http://www.wiklundrd.com/weblog Thoughts on human factors, design, and product development Fri, 22 Jan 2010 20:24:44 +0000 http://backend.userland.com/rss092 en I’ve recently became enamored with vintage office machines. I’ve caught a bit of eBay fever – 8 years late according to my colleagues – from bidding on and winning an old adding machine, a 302 Series Telephone (designed by Henry Dreyfuss), and a turn-of-the-century Royal typewriter. Like many others, I ... http://www.wiklundrd.com/weblog/?p=64 Amazon Kindle II No surprise that we admire the Kindle II wireless reading device. Whether you take one with a 6 inch or 9.7 inch diagonal screen, you’ll be getting the capacity to store thousands of books at a time and download them quickly – in about a minute or less. ... http://www.wiklundrd.com/weblog/?p=54 A decade ago, Europe was arguably lagging the USA regarding the application of human factors in medical device design. While European medical device manufacturers paid close attention to industrial design and associated ergonomic concerns, they focused less attention on overall usability, particularly the interactive quality of embedded software applications. Today, ... http://www.wiklundrd.com/weblog/?p=48 Hulu Website Hulu.com is extremely useful and easy to use. We like the website’s graphical simplicity and straightforward navigation. We also like the speed with which videos load-up and the way the site smoothly plays TV episodes and movies, not to mention the good picture quality. It's almost like a free ... http://www.wiklundrd.com/weblog/?p=30 Logitech 2.4 GHz Cordless Presenter Our folks are fans of Logitech’s new cordless presenter. The device’s body is covered in soft-feel plastic, accented by slick black and silver controls. The device has a built-in laser pointer, controls for switching to a blank screen and moving forward and backward in a PowerPoint ... http://www.wiklundrd.com/weblog/?p=29 Virtual Skylights and Windows Therapeutic Environmental Solutions markets a series of virtual skylights and windows that bring a touch of nature into the windowless rooms that are typical of many medical care settings (e.g., intensive care units and imaging centers). Looking upward at scenes from nature, as opposed to off-white ceiling ... http://www.wiklundrd.com/weblog/?p=25 My commentaries usually focus on human factors issues and user interface design quality. However, this commentary focuses on Dr. Atul Gawande’s wonderful books about the life and work of a surgeon and the associated topics of physician training, workload, and performance. Simply put, Dr. Gawande’s books are must-reads for individuals ... http://www.wiklundrd.com/weblog/?p=23 Steelcase Leap Chair You’d think a human factors firm like ours would be furnished with the most ergonomic office chairs. But, our frugal side got the best of us years back when we ordered an “economy model.” Big mistake, paid for by our sore backs. Now we’re systematically replacing the poor ... http://www.wiklundrd.com/weblog/?p=22