Re: [IxDA Discuss] Tips on "breaking into" IA/ID/UxD industry for recent graduates?

[Morten Hjerde]

>
> My advice + $1.50 will buy you a cup of coffee. :)
>

You got some cheap coffee over there :-)

This has been thoroughly researched: It takes about 10.000 hours to be
really world-class excellent at something. That holds true for pretty much
anything you do, be it sports, writing, macrame, robot racing, chess
playing, whatever. Talent in itself mainly enables you to hold out for all
those hours. I you don't have talent, you will most likely give up early.

You have to make sure you get to develop your skills doing relevant work.
Manning the photocopier while waiting for someone to discover your "true
worth" won't get you there. The big paychecks will come later.

-- 
Morten Hjerde
http://sender11.typepad.com

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[IxDA Discuss] Interaction08 Full Program Announced

[Dan Saffer]

The Interaction Design Association (IxDA) is very pleased to announce  
its full slate of speakers for its first annual conference  
Interaction08 to be held in hip, historic Savannah, Georgia USA on  
February 8-10, 2008. The conference will be held on the campus of  
Savannah College of Art and Design (SCAD).



Joining keynote and session speakers Alan Cooper, Bill Buxton, Sigi  
Moeslinger, Malcolm McCullough, Jared Spool, Regine Debatty, Dan  
Brown, Molly Wright Steenson, Aza Raskin, Sarah Allen, Jenny Lam, and  
Matt Jones are 21 international Lightning Session speakers discussing  
a wide range of topics:

Kars Alfrink, More Than Useful: A Framework for Playful Products
Gretchen Anderson (Lunar), Concept Ideation and IxD
Jonathan Aronwitz (Google), Effective Prototyping Methods
Chris Bernard (Microsoft), Classic Design Movements and IxD: Kissing  
Cousins?
Doug Bolin (Avenue A | Razorfish), Help Me! A New Approach to Support  
Interactions
Chris Conley (Gravity Tank), Dramatic Features in Interaction Design
Dave Cronin (Cooper), Design for Flow
Anh Dang and Nirali Patel (Avenue A | Razorfish), Designing Information
Bill DeRouchey (Ziba), Conversations with Everyday Objects
Carl DiSalvo (Georgia Tech), Interaction Design for Community  
Empowerment
Andrew Hieronymi (SCAD), Self-Conscious Gaming
Morten Hjerde (mBricks), Designing for the Other 99%
Saskia Idzerda (Media Catalyst), Redesigning Sony-Ericsson’s Product  
Catalog
Matthew McCool (Southern Polytechnic SU), Optimizing the  
International User Experience
Yasser Rashid (BBC), Visualizing Radio
Sajid Saiyed (Phillips), New Interaction Model for a Modular Personal  
Infotainment System
Michele Tepper (frog), Interaction Across Disciplines
Liu Wei (Motorola), Tangible Interaction Design
Gabriel White (frog), Ethics of Everyday Design
Susan Wyche (Georgia Tech), Fieldwork and Sketching: Translating  
Research Themes into Conceptual Designs

Lightning session presenters hail from the United States, The UK, The  
Netherlands, Norway, China, and India.

In addition to these speakers, a set of pre-conference workshops will  
be taught by industry experts Marc Rettig and Jenna Date, Darja  
Isaksson, Jeff Patton, and Todd Warfel.

For the complete schedule and to register, please see the conference  
website:



Early bird registration has been extended to December 15, 2008. The  
rates are $499 USD before December 15th and $599 USD after. Student  
rate is $299 USD. 1/2 day workshops are $250 USD each. Take advantage  
of the low US dollar!

Savannah is one of America’s finest small cities, filled with  
historic homes, cobbled streets, gothic graveyards, and pirate  
haunts, as well as art galleries, hip bars, and both modern and  
traditional Southern restaurants. Direct flights can be had from  
Boston, New York, Chicago, and Washington, DC. Frequent flights  
connect Savannah to Atlanta, a major transportation hub. Highs in  
February average 64F/18C.

We're very excited about our program, and hope to see you in Savannah!


The Interaction08 Conference Committee


*Come to IxDA Interaction08 | Savannah*
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Re: [IxDA Discuss] Alan Cooper on Software Design: Code=Design?

[Alan Cooper]

Dmitry,

  Yes, it is indeed pathetic that I need to "invent a completely new
ontology...to justify [my] point."

