Blind Faith in Touchscreens and Apps

Golden Krishna’s Best Interface is No Interface is a criticism of the “slap an interface on it” mindset, the idea that if you put a touchscreen on anything, it must be an improvement over the old way of doing things.

 

He cites those self-checkout kiosks at many supermarkets as an example. Many stores in the US found that the incidence of shoplifting seemed to increase with the advent of self-checkout machines. Did people really start stealing once those machines came? Possible, of course. But it’s also possible that people are often confused – am I buying the supersized packet? Or the large one? If the buyer isn’t clear, guess which option he would be selecting…

 

The author’s point is not that the old systems and interfaces should not be changed. Rather, his ire is at the tendency to put a touchscreen’y “solution” to everything. Sometimes, an improvement can be without a screen. Take, he says, the problem of coming out of the supermarket with all those bags in both hands, and struggling to open the trunk. Would an app to open the trunk really help – how would you pull the phone out of your pocket with your hands full?!

 

Here's how Ford solved that problem. They put sensors to work instead. One set of sensors on the car detected if the owner was nearby. How? The car and the keys would exchange radio signals that could only work over a short range, i.e., when the two were too close to each other. Once they detected proximity, then the vehicle would use a kick on the bumper as the trigger to open the trunk. See how elegant that was? Yours legs were free, you didn’t need to fumble to get they keys (or your phone) out. It didn’t involve a touchscreen either.

 

Take the dishwasher. It has so many options:

“Appliance companies often feel the pressure to add a few more buttons and gizmos to get a few more bullet points that attract a few more sales without any advances in actual experience.”

Whirlpool’s solution:

“A button to end all buttons: A “Sensor Cycle”.”

The sensors measure the “temperature, soil level, and load size” and decides the right cycle. All without a touchscreen.

 

Having given many, many such instances, at the end, Krishna clarifies what his point is:

“(It) doesn’t mean the only outcome should be no interface, it means the best possible outcome is no interface.”

Aim for the best outcome, but yes, sometimes you have to settle. Such an approach would still yield better outcomes than the blind create-an-app approach or add-a-touchscreen approach would achieve. Touché.