Design Critique: Products for People
Encouraging usable designs for a better customer experience.
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DC168 Interview: Viktor Rydal on the Nomono Sound Capsule
11/11/2023
DC168 Interview: Viktor Rydal on the Nomono Sound Capsule
This is our last episode for a while, but is well worth the wait! We have an interview with Viktor Rydal, industrial designer from Nomono, who talks with Tim about the Nomono Sound Capsule. Visit the to see and hear their demonstrations. This truly innovative solution records conversations with its custom lapel mics into its Sound Capsule hub, and their cloud application removes bad room acoustics to create astoundingly good audio from rooms that did NOT sound good to begin with. It's an interviewer's dream come true. Whether used by user researchers, journalists, or conference organizers, the Nomono Sound Capsule achieves good clean audio recordings in everyday noisy environments. The Sound Capsule allows the interviewer to focus on the interview, not worry about the audio engineering and room acoustics. For over an hour, Viktor and Tim talk about the story of the Sound Capsule's design and development. Tim is enjoying his new job teaching at Michigan Technological University but needs to focus on the relocation and new job in its first year--so no more episodes for a while. Expect us...when you hear us. Thanks for listening since 2005 and we promise some more episodes in the future. Check for the occasional blog post in the mean time.
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DC167 Interview: Dushyant Kanungo on Enterprise UX
07/02/2023
DC167 Interview: Dushyant Kanungo on Enterprise UX
Dushyant Kunungo joins Timothy Keirnan for a discussion about enterprise UX. * Duhsyant's professional background * The importance of user experience to employees working in an enterprise--both to their morale and their productivity. * Dushyant and Tim share eyebrow-raising anecdotes from enterprise user experience projects they have been on. Employees need effective, efficient, and enjoyable products/tools as much as external customers do. * Dushyant talks about his book, UX Decoded: Think and Implement User-Centered Research Methodologies, and Expert-Led UX Best Practices. You can reach Dushyant at his LinkedIn page. His book's publisher is at this link: Tim recommends everyone listen to this episode of Dushyant's excellent podcast, UX Banter, with Neal Ford discussing authenticity in branding:
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DC166 Interview: Publisher Barry McBride on Content Strategy at The Orange and Brown Report
05/21/2023
DC166 Interview: Publisher Barry McBride on Content Strategy at The Orange and Brown Report
Barry McBride joins Timothy Keirnan to discuss the history and content strategy of The Orange and Brown Report, an independent news and analysis business catering to Cleveland Browns football fans. The Orange and Brown Report offers both free and paid subscription tiers of news and interaction with its beat writers and analysts. Across 80 minutes, Barry talks about: * The origin of his Cleveland Browns fan advocacy and community-building in 1995, when Browns ownership and the NFL betrayed Browns fans by moving the team to Baltimore and the legacy media refused to cover all aspects of the story. * HIs first website, Greedwatch.com * His second website, BrownsTNG (The Next Generation) * How legendary Browns former QB Bernie Kosar and his family helped Barry create Bernie's Insiders, a startup that professionalized Barry's concept with credentialed news reporters. * The transition to The Orange and Brown Report and further maturation of the concept. * Plans for the future of the OBR. You can find the Orange and Brown Report at www.theobr.com Tim's book recommendations: Managing by Values by Blanchard ( Learning to Scramble by Kosar () Almost Too Good: The Undefeated 1948 Cleveland Browns ()
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DC165 Interview: Matt Ranta on Improving UX for E-Commerce
04/17/2023
DC165 Interview: Matt Ranta on Improving UX for E-Commerce
Matt Ranta, head of practice at , joins Tim for a discussion on how companies can and should improve their digital interactions with customers, whether they are B2B or B2C. Whether it's in email messages or web pages, details matter. 03:47 The importance of proofreading marketing email messages. 08:03 Use new image formats like webp and AVIF to increase speed of a website and its SEO. 17:06 Test a website with browsers besides Chrome, which not everyone will use. 22:00 Competitive intelligence tools and keywords 25:30 The useful website evaluation optimization tool https://pagespeed.web.dev/ 28:20 In 2023 people are still not labeling images with alt tags 30:20 Allowing content to be buried deep because of not using pagination properly on web pages 35:34 Disavowing bad back links from undesirable sites you may not want to be associated with, and/or a website that is a link farm 40:22 Do not hide the search bar on the home page or other pages. Make sure to read Matt's excellent article
