Part 1 of the article
As a consumer, let me begin by telling you that it’s a thwarting experience to switch mobile phones. This is especially the case when you feel like you need a change. Obviously you would expect this change to be for the better, right? This is not the case always my friend! So, I got myself a new Samsung X210. I switched my Nokia phone for this (which I regret now by the way!). But I had to move on and that was my plight. I began fiddling around with my phone before I showed it off to everyone I knew (and didn’t know). As you can guess, my usability instincts play hard on me. At the end of the day, we are all here to make things work for the better. Aren’t we?
The Deadly Alarm
This might not be a life changing experience but it definitely is an important task for most people. In a usability study conducted here at Kern, we observed that most (Indian) users set an alarm to wake up early in the morning. I would say that this would be common throughout cultures and not just in India. You wake up to prepare breakfast, to get ready for work, to go jogging, or even to get away from life for a while. So obviously we need to rely on a tool to help us out a bit. (Ahem, do we trust ourselves here?) We sometimes need that help, don’t we?
Let us compare two phones that should essentially help us achieve this goal of setting an alarm.
Samsung X210
This phone would probably help you get a stroke rather than help you set an alarm. Let us analyze this further. For this we need to do quick task analysis. A task analysis is done to achieve a step-by-step detailed view of what a user is mentally and physically able to do while using the product; in this case it is the mobile phone. Let’s do this together. Let us say that we have created a persona named Nakamura to take us through this analysis. A persona is created to help us detail out the characteristics of a person who would be the ideal user of a product; in this case it is the mobile phone.
So Nakamura is a 19 year old student, studying at an international school which is based in India. He needs to set an alarm on his SamsungX210 for 8AM every night before he falls asleep.
Scenario: To begin, Nakamura would begin to look for the alarm.
Looking at the options available, he believes that only the ‘Organizer’ would help him achieve his goal.
Yet, he is skeptical. He is doubtful whether it would be in there, but decides to check it out. He struggles a bit with the selection keys but is able to manage.
Deciding to choose the ‘Once Alarm’ option, he chooses the select key to enter the time.
Entering 8, he selects the left key again which leads him to a few options that allows him to choose a tone for the alarm.
He selects an alarm tone and gets a message that confirms that the alarm has been ’saved’.
Assuming this to be a positive feedback, Nakamura goes to sleep.
Does Nakamura get up at 8AM the following day? No. Want to know why? Because this interface deceived him. He assumed that the alarm has been set and the feedback received also confirmed it.
How it functions: This interface being quite deceptive, functions in its own sweet way. The same path is used to navigate but the selection made is slightly different. Let me further explain my point. After entering the time to activate the alarm, the user is expected to press the ‘OK’ button (shown by the pointer).
This leads to a new set of options that do not go along with Nakamura’s task flow. Here, after selecting AM/PM, the alarm is then ‘activated’.
Aaah, now this is how it actually works. Scratch your head my friends. The time calls for it now!
How it should function: Now that Nakamura has failed miserably, let us just give the designers of Samsung a glimpse into what may have been a better solution for this current design.
Solutions to Better Design the Software
1. A good layout hierarchy: The hierarchy of information should help determine if important information is placed in the right location. For example, an alarm is a frequent task that is performed by most mobile phone users. There could be two problems here with respect to the hierarchy of information.
– A first time user is going to find it really hard to figure out that the alarm is categorized under an organizer. No doubt that it can be discovered. But as this is a frequent task, alarm should be placed in the main menu structure so that it can be directly accessed.
– An intermediate/expert user is going to find it frustrating to access this feature as there are several structures leading to the alarm option.
The key is to quickly analyze what is an important task for most users. A quick and good comparison is the Nokia2100. This handset clearly get this hierarchy of information right as it provides a separate and easily accessible folder for an alarm.
2. Feedback at the right location: At every step of the way, users need feedback. The Samsung handset does provide feedback but this is unclear and is also at the wrong place, which is misleading.
