Case study of smartphones

Thesis (S.M.)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, System Design and Management Program, 2009.Cataloged from PDF version of thesis.Includes bibliographical references (p. 112-114).Design-driven business strategy has received a lot of attention in recent times, with Apple frequently standing out as an exemplar of the success of such a strategy. Most of the existing literature, while emphasizing the importance of design for market success, takes a fairly static view of design. In this thesis we provide a prescriptive guideline on adapting design strategy over time in response to the dynamics of technology evolution and market adoption mechanisms for technology products. Our Design Strategy Framework builds on existing literature in three main areas: design, technology adoption life-cycle and market adoption mechanisms. For the purposes of this thesis, we have adopted Sanders perspective of defining a product in terms of three key design attributes - usefulness (functionality), usability (ease of use) and desirability (aesthetics). We have used Anderson and Tushman's paper on the Cyclical Model of Technological Change as our basis for defining the stages in the technology adoption life-cycle. Finally, we have used Rogers' theory on Diffusion of Innovation to define the characteristics of the user base (adopter category) in each stage of market adoption. Based on this foundation, our framework prescribes emphasis on one of the three design attributes of a product during each stage of market adoption. This recommendation is grounded on the technological maturity during that stage as well as the characteristics of the user segment that leads them to value certain product attributes over others.(cont.) This thesis includes a case study of convergent handheld devices (PDAs and smartphones) which illustrates the application of the Design Strategy Framework in providing an explanation for a product's success or failure in the market based on its emphasis (or lack of) on the right design attribute at the right time. The thesis also includes a survey of current and potential smartphone users which is used to further validate the framework. While this thesis focuses on mobile handheld devices, the findings can be applied across consumer technology products. The Design Strategy framework can be used to determine what aspects of a design to focus a firm's development efforts on, given an understanding of the product's placement in the adoption cycle. Judiciously emphasizing the right aspects of design at the right time can improve a product's chances of market success.by Sangita Subramanian.S.M

Usability of the Stylus Pen in Mobile Electronic Documentation

Stylus pens are often used with mobile information devices. However, few studies have examined the stylus’ simple movements because the technical expertise to support documentation with stylus pens has not been developed. This study examined the usability of stylus pens in authentic documentation tasks, including three main tasks (sentence, table, and paragraph making) with two types of styluses (touchsmart stylus and mobile stylus) and a traditional pen. The statistical results showed that participants preferred the traditional pen in all criteria. Because of inconvenient hand movements, the mobile stylus was the least preferred on every task. Mobility does not provide any advantage in using the stylus. In addition, the study also found inconvenient hand support using a stylus and different feedback between a stylus and a traditional pen.This study was supported by the Dongguk University Research Fund of 2015. Support for the University Jaume-I (UJI) Robotic Intelligence Laboratory is provided in part by Ministerio de Economía y Competitividad (DPI2011-27846), by Generalitat Valenciana (PROMETEOII/2014/028) and by Universitat Jaume I (P1-1B2014-52)

Information and communication technologies for public use and interactive-multimedia city kiosks

Thesis (Master)--Izmir Institute of Technology, Industrial Design, Izmir, 2004Includes bibliographical references (leaves: 103)Text in English; Abstract: Turkish and Englishix, 106 leavesThis thesis provides framework for consideration of the potential of information andcommunication technologies for public events and performances for the developing usage of new products, particularly information public kiosks. In the theoretical framework, the concepts and terms of information and communication technology are generally introduced along with the identification of number of major factors such as elements, diversity, necessity and evolution. Moreover, the importance of ICT technologies in urban settings and human behavior in response to this type of technology are investigated through the history of ICT. The concept of the usage of information and communication technology by actual people is particularly emphasized. Not only the utilization of information and communication technology in public space is described but also effective usage of ICT in the public space and information access provided by public products are identified.Figures of ICT systems and related products, their roots in design differences and new tools and products that are common examples of ICT, particularly the use of the information city kiosk, are presented and discussed. Design principles of the public information kiosk, which play a prominent role in the public use of ICT, are established. The analysis of design factors and human-product relations based on user profile, material choices, form, function and location are discussed. Finally, the thesis includes a conclusion that argues that the information city kiosks and their increased public use will designate the new images of the cities

Graphic design & ubiquitous graphic user interfaces; The Third Wave of Computing

Graphic design is an integral component of user interface design. Ubiquitous computing is the a form of computing that is everywhere all the time through technology advances in hardware, software, and communication networks. Consumers are able to retrieve and send information whenever a task needs to be completed. Graphic design is part of the visual mechanism through which people interact with devices. The visual interactive components of these devices are the part of computing systems that are addressed in this project. This thesis addresses the problems that arise when people need to interact with several devices at a given time. The goal is to make the experience of an imaging appliance as enjoyable and useful as possible. Graphic design is the key component in the visual communication aspect of these devices. The ideas used in the scenarios that are described in the ideation stage assume that future technologies are mainstream and used by the mass consumer. Although these assumptions may or may not come to fruition, graphic design will still be a integral part of that user experience

Distributing intelligence in the wireless control of a mobile robot using a personal digital assistant

Personal Digital Assistants (PDAs) have recently become a popular component in mobile robots. This compact processing device with its touch screen, variety of built-in features, wireless technologies and affordability can perform various roles within a robotic system. Applications include low-cost prototype development, rapid prototyping, low-cost humanoid robots, robot control, robot vision systems, algorithm development, human-robot interaction, mobile user interfaces as well as wireless robot communication schemes. Limits on processing power, memory, battery life and screen size impact the usefulness of a PDA in some applications. In addition various implementation strategies exist, each with its own strengths and weaknesses. No comparison of the advantages and disadvantages of the different strategies and resulting architectures exist. This makes it difficult for designers to decide on the best use of a PDA within their mobile robot system. This dissertation examines and compares the available mobile robot architectures. A thorough literature study identifies robot projects using a PDA and examines how the designs incorporate a PDA and what purpose it fulfils within the system it forms part of. The dissertation categorises the architectures according to the role of the PDA within the robot system. The hypothesis is made that using a distributed control system architecture makes optimal use of the rich feature set gained from including a PDA in a robot system’s design and simultaneously overcomes the device’s inherent shortcomings. This architecture is developed into a novel distributed intelligence framework that is supported by a hybrid communications architecture, using two wireless connection schemes. A prototype implementation illustrates the framework and communications architecture in action. Various performance measurements are taken in a test scenario for an office robot. The results indicate that the proposed framework does deliver performance gains and is a viable alternative for future projects in this area