Physical Computing: Real World Technical Observations

This week we were asked to go into the "real world" and observe people interacting with devices, and see how it met with our expectations.  I did just that, but unfortunately had very little to report in terms of results:  Everywhere that I went, people seemed to use devices or interfaces exactly as expected.

I spent some time near an ATM, by the entrances to some buildings, and near some subway metrocard machines.  In all cases, it seemed that the users knew how to use the devices on hand, and simply went through the motions, often almost intuitively.  There are two explanations that I can attribute this two in relation to last week's readings.  

First, it may simply be that people are smarter than the "bad design" critics give them credit for.  Put differently: just because something is poorly designed doesn't mean it's unusable.  It's just that it's sort of a hassle, but that people are adept enough to figure it out.  Take the case of a PC:  I used Windows perfectly well for years.  Now that I use OS X, I'm far happier, but my ability to function hasn't particularly changed.

The second explanation is that it's simply a case of learned behavior:  in a city like New York, people tend to have routines and typical day to day actions.  It may simply be that the people I observed have overcome poor design because they've become so accustomed to it - now they simply function as normal, and envelop the poor design in their routine.

I think the reality is that it's probably some of both:  Very few poor designs are unfathomable, but they could be somewhat challenging at first.  However, after the 100th time using a door or an ATM, very few functional humans are going to keep making the same mistake.  That being said, the reality is that if there were more, better design, it might simply make people's lives easier.  This might in turn lead to happier people, and then - who knows!