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DC164 Critique: 2023 Subaru BRZ
03/30/2023
DC164 Critique: 2023 Subaru BRZ
Eric Penn joins Tim Keirnan and Ken Mayer to discuss the first customer experience phases of his new 2023 Subaru BRZ after a month of ownership. The "Toyobaru Twins" (Toyota GR86 and Subaru BRZ) are the same car with some slight differences. This vehicle is one of the best examples of "user-centered design" we have ever encountered in a product, and Tim owned the first generation for four blissful years. Eric has purchased the long-awaited and much celebrated second generation, and we go into intense detail on our first four defined phases of the customer experience: Encounter (02:44) Decision (07:21) Purchase (21:00) Initial Use (43:00) We will record an episode about Eric's longitudinal use in February of 2024 so that Eric has a full 12 months of ownership under his belt for that. On this podcast we are nothing if not thorough. In summary, the 2023 BRZ (the second model year of the 2nd generation of the car) meets or exceeds almost every criterion for delighting Eric as customer/user. The car's designers and engineers improved on the few weaknesses from the first generation without compromising what made the first generation so terrific. From the seating position, to the razor sharp handling, to the improved human-machine interfaces in the cockpit, to the new, more powerful engine, everything about this car screams or subtly implies "made for driving enthusiasts of light weight, nimble sports cars." Neither Subaru nor Toyota invented us to be so positive about this vehicle. It is incredibly well-focused on delighting a well-defined customer target.
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DC163 Interview: John Leavitt On Industrial Design
03/02/2023
DC163 Interview: John Leavitt On Industrial Design
John Leavitt, Senior Industrial Designer at , joins Timothy Keirnan for a conversation about industrial design, using two firefighting products as a starting point. Besides the two case studies, we talk about general design process and philosophies, methods, education recommendations, and our ambitions for a world in which UX includes respect for users' privacy and security as a selling point. 00:00 Introduction 03:30 Design Process 08:06 Self Contained Breathing Apparatus case study 19:45 Fire Truck Inventory Feature case study 36:45 How does John recommend people learn industrial design and nurture their careers 40:30 Our dream of UX for any product having a main feature of protecting the user's/customer's privacy and security by default 48:50 John's favorite design resources is one company that is making privacy and security of both software and hardware a primary selling point of their product designs. John's employer is at John's contact info is
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DC162 Critique: 2022 Kia Niro EV
01/28/2023
DC162 Critique: 2022 Kia Niro EV
David and Jo Lau discuss the five phases of customer experience with their 2022 Kia Niro EV (Encounter, Decision, Purchase, Initial use, and Longitudinal use). Vehicle purchases are often a negotiation of two or more people's preferences and needs in domestic situations, and we are delighted to have talked with the Lau family about their customer journey. The human-machine interfaces (HMI) in the cockpit are the simple and effective designs we're used to seeing from Hyundai-Kia vehicles, and Tim was most impressed with the EV charging indicators on top of the dashboard that face through the windshield: three aqua blue lights convey charge status at a glance, without anyone having to pull out a smart phone. The driving features a tight suspension with enough torque to avoid trouble on the highways. David and Jo share their cost per mile with us as well, which is pleasantly low at current electric rates in their town. Range anxiety is a very real thing but for shorter distances, a BEV is suiting them fine. The Laus are quite pleased with all customer experience phases except Purchase. Listen for an amusingly exasperating story about a tired old sales technique that was attempted on them, but they successfully resisted! Our Mazda Miata car club website is here if you would like to join us!
