February 2006

Keith Instone of UXnet

"Live from Internet User Experience 2006, Tim & Tom interview friend and fellow usability professional Keith Instone about his work with User Experience Network. What is UXnet, and what do they want from us? How about this: 'UXnet was formed to help make connections between the people and organizations that represent User Experience disciplines, and to encourage interchange and cooperation.' Sounds good to us. In a field so widely interdisciplinary, we could use a big tent like UXnet to convene under. Attend the tale of UXnet!" (Design Critique)

Posted by PJB on February 28, 2006 | Classification: Podcasts | Comments (0) | Permalink

Ladder of Fire

A conversation with Peter Merholz - "(...) I never said design is not a field of knowledge. You asked if design was a field of "vast, deep, broad, and nuanced" field of knowledge like anthropology, and I said, 'No'. We never discussed whether design is another kind of field of knowledge, which I think it is. But it is fractured, rootless, and without a core. It doesn't have anywhere near the depth or nuance of anthropology." (GK VanPatter - NextD Journal) - Recommended reading

Posted by PJB on February 28, 2006 | Classification: Interviews | Comments (0) | Permalink

Identity Production in a Networked Culture: Why Youth Heart MySpace

"I want to talk with you today about how teenagers are using a website called MySpace.com. I will briefly describe the site and then discuss how youth use it for identity production and socialization in contemporary American society." (Danah Boyd - American Association for the Advancement of Science) - courtesy of karstenschmidt

Posted by PJB on February 28, 2006 | Classification: Information design | Comments (0) | Permalink

Hiding in Plain Sight

"Boxes and Arrows caught up with Adam Greenfield on the heels of finishing his first book, Everyware: The Dawning Age of Ubiquitous Computing, due out in March 2006. Greenfield talks to us about how computing has moved away from the desktop into every part of our lives—from soda cans to the family pet. In this interview, he allows us to imagine what our new normal might look like. (...) Everyone who will be affected by this class of technologies should have a voice in shaping its emergence." (Boxes and Arrows)

Posted by PJB on February 27, 2006 | Classification: Interviews | Comments (0) | Permalink

Beautiful Evidence

"Edward Tufte's new book, Beautiful Evidence, is now at the printer and should be available in May 2006. The book is 214 pages, full color, hard cover, and at the usual elegant standards of Graphics Press. Beautiful Evidence may be ordered now; the book will be sent immediately from the bindery when completed. The introduction and table of contents are shown (...)." (Edward Tufte)

Posted by PJB on February 27, 2006 | Classification: Information design | Comments (0) | Permalink

User Experience: The next step for IA’s?

"IA's have always wondered how to define information architecture in relation to other fields. Starting with the early days of library science, through the 'discovery' of other fields and the times when experienced IA's called themselves Big IA's, to modern days of business design and experience design, the borders have been fuzzy. I hope to show that, despite the fact that most of us are proud to wear the label Information Architect, we are all User Experience practitioners who practice IA from time to time. Finally, I would like to show the next steps for IA’s, which includes a call for international networks, and national events (...)." (Peter Boersma - Italian IA Summit)

Posted by PJB on February 27, 2006 | Classification: User experience | Comments (0) | Permalink

How architects lost the wayfinding mojo...

"Wayfinding as a discipline: In your experience do you see wayfinding as a discipline becoming more integrated with design in architecture, urban, planning, landscape and retail? If so, in what areas has theories and practices towards wayfinding taken root? What barrier have you seen among designers in integrating wayfinding, egd and identity principals and practices in projects? What success stories have you seen, and what should designers do to communicate design process?" (The Wayfinding Place)

Posted by PJB on February 27, 2006 | Classification: Information design | Comments (0) | Permalink

Second Generation Tag Clouds

"To date, tag clouds have been applied to just a few kinds of focuses (links, photos, albums, blog posts are the more recognizable). In the future, expect to see specialized tag cloud implementations emerge for a tremendous variety of semantic fields and focuses: celebrities, cars, properties or homes for sale, hotels and travel destinations, products, sports teams, media of all types, political campaigns, financial markets, brands, etc." (Joe Lamantia) - courtesy of columntwo

Posted by PJB on February 24, 2006 | Classification: Metadata | Comments (0) | Permalink

Why is it so Hard to Make Products that People Love?

