The worst user interface I have used: Nokia N-Gage

The N-Gage was Nokia’s attempt to take on gaming devices like the then popular Game Boy Advance. It was a novel device with capabilities of both a cell phone and a gaming console. It was extremely popular after its launch and it seemed like Nintendo finally had a challenger in the gaming market. As we can see in the above picture, the “taco” shaped device was loaded with more than 20 physical buttons and sported a small screen in the center. In my personal experience, though the device had powerful specifications comparable to that of Game Boy Advance, the buttons were designed for use in a cell phone and were not well-suited for gaming. Plus, every time I needed to change the game, the battery had to be removed. On the other hand, the shape of the device made it easy to game, but very clumsy to hold to an ear and talk with. To make things worse, the speaker and microphone were placed on the side. This forced users to hold it up their heads sideways to talk. Thus, it was very uncomfortable to use the N-Gage both as a phone and gaming console. In spite of the above mentioned issues, I think that Nokia deserves credit. Before anyone saw a future in convergence of phones and gaming devices, Nokia took a risk and put out the N-Gage. It was the industry’s early attempt to create such a device. There was no prior data that could have helped Nokia understand these flaws and design a better User Interface before it hit the markets. N-Gage was an innovative product that just wasn't well designed because it was first of its kind. Though Nokia no longer exits, Microsoft Corporation could improve upon this legacy device and develop a revolutionary product. With the advent of touch screens, the problem of buttons can be overcome and thanks to Xbox live store, any game can be downloaded and played without the physical hassles of changing the gaming cartridge. Also the device could be connected with any nearby screen, thus giving the user the freedom to use it as a gaming console. With Internet of Things coming into the picture, the possible applications of an advanced N-Gage could be endless.