01. Ergonomics: Interface Design
design brief
Interface Design for a Washing Machine kept in Public Domain for an Illiterate User
challenges faced by the illiterate user mission of the system
Written Language Illiteracy User is unable to read, write, count and make use of information provided in a language. Technological Illiteracy This deals with technophobia where technology intimidates the user. To allow an illiterate user to use washing machine to wash their clothes without intimidating or overwhelm ing the user or unscreasing the cognitive load.
task analysis and function allocation - Types of Clothes - Front Load - Top Load
- Water Temperature Hot, Cold, Warm - Water Level
Put Clothes in Bin H
Turn On Water
Semi Automatic (Put in washing bin)
Semi Automatic (Decide water level)
Semi Automatic (Along with clothes in washing bin)
Fully Automatic (Single bin)
Fully Automatic (Machine decides)
Fully Automatic (In detergent bin)
C-H
- Timer - Speed
Put Detergent C-H
Close Lid H
Washing Clothes Controls H-C
- Timer - Speed
Switch ON H
Spin Cycle Timer Ring C
Clothes in Drying Bin C Semi Automatic (Transfer clothes to drying bin) Fully Automatic (Single bin)
Drying Clothes Controls C-H
Switch ON H
Drying Cycle Timer Ring C
Take Out Clothes H
simplifying the controls The task has been broken down into most basic steps with the required bare minimum inputs if any.
How Dirty Clothes Are? which decides timer and spin settings
Put Clothes in Bin H
Turn On Water
Seperate clothes by color and type
Sensors that check weight and decide water level
1
C
Put Detergent C-H
Close Lid H
Detergent is in-built in the system as illiterate user might get confused as to which detergent to use and how much
Washing Clothes Controls H-C Sensors that check weight and decide settings
2
3
Switch ON H
Spin Cycle Timer Ring C
Clothes in Drying Bin C
Drying Clothes Controls C-H
Display
Single bin for washing and drying
Adjusted according to wash settings
4 5
Switch ON H
Drying Cycle Timer Ring C
Take Out Clothes H
Display
6
7
8
width is adjusted according to the width of washing machine
Dia 20 mm
To switch it on or off, user presses the Power Button
Dia 15mm
To repeat instructions, user presses the Help Button
Dia 15mm
In case on a mistake, user presses the Cancel Button
Dia 15mm
After completing each step, user presses the Confirm Button
Cotton Dia 10mm
Woollen Gentle Wash
90mm
- No text - Only Icons and Numericals as, according to a study, illiterate users are able to recognize numerals - Divided into Steps - Audio and Visual feedback LED lights up and moves to next step as user confirms completing a step. Flickering LED in washing and drying cycle Beeps at the end of stage - Confirmation required - Help is provided in the form of Visual Video Instructions with Audio in the local langauge dominantly spoken in that particular area
120mm
design principles and final design
120mm
Monitor is 3:4 Display
display animations
1
Seperating clothes and putting them in the bin.
2 3
Close the lid.
Press the button according to the type of clothes.
Population Stereotype and Mental Model have been considered for info graphics and control labels.
4
Machine will vibrate while washing. Dont panic. Dont touch the machine while clothes are washing. Press power off to stop. Clothes are getting washed. Kindly wait. Clothes are done.
5
Clothes are washed. Press cancel to remove wet clothes or confirm to continue.
5
Machine will vibrate while washing. Dont panic. Dont touch the machine while clothes are washing. Press power off to stop. Clothes are getting dryed. Kindly wait. Clothes are done.
6
Open the lid. Take out the clothes. Dont forget to press power off button.
interactive presentation
As per instructions, an interactive presentation was made in Power Point with Animations, Transitions and Sound Recordings in Hindi language. The link can be found in the description box below.