"Business people and designers are never going to speak the same language, and that’s okay. Each needs their own language to get their work done. To make great products, we have to create new ways to understand each other and work together as we keep our collective focus on the users of our products. Personas not only help translate and keep communication channels open between designers and business people, they also help to create and maintain a focus on customers and their needs throughout the design process. The persona approach has helped a variety of companies (...) improve not just their products and services, but their bottom line as well." (Tamara Adlin and John Pruitt - AIGA Gain) - courtesy of bplusd

Posted by PJB on February 24, 2006 | Classification: Personas | Comments (0) | Permalink

TEDBlog: Ideas That Matter in Technology, Entertainment & Design

"I'm fed up with talking about making change: it's time to do it, says Cameron Sinclair." (TED.com)

Posted by PJB on February 24, 2006 | Classification: Weblogs | Comments (0) | Permalink

Designing Your Website to be Search Engine Friendly

"Design on the web has changed a lot since the mid 1990's. Not only has the language used to create pages expanded, but so has the capability of browsers, and the availability of bandwidth. Consequently pages have gradually carried more and more content, and designers, information architects, and HTML developers have faced the challenge of presenting increasingly sophisticated information and marketing messages onto the computer monitors in homes and offices around the world." (Mark Belam - currybetdotnet)

Posted by PJB on February 23, 2006 | Classification: Search | Comments (0) | Permalink

Can Large Companies Succeed with Social Media?

"While many companies will want to enhance their business with social media, not all will succeed. A social media platform doesn’t simply mean adding an online forum or blog. It requires a shift in organizational mindset, a mindset of constant and immediate customer interaction, customer-driven innovation, and exponential network effects. Only companies willing to make this shift will have the discipline to ask the right questions." (Victor Lombardi - Management innovation Group)

Posted by PJB on February 23, 2006 | Classification: Information design | Comments (0) | Permalink

The Business of Understanding

"(...) Richard Wurman explains how information architects can open themselves up to understanding, learning, and ultimately being able to explain information to others." (Richard Saul Wurman - informit.com)

Posted by PJB on February 23, 2006 | Classification: Classics | Comments (0) | Permalink

Why Features Don't Matter Anymore: The New Laws of Digital Technology

"Feature overload is becoming a real issue. The last thing a customer wants is confusion-and what's more confusing than comparing technical specifications, unless you are en expert? Only nerds get a kick out of reading feature lists." (Andreas Pfeiffer - ACM Ubiquity)

Posted by PJB on February 21, 2006 | Classification: User experience | Comments (0) | Permalink

Usability for Rich Internet Applications

"In this article, I provide some practical tips for designing usable RIAs, based on fundamental principles of HCI." (Donna Maurer - Digital Web Magazine)

Posted by PJB on February 21, 2006 | Classification: HCI | Comments (0) | Permalink

On the Record: Paul Saffo

"I don't think information overload is a function of the volume of information. It's a derivative of the volume of information plus the sense-making tools you have. Think about the rise of info-graphics in newspapers. Those were sense-making tools to help people (absorb information)." (SFGate)

Posted by PJB on February 21, 2006 | Classification: Interviews | Comments (0) | Permalink

Trust and Blame

"The more we rely on our electronic devices, the more we are trusting them to be there when we need them and to safeguard our information and our privacy." (Whitney Quesenbery - UXmatters)

Posted by PJB on February 21, 2006 | Classification: Usability | Comments (0) | Permalink

A Glimpse of China's Future at User Friendly 2005

"(...) the usability profession is young, and it's going to get really good, really quickly." (Robert Barlow-Busch - UXmatters)

Posted by PJB on February 21, 2006 | Classification: Events | Comments (0) | Permalink

Avoid Within-Page Links

"In the Web, users have a clear mental model for a hypertext link: it should bring up a new page. Within-page links violate this model and thus cause confusion." (Jakob Nielsen - Alertbox)

Posted by PJB on February 21, 2006 | Classification: Usability | Comments (0) | Permalink

State of the Blogosphere: Beyond Search

"I'm going to cover the growth of the blogosphere as media, and discuss some of the emerging trends that deal with handling information overload. In a world of over 50,000 postings per hour, and over 70,000 new weblogs created each day, keeping on top of and in tune with the most interesting and influential people and topics is the new frontier beyond search. I've also got some surprises for you at the end of this post, two new features that I hope you'll find useful." (Sifry's Alerts)

Posted by PJB on February 17, 2006 | Classification: Weblogs | Comments (0) | Permalink

7th IA Summit

Main Conference Session Details (IA Summit 2006)

Posted by PJB on February 16, 2006 | Classification: Information architecture | Comments (0) | Permalink

The Evolution of Information Grazing

"The frustration with feed grazing is that we soon have too many feeds, and many of the feeds overlap content. Ironically, however, we still want to add more feeds if they are relevant to us, and so we prune our feed list over time." (Joshua Porter)

Posted by PJB on February 16, 2006 | Classification: Information design | Comments (0) | Permalink

Thomas Vander Wal podcast

"My guest on today's show was information architect Thomas Vander Wal. Thomas was the originator of the term folksonomy and we had a fascinating discussion about folksonomic toolsets, personal and business cases for using tagging and what Thomas calls the 'Come to me Web'." (PodLeaders)

