IZAC ROSSSERVICE &
INTERACTION DESIGN

PROJECT SUMMARY

Standard compact point and shoot cameras have developed deep and rich feature sets. As feature creep has found its way into the most basic of cameras, levels of modality have drastically increased. In order to make these modalities apparent, a new interface paradigm must be created. Create a new interface without changing the overall form and screen technology.

Project Timeline: 5 weeks

RESTRICTIONS

TOURIST STOCKING & INTERVIEWS

In order to inform design direction, I went to tourist destinations in Savannah, Georgia, and observed photo taking behavior and interviewed several people about what they liked and disliked about their cameras. A key takeaway from this research was that scene modes were not often used unless the camera made them apparent through a selection dial.  Additionally, those who had larger point and shoot cameras, with more accessible and fewer modal interfaces, better utilized the camera settings to take photographs. Based on this research, I focused the redesign on minimizing the modality setting complexity, to make this compact point and shoot camera comparable to its larger counterparts and to improve usability.

PARTICIPATORY DESIGN

FOCUS SETTING

Six flows were chosen to conduct a paper prototype of the existing camera experience. These flows were used to start a participatory design discussion of the camera interface. They represent a selection of both surface and deeply embedded camera features that test the users’ mental models of digital cameras.

FLOWS TESTED

1. Take a photo without the flash
2. Set the time zone
3. Set the shooting mode for snow
4. Take a time lapse video
5. Play back the video
6. Delete the video

PAPER PROTOTYPE OF REDESIGNED CAMERA INTERFACE

A paper prototype of the redesigned camera interface and a physical model with a new button layout was developed based on the findings of the participatory design research. This was used for validation testing with 6 participants.

PROPOSED SOLUTION

VIDEO PROTOTYPE