Presented at SCREENS 2013 in Toronto. Details at fitc.ca/screens InteraXon is bringing wearable technology and EEG – technology until only recently available in medical labs – to the consumer space with Muse: a flexible light 6 sensor brain sensing headband and software platform. Peek underneath the hood of a brain-sensing device like Muse, and you’ll find an innovate process for evaluating, validating and executing user experience into the product design. In this talk InteraXon CPO and co-founder Trevor Coleman will discuss how his company’s technology is also changing (and challenging) UX and product design conventions. Why this is mission critical to address consumer needs; and how this builds a superior quality product in a still emerging market. When you’re creating the future of technology you can’t work using outdated methodologies. Peek underneath the hood of Muse, and you’ll find not just the next generation of user interfaces but a cutting edge approach to determining what that exactly is.

1. Jay Vidyarthi
jay@interaXon.ca
@jayvidyarthi
Trevor Coleman
trevor@interaXon.ca
@trevorcoleman
Brain Sensing Technologies

4. Our Unique Challenges

9. Bright Ideas

11. Where
is
it
today?
Examples
of
current
TCC
applica9ons
(Demonstrate
spectrum
of)
1
Asimo
Robo9cs
2
Matel
Gaming
/
Entertainment
3
Sleep
Trainer
–
health
+
Wellness
4
….

13. 2.0(and beyond)

14. First Generation
Technology first
Possibilities
HW, Algorithm, App
all separate
Goal: advance
technology
Humans first
Real use cases
Holistic approach to
development
Goal: Improve lives

15. Core Values
Open
Responsible
Compassion
Human Focused
Inspiring

17. A new approach
to UX

18. Human-centered design is not about
technology, and it’s not about aesthetics.
It’s about empathy.

19. Define the following term in your own words.
Be casual and truthful. What do you really think?
Design

20. “Form ever
follows function.”
- Louis Sullivan, 1896

21. “If people are made
safer, more
comfortable, more
eager to purchase,
more efficient, or
just happier, the
designer has
succeeded.”
- Henry Dreyfuss, 1951

22. “Everyone designs who
devises courses of
action aimed at
changing existing
situations into
preferred ones.”
- Herbert Simon, 1969

23. Computer technology may be
strictly logical…
…but our irrational minds are in control
of these rational tools!

24. The human mind is irrational.
Logical Conclusions + Emotional State + Social
Circumstance + Perceptual Biases + etc.
= Decision / Attribution / Action

25. A good technological interface
connects irrational minds to logical
computers…
Logical
Symbol
Manipulator
Irrational
User
Interface Tailored to
Irrational Mind
Controls

26. “Usability” is all about
optimizing this interface.
Logical
Symbol
Manipulator
Irrational
User
Interface Tailored to
Irrational Mind
Controls

27. “Norman
Doors”

28. Norman’s book is from 1988!

29. The old view of the “system”
CPU
Memory
etc…
Software
Display
(output)
Touchscreen
/ buttons (input)

30. A sample engineering problem…
CPU
etc…
Software
Display
(output)
Touchscreen
/ buttons (input)
ERROR
Memory

31. The holistic “system”
Irrational
User
CPU
etc…
Software
Display
(output)
Touchscreen
/ buttons (input)
Memory

32. A sample usability problem.
Irrational
User
CPU
Memory
etc…
Software
Display
(output)
Touchscreen
/ buttons (input)
ERROR

33. We can estimate, but we cannot truly predict
the behaviour of the irrational human mind...

34. We can estimate, but we cannot truly predict
the behaviour of the irrational human mind...
...how could we empathize without
feedback from our audience?

35. Usability Methodology:
Implement
Evaluate
Release

36. Validating usability was
only the beginning.
...it doesn’t capture the
real context of life.

37. Validating usability was
only the beginning.
Now we design
for experience.

38. User Experience (UX) :Ensuring our
application is not only
usable / functional, but also that it cultivates
certain subjective experiences in people.

39. P. Morville’s UX Honeycomb
Designing for “experience”

40. § Motivations
Why people interact with your application
§ Expectations
How people think it should work
§ Perceptions
How the application influences their senses
§ Abilities
How able they are to interact with the product or the service
§ Context
Where and when do people engage with it? What’s on their mind?
§ Culture
Manners, language, behavioral norms, social norms, expectations, etc.
Designing for “experience”

41. Usability Methodology:
Implement
Evaluate
Release

42. SUCCESS
FAILURE
?
Implement
Evaluate
Release
Usability Methodology:

43. Usability evaluation isn’t enough, because
re-development can be costly.

44. User Experience Methodology:
Observe / Analyze
(Re)-Design
Wireframe / Prototype
Evaluate
Implement + Release
Good enough?

45. User Experience Methodology:
Observe / Analyze
(Re)-Design
Wireframe / Prototype
Evaluate
Implement + Release
COGNITIVE / PERCEPTUAL
PSYCHOLOGY
Good enough?

46. Good enough?
COGNITIVE / PERCEPTUAL
PSYCHOLOGY
User Experience Methodology:
Observe / Analyze
(Re)-Design
Wireframe / Prototype
Evaluate
Implement + Release
A FULL DESIGN PROCESS
BEFORE IMPLEMENTING

47. While the up-front research and design
seemed like the ideal approach...
It doesn’t account for the evolving
nature of real projects (pivots).

48.
Sprint
#
1
Sprint
#
2
Sprint
#
3
Etc....
Agile

49.
Sprint
#
1
Sprint
#
2
Sprint
#
3
Agile UX
Etc....

50.
Sprint
#
1
Sprint
#
2
Sprint
#
3
Agile UX
Design
Wireframe
Evaluate
Design
Wireframe
Evaluate
Design
Wireframe
Evaluate
Etc....

51.
Sprint
#
1
Sprint
#
2
Sprint
#
3
Up-­‐front
User
Research
w/
Med-­‐fidelity
Prototype
Design
Wireframe
Evaluate
Design
Wireframe
Evaluate
Design
Wireframe
Evaluate
Etc....
Empathic,
Aspira4onal
Informa4on
Architecture
+
Interface
Design
Our Unique Approach

52. How did we get here?

53. Human-centered design is not about
technology, and it’s not about aesthetics.
It’s about empathy.

54. Empathic,
Aspira4onal
Informa4on
Architecture
+
Interface
Design
Sprint
#
1
Sprint
#
2
Sprint
#
3
Etc....
Our Unique Approach
Up-­‐front
User
Research
w/
Med-­‐fidelity
Prototype
Design
Wireframe
Evaluate
Design
Wireframe
Evaluate
Design
Wireframe
Evaluate

55. Empathic human-centered
design should be skeptical of
technological marvels.

56. Be a skeptic.
Be empathic.
Champion
the people.

57. No Problem Is Unique

58. More Info:
www.findyourmuse.com
developers@interaxon.ca
Twitter: @interaxon
Hey Developers: We’re hiring!
http://interaxon.theresumator.com