge or line, almost as if they couldn’t process horizontal lines completely.

When looking for that study, I came across this one, in which two people enumerated the frequency that the number of horizontal vs vertical vs oblique lines occurred in paintings from 20th century painters displayed in the Israel Museum, Jerusalem. They suggest their findings support “the idea that stimuli like horizontal and vertical lines, which are preferentially processed by the visual system, are also aesthetically more powerful.” Coincidentally in their paper they reference optical studies done with animals (like monkeys), which is what I was looking for originally.

Think about applying this in our designs of not just interfaces but any product, because essentially everything (physical) is comprised of and contains horizontal, vertical, and or oblique lines. But what do they mean exactly by “aesthetically more powerful”? I haven’t read the entire paper, which I probably should have before posting, so I’m not sure if they more clearly define their implication. But powerful meaning placed in a group among other things, the one that utilizes horizontal/vertical lines will capture my attention first, will hold it longest, means I’ll be more receptive to the message you’re trying to convey, will more clearly convey a message to me, will imprint that message or the feelings resulting from it more deeply in my brain? And a bit frightening is applying these scientific methods of perception (assuming they are indeed “correct”) unknowingly.

And I think all these studies (though I haven’t read the animal behavior ones either) sort of support the notion of contextual laws/rules. So, would a study of a group of painters from a different era have the same outcome about lines? Perhaps there are other cultures (read groups of people) that may be more receptive to oblique lines. I don’t know, I’m not really looking for answers, I suppose, this just got me thinking and I wanted to do it “out loud” to you guys.

Measurable Goals - HMI vs HCI

One thing I’m not sure if I agree with that our host at the church said was the difference between HCI and HMI goals. He stated something to the effect that in HCI there are measurable (translated quantitative) goals vs in HMI where there is an affective component.

Now, I do have to agree that because HCI was born from engineering and business fields this may have been the strict focus in the past. Businesses need to know about finances and profits, and therefore need to prove that something, a design or product, for instance be profitable. In the past (now, too, I suppose) though quantitative results are what got/get business folks to listen, there is certainly an affective component/reaction to the product or design, regardless of whether or not we decide to focus or even talk about it at all. The now and future of HCI I believe is in this very “affective component.” This is what we are getting into when we talk about user experiences. There are those who will always try to explore and make even affective things measurable, but the real important thing is that we are acknowledging it and this discussion is brought to the forefront at all versus overlooking it because we can’t find a way to put it neatly in a graph or spreadsheet.

a revelation of sorts!

Music composers always fascinate me!

There is something very ‘designerly’ about artists who compose great music. They are exceptionally blessed and talented to create magic and make a powerful impact on a universal audience through path breaking music. They not only create music, they ‘design’ a wholesome user experience with a universal appeal, that makes people cry, laugh, that is heart-warming, that makes people introspect, that makes people ecstatic…..

I often perceive a musician as a designer in many ways. The fact that they bring into existence, a tune, a melody, a mellifluous set of tones that strike a cord with listeners, affects people’s emotions,feelings and behaviors is what makes it all the more laudable. How creative and designerly it is, to create something that can be felt and experienced universally, crossing barriers of language, religion, race and beliefs!
An interesting point made at Marty’s class at the Church,which I can relate to as a designer, is that music is an art that requires a lot of hard work and iteration in order to reach ultimate perfection and panache. The underlying toil is seldom perceived by common masses who simply enjoy the polished rendition of the music composition. Same seems to me, is applicable to the field of Design. Great products in the field of design are often an outcome of multiple iterations, hard work in the form of well-researched insights, and purposeful design goals. I was amazed at how effortlessly Andy, the pianist, created an altered rendition of ‘twinkle twinkle little star’ at Marty’s request in just a matter of few moments, on the go!

I often wonder when would such effortless ease and confidence come to us as HCI designers!?!

As a person who thrives on music yet does not understand the complexities of music theory, the class at the Lutherine Church was a revelation of sorts for me and enjoyable at the same time!

Good music always spreads cheer, isn’t it?

Crazy tamil movies - Just for fun

I am sorry this has not much to do with hcid and probably shouldn’t be here. But some of us were dining together and i was mentioning how crazy Tamil movies were… so here are 2 examples of physics defying scenes.

http://youtube.com/watch?v=6EKHebxZOJY&feature=related

http://youtube.com/watch?v=53TuBgXyG0I

Amazon’s E-book

…now the big boys are getting involved… 

Amazon just announced “Kindle”, they’re e-book.

http://amazon.com/kindle

Time will tell if it’ll be quality or not.

Airport Emergency Kiosk?

Is this an airport emergency kiosk or a just a crappy video from the 80’s?!

I guess it’s just a game.

One Survivor Remembers

The movie we saw in class today took a really personal note with me for a number reasons. A friend of mine from high school died from cancer this weekend, about six months after another, closer friend of mine from high school died from cancer too. Also my great-grandmother escaped the holocaust and as a young girl came to the US without her parents and grew up in an orphanage. My family didn’t know much about this until about 5 years ago when my mom started doing some investigating, as the very Catholic older generations of my family tended not speak about it. My great-grandmother was taken in, though not adopted, by a non-Jewish family and her second marriage was to a Polish Catholic man who had my grandmother baptized. But I think without all, the movie was still incredibly powerful almost for as much what it is as for what it is not. It strips away the unnecessary details of World War II (we all know what happened) and just focuses on one “lucky” survivor. Without adding too much or ignoring too much she tells exactly what happened to her. She makes it human: you have to have imagination to survive, I’m not angry with anyone and I hope no one is angry with me. I think that’s an important design goal - to strip away the excess to make the raw message/functionality that much more powerful.