Yu Centrik

Research in “auditory psychophysics” represents the deep-level study of how the physics of sound is represented by our conscious mind. So what does that have to do with interface design? Well… anything that connects to human perception has implications on how we might perceive an interface. Taking the next logical step, modern research on sound perception can, and does, have implications for the next generation of audio interfaces (true for both a complete audio interface such as an automated phone system, or simply the audio aspect of a multi-modal interface such as a cell-phone ring). Examples of this trend can be seen surrounding interface ideas related to hearing loss.

First, let’s target the implications of research and technology geared toward accessibility for those suffering from hearing loss. Hearing aids have participated in an endless struggle with the telephone since their inception. Imagine your phone conversations continually interrupted by the amplified sound of your hearing aid bumping against your telephone. This is only one of many accessibility problems for hearing aid users. This problem multiplies in severity when compounded with the inability of microphones to distinguish relevant sounds from background noise (a factor which has expanded with the advent of using cell-phones in public places). So who has the answer? … Nokia does, with their Wireless Loopset. This exceptional device is sure to be the first of a series of accessible solutions. The Loopset uses BlueTooth technology to actually turn your hearing-aid into your cell-phone headset, an elegant and complete solution.

Another demonstration concerns a condition known as presbycusis: a loss of sensitivity to high-frequency sound that emerges with age. In general, the older you get, the more difficulty you have hearing high-pitched noises. The condition emerges from the degeneration of certain neural receptors in the cochlea (a hydraulic pump within your ear designed to separate complex sounds into their individual components). The first “researchers” to jump on adopting interface implications from this were, in fact, young British students with mischievous intentions. It’s really quite brilliant; students configured their cell-phones to play an extremely high frequency ringtone (named ‘Mosquito’ in its original implementation by a Welsh security company). Ironically, this tone was first designed to disperse loitering teenagers while leaving adults unaffected. In this case, however, older professors could not detect the sound of their students text-messaging each other across the room. This anecdote raises two open questions:

• How could we use this principle in a commercially viable device?
• Are you young enough to hear the sound?

In the last article, we saw a few websites simulated on the new iPhone. From these examples, it became clear that sites in general will need adjustment to enable easy navigation on browsers like the iPhone’s Safari. Such adjustment should be geared mainly toward improving the display and optimizing it for use with small screens.

These are only the minimum necessary adaptations to make a site usable. However, there will be some situations which call for taking an additional step beyond just a beautiful display. The real revolution of the iPhone, especially the new 3G, goes beyond simple Web surfing; such technology can harbor much more intelligent applications.

When one wonders what sites could benefit from new technologies like GPS, for example, the web presence of real estate agents comes to mind as a salient example. Imagine your phone delivering immediate information about a house for sale while you pass directly in front of it. No more time spent getting lost in the navigation while searching among hundreds of ads, as is the current practice. Scenarios like this can be easily realized with the 3G iPhone, coming out this week (or already out if you read this after July 11th).

The iPhone’s landing on Canadian soil, as I already mentioned in my previous blog, provides us with a new platform and a whole new paradigm of human-computer interaction.

Until we have the real iPhone in our hands (Quebec launch date is July 11th… yes I know, we are way behind), I wanted to help you imagine its browsing experience using a few Quebecoise websites.  We used Apple’s simulator to generate the screens in the portrait and landscape formats you see below.

In today’s post, we’re only simulating news sites… but in the coming weeks, screenshots of sites in other categories will make their appearance on this blog.

