images from ign.com
In design there is more than just the aesthetics of an object, but rather the functional part in many designs that make or break a product. It is through the study of ergonomics that designs can differ from one another largely as some may consider the quality and quantity of an object. Although many consumers consider ergonomics having to deal with the comfort of a design, this is only part of a portion of what ergonomics really is. The word ergonomics is derived from two Greek words which are ergon meaning work and nomos meaning, together these words mean “ the science of work and a person’s relationship to that work” (about.com). The study of Ergonomics can be sub-divided into 5 parts which are: safety, comfort, ease of use, performance (productivity), and aesthetics. It is through these 5 parts that one can assets the true value of a product which in this case is analyzing the X-box 360 controller.
The first topic within the study of ergonomics is safety. Safety is probably the most important part in terms of profitability of a product. If an object is not safe, then the manufacturer or design is responsible or liable for any dangers the product may cause the consumer to file a law-suite. Likely through R&D (research and development) such a thing can be easily prevented. In the terms safety of the X-box controller I would rate it pretty high. First off, the usage of a wireless display prevents the occasional tripping over the wire which occurred a lot in older systems. Another feature is its smooth design which does not have any sharp edges which might cut a person.
Comfort is another portion of ergonomics. Out of the three main system consoles (Xbox, Playstation 3, and the Nintendo Wii) the Xbox is hands down the most comfortable controller on the market. The reasoning behind it that the controller seems to follow the contours of the hands quiet well and seems to fit in almost perfect harmony in its angles and geometric design. Unlike the Nintendo Wii controller when played like the traditional style, handling the Xbox controller does not make my hands hurt in a matter of minutes.
The ease of use is simple in that the design layout is derived almost from its predecessors having the directional buttons on the left side of the controller with the buttons on the right consisting of four buttons arranged in a cross shape. On the center of the controller is the typical select and start button with a large silver/green X button. The nice thing about this is if u hold it down for 1-2 seconds the system/controller will turn on and will light a quarter of the X, indicating which player you are.
Performance is the only part which I would have to talk negatively about. The controller due to being wireless needs batteries and it seems that the controller drains the life of the battery relatively fast compared to other ones. Also at times the controller seems to disconnect for some odd reason even though there is plenty of battery life.
Finally the aesthetics of the controller is quite pleasing. The design followers a curvilinear design rather than that of a rectilinear design which can represent movement and liveliness, while a rectilinear shape can be considered to be more subtle. The material compromised of a plastic material painted in a matte finish.
Overall, even though I am not a big fan of Microsoft , in terms of ergonomics on the Xbox it gets a high review in terms of the though process in the design even though it may have some minor flaws to it. In a way it would be hard to top a design that fulfills almost all five of the sub-categories very well and seems almost impossible to beat, but as history has shown by learning from past mistakes and past achievements, design can only get better.
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