ExperienceLab

Using games to make up for bad UI?

 

Microsoft have introduced a game called Ribbon Hero that helps teach people to use their new interface for Office effectively. An attempt at fixing a bad UI or an innovative way of teaching how to use new software...? Let us know what you think!

GDC 2010 Highlights

This year GDC, the game developers conference was held in San Francisco. Around 18,000 people reportedly attended the conference. We jetted over last week to get all the latest news including the announcement of the Sony Move - Sony's new motion controller device that goes up against the Wii. Once we got to the expo floor there was a lot more to see, from 3D gaming, to middleware platforms, to the latest in mobile games and mobile gaming technology. Before all this, however, we had business to attend to...

Are 'casual' interactions something to aspire to?

Recently the notion of 'casual' games has gained prominence in the video game industry. Casual games are big business and in many ways ideally suited to mobile gaming devices and mobile phones. The player is offered an experience that they can pick up quickly and play in short bursts. This is perfect for the commute or as a way to use those few minutes waiting at a train station or bus stop. Casual games are also said to be a way to reach a wider audience that is not experienced at playing more complex and expansive games. 

Seesaw - some nice touches but still room for improvement

Seesaw is a new online TV service that provides catchup content from the BBC, Channel 4 and Five, as well as some additional on demand content from other sources.

Having played around with the new service both in beta and post launch, I have to say I quite like it. Generally it's reasonably easy to use, visual and nicely laid out. It's handy to be able to go to one place to access content from various different sources (channels or otherwise) - although I admit I still go to BBC iPlayer to access BBC content - and the 'turn lights down' feature is a particularly nice touch. The easy links to other episodes in the same or previous series is well implemented too. 

Corsa know how to use it!

My colleague Anna and I recently hired a car for client research we were conducting in the Midlands. We decided drive up, so we wouldn’t have to lug loads of cables, cameras and computers on the train. Plus we thought we could have a relaxed journey listening to some tunes on the way… most importantly, some Bhangra and Bollywood.

Our car happened to be a Vauxhall Corsa, which was OK - any car with a media player would have been fine. It was the radio we particularly wanted access to… but could we work it? No, not immediately and definitely not without endangering that relaxed journey we envisaged. 

Could Pivot be a new cure for information overload?

After watching a TED talk by Gary Flake about Microsoft Live Labs’ Pivot I felt compelled to download it and test it out.

 

Pivot is a new tool (currently only available to PC users) which aims to make it easier to deal with information overload by doing something that, according to Gary Flake, is “not quite browsing and not quite searching”. Pivot puts information into collections combining images and text. These collections can be arranged, sorted and filtered in many different ways, allowing users to see how information is linked. Users can also zoom in and out, choosing to see all the information at once, or only a portion of it.

 

   

From many images to just a few, Pivot can help you sort through huge amounts of information.
 

Cinema anyone?

Last Sunday, after having lunch with some friends in Soho we decided we wanted to go to the cinema. There were various films we wanted to watch and so we got out an iPhone to see what was showing at the cinemas nearby.

There are five Odeon cinemas less than 10 minutes walking distance from the restaurant we were at. So, the obvious choice was to go onto the Odeon Cinema website. However, this obvious choice was definitely not the most efficient choice.