Madisyn Kovach
Reading Thoughts on Interaction Design: Chapters 3, 4 & 5
- What information can ethnographic tools give you to improve the interactivity of an online banking website? (pp. 48-54)
- Ethnographic tools used by Interaction Designers attempt to understand what people do and why they do it. Most ethnographic tools are generally poor methods of determining if someone would buy a certain product, identifying how much someone would pay for a certain product, and understanding what color, texture, material, size, or shape to make a certain product. While tools like surveys or interviews can certainly ask questions relating to these details, people have a difficult time in estimating or remembering details related to this type of preference. Instead, ethnography helps designers identify problems. So, if I was looking on PNC’s Bank website, I would be looking for the design of the site. I would also be questioning if I can use this easily or if I struggle while I am using it. In my opinion, when looking through PNC’s website, I feel like it is a great website. For example, the layout is understanding, nothing is out of place, there are colors that make my eyes pop, and there are different size of text used.
- At what point is a design finished? What makes it a success? What is its purpose? (pp. 54-62)
- It is known that a designer will create a mass of ideas, test them, and gather good feedback, all the while honing in on a particular solution. I feel like a design is never completely finished how you expected it would be. You have to remember to please your audience. So, things might have to change in the future to keep the incoming crowd happy with the product. There are several things that can make the product a success. One thing can be the satisfaction of the customers that are using the product. The second thing is people purchasing the product. The final thing is the reviews online. Getting good reviews can cause other customers to purchase your product. A good designer, however, balances convergent thinking with a healthy level of divergent thinking. The purpose of the design is to please the user and the person who created the device.
- Identify a product family you use regularly (can be anything from technology to consumables except for coffee). How has its branding affect your use, relationship and experience with the product? (pp. 78-84)
- A product family that I use regularly is Apple. I currently own a MacBook, iPhone, iPad, and Apple Headphones. I also have owned several of their iPods including the nano, touch, and shuffle. I started using Apple when I was about seven years of age when I got my first iPod. I continued using the iPods when I was younger because I thought it was easy to just transfer my songs through iTunes. When thinking I was younger I started with the flip phone and in about 8th or 9th grade, my dad told me I could choose a smartphone. Having several Apple products before, I knew an iPhone would be the best decision. I can tell you I have not had any other smart phone other than the iPhones. Anytime I had a problem with my phone, I would always look on Apple’s website because I knew there was a step by step process to walk you through the situation. When going to trade my iPhones, the customer service in the Apple Store was amazing. They would always answer my questions, as well as, walking me through how to set up my phone. They also have helped me transfer everything from my old phone to my new phone. I feel like I have stayed with Apple because I never really had issues with their products or staff before. Also, everything on their devices are user friendly.