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DC161 Critique: Private Selection Frozen Pizza
01/01/2023
DC161 Critique: Private Selection Frozen Pizza
Larry Rusinsky joins Tim Keirnan for a new kind of episode: critiquing the user experience of food. Because the UX of food is so very subjective based on genetics, culture experiences, individual preferences, and a potential inconsistency of "production" for a particular dish, frozen foods are at least somewhat consistent in their production. Our critique is of Kroger's house brand Private Selection Artisan Stone Fired Pizza in the Cuban-Inspired Ham & Swiss flavor. We also ate a "control pizza" to attempt to create a reference point to describe the test pizza and which listers can relate to. The "fixed variable" as our control is a Newman's Own Thin & Crispy Crust Supreme Pizza. This is a nationally distributed brand in the USA. Larry and Tim found that Private Selection frozen pizza is a very fresh-tasting and interestingly flavored, at least in the Cuban-Inspired Ham & Swiss flavor. Larry says the other flavors are all worth trying. Both of us agreed that the value of these frozen pizzas is very good. Tim concludes the episode with a brief history of the invention of frozen food. This article explains the team that "designs" Kroger house brand items (including foods): This article lists some of the author's favorite Kroger house brand foods:
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DC160 Critique: PineTab tablet
11/09/2022
DC160 Critique: PineTab tablet
Yousef Hegazi joins the show to help Tim Keirnan critique PineTab, a low-cost 10-inch tablet that uses Linux as its operating system instead of iOS, Android, or Windows. Pine64 provides "system on a chip" computing devices that run free and open source software (FOSS) as their operating system and applications. The PineTab follows earlier projects such as the PineBook/PineBook Pro (a laptop), the PinePhone and PinePhone Pro (a smartphone), and the PineTime (a smart watch). Projects are shipped early to a community that can help with development and, at some point, the project will be ready for regular everyday users to buy and enjoy. Unlike other tablets on the market such as the Apple iPad and the Amazon Fire, the PineTab is not a closed ecosystem that sends information back to its manufacturer about how customers use the device. NOTE: PINE64's website for ordering the PineTab did mention that the operating system is "a work in progress". Our critique balances our impressions of the device's UX with that admission. At some point, though, the software needs to mature to be useful and usable for regular consumers. Check out the upcoming Here is the article Tim mentioned that explains how the dominant tablet makers track users' activity on the devices and why. For those not comfortable with such an arrangement, a Linux tablet such as the PineTab may offer hope.
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DC159 Interview: John Loss on his book Not Always Homeless
07/28/2022
DC159 Interview: John Loss on his book Not Always Homeless
John Loss joins David Mettler and Tim Keirnan to talk about his book Not Always Homeless, created from ethnographic interviews with local people who were homeless in his area. Its subtitle is "The personal stories of 13 people who survived and escaped a life on the streets". After we discussed how he published his first book at age 80 based on interviews with homeless people in the Niagara Falls area of New York State, we talked about about the 501c3 charity he and some fellow concerned citizens created to help local people without homes build a more stable life for themselves, called Help and Hope for the Homeless. Why and how do people in America become homeless, and what kind of assistance is proven to work successfully long term? John presents compassionate, insightful research and personal anecdotes from helping people in his community. Not Always Homeless... can be . The Niagara Gazette published .
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DC158 Critique: Electric Kettle UX
06/01/2022
DC158 Critique: Electric Kettle UX
CEO Stephanie Rosenbaum joins Tim Keirnan for a critique of two different electric kettle designs that heat water quickly and precisely: the KRUPS BW3140 Savoy and the Cuisinart CPK-17 PerfecTemp. Both designs accomplish the goal but in very different ways. The KRUPS kettle has its user interface in its base and excellent balance in its carafe, while the Cuisinart has its user interface in the handle of the carafe with better labeling, but worse ergonomics for the carafe itself. We discuss the details thoroughly, along with reflecting on how complex a user population can be for even the most simple tasks like heating water. Keep that user research going, whatever your product or service... Also, the day before recording this! NOTE: Tim's memory was faulty about the cost of the kettles. They were closer to $90US each. You can find more details and photos for these products at the and the .
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DC157 Critique: 401K Website Usability Failure
05/01/2022
DC157 Critique: 401K Website Usability Failure
Tim recounts a 401K benefits website usability failure to cohost Dave Mitropoulos-Rundus. They then discuss the foundational importance of usability testing and of tracking the all-important time on task metric. Even in 2022, the most professional-looking website can disappoint customers if if UX fails at the most fundamental tasks.
