The Device MotoRazr2 and Its Design - Assignment Example

?PART DESCRIBE THE SYSTEM The User Interface In the first assignment of this I chose MotoRazr2 as my device which is a mobile phone and have a problematic UI design. UI design is an integral part of any device that has even a little bit of interaction with humans. Therefore, the user interface plays a pivotal role in making a device worthwhile. As it was discussed in the first assignment, MotoRazr2 has a poor UI design. The second external display of MotoRazr2 is a 2-inch display (240 x 320 pixels) having a super-sensitive touch with 256k colors (GSMArena, 2012). The super-sensitivity of the touch proves a real mess for the users to handle the phone properly. The white box in the diagram shows the problematic, extra sensitive screen Whether it is being used or not, it automatically initiates different functions that are accessible from the external touch screen display with just mere friction, making it difficult for the users to receive important calls and messages. Environment Surrounding the System The device MotoRazr2 is basically a mobile phone made for communication. It is a common mobile phone used primarily in the United States of America. It contains basic functionalities such as calls, messages, video streaming, Internet, Bluetooth, camera and external memory. It is used by common people who are average mobile users and use their mobile phones just for making calls, sending messages and for some entertainment. Therefore, it is used socially by an average person who does not have a keen interest in utilizing all the functionalities of the mobile phone. Therefore, these mobiles are used roughly by users and such rough usage causes the UI design with the flaw of extra sensitivity to fail completely. The external display touch system that was the USP of this mobile phone proves to be a stone in the path of success. Jargons No technical jargons are used in the system literature except for common HCI terminologies in describing the system PART 2: THE USERS List of User Groups Following are the potential users of the device/mobile MotoRazr2: 1. Lower class businessmen 2. Students 3. Freelancers 4. Salary based personnel Characteristics of Two Contrasting Groups The two highly contrasting groups that have a significant level of distinct priorities are lower class businessmen and students. These lower class businessmen have more office work to do than to enjoy entertainment functionalities of the mobile phone in question. However, the user group of students has considerably significant usage of the entertainment facilities of MotoRazr2. The characteristics of a lower class businessmen group are as follows: These businessmen do not have enough time to explore the functionalities of the device Due to lack of time, they have comparatively lesser interaction with the device They are careless about their device and therefore, have a disadvantage of extra sensitive touch display The characteristics of the user group of students are as follows: Students have relatively more free time than these businessmen, hence they explore the functionalities of the device thoroughly Because of their rough usage of device and frequent interaction with it, students have faced problems such as auto triggering of unwanted behavior because of the poor UI design PERSONAS Businessmen Group: John is a new technology entrepreneur. He runs a small technology startup and deals in web designing and development. He normally takes projects from his local clients; therefore, he is mostly discussing his projects on call. He barely has time to text anyone and he needs to save contact details on the go. John normally loads his cell phone with credit, but his daughter, who is a toddler, is greatly fascinated by the external display of the phone. She always uses her thumb to turn its light on and off. She also likes to play with the flap and press random key combinations. John is always amazed by the fact that his credits run out at night time. John cannot, therefore, make important calls at night as he does not have enough credit on his phone. Student Group: Melissa is an undergraduate student and is the representative of her class. She has almost five hundred contacts on her phone; most of them are her class fellows and university mates. Since she is also a part time event organizer, she is gummed to her cell phone for all her time. She compulsively texts and if not texting, she uses the phone to listen to music. She wears tight jeans and cannot really understand why sometimes her favorite song gets interrupted while she is working or studying and why she has to charge her phone every day. She is also amazed at the fact that while having text intensive packages, she still has to pay a heavy bill for cell phone usage. She often cannot always text in proper English since prediction option gets dumb more than often (Gibson, 1969, pp. 31-40). PART 3: USER OBSERVATIONS A Few Users of the System A few users of the mobile phone MotoRazr2 are as follows, described with the way they use the system 1. A College Student A college student is a rough mobile phone user. He always keeps on texting and listening to music regardless of time. He is using almost 90% of the features of the mobile phone and mostly uses the basic available functions through the external touch screen display as it is handy and a quick way to change music and access other basic functionalities. 2. A Businessman A businessman is a sensible user of the mobile phone MotoRazr2. He is least concerned and bothered about the functionalities offered by the device. He is concerned with calling, Internet browsing and a little texting. He is not concerned with the external touch display as more of his work cannot be done from the external panel. To do more of his work, he will have to open the flap and use the keypad. 