Design Crit » Interface and experience

nook leapfrogs kindle

Max — Tue, 27 Oct 2009 04:12:38 +0000

Ok, i want one of these…there was something about the kindle, that made me wonder if I should plunk down $300, uh ok, $250 (since the intro of nook). I was unsure when I wrote about this a while back and am now certain, that i won’t buy a kindle.

For now, until i can go to Barnes and Noble to buy one, my thoughts based on what i’ve read on the web and what i can see in pics:

Look: winner Nook – ok the Nook is nice and clean, not a stunning design, the Kindle 2…pretty darn bland, i can see the braun/rams/bauhaus inspiration, but, still just too plain. And the original Kindle, well honestly, that thing was pretty ugly, I mean, look at that keyboard.

Technology: winner Nook – dual screens, gotta love it
UI: winner Nook – jury out, but the potential of, the dual screens!
Experience – Nook – bring it to a Barnes and Noble and read stuff for free. Phyigital Reality, making digital things act like real life things
Cool Factor: Nook

nintendo meets cellphones

Max — Sun, 27 Aug 2006 11:36:43 +0000

This is a nice way to connect the physical to the digital…some designers call this humanizing technology. More here at slashphone.

Design Jargon: Experience Design

Max — Wed, 15 Mar 2006 18:18:42 +0000

What is this??? Every designer is claiming to do this. When I think of Experience Design, the first thing that comes to mind is Disney. They were one of the first to truly create an “experience” that was differentiating. They created an environment that changed your state of being. Go there and get pure fun, escapism, and fantasy.

In the world of design, what experiences are we “designing” for people? Opening the package your scissors came in (with scissors because you can’t open the package without scissors), using the business center at the Courtyard Marriot, using your new XM portable radio. Can using a product be an experience? Sure it can, what if something goes wrong, like the interface is so bad, you can’t use it. Bad experience. What if it works just the way you thought it would, all the time? Great experience.

Here’s what I wonder, is Experience Design any different from what architects, industrial designers, amusement park designers and engineers have been doing forever? I think this jargon was created to help non designers understand the importance of design. That’s a good thing. In the end, the “experience” is really a sum of all the parts. Final product, UI, business practices and philosophy, retail, advertising, etc. etc. Great companies know how to execute on all these.