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DC156 Critique: 2016 Scion FR-S
03/18/2022
DC156 Critique: 2016 Scion FR-S
Five years and 50,000 miles in the making, this critique of the 2016 Scion FR-S (aka Subaru BRZ or Toyota 86) puts the long in longitudinal review! Cohosts Eric and Ryan return to help Tim discuss the complete customer experience with the car from encounter, to decision, to purchase, to initial use, to longitudinal reflection. The "Toyobaru" is in our opinions one of the most successful user-centered car designs we've ever experienced. Toyota and Subaru aimed this car at a narrow customer segment and created something with an enthusiastic following and enough sales to continue the model into a second generation. It never tries to be all things to all people, but rather succeeds in creating passion and loyalty in its customers' hearts. This episode is way longer than usual at 100 minutes so here are the segment timings: 00:00-51:00 Encounter, Decision, Purchase, Initial Use 51:00-1:07:34 Longitudinal Use and Final Year 1:07:35-1:21:19 Second Generation Improvements 1:21:20-1:40:33 Special Guest and Conclusion A design this pure, with a customer base so well defined, is proof that large corporations can delight customers if an executive champion and a dedicated team work in concert to achieve their customer-centric goal.
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DC155 Interview: Public Space Design with Sour Studio's Pinar Guvenc
01/17/2022
DC155 Interview: Public Space Design with Sour Studio's Pinar Guvenc
Pinar Guvenc, a partner at , joins Tim for a discussion on how this consultancy does their Architecture, Interior Design, Product Design, and Public Spaces work. Sour is a hybrid design studio with the mission of addressing social and urban problems through sustainable and inclusive methodologies. Sour's use of co-creation panels and extended collaboration with all the diverse stakeholders on their projects is discussed, as well as a case study in public space design they did in in Istanbul, Turkey. Sour is proud to say they work "with" clients and stakeholders, not "for". Check out Sour's work on making accessibility a priority in product design with their and their that helps retailers make fashion accessible to people with disabilities. You can find Sour at Read some as well as view some
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DC154 Critique: Samsung and Sony DAPs
12/31/2021
DC154 Critique: Samsung and Sony DAPs
Instructional designer Brian Duck joins Tim for two topics: why are UX practitioners still having to persuade some companies that we need access to end users on our projects in 2021, and why Sony's ultra portable digital audio player is so bad compared with Samsung's player from 15 years ago. 00:00 - 08:00 We commiserate on the need in 2021, in some companies, to explain the fundamental need for early access to the end users of our projects rather than accept what managers dictate as "What the users need". Too many places still think requirements can be determined without proper stakeholder involvement. 08:00-40:00 We discuss the lack of progress in portable digital audio player UX by contrasting the superior UX of Samsung's 15-year old YP-U2J design with Sony's recent NWZ-B183 design that Tim is disappointed by. Brian tries each player for the first time to provide "newbie eyes" in this informal discussion ( this is not meant to be a real usability test). We discuss the importance of benchmarking a product category's UX among competing products before starting a project, and ensuring that those benchmarks are met or exceeded. We don't have any inside knowledge at Samsung or Sony about these two projects, but the glaring UX mistakes in the Sony are difficult to understand in 2021. Our summary of UX advice for the portable digital audio player design space is what Samsung did right in 2006: * Employ high contrast for easy reading in dim light and for users who have difficulty with fine print both on screen and on the body of the player. * Employ large enough text for the same reasons both on the player and in the screen. * Provide an asymmetrical cap shape and make sure it fits tightly to protect the USB port from being damaged. * Provide an asymmetrical shape of the player itself to make it easy for users to operate by feel without eyes on. This includes the headphone jack location for players that are not solely bluetooth. * Provide large enough and easily recognized hard buttons for basic function like Play, Next, Back, FF, REV. * Ensure the firmware operates the hard buttons consistently as on the Samsung--the Sony unit changes the direction of the Next and Back buttons based on which menu screen a user is navigating, infuriating! A positive review of the Sony that contrasts with Tim's disappointment: https://www.techulator.com/resources/15789-Sony-Walkman-NWZ-B183F-review.aspx A quick YouTube video of a delighted Samsung customer whose YP-U2J still works great after 15 years. Build quality matters as well as UX! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jgbUrN_g7lQ
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DC153 Interview: Gordon Olson on Green Water Heater Design
10/16/2021
DC153 Interview: Gordon Olson on Green Water Heater Design
