Cases

The focus of this study is to get an insight into how the common task of paying for a parking space is addressed globally. Do parking meters differ between countries or are they all facing the same design challenges? Usability professionals in nine different countries went out and tried to use a local parking meter. They took pictures of this process and reported their findings to us. We then compared the different reports to find common patterns and problems.

The well-publicized launch of Apple's iPhone with its multi-touch user interface was the subject of a program of research conducted by User Centric. Many articles were written on the "wow" factor of the iPhone, but almost all reviews were based on opinion or anecdotal references. User Centric's objective was to assess the iPhone's usability from a more rigorous user experience research perspective. In short, the goal was to assess performance, satisfaction and usage employing quantitative and qualitative measures with actual users who were naïve to the testing objectives.

There is no doubt that the meticulous engineering of the Mini has led to an engaging driving experience. However, the user experience of the dashboard UI does not quite provide the driver with the same satisfaction. In the end, the Mini Clubman's dashboard UI needs to be simpler to use, especially at 125 mph.