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August 21, 2019 | Volume: 16 | Issue: 16
There’s tons of CEDIA Expo news in this issue of rAVe HomeAV — everything from shades to control to audio to remotes.
Also in this issue is a blog from Mark Coxon on user interfaces. The thing I like about Mark is that he thinks strategically in ways that are relevant to all verticals. His most recent piece on the user interface, I think, is timely to the upcoming CEDIA Expo but is also a stark reminder of why we do what we do across the entire industry. At the end of the day, what are solutions without users?
I recently moved into a house with some friends (yes, shared living is in style) and was pleasantly reminded of the advancement of technology in favor of the user. I’ve been using a first-generation Apple TV for years. All I do with it is watch Netflix, Hulu and HBO and the functionality for accessing content on each of those platforms is identical on the first-generation Apple TV and on the most recent release. However, my buddy Blake has an Apple TV 4K and that is what we installed in the living room. We were watching Mindhunter on Netflix last night (yes, I recommend it) and he went to adjust the volume — ON THE APPLE TV REMOTE. I’ve been using two remotes to control the (1) Apple TV and (2) TV volume since what feels like the beginning of time — and I was seemingly OK with it.
A critical piece to the focus on the user experience is that the user doesn’t know the extra steps they are taking to interact with their technology until we, the designers, cut out half of them.
Usability is a make or break factor, he argues, and we ought to all agree. I’m waiting for the sales tagline, “It’s so easy an infant can use it!”
We should be putting the user at the center of the technology design process, using a human-centered design approach. This means starting with a blank slate, honoring existing work habits and patterns and creating user interfaces that have a high degree of discoverability.
With software solutions, you can take your project’s Gantt chart with you and your team can review it on their own mobile devices. That provides a greater level of flexibility and collaboration as the project progresses. With collaborative software, the project manager is able to assign tasks to team members, who in turn are able to filter the Gantt chart to only view the tasks they’ve been assigned and focus on their requirements for scheduling and materials.