Posted by PJB on February 15, 2006 | Classification: Podcasts | Comments (0) | Permalink

The Art of Creating a Community

"(...) it's hard to build a community around crappy, mundane, and mediocre crap no matter how hard you try." (Guy Kawasaki) - courtesy of creatingpassionateusers

Posted by PJB on February 15, 2006 | Classification: Weblogs | Comments (0) | Permalink

Yahoo! Design Pattern Library

"We are very happy to be sharing our library with the design and development community. This is our first drop of what we hope to be a monthly release cycle for the publication of patterns. In many cases we have bundled the patterns with pointers to related code from the Yahoo! User Interface Code Library." (Yahoo! Developer Network) - courtesy of lukew

Posted by PJB on February 14, 2006 | Classification: Patterns | Comments (0) | Permalink

Typography and the Aging Eye: Typeface Legibility for Older Viewers with Vision Problems

"The population is rapidly aging and becoming a larger share of the marketplace. 13 percent of the population is currently over 65 years old. In 30 years that group will double to 66 million people. People change as they age. Sensory, cognitive and motor abilities decline. The built environment is not typically created with the needs of the aging population in mind. How does the choice of typeface in signage systems, for example, impact the older viewer who is experiencing vision problems typical to that age group? Are certain typefaces more suitable to the aging eye?" (Paul Nini - AIGA Clear)

Posted by PJB on February 13, 2006 | Classification: Typography | Comments (0) | Permalink

Interaction Modeling: User State-Trace Analysis

"This article presents a three-part method of interaction modeling where: (1) A prescriptive, preferred interaction model (PIM) is created; (2) A descriptive user-interaction model (UIM) derived from an actual user study session is created; (3) A model of problem solving and decision making (PDM) is used to interpret disparities between the first two models." (Matt Queen - Boxes and Arrows)

Posted by PJB on February 13, 2006 | Classification: Interaction design | Comments (0) | Permalink

Marc Rettig on The History (and Future) of Interaction Design

Interview excerpt from the upcoming book 'Designing for Interaction' - "Thanks to corporations that are learning the value of integrated teams, interaction designers will find themselves more often part of the team from beginning to end, rather than specialists who are called to make sporadic contributions from time to time." (Designing for Interaction - August 2006) - courtesy of puttingpeoplefirst

Posted by PJB on February 13, 2006 | Classification: Interviews | Comments (0) | Permalink

Rettig & Goel at UX Week

"This page offers slides from Marc Rettig and Aradhana Goel's presentation at Adaptive Path's User Experience Week 2005 in Washington, D.C. There are now two versions of the presentation available." (Marc Rettig)

Posted by PJB on February 12, 2006 | Classification: User experience | Comments (0) | Permalink

Blogging and the Future for (the?) Media

"Blogging is forcing a radical sea-change in the print media realm, and will likely do the same within the TV and radio realm as podcasting becomes more established." (Kurt Cagle - Understanding XML)

Posted by PJB on February 10, 2006 | Classification: Weblogs | Comments (0) | Permalink

Design Vision

"A conversation about the role of design-driven leadership in the product development process with Bob Baxley, Dirk Knemeyer, Jeff Leftwich, and Luke Wroblewski." (Functioning Form)

Posted by PJB on February 10, 2006 | Classification: Information design | Comments (0) | Permalink

Introduction to Web 2.0

"Web 2.0 is an term referring to the ongoing transition to a full participatory Web, with participation including both humans and machines." (Squidoo - Joshua Porter)

Posted by PJB on February 10, 2006 | Classification: Information design | Comments (0) | Permalink

Architecture and the Internet: Designing places in cyberspace

"By looking at physical architecture as a case study and metaphor for organizing space into meaningful places, this paper explores the possibility of organizing Cyberspace into spatial settings that not only afford social interaction, but, like physical places, also embody and express cultural values. At the same time, because Cyberspace lacks materiality, is free from physical constraints, and because it can only be 'inhabited' by proxy, these 'places' may not necessarily resemble their physical counterparts." (Yehuda E. Kalay and John Marx - First Monday Special Issue #5)

Posted by PJB on February 07, 2006 | Classification: Information architecture | Comments (0) | Permalink

Alain de Vulpian on the Process of Civilization

"I have reached the conviction that we are in the epicentre of a developmental process of civilisation that is carrying us elsewhere, transforming western culture in depth and possibly preparing the way for a worldwide civilisation." (Michael J. - Notio)

Posted by PJB on February 07, 2006 | Classification: Information design | Comments (0) | Permalink

Live by the Mockup, Die by the Mockup

"Mockup... The term itself brings to mind the duality inherent in this omnipresent design artifact. It’s both a direct representation of a product experience and a shallow portrayal of an interactive system at the same time. Perhaps the term originated with engineers or product managers intent on pointing out that the mockup was just that: a superficial representation that could never compare to the real product they had to build." (Luke Wroblewski - UXmatters)

