December 2011

Service Design Thinking and the Innovation of Financial Services (Part 2)

You would expect that financials are one of the usual suspects for service design.

"Though it is clear that many banking institutions around the world are experimenting with new models for delivering service and value, it is also clear that this is the tip of the iceberg. There is a notable lack of obvious investment by our larger institutions. In the face of current financial upheaval and recession I would suggest that now is a good time for banks to invest in an alternative customer-centered future. The principles and practices of service/experience design and design thinking and indeed other design thinking mash-ups such as strategy/planning design thinking, technology design thinking, organization design thinking, and you-name-it design thinking offer much to financial services in their search for innovation."

(Brian Gillespie a.k.a. @designbusiness ~ Strategic Design redux)

Posted by PJB on December 21, 2011 | Classification: Service design | Permalink

A Consistent Experience is a Better Experience: Service Design

One of the many intro's on Service Design, trying to answer the question of its value for commercial purposes.

"If there is one thing that has held the test of time, it's that history is bound to repeat itself. What was once old will most certainly become new again in the cycle of time because good ideas never go out of style. Service design is a shining example of this fact. In spite of the fact that the conception of service design is nearly 30 years old, it is an idea that is more relevant than ever today. Service has become a serious topic of discussion in the design community these days and it's being recognized more and more as a key to business success in competitive markets. Good service design breeds satisfied, loyal customers. This post will walk you through the basics and how you can begin using it to your advantage to turn travelers into your very own brand ambassadors."

(Mark Eberman a.k.a. @bikeboy389 ~ Digital Compass)

Posted by PJB on December 20, 2011 | Classification: Service design - User experience | Permalink

Industrial HCI Research: A Personal and Professional Perspective

Every practice is made by people, not organizations. Focus on people, not brands.

"In this article, we give you some personal perspective on the changing role of human-computer interaction (HCI) researchers practicing in industry over the last 25 years and look to the future. We identify long-lasting themes and emerging trends and add some insight from our experiences working in IT research and development. These experiences include collaborating as team members on a series of HCI research projects during 15 of over 20 years at IBM Research. We also describe what it has been like having a two-person HCI household over the years."

(Clare-Marie Karat and John Karat ~ Journal of Usability Studies Vol. 7, Issue 1, November 2011, pp. 1-8)

Posted by PJB on December 20, 2011 | Classification: Design research - HCI - Usability | Permalink

The Role of UX: Learning from Sustainability

UX designers express their identity crisis. Some deep mind work needed.

"In recent times, it has become increasingly difficult to describe who UX professionals are and what they do. As a new entrant into this profession, defining who I am and presenting the skills I possess as something that is valuable to any organization has been an uphill task."

(Antonia Anni a.k.a. @tonianni ~ UXmatters)

Posted by PJB on December 20, 2011 | Classification: User experience | Permalink

UX Dimensions of Conflict

UX design remains a people business.

"Even though there is no single answer to the question of how innovative or conventional a team should be and no clear gauge for how free or controlled a development process should be, you can make thoughtful decisions about what the right settings for those knobs are within your own organization. In doing so, make sure you take a value-neutral approach and understand your own biases going in. Then, choose the appropriate balance for your team, and select whatever tools and processes make the most sense for where you’ve set those knobs."

(Mike Hughes ~ UXmatters)

Posted by PJB on December 20, 2011 | Classification: User experience | Permalink

Want to Improve Your Coordination? Attend to Patterns

Using patterns creates rhythm, confidence, and trust.

"Like many of you, I'm passionate about crafting communication products that help others understand and act. I appreciate the work by writing practitioners who ask how sentence structure can support humans. I'm intrigued by the work of those of us who explore taxonomic relationships and ensure our tools bring consistency to thought. And recently I've become engaged by the thinking of information architects who attend to patterns and components."

(Thom Haller a.k.a. @thomhaller ~ ASIS&T Bulletin Dec. 2011 - Jan. 2012)

Posted by PJB on December 19, 2011 | Classification: Patterns - User experience | Permalink

Overloaded vs. Generic Commands

You still have to instruct a computer what to do. Even when it's a smart phone or a tablet.

"Overloading different outcomes on similar commands can be confusing. Using the same command for multiple actions enhances usability if the results are conceptually the same."

(Jakob Nielsen ~ Alertbox)

Posted by PJB on December 19, 2011 | Classification: Usability | Permalink

Yes, Experience Can Be Designed

In the DTDT or 'There is no such thing as...' category. And where does this debate lead us to? It depends.

