Interface Design- NJ Transit Ticket Vending Machine

Here is a link to my interface redesign of the NJ Transit Ticket Vending Machine. The original design was often confusing to travelers, and caused them to be miss their bus. My redesign is more user friendly, faster, and will enable the traveler to purchase their ticket in a more simple manner.
Interface Design- NJ Transit Ticket Vending Machine

Yay! And final thoughts.

So my final interface design for the NJ Transit Ticket Vending machine is all done and ready to be presented tomorrow. It's not perfect, considering I had to learn Flash Catalyst in a very short amount of time, but I do feel that it is a vast improvement for the current vending machine. I feel that my interface is much more personalized (like saying "Thank you and have a safe ride") and there is more feedback for the user.  I think my design and interactivity is fairly successful.

For the class, I did enjoy it. I admit, it was not what I expected. And when I don't really understand something, I tend to dislike it. But as I began to understand, the more I began to enjoy it. It definitely made me look at everyday products in a different manner, and made me use my brain in a totally different way.

The final project will be posted to this blog within the next few days (once I figure out how to do it!)

Didn't forget about the blog! Just busy designing my Interface and learning Flash Catalyst!

Back to basics

So, my initial interface design for my NJ Transit ticket machine was unsuccessful, to say the least. There were several problems with the design itself. Also, I'm 'rushing' into the project. Since the semester is over soon, I'm not really thinking through with the design. So, I'm starting from scratch, and going back to basics. I did some hand drawn sketches for the first 2 screens of the vending machine, and basically just thought about it a bit more.

My previous designs also looked a lot more difficult than they really were. Too many extra pages, and other confusing things. So I need to just step back, chill out, and just figure out what I would consider the 'perfect' ticket vending machine.

Flow Chart for Ticket Vending Machine

Some sketches for final

Final Project- Interview and Observation

Kisha Munson

October 28, 2010

Interface Design

Final Project Part 2: Observation

            It was impossible for me to find people who would allow me to interview them. I was in three states, and not one person agreed to let me interview them for this project. It is understandable, because they were in bus and train stations and had places to go. Or they just did not want to be bothered. So, I decided to observe my boyfriend using the MTA Metrocard Vending Machine, and my good friend who I visited over the weekend who lives in the District of Columbia area and used the Metro Vending Machine.

Persona 1

Name: Ivan Anthony Fraticelli

Age: 38

Education: some college

Ethnicity: ½ Italian and ½ Puerto Rican

Occupation: Veterinary Technician

Location of Interview: 175^th Street Station, Washington Heights, New York City

Question 1: How often do you use the MTA Metrocard Vending Machine?

Answer: I use it about once a week.

Question 2: What language do you choose on the main screen?

Answer: English. I’ve picked Spanish by mistake when in a rush, but it doesn’t matter since I speak Spanish as well.

Question 3: What kind of Metrocard do you purchase? Single ride, refill exisiting Metrocard, or an Unlimited?

Answer: I always refill my card. I never buy unlimited because I don’t know when I’m going to a housecall. I could end up just wasting my money if I don’t use it enough. If my card isn’t working, I’ll just buy a brand new one.

Question 4: Do you find the machine easy/moderate/difficult to use?

Answer: It’s easy. I’ve been using it for so long, I don’t remember if I had a hard time using it in the beginning. The only problem I have sometimes is that it won’t accept my dollar bills because they’re slightly wrinkled. And the machines seem to break down a lot.

Question 5: What would you change about the machine to make it easier for you to use (meaning the layout)?

Answer: I don’t know. My biggest issue with it is when I try to insert money. Dollars aren’t always neat and crisp, and the vending machine only seems to accept brand new bills. One little wrinkle in the bill, and you can’t do anything with it. I’ve seen people have to ask strangers for change because the machine wouldn’t take the dollar bills, or they didn’t have a credit card to use to buy a card. That’s the only thing I can think of that bothers me about the machine. But a lot of vending machines are like that.

Persona 2

(First off, let me say that I never thought I would find a ticket vending machine worst than the New Jersey Transit ticket machine. And then I encountered the DC Metro ticket machine. How people use that thing, I will never be able to figure out. The interface was shockingly horrendous. I appreciate NJ Transit a little more now.)

Name: Lahela Kahulani Chapman

Age: 32

Education: some college

Ethnicity: Hawaiian/Chinese and Welsh

Occupation: Former Veterinary Technician, now working in boyfriend’s parent’

Location of Interview: Eastern Market subway station, Washington, DC

Question 1: How often do you use the MTA Metrocard Vending Machine?

