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The case is usability - 17/05/2007

Article, published on the portal JumpExec, about two products which were created and released with a focus on being easy to use.

Case 1

At the beginning of May, Xerox announced a project that promised to turn complicated image editing programs, which most people find impossible to use, a thing of the past. The researchers at Xerox announced that they are working on a prototype of an image editing program that will be more accessible to a larger number of people, because it will not require people to know any shortcuts, as is the case with most editing software.

For example, if you want to change the colour of the sky in your photo to a darker shade of blue, all you have to do is type or say something such as, “I want a darker blue sky” and the program will understand and do exactly as you asked.

The basic concept that guides the program is: machines and programs need to understand humans, and not the other way around, as is normally the case. People use human language to define what they want and the program works to transform the human language into numeric codes that machines can understand (red, greed, blue, brightness, contrast, etc.).

This technology is completed based on the recognition of human language. The prototype already recognizes 1800 commonly used words, such as, skin colour, sky blue, lighter, darker, brighter, etc.

How many times have you wanted to make a photo darker or lighter, or correct the lighting in a photo that is central to your presentation but you just do not know how to do it on the image editing program on your computer?

For small companies this is a real headache, because apart from delaying the work costs are brought up, as they are forced to hire the services of specialized professionals. On image editing programs available today, to enhance the yellow in your photo, for example, it is necessary to balance the amount of red, green and blue and to adjust the brightness and contrast, which is not at all simple or intuitive for a lay person. On this new program all you have to do is say or write: make the yellow stronger.

On the other end of the spectrum, currently consumers have more and more access to digital cameras, including on their mobile phones, and often they would like to be able to edit their photos to improve the printing quality, to make a calendar or maybe to make a Christmas card, or even a birthday invitation. However, most people do not do any of this, because it is a near impossible task dealing with image editing programs.

The theory behind this new program, millions of times proved in practice, is very simple: The easier it is to use a technology, the more people will use it.

Case 2

Another American company, Pure Digital, specialized in “creating image technology that is simple and cheap for the masses”, has just launched a new video camera which they guarantee is much easier to use than other models currently available in the market. It is “the Flip”, a camcorder which is already being called the semi-disposable camcorder of the 21st century (a slight exaggeration seeing as the cheapest version costs 100 US dollars).

The small camcorder does not have a memory card or specific batteries. It works with normal batteries. There is one model for recording up to 30 minutes of footage and another for recording up to an hour. It comes ready equipped with a USB output which can be connected directly to the computer. It then asks you what you want to do: edit, save or send to YouTube. For those who want to put their videos on YouTube but do not know, and do not want to know, how to upload them, this camera can be very convenient.

The image quality is, apparently, not amazing, but it is good for those who are entering the world of online videos and do not want to suffer with the cameras or with the web sites. A CNN commentator said that the camcorder will be especially attractive for parents wanting to film the antics of their little ones and put them on YouTube for all their friends to see, everything very simple and easy.

Usability makes the difference

This article is not an advert for Xerox or for the Flip, and it is not trying to discuss technical aspects of the products, it is simply to call people’s attention to usability. To show how some companies are truly worried about making technology easier to use.

Products and web site need to do what consumers want, quickly and simply. No one (or almost no one) wants to waste time with gadgets. People want all the benefits they can offer but without the complications and headaches. Companies that have already realized this are coming ahead of the competition.

Mercedes Sanchez
Director of Mercedes Sanchez Usabilidade

Translated from an article published on JumpExec.