Let us see the feedback provided by Nokia. The feedback is clear and apt in terms of language and its meaning. On the other hand, the Samsung shows a feedback that reads ‘Saved’. Mind you, this does not mean that the alarm has been saved (like we saw in the case of Nakamura). The feedback is provided but at the wrong place as users assume that the alarm has been saved. But in reality the ring tone for the alarm is saved.
It is crucial to provide feedback at the right place as users expect to receive it. This helps confirm accomplishment of their goal.
Though, Samsung’s secondary level of feedback is worth a mention where an icon of an alarm is displayed on the screen once the alarm has been set (shown by the pointer).
Solutions to Better Design the Hardware
1. Constant selection keys: As users begin to use the Samsung phone, they would be baffled by the center key that can be used for the internet and also as an ‘OK’ option while navigating. This is clearly labeled on the keypad but most users would overlook this. Providing dual functions for a single center key is what causes all the confusion. This should be avoided especially when the key is directly accessible and is used for primary actions. It is important to ensure consistency. That is, the selection keys should remain constant throughout the interface for all tasks.
In the case of the Samsung phone, the selection keys are not constant. With respect to selecting options, the interface sometimes expects users to click on the left key while other times they are expected to choose the center key. Let us compare this with Nokia2100 again. The selection keys here are constant. In fact, users just make use of one key to select (left) and the other (right) to cancel. This is simple, convenient and error-free.
2. Navigation assistance: Most handsets provide navigation assistance on the handset to help users navigate. This is especially useful for first time users who first begin by exploring the handset. Looking at the Samsung phone, you will see that navigation assistance is not a clear cue to move in the right direction. Nakamura even failed to see this option while setting an alarm. This is a common issue with some users. As users move from the intermediate to the expert state, their exploration senses are quite different as compared to a first time user. A first time user would carefully explore each key and option. But an expert user would rely on the navigation scent and also his past experience with mobile phones.
The key is to provide this assistance. This justifies that selection keys must be consistent to ensure that users move through a standard path. This path determines the scent of information by which users find what they were looking out to achieve.
The Key to a Good User Experience
This thwarting experience will be the same with every interface model that has does not go through a usability cycle. I have just taken a bad design example here to help us understand that this user experience determines the brand awareness and the sale of products. With good experiences, good results follow.
We found out that with one task, users would flip out of their senses. This first impression of a product determines the future mindset that people will form about the brand. Design for quality and use, not for the mass.
That’s it for now. I will be back with more!
A Brief Insight into Part 2 of the Article– Coming Soon!
In the following part of this article I would essentially concentrate on what brands provide to their customers. Is it always about the customer experience for top brands like Nokia, Motorola, Samsung, and Sony? While I talk about this, I would also discuss the following pointers.
– Consistency between products with respect to interaction and pattern flow.
– Mobile phones interfaces that behave like applications.
– Getting the interaction right before testing.
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23rd July, 2007 at 4:54 am
Closer pictures would be great!
23rd July, 2007 at 5:01 am
Sure thing!
I will keep that in mind. Thanks for the feedback.
23rd July, 2007 at 9:42 am
Really interesting read. As I mentioned to you, I also faced the same problem with setting the alarm when I moved from a Nokia handset to that of a Samsung.
Your article got me thinking…… If I had started out with a Samsung phone and had then switched to a Nokia Handset, would I have had problems? I have this sneaking suspicion that we may have certain problems because the new experience clashes with prior learning. People ‘learn’ how to use their handsets and get comfortable with them. Therefore, when they switch models, they expect the underlying logic to be the same for all phones. It would be interesting to talk to someone who switched from another model to Nokia…..
23rd July, 2007 at 10:15 am
Of course. You would have the same problems. The problem here is the scent that is received while using the phone.
When people do switch from a Nokia to a Samsung phone, they do complain of the selection keys that are placed differently. Here, prior learning does affect the existing experience. Nevertheless, the inability to complete a task does not fall under a prior learning experience. It is an interface that helps people navigate. A totally new experience with a phone might get people uneasy. But with a good task flow pattern, people begin to explore with ease and delight.
Here with the Samsung interface, the problem isn’t with prior experience. It has to do with the interface and its inability to provide the right feedback at the right time, along with navigation assistance as mentioned in the article.