Tasks with the iPad

I took the  iPad home for a few days and carried out some basic usability testing and below are some of my findings:

• Connect to my wireless network. All fine, except main CTA (after writing password) was amongst letters and looked equally grey)
• Watch YouTube videos – Eddie Izzard – great experience with the iPad sitting on my legs, picking it up every so often to show my husband who could also participate at a distance.
• Write document – using both hands, feels a bit weird but improving as time goes by.
• Browse the web to check Sandown racecourse events and buy something for my husband – easy
• Browsed photos – again same as with videos – good experience and easy to share with close by people, but how do you delete an album?!
• Read news – great BBC interface

These are the type of tasks I would be doing on a regular basis. I feel the iPad does what it’s supposed to do: browse content more so than create it. A thing to have on your knee and use in the relaxed environment of your lounge.

I find the most comfortable position is with lying on my thigh as I have my legs crossed and writing with both my index fingers.

I kept picking it up as I watched TV and chatted with my family, either to show them something to do with the conversation or look up something on Wikipedia / Google / Google maps.

The iPad is not a necessity, it’s an indulgence. It’s not a work tool, it’s a lifestyle object.