Folks in their 50's are one of the fastest growing populations in this county. Statistics show that by 2010, one and three Americans will be over 50. With that said, this demographic is shaping the way we all live our lives with their activism (see AARP) and clout for making their daily activities easier not for the aging but for everyone.

Case in point, is the universal design poster-child --the curb cut-out. A curb cut-out is a ramp in a sidewalk that allows a person in a wheelchair to access a sidewalk. Curb-cut outs were designed for a specific population in mind yet we all benefit from it. Whether you are rolling a suitcase down the street or a stroller we all look for cut-outs to make the transition from street to sidewalk smoother and safer.

Yet another example of design improvements that are specific to population but is beneficial to all, is the notion of getting a business certified as "Elder Friendly". Certain shops in my community have the signs posted in the windows notifying area seniors that they meet certain criteria that makes shopping or dining pleasant for specific age group. This means that aisles are wider to accommodate walkers or canes. The lighting is brighter and price tags feature larger print for the sight challenged. This certification also includes the customer service by rating the helpfulness of the staff whether in person or on the phone. Improving the quality of service for a specific population naturally improves the lives of all who patronize an "Elder Friendly" business. You don't have to be of a "certain age" to like helpful staff or find wider aisles easier to navigate.

A colleague and I were recently griping about how much we hate clicking on links that open a PDF document instead of a web page. The link looks innocent enough like "Plan Information" until you click then lo and behold the browser window goes white while a 8 mb PDF file uses up all of computer's processing power to open up. It is the most annoying thing I can possibly think of with the web. A simple "Plan Information (PDF, 8 mb)" would alert me to the level of commitment I am getting into when I click that link. If I saw that, I wouldn't click it unless I really wanted that piece of information.

The thing that kills me about most of these PDFs is that the payoff, if your browser doesn't crash, is so very disappointing. Most of the time it is text that can easily be converted to HTML or it's a bloated brochure with lots of pretty pictures. This colleague recently forwarded me a newsletter from an Irish customer experience guy named Gerry McGovern who wrote on this very topic...Check it out: http://www.gerrymcgovern.com/nt/2007/nt-2007-02-05-pdf.htm

I have been noticing these yellow bumpy things cropping up on sidewalk ramps in the Boston area and decided to do some research about their origin.

These plastic "truncated dome" inserts are known as detectable warnings which serve as a means to notify the visually impaired about the boundaries of street and sidewalk. The visually impaired rely on environmental cues such as texture underfoot, ambient sounds, and physical objects that can be sensed with a cane. Detectable warning systems, such as truncated domes, allows the independent visually impaired person an added measure of safety. There are other ways to make these boundaries detectable by using other textured materials such as brick, or grooved pavement but these methods were deemed not as effective as the truncated domes due to similar surface textures on roads. The DOJ (Department of Justice) in conjuction with the ADA (Americans with Disabilities Act) therefore deemed the truncated dome to be the standard in detectable warnings because this material provided optimal detection underfoot or with a cane. Why yellow, you might ask? People with low vision can perceive the color yellow due to the color's high chromatic (light reflecting) properties more so than any other hue.

Now that I am taking the train (T) to work these days, I finally understand the brouhaha about the new T-pass changes made by the MBTA (Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority). I kept hearing an undercurrent of complaints about the new system which supposedly automates the fare system with smart cards instead of buying tokens from a human being. I paid this no mind as I was driving to work at the time and didn't concern myself with public transit issues. Well, now that I am back to taking the T and have been converted to the new smartcard system (aka "Charlie Ticket"), I have a new appreciation for all of the complaints thus far and even have a few of my own to add to the list.

I pulled out and old T-Pass from 2005 to compare with the Charlie Ticket. At first glance, the Charlie Ticket is a fun homage to the old Kingston Trio song "Charlie on the M.T.A". But as far as using the thing, it is kind of a pain because you always have to be concerned with orientation to make sure the train conductors can read the card and make sure that a) the card is for the current month, and b) to make sure you have the right zone or fare for the ride. So if you are fumbling for your pass you not only have to dig it out, but make sure you show the correct side, whereas with the old pass, you didn't have to care about the orientation because all of the pertinent information (April 2005, Zone 1) is on the front as well as on the back of the card. So the cute Charlie illustration gets annoying real fast because it takes up space and has no useful information. The old cards have oodles of useful information about fare rates, including information about admitting a free guest on weekends, and which other modes of transportation the pass is valid for. The designers of the Charlie Ticket apparently thought this information was unnecessary enough to omit it from the design.

Related Links:
badtransit.com
| 3mote.com | T-rage.com

North Fork Bank and NCR are rolling out ATMs in NYC that allow end-to-end image transfer of check deposits without requiring an envelope. Think about all of the times you put a check in a deposit envelope but forget the exact amount of the deposit as you key in the amount on screen! Was it $403.39 cents or $403.93 cents? Then you have to gingerly open the envelope to peek inside then reseal before your time is up. This has happened to me countless number of times to the point where I now write the amount on an inconspicuous area on the envelope prior to sealing. Not only is this a boon to the forgetful, it also saves a few trees and the frustration encountered when no envelopes are available.

