Tangible User Interfaces - Fall 2011

There are many, many thoughtless acts everywhere.  I found a few around my lab and the campus.

1. Lamp used to hold glasses.

• I lent my safety glasses to someone, and they were returned on my lamp.  Thus, the lamp has become a storage device to hold the glasses.
• A possible design solution is to use objects that are already on your desk to hold other useful objects.  For instance, the lamp could be designed to hold desk items such as pens, staplers, post-its, etc.

2. Door propped open by trash can.

• The door stop is often misplaced in our lab, and it has become common to use the trash can to prop open the door, as it is locked 24/7.
• A possible solution is to have a door that has a door stop built in.

3. Off the path.

• There are many paths like this on campus and even in parks around the area, where there is a paved walkway to reach the same destination, but there is also a beaten path across the landscaped area that serves as a shortcut.  Because the path is beaten and tread, people tend to continue to use this exact path, even though they can use the paved walkway or even walk across the landscaped area off the beaten path.
• A possible solution is to landscape areas with grass or other plants that can be walked on.  Or, if the aim is to not have people walk on it, the landscaping should be designed with plants that make it difficult for people to walk through.