Experience/Expectation Gap

Adam Richardson provides an insightful use of the iPod case, beyond the integration of innovation factors, the net effect of these innovations led to a profound jump in user experience that matched expectation. However, he goes further in saying that "existence proof" of innovation provides Apple an untenable position. They've laid out the product blueprint for optimal experience for digital music users.

Now apply this to Science Education. Certainly our expectations are much greater than our experiences, seen from the outside, and probably from the trenches, too. Standards and testing have raised expectation, and certainly have decreased satisfaction of the experience of learning science in the classrom. We seek an iPod like solution, that bundles a product design factors in such a seemless way of meeting expectations, that we "love it". Which is a bit funny to me in that by having experiences that simply meet expectation, we can have such a positive emotional response.

So do products or solutions exist that can possibly meet expectations and provide a wonderful experience? First, we need to look at the experience of the user, in this case teachers and students. We see sporadic reports of excellence. But not systematic results. Plus solutions are rarely tenable in bureacracies that crush innovation and creativity.