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The Design of Handheld Tools

Playing around with the design capabilities of the Xbox Elite Series Controller is more fun for me than any video game.

I have never been a big gamer. However, my roommate recently purchased the new Xbox Series X and wanted to demonstrate all its new features and capabilities. There are times in our apartment when the Engineering-Liberal Arts divide is prominent, and my boredom juxtaposed with his passion for frame rates, cross-platform compatibility, and processing power was definitely one of them.

However, one aspect of the system did catch my attention: the controller that he purchased with it. I was fidgeting around with the toggles when, to my surprise, I accidentally pulled one out. At first, I thought I broke it, but then it was sucked right back in. I realized that every button and toggle on the controller is magnetically attached and detachable.

My roommate showed me the controller’s case, and neatly organized into little compartments, were different types of toggles and buttons that are interchangeable. He explained that the controller comes with different sizes and shapes features in order to customize the playing experience. Longer toggles make the controls more sensitive, but also more precise. He also showed me a key neatly hidden in another compartment. When you lock it into an empty toggle space and twist, you can raise and lower the give of the toggle, meaning more experienced players can make it respond quicker to their movements, and less experienced players can give themselves more room for mistakes and errors as they get a feel for the play.

In addition to holding special compartments for each piece, the case automatically charges the controller once it is set in its place. Its sleek all-black design is aesthetic and usable, since the user does not have to charge it using cords dangling from their televisions. It makes sense for the safest place for the controller to be where it should be placed to rest.

I was blown away by all these features and could not help connecting it to experience architecture and design. Good design should be obvious and intuitive, at least to those looking to use it solely for its basic purpose. Non-experienced gamers like myself never need to consider the customizable features of this controller.

The controller goes even further, however, and operates on two separate levels. For experienced gamers, it offers a world of changes and customization. This two-tied user experience is becoming more and more essential in design. If I am a gamer and play video games every day, of course I want a controller that better fits my hand and skill-level, but I also want it to be easy for my friends to play as well.

Most of our ubiquitous handheld devices are one-size fits all. To make the brand ubiquitous, every iPhone had to be accessible for everyone from toddlers to NBA players. The same can be said for video game controllers, hairdryers, wine glasses, and any other object we hold in our hands. For the most part, a fork is a fork. Something so simple is also so universally usable to become our culture’s standard eating device for centuries.

Lasting web design and the future of user-centered technology will be two-tiered, with the surface simplicity and usability of a fork, but customizable complexity of that Xbox controller. Look at the Google interface, with its single search bar. It is incredibly simple to an initial user, but for an everyday user like me, the Google homepage offers a wide variety of customizable features and displays. Or the new widget iPhone features that have been super helpful to my experience of the device, but more novice users (such as my parents) do not even know or care to know exist.

As our everyday-use tools and technology becomes increasingly complex, design is going to need to depend more and more on this kind of design.

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