Gordon Olson, CEO of Torii Industries, joins Timothy Keirnan for a discussion about a new design of tank-less water heater. Tank-less water heaters remove the need for a large water tank to be heated 24 hours a day for occasional hot water use. Besides being inefficient use of energy, traditional tank water heaters can fail catastrophically, and provide large amounts of landfill waste after their useful life is over. The Torii solution will replace an old centralized water heater with a tank-less model that uses a carbon foam inside the pipes of the unit to heat water very quickly & efficiently for use on demand. This design does not expose metallic components to the hot water that catalyzes oxidation and subsequent wear. Sensors and software will monitor the components and facilitate component replacement before any failures occur. You can visit Torii Industries at
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DC152 Interview: Medical Packaging Design with Dr. Laura Bix
08/20/2021
DC152 Interview: Medical Packaging Design with Dr. Laura Bix
Dr. Laura Bix from the Michigan State University School of Packaging returns to the show! Her latest project was researching the packaging of medical supplies used by EMTs in the field as they stabilize patients and transport them to the hospital in the ambulance. Dr. Bix describes how most medical supplies are normally packaged for the highly controlled Operating Room environment and how they might not work as well in the field and in ambulances. From initial investigation ideas, to recording ambulance environments on closed tracks, to constructing an ambulance simulator usability lab for testing the opening of packaging with EMTs under repeatable conditions, Dr. Bix walks us through all the phases of the project. Here is an article on Dr. Bix's work at the school, including the study we talked about in this episode (I used two great photos from this article in this blog post, thank you MSU!): Visit the . Even more links:
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DC151 Interview: Memoir Design with David Loehr and Greg Swenson
07/25/2021
DC151 Interview: Memoir Design with David Loehr and Greg Swenson
Tim Keirnan interviews author David Loehr and designer Greg Swenson about the new memoir That's How Strong My Love Is: From Rock and Roll to James Dean. The memoir is an insider's perspective of rock and roll history, James Dean legacy, fashion, pop culture, and the counterculture of the 1960s, 70s, and 80s from New York to LA. This book is unique in that David, the world's foremost archivist of James Dean's remarkable life and career, saved so many artifacts from his own interesting life experiences to document them, including ticket stubs, posters, autographed photos, letters, post cards, clothing from various periods, photos, badges, pins, stage designs, newspaper clippings, and more. Greg worked with David to design the presentation of the memoir text and the appropriate artifact photos and scans, plus the cover. David's memoir is on sale at the following places: The James Dean Gallery () Ebay.com () Amazon.com () Greg's book, "Recipes for Rebels", is another book design triumph and is available at the following places: The James Dean Gallery () Recipes For Rebels site ( ) The incredibly good 8 minute documentary "Lenny's Shirts" on Lenny Prussack's fashion design career is at Lenny's shirts are available at his Etsy store at
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DC150 Critique: BinaxNow COVID Self Test
07/03/2021
DC150 Critique: BinaxNow COVID Self Test
This is a solo episode in which I critique the design of Abbott's BinaxNow Covid-19 Antigen Self Test. This test is available in retail stores (in the USA a pack of two is, at this time, about $20). It tests for proteins one's body makes when fighting a Covid-19 infection, the symptoms of which not everyone experiences in the same way. The use of rapid antigen self tests could revolutionize public health for COVID and beyond. Imagine getting ready to visit someone you love whose health is compromised in some way that makes them more risky to something that is going around your area. A rapid self-test can put the mind at ease, especially for symptoms that allergies can mimic. Use of rapid self tests can protect coworkers, family, friends, etc., because if enough people use them during a time of an outbreak, those who may test positive for being infectious can self-isolate and prevent the spread while they contact their doctor to get help if needed. The BinaxNow test is as easy to use as advertised. The only improvements needed in my experience are a lower price per unit and less daunting technical communication. Perhaps for regulatory reasons, the BinaxNow instructions have a LOT of text on a double sided poster. But the instructions worked for me in the first use, so criticizing the instructions might be unfair. As promised in the episode, here are some excellent links about the advantages of cheap, easy to use rapid antigen self tests from the two experts discussed in the episode: Dr. Michael Mina's radio interview about rapid self-tests: Dr. Mina's article from December 2020 about rapid self tests' ability to stop Covid-19 spread quickly: Dr. Robert Epstein's Carrier Separation Plan to use rapid self tests to stop the spread of any pathogen in a population: A good paper on the importance of testing frequency and fast results for reducing an infectious disease: The development of a rapid saliva test is on the way: Another saliva test for Covid-19!
