UX and Interaction Design

Norman's concept of doors: Pretty Interesting. 

• How did Disney use Norman's concepts of affordances, signifiers, and feedback to help patrons understand how to use the Magic Band? Define each of those terms and provide specific examples of each from the MagicBand system.

Their MagicBands, tech-studded wristbands available to every visitor to the Magic Kingdom, feature a long-range radio that can transmit more than 40 feet in every direction. The hostess, on her modified iPhone, received a signal when the family was just a few paces away. MagicBands and triangulated their location using another receiver in the ceiling. The server—as in waitperson, not computer array—knew what they ordered before they even approached the restaurant and knew where they were sitting.

This term can be stated as a relationship between the object and the how it works with person using it. The presence of an affordance is jointly determined by the qualities of the object and the abilities of the agent that is interacting.

It should be clearly understood that it is not a property although it creates properties in a way to have better affordance for people using the object. An affordance is a relationship. Whether an affordance exists depends upon the properties of both the object and the agent.

The example from disney world can be that if you’re wearing your Disney MagicBand it shows that you’ve made a reservation, you can access the places with the band, you preordered food will come where ever you are sitting. This is a perfect example of affordance as it allows people of any age to wear a band and enjoy the services at disney. 

One need not to carry cash, as the MagicBand is already linked to the credit card. The users are already pre registered and don’t need to wait in long lines. This technology fits the relationship between the object and the how it works with person using it.

A well defined affordance help people figure out what actions are possible without

the need for labels or instructions. But if this task is not completed we use the different other means to make it more accessible and easy to understand, methods used to do so can be stated as “Signifiers”. Affordances determine what actions are

possible where as signifiers communicate where the action should take place.

Their MagicBands, tech-studded wristbands, is provided to every person visiting the Magic Kingdom. It  feature a long-range radio that can transmit more than 40 feet in every direction. The hostess gets notified when you pretty near to them and can note where you sit and what have you preordered. MagicBands and triangulated their location using another receiver in the ceiling. The service is a Signifiers as it can usually used by the costumer easily,  as a access card, credit card and of course a Disney visit band.

Feedback can be defined as communicating the results of an action. It must be immediate: even a delay of a tenth of a second can be disconcerting

The example can be stated from the disney as they have all access just taping the band which allows them to go on rides as well get food, pick parking. All with just a tap of band and instantly.

• How did they use the MagicBand device to deliver a frictionless experience for their patrons?

The perfect balance of  affordances, signifiers, mappings, and feedback led the the MagicBand device to deliver a frictionless experience for their patrons. It allowed the cutovers to do every thing effortlessly and with ease. They not even realized that when patron came to know that they are coming and have already be seated and without any call got their food at the place they were sitting.

" Though the team behind this sprawling platform eventually swelled to more than 1,000 people, the idea started years ago with a handful of insiders.

The Fab Five drew particular inspiration from the then-nascent wearables market

“The whole system gave Disney a way of understanding the business,” says Franklin  "