Electronic Ink | Experience Clarity

Recent Activity In Our Labs

Electronic Ink’s Design Research Team conducts breakthrough research daily in our two state–of–the–art Insight Labs.

In our Immersive Lab, where virtually any environment can be recreated to best represent real-world environments, and in our Digital Lab, where the full range of software solutions are tested at various stages in the development cycle, findings are impacting business in key vertical markets and for exciting new products, respectively:

Retail

Completely recreated a retail environment and tested how cashiers with three tiers of exposure — new users, recently trained users and veteran users — navigated customer relationship management software.

Findings are driving application redesign as the client merges with another retail giant and streamlines its system for all cashiers.

Automotive

Invited test subjects to build the virtual car of their dreams for an iconic automobile manufacturer. Researchers observed how subjects built the vehicles, in what order they added features, and at what junctures they wanted pricing information.

User feedback is dictating the design and development of a new online hub for the automaker’s sales efforts.

Home Improvement

Invited people who are renovating their homes to test drive a website that let them select various design options and view them in a rendering before making a purchase decision.

Insight is dictating how a new business system will communicate and drive transactions with customers.

Smart Phones

Put the leading Smart Phones in the hands of users and asked them to configure the devices and get started communicating using only the instructions in the box.

Insights on the steps people took, and the obstacles they encountered, are helping to shape iterations of the hardware and software of a leading manufacturer.

Asked users to perform tasks using the keypads on wireless handheld devices.

Observations — such as the finding that women with long nails have a difficult time navigating keyboards — are driving the shape, size and layout of future keyboard designs.

Mapping Systems

Conducted usability testing on a leading software manufacturer’s mapping application enabled with global positioning technology. The application is licensed to organizations with representatives in the field so that a dispatcher can monitor their activity and location.

Findings inspired critical changes to the application to improve usability before its upcoming release.

Business Systems

For several Fortune 500 clients, tested wireframes of Electronic Ink’s design concepts among highly specific user communities.

Findings validate design concepts and refine strategy before the build phase, to guarantee usability.