3. A Freelancer A freelancer is a person who is running his own virtual business. Thus, he is totally dependent on his cell phone. He is at a time, user of calls, messages, Internet, entertainment and every other functionality of the phone. Because of his frequent interaction with the device, he is quite a rough user of the device. Problematic Activities for the Users The activity that is the major cause of the problem while having interaction with the phone is rough and careless usage. Nowadays, no one has enough time to be extra cautious about their cell phone usage. Problems Encountered by Users The students and freelancers usually wear tight jeans and the pockets of their jeans are so tight that the extra sensitive touch display of MotoRazr2 launches unwanted applications by itself, causing difficulties for the students to receive important calls and messages. On the other hand, the businessmen need something that can perform their desired basic tasks on the go. Unfortunately, MotoRazr2 allows a limited access to such basic functionalities that are required by these businessmen. PART 4: ACTIVITIES: GOALS, TASKS AND ACTIONS Goals of System 1. To allow its users to make and receive calls easily 2. To allow its users to send and receive messages 3. To allow its users to listen to mp3 and mp4 songs 4. To allow its users to capture images 5. To allow its users to make video from their mobile phone 6. To allow its users to access the Internet from their mobile phone 7. To allow its users to save contacts in the phone 8. To allow its users to stream radio live 9. To allow its users to send mobile emails 10. To allow its users to share files with friends through Bluetooth 11. To allow its users to access basic functionalities such as video streaming and camera through the external touch display 12. To allow its users to use other basic functions such as calendar, stopwatch, converter, alarm, games, USB connectivity, personal organizer, address book, etc Tasks Needed to Complete the Goals Following are the two of the above mentioned goals and their tasks are elaborated respectively, which are required to complete these goals. Goal 1: To Allow its Users to Capture Images There are three ways to go to the option of camera 1) through the external touch display; 2) through the shortcut button; 3) by browsing the multimedia option in the phone In order to capture images, the user has to start the application of camera by any of the above mentioned ways The pictures can be easily clicked after launching the camera application, and are automatically saved in the external memory Goal 2: Access to Basic Functionalities through External Touch Display Functions such as camera, video streaming, call logs, etc can be easily accessed by the external touch display The user can easily complete goal 2 by using the external touch display with extra sensitivity. However, due to extra sensitivity, it becomes quite problematic sometimes as unwanted applications get launched by themselves without user’s consent. Resultantly, the user suffers from problems such as low battery and low credit List of Actions Following is the list of actions that are required to complete the tasks: Goal 1: In order to capture the images, the user has to press the shortcut button, or he can open the camera application through the external display as well. As soon as the application is launched, the user with the help of the shortcut button can capture the images that are directly saved into the external memory card of the phone. Goal 2: In order to use any of the basic functionality through the external touch display, the user has to select the option by touching the icon visible on the external display By touching the icon, the user can launch the desired application and can enjoy using it easily Characteristics of Problematic Activity Following are the characteristics of problematic activity: The main problem is with the poorly designed UI that makes the touch display extra sensitive, resulting in producing undesired results. The touch display by even getting the slightest pressure launches the unwanted application immediately without any consent of user The launch of such unnecessary and undesired applications without user being aware of it makes the user miss his/her important calls and messages. PART 5: HCI BEHAVIOR IN TERMS OF THREE DESIGN PRINCIPLES Actions for Goal 1 Visibility: The shortcut button on the panel is well noticeable for the user on the screen because of its enlarged size. This helps the users to figure it out easily while they try to capture the images and save them into the memory card. It also increases the surface area for interaction. Affordance: This shortcut button is very sensitive to touch; therefore, the users can easily use it to save multiple pictures in the least time. This sensitivity may result in some unwanted behavior as well, like the device may automatically switch gears. Feedback: The feedback mechanism is not very enhanced for this device. As soon as the action is performed, the button closes the screen and leads to the next screen. This gives the impression to the user that their actions are performed successfully. In terms of failure, the button displays a very short error message and returns to its original state, which is not a very good dialog. Actions for Goal 2 Visibility: The visible icon on the panel is very evident and has a large surface area; thus, the user can locate it easily and use it to a better effect. The user can also change colors and contrast settings for higher visibility. Affordance: By default, the icon is very sensitive to