Pauline de Robert Hautequere

Pauline's bio

Pauline de Robert Hautequere holds an MSc in Human Computer Interaction/Ergonomics from UCL as well as an MBA from Columbia Business School and undergraduate degrees in Economics and English Studies. A French national who has also lived in the US, she brings to Foviance a unique perspective on customer experience, at the cross-road of business and usability, broadened by her own international outlook. As product manager, she is involved in the creation of new products and the continuous improvement of the Foviance proposition.

"Foviance is the place where it all came together for me: its approach to customer experience was a perfect match for my dual competencies – something I never thought I’d find, and which exemplifies the forward-thinking 'Foviance way' ".

My Kindle just arrived. It came in a brown cardboard box, Amazon style, except that this was a different model box from the standard ones – more classy, somehow, with its black band across one end. Tear off the strip of perforated card at one end, and the lid lifts up to reveal the object of your desire: THE Kindle. There’s something of an Apple feel to the experience – white, smooth – lustrous, even? – hard, moulded plastic inside, no frills, and the dark matte grey device nestled, pod-like, in the box. Basic instructions on the screen clearly display a diagram of the device, its USB/power cord and how to plug it in – so clearly in fact, I first thought this was printed on the protective plastic film, and so did a couple of other people I showed it to. So far this is turning out to be a rather good customer experience.

With something like reverence, I take it out of the box.

It is thin, it is light and it feels quite solid. Maybe a tad bigger than I expected – one gets so used to mobile phones – but not much. Definitely an improvement on the brick-like paperbacks I’ve carried around before.

Hiding underneath the device, a concertina leaflet – brown, recycled-like thick paper, adorned with a jumble of printed letters surrounding “Amazon Kindle” and “Quick start guide” – a very understated design – which describes getting started. Beneath this, a deeper recess holds the power/USB cable, also in a brown card wrapper. Full marks for branding and packaging.

The first surprise is that the display does not look or feel like a screen – and this was also experienced by the few people I showed the device to – both asked whether it was on or just the “dummy” print on the plastic cover. By comparison, my computer screen seems positively garish. It really is quite an amazing rendering of black and white text and images, very close to what one experiences on paper.

I’m not saying that the device is perfect. By virtue of being so thin, it takes a while to find the best way to hold it, though one’s fingers do tend to naturally be positioned over the “next” buttons on either side. Unlike a book one holds open, with both hands far apart and holding on to something, here both hands are quite close together (both hands need to be involved, since you need to press the “next” button to turn the pages). It is unfamiliar, but not uncomfortable – though this remains to be tested for an hour at a time. One solution is to invest in a Kindle cover: the drawback is the added cost and weight, but the form factor makes it more comfortable to hold, and also protects the screen from various hazards in my purse, such as keys and pens and sundry items.

The books I purchased on the Amazon UK Kindle store are already loaded, with no delay – since the device was on in the box, they must have loaded as soon as I purchased them online, over the 3G connection. I’m looking forward to reading on the Tube tonight…The actual buying process and usability of the device will be covered in my next post – so stay tuned!

A  few weeks ago, I opened the amazon.co.uk home page to find a splashy ad for the all-new Kindle. A few buzz words caught my eye – free 3G, slim as a pencil, 3500 books, read in sunlight, UK-Kindle store…having so far resisted buying one of these devices (see my earlier post) but with both a professional and a personal interest in them, I read on. Call it great marketing or just the product finally hitting my sweet spot, but I was hooked and ordered one on the spot. Seems I was not the only one: the product is already sold out pre-shipping (launch was announced for August 27) and current orders can expect delivery in the second half of September. (more…)

I want one now…not.

A new Apple product is always an exciting design moment. iMac, iPod (I have owned one since 2002), iPhone, iTouch …and now iPad. Of course when I saw the photos of this sleek, sexy machine, I wanted to get my hands on one. Now. Then the reviews started coming in, and I started reconsidering (there is also, alas, the small matter of budget…) In the end, reason won the day, with two sets of considerations which will help me hold on a little bit longer before I splurge… (more…)

The other day I deleted a note on my iTouch. I hit the little bin icon and just as I unthinkingly hit the red “delete note”, suddenly realised that I had not copied the phone number it contained – too late. That’s when it hit me that, contrary to a mental model acquired from long and intimate acquaintance with PCs, I did not have a recycle bin on the “phonetop” from which to retrieve the deleted note. Confusingly though, the application uses a bin icon to represent the “delete” action. (more…)

I do not have an eBook yet but being an avid reader, I have been closely watching the developments in that field. I try to keep up with the different types of eBooks and have even tried the Penguin app on my iTouch, but found the eye strain too unpleasant to even read the first page. Not a great user experience for me then. I have so far not been convinced of the need to part with my cash, and there are a few additional reasons for this. (more…)