Pat’s Point of View

TiVo will change the way you watch TV. Unless you’ve already owned a DVR, in which case you might not be that impressed.

Our living room is now home to a TiVo HD DVR after we upgraded from our old Humax PVR 8000T. Having played with the TiVo for a few days now, I’ve concluded a few things. Firstly, there is not much on offer on the HD channels, but secondly and more importantly, there are some flaws with the TiVo.

• It’s too polite, always asking you to confirm actions. A task that might involve one press of a button (like stopping recording) takes two or three. I can’t really speak for other devices, but the Humax is easier to use. Of course we are more used to what we know, but the Humax is a simpler device with a better remote control and more efficient actions.
• It’s always on and you can’t turn it off. I don’t know what the TiVo consumes in terms of power, but it must do so 24×7.
• There’s no volume control in terms of the audio output from the unit. You can set the remote control to set the volume on the TV, but that means controlling two devices with one remote and thus pointing it in two different places. Not a huge issue, I suppose.
• There’s no clock on the front panel. This may not be a big deal for many people, but the Humax had a digital clock on the front that was always on and it became very convenient.
• There’s quite a bit of screen flicker when the program resolution changes. For example a program is broadcast in full HD (1080i) but then you change channels to a SD broadcast, if the TiVo is in certain modes, the screen will flicker or go blank for a moment whilst it changes over. (We solve this by having a fixed output of 720p since our current TV doesn’t do 1080i anyway).
• Similarly, the volume fluctuates. At first I thought this was due to the change over between the 5.1 channel audio in HD programming and the 2 channel stereo of SD programming, but it happens during programs. Could be the TV but it’s never done that before.
• It’s a bit big and ugly, the thing looks more like a small desktop PC rather than a slick piece of entertainment kit. The Humax on the other hand is a nice slim, silver and mirror unit.

On the positive side, and the main reason I chose the TiVo over other choices, is the “Find Programs” functionality:

• Search by title allows you to choose a show by name and it will be recorded, without really having to worry about channel, date, time, duration.
• Wishlist Search allows you to find shows by searching for actor, category or general keyword. Doesn’t sound like much in this Web 2.0 age, but it’s pretty good for TV.
• Season Pass allows you to select a show and record all instances of it automatically, week after week or whatever frequency it’s on. If it changes timeslot or day (even channel?) it will still be recorded.
• TiVo Suggestions allows you to rate shows you watch or record using a thumbs up/down system and based on this other shows you might like are suggested.

Browsing what’s on all channels using the “Guide” button is also well done; it’s similar to Foxtel and better than the Humax. Eventually we’ll run out of space, so being able to pull content off onto a computer and burn it or store it is a great feature, or we can extend the TiVo’s capacity via an external eSata disk (strangely you can use USB disks even though there are two USB ports).

So why the upgrade? The Humax did change the way we watch TV, and we quickly got used to being able to pause TV—say if your wee baby starts crying and you don’t want to miss that all important cliffhanger ending!—or rewinding a bit to watch something again. And of course, just like VCRs before them, Digital Video Recorders are great for recording your favourite shows (but unlike a VCR most DVRs are pretty easy to program).

But almost as quickly as we got to like the Humax, we started to outgrow it. When we bought it, there were a few twin-tuner models around, but they were very expensive and we reasoned that the need for two tuners would rarely come up. How wrong we were. We constantly ran into situations where we wanted to record something on one channel and watch/record something on another channel. It was really frustrating to have to switch to the TV’s analogue tuner to watch the other channel and to not be able to record it. There was also quite a lot of deleting shows from our almost full hard disk, as we couldn’t get any content off the device.

So it was time to upgrade, something which I’ve rarely had a genuine need to do. Of course there are times when you upgrade because you want a bigger/better/newer model but this was something we use a lot and there was a real unmet need. Thus, top of the wish-list was twin-tuners and the ability to get content off (either via USB or network). There have also been lots of ads for the High Definition channels from the free-to-air networks, so that was something we thought we should put on the list too.

