Author Archive: Jennifer Palilonis

Monday Motivation: A Plumber and His Brother Save Video Games

Posted on by

Monday Motivation: A Plumber and His Brother Save Video Games

In 1983, video game consoles weren’t as popular as you see today. In fact, it was during this time that the United States saw a large-scale video game recession. The market was over-saturated. While video games continued to pour from companies across the globe, consumers purchased less and less.  

Gaming products from companies like Atari and Mattel had put a bad taste in the mouths of many American households. The constant product issues often left families frustrated or bored. These reasons led many to purchase a personal computer instead. 

Two years later, the video game market was still oversaturated and underwhelming. But one man believed he had just the thing to change it. And so, Hiroshi Yamauchi headed to New York City to introduce the Nintendo Entertainment System. 

The year 1985 met Yamauchi with a lot of rejection. Retailers scoffed at the thought of placing the NES on their shelves. At some point, Yamauchi agreed to set up the consoles at various stores in hopes that audience engagement would increase sales. It took a full year for the Nintendo Entertainment System to gain any support in the U.S.. and we have a plumber and his brother to thank. 

Yes, the popularity behind Nintendo Entertainment Systems is due to the release of Super Mario. Since it’s release, Super Mario has sold over 58 million copies. It is considered one of the top ten best-selling games ever created. 

In the winter of 1986, Hiroshi Yamauchi finally accomplished his dreams. Nintendo Entertainment Systems flew off the shelves across America and continue to be a staple in American households.

Additional Resources

Share this post

Picture of Melodie Griffin

Melodie Griffin

Melodie Griffin is the project manager for the Center for Emerging Media Design & Development. Her research focuses on virtual reality enhancement and UX in video game design. She also teaches usability, design thinking, and UX.

More Empathy Research Was Needed Here: A Series of Student Perspectives

Posted on by

More Empathy Research Was Needed Here: A Series of Student Perspectives

Hi! I’m Mel, EMDD’s project manager and Ball State University’s instructor.  I’ve taught usability design and design thinking over the last 12 months at Ball State University. Each semester, I ask students to write about a poorly designed product they’ve experienced. And each semester, I am impressed by the passionate responses I receive to this question. Listed below are a few of my favorite and most relatable instances of product failure from the perspective of Ball State undergraduates. Enjoy!

1/5

Single-Ply Toilet Paper | Written by Mia Basso

People joke about it all the time, but we all know it’s true. Single ply toilet paper is the worst. Ideally, a thinner ply means more paper per roll, and more paper per roll means less rolls needed overall to maintain a public bathroom or similar space. It’s a cost saving strategy, but what’s the real cost? Single ply toilet paper is infamous, nay infamously legendary for its abysmal quality. What’s the point of single ply anyway? If the paper is thinner, then you have to use nearly twice as much to accomplish what a two ply could. Doesn’t that mean you’re using the same amount of paper either way? Single ply is miserable, nobody is happy to sit down and see a roll of single ply nestled in those commercial use toilet paper rolls. Sometimes you can’t even drag any of it out, because it’s so thin, so flimsy, so unbelievably ineffective that it tears at the slightest application of pressure. Its absorbency is practically nonexistent. You would be better off taking a piece of copy paper and laying it over a puddle than an entire swath of single ply toilet paper. I really can’t think of any action more apathetic than knowingly stocking a bathroom with singly ply toilet paper. 1 out of 5 stars for the 1 ply this sorry excuse of a hygiene product has to its name. 

2/5

Public Bathroom Stalls | Written by Ethan Bell

The public toilet partition, often replicated but never perfected. We have all sat down at a bathroom on campus or in public and locked the door just to see a 1/4 inch gap around all the walls, exposing yourself to anyone looking hard enough. Everyone who has ever used one of these stalls knows the anxiety created by that small gap. This is one of the key things that people hate about using the bathroom in public, that and the single ply paper of course. After doing some more research, I found that this is just an American issue. European stalls typically have privacy protectors on the cracks. Most of these American partitions are designed to produce few parts that apply to many different partition setups. This allows the companies to operate cheaper and make more money for shareholders. It would certainly be possible for these stalls to be made with more privacy, but it would cost manufactures a fortune. The only way American stalls will change is with a change in the law that requires more privacy to public stalls, or if the customer demands it and is willing to pay the higher price. The disconnect though lies between the developers installing the partitions though, and the customer actually using them. Overall, if I had to rate public partitions, I would give it 2/5 stars because it does its job, just not very well. 