  Welcome to the terminology hell that is software. You'll notice that I
spend an inordinate amount of words in all of my books and articles
clearing out a semantic space where I can make my points free of
mistaken meanings. You'll also notice, including from this very thread,
just how ineffective it is. 

  Thanx,
  Alan

__
cooper | Product Design for a Digital World
Alan Cooper 
[EMAIL PROTECTED] | www.cooper.com
All information in this message is proprietary & confidential.
"There is no country with a military so powerful, an economy so strong,
and a culture so great that its politicians cannot pull it down." -
Donald Gilbert Carpenter

-Original Message-
From: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
[mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] On Behalf Of
Dmitry Nekrasovski
Sent: Tuesday, October 30, 2007 11:49 AM
To: Rich Rogan
Cc: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Subject: Re: [IxDA Discuss] Alan Cooper on Software Design: Code=Design?

Amen Rich.

While reading this article, I've tried very had to understand why Alan
has gone to the lengths of inventing a completely new ontology of
software development to justify his point.

The only reason I can think of is that, to a person who is not
familiar with basic principles of software engineering (e.g. a
business stakeholder), the article might sound like a magical fix for
all the complexity and uncertainty that typically plagues software
development projects. Just "segregate engineers who like to design
software from engineers who like to build software". Preferably build
a wall between them. Sounds easy, doesn't it? ;)

As a counterpoint to notions like this, I highly recommend Fred
Brooks's classic No Silver Bullet paper:

http://tinyurl.com/yv8kqj

Dmitry

On 10/30/07, Rich Rogan <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote:
> In Coopers article he seems to "Jump the Shark", (makes assumptions
that
> have little relevance to most companies I've worked for), when he
writes:
>
> "Of course you can see how both of these problems, (engineers don't
know
> how/can't follow design), would stem from the same root: if a
programmer has
> never learned to follow a written design, then he would structure his
daily
> work to do without. He would attempt to do the necessary design
himself,
> concurrent with the construction effort. *And that is exactly what
> programmers at all levels and in all sub-disciplines of computer
programming
> do*: *they design code at the same time as they build it.* If we could
> untangle these two parts of the programming job, we could begin to
defeat
> the apocalyptic horsemen."
>
> He then goes on to identify two types of engineers which I have always
heard
> called "Engineers", (Cooper calls them "builders") and "Architects",
(Cooper
> calls them "designers").
>
> Every place I've worked at/heard of, that was a
professional/respectable
> software co., not in ultra start up mode, did upfront design, besides
> "Architectural Software" design. It seems he is implying that
"Interaction
> Design" as a profession is some new concept, which few software
> engineers/projects have heard of or incorporate.
>
> This seems to be very old news, and not really relevant in todays
market, or
> do I just work for ultra bleeding edge organizations when it comes to
> process? I like Alan's premise of promoting our discipline, but he
seems to
> be looking from the past, (very far past in SW terms - 10 yrs back or
so).
>
> Did anyone else get this from the article?
> \
> 
> *Come to IxDA Interaction08 | Savannah*
> February 8-10, 2008 in Savannah, GA, USA
> Register today: http://interaction08.ixda.org/
>
> 
> Welcome to the Interaction Design Association (IxDA)!
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>

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Re: [IxDA Discuss] Alan Cooper on Software Design: Code=Design?

[Alan Cooper]

Kevin, Anne,

  Thanks for your comments. I think you get my point. This article has
nothing to do with IxD.

  It surprises me immensely to find readers on THIS list missing the
central point of my article. When I refer to "design engineers" I am NOT
referring to designers of human-facing form and behavior. Design
engineers, as you two see, design code, not interaction. 

  It is similarly important to understand that design engineers are not
better or worse than production engineers. They just have different
goals.

  Building software is a larger undertaking than most people give it
credit for. It's large enough to require a LOT of design. The code needs
to be designed just as much as the human face needs to be designed. In
the past, software construction has been hampered by the lack of
human-facing design. Today, we do a much better job of designing the
human face, but all too frequently the human-facing design isn't built
correctly or well because the code is poorly designed, or not designed
at all. 

  I am sorry now that we decided to publish this article in two parts.
I'll see if I can get the second part posted to this list. 