What to buy? Well of course there was Topfield, which from the early days of DVRs was a leading name with features and price far better than what the usual brands offer. In recent years they have copped a bit of criticism for bugs but the new TF7100HDPVRt was definitely a contender. It’s got a big drive, full twin-tuner capability and wifi networking. Combined with Ice TV you get the ability to record shows based on their name, rather than a fixed date/time/duration. You see, the problem with a VCR-style scheduled recording is that shows run over time, under time and get moved between timeslots and even days. So your scheduled recordings can miss the start, end or entire length of the show you wanted. By taking ‘up to date’ programming data from the networks, the Ice TV service provides selected DVRs with a proper EPG (Electronic Program Guide) that you can actually use, as opposed to the guides actually published/broadcast by the networks which are inaccurate and unreliable.

There is of course another player who is renowned for this human friendly recording, the US smash-hit TiVo, which until now was not officially available in Australia. Their latest generation DVR has similar features to the Topfield, is similarly priced but with a reputation for usability. Even though the on-paper comparison might seem to suggest the Topfield 7100 is a better bet (bigger hard disk, longer ‘live pause’, full twin-tuner features) I decided on the TiVo pretty much based on the virtues of its integrated EPG service, which downloads current programming data from the web. The proposition is that, as part of the deal with the 7 network that brought TiVo to Australia, the programming data will be more accurate. So far it seems to be.

Overall, I am happy with the TiVo. It performs the main function we bought it for (recording or watching multiple channels simultaneously) and the “Find Programs” features are really worth shouting about—would help if there was more quality content on free-to-air though! But there are definitely areas for improvement.

And I will have to never ever look at that new Topfield lest I regret my decision :)

See what people are blogging about: TiVo HD DVR, Humax PVR 8000T, Topfield TF7100HDPVRt, HD, TV

Popularity: 1% [?]

I eagerly await more details on how Singularity will actually work. Here’s what their [quite nicely designed] website says:

Singularity is the first large-scale online web conference in the world.

On October 24-26, join 100 of the world’s top web visionaries, developers, designers, thought leaders, and celebrities for three days of talks at this seminal web event.

Attend from home or from a real-world local conference hub near you. Catch up with old friends (you can find them from your existing social networks) and meet new ones. And you don’t even have to take time off work.

Sounds interesting. Even though the list of speakers is fairly geeky, and I use that term with the utmost respect, I anticipate there being some good user experience design discussions.

Could this be a better way forward for traditional conferences, rather than going down the path of an un-conference (something which I’m not that fond of)?

Popularity: 3% [?]

OK enough is enough. I have finally ditched my Maxtor Shared Storage II NAS drive which I had so much trouble with. I was sick of it screwing up, but mostly I was sick of not being confident that my data was secure.

So today, after getting a refund for the Maxtor, I went and bought an Apple Time Capsule (500GB) from the new Apple Store in Sydney. (As an aside isn’t it weird how you can walk out of there with an item and no receipt—because I asked for it to be emailed to me instead—and nobody stops to question you?)

I’ve read lots of negative reviews from disapointed customers, but I reckon it’s the Time Machine backup functionality that most people are having trouble. For what I need it for, I think the Time Capsule (TC) will be just fine. Not only do I get what I hope will be a more reliable piece of network storage but I get Wifi “n” and gigabit ethernet, and my Macs should talk to it nicely (something the Maxtor and my old wifi router never did that well).

And so it was, pumped up on cold and flu drugs, I sat down this afternoon with my new toy, hoping for a pleasant setup experience. Setting up the TC itself was easy, and getting the machines to see and use the network disk was straightforward too. However when it came to getting the router to work with my ADSL modem, a few issues popped up. I remembered how I hated getting my old wireless router (Netgear WGR614v4) to talk to the modem (D-Link 300G+). But with some time and experimentation I found that putting the modem into bridge mode and giving my PPPoE details to the TC, gets it working nicely.