 

2/5

Two-Piece Bathing Suit Sets are Outdated | Written by Genevieve Eldred

Two-piece swimsuits sold as a pair are the worst!  We’re all aware that people come in every shape and size. Personally, I know I have super narrow hips. If I’m wearing a particular size for the top, the bottom usually should be a smaller size.  Broad marketing research should not be done to get an average size of people. This leads to the production of a very standard size, a “one fits all”  type of thing. It’s disheartening to find a swimsuit you like, only to find out that it just won’t work for you. In today’s climate of body positivity and awareness of body image as a whole, people can take offense to such outdated practices. It shows a real disconnect between a company and its users, which makes no one happy. The current trend of selling swim pieces separately has worked well as a solution (so long as your size is in stock). However, one draw back from this solution is that it’s often more expensive to buy the pieces separately. Super frustrating! But I digress… I give two-piece swimsuits sold as a pair a 2 out of 5 stars.


1/5

Unknown Materials Used in Pet Collars | Written by Sam Smith

A product example of poor empathy research that personally effects my life would be pet collars.  More specifically, I strongly dislike collars that do not include a list of materials used to make the product. Before becoming a cat parent, I did not know how common it is for cats to have fabric/elastic allergies. For my cat, Cuddles, it’s been nearly impossible to find an affordable collar that doesn’t cause an allergic reaction. Collars sold without a material listing make it a guessing game when make such a necessary purchase. Like typical cats, Cuddles is a playful feline. She enjoys chewing on her cat collar as if it were a toy. This constant chewing means constantly on the market for new cat collars. I am only made aware of her allergies when a reaction occurs —  scabs and bumps all over her neck. They appear quickly but take a long time to heal even with medication. With a simple list of materials used to create cat collars, it would be much easier to narrow down what exact she is allergic too to be able to keep her safe and healthy. I would rate my experience with this collar 1 out of 5 stars. 

3/5

Car Visors | Written by Cassie Pomierski

One example of product design that I feel lacks empathetic experience are car visors. I think this product is a great invention to shield passengers and drivers from the sun while driving, but I think it could definitely be more accommodating. Being 5’3″, it’s always been annoying to have the sun shine in your eyes while sitting in the car, and the car visor doesn’t pull down far enough to shade your eyes unless you scoot your seat all the way forward. It may vary from car to car, but from my own experience, it seems like most of the car visors are designed with a lack of empathy. A lot of times, the visors can pull outward/side to side, but they don’t pull downwards to block the light for short people like myself (at least with all the cars I’ve been in). If an accommodation could be made for people of different heights (such as an additional/mini visor that pulls out from underneath it) or a new design is made, this product could benefit more people than just the average and tall people it was designed for. My rating would be 3 out of 5 stars since the intent of the design is there, but the actual outcome isn’t as successful as it could be.

Share this post

Picture of Melodie Griffin

Melodie Griffin

Melodie Griffin is the project manager for the Center for Emerging Media Design & Development. Her research focuses on virtual reality enhancement and UX in video game design. She also teaches usability, design thinking, and UX.

Holiday Shopping Made Easier with Chrome Extensions

Posted on by

Holiday Shopping Made Easier with Chrome Extensions

It’s easy for holiday stress to consume you throughout the winter season– finding the perfect gifts at the right price all for that gratifying Christmas morning. However, as the old saying goes, “work smart, not hard.” With a second wave of coronavirus infections crashing over the country like a Hawaii wave, you may be weary of in-person shopping and opt for online websites. Fortunately for you, ecommerce innovation has caught up, and there are many ways to save money on gifts this holiday season by adding a Chrome extension. You will be able to find incredible sales and deals long after Black Friday and Cyber Monday.

