Design for Usability–Computer Design Failure

According to research performed by Deliotte, 2012 will be the year to exceed 1 billion computers produced annually. With 500 million units shipped in 2009 you would think that the computer industry would have things fairly well worked out for design, but do they? Consumer usability is always an issue and frequently overlooked. Take a few new cars for test drives and you are bound to say “I really don’t like where that thing is placed.”

Here is a PC that is just a few years old.

Look at the power switch.

It seems that every time a disc is placed in the lower drive the computer shuts down and needs to be rebooted. Sometimes when the headset cords are plugged in, a wild finger will cause a reboot. It also happens when installing or removing a thumb drive in the USB port. Very frustrating to have your system shut down from attempting normal use.

Yes, the computer

Customer Expectation

Frequently, understanding customers’ needs and expectations can be difficult. Sometimes identifying the actual customer is misunderstood and even overlooked. Identifying target markets is critical. Exploring all avenues at the onset of the project and eliminating the least favorable ones is better than attempting to focus on only one or two markets. Designs will be made with some knowledge of alternative markets in mind, even if they are not the target. Finding the best fit and then attempting to recover with redesigns is costly.

Exploring a large list of potential markets might consume more time in the beginning, but will identify additional opportunities and reduce affects if the market shifts.

Performing voice-of-the-customer (VOC) data collection helps to identify customers’ wants, but something that a customer has not experienced is merely an expression of someone else’s experience and does not truly reflect the customer’s needs. Experience with similar products enables customers to express their expectations, but identifying potential customers’ needs and expectations requires some additional analysis to apply the information gained to the design specifications. Start with a good list and eliminate the outliers, focus on the major issues, and keep in mind the questionable items. The remaining items become a list of potential features down the road.

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