Now I just need to get my archives files onto the TC, not such an easy task when it’s a 200GB zip file. I’ll figure out some way.

Popularity: 3% [?]

I read with interest, some of the great ideas in trendwatching.com’s Innovation Avalanche. As someone at work commented, there are definitely some services ripe for reproduction in other markets, for example:

Parkingspots.com connects those who have parking spots to rent out with those who need them on a monthly basis…[full article]

Though more ‘intention economy’ than crowd power, Dutch ING Bank’s WoonWaarUWilt (”LiveWhereYouWant”) initiative is too much fun to not include: the service lets clients make an offer on houses that aren’t on the market, but that they’d love to own…[full article]

…Located in the Britomart (a public transport hub) in Auckland, BikeCentral offers bicycling enthusiasts and commuters a welcoming place to park their bikes and transition into the next part of their day. In addition to safe, secure bicycle parking, BikeCentral members have access to private lockers, showers and changing areas. Coffee, fresh food and free wireless internet are also available, as are rental bicycles and an on-site repair service for minor repairs…[full article]

The authors top and tail the list of ideas with their own editorial on subjects such as coming up with your own innovative ideas and how to make money off those in the list. Good stuff.

Despite the great ideas discussed in this article, I must say I don’t like trendwatching’s design. The graphics are too big and poorly coupled to the text—it’s actually difficult to tell which belongs with which—and overall it’s quite hard to scan because there are no headings for each of the 41 innovation ideas. The overly large headings that pepper the page, such as “hyperlocal” and “tryvertising”, add to the confusion because it’s not clear that these are actually category headings (for lack of a better word) that group together the ideas. A clearer content, and visual, hierarchy would be good.

Popularity: 4% [?]

A recent discussion at work revealed some cracking quotes that are worthy of sharing. The ones I like best are those that were originally coined in an entirely other context, but ring true when applied to something like website usability. And what the heck, having all these here will probably help with SEO :)

Supposing is good, but finding out is better.

- Mark Twain, author

Pay attention to what users do, not what they say.

- Jakob Nielsen, usability guru

Just because nobody complains doesn’t mean all parachutes are perfect.

- Benny Hill, comedian

The most common user action on a Web site is to flee.

- Edward Tufte, information design guru

We do not see things as they are; we see things as we are.

- The Talmud

Make it idiot-proof and someone will just make a better idiot.

- Unknown

Most software needs to be spanked.

- Alan Cooper, persona guru

Perhaps something a bit longer?

Consumers cannot readily tell us what they are thinking. It is assumed knowledge. Which is to say, consumers know things about the world they do not know they know. There is assumed knowledge on the corporate side as well. The corporation and its engineers hold certain assumptions so deeply they can no longer see them.

– Grant McCracken, business anthropologist

Your customers are not you. They don’t look like you, they don’t think like you, they don’t do the things that you do, they don’t have your expectations or assumptions. If they did, they wouldn’t be your customers; they’d be your competitors.

- Mike Kuniavsky, user experience guru

Update: couldn’t resist stealing some from Chris‘ private stash (I wonder what else is in there?):

A common mistake that people make when trying to design something completely foolproof is to underestimate the ingenuity of complete fools.

- Douglas Adams, author

This is the rock-solid principle on which the whole of [IBM's] Galaxy-wide success is founded…their fundamental design flaws are completely hidden by their superficial design flaws.

- Ted Nelson, hypertext pioneer

The essential division in the (computer) industry between hardware and software represents the organization of computing from the system designer’s viewpoint, not the user’s. In successful mature technologies it’s not possible to isolate the form and function. The logical design and the mechanical design of a pen or a piano bind their mechanism with their user interface so closely that it’s possible to use them without thinking of them as technology, or even thinking of them at all. Invisibility is the missing goal in computing.

