I recently went on a Disney Vacation/Cruise. We had a great time and fun was had by all. So why am I blogging about it here? Transparency of Technology to the end-user is something that many organizations strive for. Disney is no different.
When we checked-in at the Polynesian Resort, we each got a personallized "Key to the Kingdom" card. This card was more than a room key. It was also valid for charging in WDW as well as the ticket for the theme parks and Disney Quest. It was also the key card for the parking lot gate. This card was also the room key to the cabin aboard the Disney Wonder as well as your embarkation/disembarkation pass for the ports of call and of course charging on the ship.
When you think about all of the various things that a guest could do with that card, Disney did a great job of integrating all of it to be transparent to the guest.
I was also fortunate enough to get a tour of the Microsoft Home when I was in Redmond last week. As you would expect, transparency of technology in everyday living was a major theme. A lot of RFID was featured in my tour. One thing that was memorable was that if you place the cuisinart and a bag of sugar on the kitchen counter, the home would display a list of things for you to do (recipes, etc.) directly on the counter. The interface was through speaking to "Grace", the computer, in a rather normal tone. There was a lot of other really cool stuff too. If you get the chance, please go to the home; you will not be disappointed.