Usability Concerns in the Design of Consumer Electronic Products

Abstract

This research considers existing literature discussing the usability of microelectronic products, and reports on research undertaken by the author in identifying consumer perception of contemporary and legacy electronic products. The effect of microelectronic advancement on product usability is investigated and analysed, in combination with case‐based investigation into consumer attitudes to product purchase and usability of digital cameras. Research was conducted through a structured questionnaire, focus groups and interviews. The findings suggest that users see benefits in microelectronics, such as useful functionality, improvements in size, weight and general versatility, but also found the increased complexity and reduced reliability in electronic products as detrimental to usability. Nonelectronic products were identified as largely simpler and more intuitive and therefore more usable. Ultimately it was a combination of high functionality and usability that users demanded, an amalgamation largely achieved by digital cameras through the use of a well designed and intuitive interface and menu system. However, the project concluded that digital cameras were a rare case within current electronic product design, and overall usability had been detrimentally affected by the increase in the use of microelectronics.