With so many websites competing for your eyes, companies have turned toward deal offerings featured on popular tablet and mobile applications. Using such applications provide you deals at familiar stores and small-scale. So, what’s the catch? As you use these applications, the companies gain access to your shopping data. By adding an additional chrome extension, you are profiting, too. Each extension has their own unique value proposition to help you save money while shopping for your holiday gifts!

 

RetailMeNot

RetailMeNot is a Chrome extension offering cash back on certain stores. It differs from Rakuten because instead of providing you cash-back, it searches for last-minute coupons when you reach the checkout page. On its website, it also highlights sales on ecommerce stores from essentially every category, while also providing a blog which highlights current and upcoming deals, the best ways to shop, and affordable gift ideas. Their instant search for coupons at the checkout menu has saved me dozens of dollars. With one click, the application does all the work.

Acorns

Acorns’ core value proposition is completely different from the previously mentioned sites because it is an investment app where you can start an IRA (Individual Retirement Account). There are three methods of investment: manual deposits, purchase roundups (if you pay $12.85 with your linked card, $0.15 will be invested), and cash back promotions.   Acorns has an extensive list of participating companies that will help directly invest into your portfolio with two methods. They either invest a percentage of your purchase (2% of your $50 purchase is $1 invested into your portfolio) or invest a specific amount between $1 to $10. In the long run, that $5 or 2% of your purchase can become a few hundred dollars when you or your child turns 59.5 years old.

Rakuten

The Google Chrome extension for Rakuten offers up to 20% cash back when you shop at certain stores. In addition, it highlights exclusive deals such as ‘Buy One, Get One Free (BOGO)’, ‘free shipping’, and travel and vacation deals. Rakuten also offers a credit card for  an additional 3% cash back on any store that already offers cash back, plus 1% cash back on all other purchases. Throughout your purchasing history, your cash back bank cumulates all your deals until you determine it is enough to order your check, which is sent to you through the mail. I can personally attest the validity of the application as I have already earned $13 in cash back.

Honey

The Honey Chrome extension does not offer cash back, rather their focus is highlighting sales and notifying you when prices drop for products that you bookmark. Just like RetailMeNot, they also run through a list of coupons at your checkout page in case your purchase qualifies for a discount. Their unique value derives from Honey Gold Balance. As you make more purchases through Honey, you earn a balance of Honey currency, and when you reach 1,000 Honey points, you can redeem a $10 gift card of your choice from select stores.

Picture of Leo Herrera

Leo Herrera

Leo Hererra is a graduate student of EMDD. He currently works as a graduate assistant for the program.

Share this post
Blog
Student Journey: Gabe Eastridge

“There isn’t just knowledge but a visual and physical atmosphere of excitement to learn challenging technology and concepts.” About Gabe Gabe Eastridge graduated from the

Read More »
January 25, 2024

Contact Us

  • Art and Journalism Building (AJ),
    Room 300, Muncie, IN 47303
  • 765-285-8229
  • bsujourn@bsu.edu
Facebook-f Twitter Instagram

How to Block Distractions While Working From Home

Posted on by

How to Block Distractions While Working From Home

Since March, working from home has been the new normal around the world. Many people loved the idea in the beginning and still do. There is nothing better than having half an hour more to sleep in the morning, wearing your favorite comfy clothes, sitting by your desk, and eating homemade food. It sounds like a dream., right? Unfortunately, the reality is a little more complicated than that. Our homes are full of distractions: loud family members, clingy pets, binge-worthy t.v. series, and those pesky chores. With such interruptions, are we really surprised at our inability to maintain focus while working from home? Thankfully, there are two easy solutions that can help people that work from home during the pandemic or holidays.

Step 1: Set Up A Work Station

First of all, it is important to find a place in your house that is strictly your work station. That way, once you get there, your mind knows that your main goal is to do work.

Step 2: Download App

The second step is to download an application that helps you focus. There are many applications on the internet, but my favorite one is Dewo.