- Neil Gershenfeld, technologist, physicist, author

A computer lets you make more mistakes faster than any invention in human history - with the possible exceptions of handguns and tequila.

- Mitch Ratliffe, technology journalist

Computers make it easier to do a lot of things, but most of the things they make it easier to do don’t need to be done.

- Andy Rooney, actor

Computers should work the way beginners expect them to, and one day they will.

- Ted Nelson, hypertext pioneer

Popularity: 7% [?]

It’s on again, Web Directions South will hit Sydney in September.

From past experience, particularly last year, I’d say WDS is the best web industry conference held in Australia—and I’m not just saying that to win an iPhone :)

There’s a great line-up and a healthy dose of user experience discussion for what is a general web gathering. It’s definitely a sign that usability and the like have been embraced by your average web designer and developer. In particular I’m looking forward to, and recommend to you, sessions by Ruth Ellison, Donna Spencer, Jeff Veen and Mark Pesce (I mean who wouldn’t after last year’s closing keynote?).

If you need more convincing, check out the executive summary what might get your boss to send you.

See what people are blogging about: web directions south

Popularity: 9% [?]

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This afternoon I presented my session at WebDU on the topic of information architecture for designers and developers. In the particular case of WebDU, these designers and developers mostly specialise in Flex and Flash.

I’m fairly happy with how it came together in the end, hopefully I gave the audience some insight into the field of IA, and user experience in general. Apologies for the messy looking slides on SlideShare, when it was converted from Powerpoint all the embedded fonts had to be replaced with Arial!

Other than my contribution, there was of course a whole conference, and a great conference it was. My initial impressions were that it’s a great location (level 2 of the Darling Harbour Conference centre) which is nicely laid out and spacious. The over all feel is pretty slick, and they gave out some excellent swag, I know it’s quite trivial but a great t-shirt, conference bag (with good stuff inside including a selection of relevant magazines from sponsors) put the finishing touch on an event such as this. Much better than the wads of marketing crap you usually get.

The conference proceedings book is a good idea, with the slides (or at least initial summary slides in my case) from each session, and information on speakers and the conference in general. Sadly there was no agenda for quick reference to the sessions, when and where. There was an A4 sheet with this info on it, but not in the bags or proceedings book. I still think having this in the back of the name tag lanyard is the best approach.

A rather novel thing they did was have trading cards with the avatars for each conference organiser. At first I thought they might have had a card for each presenter too, which sent me into a mini panic at the thought of people trading my face around the place thinking who the heck is this guy? :) It’s a good networking idea and builds a sense of fun around the event, after all it’s not some stuffy academic conference, these are people who make cool websites and apps, it should be fun.

And of course there was the crucial, especially for this audience, free wifi. I used to roll my eyes upon hearing geeks whinging “aww man, no wireless!” but I must admit I now expect it of any conference or seminar. I hate people typing and surfing during sessions, but in between or if you need to get a bit of work done during the course of the day (like I did) then having internet access is crucial.

(At first my laptop didn’t see the free network, and this made me think that it could be a neat little business opportunity for buildings within range of conference centres that don’t offer free wifi, setup a Meraki mesh for a cheap rate…or free)

While there were some interesting topics being presented on the first day, and I was pleased to see the current state of the art in terms of RIA and interactive interface development, I had to take a bit of time out to put some finishing touches on my presentation.

So there are certainly some cool things being wheeled out of Adobe and the like, with the possibility for highly advanced and integrated web apps and desktop apps. Adobe’s AIR in particular is looking pretty good. But of course, as a user experience person, I can see there being many opportunities for all this technology to become a usability nightmare. The ball is definitely in our court, though, so far as we need to work out how we can be part of this new generation and create consistent and useful experiences across browser, desktop, device and all the different usage scenarios that that entails.

See what people are blogging about: webdu, RIA, information architecture

Popularity: 17% [?]

Yesterday I attended the half-day WIPA Usability and Eyetracking Seminar, and found it fairly good use of a few hours of my time. Largely because it helped confirm some things in my own mind.

