1. What’s something (not mentioned in the reading) that drives you crazy and how could it be improved?
Something that drives me crazy is using sinks in public toilets because I can never tell if they are motion activated or if I’m supposed to press something down to turn the water on. Sometimes I put my hands under the sink waiting for the water to come out and nothing happens, so then I realize I have to press the top down. I think they could be improved by making it more obvious how the sink works, like having a small symbol or indicator showing whether you need to use the sensor or press the button.
It is such a simple thing, but I always get confused by it but i think its important to note that now after covid-19 almost everything is motion activated which i find super interesting. But even then there are issues with where to put your hands and if the sensor is broken i have to just keep wiggling my hands under it making it an awkward moment, then the person next to you says “That one doesn’t work”.
2. How can you apply some of the author’s principles of design to interactive media?
I can apply Norman’s principles of design to interactive media by making things easier for people to understand and use without having to guess what they are supposed to do. For example, if I make a button on a website, it should actually look like something that can be clicked instead of just looking like normal text. I can also use feedback, like changing the color of a button or showing something on the screen after it is clicked, so the user knows that their action worked.
I think this is similar to the public sink example because when I cannot tell if I need to use a sensor or press something, the design is not making the interaction clear enough. In interactive media, I want to make sure that users can understand what they can interact with, what will happen when they interact with it, and whether their action actually worked. This would make my projects feel less confusing and more natural to use.