Dewo tracks your activity on your computer and smartphone and recognizes when you are working and when you are not. Then, based on that, it blocks notifications from distracting apps automatically, so that your work does not get distracted. Also, it notifies anyone that messages you that you are busy at the moment. Once you are done working, it gives you some data on your efficiency and how you can improve your productivity. It highlights when you worked without getting distracted, compares your performance to previous days and weeks, and advises you to change any future events that are not scheduled in an efficient way. 

Dewo works best when connected to both your computer and smartphone so that it can control notifications and track your activity on both devices. Once connected, it creates a shield around you that blocks all distractions with no extra cost and helps you stay efficient and enjoy the benefits of working from home.

Check Out Dewo

Picture of Angelos Mandilaris

Angelos Mandilaris

Angelos is a first-year graduate student of the Center for Information and Communication Sciences program at Ball State University. He is an EMDD graduate assistant and plays for the BSU Men's Volleyball team.

Share this post
Blog
Student Journey: Gabe Eastridge

“There isn’t just knowledge but a visual and physical atmosphere of excitement to learn challenging technology and concepts.” About Gabe Gabe Eastridge graduated from the

Read More »
January 25, 2024

Contact Us

  • Art and Journalism Building (AJ),
    Room 300, Muncie, IN 47303
  • 765-285-8229
  • bsujourn@bsu.edu
Facebook-f Twitter Instagram

X1 Eye Controls – Disability Design on a Massive Scale

Posted on by

X1 Eye Controls - Disability Design on a Massive Scale

According to the CDC, roughly one in four U.S. adults live with some form of disability. This number reflects a need for disability accommodation and inclusion during the development of popular products.  Within the last year, Xfinity Comcast launched a new feature that massively benefits people with disabilities. It is called X1 Eye Control, an eye contact that allows viewers to change the channel, set recordings, and search content. It can also be controlled with the use of voice activated commands. 

What is X1 Eye Control?

X1 Eye Control uses a web page remote control that works with previously produced “eye gaze” software. X1 Eye Control  is free and is compatible with web page remote controls, as well as Sip-and-Puff switches (Assistive technology used to send signals to a device using air pressure). Eye Control software usually works with a system of external cameras that attach to your computer, table or tv. The cameras then use surrounding light sources  to illuminate the eyes of the user. This causes highly visible reflections to be monitored. One of the other additional cameras in use captures the images of the eye and their reflections.  

Aside from its ability to control the television, the X1 Eye Control can be used for the traditional TV channels and on-demand media, as well as apps like Netflix, Pandora, and YouTube. Additionally, X1 can connect to Xfinity Home services. These platforms can now control smart locks, thermostats, interior and exterior lights installed into their home. This technology makes essential functions now highly accessible to so many more customers. It can quite literally help improve their safety and quality of life.

Technological developments like X1 Eye Control l are crucial in all aspects of design. Similar systems are designed for disabled communities to help these individuals live more independent and fulfilling lives. Technology like this can help eradicate pre-existing notions or stereotypes about life being “harder” for these individuals. It is a perfect example of how design can lead to personal liberation. Contrarily, it also demonstrates the need to bring widespread practice to inclusive design. It is promising, but there is much work to be done elsewhere. 

Picture of Chase Keller

Chase Keller

Chase Keller is a second-year EMDD graduate student. His research interests include usability testing and design.

Share this post
Blog
Student Journey: Gabe Eastridge

“There isn’t just knowledge but a visual and physical atmosphere of excitement to learn challenging technology and concepts.” About Gabe Gabe Eastridge graduated from the

Read More »
January 25, 2024

Contact Us

  • Art and Journalism Building (AJ),
    Room 300, Muncie, IN 47303
  • 765-285-8229
  • bsujourn@bsu.edu
Facebook-f Twitter Instagram

Why Photographers and UX Designers Love Camrote

Posted on by

Why Photographers and UX Designers Love Camrote

Have you ever taken a photo using a timer? If so, I’m sure you can relate when I tell you how much of a pain this is. Every year, I am the designated photographer for our annual family Christmas photos. 

