Pencil: A Usability Case Study
A pencil is the hallmark of writing; without it, metaphors fall apart, processes aren’t completed, and ideas fail to get to paper. However, the classic number #2 pencil design hasn’t changed significantly over 400 years, either in usability or design.
I know what you might be asking. A pencil? A case study on an ordinary pencil?? But the thing is that this age old pencil hasn’t changed one bit over 400 years, be it in usability or design.
I realized there was a dissatisfaction with the non-mechanical pencil during an exam. A girl approached me asking for a pencil. I gave her the writing utensil, but she said,”Oh no, not this. Do you have one with an eraser?”
In this moment, I realized that the eraser on the top of the pencil had eroded. The lack of an eraser would be incredibly detrimental during a test! However, I failed to notice this before, since the lead portion of the pencil was totally functional and intact.
As the pencil is the foundation of traditional scripture itself, I wanted to answer three questions about the effectiveness of a #2 pencil design.
- Are users facing any issues with the pencil during usage?
- If so, how can I solve these issues through design?
The Goal
Improve the product so that it suits the needs of its users.
Redesign the pencil to solve the current pain points
Design Process
I decided to follow IDEO’s human centered design thinking process.
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1. Empathize with Users
Understanding the user
In order to identify all the possibilities where users might run into problems when using the pencil, I created a set of possible users and respective situations, motivations, and outcomes.
Personas
I created provisional personas of potential users based on my observations of frequent pencil users in daily life
2 ( Identities)
College student(architecture/math)
Middle school student
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Job Stories
Focus around the 3 identities of people
When I forget to bring a pencil to class and ask someone for a pencil, I feel guilty using the eraser on top because I know that the eraser on top is a limited resource on that pencil for that person. (forgets pencil)
When I am solving my math problem sets, I don’t want to keep putting my pencil down, pick up the eraser and lift the pencil again because it interrupts my concentration flow/train of thought. (lazy)
When I use writing utensils, I tend to lose the eraser. I want something that encompasses all the tools I need in one so that I don’t have to keep buying more erasers one after the other. (loses eraser)
Guerrilla Usability Testing
In addition of a better understanding of the user, I felt it was necessary to actually observe users using the product and analyze their actions through usability testing. Usability testing is a quick method to identify obstacles faced from the perspective of a user.
So I set off to a populated location where there are bountiful number of pencil users! A college campus!
Game plan:
In order for them to use all parts of the pencil, instead of a writing exercise, I opted for a drawing exercise for these reasons:
- drawing eases our interaction
- less of a task than asking them to write which requires little to no thinking too much
- will use same if not more amount of eraser to pencil ratio
- drawing is more fun and sets a fun atmosphere!
- I handed them a no.2 pencil with appropriate amount of eraser on top
- I instructed them to try to draw themselves or if they are uncomfortable, me.
All of the users were randomly chosen in a student lounge and all of them have used a pencil throughout their lives. Ultimately, I tested 6 users.
2. Defining the problem
After the testing, I reviewed the footage and jotted down any obstacles that the users had come across when using the pencil.
Affinity Map Analysis
Pain point #1: Lead sharpness
The more users used the pencil, the duller the lead became. It started out thin and became thick which did not make the drawing precise. Every time a side of the lead was becoming flat, they tended to turn the pencil; essentially changing the angle of the lead so that they get the sharper side. 6 out of 7 participants had twirled their pencils around to get the sharper side. This led to a shared dissatisfaction of the quality of the end product of the drawing.
Because the lead became duller and duller the more they used the pencil, five out of seven users were looking for a pencil sharpener to sharpen it. But unfortunately, neither them or I had a pencil sharpener at hand. These days, not a lot of people carry pencil sharpeners around. In addition, not many places for example class rooms and offices have pencil sharpeners any more.
Pain point #2: Eraser Longevity and Quality
7 out of 7 participants were unsatisfied with the quality of the eraser on the top of the pencil. It either didn’t erase well or left unwanted marks on the drawing which are the opposite of what an eraser is supposed to do. 4 out of 7 participants took out their own eraser blocks to erase their drawing. The problem is that the material of the eraser of most pencils is cheap and synthetic. It only absorbs the graphite which in turn smears it all over any canvas.
In addition, the amount of eraser is very small which makes it dry out faster, leading to a worse state than before. The larger the surface area of an eraser, the less it dries out. That is why hand held erasers tend to be better and last longer.
More than half of the participants furiously erased until the eraser top deteriorated away with no more left to use. This demonstrated the uneven ratio of lead to eraser of the product. Generally, it is seen that people make more mistakes than perfection, which requires a lot more eraser.
Paint point #3: Switching from end to end
Every time users make a mistake they gotta turn the pencil around to use the eraser and turn back again to use the pencil. This back and forth action is very unconsciously repetitive and bothersome for many. This also requires more energy from the user which makes the product ultimately inefficient and cumbersome to use.
3. Ideate Solutions
Low Fidelity Sketch
Sketching is a fast way to mock up an idea without too much commitment.
Addressing Paint Point #2: Eraser Longevity and Quality
Because the ratio of lead to eraser does not match the usage of the two materials, I thought why not make it half and half? This design is literally half pencil and half design, addressing the limited amount of eraserhead. And for the material used for the eraser, I used vinyl which is known for its durability.
Mid Fidelity Prototype
5. Validation
To validate my design solutions, I had people test it. However, the designs were unfavorable for most users because of these reasons:
- aesthetically unappealing
- eraser wobbles too much and snaps
6. Iteration
Addressing Pain Point #3: Switching from end to end
This design is intended to solve both pain points; eraser longevity/quality and switching form end to end. In this design, the eraser excapsulates the entirety of the lead, giving it the maximum amount of surface area for the eraser. Additionally, this design solution also solves the repetitive action of switching from one end to the other as the whole pencil is covered in eraser, giving it flexibility to erase at any position.
Low Fidelity Sketch
Middle to High Fidelity Prototype
Validation
To validate my second design solution, I had another set of new users test it.
