The Design of Everday Things (pt. 2)

I've always been a fan of NCAA Football for the PlayStation 2 and now the Xbox 360. I played NCAA 02 on PlayStation 2 my freshman year of high school when I joined the football team. I played against my fellow teammates through 2005 (when I graduated) and in 2007 I got an Xbox 360 so I bought my first NCAA game (2008) on it when it came out that summer. The main problem I've had has been with the interface on the playcall screen.


The PlayStation 2 version looked like this:
Basically, after selecting a formation, you are given multiple "pages". On each page, you can press a button to select a play. You scroll through the "pages" using the control pad and can press the other unused button (triangle) to go back and pick a different formation. I got used to this after playing for 6 years. Also, if you wanted to make a different "package" (for example, use a receiver at the tight end position for just one play), you could press right when you're selecting a formation. But when I made the transition to 360, it looks like this:


Basically, you now have to highlight a play (and then press the A button) to select it. Of course, if you press another button (in the picture above, Y or RB), it will select a that certain play. To scroll from "page to page", you have to have to move the stick the direction of that border. For example, if I wanted to move to the right, I'd have to highlight PA TE Flood or Curl Combo in the picture above and THEN press right, so it takes TWO presses of a button. I've received a few Delay of Game calls because it takes so long to browse. It took me a while to figure it out (the instruction manual for the game is a joke) how to switch packages as well. On this scree, you have to use the RIGHT analog stick and that will scroll through the different packages.

EA Sports still makes an NCAA game for PS2, and the playcall screen is the same as it always has been. So when I play a friend who doesn't have a 360, I am lost because I've been used to using the XBox 360 format for the past 2 years. Even though it is a better format, I've grown accustomed to using the bad version (even though I'm not good at it), so I'm not used to it.

The book made me think of this; the more information, the more difficult it becomes to design an interface for it. And when something releases a new version, it's not always BETTER. In fact, it can regress over time. This is a perfect example/

The Design of Everday Things (pt. 1)

So I just read a book (over the course of 5 days since I joined the class late and only started on Friday since I had to go buy the book and the bookstores were closed Thursday when I found out about the assignment) called The Design of Everyday Things by Don Norman. While it is slightly outdated (written in the late 80s), there were many points that I agreed with which also made me wonder why CAN'T things be like he said? He gives examples of poor design, explains why they are poor design, and sometimes proposes better plans. For example, every stove I've ever seen is what I call "four corners", and EVERY time, I have to look at it before turning on a burner. Meanwhile, they COULD be lined up in a row with their buttons in the same order, and it would be perfect. Why not?!

Another example was the buttons in a car. My driver's side control has all SORTS of buttons. There is a trigger for moving the seat forward and back, the back rest forward and back, the seat up and down, to tilt the seat forward, etc. I can NEVER remember what button does what and always have to test them as I go to see. However, Norman proposed a design where the button looks like the seat and the way you push it is the way the seat moves, leans, tilts, etc. I always just dealt with such things because I figured there was nothing better (since designers would have made them if something DID exist), but now I'm almost not happy with what I have.

Another thing it did was to make me feel better about mistakes I make and gave me the right words to tell people when THEY make mistakes. At work (doing IT for the athletic department), I see people get discouraged and frustrated when they make a mistake. I've tried to tell them that it happens to everyone, but it's hard to get that point across. Now I can tell them flaws in the design which lead to such mistakes and hopefully they will feel better. The book is very good, quick and easy reading (I guess it isn't TOO quick because I spent quite a bit of time to get it read on time), and fun to read.

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