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Why I like some stuff better than other.
Last night I was wondering why I like some stuff better than other.
Why did I get touched by that 20 years old B&O more than a recent hifi set? Why do I prefer Apple above PC? Why am I stunned by the iPhone?
It is more than only the design. It is even more than the usability. Or the combination of those.
And then I figured it out: 'I totally freak out on the special push buttons... ' I wrote yesterday.
Both Apple and B&O oblige us to touch their peripherals in a soft and tender way.
You gently put your finger on the touch sensitive button.
You gently move over the mouse pad.
They make us touch a cold and material utensil the way we touch someone we love. Tenderly.
They turn an 'it' into a 'she'.
I truly believe that's their strength.
I totally lost it when I saw how the iPhone obliges you to activate it:
by gently touching it from one side to the other. Slowly... And then taking the finger back.
Compare it to what you want, but actually I think it is pretty sexy...
The whole UI continues in the same manner: scrolling through your phonebook or your iTunes collection is done by striking the screen.
And in the end, disconnect your finger from the touch screen.
This striking or touching (with gentle and subtile moves) returns in all their products: from the touch pad, to the light buttons of your Apple screen. The way the buttons feel, til the way your mac mini eats your cd's. Slowly. Even the little scroll ball of the mighty mouse has it, because it is so small.
Each B&O has the same story: touch sensitive buttons, sliding windows, soft touches.
I think that's the part other manufacturers can learn something from:
make your device as personal as you can, actually try to turn it into a person. And let your users connect through their senses...
Technorati Tags: apple, b&o, iphone, personate, usability
Posted on January 20, 2007
in Apple, Design, Limit of my knowledge
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Comments (2)
Comments
Ine, have you ever thought about becoming an erotic writer? I'd buy all your books!
Posted by Alex Talmon-l'Armée | January 20, 2007 10:44 AMIt's interesting. People always assume technology makes life faster, more distantly removed from the personal interactions. That it renders us incapable of appreciating the slower side of life.
Yet, as you so aptly describe, these specific design forces one to slow down the moments again. It's an erronously assumed contradictio-in-termis: technology bringing us the warmth of an interpersonal touch.
I don't know about erotic writing, but you make an excellent case for the value of design... of thought and consideration going into that with which we chose to surround ourselves.
Posted by Le Pew | January 21, 2007 6:16 AM