Calm technology – Feedbacks that informs without overburdening

Every instructional designer is taught about the significance of providing feedbacks. The importance of providing effective feedbacks in computer-based learning is well known to instructional designers since the advent of the discipline. However today educational technologist are attempting to change the face of computers they are experimenting on innovative ways in which computer technologies can be used in different forms for example the palmtops. While attempting to use these new innovations, it is valuable to take two cents from Norman on how to provide feedbacks.
In the readings this week Norman advocates the type of feedbacks that informs users without overburdening them. To elucidate his point he provides example of machines and applications that can presents feedbacks in calming and irritating modes. According to me this two cents are also applicable to the principles of instructional design.
A very recent example that I can think of, is an educational software that is being developed for school children. The software is game, which is designed to inform the consequences of war. The students are expected to play the roles of soldiers and are expected to make critical decisions. These critical decisions are made on a computer screen, which are called the decision stations the actual computers are hidden, and the students are not aware of the backend that is being used. The screen presents the students a graphical interface, here the student has to use sliders and meter gauzes to understand the implications of their decision.
When these decisions stations were first tested with a group of students, it was found that the students were struggling to find the cues and waiting for feedbacks for interacting with the interface. However it failed to provide them with the necessary feedback. This reminds me of the Newton system that failed to meet the user expectations, as it remained silent on users incorrect method of using the system. In the case of the decision station I could observe the same thing was happening. Here the technology was challenging the students by being silent. One good thing was that the product was still in its testing phase and will be improve upon…this experience also establishes the importance of usability testing in instructional design.

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Augmenting or Automomous?

“Augmenting tools are comforting; for they leave the decisions about activities to people” Opposed to Autonomous things “that attempt to infer the intentions of people”.
Norman in this chapter talks about smart homes that can remind us of our daily tasks; help us make decisions; keep us informed about the happening in the house and what not.The readings this week intrigued me to explore Smart home technologies and to my surprise I found galore of information on the internet. Homes that can help you make wise decision about the clothing you should wear depending on the weather outside. The walls that can transform according to the whims and fancies of the person staying inside....



An aesthetically designed kitchen with an island which is a computerized, a digital notice board that informs about the resources that are being consumed in house, it makes a list of grocery that can be negotiated to the smart phone......



Norman talks about two different homes, one that makes people smart and the other that is smart by itself. According to me the former is built around the principles of augmented technologies while the later is autonomous. Given a choice I would prefer to stay in a house which uses augmented technologies because in that case I have a choice to make my own decisions the technology just helps me meet my desire. However in the case of autonomous houses the technology will not sense my desire rather it will just track my physical motions and act accordingly. I feel what Norman wants to put forth here is that automation rules out the possibility of human involvement in controlling technology further empowering the technology over humans. Whereas augmentation, still helps us retain the symbiotic relationship between technology and humans.

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How much and how far?

WESTJET FLIGHT SIMULATOR

How much and how far? I think its all about it. How much should we rely on technology and automation and how far will it meet our expectations. Should we get into the loop or completely avoid it. Many questions filled my mind as I read Norman's chapter four “Servants of our Machines” The following piece of content grabbed my attention this week.

“In theory, a person could still be in the loop, stay full aware of the situation, even with completely automated equipment, by continually monitoring the vehicles actions and assessing the situation being ready to step in when needed.”

Norman refers it to as “Situational Awareness”. This triggered my memories of the field visit last week to the West Jet flight Simulator. It was a WOW experience. I got into the plane sat besides the captain and had the pleasure of a mesmerizing tour over Calgary. I am sure that a number of principles and theories are deployed in developing a close to reality model/simulation and the one that I associated with the West Jet model was “situational awareness”. Coming back to what Norman says about situational awareness, and what I understand from my learning is that it is about perception, comprehension and prediction. What do you perceive from the environment? How do you comprehend the perceived event? And what and how do you predict and deal with that particular event in future or rather how you interact with such a kind of event in future. The point of concern here is that, Norman talks about the fully automated cars of the future that will provide us the luxury of not holding the steering, twisting and turning but according to the principles of situational awareness we have to be vigilant like pilots are while flying the plane. The plane is fully automated but pilots are constantly monitoring its actions and control it with their eyes pealed. It will be good to have a car like that but I think that the fully automation will have other demands for us it will generate a list of things that we have to watch and monitor in our car so that it give us a safe ride. We will have to be vigilant about each and every move it makes for us and maintain a symbiotic relationship after all it is a matter of our life.
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