So last week I created most masculine of Tetris mods… ArmWrestleTetris, and it was a hit; but unfortunately it could not take one. Because it was built in my typical, lets see what we can build from the junk shelf and scrap wood, way, it could not stand up to the pure testosterone of two people battling over blocks. So this week I decided to redesign and bulk up the interface!
Yes indeed, get your testosterone flowing ‘cuase its time to Armwrestle-Tetris. Building off my “Arduous Button” last week, I decided to infuse the same struggle into one of my favorite games: Tetris. There is something interesting about having to work for an action that usually comes so easily. No longer is pressing a button about the result… its about the process. Read more »
Computers are easy on us, which makes them seem fake (or at least artificial). In the real world we get feedback from our actions on objects in very real ways: fire burns, rocks are heavy, and bees sting; because we know all of this, our subconscious watches out for us by giving us signals… really nice. Another nice thing about being human is our ability to think ahead and predict a series of events: Read more »
Its been nice to have the excuse to learn some more Flash stuff I have neglected over the years. Last week it was database stuff, and this week it was learning to be a better Flash programmer. Not necessarily that much more skilled, but more responsible. Flash is usually a mess after you are done coding it. Script all over the place, almost impossible to debug if you come back to it in a year, or heaven forbid you give it to someone else. Now that I’m starting to do some Flash work professionally, I figured it would be a good thing to get some good habits under my belt. Read more »
So when we were assigned to explore some software methods for user testing it took me a little while to figure out where to go and what to do. I think it was tricky because I know how to do all the obvious user testing things in a few different softwares: Flash, Processing, etc; but after I sat there for awhile I got excited about the prospect of generating some real data in Flash… nice numbers that I could keep track of. Because Flash is so web-friendly, it also made sense to figure out how to test and grab results from people remotely… so that meant databases. Read more »
It is interesting how changing something as little as when a LED turns on or off greatly affects the interaction of a device. What does blinking mean?… green or red?… text or no text? I can understand (a little) how these little decisions get overlooked by electronic and appliance companies, but it seems as though most could be fixed with just a little user testing… or at least a competent designer. We all know its possible, Apple does a great job at it, and yes their stuff is more expensive; but look at Ikea… their stuff is cheap AND designed well. Read more »
Tasks:
1) Move projector from ‘on’ state to power off and disconnected state.
Method:
Press and release power button once on either remote or projector, wait at least .5 second and press and release power button again. Then wait around 90 seconds until fan stops. Finally, unplug power chord. Read more »
In quickly brainstorming an idea for a timepiece for a blind person, I oddly found myself immediately considering the material and look of the thing. I also pictured and used only myself as a model for the use and feel of the design. Those two processes tell me a lot about my design process… I am definitely self-centered inthat I am banking on my personal judgment to make design decisions–even when the user is foreign to me and I have no real empathy (like being blind). BUT, alas, that is my process… and I am (probably foolishly) confident in it. Read more »