Second Life Interface Critique

Information Design

Who are the users?
· Anyone interested in a virtual experience: social users, educational users, merchants, thrill-seekers, escapists.

Information chunk (gestalt principle, amount information)
· Probably because of their audience, the introductory pages are very busy, with high-resolution graphics and lots of attention grabbing text. Once you are inside the game itself, the experience is very much like any video game. There's a great deal of stimulation, activity, and interactivity.

Relevance (graphics, content, reading level, text)
· The graphics and content are highly relevant to the audience. Second Life users expect a videogame like experience, and that's what they receive.

Labeling (visual with text)
· Because much of the virtual world itself is designed by users, there's a wide variety of styles and approaches for labeling. The only text, per se, is on signs and notices posted on buildings, etc. It is possible to speak to other avatars using text, the font of which is very small and, depending on the background colors, can be difficult to read.

Consistency (visual, text)
· See the above point. Areas are designed for different uses and put together by different designers, and thus display a variety of styles. Although this makes for an inconsistent feel at times, it also suits the nature of people seeking a virtual existence, by maximizing the variety of experience available.

Detail (too much on one page or one screen)
· On the introductory screens, before one enters the game, there is a lot of information, but it is well laid out and intuitively understandable. This I think suits the audience, which is comprised of people accustomed to being bombarded by information.

Interactivity

Orientation (Can you find the path, and know your way around?)
· The introductory screens are very well laid out. However it takes a while, once inside the game, to learn the navigational protocol. This is part of the attraction, and mimics the videogame experience.

Navigation (Branching)
· There really isn't branching, as such. Avatars move around inside the game according to their interests.

Functionality (Does it work?)
· It certainly works, as evidenced by the popularity of the site. It provides an experience pretty much as advertised.

Information access (Multiple entry and exit? Logical path?)
· You just go to the site, and log on. It couldn't be easier.

Screen Design

Attractive (first impression)
The introductory screens are well laid out and attractive. The experience, once inside the game itself, can be a little intimidating. This is mitigated by the inclusion of instructional videos, which give a good sense of how the game works.

Resolution and Color
Very colorful, good resolution.

Design of not-so-everyday toilets

Some toilet designs, from Toilets of the World, by Morna Gregory & Sian James
(inspired by cj's blog on toilet paper).

P.S. I chose to share only non-gross ones.

Design of everyday things

Consider the lowly banana. Its original designer is disputed (nature or Creator, take your pick) but, regardless, it is a study in simplicity of design. Let's analyze it using Norman's criteria:

First of all, it is very visible (Norman: "the correct parts must be visible, and they must convey the correct message"). A ripe banana is bright yellow; what could be more visible than that? And as it hangs from trees, as do many fruits, its message is fairly obvious: I am something you should eat. Norman says affordance "refers to the perceived and actual properties of the thing, primarily those fundamental properties that determine just how the thing could possibly be used." The fundamental properties of bananas are perceived as soft, tasty fruit, and that is exactly what they turn out to be. They can be eaten raw or cooked; even the peel is edible.

An effective conceptual model allows us to predict the effect of our actions. We predict that if we eat a banana it will taste good, and we will be less hungry. And in practice that is our experience. The same could be said about Norman's use of the term feedback. We know we are using a banana correctly when we eat it and our stomach is pleased by the result.

Ah, the banana. If only my new cell phone were half as beautifully designed, I'd be a happy man.

Thursday nite's class a success

I have to say the distance class that Joshua ran Thursday night was a resounding success. I was particularly interested in seeing the use of the whiteboard for brainstorming, and the hand raising function for voting. I can see applications for both of these for my project in 830. It was a pleasure to see how each group was able to use the technology effectively, something I had originally been very skeptical about. So I guess even though Elluminate has been denigrated by itec students in general, it can be made to work.

One further note: I've been thinking about Kim's comments regarding putting time into something worthwhile. I don't know where this will lead me, probably not to the Third World, but I am wondering about becoming engaged in more socially responsible activities.