  Thanx,
  Alan
  
__
cooper | Product Design for a Digital World
Alan Cooper 
[EMAIL PROTECTED] | www.cooper.com
All information in this message is proprietary & confidential.
"There is no country with a military so powerful, an economy so strong,
and a culture so great that its politicians cannot pull it down." -
Donald Gilbert Carpenter
-Original Message-
From: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
[mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] On Behalf Of
Kevin Silver
Sent: Tuesday, October 30, 2007 3:32 PM
To: Anne Hjortshoj
Cc: IxDA list
Subject: Re: [IxDA Discuss] Alan Cooper on Software Design: Code=Design?

Thanks Anne, you hit nail on the head.

This is how I read the article and I can from personal experience  
relate to Coopers sentiments.  I think there is a distinction between  
designing how something should work and then designing how you should  
build it.  Cooper refers to the latter as Design Engineering.  Having  
in a former life written multiple lines of code I can in my  
experience tell there is a difference between design code and  
production code.  I've spent a lot of time coding just to figure out  
how to build something, which can wind up being unwieldy and not  
pretty, but somehow still makes it into production because it works.   
Which was always unfortunate.

I am dealing with an interface redesign project that has a code  
foundation that wasn't architected--designed.  I have seen this in a  
lot of projects, especially internal applications that are being  
productized.  Is Cooper saying forethought in how to build it is just  
as important as how it works?

If there is a misnomer with Cooper's article is that he left out the  
idea of the software architect which in my mind is equivalent to the  
design engineer; the one who figures out how to build it.  Once again  
I chuckled reading this as I did when I first read Inmates.

As an aside, Dave's comment on form was interesting:

"What I think is the problem with Interaction Design which is
intrinsically related to Coopers argument but from a more semantic
side is that "interaction design" actually is the only design
medium that doesn't require FORM at all. It is behavioral and
requires "formational" (I'm making this up) design disciplines to
bring it to life. One such discipline is UI Design/Engineering."

I don't agree with this fully; it depends on how you define form.  I  
like to think of IxD's form as an intersection between 5-Dimensions  
of a design language and a conversation as described in this diagram  
I created: http://www.uxmatters.com/MT/archives/images/silver-ixd- 
fig_1.jpg.  Don't mean to lead us down the rabbit hole of semantics,  
I just think its interesting that form always has to be something  
tangible.  Again just a thought that is semantical and maybe even  
contradictory to my diagram and what I have written in the past.

Kevin

On Oct 30, 2007, at 1:50 PM, Anne Hjortshoj wrote:

> IMO, "Design engineer" does not equal "designer" in this article.  
> Cooper is
> describing well-designed code, not well-designed interfaces.
>
> I'm confused that his essay is being interpreted as an attack on  
> interaction
> design. He states very clearly in his essay that he's not talking  
> about this
> -- he's addressing the difference between easy-to-iterate (but  
> invisible to
> the user!) "design code" and robust "production code."
>
> 2cents,
>
> -Anne
>
>
>
> On 10/30/07, Katie Albers <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote:
>>
>> As far as I can tell, you're comfortable with Cooper's division of
>> engineers -- although you're accustomed to different terminology...so
>> let's pass over that.
>>
>> It seems that you believe that there once was a tendency for builders
>> to start building before the underlying work of the designer was in
>> place, but that that no longer happens in today's good companies

Re: [IxDA Discuss] Tips on "breaking into" IA/ID/UxD industry forrecent graduates?

[W Evans]

Steven, Jason, and others looking:
1. Fresh out of school, an agency is just not the place to work. Not only
would I recommend trying for an inside position - I would try for one in
something like a company's marketing department; then as you gain
experience, you can begin to insidiously practice good IA/IxD or whatever
path you really want to follow within that role as you learn to evangelize
your process to those around you. The pace, deliverables, and client-facing
facts about agency work cannot be understated, and even "junior" people in
Agencies tend to have at least 3 years experience.
2. I agree with Dan that besides the hygiene issue (some normative
baseline), I want to be wow'ed. Take a existing Fortune 500 site, rip it
apart, and tell me all the things wrong with it, and then offer some ideas
about how you would: restructure the navigation, re-label the taxonomy, and
then do it. You could even be just a bit iconoclastic -- for instance take a
guru in our field, and there are many, that can talk the talk, but their
sites are pretty bad by most objective UX standards. Help them out -
redesign a gurus site and explain why yours is better. Email me and I will
point you to some :-)
3. The language of your portfolio must be perfect, and professional.
Caroline's article is a little harsh - but I agree. I have tossed resumes in
the trash for a misspelling ("I am a very detial oriented person," was
written on one resume")
4. A key part of our field is understanding the audience, understanding the
user. When you design your portfolio - it is not for your friends. Look at
the types of places you really want to work - and mimic the tone, design,
language. Create your portfolio for the place you want to work. I once
really wanted a job as an IxD for a company in town. I redesigned their
entire site, with critique, and sent it with my resume and a cover letter
describing what I had done, and why I wanted to work with them.
5. The proof is in the pudding. The thing about our field is that there are
a lot of tangible deliverables. Even if it's just a hobby site of yours -
create a complete site (or application), with wireframes, sitemaps,
navigation structure, task flows and narratives. This really doesn't take as
long as it sounds.

