The value of a portable computer — whether it be a smartphone or some other PDA — is more than just size. If it's small enough to fit unassumingly in a pocket or shoulder bag, it also has to be easy enough to use, and it has to be fast. Otherwise, it only adds to daily chores instead of streamlining them.
The stripped-down, miniature computers known as netbooks have gained in popularity over the past two years because of the promise of mobility and ease of use. Unfortunately, most netbook manufacturers are struggling to keep that promise. Many seem to be simply making smaller laptops without recognizing the need to also redesign the way users access information. Mobility means immediate access to email, photos, music, and more with the same kind of flip-open-and-use convenience of a cell phone.
“When dealing with a small screen device it's critical for users to have a short path to information and applications,” says Knut Graf, principal designer for frog design, which created the user experience behind HP's Mini 1000 Mi Edition netbook. “We wanted to make the Mini Mi as simple to use as a toaster.”
Knut and his team did this by eliminating typical laptop procedures, creating instead a set of core applications that immediately pull up a multifaceted home screen when the computer is opened. Rather than having to wait for an operating system to boot, and then opening individual applications, users can simply turn on the Mini Mi, read emails, see their favorite Web pages, and enjoy music and photos right on the home screen.
“I prefer this UI to both Windows (XP, Vista and 7) and OS X for basic computing tasks,” writes Perry Longinotti in a review of the Mini Mi for Notebookreview.com. “Having almost everything I want to do waiting for me on the home screen as soon as the computer boots is great.”
Because it's based on Linux, the Mi interface is visually unique. Users can glance at large icons without having to squint like they might with a cell phone, but icons are just the right size to show a number of programs concurrently. On the left hand side of the home screen, the mail component lists the user's most recent emails. In the center, a web component provides a search and URL entry field and a set of web page thumbnails as favorites. On the right, music and photo components show the user's favorite music and photos albums.
To create the Mini Mi's visual and interaction design, technologists in frog's Austin studio used GTK, GDM, Usplash, Metacity, XUL, and CSS — various mark-up formats for the visual appearance and UI configuration. A third party provided a customized Ubuntu Linux, implemented the main application, and integrated a set of chosen additional applications. Finally, a dedicated in-house, UI-level quality assurance team ensured a consistent user experience.
“We wanted a unique experience in a marketplace that is crowded with sameness, where generic hardware gets generic operating systems,” says Graf.
According to the critics, they have succeeded. “In a market glutted with identically specced machines running XP, [the HP Mini Mi] is a refreshing change,” wrote Dana Wollman in a review for laptopmag.com. “Its OS, which packages a good selection of applications in a clean, innovative interface, enlivens the user experience.” Now maybe a netbook can be more than just another small computer.
The class of miniature computers known as netbooks have gained in popularity in recent years, but they haven’t always been as easy to use as smartphones and PDAs. frog set out to change that when it designed the visual and interactive user experience for the HP Mini 1000 Mi Edition netbook (Mi stands for “Mobile internet”). To appeal to netbook users’ desire for maximum mobility and instant gratification, the Mini Mi boots in seconds, and users immediately land on a home screen filled with current, personalized content.
“I prefer this UI to both Windows (XP, Vista and 7) and OS X for basic computing tasks.... Having almost everything I want to do waiting for me on the home screen as soon as the computer boots is great.”
— Perry Longinotti, NotebookReview.com