As part of my creative process, I’d first pray that the camera didn’t fall from the stack of books used as a flimsy tripod. Then, I’d scramble to pose alongside my family members with minimal time to prepare a smile before the camera goes off. Between poor composition or capturing someone mid-blink, there are always adjustments to be made. Although these photography struggles allow for a quick workout and a few laughs, I am so happy I finally found a solution to this user problem: Camrote.

Camrote is a free app that allows users to take photos from a distance. No timer needed! Whether you are using a phone, tablet, or camera, you can take your photo without the stressful sprint. It’s as simple as pressing a button from your device in whatever pose you’d like.

Camrote allows you to easily connect your camera to your phone using your wifi settings. Once connected, the app displays the image your camera is about to take, allowing you to see what your photo will look like before taking the photo. This feature is particularly nice because it allows you to perfect your photo composition without leaving your position.

Learn More About Camrote

Once you use the app to take your photos, the app allows you to view the photos on your phone so you can make sure they turned out the way you wanted them to.  Using the app does not impact the quality of the photos, either, as you can still shoot in RAW while using Camrote.

The app solves so many user problems for amateur photographers like me who previously always took group photos using a timer. On top of this, the app also has a clean platform, with minimal features, that makes it easy to understand. The best part? The app is free! Try it out today and forget about taking photos with a timer.

Share this post

Picture of Michaela Tangeman

Michaela Tangeman

Michaela Tangeman is first-year EMDD graduate student. She is a graduate assistant for the Department of Journalism at Ball State University. She loves problem solving, photography, and traveling.

All We Want for Christmas is… Cloud Streaming

Posted on by

All We Want for Christmas is ... Cloud Streaming

The holidays are approaching, and it has been a few years since the gaming company, Xbox, has released a new variation or generation of its console. So, you know what that means: buy your child the new Xbox Series X or S this Christmas! Except this time, the console isn’t only significantly better than the previous generation, it is also introducing the future of gaming: Cloud streaming.

Xbox is reinventing how people access and play video games with their Project xCloud. They want to enter the mobile gaming industry without producing hardware and remodeling the Xbox to play like the Nintendo Switch. Instead, their plan is making your personal smartphone or tablet a portable console by streaming video games directly to your screen.

Mobile gaming is a huge market without any AAA games (large budgeted and marketed games usually released on PC, PlayStation, Xbox, and/or Switch). People want to play games on their phones, and they settle for simple and entertaining games that only require two actions, one for each thumb. The high demand for high quality mobile games was confirmed with the incredible success of the Nintendo Switch for all demographics. The Nintendo Switch is a portable console that can switch from mobile to displaying directly to your television.

Traditionally, Nintendo consoles and games were most appealing to a younger audience or nostalgic adults who played those games as children. This trend was confirmed with lackluster sales of M17+ rated games (video games designed and marketed for adults). However, a couple of years after the Switch’s release, the demographic of gamers has increased in range, and now almost every M17+ AAA video game is being released or rebooted onto the Switch.

Xbox recognized this trend and decided to up the ante of portable and mobile gaming with streaming. The ability to stream your video games is huge for two reasons: you can play whenever, wherever (given you have internet access), and you do not need to download the games to access them. The conveniency factor means that you can play while walking or while on the bus, subway, or passenger seat, as long as you have a controller designed for mobile gaming.

The biggest problem most gamers worry about is the incredible amount of storage space a game may occupy. Most phones do not hold more than 512GB of space, and many video games are surpassing over 100GB of space by themselves. That means you can have a smartphone with only 16GB of space and still experience the xCloud Game Pass at its full capacity without worrying about downloading times and space through cloud gaming.

Xbox has acknowledged the potential of streaming video games, and they are currently exploring the ability to stream onto your PC. Next would be the ability to stream onto your console. Ultimately, Xbox may alter the entire video game industry with a purely streaming platform like Netflix where you don’t have to worry about hard drive space or download speeds. You can start a game whenever, wherever, however, and without any stress.

 

Picture of Leo Herrera

Leo Herrera

Leo Hererra is a graduate student of EMDD. He currently works as a graduate assistant for the program.

