cellphones..all about user experience

This is one story that's been beggin to be written! What is it with cellphones today....in an era when user experience rules, we still have companies like Sony, Samsung and even Nokia throwing model after model at us, models which have some obvious flaws in the UE arena.
My old cell was the Samsung D840 - killer looks and pretty good usability with intuitive task flows and well-designed icons. I loved it...except for one little flaw - the display kept dying out on me :( After multiple rounds of service and repair, I had no choice but to give up on my beloved slider. Then i bought the K770i which is a simple bar phone with a pretty cool UI. But, there are issues on the usability front which to me are very obvious ones. For instance, if i have selected a track to listen on the music player and i wanna make it my ringtone...the D840 had a menu option right there. In the Sony phone, there is no quick way to do this. I have to go into the menu > settings > sound settings > ringtones > then select the song from the list and only then can i set it as a ringtone!! Phew...talk about a totally unoptimized task flow!
Frequently used features like 'Silent Mode', turning on the speaker or adding contacts to the phonebook must be at one-click access.

Users expect more and its upto interaction designers to take note of such basic user needs and work them into a design.

teaching through creativity.

I've been a bit lazy of late and not writing regularly but this weekend watched Taare Zameen Par and had to say something abt it! Took my kid and my parents and we kept thinking if he's getting affected...is he feeling sad...i was holding his hand too. Slowly, I realised he was the least affected of the lot...while the 3 of us were weeping like kids!!
The movie is soulful and the acting of the little boy inspiring. Aamir Khan as the teacher who regonized the boy's inner talent and helped him overcome his learning troubles, was subtle and effective.
It is a pointer to the schools of today to encourage learning through different media like art and music. I remember school as hours of reading text books, cramming pages of chemistry and history and when i am at my job today i wonder to what use was all of that? Where have I applied what i learnt and how much do I remember? It is heartening to note that some of the newer schools have started using alternative practical approaches to teaching. MY son as part pf KG classes has exercises to study reflections in the mirror or take a torch and flash shadows on the wall and watch how they change with the distance of the torch from his hand. He paints, has music class and sometimes spends time in the school garden looking for 'creepie crawlies' :) The sheer joy on my son;s face when he is asked to finger paint or model letters out of clay...is a sight to savour.

It's a whole new world and the sooner these li'l children understand nature and life and growth, the better adults they will turn out to be. And what better way to induct them than to let them explore the world and create opportunities for learning through fun, games and creativity.

This one's for all those wonderful teachers who dare to think different and truly believe in the power of lateral thinking and creativity for learning.