• It is held in place by simple suction cup and plugged into the lighter. We stuck it under the rearview mirror, a little to the side to make sure it didn’t distract the driver.
• Once the information is entered into the system, the car becomes an arrow on the screen.
• The distance traveled, how many kilometers left to go, and the time estimated of arrival is always indicated so you’ll be able to answer that pesky question, “How much longer?”, very quickly
• In case of driver error, your position will automatically be re-calculated and the GPS will adapt its route according to where you are.
• Find the closest parking or gas station in just three or four easy steps by using the touch screen. It’s better not to do this while driving
• Activate or deactivate the voice option (female or male voice with translations in two or three languages). This way you don’t have to constantly check the screen and you can concentrate on driving and keeping an eye out for external dangers (other cars, bikes, traffic lights, road signs, etc.). Using it can also be intrusive if you’re listening to music or if you just don’t feel like having someone pipe up every time you turn onto a new street.
• Get software updates on their Internet site. You can also save your favourite routes and refer to them before you leave.

While video game technology is going through a sort of coming-of-age, some experts feel there’s been a clear decline in video game innovation. One of the biggest problems with today’s most popular games is the time it takes to play them. Many potential players are lost because their agendas are already full. This is the gap Nintendo intends to fill with its “Touch Generations” line; a series of games launched a few months ago, which are designed for the occasional player.

Brain Age, Nintendo’s current flagship product, is a strange game that is equals parts sudoku puzzle, memory and math exercise. The game is supposed to be a sort of brain training program that was inspired by the work of Ryuta Kawashima, a Japanese cerebral imaging expert. While its scientific origins are impressive, the game also boasts a quality that is all too rare these days: players can enjoy the game, even if they only have a few minute to play it on the fly.

Nintendo’s people have understood that there’s a good market for quality games that don’t require players to set aside extended playing time. I myself opted for the portable Nintendo console, and I’m not alone. Nintendo has already sold 21 million of these devices. The games maker seems to have grasped its user’s needs. They aren’t interested in a portable Grand Theft Auto. They would rather have a game that does the job in 20 minutes or less.

This console and its games have been successful for a few key reasons:

• The games are simple, which keeps learning to a minimum.

• The instructions are straightforward and can even be skipped.

• The game itself can be accessed in a matter of seconds, as it loads almost instantly, and there’s practically nothing to configure.

• Game information is often saved automatically, reducing the number of user prompts.

• The console can be put into sleep mode (on pause) by simply lowering the upper panel. To return to the game, simply raise it again.

• The combination of stylus and touch screen makes is easy for people who “fear” buttons and joysticks to interact with the system. This approach is particularly appropriate for puzzle-style game.

Overall, this is an excellent example of human factors in action: designers took users’ real needs, developed a product that’s easy to use and has their needs in mind…and are generating lots of profit!

Now who could argue against that kind of strategy?

A long time ago, about 10 years back, we were talking about moving desktop applications to the Online World. Server requests and delays associated with typical web transactions made the adoption of heavily transactional “Office”-like applications on the Web not an easy task.

Now that Ajax has come along, the way we interact with web apps is going to change forever. Just take a look at Google Maps and GMail to understand what I’m talking about.

The text you are reading now was written with Writely, which is a text editor similar to MS Word but with two big differences: It’s online and it’s free. I can access this application from wherever I want, share the documents with my team and save them locally in a number of formats (doc, pdf, rtf, etc).

Writely is an easy-to-use application that includes everything I need to write a document without the overload of functions offered by MS Word and, best of all, it is free. (For how long? Nobody knows…) There are enough features for basic needs, which is what the great majority of users want. For those in need of advanced functions to create documents like annual corporate reports, there’s still some work to be done, but a major paradigm shift is taking place. All desktop applications will soon be online and we will use them through our browsers.

Applications like Google Maps are examples of a new age of Web development, which has been called Web 2.0: Simple interfaces, easy to use and without long delays between clicks. Even more important: at the heart of the design of these applications lies the user, who is finally acknowledged.

As stated on the Web site of 37signals, a small company developing Web applications like the ones I just mentioned: “We believe software is too complex. Too many features, too many buttons, too much to learn. We build web-based products that do less, work smarter, feel better, and are easier to use. We pay enormous attention to the details and overall customer experience of our products.”

Sooner or later every Web site will have to consider this new way of designing applications which will improve the user experience. To ignore this approach might put companies at risk of losing valuable users in the long term.