ipod design & useability

February 1st, 2007 by Tim

In addition to small design, Apple chose a simple, attractive display for their iPods, with what’s called a click wheel to create a simple interface. There are actually five buttons on iPods, but the click wheel hides four of those; pressing in the right direction, such as with the direction buttons on a video game controller, will press the appropriate button. The fifth button is at the center of the wheel and is used mostly to confirm selections. The design is easy to use, since adjusting volume consists of running your thumb along circumference of the click wheel, similar to turning the dial on a stereo.