Answer: One to two times a week. I usually ride with Marko.

Question 2: What language do you choose on the main screen?

Answer: English.

Question 3: What kind of subway ticket to you purchase?

Answer: I buy a $20.00 Fare card and use it til it runs out. Then I buy another one.

Question 4: Do you find the machine easy/moderate/difficult to use?

Answer: I guess moderate. I’m still getting used to the machine. I guess the more I use it, the more I’ll understand it.

Question 5: What would you change about the machine to make it easier for you to use (meaning the layout)?

Answer: Well, there is A LOT going on. It’s really confusing when you look at it.  It’s definitely overwhelming. So maybe they should consider that less is more? And I really don’t like that when you buy your card, it (the machine) literally spits it out at you. You need to have your hand right at the dispenser. Once when I bought a card, the machine spit it out and there was a gust of wind in the station, and the ticket flew away. I wish it were like the Metrocard machine, where the ticket comes out partially and you have to actually take it out the machine.

Question 6: So you prefer the NYC Metrocard machine to the DC Metro machine?

Answer: Oh, yeah, definitely. It’s way easier to use. And it doesn’t spit tickets out at you!

Interface Design Final Project Proposal

Kisha Munson

October 21, 2010

Interface Design

Final Project Proposal

                       Interface Redesign:  New Jersey Transit Ticket Vending Machine

For my final project for Interface Design, I had several ideas. First I wanted to create an interface for finding dog parks in New York City. However, I decided against it because even though I think dog parks are important, I do not have much experience in dealing with them. So I decided to do a redesign of the New Jersey Transit Ticket Vending Machine.

In the first class assignment “Describe the Best and Worst Interface You Have Used”, I chose the NJ Transit Ticket Vending Machine as the worst. The previous vending machines were not fancy, but they were much easier and faster to use. Unfortunately, New Jersey Transit does not believe in the old adage, “If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.”; they proved this to be true by upgrading to a more high tech, larger, brighter, and bolding ticket vending machine. Like many modern interfaces, the new vending machines are nice to look at, but functionality wise, it is horrible. It is the perfect definition of design over function.

If you have ever been through the Port Authority, you would know that it is a very fast paced building; New Jersey commuters in particular are constantly in a rush to either get to work or go home. These new vending machines have slowed things down significantly. Many people who are not used to the new vending machines will just stare at the touch screen in confusion; this causes two problems. First off, they are staring at it because they really do not know the steps that it takes to purchase a ticket. And secondly, because they are staring at the machine, a line is forming behind them filled with annoyed commuters. And if you do know how to use the machine, it is still tricky. The touch screen is very sensitive, causing the purchaser to accidentally purchase the wrong thing or go to the wrong screen. Also, there is unnecessary backtracking in regards to the quantity of tickets. Some commuters give up altogether, and go to an actual ticket agent to purchase their tickets. All of these issues cause the commuter to be late or miss their bus.

My goal for the redesign is to make the machine more efficient and less time consuming. I will start my research by taking photographs of the machine and each screen. I will study the screen and machine, and create a redesign of each to improve functionality.

I've been neglecting my blog. Sorry, blog!

Anyway, I admit, I have not finished reading the book (so much reading this semester!). But I do plan on finishing it because I actually do find it interesting. It goes along well with Ray Kurzweil's book that I'm reading for another class.

So, in the last class we discussed our final project. Right now, I'm really leaning towards redesigning the interface for the NJ Transit Vending Machine. So many people (myself included) are affected by the difficulty of using the interface. If I could design it to make it a little bit easier and faster to use, that would be great.

Readings

In Chapter Six, Norman has a section called "Putting Aesthetics First". I could really relate to this section because this is the main issue I have with many objects nowadays.

I have always preferred functionality over style. What good is the object, regardless of how stylish or pretty it is, if it practically unusable. And people STILL purchase these items. Why? Because it looks good. Or it's expensive. Nevermind the fact that they have no clue on how the thing operates. Unfortunately, even though the object has poor functionality, nothing is really said about these issues to the designers, because they continue to make high-end, aesthetically pleasing products that cannot be used to it's fullest capacity due to the poor design of the interface.
However, this is not always the designer's fault. In the section, "The Designer's Clients May Not Be Users", Norman give examples of landlords purchasing washing machines, or stove ranges. The landlord does not actually use the product; he/she is simply just purchasing it for the building, and the tenants will use it. Unfortunately, if the washing machine or stove is difficult to use, the tenant cannot send the product back. They can merely complain to their landlord who, in turn, will more than likely not do anything about the situation, therefore 'forcing' the tenant to learn how to operate these items.