Posted by PJB on February 06, 2006 | Classification: UCD | Comments (0) | Permalink

The Role and Evolution of Design in Software Products

"Design professionals often decry the lack of importance and investment their companies place on design. After all, most software projects revolve around a product’s engineering, to the ongoing detriment of its design—not to mention the chagrin of so many designers, who wriggle uncomfortably toward the bottom of the food chain. But there is a good reason for this: products can be very profitable without investing a single penny in interface design—at least, beyond the user interfaces the engineers build. Indeed, at least in the early stages of a market or company, resources dedicated to intentional interface design are often a bonus rather than being viewed as a necessity. Sound crazy? Consider the natural and normal evolution of a software product." (Dirk Knemeyer - UXmatters)

Posted by PJB on February 06, 2006 | Classification: Information design | Comments (0) | Permalink

Users Interleave Sites and Genres

"When working on business problems, users flitter among sites, alternating visits to different service genres. No single website defines the user experience on its own." (Jakob Nielsen - Alertbox)

Posted by PJB on February 06, 2006 | Classification: Usability | Comments (0) | Permalink

Making changes to a company's culture

"Since the skill of design is not well understood, everybody is an expert, and they all have an equal vote." (Richard Anderson - Riander)

Posted by PJB on February 06, 2006 | Classification: User experience | Comments (0) | Permalink

David Sless’s soap box

"I have a long list of things that I think may interest you, my reader. But there is no way of choosing - not without a conversation - and this is not a conversation. As the title suggests, it’s a soap box. So I shall go where my gut and keyboard takes me. You are of course free to heckle." (David Sless - CRIA)

Posted by PJB on February 06, 2006 | Classification: Weblogs | Comments (0) | Permalink

Get Out of Your Lab, and Into Their Lives

"The proliferation of usability labs is a sign of success for the field of user-centered design. Whether it's a low-rent lab comprised of a couple adjacent conference rooms, a video camera, and a television, or a fully decked-out space with remote-control cameras, two-way mirrors, an observation room, and bowls of M&Ms — more and more companies are investing in such set-ups. Conducting user tests in labs is probably the most common means of getting user input on projects." (Peter Merholz - Adaptive Path)

Posted by PJB on February 04, 2006 | Classification: Usability | Comments (0) | Permalink

Design and Usability for Emerging Telephony

"Designing a product for the future is not a simple question of making two-way technology go faster, last longer, weigh less, or do more. It's about understanding how devices tap into people's lives, about how, when, and why we use technology in the ways we do. Design is a tool that helps to envisage our desires as consumers, our expectations as users, and our impulses as human beings. These deep emotional enablers are the ones that tell us how to bring together chips, screens, and microprocessors." (B.J. Fogg et al. - O'Reilly Emerging Telephony Conference)

Posted by PJB on February 03, 2006 | Classification: Usability | Comments (0) | Permalink

Interview with Don Norman

"My goal is to put structure to the field of design. Design has no real theoretical structure and I'm trying to find one." (Ambidextrous Magazine Issue 2)

Posted by PJB on February 02, 2006 | Classification: Interviews | Comments (0) | Permalink

LIFT06 Blog

Audio/Video Presentations included - "About teaming talented observers, explorers, and builders with people whose work depends on understanding current challenges and creative solutions presented by emerging technologies. Attendees will face cutting edge business models, bold predictions, radical thinking -- ideas to inject into their own part of the planet. LIFT has a simple goal: connect people who are passionate about new applications of technology and propel their conversations into the broader world to improve life and work." (LIFT06)

Posted by PJB on February 02, 2006 | Classification: Weblogs | Comments (0) | Permalink

Fundamental Forms of Information

"Fundamental forms of information, as well as the term 'information' itself, are defined and developed for the purposes of information science/studies. Concepts of natural and represented information (taking an unconventional sense of representation), encoded and embodied information, as well as experienced, enacted, expressed, embedded, recorded, and trace information are elaborated. The utility of these terms for the discipline is illustrated with examples from the study of information seeking behavior and of information genres. Distinctions between the information and curatorial sciences with respect to their social (and informational) objects of study are briefly outlined." (Marcia J. Bates)

Posted by PJB on February 01, 2006 | Classification: Information architecture | Comments (0) | Permalink

Rules for labelling buttons

"The consequence of the two rules may be that you end up with buttons with labels that are longer than a single word. I think that's much better than striving for single words that are either confusing (as they might be in our example) or infuriating (as in the many dialog boxes that inform me that some program has done something truly ghastly to my computer, and then expect me to click 'OK' as if I'm happy about it)." (Caroline Jarrett - Usability News)

Posted by PJB on February 01, 2006 | Classification: Writing | Comments (0) | Permalink