Technology is designed to make life easier for its users. At the same time, technology comes with the risk of causing bad behaviors and user experiences.
1) The Notifications Ball and Chain:
Notifications pop up and alert users about anything form Amber Alerts to Messages received. When notifications pop up on a mobile device, users often glance immediately at their phones to check if it is important. If the user is in conversation with another, both individuals will glance at the phone because of familiarity. Notifications have a Pavlovian effect: mobile users' eyes immediately scan the notifications upon immediate receipt.
The Notifications Pavlovian Effect stretches across platforms as well. I performed contextual inquiry on users with Apple iWatches and noticed that every single user glanced at their iWatch when they received a message. Many users would also completely stop the conversation to read or respond to the message. The watch created friction and a bad user experience for the in-person conversation.
As a test, I wore a Fitbit device with the notifications feature turned on for a day. Ever single time I received a message or phone call, the device would vibrate and I would be inundated with information. After the 5th text from my mother, I had to turn off my notifications. The notifications included too much information and created friction to disrupt my life, which I found to be an overall bad user experience.
2) Email ADHD:
Email ADHD has become a common trend. Working professionals receive anywhere from 100-1000 emails a day (perhaps some people receive more) and are constantly checking their emails. Although it may be impossible to read all the emails, professionals are still expected to constantly be up to date with their inboxes or be fired. Supposedly, there are only two types of email users: "Inbox Zero" people and people who never clean out their inboxes.
Performing contextual inquiry, I analyzed the behaviors of friends who worked at various law firms and consulting firms in Manhattan. In a span of an hour lunch or two hour dinner, I watched these friends whip out their phones to check their emails around ever 10 minutes. Although most users' phones were on silent and did not receive notifications, they claimed to "just know" that they had received emails --and in all cases, the users were correct. Many times, these professionals would respond immediately to their emails because it was a client or a partner. Was this really necessary? Perhaps in certain cases or immediate projects. Overall, I found that email checking disrupted the meal experience, similar to notifications.
3) Iphone Dependence:
"I can't live without my phone," is probably a phrase that we have all uttered. Because mobile phone users are so used to having their devices on them at all times, losing, misplacing, or not having your phone is perhaps a fear comparable to death or social suicide.
Recently, I had the chance to contextually analyze a 17-year old high school student who left his phone at home. He seemed withdrawn, unengaged, despondent. "Sorry, I don't have my phone," was his response to my question about whether apples were healthy or not. When he went home to get his phone, he returned, energized, excited, and ready to engage because he felt "connected to the world."
As a test, I decided to leave my iPhone in my apartment for a day. Initially, my thoughts were focused on worry about who was looking for me and whether friends and family knew I was OK. At the same time, I noticed that I felt freer and able to think without the habit of pulling my iPhone out to check it, even if I did not have notifications, messages, or calls. The biggest drawback to my experience was the lack of camera when I saw an interesting image. The inability to instantly Google for information was annoying, but not completely problematic because I could wait until going home to use my laptop. By the end of the day, I found the digital detox to be a great change of pace and comfortable to know that I was not wholly dependent on my iPhone.
4) Excess Gadgetry:
Can a techie have too many gadgets? When does one have too many gadgets? In terms of user experience, a techie has too many gadgets when he doesn't use them. If an Alexa is sitting around dormant for 8 months, a usability gap exists. If the Oculus Rift DK2 has been sitting in a closet for 2 years because the techie hasn't figured out how to use it, an accessibility problem exists. Having new hardware and software is exciting, but when these technologies are not being used, there are underlying user experience problems.
Duplicative devices also make for a diminished user experience. If the techie has two devices that perform the same function, he probably could do with just one. The functionality problem arises in the fact that user is doing the same thing twice, being half as productive as having one device and performing the function once. In large cities like New York, duplicative hardware also takes up excess real estate in one's small apartment and decrease space functionality.
If excess gadgetry is causing usability, functionality, and accessibility problems for a techie, it may be time to "KonMari" these gadgets for 2017.