Neat Paper Prototyping

Pretty cool and intense paper prototyping. This is the most realistic one as yet.

Watch Video Here

Is QWERTY bad for typing?

Did you know that the QWERTY keyboard is designed to slow typing down?



In the earlier days when there were no keyboards and only typewriters, QWERTY was the common layout. It was designed for the typewriters. Prior to QWERTY there were a couple of experiments done but it was soon found that people became very efficient at typing and the wpm(words per minute) rose to an incredible number. Because of this the typewriter keys would jammed. Getting them straight again would waste time.

When keyboards came into being, it were the typists who first became its users. So the layout was kept the same. Nobody bothered to change it afterwords fearing its lack of acceptance. Hence we have inherited the QWERTY keyboard.

Problems with QWERTY?

• Most frequently used characters are placed on the left of the keyboard whereas most people are right handed.
• Frequently used keys are placed so close to each other that it increases the chances of error.
  
• Increased learnability due to more left hand usage.
  

All this automatically slows down the speed.

Dvorak keyboard - An Alternative
Then came the Dvorak Keyboard patented in 1936 by Dr. August Dvorak, an educational psychologist and professor of the University of Washington in Seattle,William Dealey as an alternative to the more common QWERTY layout. It has also been called the Simplified Keyboard or American Simplified Keyboard but is commonly known as the Dvorak keyboard or Dvorak layout.




Although its not proved that this is a better alternative but 2 world records of maximum wpm has been broken using Dvorak. Some of its advantages are -

• Study based on letter frequency and physiology.
• Letters should be typed by alternating between hands.
• Frequent letters should on the home row and under the strongest fingers.
• Least common letters should be on the bottom row.
• Right hand should do more typing.
• Diagraphs should not be typed with adjacent fingers.

Dvorak Implementation
It was actually implemented by Apple Computers once in its iBook computers.

Samorost - Detective Game

Play Here

This is a nice detective game where one has to find clues to move further.
Rack your brains and think laterally.
Join the dots and put 2&2 together.

Redesigning an ATM Interface

Introduction
In order to evaluate the usability of a system always judge how it performs for a typical usage. A few months back I presented in an HCI workshop for the benefit of engineering college faculties of Hyderabad. Usability is now being introduced at the graduation level and this presentation was an introduction to usability for these teachers. In the presentation I evaluated many systems for them, including an ATM Machine.

The pattern of evaluation was like this-
1. Identify the Usage Pattern of the Device or System
2. Evaluate whether the system facilitates the Usage Pattern
3. If not, then suggest improvements in design


Applying this to the ATM Interface

1. Identify the Usage Pattern of the Device or System

• Instant Cash Anywhere Anytime
• Quick and Easy cash
• For anyone literate or illiterate
• Most of the time amount withdrawn is the same
• Language chosen is same everytime
• Account time for a card is the same.

2. Evaluate whether the system facilitates the Usage Pattern

• ATM does not identify the account - Once the user enters the pass-code the system asks the user to select an account. But to my knowledge a card can be linked to only one account.
• It does not remember things - The user specifies the same language everytime. Why does not the ATM get it once and for all.
• Does not consider the typical usage - The user is got the habit of withdrawing the same amount over 90% of the time, so it should allow for dispensing that amount(checking from transaction history) at the click of a single button rather than having the user to enter the amount again (3 or more keystrokes).
• No prior notice of money finishing - There is always a queue that shifts from one ATM to another when the money gets over. Instead if a prior warning is given then users can find alternate means to take out money instead of wasting time in the queue.
• Does not simplify things - I have seen in many ATMs that in order to withdraw money, the ATM asks you to enter the amount to 2 decimal points, like 500.00. Will the ATM take out 50 paise if I do fill it?

3. Improvements in Design

• Adapt to the common scenario - The longer the process the harder it is for the user. So ask only what you wouldn't know at that point.
• Ask one time preferences only once -Language is one such thing.
• Simplify the Process - Identify the usage pattern and keep it as the default settings

So here it is. There are many more things you can do once you sit and start thinking. These are only a few of them.

Actual Implementation
Wells Fargo has recently changed the design of their 7000 or so ATMs to make it more user friendly.

Read Wells Fargo ATM Redesign

Remembering Passwords

Q)How does one remember something?
A) When the mental artifact shifts from the STM (Short Term Memory) to LTM (Long Term Memory).

How does this process happen? One of the ways is through mugging. Now all of us are not smart enough to mug all the time. So when we encounter the artifact again and again in our tasks it gets imprinted in our minds eventually.

For Instance, they teach you in school that the capital of France is Paris in grade 1. You may or may not remember it. Maybe you remember it for the tests but then you forget it. So in grade 2 you encounter the same piece of information again. And again in the third grade. So finally it registers in the mind that the capital of France is Paris.

Forgetting Password
Similarly with Passwords. For the Accounts that you check more regularly the passwords are easier to remember because you encounter that piece of information everyday and hence you 'Remember' it. For accounts that you do not access frequently, the passwords are not remembered. Specially the accounts that you check once in 2 months or more. More so because you have many accounts online each with different usernames and passwords.

As a result, users forget their passwords. Now comes the usability issue. What many sites do is generate a new one instead of sharing the old one on the pretext of more security. This means that the user has now to remember a new piece of information. So sending him a new password as initiated a new cycle of forgetfulness. It has not helped the user remember it. This is because the user does not encounter the same piece of information for him to remember. Instead he has the challenge of remembering an altogether new piece of information.

Remembering Password
Instead the user should help the user encounter the same piece of information to the user by either giving him hints or mailing him his password. This ensures that the user eventually remembers his password. The users can delete the main containing the password immediately after getting the password is security is such an issue.

A word of Caution
When user does not remember passwords, he tends to note it down somewhere which is again a huge security breach. Instead its best the user remembers the password. We should therefore take steps towards making the user remember his password.