Assignment Two-Task Analysis

For this assignment, the user will be attempting to operate a Sony CyberShot  DSC-S2100 digital camera. The user is very unfamiliar with digital cameras. The interview is as follows:

Questions: italicized text

Actions: regular text

User Quotes: bold type

Persona

• Name: Jasmine Munson
• Age: 60
• Education: Bachelor of Science degree in Business Administration.
• Family: Widow. I have one adult child (Kisha Munson).
• Job Title and Major Responsibilities: I’m a Customer Service Representative at United Water and I handle customer relations.
• Goals:  I will be attempting to operate a digital camera.
• Environment: At Home
• Goal for this project: I want to be able to use the camera…um... (slight pause)… I want to get the most out of the camera, regarding to what I need it for.

Question 1: You’re holding the camera. What are your initial thoughts on the design and general layout of the interface? 

(Now holding camera and staring at it) I like the big screen. The other camera’s was kind of small.  (What about the buttons?) The only thing I understand is “Menu”, and I have no idea what the menu shows (now turning camera to view all sides) Well, I see the on/off button. I know what to do with that.

Question 2: Are the buttons easy to figure out (on/off, zoom, etc.)?

I see the on and off button, but I don’t know where zoom is. I see the word

“open”; I assume that’s for the battery. (Presses on/off button, and turns camera on) Oooh!!           

Question 3:  How easy is it for you to take a simple, straightforward photo?

I don’t know. I assume I would click this button that has no label on it

(points to correct button, which is the shutter button). Where is the “zoom” button? (stares at camera for a few seconds) I don’t know. There’s a round button with four different symbols and the only one I recognize is the one that will symbolize “Flash”. The rest, I don’t know. And there’s a “Smiley Face”. (now presses shutter button and takes a photo. Sees a flash) Oh, there’s the flash! But…what’s the smiley face? This is interesting. Have you figured out where the zoom button is yet? (Looks at camera interface) No, give me a hint (I tell her no, find it yourself). Is it this button? (points to Menu section) No, it is not. Is it…here? (finally points to correct button) Oh! There we go.

Question 4: What about the interface can be improved (larger buttons, better labeling? etc). It could use more labeling. And the labels that it does have don’t really tell you anything…I would have never known that was the zoom button. Why not put a “Z” on the button. Instead, it says “W” and “T”. What does that even mean?

Question 5: Final thoughts on the camera (good, bad, ugly)?

(looking at camera for a few seconds). I like it. But I need to read the instruction book, which I don’t have time for. I have a feeling a lot of stuff can be done with the camera if I knew what I was doing. I don’t understand a lot of the labeling. I guess that’s why I need the instruction book. I want to press “Menu” but I’m afraid. Can I press it? Yes. (presses Menu button and menu options appear). Oh! (goes through menu options) I don’t know what any of this means (turns off camera). It’s a nice camera if I knew what I was doing or what things meant!

Photo of User 

Photo of Camera tested

Recent readings

In the reading I have done in the week, I thought Norman touched on some interesting points.
On page 31, he states "The same technology that simplifies life by providing more functions to each device also complicates life by making the device harder to learn, harder to use." I completely agree with this statement. Sometimes simplicity is best. Often, when people are offered too many options with a single object, things become more complicated to learn and understand. Many times, buttons, switches, knobs, etc. are not labeled or labeled poorly. People are generally lazy; we don't want to spend the time to thoroughly go through instructions. And the more options we have, the more we need to learn.

Nelson also discusses "learned helplessness", which is something I am personally guilty of. There have been countless of times I have not been able to use something, and I automatically blame myself and stop trying. Or I think I'm too 'dumb' to understand the object I am trying to operate. It never really occurred to me that maybe it's NOT me. Maybe it's the object, and it's poor design. Many people unfortunately experience this, and continue to blame themselves. The designers then believe that their creations have no flaws, when they indeed do and they continue to design poorly designed objects.

Change for assignment 2

Initially, I wanted to have my mother use the NJ Transit Ticket Vending Machine. Unfortunately, she's not feeling well and I really don't want to have her leave the house.

Fortunately, I just bought a new digital camera on Friday. My mother has never used a digital camera before, so instead, I will be having her attempt to operate it and navigate the interface.

