iTrip's Blinking Lights - Why Griffin Technology blew the design
I just got a new iTrip for my iPod (love the iPod, like the
iTrip). The iTrip is a little FM transmitter for your iPod that lets you
broadcast your songs to your car stereo. You can tune the iTrip to various
frequencies using your iPod. Learning to use the iTrip reminded me of two basic
design lessons - (1) follow what others have done especially standards both
formal and informal and (2) behave the way that the user
expects.
I thought the iTrip was broken until I Read The Fine Manual as they say. Griffin blew the basic tenets of good design with their blinking blue LED.
I like the blue LED just fine. It is the way
that it has been implemented that Griffin Technology got wrong. Let me say up
front, this is a MINOR gripe about the product. It is more philosophical than
functional.
The way it works and why it is wrong in ten easy steps:
1) You download a bunch of "Songs" to your iPod that are the actually files that program the frequency into the iTrip.
2) You insert the iTrip into the headphone / remote jack on the iPod.
3) Turn on your iPod. The blue LED turns on and is solid blue. I have no problems with this behavior so far. This is what the user expects and is the industry standard (When the light is on, the Unit is ON). Stoves, microwaves, stereos, cars, everything lights up when it is on.
4) Using your iPod, select the broadcast frequency for your iTrip.
5) Press Play/Pause to play the frequency file. I'm still fine with this.
6) The blue LED begins to blink rapidly telling you it is receiving the frequency setting. I'm still OK.
7) While the blue LED is blinking rapidly, press Play/Pause to stop the file playing. Now I have a problem but more on that in a moment.
8) The blue LED blinks three times slowly to tell you that the frequency has been set.
9) Tune in the frequency on your radio.
10) Pick music and play.
OK. Back to step (7) and stopping the program file while the blue LED is blinking rapidly. Users have been taught for years - do not eject floppies when the light is blinking, don't unplug a hard drive while the light is blinking, your CD hasn't finished burning if the light is blinking, things are still happening while the light is blinking and if you disrupt it you will break things. Blinking lights mean BUSY - DO NOT TOUCH. I cannot think of a system where blinking lights mean "pull the power, stop the file loading, shut it off" except for emergency systems when an alarm has gone off and the (usually slow) flashing light means - EMERGENCY.
Griffin Technology designs very cool and very sleek Mac stuff. They are very good at human engineering and design. How they could blow a (small though important) thing like this I really don't get. Griffin Technology. Take these two sentences and post them prominently in all your offices: (1) follow what others have done especially standards both formal and informal and (2) behave the way that the user expects.
The way it works and why it is wrong in ten easy steps:
1) You download a bunch of "Songs" to your iPod that are the actually files that program the frequency into the iTrip.
2) You insert the iTrip into the headphone / remote jack on the iPod.
3) Turn on your iPod. The blue LED turns on and is solid blue. I have no problems with this behavior so far. This is what the user expects and is the industry standard (When the light is on, the Unit is ON). Stoves, microwaves, stereos, cars, everything lights up when it is on.
4) Using your iPod, select the broadcast frequency for your iTrip.
5) Press Play/Pause to play the frequency file. I'm still fine with this.
6) The blue LED begins to blink rapidly telling you it is receiving the frequency setting. I'm still OK.
7) While the blue LED is blinking rapidly, press Play/Pause to stop the file playing. Now I have a problem but more on that in a moment.
8) The blue LED blinks three times slowly to tell you that the frequency has been set.
9) Tune in the frequency on your radio.
10) Pick music and play.
OK. Back to step (7) and stopping the program file while the blue LED is blinking rapidly. Users have been taught for years - do not eject floppies when the light is blinking, don't unplug a hard drive while the light is blinking, your CD hasn't finished burning if the light is blinking, things are still happening while the light is blinking and if you disrupt it you will break things. Blinking lights mean BUSY - DO NOT TOUCH. I cannot think of a system where blinking lights mean "pull the power, stop the file loading, shut it off" except for emergency systems when an alarm has gone off and the (usually slow) flashing light means - EMERGENCY.
Griffin Technology designs very cool and very sleek Mac stuff. They are very good at human engineering and design. How they could blow a (small though important) thing like this I really don't get. Griffin Technology. Take these two sentences and post them prominently in all your offices: (1) follow what others have done especially standards both formal and informal and (2) behave the way that the user expects.
Posted: Tue - August 5, 2003 at 04:56 PM
