Adam and Mike Walk 9/9/09

-Do you live by a manual or find out how to work something by yourself?
Adam: Usually I try to find out how something works on my own before I look at a manual. If there is a certain function that I can't figure out on my own then I will read the manual.

Mike: When I open a new electronic item, I usually want to get it working right away for the purpose I bought it for in the first place, and the quickest way for that is to read the instructions. However if the instructions make no sense, I'd try to find a way to make it work using my own devices.


-How long have you ever tried to get something to work?
Adam: It is probably best categorized as a continual process. My cell phone for instance; I start using it right away and will continually learn new functions throughout my ownership of it because I rarely consult the manual first.

Mike: My old computer would have the same habitual problem where it would shut down whenever I tried to run a program for at least a good month, and I spent the whole time doing everything and anything I could. Then I had to wipe the hard drive clean. Piece of junk.


-What is a habitual error you make around campus?
Adam: For some reason when I get to the glass doors of the Hub I always push when I should pull and vice versa. Since I can see both words, my brain has a hard time realizing which is the appropriate action even though one of the words is backwards to me.

Mike: Walking around FAD up to the top floor, I was reminded of an error I made every single day when I had B & W Photo. From the stairway to the hallway is a door. I'd ALWAYS turn the doorknob to the left, and the door would not budge, and after that, I'd always think it was locked, then realize I had to turn it to the right for it to work. I haven't been up there in months, and I did the exact same thing today. That damn door...


-Walk from outside of a building to the highest point of it. Record all interactions with the architecture.
1)Door handles/knobs let us know when to open a door and walk through it.
2)We saw stairs so we knew that we had access to a higher level of the building.
3)Exit signs helped to lead us around the building and out of it.
4)A locked door didn't allow us access to an area of the building.


-Describe a situation where the design of something doesn't make sense.
Adam: The old Apple mouse doesn't have a button that would allow you to secondary click.

Mike:


-What is a situation where an interface doesn't make have enough controls to maximize its uses?
Adam: I use to have a remote control for my television that only had a power button up and down channel and volume buttons. It didn't have a number pad that you'd traditionally use to type in a channel number. You had to scroll to find it.

Mike: My old watch only had one small knob on it. Pull it out a little bit and you can change the date on it, and pull it out further to change the time. Every time I wanted to change the date, during months that were not 31 days, it'd always take me a couple tries to get the thing to pull out just the right amount.


-What is your favorite everyday object? What does it do? Why do you like it? Why is it a good design?
Adam: My favorite everyday object is my iPod Touch. It holds my favorite songs that I regularly listen to while I walk around campus. It has several applications that are handy to my daily life. It's a good design because it's compact and easily fits into my pocket for comfortable travel.

Mike: