By Kern | Feb07, 2007 |
Usability
Ever seen shoes with pockets or a wrist watch that does everything but read time? I’m sure you have. We come across such products everyday but we just don’t pay attention to its unusable nature as we have been ‘conditioned’ to its use. Some of you may disagree, calling it style. But the others who would agree with me, call it a ‘user fatigue syndrome’. With the use of some common everyday products, I will postulate the essence of simple, good design principles that we can adopt while designing for an effective online experience. Read more…
By Kern | Jan19, 2007 |
Usability
Last night as I was flipping through the channels on the television, I stumbled upon a show that is ever so famous among teenagers today. Yes, you guessed that right- I am referring to American Idol. I came across something so regular. Yet, it was alarming to see the same sight on national television- a place where everything is expected to be perfect and flawless. It always portrays everything to be so perfect doesn’t it? Correction- it seems like this world has its glitches too!
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By Kern | Dec22, 2006 |
Usability
Let us first understand what a mental model is. It is an explanation of a person’s thought process of how something works in the real world. In other words, it represents human emotions, feelings, perceptions and other psychological processes that surface externally. Let us explain this with the help of an example. We know exactly how a telephone looks and functions. It would typically have buttons to punch in a phone number and a receiver to communicate. Have a look at the figure below. We know how exactly this telephone would function. Right? You pick up the receiver, wait for a dial tone, punch in the number, wait for a ring tone, and you’re connected.
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