Feel free to email me if you need ideas.


-- 
~ will

"Where you innovate, how you innovate,
and what you innovate are design problems"
---
will evans
user experience architect
[EMAIL PROTECTED]
---

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Re: [IxDA Discuss] Fair Hourly Rate for Usability Test

[Melvin Jay Kumar]

Hi Bora,

You might want to look at this way. Don't look at the overall cost.

Ask them for a breakdown of why it is 160 dollars an hour.

>From the breakdown, you can  validate where the cost is going.

You can then try to see if those areas of the cost, can be taken care
by you or your company so that it is cheaper overall. ( rent of
location, facilities, etc..etc)

Also, you might want to shop around, as SF is pretty packed placed
with a no. of usability firms but make sure they have expertise in the
area you want tested.

Often, you would realize that the cost is sometimes jacked up for just
their expertise , which you could then negotiate if you see that
average price across is cheaper than that.

Hope this helps.

Regards.

Jay Kumar



On 10/31/07, Bora Ultas <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote:
> Hello all. I am new to this list, but I wanted to get some people's opinion.
> I received an SOW from a usability firm in San Francisco for user testing on
> a mobile device. They want to charge $160 per hour for their consulting time
> and some material costs. This seems like a very high rate, but I have never
> hired such a company before, so I don't know what is fair. Does this seem
> like a standard rate or is it too high? Any advice would be very helpful.
>
> Bora
> 
> *Come to IxDA Interaction08 | Savannah*
> February 8-10, 2008 in Savannah, GA, USA
> Register today: http://interaction08.ixda.org/
>
> 
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Re: [IxDA Discuss] Tips on "breaking into" IA/ID/UxD industry forrecent graduates?

[Caroline Jarrett]

Hi Steve (and others searching for jobs)

I had a quick look at your portfolio site, and now I'm going to be 
honest (but I hope you'll take this as constructive criticism).

Let's look at it through the eyes of someone looking for a mid-level 
designer. My goal: I want someone who can design, for a client, today.

First thing that hits me:
"Painter Training in Virtual Reality
Master's Thesis
My Master's thesis for the HCI program at Iowa State: a VR-based spray 
painter training simulation "

OK, he's got a master's, that's nice. But is writing a thesis the same 
as designing?
OK, he knows about virtual reality. But I'm churning out [insert 
rather ordinary type of app/product here]. Does he know anything about 
ordinary stuff?
OK, he can copy text from links to description. And now I know where 
he got that master's. But is that a prestigious program? Have I ever 
heard of it? Isn't this just adding to what he's told me?

Hmm, I'm getting a bit bored now. Let's look at the text above all 
this:
"This is actively under construction. Content and design are both 
evolving".

Oooh. Sharp intake of breath...and not really in a good way.

Steve, I'm not going to carry on like this. All I can say is: I don't 
think your current portfolio is doing you justice. A longer 
exploration of it convinced me that you've got a lot to offer. Have 
another go at it. Think again about your audience, do some testing of 
your site, use all those skills that you've got. If in doubt about 
what to do, buy Ginny Redish's book 'Letting go of the words' and let 
her guide you.

And jobseekers in general might be interested in this short article, 
more of a rant actually:
"How not to get a job in usability"
http://www.usabilitynews.com/news/article1841.asp



Caroline Jarrett
[EMAIL PROTECTED]
01525 370379

Effortmark Ltd
Usability - Forms - Content
:
: On 10/30/07, Steven Pautz <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote:
: > I'm also trying to "break into" the field. I've haven't been 
searching
: > nearly as long, but I'm having some similar experiences.
: > http://stevenpautz.com/portfolio/ 



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Re: [IxDA Discuss] Tips on "breaking into" IA/ID/UxD industry for recent graduates?

