Second Generation Tag Clouds

Added on 24 February 2006 Peter Bogaards
“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

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

Added on 24 February 2006 Peter Bogaards
“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

Designing Your Website to be Search Engine Friendly

Added on 23 February 2006 Peter Bogaards
“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)

Can Large Companies Succeed with Social Media?

Added on 23 February 2006 Peter Bogaards
“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)

On the Record: Paul Saffo

Added on 21 February 2006 Peter Bogaards
“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)

State of the Blogosphere: Beyond Search

Added on 17 February 2006 Peter Bogaards
“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)

Thomas Vander Wal podcast

Added on 15 February 2006 Peter Bogaards
“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)

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

Added on 13 February 2006 Peter Bogaards
“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)

Interaction Modeling: User State-Trace Analysis

Added on 13 February 2006 Peter Bogaards
“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)