There are many things that my son, Isaac, and I have in common. We both enjoy playing with trains, chasing each other around the house, wrestling on the living room floor, picking on his mother. And, while all of these things are great, one of our most enjoyable pastimes is watching movie trailers.
We have an Apple TV at the house and Isaac and I will regularly spend a half hour on the couch watching all the Pixar (or other similar) movie trailers over and over. Something about this medium entertains us both in a way that others can’t seem to manage. I suppose it’s because the Trailer Editor is tasked with cramming so much into such a small amount of time. Whatever the reason, we truly enjoy it.
Hurry Up and Wait
It’s common for us that, after selecting “Play Trailer” on the Apple TV, we’ll be presented with a progress indicator as the trailer loads and Isaac will immediately begin telling the TV to “Go. Go. Go. Go.” We found this funny to begin with, and so encouraged him to continue in this behavior. However, now it is seeping into other parts of our lives. The other day, Isaac and I were sitting on the couch messing with my iPhone and I launched a racing application that I have. It started with a progress bar and he immediately began shouting “Go. Go. Go.” I was a bit surprised, mostly because this progress bar’s design was significantly different that the ones we see on the Apple TV.
Good Things Come NOW
As the speed of people’s internet access increases and their patience decreases, I have to wonder if we’re disproving the old adage, “Good things come to those who wait”. Isaac wants the good stuff, and he wants it immediately, but the truth is that good things come faster and faster every day. I’ve toyed with the idea of some kind of web-based social experiment which would determine if people would sub-consciously over-value something that required a longer wait time.
Isaac and Dad
I suppose until I have the chance to run that experiment, I’ll keep shooting for faster load-times and lighter markup and CSS…
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The Psychology of Progress Bars
Isaac, with the Apple TV remote.
Couch Context
There are many things that my son, Isaac, and I have in common. We both enjoy playing with trains, chasing each other around the house, wrestling on the living room floor, picking on his mother. And, while all of these things are great, one of our most enjoyable pastimes is watching movie trailers.
We have an Apple TV at the house and Isaac and I will regularly spend a half hour on the couch watching all the Pixar (or other similar) movie trailers over and over. Something about this medium entertains us both in a way that others can’t seem to manage. I suppose it’s because the Trailer Editor is tasked with cramming so much into such a small amount of time. Whatever the reason, we truly enjoy it.
Hurry Up and Wait
It’s common for us that, after selecting “Play Trailer” on the Apple TV, we’ll be presented with a progress indicator as the trailer loads and Isaac will immediately begin telling the TV to “Go. Go. Go. Go.” We found this funny to begin with, and so encouraged him to continue in this behavior. However, now it is seeping into other parts of our lives. The other day, Isaac and I were sitting on the couch messing with my iPhone and I launched a racing application that I have. It started with a progress bar and he immediately began shouting “Go. Go. Go.” I was a bit surprised, mostly because this progress bar’s design was significantly different that the ones we see on the Apple TV.
Good Things Come NOW
As the speed of people’s internet access increases and their patience decreases, I have to wonder if we’re disproving the old adage, “Good things come to those who wait”. Isaac wants the good stuff, and he wants it immediately, but the truth is that good things come faster and faster every day. I’ve toyed with the idea of some kind of web-based social experiment which would determine if people would sub-consciously over-value something that required a longer wait time.
Isaac and Dad
I suppose until I have the chance to run that experiment, I’ll keep shooting for faster load-times and lighter markup and CSS…