DC154 Critique: Samsung and Sony DAPs

Instructional designer Brian Duck joins Tim for two topics: why
are UX practitioners still having to persuade  some
companies that we need access to end users on our projects in
2021, and why Sony's ultra portable digital audio player is so
bad compared with Samsung's player from 15 years ago.


00:00 - 08:00  We commiserate on the need in 2021, in some
companies, to explain the fundamental need for early access to
the end users of our projects rather than accept what managers
dictate as "What the users need". Too many places still think
requirements can be determined without proper stakeholder
involvement.


08:00-40:00 We discuss the lack of progress in portable digital
audio player UX by contrasting the superior UX of Samsung's
15-year old YP-U2J design with Sony's recent NWZ-B183 design that
Tim is disappointed by. Brian tries each player for the first
time to provide "newbie eyes" in this informal discussion ( this
is not meant to be a real usability test). We discuss the
importance of benchmarking a product category's UX among
competing products before starting a project, and ensuring that
those benchmarks are met or exceeded. We don't have any inside
knowledge at Samsung or Sony about these two projects, but the
glaring UX mistakes in the Sony are difficult to understand in
2021.


Our summary of UX advice for the portable digital audio player
design space is what Samsung did right in 2006:
* Employ high contrast for easy reading in dim light and for
users who have difficulty with fine print both on screen and on
the body of the player.
* Employ large enough text for the same reasons both on the
player and in the screen.
* Provide an asymmetrical cap shape and make sure it fits tightly
to protect the USB port from being damaged.
* Provide an asymmetrical shape of the player itself to make it
easy for users to operate by feel without eyes on. This includes
the headphone jack location for players that are not solely
bluetooth.
* Provide large enough and easily recognized hard buttons for
basic function like Play, Next, Back, FF, REV.
* Ensure the firmware operates the hard buttons consistently as
on the Samsung--the Sony unit changes the direction of the Next
and Back buttons based on which menu screen a user is navigating,
infuriating!


A positive review of the Sony that contrasts with Tim's
disappointment:
https://www.techulator.com/resources/15789-Sony-Walkman-NWZ-B183F-review.aspx


A quick YouTube video of a delighted Samsung customer whose
YP-U2J still works great after 15 years. Build quality matters as
well as UX!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jgbUrN_g7lQ