Spurred by the processing advances allowed by the Check 21 legislation, intelligent "No Envelope" Deposit technology enables checks to be inserted directly into the ATM. This gives the customer an on-screen image of the check for immediate verification, and a printed image of all checks will also appear on the customer's ATM receipt. Deposited cash can be immediately credited to the customer's account and is tallied and listed on the receipt by denomination as proof-of-deposit.

The other night I went to the member's preview at the Boston Museum of Fine Arts for the "Americans in Paris" exhibit featuring works of art spanning 1860 - 1900. The exhibit focuses on American artists who went to Paris to escape the turmoil of the Civil War, or were perhaps captivated by the allure of the bohemian artist's life in the City of Lights. Great artists such as Whistler, Sargent, Cassat and Hassam are heavily featured among others who were new to me like Cecilia Beaux. By now you are probably wondering what does this thread have to do with user-centered design, right? Well, it doesn't have to do with that as much as it has to do with experience design. I am writing to comment about the how "well-curated" this exhibit was in capturing a magical time and space by recreating an experience with the thematic use of light, color and organization.

In Paris
Immediately upon entry to the exhibit, the visitor is greeted with the sites of Paris circa 1860. A large map of Paris takes up a whole wall to set the theme. The paintings are of Paris street scenes such as the flower markets, cafes, the Luxembourg Gardens et al. The colors are vibrant and the city almost comes to life save the aromas of patisseries and the bustling city sounds. From this room, you enter a small hallway with portraits of artists living as bohemians or "flaneurs" from that period. This sets the tone for the lifestyle that the Americans abroad were seeking.

The Salon
From the streets of Paris to the characters that comprised the art scene, you enter a gallery space much like the galleries that many of these painting were shown. The focus of the room is Arrangement in Black and Grey, AKA "Whistler's mother", as the rest of the room follows suit with subtle lighting and earth-toned walls. On the opposite wall is Whistler's "Girl in White". The room has other fine masterpieces but they seem to fade away by the anchoring of the two Whistlers which have a magnetism of their own. From this gallery we enter another salon with rejects from the traditional art salons known as the Salon des Refuses, which is distinguished by its Bordeaux colored walls and a large velvet bench. This room is anchored with a couple of stunning Sargent portraits, including Madame X. This room has a rich, sensuous and somewhat lurid feel as the unnaturally pale skin of Madame X competes with Eakin's moribund Christ on the cross, showing more skin than a red light district.


The Studio
The studio is a transition room between the Salon and the interior scenes, which is small and a bit cramped as any artist's atelier might be. The walls are painted an eggshell white while the lighting is brighter than the previous rooms. The images include paintings of artists painting a model and portraits of artist who painted fellow artists. This room gives you the feeling of what it might be like to work as an artist and hang around other artists, it makes me wish I were born in another time.

Home life
From the studio we enter indoors with paintings of interior scenes such as home life with tea and family. The walls are a dark blue which lends itself to a "closed-in" feeling. This room features the famous Boit sisters by Sargent that displays magnificently amongst the many Cassat portraits of domestic life.

The countryside
The countryside gallery is brightly lit while the walls are painted a light cream color. Walking from the darkness of the indoor scenes into this bright room truly makes you feel as if you have stepped outside--especially when you are surrounded with sunny landscapes filled with rolling meadows and seascapes.

Back home

The transition back home is gentle as the room follows the same color scheme and lighting as the French countryside gallery. The only thing different is that the paintings are of uniquely American scenes through the lens of what the artists learned while abroad such as Childe Hassam's "Allies Day" of flags waving along Fifth Avenue. After having been to Paris and back already this year, this recent museum trip gave me that experience once again, which is precisely the show's intention, sans the murmur of accordion street music and the air thick with Gauloise smoke.

A trip to the local ATM machine is a rather unexciting experience. After all, I know these machines by heart as I use them at least 2 to 3 times a week and can push the buttons in my sleep. However, I was awakened to a whole new experience to interacting with ATMs when my local bank had been one of the candidates to receive a brand new ATM machine. For once, I was actually excited to interact with this machine because it looked fun to use. The screen is much larger than the former design, the keypad inputs are larger as well as the buttons on the screens. Lights flash appropriately to indicate the input areas for the card and output areas for cash. Better yet is the audio echoing of keystrokes as you key in your PIN, cash amounts and make on screen selections. The experience is rich. I couldn't help think how inviting interacting with this machine might be to someone who might be shy about using an ATM, like my Mom, as she is a luddite when it comes to having to interact with anything that smacks of technology save the TV remote.



Based on my research of older adults and learning, my mom (like many older adults) views technology as an odious substitute for real human interaction. Why learn a simulated task when I already know how to do it in "real life", as she would put it. As the older adult population increases while computers proliferate as substitutes for cashiers in grocery stores et cetera older adults are increasingly forced to wrestle with the inevitability that computers are here to stay. Older adults are more willing to engage with technology if it seems made for them. For example, the larger button sizes aid the visually-impaired while the rich audio and visual feedback aid the user's expectations of typical sequences and responses that occur in "real life" interaction. The richer the experience the more confident the user is, thus increasing the willingness to accept computers as part of everyday life. I think this new ATM design is onto something.