All posts from
November 2005

Computing machinery and intelligence

Added on 29 November 2005 Peter Bogaards
“Propose to consider the question, ‘Can machines think?’ This should begin with definitions of the meaning of the terms ‘machine ‘and ‘think’. The definitions might be framed so as to reflect so far as possible the normal use of the words, but this attitude is dangerous. If the meaning of the words ‘machine’ and ‘think ‘are to be found by examining how they are commonly used it is difficult to escape the conclusion that the meaning and the answer to the question, ‘Can machines think?’ is to be sought in a statistical survey such as a Gallup poll. But this is absurd. Instead of attempting such a definition I shall replace the question by another, which is closely related to it and is expressed in relatively unambiguous words.” (Alan Turing, 1950)

Visual Explanations and Information Graphics

Added on 28 November 2005 Peter Bogaards
“Infographics are traditionally viewed as visual elements such as charts, maps, or diagrams that aid comprehension of a given text-based content. However, visual representation of information can be more than just the manner in which we are able to record what has been discovered by other means. They have the potential to become the process by which we can discern new meaning and discover new knowledge.” (acrStudio – Visual Organization and Information Design) – courtesy of venkatrajamanickam

Crossing Frontiers of Understanding

Added on 25 November 2005 Peter Bogaards
Lecture at the ICOGRADA/FRONTEIRAS congress, Sao Paulo, April 29th and 30th, 2004 – “Structure is an important way to start: structure information in ways that make it accessible to others: facilitating access is like giving out a passport: if designers help their users to cross frontiers of cultural knowledge and experience, and facilitate them to exchange and share information and experiences with others, then design has answered its first and most important brief: to build interfaces.” (Max Bruinsma)

Inaccessibility of CAPTCHA: Alternatives to Visual Turing Tests on the Web

Added on 24 November 2005 Peter Bogaards
“A common method of limiting access to services made available over the Web is visual verification of a bitmapped image. This presents a major problem to users who are blind, have low vision, or have a learning disability such as dyslexia. This document examines a number of potential solutions that allow systems to test for human users while preserving access by users with disabilities.” (W3C) – courtesy of accessify

Online International Journal of Usability Studies

Added on 23 November 2005 Peter Bogaards
“(…) a peer-reviewed, international, online publication dedicated to promote and enhance the practice, research, and education of usability engineering. Its aim is to provide usability practitioners and researchers with a forum to share: empirical findings, usability case studies (research case studies, not business case studies), opinions and experiences (regarding the practice and education of usability engineering), and reports of good practices in usability engineering.” (The Usability Professionals’ Association) – courtesy of markverderbeeken

Designing for Start-ups

Added on 23 November 2005 Peter Bogaards
“Because most start-ups run lean and mean, their employees tend to take on multiple roles to fill in gaps in expertise and role. Consultants working for a start-up are no different. A designer brought in to work on the visual design of an application is likely to do some coding, interaction design, or information architecture.” (LukeW – Functioning Form)

DUX2005 Impressions: One Person’s Journey and Another Perspective

Added on 22 November 2005 Peter Bogaards
“People from the UX community came together at DUX2005. I had eagerly awaited this second Conference on Designing for User eXperience, which was held November 2–5 at Fort Mason, in San Francisco, especially since I’d had miss the first DUX Conference in 2003. The conference lived up to my high expectations, providing fun and insight in equal measure. The surprising blue skies and sparkling vistas of the Golden Gate bridge didn’t hurt the experience either.” – “The DUX Conference attracts just the right mix of people, representing the diversity of UX professionals. With a format that encourages interaction and dialogue among attendees, DUX provides a great opportunity for meeting professional colleagues and online acquaintances face to face. Kudos to the organizers of DUX for the many things they’re doing well.” (Elizabeth Bacon / Pabini Gabriel-Petit – UXmatters)

Tools for Thought

Added on 21 November 2005 Peter Bogaards
“(…) an exercise in retrospective futurism; that is, I wrote it in the early 1980s, attempting to look at what the mid 1990s would be like. My odyssey started when I discovered Xerox PARC and Doug Engelbart and realized that all the journalists who had descended upon Silicon Valley were missing the real story.” (Howard Rheingold) – courtesy of victor lombardi

UFOs: Ubiquitous Findable Objects

Added on 18 November 2005 Peter Bogaards
“The term ambient findability describes a world at the crossroads of ubiquitous computing and the internet, in which we can find anyone or anything from anywhere at any time. It’s not necessarily a goal, and we’ll never achieve perfect findability, but we’re surely headed in the right direction. A clear sign of progress is the emergence of ubiquitous findable objects. GPS, RFID, UWB, and cellular triangulation enable us, for the first time in history, to tag and track products, possessions, pets, and people as they wander through space and time.” – (Peter Morville – O’Reilly Network)