I became nearsighted at age 10 and have required a correction of -6 to -10 diopters most of my life. Later than many of my peers, I began to require reading glasses, first +1 diopter now +2 diopters, particularly in low light. I still resist bifocals, despite my respect for their inventor, Ben Franklin. So when I wear soft contacts, I carry reading glasses. Otherwise, I carry two pairs of glasses, one for distance, and one for close work. This problem is called optical accommodation in aging eyes.
Two kinds of portable electronics present a challenge for my eyes: smart phones and pocket cameras (now crudely integrated into the smart phone.) The problem for the smart phone is how to read the fine print (particularly on emails and web pages) without constantly pulling out the reading glasses. My Blackberry was difficult in this area. The iPhone is better because there are larger type options and a couple of magnification mechanisms built into the user interface. Also, for many popular webpages, e.g., The New York Times, Google and Wikipedia, reader apps are available on the iPhone that are easier to read and navigate than a computer web page design.
Equally problematic for me is the pocket digital camera. I have been an enthusiastic amateur photographer all my life, more interested in the aesthetics of composition, recording nature and the emotional impact of photography than extreme technical detail (maybe my physics education was a mistake, maybe it just got a lot of the technology out of the way.) I have a number of camera bags full of various generations of SLR’s, video cameras and accessaries, however, the camera I have most loved in the last 3 years is a Nikon Coolpix P5000. This is a small digital camera (4” by 2.5” by 1.5”, 7 ounces) that has all the functionality of a digital SLR, including a viewfinder. Instead of looking at the 2.5” diagonal display (requiring me to accommodate between close and distant vision to compose the shot), I can compose through the viewfinder with my distant vision only. If I need to change settings, or navigate through menus, then I may have to get out my reading glasses. This allows the act of photographing to be a quick and impulsive act, catching that deer, bird or mink that would otherwise be gone by the time I got the camera set up. A camera that works well for young eyes may not be as convenient for older eyes.
The convenience of a small camera is a tremendous advantage and I’ve stopped taking my DSLR with me on vacations. I get 95% of the functionality I want 100% of the time rather than 100% of the functionality only 50% of the time. You can do the math. I am continuing to look for better and better pocket camera designs... they are gradually improving for low light, greater telephoto magnification and faster shutter speeds.
The problem of designing small, portable, complex electronics for various levels of user sophistication and optical accommodation is an interesting design challenge. What is your perspective and experience in this area?
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