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| 12 Mockups. The 13th, not shown here, is a mockup of the strange Sigma DP2 Quattro, definitely not an ergonomic success. |
‘Drawings are the curse of camera design’
Six years ago I switched camera systems from an established DSLR to one of the newly arrived mirrorless interchangeable lens (MILC) systems. I found the first model of this system very awkward to use with poor holding and operating characteristics.
So I set about making plywood mockups to investigatewhy some cameras had good holding and operating characteristics while others were poor.
The great benefit of mockups is that they can be made to any shape, size or configuration.
Better still, anything can be changed during or after construction and my mockups usually see many changes.
Sometimes camera makers release promotional material about their design process. This usually begins with drawings followed by production of a mockup by 3D printing.
My mockups arise from a different process. For each mockup I set a few basic dimensional parameters, based on the project which is underway at the time. This generally includes overall width and height, body depth, monitor size and style (for instance flat top or hump top). I usually have a good idea how much space to allow for EVF housings, handles and the like, derived from actual cameras and increasingly from previous mockups as I gain experience.
I do not make drawings. I believe that drawings are the curse of camera design.
I design in the wood, directly, guided by my own hands and fingers. If something does not feel right, it’s not right. I remove it and start over.
My mantra is that camera design must be guided by finger logic not brain logic.
I start from the view that a camera should be driven like a motor car, automatically, without the user having to think about operating the device with his or her brain.
When driving a car one does not think ………..need to turn left now…….need to move steering wheel…….turn it anticlockwise…….not too much, now……
In practice the driver does not have to thinkabout turning left at all. He or she just does it.
When I create the shape size, configuration and control layout of a mockup I strive always to make the holding experience comfortable and secure while the controls are placed just where my fingers want to find them. Fingers first, controls afterwards.
I have put much effort into designing control systems so the camera, which is inherently a complex device, can nevertheless be driven like a car, automatically, without having to think much about each discrete action.
What about touch screens ? I you had to drive a car by means of gestures on a touch screen then most people on or near the road including you, would die.
Why ? For the simple reason that when driving a car you must pay attention to the road ahead. By the way I hold the view that touch screens fitted to automobiles should be automatically disabled as soon as the vehicle starts to move.
Notice that it is illegal to drive while operating a mobile phone.
The reason ? Accident data shows clearly that driving while attending to a screen leads to a high crash rate.
Lots of pedestrians wander onto roadways intent on their screens and are injured or die or cause another road user to crash.
Of course operating a camera via touch screen is not going to kill anyone. But it will distract the user’s attention away from the subject.
When operating a camera in Capture Phase the user has to pay attention to the subject not the camera. The user looks through the EVF or OVF or monitor at the subject. The point is that the user cannot attend to the screen and the subject at the same time. The camera is operated by the fingers.
With good ergonomic design the actions required to complete the tasks of operating the camera in
Capture Phase can be carried out without the user having to think about each individual finger movement. Just like driving a car.
Actions required in Setup and Review phases could carried out by touch screen. In these phases the user is looking at the screen so interacting with the device by touching the screen might be reasonable and might allow a reduction in a reduction in the number of buttons required on the back/top of the body.
Prepare Phase actions are best allocated to hard UIMs especially set and see modules for clarity and speed of operation.
Prepare Phase actions are best allocated to hard UIMs especially set and see modules for clarity and speed of operation.
My mockups are designed in the expectation of operation by hard controls in all phases of use as I have found that is the quickest and most positive way to carry out the tasks of each phase.
Testing I test mockups on myself obviously but also on other family members with hand sizes from 10 year old children to large adult males. My own hands are of average size and shape for an adult male.
I worked out that it is possible to design configurations which can work well with a wide range of hand sizes.
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| This is mockup #13 in the basic holding/operating position. |
What about style ? I was describing to a family member recently the four headings by which I organise camera evaluation, these being Specifications/features, Image Quality, Performance and Ergonomics. The response was ………and…….?? …What about…….Style??
Ah, yes, style. When designing a mockup I have no preconceived notion of style apart from the basic description; for instance is it a compact or full sized model, will it have a flat top or hump top….and so forth. The camera emerges from the composite design/build process with its own shape, which is derived from the ergonomic development, not imposed on it.
As I look at all my mockups together it becomes clear that an identifiable ‘style’ has indeed developed in the service of efficient, enjoyable operation, not because it looks vaguely like something which somebody thought was hot stuff back in 1964.
I tried out many different concepts of shape and configuration, several of which do not make it into this gallery of mockups as they proved unworkable.
After much experiment I discovered that the optimum ergonomic shape for a hand held camera is a modified version of one which has been around for many years, namely the hump-top-with-a-handle-SLR shape.
As a result many of my recent mockups will probably appear unremarkable and perhaps un-interesting to the casual observer. In fact they embody considerable detail design work around the issues of holding, viewing and operating.
The precise size and shape of each part of the camera such as the handle, thumb support and so forth is extremely important. It may not be at all apparent to many camera users which shape is satisfactory and which is not.
Each mockup is different, each is a little adventure and each teaches me something new about the subtle art of camera ergonomics.
One fundamental realisation which I discovered quite early in my journey with mockups is that cameras do not scale up or down. The hands which use them remain stubbornly the same size regardless of the dimensions of the device. It follows therefore that each camera at each size point must be designed to best fit the hands which use it.