"As experience design has evolved from early ideas about human-computer interaction to our present understanding, we can see how the industry has shaped the tools for studying, influencing, mediating, and sometimes even controlling the way people experience the artifacts they interact with. But that raises a question: can experience really be designed? And it certainly triggers lively debate."

(Sorin Pintilie a.k.a. @flyandcolors ~ UX Magazine)

Posted by PJB on December 15, 2011 | Classification: Design research - User experience | Permalink

Embedding Design

Doing the guerilla work on service design in the organisation.

"This isn't about throwing designers in an organisation. It is both bringing in design capacity and expertise inside the organisation and educating/building understanding and capabilities of it's potential so this design team/designers/central role can flourish. (...) It is simply not enough to deliver toolkits to organisations on how to design, we have to consider it becoming the DNA of the organisation."

(Sarah Drummond ~ Snook)

Posted by PJB on December 15, 2011 | Classification: Events - Service design | Permalink

For the love of experience: Changing the experience economy discourse

Really hope her dissertation changes the discourse.

"The attention for experiences as economic offerings has increased enormously in the last decade. However, the lack of a clear definition of experience and the bias towards the organization's perspective in the discourse cause much confusion. In this study experience is taken back to its basis: the encounter between an individual and his or her environment. Different concepts, effects and values of experience are defined to construct a more integrative discourse for the experience economy from the individual's perspective. To reap the benefits that the experience economy offers, the role of organizations has to change from a directing and controlling one to a more supporting and facilitating one. A true recognition of the co-creation that takes place in experiences shows how much latent potential for creating value there is yet to discover."

(Anna Snel a.k.a. @annasnel)

Posted by PJB on December 14, 2011 | Classification: Design research - Information design - User experience | Permalink

Designing Metro style apps that are touch-optimized

By exception, a proprietary tech video on HCI.

"Get the knowledge and guidance needed to build an app for an intuitive, powerful touch experience. Understand how touch design principles are firmly grounded in customer needs of comfort and utility. Discover how your app can use Windows 8 touch language and patterns, capabilities like smart targeting and semantic zoom, and new interactions like 'slide to select' and 'hold to learn' to engage your customers."

(Jan-Kristian Markiewicz & Kay Hofmeester a.k.a. @kayhof ~ BUILD 2011)

Posted by PJB on December 14, 2011 | Classification: HCI - Tablet design | Permalink

Towards an Ethics of Persuasion

Right, always thought I was the center of the universe.

"Here's my simple response: Don't take on projects that you wouldn't personally use yourself or recommend to your friends and family."

(Stephen P. Anderson a.k.a. @stephenanderson ~ UXmag)

Posted by PJB on December 14, 2011 | Classification: User experience | Permalink

Philosophy of Interaction and the Interactive User Experience

Finally, a piece on interaction design with more deep thoughts than normal.

"I will approach the question of interactivity from a number of angles, in the belief that a multi-paradigmatic analysis is necessary to give justice to the complexity of the phenomenon. I will start by defining the scope through some examples of interactive products and services. Next, I will analyse interactivity and the interactive user experience from a number of perspectives, including formal logic, cognitive science, phenomenology, and media and art studies. A number of other perspectives, e.g. ethnomethodology, semiotics, and activity theory, are highly relevant, but are not included here."

(Dag Svanaes ~ Interaction-Design.org)

Posted by PJB on December 13, 2011 | Classification: Interaction design | Permalink

Can't get no satisfaction: Why service companies can't keep their promises

For a lot of companies, it's just annoying that they have customers.

"Service companies can't show customers a tangible product. Since services are intangible, the only way to sell them is by making a promise to perform. But most service companies fail to keep their promises, leaving customers frustrated, confused and abused. Why do so many service companies fail to keep their promises to customers?"

(David Gray a.k.a. @davegray ~ Dachis Group)

Posted by PJB on December 12, 2011 | Classification: Service design - User experience | Permalink

Why service design is the next big thing in cultural innovation

Services are everywhere. It's culture too, high and low.

"(...) we have created a set of practical tools to help cultural organisations use the principles and approaches of service design to improve the experiences they produce - supporting the innovation process all the way from ideation to delivery."

(Rohan Gunatillake ~ The Guardian)

Posted by PJB on December 08, 2011 | Classification: Service design | Permalink

Larry Constantine on Agile Experience Design

Both fields seem to be at the wrong side of the magnet.