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DC149 Critique: Garmin Dash Cameras
05/08/2021
DC149 Critique: Garmin Dash Cameras
Eric Penn rejoins Tim Keirnan on the show for a critique of Garmin dash cameras. And on this show you know we bought them with our own money, no review units or other favors from the manufacturer. The guys discuss the following models: * that combines a GPS with a dash cam * * * In both Eric's and Tim's critiques, was a big positive to the customer experience. The products were useful and usable, without any outstanding problems. When Tim's nuviCam broke after only two years, Garmin customer support worked diligently to help him fix it. Even though it could not be fixed, having a company sincerely try to help solve a problem salvages a relationship and Tim would consider another Garmin purchase because the customer service. Our previous episode with customer service professional expert Charlotte Purvis rings true here. In Eric's case, his 35 broke under the warranty period and Garmin quickly replaced it. No fuss, no muss. Eric discusses using the Garmin 46 and Garmin Mini together to record both front and rear views in his FiestaST. Eric also talks about his use of Garmin products for cycling.
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DC148 Interview: Charlotte Purvis on The Customer Communication Formula
02/28/2021
DC148 Interview: Charlotte Purvis on The Customer Communication Formula
Charlotte Purvis joins Timothy Keirnan for a discussion about ensuring good user experience with customer service professionals. When we call an organization for help with a product or service, these people are on the front line of customer interaction. How well they assist us will impact our perceptions of a product and the brand of the company that sold it. Charlotte's new book is . She talks with Tim for 40 minutes about how she created her customer communication formula, how she coaches customer service professionals in call centers, and the importance of having a professional physical environment for people to do their best work in the office or at home. You can find Charlotte at her website
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DC147 Purism Librem 5 Smartphone Hardware Impressions
01/02/2021
DC147 Purism Librem 5 Smartphone Hardware Impressions
The Librem 5 is Purism's re-envisioning what a smartphone could be and should be. It runs on Purism's own Linux distribution PureOS, which is certified by the Free Software Foundation to be free of non-transparent, proprietary code such as many commercial products use. The "Evergreen" batch of Librem 5 phones is the first official production model, and possesses unique qualities not found in most smart phones: * Hardware switches to turn on/off camera, microphone, WiFi, Bluetooth, and cellular connection. * Easily removeable battery for easy replacement. * Easy access to replace the cellular modem and the WiFi/Bluetooth circuitry * Updates to the PureOS operating system for the long term, not just a few years. * Connection via USB-C to an external monitor. * Does not inherently track customers' usage of the phone and apps. As of December 2020, this "Evergreen" batch of phones does not have a sleep function, so battery life is very short. The microphone of this particular Librem 5 is described as sounding "muffled" and "under water" compared to other smart phones. Purism promises continuous improvements to both the phone's operating system and the Linux kernel that interacts with this promising hardware. At this time, the phone is not usable as a "daily driver". Useful links about the Librem 5 including video tours:
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DC146 Susan Weinschenk on 100 Things Every Designer Needs To Know About People
11/12/2020
DC146 Susan Weinschenk on 100 Things Every Designer Needs To Know About People
Susan Weinschenk joins Tim Keirnan to discuss the second edition of her wonderfully useful and usable book 100 Things Every Designer Should Know About People. First published in 2011, 100 Things... has helped many kinds of professionals and students learn to be better designers. Visit Susan's company at Susan has been on the show multiple times over our 15 years and you may enjoy hearing these older episodes with her:
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DC145 15th Anniversary Episode with Two Special Guests
10/07/2020
DC145 15th Anniversary Episode with Two Special Guests
We're 15 years old! Tim Keirnan is joined by show co-founder Tom Brinck plus UX legend Stephanie Rosenbaum for a celebration of the show's 15th anniversary. From July 2005 to October 2020, we've kept going when other shows faded away. Where did the time go? But time discussing product and service design is always well spent. Tom and Stephanie continue our discussion series on the buzzwordification of UX--the good and the bad of our terminology becoming popular in the past five years--and memories from 15 years of doing the show. Thanks everyone who listened, wrote, and guested on the show. We're proud of 15 years of commercial-free discussions on design. Tim and Tom
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DC144 Sunday Times Website Dark Pattern
08/08/2020
