ge user interface
DESCRIPTION
This book describes our groups process in creating a GE user interfaceTRANSCRIPT
the GEproject
teamfront loaders
ashley jayme katie
teamfront loaders
the research
the interviewsWe interviewed various people in a certain age range in order to gather data on their usage of washing machines and how they feel about their current washers. We used a standard set of questions for each individual in order to hit the key points of information that we needed to gather. The following are specific profiles of the people we talked to.
10weinterviewed
10 peopleand this is what they said
meet jessicaJessica is a 26 year old, epidemiologist living in Louisville, Ky. Between family and work she does 2-3 loads of laundry per week.
meet andyAndy is a 26 year old, safety engineer living in Murray, Ky. Andy does about one load of laundry per week, sometimes two depending on how dirty he gets when he plays football.
she is atop loaderJessica is not fond of the idea of a front loader and enjoys the ease of use and reliability of her top loader.
he is afront loaderAndy bought his front loader so he could do larger loads and because he feels they are more reliable.
individual
meet renéeRenée is 32 and is the Administrative Assistant at the Hite Art Institute. She does her laundry every Sunday and occasionally sneaks in another load mid-week.
she is atop loaderAlthough Renée is a top loader, the idea of a front loader is appealing to her. Because she is a renter at the moment she has not bought a front loader yet.
comprehensive
20%
80%
80%
50%
50%
wash clothes once a week
wash clothes 2-3 times a week
have front loaders
40%
have toploaders
60%
80%20%
when asked how long a washer should last
said washer colordoes not matter
70%
have help from family
20%
view it as a chore
40%
change the wash settings
60%
separate colors70%
the machinesAfter researching our competition, we chose a washing machine in the $900-1,000 range for each of our major competitors. We then compared and contrasted the main components for each washer to see what would best fit on our GE washer. This is what we found.
commonalities
steamoption
colors/normals
delicates/handwash
Between the four washing machine interfaces we found the following commonalities:
quickrinse
rinse& spin
delaystart
LGThis is Extra Large Capacity TurboWash™ Washer which allows you to save 20 minutes per load. LG’s washer pushes:
- TurboWash Technology- Extra large capacities- Steam technology
12 cycles5 temperature settings5 soil levels
pros
cons
The power button is large and easily legible
The light calls out what function you are using which is very helpful
The size and shape of these buttons read simply and are well organized
The countdown clock with icons is efficient
The ruling lines make the information difficult to connect to the dial
The play button can confuse the user
The black box around this information makes it difficult to read it as separate
whirlpoolIn this Whirlpool front loader you can find a large load capacity and easy to use functions. This model lacks any soil levels like its competitors. This Whirlpool model pushes:- Ecoboost- Energystar qualification- Ecomonitor
12 cycles5 temperature settings
Backlit light
Light indicates cycle in use
-Simple clock-Timeline of wash cycle
-All caps type is hard to read-No notches indicating cycle
-Symbols for power and start look to much alike-Placement of buttons
-Too many button sizes-Buttons and settings do not line up
pros
cons
samsungWith this Samsung you can do fewer loads of laundry because of the super capacity size, ultimately saving you water and electricity.Samsung pushes:
- Steam cycle- PureCycle, - Energy Star qualification- VRT, vibration reduction technology.
11 cycles4 temperature settings
pros
cons
The lower-case words around the dial make the choices very easy to read
The orange indicator simply displays what options are related to steam
The timeline effectively portrays which spot the cycle is on
The size of these buttons reads most effectively
These options do not read with the buttons that they correspond with
The different shapes of the important buttons is distracting
GEThe GE Energy Star features a variety of fuctions including its ability to wash bulky bedding.For this model, GE pushes:
- eWash- Steam Assist- HydroHeater
9 cycles5 temperature settings4 soil levels
-Easy to read-Cycles used most on top-Light indicates cycle in use
Clock is the only object on LED screen
Steam Assist called out
Buttons and settings line up
Buttons lost between knob and LED screen
Too many button sizes
pros
cons
colorindicator
on dial
simpleclock
timelinein black
most important
cycleat top
call outindicator
forsteam cycle
bigstart
button
collective pros & cons
allcaps
varyingbutton
sizes
whenoptions
don’tline up
usingruling
lines
too many optionson the
clock screen
play/pausebutton
for start
interfacedesign
design strategySimple, easy and clean. We want people to be able to look at our washer and not have to question what a cycle does or what a button means. Simple, easy to understand, and hopefully, our washer won’t take reading a user’s manual to figure out how to do a basic load of laundry. We want our washer to be so straightforward, anyone could use it.
