Card Sorting with Donna Maurer
“(…) on the topic of card sorting. I think she has a very nice and practical approach to card sorting.” (Gerry Gaffney – UXpod)
All posts from
September 2006
Hear From 2005 Event Leaders
“Hear from World Usability Day 2005 event leaders the impact their programs had on their community and what’s on tap for 2006! Everyone was asked to introduce themselves, tell us about their World Usability Day event in 2005, the impact it had on their community and what their plans are for 2006.” (UPA World Usability Day – Nov. 14, 2006) – courtesy of keithinstone
Current Trends in Web Design
“(…) this article covers most of the current design trends which I recognize as high-quality ones.” (Pavel Senko – ontoinfo)
Beginner’s guide from a seasoned CSS designer
“(…) here are six of those principles, as I feel the advice is still timely for those of you just starting in design/CSS.” (Cameron Moll – Authentic Boredom)
Communicating Design: Developing Web Site Documentation for Design and Planning
“Communicating Design is for everyone who creates, uses, or approves documentation during the web design process. Covering 10 of the most common types of documents, the book walks readers through creating and presenting each deliverable. It describes the document’s essential contents, tips for preparing the document, strategies for managing risk, how to structure presentation meetings, and lots of other practical advice.” (Dan Brown) – courtesy of petermorville
Information visualization conversation with Fernanda Viegas and Mike Migurski
“(…) if you look at the academic information visualization community, researchers aren’t focusing on the social side of their applications. Infovis folks love to explore techniques that allow them to scale the data they are showing. But what happens when you scale the audience that’s looking at a visualization?” (Peter Merholz – IDEA 2006 Blog)
Understanding Business and Design Through Casino Poker
A four part series – “Business shares a lot in common with poker. The goal in both is to make as much money as possible—either over the long or short-term—to win. You are competing against other people with similar objectives, with a finite amount of potential returns available. In order to be successful, you must observe and understand people and situations, devise strategies based on those observations, and use skill to successfully execute the strategy and accomplish your objectives. In gambling, it’s called play; in business it’s called design.” (Dirk Knemeyer – Core77)
From GUI to E(motional) UI
“In 1988, Apple Computer produced some video scenarios showing how future computers would be able to understand hand gestures, read text, and respond to voice commands. Almost 20 years later, the world is still waiting for a natural way of using computers—though we are beginning to see some of our wildest dreams slowly emerge from the chaos of high technology and become real. In 2006, it is easy to believe that the masses will soon be able to use a computer without any keyboard or mouse. Beyond the constrained space of our personal computer’s monitor, keyboard, and mouse, I’m looking for the sort of revolution that would overtake the wild dream of Blade Runner. I can envision huge 3D virtual worlds and systems that are smart enough to feel a user’s mood and respond intelligently. Now, where do you want to go today?” (Leandro Agrò – UXmatters)
Book Review: Designing for Interaction
“Dan Saffer’s Designing for Interaction: Creating Smart Applications and Clever Devices was an ambitious undertaking. In fewer than 300 pages, he has attempted to cover the history, current practice, and notions about the future of the rapidly evolving discipline of interaction design (IxD). Whether you are simply curious about interaction design, are entering the profession yourself, or are collaborating with an interaction designer, Designing for Interaction is a good place to start your journey down the road of interaction design.” (Leo Frishberg – UXmatters)
The Place for Standards in Interaction Design and UI Design
“(…) standards are created over time. Use them based on your interpretation of their ubiquity and deconstruct which aspects of the system are truly standardized and which are variations on the theme around the standard. Conventions are to be respected, but use them within contexts and realize that using conventions outside their originating contexts can be troublesome for users who are expecting too much of the convention, but that convention may not work precisely in the new context you are designing in (…). Patterns and guidelines are tools to bring organization to the overwhelming infinite possibility of solutions. Don’t get caught laying on your laurels though and forgetting that our greatest asset as designers is creative discovery towards innovation through empathy.” (David Heller – uiGarden.net)
User Testing is Not Entertainment
“Don’t run your studies for the benefit of the people in the observation room. Test to discover the truth about the design, even when user tasks are boring to watch.” (Jakob Nielsen – Alertbox)
The Experience Design Institute
“The purpose of the Institute would be to give us a place to really get into these issues, other than the workplace, where real sharing across disciplines and approaches could take place on a regular, continuous basis.” (Bob Jakobson – Total Experience) – courtesy of experientia
FatDUX Blog
“FatDUX people are business professionals who understand the power of new media. We have a simple goal – to create Internet-based websites and applications that rise above the glorified business cards that populate much of today’s web. We share our skills, experience, and vision with clients who are looking for innovative communications solutions that grow their business.” (About FatDUX) – congrats eric
Gel Video Clips
“Short for ‘Good Experience Live’, Gel is a conference, and community, exploring good experience in all its forms – in business, art, society, technology, and life.” (Good Experience Live Conference)
The Persona Lifecycle
Review by Ross Gagliano – “(…) for our computer professional society, one may wonder whether such a book will find its way into either a computer science or an information system curriculum. Good questions! Being contrary, maybe it should. However, my own experience suggests that it may be way too massive (722 pages) and terribly glitzy (hundreds of cartoon figures) to become a standard course text.” (ACM Ubiquity)
HyperScope
“HyperScope is a high-performance thought processor that enables you to navigate, view, and link to documents in sophisticated ways. It’s the brainchild of Doug Engelbart, the inventor of hypertext and the mouse, and is the first step towards his larger vision for an Open Hyperdocument System.” (Douglas Engelbart et al.) – courtesy of readwriteweb
From design to meaning: a whole new way of presenting?
“Logical reasoning is a necessary condition. However, it’s increasingly clear that logic alone is not a sufficient condition for success for individuals and for organizations.” (Garr Reynolds – Presentation Zen)
The Web and the culture of free
“The Web has encouraged a belief that things can be free, or at least very cheap. It seems everyone is looking for a deal on the Web.” (Gerry McGovern)
The Laws of Simplicity
“(..) we are learning that simplicity equals sanity. We’re rebelling against technology that’s too complicated, DVD players with too many menus, and software accompanied by 75-megabyte ‘Read Me’ manuals. The iPod’s clean gadgetry has made simplicity hip. But sometimes we find ourselves caught up.” (John Maeda)
Practical Personas: The User Is Always Right
“(…) a site devoted to the art and science of personas. It’s also the companion site to the book. The goal of this site is to keep the conversation going.” (Steve Mulder and Ziv Yaar)