"(...) when experience design is married with agile development, the results can be a crisis of faith on either or both sides."

(Jean Claude Grosjean a.k.a. @jcQualitystreet ~ Agile UX)

Posted by PJB on December 08, 2011 | Classification: Technology - User experience | Permalink

Browse versus Search: Which Deserves to Go?

Finding nuggets in the dance between Ms. Browse and Mr. Search.

"(...) there are two kinds of people in the world: Searchers and Browsers. Searchers can browse when required, and Browsers can search when required. Neither is drawn to the other. (...) With these changes, both Browse and Search are improved, making everyone happy."

(Bruce 'Tog' Tognazzini a.k.a. @asktog)

Posted by PJB on December 06, 2011 | Classification: Search | Permalink

Why Hypercard Had to Die

Should be part of "The Web That Wasn't".

"I was a Hypercard child - though our friendship was brief."

(Loper OS)
courtey of markbernstein

Posted by PJB on December 05, 2011 | Classification: Classics - Hypertext | Permalink

Career Advice for User Researchers

Learning from the seniors.

"The first thing you should decide is what you want to focus on. There is a great variety of roles in user experience. Some UX professionals are generalists who do everything from user research to UX design - and sometimes even software development. Others specialize on a particular aspect of user experience such as interaction design, visual design, content strategy, or ethnography. And many fall somewhere in between - for example, a UX Architect who conducts user research and is responsible for every aspect of UX design except visual design."

(Jim Ross a.k.a. @anotheruxguy ~ UXmatters)

Posted by PJB on December 05, 2011 | Classification: Design research - User experience | Permalink

Planning User Research Throughout the Development Cycle

How can you ever make something worthwhile if you haven't looked into it, a.k.a. research.

"(...) we'll discuss how research planning can reduce costs and decrease the time it takes to perform user research. One of the biggest challenges in performing user research is determining which research approaches to apply and when to apply them. The research methods you choose are dependent upon a variety of factors, including budget, schedule, development phase, business goals, and research questions."

(Demetrius Madrigal and Bryan McClain ~ UXmatters)

Posted by PJB on December 05, 2011 | Classification: Design research - User experience | Permalink

Content Strategy Within The Design Process

(DTDT) Just name one field with a single universal definition.

"The first thing to understand about content strategy is that no two people understand it the same way. It's a relatively new - and extremely broad - discipline with no single definitive definition."

(Brad Shorr a.k.a. @bradshorr ~ Smashing Magazine)

Posted by PJB on December 05, 2011 | Classification: Content strategy | Permalink

Kindle Fire Usability Findings

Putting your fingers on Fire, then what happens?

"Mobile web sites work best on the 7-inch tablet. Users had great trouble touching the correct items on full sites, where UI elements are too small on the Fire screen."

(Jakob Nielsen ~ Alertbox)

Posted by PJB on December 05, 2011 | Classification: Tablet design - Usability | Permalink

The difference between a UX Designer and UI Developer

DTDT (again): Interface is part of the object and experience is part of the subject, be it for design or development purposes.

"UX Designers focus on the structure and layout of content, navigation and how users interact with them. (...) UI Developers focus on the way the functionality is displayed and the fine detail of how users interact with the interface."

(Ben Melbourne a.k.a. @benmelb ~ as in the city)

Posted by PJB on December 02, 2011 | Classification: HCI - Technology - User experience | Permalink

Is There Any Meat on This Lean UX Thing?

What's the common denominator of structural programming, OVID, OOA/D, RUP, rapid/extreme programming and Agile? No design thinking regarding use involved.

"There really is something here. Lean UX is an important new way to think about what we do, and I think there's real meat on it. Let me explain."

(Jared Spool a.k.a. @jmspool ~ UIE)

Posted by PJB on December 01, 2011 | Classification: Technology - UCD - User experience | Permalink

The Anatomy of an Experience Map

Great and necessary piece of information visualization for understanding purposes.

"Experience maps have become more prominent over the past few years, largely because companies are realizing the interconnectedness of the cross-channel experience. It's becoming increasingly useful to gain insight in order to orchestrate service touchpoints over time and space."

(Chris Risdon a.k.a. @ChrisRisdon ~ Adaptive Path)

Posted by PJB on December 01, 2011 | Classification: Service design - User experience | Permalink