Jen Grier's Multiblog

Revisit: Observing in NYC: TECH is everywhere.

While attending NYU, I had to keep a blog for the Physical Computing class I attending at Tisch: ITP (Interactive Telecommunications Program).  Essentially, if you wanted to take any other class in the department, you had to start with this one.  Although my final project flopped, I learned a whole lot about electronics and that soldering irons are my friends.

This post was for an assignment with a classmate; we were studying the behaviors of people with technology in the wild before offering up some design critiques and improvements.

From September 17th, 2007 in “the TECH of Jen Grier”:

TECH on the Road:

On my way to the city this morning, I picked up a discount pack of tickets for the Hudson-Bergen Lightrail from one of their [damned] vending computers. The touch screen is awful to see almost all of the time, and the buttons often don’t work on the number pad, forcing me to use cash instead of my debit card. (I only saw 3 other people purchase tickets as a I waited to the train. They used cash, too, and were often squinting at the screen. 9:15AM)

I jumped on the LightRail itself, which is a fabulous convenience of transportation, and without it makes my commute very expensive. (There were at least 10 people on my car, but it fluctuated often and people were moving about. 9:25AM)

I noticed the over-abundance of businessmen hunched over PDAs on the train (2 people at about 9:45AM), poking at touch-sensitive windows into their sheduled lives with a pinprick of a stylus. I never understood why something so small was intended for a demographic with large-ish hands

When I transferred to the PATH going to 33rd St, I charged up my MetroCard using my debit card. (At least 10 people used these machines within the few minutes I was there. They were doing a variety of purchases and refills, some restarting because the machine didn’t understand the order while others gracefully filled their card with ease.) More people than I could keep track of swiped their cards to get through the turnstile, but every one out of 20, I’d say, was a confused traveler who needed a moment to understand what was needed and what to buy (with gigantic luggage in tow).

On the PATH, there were music players everywhere. I wonder if I notice it more when I forget mine at home. I saw at least 15, a handful of which had the signature iPod earbuds. I brought my first-generation Shuffle with me today, too, and it immediately lessened the monotony of the trip.

When I got off the PATH at 9th St., I saw at least forty cellphone-gabbing power walkers as I approached Broadway. I’m still caught off-guard by people walking by without carrying a mobile phone: I don’t see the Bluetooth headset and I end up thinking they are talking to themselves in a crazy fashion.

Going home from my observation with Tom, I picked up a cheap pair of sandals on E 14th, and there was a cash register present to ring up my sale of exactly $5. Back in Jersey City, the big thing is to use the walkie-talkie function that some cell phones had, not unlike speakerphone. I suppose it’s easier than cradling it next to your ear on your shoulder all the time, but it seems strange to open your conversation to the public as you’re walking down the street. I only saw one person doing this today, but I see about 10 on average when I don’t have a commuting-to-NYC school day.

IN DEPTH:

I’m working with Tom on this project. We’re checking out the check-out at Whole Foods Market on E 14th St. and Broadway, up by Union Square. Their express check-out system was unlike anything I had seen before: think 5 lines, each with a color. A large LCD display at the head of the line shows five bands of color, and rolls a number down on each band periodically. That number is the register destination of the first customer in that color’s line: you see the number, go to the register, and check out. A loudspeaker reinforced the number of the next free register. This system is meant to handle a large volume of customers. However, we found that they had a staff member babysitting the front of the lines, often telling bewildered customers where to go or that it’s their turn to leave. He also ended mitigating disputes between customers who walked through without understanding the system, angering those who were still waiting.

Here’s our data so far on GoogleDocs. Some of my more detailed notes follow:

• Many people weren’t accustomed to the height of the LCD for information.
• Some customers were upset to find themselves waiting in line while a free register (denoted by a blinking light at that register) opened up, regardless of whether another customer was traveling to that register or not. The assumption, at a glance, was that the system was ineffective, and therefore a waste of time.
• The sound source of the loudspeaker was mounted high on a wall post to the right, not in the direction of the LCD. Most customers didn’t seem to acknowledge the messages it gave.
• The color/number system passes over the language barrier.
• Some people blazed through the lines to a free register with a blinking light, altogether bypassing other customers and the wait system.

Here is an overview of the assignment from the class page.