Whites
Quick Wash
Steam
Handwash/Wool
Delicates
Colors/Normal
Heavy
Permanent Press
Drain/Spin
Sanitize
Bulky
11:47Sensing Wash Rinse Spin
Power
Temp
Spin
Soil
ExtraLight
Light Normal Heavy ExtraHeavy
NoSpin
Low Medium High ExtendedHigh
ExtraCold
Cold Warm Hot ExtraHot
Steam
Start
Stop
initial design
Whites
Quick Wash
Steam
Handwash/Wool
Delicates
Colors/Normal
Heavy
Permanent Press
Drain/Spin
Sanitize
Bulky
11:47Sensing Wash Rinse Spin
Power
Temp
Spin
Soil
ExtraLight
Light Normal Heavy ExtraHeavy
NoSpin
Low Medium High ExtendedHigh
ExtraCold
Cold Warm Hot ExtraHot
Steam
Start
Stop
Whites
Quick Wash
Steam
Handwash/Wool
Delicates
Colors/Normal
Heavy
Permanent Press
Drain/Spin
Sanitize
Bulky
11:47Sensing Wash Rinse Spin
Power
Temp
Spin
Soil
ExtraLight
Light Normal Heavy ExtraHeavy
NoSpin
Low Medium High ExtendedHigh
ExtraCold
Cold Warm Hot ExtraHot
Steam
Start
Stop
Whites
Quick Wash
Steam
Handwash/Wool
Delicates
Colors/Normal
Heavy
Permanent Press
Drain/Spin
Sanitize
Bulky
11:47Sensing Wash Rinse Spin
Power
Temp
Spin
Soil
ExtraLight
Light Normal Heavy ExtraHeavy
NoSpin
Low Medium High ExtendedHigh
ExtraCold
Cold Warm Hot ExtraHot
Steam
Start
Stop
client feedbackAfter pitching our design we realized that it would not work how we had originally planned. We liked the feel of our design, but had to change the layout to accommodate all of the information and keep our overall design simple and easy to use. Our main focus in redesigning our interface was cutting down on the total travel time the consumer would have while choosing the settings for their laundry.
final design
11:47WashFill RinseDrain Spin Done
Power
Temp
Spin
Soil
ExtraLight
Light Normal Heavy ExtraHeavy
NoSpin
Low Medium High ExtendedHigh
ExtraCold
Cold Warm Hot ExtraHot
Whites
Quick WashBasket Clean
Delicates / Handwash
Colors / Normal
Stain Wash
Permanent Press
Drain / Spin
Sanitize
Bulky Bedding
Steam
Delay Wash
Prewash
Extra Rinse
eWash
Stain Removal
11:47WashFill RinseDrain Spin Done
Power
Temp
Spin
Soil
ExtraLight
Light Normal Heavy ExtraHeavy
NoSpin
Low Medium High ExtendedHigh
ExtraCold
Cold Warm Hot ExtraHot
Whites
Quick WashBasket Clean
Delicates / Handwash
Colors / Normal
Stain Wash
Permanent Press
Drain / Spin
Sanitize
Bulky Bedding
Steam
Delay Wash
Prewash
Extra Rinse
eWash
Stain Removal
11:47WashFill RinseDrain Spin Done
Power
Temp
Spin
Soil
ExtraLight
Light Normal Heavy ExtraHeavy
NoSpin
Low Medium High ExtendedHigh
ExtraCold
Cold Warm Hot ExtraHot
Whites
Quick WashBasket Clean
Delicates / Handwash
Colors / Normal
Stain Wash
Permanent Press
Drain / Spin
Sanitize
Bulky Bedding
Steam
Delay Wash
Prewash
Extra Rinse
eWash
Stain Removal
11:47WashFill RinseDrain Spin Done
Power
Temp
Spin
Soil
ExtraLight
Light Normal Heavy ExtraHeavy
NoSpin
Low Medium High ExtendedHigh
ExtraCold
Cold Warm Hot ExtraHot
Whites
Quick WashBasket Clean
Delicates / Handwash
Colors / Normal
Stain Wash
Permanent Press
Drain / Spin
Sanitize
Bulky Bedding
Steam
Delay Wash
Prewash
Extra Rinse
eWash
Stain Removal