Monthly Archives

Atom
RSS

Tuesday, November 15, 2011

The experience.

I’d like you to take a look at the tools you use each day, for work and for play. They can be computers, music players, phones, golf clubs…anything. Now look at which tools and toys you enjoy using and what you are, for the lack of a better word, forced to use. What’s the difference between the two? The experience or, more importantly, how enjoyable the experience is for you.

Finding tools that suit your style.
I’ve brought up the fact that I’d much rather type and do work on my iPad to co-workers on a few occasions. Their responses are mixed with puzzlement and disbelief whenever I make that claim, but it’s a true statement. That device gives me the best experience for viewing and handling digital content. Why not use something that makes a job more enjoyable rather than just tolerable? Why not find a tool or set of tools that remove themselves from the picture, if only by illusion, and let creativity and focus rule the day?

I challenge you to find tools that you enjoy using and see how they’ll fit into your workflow. Don’t just take a high-level look at them either. Try them out and see what works and what doesn’t. You might surprise yourself.

Posted on 11/15/11 at 09:30 AM by Tim - Categories: Design Tools User Experience Workflow Tags: iPad, Workflow, Tools

Monday, November 14, 2011

If you give a child an iPad…

Children don’t have any preconceptions or expectations when they encounter something for the first time. This is all-too apparent when I watch my two boys (ages two and five) use our family iPad. Not to take anything away from the simplicity of the device, but I’ve shown countless people the iPad, demonstrated it for individuals of all ages, and the results are as varied as the individual experiences. Nothing compares to the experience of placing one of these devices into a child’s hands.

They seemed to understand how it worked only moments after touching it, and appeared to have mastered the basics of navigating it after a minute or two. I’m not exaggerating either (as tall as this tale sounds now). Some trial and error was up next, figuring out what each of the chicklet-shaped icons would do, what apps they would launch and what entertainment they would provide.

After the first few apps were launched, they both had established a pattern of how all apps worked. The app they chose to base this belief on was Angry Birds. Close, but not apps are made equal…regarding their navigation. The kids would each adapt their use after finding out that Angry Birds doesn’t control the universe. After seeing that, I made sure I was paying very close attention to their facial expressions. I wanted to see if either of them would express frustration or would become angry if something didn’t work the way they expected (or wanted) it to. To my surprise, they appeared happy and delighted to be puttering around and making the screen come alive.

As they get older and the tools and technology that they encounter become layered and burdened by expectations, I have no doubt that they’ll get mad at the outcome of some interaction. It’s inevitable. But as the world continues to move and become more fluid, there’s hope that these instances will be few and far between (along with the hope that they’ll help usher in the next wave of gadgets and gizmos).

Posted on 11/14/11 at 02:00 PM by Tim - Categories: Apple Apps & Software Design Tags: iPad, Apple, iOS