The Kindle Fire: Solid Proof that Usability is No Longer Enough!

New HFI white paper

Amazon’s Kindle Fire launched in late 2011 with much fanfare and mixed reviews. Millions of units were sold in the fourth quarter, but the media reviews focused on weaknesses in the design.

What would cause millions of people to purchase the Kindle Fire in spite of design features that could be better?

In this article, Eric Schaffer, CEO of Human Factors International, goes beyond classic usability to consider the overall user experience. Dr. Schaffer:

• Considers how the Kindle Fire fits the users’ ecosystems
• Uses PET (Persuasion, Emotion, and Trust) Analysis to uncover the blocks and drives that influence Fire buyers’ decisions
• Discusses the impact of engineering fun into the design of the Kindle Fire

Eric Schaffer is the founder and CEO of Human Factors International. His book, Institutionalization of Usability: A Step-by-Step Guide, provides a roadmap for companies to make usability a systematic, routine practice throughout their organizations. Dr. Schaffer also co-developed The HFI Framework™, an ISO-certifiable process for user-centered design, built on principles from human-computer interaction, ergonomics, psychology, computer science, and marketing.

Dr. Schaffer has completed projects for more than 100 Fortune 500 clients, providing user experience design consulting and training. He is a member of the Human Factors and Ergonomics Society and a Certified Professional Ergonomist.