Putting People First

As it is being tested, only some users get to see the new navigation and UI right now. However, Amazon have a “remodel” page (UK version) where they go through the changes and display a screenshot.

They seem to have done extensive usability testing based on a user-centred design approach:

We consulted the foremost experts in the field: our customers.

We traveled around the world, inviting customers like you to come and try out the new features and design. We listened to their feedback and made changes based on their opinions. Then we asked more customers for their advice, and we made more changes from their feedback. The design you see today reflects the input of many real-life customers of our U.S. and international websites.

We concentrated on shopping, searching, saving, and buying–the four activities that customers have repeatedly told us are the most important to them. They’re now prominently featured at the top of every page on the site.

(via Experience Solutions)

“Only a few years ago, human factors was a discipline virtually ignored in the medical device world. Device design was a field dominated by engineers, and their main concern was whether the device functioned properly or not. How easy it was to use, how well it fit into a caregiver’s workflow, and whether the design contained the potential to prompt use errors were factors considered secondarily, if at all.

But that is changing. More device companies are incorporating principles of human factors and ergonomics into their designs. Some are hiring human factors experts for their staffs, while others are using consultants. More devices go through some form of usability testing before hitting the market. And FDA has begun refusing to accept “it was a user error, not a design problem” as an excuse for problems in the field. […]

What follows is a look at some of the trends that are forcing medical device manufacturers to change their design practices, and should force those who haven’t to reconsider.”

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Paul Rouke has posted a long user experience review “looking at how persuasion architecture has been adopted, key browsing functionality provided and the overall shopping experience you can expect at this new luxury online store”. He calls it a “user experience triumph“.

Putting brands at what appears to be the forefront of their online strategy, the new House of Fraser website provides an almost immediate synergy between their online experience and the aspirations of the brand hungry visitor. On first view the site provides all the features and functionality you would expect from a site which has been developed using what I expect would have been a user centered design approach - high visibility of the search functionality and shopping basket (inc. summary of key info, a useful mini basket dropdown feature and the login/register links), clearly labeled and intuitive category navigation, a clear, best practice modeled checkout process and a strong focus on persuasion architecture.

He concludes:

Irrespective of the possible user experience improvements that could be introduced, House of Fraser have produced an excellent e-commerce website which perfectly suits its target audience and compliments its high street presence. With a degree of richer user experience functionality introduced, and a clear focus on branding and imagery, whilst adopting very much a user centered design approach and significant persuasion architecture techniques, House of Fraser’s first transactional web presence is destined to be a great success and very much a destination website for style and brand driven online shoppers.

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The article features quotes from people at BenQ, Motorola, Nokia, Samsung, Sony Ericsson, and Vertu.

Here a quote about the Nokia design process:

“Our entire design process is influenced by the consumer and their behaviour — how they want their mobile to look, function and fit into their lifestyle. We take a human approach to design in an industry that tends to focus on just pushing technology. We are creating stylish products that work just the way people like them to. This combination is central to our design work and brand,” says Jan Blom, Head of the Bangalore design team of Nokia, which recently tied up with Srishti School of Art, Design and Technology to set up the first of a series of satellite design studios. The Bangalore studio “reflects India’s status as one of the hottest countries for design,” according to Nokia’s Chief Designer, Alastair Curtis. […]

“The [Bangalore studio] will look at a range of design trends and themes, including: visual perceptions: researching key colour and material trends in India and their cultural significance; Internet mobility: understanding how people in India are accessing the Internet via mobile phones, why and what are they using this for, the impact on behaviours and culture, and how can we identify these and other signals that will help us come up with relevant and compelling devices designed for Internet usage and even social applications for mobiles — how can mobile design be used to address issues in more rural areas of India, for example access to education material.”

The article ends with some hints at what is coming up “by 2010″.

Areas to watch, according to the maker, are new shapes, materials and features, creating new ways for people to interact with their device, how to make the mobile Internet experience compelling, and broader adoption of multi-media features and content. “Mobile design is a fascinating and dynamic area. Design will be much more based around the experience people want from their device — what they want their device to do and how it needs to fit into their everyday lives. Given that we are not all looking for the same experience, there will be a number of different trends,” says Blom.

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Genevieve Bell, a highly respected anthropologist and director of user experience at Intel, gave a lecture this week at Rice University in Houston, Texas, entitled “From the Electrical Fairy to the Magic Box: An anthropological account of invisible infrastructures.”

Rice University’s News & Media Relations office has a short report:

“Bell’s talk […] showed how historic, economic, regulatory and cultural frameworks affect the way wireless technology is perceived and used. The fast-talking, Australian-born scientist weaved together dozens of stories, both from her own work and from historical accounts dating to the 19th century. […]

Throughout her talk, Bell sought to uncover the oft-overlooked religious, social and cultural dimensions that impact wireless technology.”

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The cross-discipline design imperative
In a new, multi-skill approach, traditional design tactics are wedded to the needs of business. Schools should embrace the synergy.

Stirring design into business
Nick Leon is the new director of Design London, a multidisciplinary educational initiative launched recently by the Royal College of Art, Imperial College (an engineering school) and the Tanaka Business School in London.

Designer? Engineer? He’s both
An article about the partnership of the French engineering school Ecole des Mines with nearby Strate Collège, a design academy in the Paris suburbs.

USC’s new Institute for Innovation
Krisztina Holly wants to tap the vein of innovation that lives on university campuses, by working with all of the 17 schools within the college, to benefit society as a whole.

Art and business: a royal combination
Companies often struggle to grasp the front end of innovation. That’s where the Helen Hamlyn Centre of London’s RCA comes in.