Apple's Computer Launch Leads to Study of User Experience
2024-01-28
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1Many people first heard about Apple's Macintosh computer through a television commercial during the American football Super Bowl game in 1984.
2However, the commercial did not show a computer at all.
3It showed a woman throwing a hammer at a large screen.
4On the screen was a man giving a speech.
5The screen exploded and an announcer said, "Apple Computer will introduce Macintosh. ... And you'll see why 1984 won't be like '1984.'"
61984 is George Orwell's book about an authoritarian government.
7And Apple aimed to tell people that the new computer would be different.
8It would be easy to use.
9Many computers at the time only did one or two things.
10And they required the user to type complex commands to start the programs.
11Jacob O. Wobbrock is a professor of information at the University of Washington.
12He wrote about Apple's commercial in The Conversation.
13Apple "was selling a product for human beings to use," Wobbrock writes.
14After the commercial, he suggests, Apple became known for design and the world started paying attention to the idea of user experience, or human-computer interaction.
15"The Macintosh was one of the first products to really prioritize user experience and focus on making something useable and understandable, learnable even guessable. So that people didn't have to always read a manual to learn how to use it."
16Mackenzie Bristow is a former language teacher and researcher who now works in user experience in Atlanta, Georgia. She said Macintosh was one of the first products to think about "the user."
17"What is the role of the person? What is the role of the user?" she asked.
18She explained that in design, the rule is "first, understand the person" before thinking about what the product looks like and what it can do.
19Forty years after the launch of the Macintosh computer, we now see computer screens everywhere - at restaurants, at airports and even in cars.
20All of those devices have been designed by experts in user experience.
21Many colleges and universities now offer study programs in user experience.
22While it is part of STEM - science, technology, engineering and math - Wobbrock said students from different areas of study, including psychology or communication, could be successful.
23"The kind of student that thrives in user experience is a student who has above all else, a real curiosity about how people interact with technology. ... And students whose first language is not English can absolutely do well in user experience."
24One of those students is Kartik Sundaram of India.
25He studied computer science at the University of Michigan and chose user experience for his graduate study.
26He finished last year and is now teaching the subject.
27"I never felt like I had a personal desire to pursue [computer science]," he said. He called the work "very isolating."
28 For fun, he took a photography class.
29While in the class, he met someone who was studying in the User Experience Research and Design program.
30"He told me about how, you know, it's like this blend of design and people and technology, and that kind of lit a fire in my heart to say ok, this seems a lot more interesting, ... 'let's jump right in, let's learn more about it and let's apply to that school."
31Sundaram said user experience is good for people who are "personable and good at making connections."
32Some of those are called 'soft skills,' he said. And "the soft skills really matter."
33While he grew up speaking English, Sundaram said the world of user experience is more and more open to people who are learning English or who may speak with an accent.
34"I don't think it's an expectation that your English is flawless," he said.
35Bristow said the ability to speak more than one language "is kind of a super power in user experience," because those people are comfortable interacting with many different kinds of people.
36"That's really something to be celebrated," she said.
37Sundaram is teaching but also looking for work in the field.
38Wobbrock is a professor and Bristow works on training programs for a large company.
39They each spoke about the need for user experience professionals to work in the expanding field of artificial intelligence, or AI.
40Sundaram said "We're not going to be restricted to a text box in ChatGPT for much longer.
41There are going to be other ways to interact with it."
42Bristow said the ability to understand language is important.
43AI programs will need experts who understand how language changes based on where people live, their level of education and their age.
44Wobbrock said user experience professionals are starting to work on projects called human-AI interaction.
45"There will be a great need for user experience professionals to help understand how people and AI can interact and work together in profitable ways," he added.
46But Sundaram warned that user experience study programs, also known as UX, are becoming very popular.
47He said some students see UX as a field to make a lot of money with few certification requirements.
48And several companies are letting go of people with experience in the field.
49Sundaram said, "It's definitely a difficult market, but it's an incredible field and there are new interfaces coming out that need our work."
50I'm Dan Friedell. And I'm Jill Robbins.