touch as the other controls of this device. However, the icon sensitivity setting can be adjusted as per the user’s preference. A low sensitive screen will mean that the user will have to tap hard the external screen which will, in the long term, decrease the sensitivity of the screen. Feedback: Like most controls on this specific model, the feedback mechanism is not enhanced. Normally, as soon as a new application is launched, the screen changes to the screen of the running application, terminating the default screen on the panel. In case of an invalid scenario, an error message is displayed on the fly to inform user that the dialog has finished. PART 6: LOW – FIDELITY PROTOTYPE Storyboarding for the Current Design The default screen The camera screen with its features The camera screen in the capturing mode The camera screen with the to be captured image in focus ANALYIS OF PROBLEMS USING VARIOUS OTHER HCI PRINCIPLES Consistency: All through the product development lifecycle of MotoRazr, this is the only design principle which has evolved and improved with changes in design of different models of the MotoRazr brand. The first model lacked consistency since it had two displays and they were very well segregated. The current version, too, has two displays, but the segregation is not distinct enough, which has improved the overall design. Current version supports Android OS, which has been a major design shift since older versions supported Symbian OS. The usage of Android OS has improved the designs since the navigation is repetitive and apps are now easier to learn. Because of this enhanced OS, learning is fun on the new version of MotoRazr. Simplicity: As far as the point of simplicity in design is concerned, MotoRazr fails to compete in the market of phones and smart phones. Motorola has been well known for simple designs yet they bridge themselves away from this theory in case of MotoRazr. The design in all phones of the MotoRazr series is not simple and the external screen has always been criticized. Motorola product specialists view this screen as a shortcut for all the supported features. This screen has improved considerably though in the MotoRazr series and the current model of MotoRazr, it is better than in its previous models. This is because this external screen is now large in size, has low sensitivity and due to Android security protection, the screen does not switch on undesirable actions by mere friction as it used to in the previous models of the MotoRazr series. Structure: The overall structural design of MotoRazr is not clear enough for a new user to learn it without some supervision or study. The internal and external screens were very confusing in the older versions. The newer model is easier to learn and the feel is really encouraging. The shortcut button, though, stacks relevant features together and can be used conveniently on the fly to access different features with a limited dialog. Tolerance: The new MotoRazr is tolerant enough to accommodate invalid user actions. The error message box pops up whenever the user performs an action that is not recognizable by the system. The older versions of MotoRazr did not have the same flexibility to accommodate user actions that are invalid. If there are valid user actions, the system can accommodate them easily and because it is robust, it can provide the expected response every time. The older version of MotoRazr could trigger off unwanted actions which would really irritate the user. This problem of intolerance has been controlled to some extent in the new MotoRazr Droid phone. Nielsen’s 10 Heuristics: After analyzing the visibility of the system carefully, one can state that this system of MotoRazr fails to inform the user of all occasions about what is happening in the system. Error prevention is not the most celebrated option of MotoRazr, but the system does provide corrective measures after an error has been encountered. Motorola is known for keeping it simple. Therefore, technical jargons are avoided, but the user interface complexity makes the navigation difficult for the first time user. The emergency exits are present especially when using the shortcut button on the external screen. The design is not conventional for MotoRazr which Motorola presents, as the unique selling proposition proves to be a bad design. The minimalistic design is absent, and this does not help the user in making a good dialog and interaction. The recognition becomes evident only after the user employs the system for some time. The practice makes the users learn the system in a better way and the adaptive learning mechanism of MotoRazr helps him to recognize the important landmarks and shortcuts, therefore helping the user whenever he returns to the same screen to recall. Shneiderman's Eight Golden Rules of Interface Design: These eight principles act as the guiding light for the user-centric interface design. Similar stacking of features is not evident in the interface design and therefore, the user has to look for options while referring to different screens in the system. The expert users require the system to provide them with power keys and shortcuts. MotoRazr provides them with these options, but these expert users need to refer to the documentation to learn them or by their own experience, they will learn it. The feedback mechanism is not the strongest one but does provide users with ample feedback to correct their actions if they are invalid. Actions can be easier to revert though there are some deadlock states as well, which require user to go back to the main screen. Some hanging problems were also evident in the earlier versions of MotoRazr that forced the user to power off and on the system all over