For Assignment Two...

I will be recruiting my mother, who has  not been on a bus or used anything bus related in over 25 years, to operate a NJ Transit Ticket Vending Machine. This, folks, will be very interesting to say the least. Stay tuned...

Reading Assignment 1: "As We May Think"

I must admit, "As We May Think" by Vannevar Bush was not an easy read. So hopefully I am correct in my analysis in the article. As I was reading the article, I noticed it is a bit similar to the book I am currently reading in my Aesthetics and Theory course. The book is called The Age of Spiritual Machines by Ray Kurzweil. Both Vannavar and Kurzweil discuss the evolution of technology, and where technology will go in the future.

One section that stood out to me was Vannevar's discussion of the intricacies of photography. He talks about 'wet' photography that has been the only way to create prints out of film. He says, "When Brady made his Civil War pictures, the plate had to be wet at the time of exposure. Now it has to be wet during development instead. In the future perhaps it need not be needed at all.  Vannevar is correct by his prediction, because now we have digital photography. In digital photography, you can automatically view what you are photography before you press the shutter. Instead of developing film developer, stop bath, etc., the photographer can easily hook up the camera to a USB port and see the photos they shot, then print it out from their printer, or upload them online. The user can take the shot and have high quality print in under 5 minutes, where it took a much longer time from shooting to development of a print. What is next after digital photography. Although it's under the same vein, telephones are now replacing actual cameras. Nowadays if you look at a good portion of photography online, there's a good chance it was taken by a higher end cell phone.

I think this can be said about all forms of technology. Once you think something is so unique and innovated, along comes something to top it. This is an on going thing.

Assignment One-Best and Worst Interface

1a- Best Interface: The 5^th Generation iPod Nano

For the best interface I have used recently, I chose the 5^th generation iPod Nano. I have used several versions of iPods (and this also includes the new iPod Nano), and this by far has the best design.

The iPod (Classic) was very large and cumbersome. It was also quite heavy. And for some reason, they would easily stop working. I am guessing this is the case because at the time it was new, and there were still ‘kinks’ within the system. To operate the iPod Classic was fairly simple. There was a circular scroll wheel that had arrows. The right arrow indicated that if you pressed it, you could advance to the next song. The left arrow showed that you would go to the previous song. At the bottom of the scroll wheel, there were “Play” and “Pause” symbols, which the users would press. The only problem I found was how to adjust the volume was not very clear. There were no volume buttons along the side or in the front of the Classic. I eventually figured out that to adjust the volume, the user had to gently run their finger around the circumference of the scroll wheel. Also, there was no “off/on” switch. How on earth do you turn this thing off? It was not until I purchased the iPod Nano, I figured it out.

The iPod Nano was introduced to the public 5 years ago, in September 2005.  It was much smaller and slimmer, and had a longer life than the Classic. I have used two versions of the iPod Nano, but I will discuss the one I am using now which is the 5^th generation iPod Nano.

The 5^th generation iPod Nano is very compact and slim in size compared to it’s predecessor, the Classic. It can easily fit into your pocket without looking ‘clunky’. The screen is smaller than the Classic, but it is still very clear and easy to view. The Nano also has a scroll wheel that has several uses like adjusting volume scrolling through the Menu items (by using your finger around scroll wheel), or going back and forth through songs or video (by pressing the scroll button).  In the middle of the scroll wheel, there is another circle which is actually a button. The problem with the center button is that it looks like a plain circle. The user does not really know if it’s there for aesthetics or if it actually has a function, until the actually touch it and it offers the user feedback (such as turning the Nano on, adjusting a setting, etc).  Also, the user can set the Nano to several languages, which makes the Nano able to be used internationally; the scroll wheel as well offers symbols (fast forward, rewind, play/pause) that are for the most part internationally known. As for the volume, you use the scroll wheel, just like in the Classic. Unfortunately, the user would not know this unless the read the instructions or figured it out for themselves somehow. There is nothing that says “scroll for volume adjustment”. My biggest issue with the iPod Nano is that there is no “off/on” switch or button. Most people do not even turn it off because they do not know how. Therefore, the battery runs out and it needs to be recharged. After searching online, I found out it can be turned off by simultaneously pressing the “Menu” part of the scroll wheel and the center button. The user will then see a faded “Apple” logo, and then it will turn off (or maybe hibernate?). To turn it back on, press the center button again.

