USABILITY
&
INTERFACE
DESIGN

the first report - due Wednesday january 26th

For your first report, I want you to find a pair of common objects, and compare and contrast them for their relative usability or un-usability. For example, you might see two different door-handle mechanisms, one of which is very usable and the other not. I want you to describe the differences between them, and suggest how they could be improved to make them more functional.

Think about the following, and make reference to Norman where appropriate:

What visual, tactile or other sensory clues do they give?
How well do they anticipate what kind of people will be using them?
What kind of problems do they have or solve?

The report should be 3-5 pages. Here's an example (.pdf).