Share this post

My Go-To Recommended Tool for Academic Writing

Posted on by

My Go-To Recommended Tool for Academic Writing

While taking multiple classes during my Undergraduate Degree that require great writing skills, I noticed that most students had trouble with proofreading and fixing their grammar, vocabulary, and punctuation. Even if some of those students tried to, reviewing and editing a document that is thousands of words long can be difficult and there is always something that may be missed. The same thing would happen to me. Most of the time I would proofread, but I would always miss a few errors that would end up lowering my grade significantly. 

All that changed when I discovered Grammarly.

Grammarly is an application/browser extension that finds those mistakes for you and suggests the best fixes. That includes any text that you write while you are on a browser and even text that you write in applications like Microsoft Word, Slack, and many more. Because of Grammarly, I do not have to worry about spending my time reading every single sentence over and over again to find the small mistakes that I made. Not all suggestions are necessary. When that happens you can just click ignore or add to Grammarly’s dictionary so that the application will not bother you again about it in the future.

Grammarly is pretty flexible since it lets you choose which websites you want and how you want it to act on each website. Some of the choices are checking for writing suggestions, showing definitions and synonyms via double click, correcting spelling automatically, and many more. 

Furthermore, if you have Grammarly enabled, it only takes up a small space on your screen. There is one small circular green button in the bottom right of the browser or application which you can click for a panel to open up. That panel shows you the more detailed explanations of your potential errors. If you do not like clicking that button there is no problem. Additionally, every mistake is marked with a red line which you can click on and select if you want to change the word or avoid the suggestion.

Grammarly is also supported on mobile phones and works as an extension of your keyboard.

There are a few applications that are not supported by Grammarly yet, but there is a solution for that as well. You can open a new document at Grammarly and copy/paste your text there which will give you all the feedback that you would get in a supported application or browser.

The best part is that it is completely free. There are more advanced versions for writers or businesses but as a college student, the free version of Grammarly covered all of my needs.

If you are writing regularly and you find yourself making errors, you need to start using Grammarly.

Picture of Angelos Mandilaris

Angelos Mandilaris

Angelos is a first-year graduate student of the Center for Information and Communication Sciences program at Ball State University. He is an EMDD graduate assistant and plays for the BSU Men's Volleyball team.

Share this post
Blog
Student Journey: Gabe Eastridge

“There isn’t just knowledge but a visual and physical atmosphere of excitement to learn challenging technology and concepts.” About Gabe Gabe Eastridge graduated from the

Read More »
January 25, 2024

Contact Us

  • Art and Journalism Building (AJ),
    Room 300, Muncie, IN 47303
  • 765-285-8229
  • bsujourn@bsu.edu
Facebook-f Twitter Instagram

Stay Connected Through Video Games

Posted on by

“This is an industry that’s about community. Video games are bringing people together." — Stanley Pierre-Louis, chief executive of the Entertainment Software Assn.

Stay Connected Through Video Games

Having lived in three different countries during the last seven years and four different cities, staying in touch with my friends has been a challenge. Also, as I am not the best when it comes to texting and calling, there has been only one thing that helps me stay in touch with my friends. Video Games.

Yes, I know. To think that video games, which require me to stay “locked” in my room, help me socialize sounds quite absurd. My parents, like almost every other parent I believe, used to tell me over and over again to turn off my console or computer and get out and socialize. Maybe ten years ago, they were right, but nowadays, most games are played online where you have the option to compete against your friends or team up with them and take over the virtual world of your choice.

How else would Angelos that lives in Indiana manage to take part in an activity with Aleksa from Belgrade, Serbia, with Kostas from Athens, Greece, with Krzystof from London, England, with Greg from North Carolina, and Dimitris from Arizona?

Video games are the only solution I have found. Even if I was more consistent with texting and calling, it would not be enough to keep a relationship as strong as one where the people can participate in an activity together.

There have been multiple times where many different things have been happening in my life and even though I sometimes text with my friends, I do not feel like I want to share it with them. While playing video games though, I have noticed that I am much more likely to share any personal news or thoughts, or ask them for help about something important.