DC144 Sunday Times Website Dark Pattern
This is a short episode on the dark pattern of not allowing a customer to leave a service without unnecessary effort. The Sunday Times website does not allow users to cancel their digital subscription on the site. It took a 15 minus chat online to accomplish what should take one minute and a couple clicks. Hear all about it and think about what decisions like this mean to an organization hell-bent on annoying customers. The Dark Patterns website referred to in this episode is at They do a really good job writing about and classifying dark patterns. Thank-you, Harry Brignull and Alexander Darlington. The Sunday Times article on the French philosopher Levy is at
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DC143 Interview: Kelly Goto on Universal Design and More
06/10/2020
DC143 Interview: Kelly Goto on Universal Design and More
Kelly Goto, owner and principal of gotomedia and gotoresearch, joins Timothy Keirnan for a discussion about universal design and related topics. Dave M-R and Tim discussed Kelly's excellent 2018 article about professional terminology in . Now she is on the show herself to cover a fun range of topics, including Universal Design, Inclusive Design, Accessibilty, Japanese design, and Designing for an aging population It's 45 minutes of serious discussion that doesn't take itself too seriously. Kelly provided the following links to continue the learning after you're done listening: (great story about Target in there -- it is a "design for all" store. ( a tech blog run by a friend / colleague of mine)
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DC142 Critique: Bose QuietComfort 25 Acoustic Noise Cancelling Headphones
05/01/2020
DC142 Critique: Bose QuietComfort 25 Acoustic Noise Cancelling Headphones
Larry Rusinsky returns to the show to help Tim critique the Bose QuietComfort 25 acoustic noise canceling headphones. The links referred to in the episode include:
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DC141 Interview: Ladder Fire Truck Design with Chief Dan Phillips
02/23/2020
DC141 Interview: Ladder Fire Truck Design with Chief Dan Phillips
Chief Phillips of the Plymouth Township Fire Department has the mind of a firefighter and the heart of a User Experience designer. Join him and Tim Keirnan for a sequel to our pumper truck design episode, this time to discuss the design of our township's new ladder truck. How does the purpose of a ladder truck differ from a pumper truck? What did the fire department learn from ordering and using the pumper truck that improved their design of the new ladder truck? How is the human machine interface (HMI) of the ladder truck made to be as easy as possible for firefighters, including controlling the ladder and hoses and foam generator? Our discussion lasts 60 minutes and covers a wide range of anecdotes, from the scenes of emergency incidents, to the design specification reviews, to the shop floor of the Pierce factory where our truck was built.
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DC140 Critique: Tesla Model 3
12/20/2019
DC140 Critique: Tesla Model 3
Tesla Model 3 owners Ryan Malcolm and Syed Ibrahim join Tim Keirnan for a thorough critique of their cars while Tim moderates this ad-free, in-depth discussion. We follow the show's Critique by Values model to learn how Ryan and Syed experienced each of the phases of product experience: Encounter Decision Purchase Initial Use Longitudinal Use This is not a review of the car as much as it is a conversation about people's transportation needs and how the Model 3 fit into their current lives. Of course, aspects of the car are discussed throughout. As usual, we leave no stone unturned in a detailed, people-centered discussion unhindered by commercials. You can find Ryan at his YouTube channel, which includes track day footage of his Model 3: https://www.youtube.com/user/Ryephile/featured You can find Syed at his website at: https://www.syedibrahim.me/
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DC139 WordCast: Paul Fitts, his Law, and his List
11/24/2019
DC139 WordCast: Paul Fitts, his Law, and his List
Dr. Rebecca Grier joins Tim Keirnan for a wordcast episode about Fitts' Law and Fitts' List. Who was Paul Fitts and how did this legendary psychologist impact our design professions to this day? In a beautiful bit of synchronicity, Wired magazine published this excellent article about Fitts and Chapanis solving a design problem on the B-17 Flying Fortress during WWII.: https://www.wired.com/story/how-dumb-design-wwii-plane-led-macintosh/ Dr. Grier recommends the following links to use in our understanding of Fitts' work: https://www.interaction-design.org/literature/article/fitts-law-tracking-users-clicks https://www.semanticscholar.org/paper/The-information-capacity-of-the-human-motor-system-Fitts/634c9fde5f1c411e4487658ac738dcf18d98ea8d https://fampeople.com/cat-paul-fitts https://psychology.wikia.org/wiki/Paul_Fitts https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007%2Fs10111-011-0188-1 https://www.deepdyve.com/lp/wiley/paul-m-fitts-XSLBZF59k5 You can find Dr. Grier at https://www.linkedin.com/in/rebecca-grier-ux/
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