Monthly Archives: October 2009

Poka-Yoke Design

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Poka-Yoke is a concept coming from Japan and means mistake-proof. It could be any mechanism helping users to avoid making mistakes while using an interface or product. The concept it’s focus on prevention, influencing the users’ behavior through the design of the product or interface. Poka-Yoke not only improves the user experience, it also helps improving safety.

I would like to show you some Poka-Yoke examples.

SIM Cards. Thanks to the trimmed corner, a SIM Card can not be put into a cell phone in a wrong way.

Close look to SIM Card SIM Card. Picture by Declan Jewell.

On Search. Poka-Yoke concept is used by Google’s search box and by other search engines to suggest users possible search terms. In the example, I mistyped “Poka-Yoke” so the search box proposes to search for the right term. The problem with this behavior is that these suggestions could influence what users search.

Poka-Yoke behavior on Google SearchGoogle search box.

iPhone. Every time a user starts a new note on the Notes application for iPhone, the upper case option is on and ready for the first letter. This is a way to prevent orthographic mistakes.

iPhone Notes application screenshotiPhone Notes application screenshot.

USB Connector. Thanks to its inner shape, an USB connector can not be connected in the wrong way.

USB Connector, inside viewUSB Connector. Picture by PJstoneson.

…actually, the shape of the connector not only prevents from connecting it upside down but also to connect it in the wrong place.

Different connectors in a MacBookDifferent shapes for each connector. Picture by Goodrob13.

Padlocks. Good padlocks do not release the key if it is not totally locked, making sure that the mechanism is totally closed and avoiding mistakes. In this case safety is a big issue.

Padlock in San FranciscoA padlock. Picture by Greenkozi.

Make sustainable products attractive (but still sustainable!)

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Now a days, life seems to be impossible without electronic devices. We need them and want them but if we not change the way we produce and consume them the impact on the environment will be too much for our little planet. As designers we need to make products sustainable in an attractive way to be able to reach the masses.

TDK Designer Solar Panel

The TDK Designer Solar Panel. Picture by Engadget.

A good example is the TDK solar panel design that has different draws and patterns on it. It could be argued that this device may not be as efficient as a normal solar panel but making the solar panels attractive could do a lot to make the adoption of the technology faster; and that’s important. The real potential in this technology is for use in big surfaces (like buildings) and maybe not just as personal devices.

Docomo touch wood telephone made of woodDocomo Touch Wood phone

Many could think that the Docomo Touch Wood phone, made of wood, looks good. As this is avoiding the use of traditional plastic this design could be going in the right direction. In comparison to bio plastics, wood could last longer and, eventually, the case box could be reuse. Can we imagine updating the inner part of a wood phone instead of throwing away the whole thing?

Novothink solar charger for ipodNovothink solar charger for iPod

I am a little bit more skeptic about the greenery of this specific-use gadget. This is yet another gadget and the amount of resources needed to build it is probably big (water, energy, plastic, etc.). This is a big question we should ask ourselves as designers if we design a product to be marketed as “green” or sustainable: with this thing, do we save resources or do we consume more out of the planet?

Samsung phone made of cornThe Samsung phone made of corn

Bio plastics are a very interesting material, still their advantages are questionable. They could be made of different sources, like potatoes and corn, fact that makes them not only less polluting but also morally incorrect (many people would argue). Of course that might depend on the efficiency of the producing of these materials: how many potatoes do we need to produce a kilo of bio-plastic?

Graphical and Physical Keypads

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What can go wrong with a keypad design? Not much, we could think. Actually there are several things to make the interface easier to use (or usable at all!). Let’s see some examples.

google_voice_mobile_keypad_interface

Google Voice interface. Image from funkyspacemonkey.com

It’s difficult to imagine a keypad interface clearer than the one of Google Voice for iPhone. Everything is in the right place, there are no possibilities for confusion.

android_keypad

The Android interface. Picture by xda-developers.com

The Android keypad is not bad, but I’m a little bit skeptical about the lack of separation among the number columns and about the fact that buttons don’t look like buttons. Still, I think it might work pretty well most of the time.

windows_mobile_keypad

Windows Mobile keypad interface. Picture by extremeppc.com

The Windows Mobile keypad interface could be a little bit confusing, I don’t like the fact that numbers are located on the right side of the buttons (instead of being in the center). Some people, specially the ones with big fingers, might accidentally press on the wrong button if they try to tap on the number and not in the center of the button. This configuration could also be a little bit disturbing for the users’ eye, humans tend naturally to look for symmetric signs and this buttons lack of that harmony.

keypad_bad_design

Door keypad in Starbucks. Picture by Alexis Brion.

The last example is coming from the physical, real, world, not from a software interface. This is the keypad to unlock the toilet door at the Starbucks located in the Düsseldorf central station. I was sitting close to it and I couldn’t help watching the clients fail several times when trying to enter the code. Numbers are not located on the buttons, they are below them. Users were confusing labels: which is the number 5 button?