Yuzuko Nakamura
Homework 2
1. Thinking about user interface design
Minivan: A minivan is a family vehicle often associated with “soccer moms” -- i.e. parents who are active
in their many children's activities. The main purpose of a minivan is often for the transportation of
school-age kids. Everything from the sliding door to the trunk of a minivan is designed with this purpose
in mind. I'm examining the design of my family minivan:
Strengths:
●The sliding door allows for a very wide opening while minimizing the horizontal space
taken up by the open door. This makes entrance easy since people can climb into the car
rather than just slide into the seat.
●Through a relatively painless process, the back seat folds up, allowing more space.
Conspicuous loops that look like they should be pulled make folding the seat intuitive.
●Sliding doors on both sides. It annoyed me when older minivans would only have a door
on one side. It's just inconvenient to have to force everyone to one side.
Weaknesses:
●The door locks when pulled all the way back (in order to prevent inadvertently sliding shut
and crushing fingers) and most people trying to close it again get confused and ask for
directions to close it (directions: pull really really hard). Maybe lighten up how much
force is required to pull it shut, especially since kids will probably be doing the closing.
●Back windows don't roll down, they just pop open like half an inch. With active kids, the
first thing they want to do is roll down the window of the seat next to them, but can't, most
likely because of the car wheel. This is a hard problem to solve. You could maybe
compromise by keeping the window one that pops open half an inch but is controlled by a
rotating handle.
●Child safety locks. It's hard to tell if they're activated or not. I think the only way is by
opening the door and looking at its side and examining the switch. This is kind of a pain
because the driver has to get out of their seat and open the door just to check. It should be
an on/off switch somewhere near the driver's seat/dashboard, similar to a normal lock.
Dorm room bed: Beds made for dorm rooms need to take a lot into account, probably the most important
of which is space. They also need to be comfortable for sleeping, since that's their primary function. I will
add a second function, which is as a chair since the sitting space in dorm rooms is limited. Examining my
dorm room's bed:
Strengths:
●Headboard. Being about 6 feet off the ground, it's nice to have at least one side preventing
you from falling off. Plus it keeps light from the window out when I'm trying to sleep.
●There is enough space under the bed to store things like drawers and refrigerators. This is
pretty space-efficient considering you're taking advantage of vertical space that would
normally be wasted.
●The metal frame of the bed is thin so you can work wires around it without being hindered
by bulkiness.
Weaknesses:
●Headboard blocks light. There is only one room light, and the headboard is right between
it and my desk. Adding a second room light would help a lot, even if it's not that bright.
