Haptic Feedback on iPhone
In his review of iPhone 3G for USA Today, Edward Baig mostly regurgitates information that Apple has already made known: 3G is faster than Edge, the headphone jack is now flush, the phone must be activated in the store, yada yada yada. The article’s bore factor can be forgiven because (1) Baig did not have access to the App Store and (2) reviews like his are for the masses — you know, that largish group of people who don’t take part in obsessing over the conspicuity of two screws.
Well, those two screws were rather interesting to me. Suffice to say, I found Baig’s review to be quite dull. However, one bit of information hadn’t occurred to me before. I was intrigued.
Unpublicized feature: Developers can take advantage of the iPhone 2.0 software to provide tactile forced feedback. This is known as “haptics.” When my vehicle crashed inside Cro-Mag, the iPhone 3G vibrated.
Haptic technology does not interest me so much when it comes to gameplay on iPhone. After all, I’ve been acquainted with haptic feedback in gaming since the Vibration Pack was introduced for the Nintendo 64 controller. (And probably even before then. Baby toys, anyone?) The convergence of haptic and touchscreen technology, however, is quite a bit newer.
I first experienced it on a friend’s LG Voyager, which vibrates slightly when you interact with buttons on its screen. To be sure, the Voyager is crap, but I was extremely fond of its use of haptics. The subtle quiver under my finger truly enhanced the touchscreen experience, giving me the sense that I was interacting not with a smooth piece of plastic but with actual objects.
It is exciting to hear that third-party developers are taking advantage of haptics. I hope that Apple eventually employs iPhone’s built-in vibration to give users tactile feedback and an improved user experience in OS X iPhone. I don’t see why they would be opposed to it: it is not a gimmick and it enhances UX. I have a feeling that soon enough our fingers, along with our eyes and ears, will share in the pleasure of iPhoning.
How the Digital Age is Changing UI Design
After reading Marc Prensky’s stimulating article “Listen to the Natives,” I truly have a desire to quote it in its entirety. Instead I am going to focus on one of the opening paragraphs in which he distinguishes between two types of digital peoples — digital immigrants and digital natives — and how they learn differently in the Digital Age. I strongly encourage you to read the entire article; Prensky discusses some very thought-provoking facets of learning in the Age of Information. For now, though, let me begin by sharing with you that excerpt:
I’ve coined the term digital native to refer to today’s students (2001). They are native speakers of technology, fluent in the digital language of computers, video games, and the Internet. I refer to those of us who were not born into the digital world as digital immigrants. We have adopted many aspects of the technology, but just like those who learn another language later in life, we retain an “accent” because we still have one foot in the past. We will read a manual, for example, to understand a program before we think to let the program teach itself.
The last part of this excerpt strikes me as extremely relevant to web application user interface design. I’m no expert on the topic of UI design, but my status as digital native and experience with such services as Facebook, Gmail, and Twitter have provided me with at least an opinion of what I, a Generation Y user, consider to be good and bad examples of UI. Particularly when it comes to understanding and finding my way around a new online web service, certain UI features an make all the difference in whether I become a dedicated user or turn away and never look back. Prensky hits on a key point when he distinguishes between reading a manual to learn a new program — where, as I’m using it, program can mean anything from computer software to web apps — and letting the program teach itself.
A great example of the latter is Geni.com, a website that lets you quickly and easily build gorgeous, online family trees that are interactive and shareable. When someone first visits the site, this page introduces Geni:
The message at the top explains exactly what Geni is and what Geni can do for you. A more detailed list of features is included at the bottom left; however, what follows immediately after the introduction sentence (note: a sentence, not a paragraph) is the Geni interface where a first-time visitor can immediately get started using the service. All that’s required is your name, email address, and gender. No username, no password, no registration process. Instead, an account is instantly created for you and Geni emails you a temporary password so that, if you wish, you can login in the future and continue using your account. This allows the user to immediately begin using Geni to create their family tree.