Developers must ride the subway
From One-handed computing with the iPhone:
Straphangers in NYC and elsewhere know what a great one-handed device the iPhone is. Riding the subway and reading has never been so easy, especially during rush hour when pointy hardcovers become weaponized. (Getting shived by a hardbound Harry Potter on the 6pm 5 train is no joke.)
The NYC Subway is the acid-test of usability. Tests include:
- one-handedness (straphanging)
- size (use in crowded trains)
- “no-handedness” or remote features (use in packed-like-sardines trains)
- sleep/wake behavior (switching platforms)
- durability (getting bumped and dropping things)
- battery life (stalled and delayed trains leading to excessive usage)
- online/offline features (no signal underground)
- pause/resume features (conductor announcing service changes)
…and more.
If you see that a device is popular with subway riders, you know it’s a reliable piece of hardware.