[Dmitry Nekrasovski]

Steven,

A development background is not by itself a hindrance to entering the
field (many people on this list, myself included, come from one).
However, depending on the kind of position you are applying for, it
may be more or less relevant. In an agency environment, where
ideas/concepts are usually more important than driving a design to
successful execution, a development background may be seen as limiting
your creativity. In a product development environment (especially in a
smaller company or one practicing agile development), it could be
invaluable.

I would also suggest focusing your portfolio on the practical design
aspects of projects you've worked on rather than their academic
motivation or presentations you've given on them. Do this on the first
page - never assume that a potential employer has the time to look at
your portfolio in depth. As Dan so succinctly states it, "Your
portfolio has to say: I am a person with good ideas and skills you can
use."

Best of luck,

Dmitry

On 10/30/07, Steven Pautz <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote:
> I'm also trying to "break into" the field. I've haven't been searching
> nearly as long, but I'm having some similar experiences.
>
> For my portfolio, I left out nearly everything I did as coursework, except
> for one "ooh, shiny" project, but the remainder of my work was either
> school-contexted (extracurricular stuff, but not commercial) or was for
> smaller projects/teams that didn't need and couldn't justify formal (ie,
> non-whiteboard) wireframes or other artifacts/communicables. So far, it
> seems as though those things haven't helped my "interest or ambition in the
> field" score, though. (Although they don't count as "same type of work I'm
> aspiring to get", either.)
>
> I'm working on a very large personal project to demonstrate (and practice)
> process and artifacts and such. Would it be preferable to de-emphasize
> several minor and tangentially-related items in order to promote one huge,
> unfinished, very relevant project? Or is it more likely that I'm just not
> presenting the less-relevant work effectively or appropriately? ;-)
>
> I'm also coming from a more development-oriented background, which doesn't
> seem to resonate with many people. (Anybody want
> IA/IxD/UX/PHP/SQL/C++/OpenGL/OMGWTFBBQ?) In a few cases, it seemed as though
> mentioning development experience actually hurt me more than it helped --
> which makes sense given the number of developers who don't seem to discern
> between solution and implementation. I'm steadfast in my belief that
> technical knowledge can add value to design (when applied appropriately,
> just like any other discipline or tool,) so I don't want to just omit it
> from my resume/portfolio, but it seems as though some employers/people
> almost consider it a negative Has anybody else experienced this?
>
> ---
> Steven Pautz
> seeking junior- to mid-level IxD/IA/UX/UCD work
> http://stevenpautz.com/portfolio/
> 
> *Come to IxDA Interaction08 | Savannah*
> February 8-10, 2008 in Savannah, GA, USA
> Register today: http://interaction08.ixda.org/
>
> 
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Re: [IxDA Discuss] Yahoo! Messenger 9.0 beta

[ELISABETH HUBERT]

I just watched the demo and overall I think this is really cool. I
love the interfaces with Flickr and esp the Forward option that lets
users stay connected at all times. The video in the IM window is also
pretty cool. As a IM user myself however I don't usually take
advantage of the calling and texting features available to me since i
have most of my friend list in my cell phone and just use that medium.
I'm supposing that these features of IM are something your users take
advantage often. Correct assumption?

On Oct 30, 2007 12:54 PM, David Cortright <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote:
> http://beta.messenger.yahoo.com/
>
> I'm proud of this one. I worked with a great PM who believed in the design
> vision. Some of
>
>1. Focus on friends. the friends list is once again the primary focus
>of the main window. bigger display images, more room for status messages,
>and a contextual toolbar telling you what actions you can take with each
>contact.
>2. Designed for both keyboard and mouse access. Keyboard access =
>Windows+Y, type a few characters, optionally use the up/down arrow keys to
>select the contact and optionally use the left/right arrows to select the
>action.
>3. Words, not pictures. No more icons that need to be deciphered. Kept
>the tooltip, got rid of the tool :-)
>
> There are some other nice features in there too, like the inline media
> players and the modeless Flickr photo picker. Check it out, and I'd love
> your expert feedback.
>
> ·Dave
> 
> *Come to IxDA Interaction08 | Savannah*
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>
> 
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Re: [IxDA Discuss] Tips on "breaking into" IA/ID/UxD industry forrecent graduates?

