I recently got a new Wacom Intuos tablet and documented the out-of-box experience. The images above include packaging photos, screenshots from the setup wizard, and screenshots from on-screen hints.
The good bits:
The Intuos packaging was easy to open. Features were listed on the back of the box sleeve and provided a high level overview of the hardware’s capabilities.
Inside the box, items were organized in 3 layers that slowly revealed more complex components. A welcome card was followed by the tablet and pen, which were followed by the manual, installation CD, wireless accessory kit and the USB connector. I enjoyed seeing physical coachmarks printed in white ink on the tablet’s plastic sleeve, pointing out the features associated with its various buttons. In this case the coachmarks did not interrupt my use of the product and leveraged a necessary functional element (the plastic sleeve).
The envelope that contained the quickstart guide and installation disc had a 3-step instruction illustration which instructed me to insert the CD before connecting the tablet.
Once the driver was installed, on-screen hints appeared if I touched certain buttons on the tablet (see the last image above). These served as helpful reminders of functionality, considering that a tablet user’s eyes are going to be focused on their display, not the device, during use. I also enjoyed the digital coachmarks that appeared when I pressed the tablet’s settings. They were done in a style that was consistent with the printed coachmarks on the plastic sleeve.
While I don’t generally recommend coachmarks in UI, these were less offensive because they were not a required part of the setup experience; instead, they only appeared when I invoked them.
To be improved:
The installation wizard was a little tedious and uninformative. First, I was frustrated that the CD started off by downloading the latest drivers from Wacom’s website, something I could have done on my own. Even though there was a “Skip” button, I was afraid of disrupting the setup process if I pressed it.
The Mode and Hardware Installation screens were heavy on text. I had to read all the details to determine that the left/right hand mode could be changed later and that I had to quit all apps before continuing. The Apple-standard wizard format, which, while consistent with other OSX installation wizards, asked me to confirm my installation in 3 different ways. Reminder: I’m essentially installing just another input device, of a type I’d already been using for years.
The installation ended with the wizard automatically opening a welcome webpage with more information about my tablet. Unfortunately I dismissed this rather quickly, assuming it was a prompt to register my product. I’m not sure if it will be easy to find if I decide I want the information later.
Finally, the quickstart guide’s illustrations for installing the wireless adapter hardware were a little too abstract and lacked the same level of text detail that other pages of the book had. I also wasn’t prepared for the fact I’d have a leftover hardware piece.