1Many people first heard about Apple's Macintosh computer through a television commercial during the American football Super Bowl game in 1984. 2However, the commercial did not show a computer at all. It showed a woman throwing a hammer at a large screen. On the screen was a man giving a speech. The screen exploded and an announcer said, "Apple Computer will introduce Macintosh. ... And you'll see why 1984 won't be like '1984.'" 31984 is George Orwell's book about an authoritarian government. And Apple aimed to tell people that the new computer would be different. It would be easy to use. 4Made with humans in mind 5Many computers at the time only did one or two things. And they required the user to type complex commands to start the programs. 6Jacob O. Wobbrock is a professor of information at the University of Washington. He wrote about Apple's commercial in The Conversation. 7Apple "was selling a product for human beings to use," Wobbrock writes. After the commercial, he suggests, Apple became known for design and the world started paying attention to the idea of user experience, or human-computer interaction. 8"The Macintosh was one of the first products to really prioritize user experience and focus on making something useable and understandable, learnable even guessable. So that people didn't have to always read a manual to learn how to use it." 9Mackenzie Bristow is a former language teacher and researcher who now works in user experience in Atlanta, Georgia. She said Macintosh was one of the first products to think about "the user." 10"What is the role of the person? What is the role of the user?" she asked. She explained that in design, the rule is "first, understand the person" before thinking about what the product looks like and what it can do. 11Forty years after the launch of the Macintosh computer, we now see computer screens everywhere - at restaurants, at airports and even in cars. All of those devices have been designed by experts in user experience. 12STEM plus 'soft skills' 13Many colleges and universities now offer study programs in user experience. 14While it is part of STEM - science, technology, engineering and math - Wobbrock said students from different areas of study, including psychology or communication, could be successful. 15"The kind of student that thrives in user experience is a student who has above all else, a real curiosity about how people interact with technology. ... And students whose first language is not English can absolutely do well in user experience." 16One of those students is Kartik Sundaram of India. He studied computer science at the University of Michigan and chose user experience for his graduate study. He finished last year and is now teaching the subject. 17"I never felt like I had a personal desire to pursue [computer science]," he said. He called the work "very isolating." For fun, he took a photography class. While in the class, he met someone who was studying in the User Experience Research and Design program. 18"He told me about how, you know, it's like this blend of design and people and technology, and that kind of lit a fire in my heart to say ok, this seems a lot more interesting, ... 'let's jump right in, let's learn more about it and let's apply to that school." 19Sundaram said user experience is good for people who are "personable and good at making connections." Some of those are called 'soft skills,' he said. And "the soft skills really matter." 20While he grew up speaking English, Sundaram said the world of user experience is more and more open to people who are learning English or who may speak with an accent. 21"I don't think it's an expectation that your English is flawless," he said. 22Bristow said the ability to speak more than one language "is kind of a super power in user experience," because those people are comfortable interacting with many different kinds of people. "That's really something to be celebrated," she said. 23Future of UX and job outlook 24Sundaram is teaching but also looking for work in the field. Wobbrock is a professor and Bristow works on training programs for a large company. 25They each spoke about the need for user experience professionals to work in the expanding field of artificial intelligence, or AI. 26Sundaram said "We're not going to be restricted to a text box in ChatGPT for much longer. There are going to be other ways to interact with it." 27Bristow said the ability to understand language is important. AI programs will need experts who understand how language changes based on where people live, their level of education and their age. 28Wobbrock said user experience professionals are starting to work on projects called human-AI interaction. "There will be a great need for user experience professionals to help understand how people and AI can interact and work together in profitable ways," he added. 29But Sundaram warned that user experience study programs, also known as UX, are becoming very popular. He said some students see UX as a field to make a lot of money with few certification requirements. And several companies are letting go of people with experience in the field. 30Sundaram said, "It's definitely a difficult market, but it's an incredible field and there are new interfaces coming out that need our work." 31I'm Dan Friedell. And I'm Jill Robbins. 32Dan Friedell wrote this story for Learning English. 33_______________________________________ 34Words in This Story 35commercial -n. another name for a television advertisement 36authoritarian - adj. describing a restrictive government where power is with one or very few people 37prioritize -v. to put something first in order of importance 38focus - v. to make something the center of attention 39manual -n. a book with instructions or directions on how to operate something 40thrive -v. to do well or produce excellent work 41interact - v. how one thing mixes with another 42graduate -adj. a study program for an advanced degree, after a bachelor's degree 43isolating - adj. lonely, away from other people 44blend -n. a mixture of two or more things 45flawless -adj. without mistakes or errors 46certification - n. a test that proves you know how to do or perform a task 47interface -n. a system that permits two different things to connect with each other 48We want to hear from you. Do you know anyone who works in user experience or artificial intelligence?