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Development of the Xbox 360 Wireless Headset
>> Elle (Technical Writer at Microsoft) wrote a new article on Xbox.com about the development of the Xbox 360 Wireless Headset:
[QUOTE]
The team started with more than fifty design ideas. When they narrowed it down to about six designs, the team began usability testing. They went through eight rounds of human testing with mockups, then more after they had working parts. They tested various earloop configurations, and ended up learning more than anyone wants to know about heads and ears.
Once the team found a direction they liked, industrial design began. They studied battery size and weight, boom length, and optimal placement for vocal reception. During the studies, for example, they found that people didn't want to see the boom or have it touch their face. But if the boom extended too far, it picked up excessive ambient noise. The boom also had to be adjustable to accommodate different head and jaw shapes.
The design team worked closely with electrical and mechanical engineering to make sure all the guts fit and worked within the design parameters. They knew people would be using their headsets for hours at a time, so the design had to accommodate a larger battery, yet not be so heavy as to be uncomfortable or unstable.
The team also examined controls. They found that it's more natural to push buttons into the side of your head than to fiddle with controls on the sides that might push the headset off your ear. The plus symbol on the control that increases volume is raised so you can feel it, and placed so that it's almost instinctual to use.
One of the great challenges in designing the headset was the earloop. It might not look like it, but that little rubber beauty was the cause of much consternation for the design team. It's like trying to design a one-size-fits-all shoe, for both left and right feet.
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Full Story: Xbox.com
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