After the COVID-19 breakout in March, I appreciated them even more. I was one of the few people that stayed in my college through quarantine.  Almost all of my friends went back home, and since I was supposed to stay indoors, I barely had any face-to-face interaction with anybody. So, once more, video games helped me solve the problem that the quarantine had created.

Now, am I telling you to stop going outdoors and play video games all the time? Absolutely not. There is no better way of socializing than going out of the house to meet with friends but when the situation does not allow that, video games may be the best option.

Picture of Angelos Mandilaris

Angelos Mandilaris

Angelos is a first-year graduate student of the Center for Information and Communication Sciences program at Ball State University. He is an EMDD graduate assistant and plays for the BSU Men's Volleyball team.

Share this post
Blog
Student Journey: Gabe Eastridge

“There isn’t just knowledge but a visual and physical atmosphere of excitement to learn challenging technology and concepts.” About Gabe Gabe Eastridge graduated from the

Read More »
January 25, 2024

Contact Us

  • Art and Journalism Building (AJ),
    Room 300, Muncie, IN 47303
  • 765-285-8229
  • bsujourn@bsu.edu
Facebook-f Twitter Instagram

Technology Shapes the Travel Experience

Posted on by

Technology Shapes the Travel Experience

If you are anything like me, you love a good adventure: flying through the sky to a destination you have never explored before, meeting people from around the world, and eating food from different cultures. During undergrad, I studied abroad in England. Since my return, I have caught “travel fever”, provoking a need to explore as much as possible.

In the mist of all this wanderlust, I can’t help but think about how traveling has changed in the past decade. From planning to execution, technology has simplified the overall process of traveling. Below, I have listed a few of the travel technologies that we may take for granted. Perhaps this will provoke a greater appreciation for the current travel process, or maybe you will discover a new way to arrive at your next adventure.

My mom did all the trip planning when I was a kid. Sitting at the dial-up computer, she attempted to find hotels and tourist destinations. Often times, my frustrated mom would give up on this endeavor, leaving our trip open-ended. My trip planning experience is so different from my mom’s all those years ago. There are countless platforms that allow me to find good deals on destination packages that include flights, hotels, and other places to visit. There are ways to compare flight prices, place reservations, and check hotel ratings.

My Recommended Travel Planning Tools

Are you a “fly by the seat of your pants” type? This app is for you! It compares discounted airline deals for those adventurers seeking a getaway without much time to spare. Check it out. 

A convenient way to make reservations for hotels, flights, and other important travel accommodations. Visit this helpful site here. 

This is GPS app that finds interesting places to explore along your route. Give it a try or explore the app here.

This site is incredible if you’re looking for things to do at your destination. Check it out here.  

Did your family always use an atlas and frequently stop at gas stations for directions? Back in the day, my family sure did! Much has changed in the last decade. With a simple swipe of two, everyone can use their smart phones to lead them straight to their destinations. For those with unreliable phones (or lack of phones), a simple Global Positioning System (GPS) will be just fine.

Think about years ago, where you may have waited in line for forever to check in to your flight. Now, we have mobile apps where we can easily check in without spending hours at the airport before we get to our gate. We simply press a couple of buttons on our phone and scan it at the entrance. Say goodbye to the many minutes wasted at a counter.

With these progressive changes to travel, travel costs have been affected since users’ have had the ability to easily search for the best deal. Think about how restaurants and hotels have to improve now that travelers have tools to look up reviews. Technology changes the world all around us and it all starts with someone listening to users and keeping them in the design process to ensure solutions that help the user experience.

Design thinkers, user-experience designers, engineers, and inventors have been studying travel for decades. This has allowed us to travel with little-to-no stress. Design thinking and human computer interaction (HCI) are at the center of these innovative technologies that promote pleasant travel experiences. Next time you’re planning an adventure, think about all those people on the back end that have listened to travelers like you and me to make it possible.

Picture of Michaela Tangeman

Michaela Tangeman

Michaela Tangeman is first-year EMDD graduate student. She is a graduate assistant for the Department of Journalism at Ball State University. She loves problem solving, and traveling.

Share this post