From the monthly archives:

September 2007

The Cadillac of Human Factors

by Anne McLaughlin

…or just the Cadillac. I took this video in a rental after the empty soda bottle repeatedly popped into my lap. However, perhaps I don’t understand their users as well as Cadillac does. It could be you should never have an empty drink while driving a Caddy….

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iphone usability

by Richard Pak

I apologize in advance for posting news about the iphone…but apparently, Perceptive Sciences (a usability firm in TX) concluded that the iphone has better usability than the Nokia N95 or HTC Touch…
Everybody will have an opinion, but what’s need is something more objective and definitive. So an expert in the field — Perceptive Sciences, an Austin, Texas-based usability consulting firm [...]

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Fast Food Wednesday

by Anne McLaughlin

I was browsing the nutrition information for Moe’s the other day and was struck by the uniqueness of their interface. It let’s you specify exactly what you order, exactly how you order, at their restaurant. Give it a try (click on “Nutrition” in the menu at bottom.) This is obviously an interface for those who need to know just [...]

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input device silliness…

by Richard Pak

More “function following form” with input devices…iDrive anyone?

With big knobs in cars that control the audio system being all the rage these days, designer Hao-Chun Huang wants to take the knob joke all the way to its logical conclusion and make a super, all-purpose metallic knob to control everything in your vehicle.
[gizmodo]

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automation gone wrong…

by Richard Pak

A man took his three iPhones out of the country, and now he’s got a $4800 roaming bill because he didn’t turn them off and they kept checking for email. Well, he didn’t turn them off off.
[consumerist.com]

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never blame the user…

by Richard Pak

[heard about it on NPR, Seattle-Post story]
Around 9 p.m., the man was in line at a self-service checkout stand, ready to buy a pry bar and a hacksaw, according to a Seattle police report.
But, as a manager told an officer, the man accidentally hit the button on the computer screen for Spanish.
That was the tipping point for this consumer.
He [...]

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Keeping the Hum-or in Hum-an Factors

by Anne McLaughlin

Bonus points for identifying cameos in this well-done video. If you’re not laughing, you need to read more from this lab.

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Card sorting in the press

by Richard Pak

I find a lot of value in the card sorting process (waiting eagerly for the book). Here is a news story about an online card sorting application…

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The New Field of Unmanned Aircraft

by Anne McLaughlin

Though for some, turning war into a video game might remind them of 1984, unmanned aircraft offer unparalleled safety to the pilot.
NPR recently covered the technological and social changes that come with unmanned aircraft, but the human factors of tracking, flying, and manipulating the Predator was not mentioned.
Obvious issues include:

Lag time from the camera halfway around the world
Limited acuity and [...]

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