EGOCASTING

1.. Which lecture topics covered so far in class are related to the article’s content. Describe in what way.

• Well first thing i'd say is the lecture of convergence, because if in all these artcles we are seeing the convergence of all the things is helping the user get what he wants when he wants.

• Also the topic of smart agent technology(technology which learns about the user), because we see both in the development of the ipod there is the whole thing of the item trying to figure out what you like and doing it for you.

• Also the Article looks at social issues which we discussed in the class.

2.. The following quote appears in the article: “There’s such a unique emotional connection between people and this product [TiVo]”. Why do you think that is the case? So many other useful products donít seem to generate such a strong emotional response and cult like following, but TiVo does. Why? (see also http://www.wired.com/news/mac/0,2125,66426,00.html?tw=rss.ENT )

Well, lets look see what the tivo does.

• It records their tv for them when they are not there without too much fussing about on part of the user.
  
• it knows (learns) what you like, and as a friend would, it tries and gives you those and similar programmes by recording them for you without you having to configure it.
• It is smart, it is usable, useful is reliable and will always be there to give you the type of entertainment you want. it will also manage it for you.

So i guess that's why people can not live without their tivo.

3.. In your opinion and based on the article, what are the problematic issues concerning the use of smart media consumption devices like TiVo and iPod?

These things will isolate people into a world of their own. It will almost be like, people walking in their own little worlds, dancing to their own music when and where they want without any notice of what is happening around them. When at home instead of the usual outdoor activities people will tend to sit longer infront of the box, because there is more of the stuff you like on tv, so you wont go out and mix with people. What was supposed to be just to manage your tv starts managing your life by totally sucking you into itself. We have to really look at the progress of technology and what it is creating of humans.

4.. View the Flash movie at http://oak.psych.gatech.edu/~epic/ and make note of the themes and topics shared by this movie and the article. Whatís your impression of the future the movie attempts to describe?

It shows us the true power of smart technology, or personalised technology. It shows us that each user is an individual and that they all want something different, up until now they all got the same news, same television, same products but in the future that will chang totally. With the power of technology and data gathered about the user, google and it's partners will be able to give news specific to each user and their taste, which is scary because, how accurate will a story be if it generated by algorithms to suit the taste of certain people. Also the whole privacy issue will flare up more because of the amount of knowledge thse companies will hold of people. But I guess we humans are like animals, give them something good and then you can do whatever you want to them, they won't mind because you are a nice person who is giving them so much.

5.. What alternative title would you have given the article instead of egocasting?

• The perfection of human laziness
• The age of power
• ipod to igod
  

6.. Describe at least one more example of personalized content consumption other than TV (TiVo) and Music (iPod). It doesn’t have to be a real one.

I will go for a real one, Google news! There you can configure the page to what news you would like from what region about what topic. It then only shows you that thus making it totally personalised

7.. Summarize your own thoughts and conclusions

Today's age can be labelled as the information age. Wherever we look at their is information. 50 years ago som much information was not everywhere, and even if it was there it was costly and was not so easily accessible. Today we have millions of pages of information available to us at the click of a button costing us ver very little, We have access to such amounts of music which we will peopbably never hear, We have access to so many television channels that we don't know what to watch. So in this age of information where we are being constantly being bomarded by content in all sorts of forms, we need a content manager for us. I guess that's where tivo, ipod & google have come in. tivo manages all over tv for us so it makes some sense of the realm of television. Ipod has come and brought some order and use for the gigabytes of music people have collected, and google has started to give users what they want to see on the net, by first customising the news for themand also by being able to search the net for information they need.

So I guess It's

Usability

Definition of Usability Usability is a term used to denote the ease with which people can employ a particular tool or other human-made object in order to achieve a particular goal. Usability can also refer to the methods of measuring usability and the study of the principles behind an object's perceived efficiency or elegance.
In human-computer interaction and computer science, usability usually refers to the elegance and clarity with which the user interface of a computer program or a web site is designed. The term is also used often in the context of products like consumer electronics, or in the areas of communication, and knowledge transfer objects (such as a cookbook, a document or online help). It can also refer to the efficient design of a mechanical objects such as a door handle or a hammer.

Importance of Usability

If a website is not easy to use, then the visitor will not feel confident with the company. This can prove costly when competitors are only a mouse click away. If your site is difficult to use, then don't expect people to waste their time on it. "Launching a site that is difficult to use means that you not only lose your best customers - those who are eager to use the service - but they will also warn others not to visit the site." (Jakob Nielsen, Nielsen Norman Group).

According to market research from Gartner Group, 50% plus of online sales are lost because visitors can’t find what they are looking for!

It’s easy to blame the user if something is not designed properly. or the user ends up blaming himself because they cannot figure out how a product works.

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Benefits of Good Usability

The benefits of Usability are endless. It can make companies succeed if it's good or kill them if their product is not usable.

• Increased productivity
• Decreased training and support costs
• Increased sales and revenues
• Reduced development time and costs
• Reduced maintenance costs
• Increased customer satisfaction

If something is usable, the customer will be happy with it. Their is no better sales person as a happy customer, he will tell others of the product or site and thus bring in more customers. It will give him trust in the company/ website and make him come back again and again.

"In our first year we didn't spend a single dollar on advertising, but we grew real big just on word of mouth. The best dollars spent are those we use to improve the customer experience." - Jeff Bezos, Amazon.com

If a website or designed with usability right from start they will end up saving you money and a lot of time, in the long run. Because later on you won't have to change the product or design because the customers aren't happy.

How can the Usability on interface be measured

• By how easy it is for people to get what they are looking for
• By Every one achieving same / similar results.
• By users not getting frustrated at trying to find / achieve something
• By seeing if the user is getting the info you want to give them

• The best mesure for a usable interface is to see

how easy people find it to use

how many people abandon the site


and the over all success of the site/product

• Questionnairess on the following topics can be used on a varied group to test usability
  
1. Usefulness
2. Ease of Use
3. Ease of Learning
4. Satisfaction