Apple just introduced a new 6^th generation iPod Nano last week that looks like a very large postage stamp and has a touch screen (what about those with large fingers trying to touch a small section of the screen?). The interface just does not seem easily functional.

The 5^th generation iPod Nano does have a few interface issues I think could easily be fixed (labeling, off/on button or switch, etc), but I generally love the design of this mp3 player. It is small, very light, easy to use, inclusive to those from different nationalities, and is very customizable in general. 

5th Generation iPod Nano

1b- Worst Interface: The New NJ Transit Ticket Vending Machine

            With the consistently late buses, and ridiculous fare increases, I am not a fan of New Jersey Transit. However, NJ Transit’s recent ‘upgrade’ of their ticket vending machines have made me dislike them even more.

The old ticket machines were not perfect. However, the interface was more simple and easier to use. About a year ago, NJ transit decided to upgrade many of their vending machines various major bus and train stations. When I first encountered the new vending machines, I noticed they were touch screen. Personally, I do not like touch screens. I find them to be too ‘sensitive’, and prefer buttons I can actually press. The old vending machines may not have been high tech or fancy, but they had buttons and made purchasing tickets much faster and easier. To get the process rolling, the new vending machines have a large, clear touch screen with instructions in English and Spanish to touch the screen to begin (what about people who do not speak either English or Spanish?). That screen leads you to the bus number screen. The user presses the bus number (ex.: the user has to press each number, such as 1….6….3 for the 163 bus). After that, it advances to the gate number, which is designed in the same fashion as the bus number screen. The screen goes to what kind of ticket the user is requesting: monthly, 10 day discount, etc. And the user presses which kind of ticket they want. Now, here is where the problems really begin:

 For example, if  user wants to purchase a ticket, but they want 3 tickets. After the user presses that they want a ticket, it goes to the payment screen. The problem is, on the ticket screen, NJ Transit does not give the user an option to pick the quantity of tickets while still on the ticket screen. Instead, while the user is on the Payment screen, there is an icon on the bottom of the screen that says “To Change Quantity of Tickets, Press Here”. When it is pressed, it takes you to a different screen and lets the user add or decrease the number of tickets they want to purchase. After that is adjusted, the user presses “Next” and it goes back to the Payment screen. This interface wastes a fair amount of time, especially if the user has a bus or train arriving very shortly. Many users, including myself, have missed buses because of having to go back and forth between screens. Not only is the back and forth between screens an issue, the touch screen is so sensitive it is very easy to unintentionally go back to the first screen. There are no real instructions on how to use the machine, except for what is on the touch screen. And if the user is not an English or Spanish speaker, the vending machine is pretty much useless to them. There are also these metal bars with numbers on them on the side of the screen that, to my knowledge, has no purpose. I have pressed them, and they do not do anything. Possibly there IS a purpose to them, but for the entire time the machines have been in use, they have been of no use. 

These machines are absolutely horrendous. I have had to help so many people figure out how to use them because it is very confusing. I cannot help but wonder, did all these fare hikes help fund these ridiculous and confusing machines? If so, I want my money back. 

 Older, more easily functional NJ Transit Ticket Vending Machine

Newer, poorly designed New Jersey Transit Ticket Machine

I started reading The Design of Everyday Things by Donald Norman. Surprisingly, it's an interesting read so far! 

Norman give examples of microwaves, manual doors, slide projectors and even a museum. Even though these are all very different object, they have a common ground: they are everyday items that are not necessarily easy to use. The problem with many common products is that the companies and designers seem to be focusing on their product being aesthetically pleasing or innovative, and ignoring functionality. 

So far, the most interesting section of the book is "Affordances" (starting on page 9). To my understanding, an affordance is something that gives the users an idea of how something could possibly work. For instance, a doorknob would be an affordance; the doorknob gives the user the idea that it can be turned and the door can be opened by this particular object. In Norman's example, he uses reinforced glass panels that were for shelters. These panels were used by British Rails. The problem with these panels was that they would be smashed by vandals. British Rails replaced the glass panels with wooden ones. This alleviated the 'smashing' problem, but since it was plywood, vandals were able to carve and write on it. This makes me wonder, are there ANY materials that would really work? If they replaced the plywood with metal, it would be stronger; however, you can etch in metal and write on it. You could use a stone material, but you can still write on it and it can possibly be carved or chipped. So possibly, there really is no 'good' solution for British Rail's problem.

I've never been one for blogging (I guess this is a good start), but I'm required to do one for my Interface Design class. Who knows, this blogging thing could be fun!