again. This problem was very irritating for the new users who trusted Motorola’s reputation for robust and stable systems. The current phone of the MotoRazr series seems to have this hanging problem sorted out. Error handling has become simpler owing to the presence of Android OS; the Symbian OS was not that task effective or helped users to perform easy error handling. The short term memory load is reduced considerably because of Android OS and tabbed browsing and interface. This helps the user understand the system well and build on his knowledge of the system (Dix et al., 1998). IMPOVEMENTS TO OVERCOME THESE PROBLEMS The main improvements that are to be required in both the user interface and the dialog between users and the system for MotoRazr are listed below: Internal screens sensitivity shall be controlled by the amount of pressure exerted on the screen. A pressure sensor on the screen will help The golden ratio shall be used while figuring out the dimensions of the improved user interface of the next model of MotoRazr A QWERTY keyboard needs to be physically accommodated in the phone design for better texting and learning ability The lag on the user is a pain for the advanced user and that needs to be reduced in the design Smart Actions is a good tool for novice user, but there should be a way to switch off this function for advanced customer users The conventional Motorola ICS screen needs to be replaced with a lighter, more pleasing on the eye screen MotoBlur has been a disappointment and Android users are not happy with that, so that needs a complete makeover The shortcut to Now Playing music needs to be available on the lock screen because we require accessibility to most used functions from the main screen The lock screen is not customizable, which means that the user cannot fix in most used apps or apps of his choice on the startup screen The distance between the touch screen and the display screen needs to be reduced, the edge to edge philosophy needs to be addressed The hue and saturation of the AMOLED display need to rectify the white color which seems a bit yellowish on the display. White being the most important color needs to be adhered to The focus speed of the camera needs improving One-handed operation on the screen is a chore due to apps positioning on the lock screen; this needs to be rectified as well The jagged edges on the screen are hard to spot, thereby making the viewing angles extraordinary and therefore, sunlight is shrugged off. This needs to be controlled, too, in the next releases The logo and earpiece top part are ugly, and they need to be remodeled to match the design and overall look of the phone (Dix, 2003) PART 7: TASK ANALYSIS Task Scenario 1 Johnny is a college student and is a newbie to smart phones. His cousin gave him a MotoRazr on his birthday, but he does not know how to launch his music from the main screen at a boring teacher’s lecture. He refers to Google and finds out that he cannot access the now playing screen from the main screen, much to his disappointment. He would want to add his favorite songs on the go from the main screen in the next release. Task Scenario 2 Jennifer is a college student who wears tight jeans as part of the fashion trends that she follows. This actually triggers off unwanted actions in the old MotoRazr phone. She is a text freak and prefers a physical QWERTY keyboard since the automated keyboard and continuous interaction with the screen takes shine and gloss out of her nails. She needs to find some way through which she can control the pressure of the screen or have a QWERTY keyboard manually installed as part of the package or as a peripheral. Task Scenario 3 Martin is a senior brand manager and because of the sleek design of MotoRazr, purchased it. He uses apps such as contact manager, spreadsheet, word processor and his favorite game ‘Angry Birds’ regularly but is disappointed to find that he cannot push all these apps to the main screen. He does not have all the time in the world to open each app by pushing their main icons and changing screens to access different apps. Martin would like his phone to have option where he can drag and drop apps of his own choice in the main screen. Task Scenario 4 Emily is handicapped and has bought the new MotoRazr smart phone for easy accessibility to different features. She finds the QWERTY keyboard of great help only if she can use it with one hand. The buttons position on the main screen has made it difficult for her to use the phone as she cannot stretch her thumb to perform most functions. As a user, she would probably want the icons to be moved from one position to another with her thumb while she uses the phone. She hopes that this stringent positioning of these icons is somehow rectified in the next version of the phone (Crystal and Ellington, 2004). Concrete Use Case No.1 Concrete Use Case No.2 Concrete Use Case No.3 Concrete Use Case No.4 References Crystal, A. and Ellington, B., 2004. Task analysis and human-computer interaction: approaches, techniques, and levels of analysis. [Online] Available at: http://www.ils.unc.edu/~acrystal/AMCIS04_crystal_ellington_final.pdf. Dix, A., Finlay, J., Abowd, G. and Beale, R., 1998. Human-computer interaction. 2nd ed. Hemel Hempstead: Prentice-Hall. Dix, A., 2003. Human-Computer Interaction. 3rd ed. Prentice Hall. Gibson, W., 1969. Persona: a style study for readers and writers. New York: Random House, pp. 31-40. Available through: Library of Congress, University of Massachusetts [Accessed 22 December 2012]. MotoRazr2 V8 - Full phone specifications, 2012. MotoRazr2 V8 - Full phone specifications. [Online] Available at: http://www.gsmarena.com/motorola_razr2_v8-1991.php. [Accessed 22 December 2012]. Read More