The iPhone bandwagon. Usability? Accessibility?
Yes, Apple’s iPhone is cool. But, will it have a cool experience?
Dan Saffer, in the Adaptive Path blog, wonders whether or not the lack of tactile and haptic responses will harm the experience, despite the device’s feature set.
The same discussion has broken out at 456 Berea St.
I’ll grant that the device is certainly cool. But, how long will it take to retrain oneself to use a different method of "keying in" data? Is it worth it just for a – albeit very cool – phone? Those are questions that are probably answered when you see the thing up close (or, in our case, see pictures of it online): "I’ll gladly relearn how to dial to use these apps on the go."
Is this new interface, and its potential clashes with accessibility and usability, a design mistake by Apple? I don’t think so. In fact, it seems that they’re designing primarily (or, singularly) for their target audience, who will buy out this product when it launches and will take the time to train themselves to "do things a new way on their phones." Apple’s primary user base will be elated with the new gadget, and will plunk down millions the moment they go on sale. Apple’s primary user will be tech- and design-savvy enough to have few problems using and adapting to the new product; it’s designed for them. However, in creating a design that may – we don’t know the details of the product’s specifications yet – lock out a whole group of users with different needs, is Apple valuing the business over the experience for all?
technorati tags:iphone, accessibility, usability