First up was Challenges for Usability in Agile Development presented by John Eklund of UX Research. There has been much talk about agile development methodologies in recent, and probably as much talk about how user experience practitioners can remain valuable in such an environment.

To paraphrase John, my summary of the discussion is as such:

• Agile is about “bringing design forward” (I like this definition)
• It’s about less documentation and specification up-front
• Acknowledge that requirements will not be fully correct, complete or fixed in stone; learn to live with it rather than boxing requirements gathering into one neat discrete step that must be finished before anything else can begin
• Agile is also iterative or incremental development
• Partial prototypes help elicit requirements and specifications from the client
• Clients rarely read spec documentation and often can’t articulate what they want until they see it (you know it’s true!)
• Creativity is less bounded by specification when the specification is yet set (this is not just in terms of visual creativity but also the overall design directions)
• For UX to fit into this methodology it needs to be embedded, flexible, fast and practiced by an experienced practitioner
• For best results in agile environments, UX expertise should be independent of designer (and client)
• Additionally, UX practitioners must play the “expert advocacy” role (providing ad-hoc advice on simple issues without the need for a costly ‘engagement’ or bulky reports)
• Generally faster turn-around is needed for activities like usability testing

I enjoyed John’s perspective on this topic, and a few of his points in particular are closely aligned with my own views on UX practice. I’ve used mentoring in the same way as John’s “expert advocacy” where UX or IA expertise is bought by the hour, allowing for much greater freedom to add value to the design team without having to get approval for a project each time they want to ask a question.

Next up was Eyetracking - Applications in Digital and Media by Peter Brawn of Eyetracker. I was impressed by Peter’s presentation of eyetracking as part of UX practice, as opposed to how I have seen it pitched in the past (that is as the answer to all your problems). This makes sense, since there is a lot that gaze paths and fixation data can not tell you about the usability of a website, and vice versa there are some things you can’t really get out of traditional usability testing and ethnographic research techniques.

For example, a certain section of a website is not receiving much traffic. Usability testing might tell you that users are interested in the content in that section, but perhaps not why they aren’t getting to it. Eyetracking can tell you that users simply don’t look at the obvious, big, fat link that goes to that section, but not why they don’t look at it. Combined you are getting a more complete picture.

That said, I still believe that, dollar for dollar, other methods are better value than eyetracking. For the cost of the hardware and software (or consultants to do it for you) quite a lot of low-tech testing and research could be done. Ideally, you’d do both, but going back to John’s topic, if you want to ensure UX keeps its foot in the door in agile environments—or any other—the approach needs to be lean, mean and cost effective.

I do understand that many clients want the snazzy visualisations you get from eyetracking, not to mention the snob value, but this is only going to be realistic for big corporate clients. Smaller clients should save the cash and use other methods.

See what people are blogging about: agile, eyetracking, user experience, usability testing

Popularity: 14% [?]

It’s so typical for usability professionals to point out the un-usability of everyday things they encounter, and I normally try to resist, but I just have to comment on the Bonds EasySuit.

You’ll no doubt have seen the ads on TV, cute lil buggers wearing stretchy one-piece numbers. They look good and feel good—no seams or buttons—but damned if they are decidedly not easy to put on!

It looks like it’s easy enough, you just open the hole on the lower back and slip it on. Yeah, good luck. You need to bend baby in half and then simultaneously insert arms and legs into the corresponding holes and somehow they’re supposed to spring back into shape, fully clothed.

Grace gives me a slightly perplexed look and emits a short ‘humpf’ as I bend her in half like a pretzel. The look on her face seems to say “you sure you know how to do this?”.

What’s needed is a suit fitting system like in Iron Man :)

Popularity: 13% [?]

Lucky I have a terabyte of storage, I’m going to need it if we keep taking this many photos of our kids! Here’s a sample from weeks 6-12.

Popularity: 15% [?]