[Robert Reimann]

Jason,

I think a lot of agencies are interested primarily in hiring senior
level talent, because, beyond the raw talent as Dan describes it,
there is also a need to be able to communicate with clients, manage
time and project work, and coordinate with other team members that
usually comes with industry experience. Many agencies run at a fast
enough pace that it is tricky to train very junior people on the job.

Going the in-house route may be a better first step in building your
portfolio; in-house departments  often have more time to invest in a
talented but inexperienced junior designer. The right in-house
department can have plenty of talented and experienced folks to learn
from and be mentored by, and the knowledge gained by seeing the
in-house process from the inside is invaluable if you later move into
agency work.

Good luck!

Robert.

-- 
Robert Reimann
President
Interaction Design Association (IxDA)

Associate Creative Director
frog design
Seattle, WA

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Re: [IxDA Discuss] Tips on "breaking into" IA/ID/UxD industry for recent graduates?

[Dan Saffer]

On Oct 30, 2007, at 4:33 PM, pauric wrote:

>   You've got Dan Saffer on the line giving
> you advice if you hadnt noticed!

My advice + $1.50 will buy you a cup of coffee. :)

>
> I believe Dan Saffer has said in the past that you shouldnt 'work
> for free' to fill out your portfolio (correct me) and I disagree
> with that to an extent.

Only if you can't find paying work, and I think there is a bunch out  
there right now.

And I always encourage side projects/blogs/etc.

Dan



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Re: [IxDA Discuss] Tips on "breaking into" IA/ID/UxD industry for recent graduates?

[pauric]

Dan: "Your portfolio has to say: I am a person with good ideas and
skills you can use."

Jason, have you thought about complimenting your portfolio with a
blog? Something that's going to demonstrate the kind of thinking
that Dan refers to.

Also, take my advice with a pinch of salt as I've worked at the same
place for the last 11 years but to your points
1)"I'm not going to learn anything about my craft if I'm not
working with people who know more than me."

Not strictly true.  I work alone and am the Principal Architect for
user interfaces at a large(ish) multinational,  6000 peeps.  I would
prefer to have a mentor, I'd certainly be better for it, but, its
not a requirement imho.  You've got Dan Saffer on the line giving
you advice if you hadnt noticed!  Leverage the cloud.

2)"I am prepared to make coffee, photocopy, and be a gopher, all for
a meager paycheck"

I met with David Malouf last week and he said something that's stuck
in my mind.  If I've understood what he said correctly.. then knowing
your worth is important.  If you let yourself be treated as you
describe then I fear you'll be abused.  There's a balance but I
wouldnt set yourself up as someone who's seen as desperate.

I believe Dan Saffer has said in the past that you shouldnt 'work
for free' to fill out your portfolio (correct me) and I disagree
with that to an extent.  I'd encourage you to look at some of the
more interesting OSS projects in places like Sourceforge and cut your
teeth there.  Its a great way to balance your experience even when you
do have a job.

3) "I want to be part of an agency that really legitimately cares
about the design process. If this precondition isn't met, then there
is no good reason to sign up."

True, as long as you understand the real reason a business cares
about any particular process is its ability to make money.  Following
the right principles is more important than simply being principled. 

Best of luck - pauric



. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Posted from the new ixda.org
http://gamma.ixda.org/discuss?post=21947



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[IxDA Discuss] Alan Cooper on Software Design: Code=Design?

[Nasir Barday]

Most people in software don't know what User Experience Design truly is, let
alone Interaction Design. Heck, my friend's boss is *just* starting to
accept that she's a "User Experience Designer" and not "The Usability
Person" (that happened, um, today-- we're celebrating with cake ...).

We've talked about this on the list before, but as a community we need to
recognize just how many people don't understand that good design starts with
being good anthropologists, etc, etc. Once we come to grips with that
(actually, I think lots of list readers come to grips with that 40 hours a
week...), we've got to do for our processes what we do best: design them!
Every company behaves differently (just like different personas), so while
the idea is the same, we have to tailor our processes for the people we work
with if we want good design to catch on at our clients/companies, e.g.
sometimes paper prototyping just won't work some places. We need to talk
with people outside of just each other-- Joel Spolksy, one of the original
Software Engineering bloggers; Product Developers at Maytag and Caterpillar;
any conference without "Usability," "Design," or "Information Architecture"
in its title :-).

Sure, the article has its problems, but it introduces at least the concept
of IxD to software people. Anyway, just furthering the point that our work
is not nearly as widespread as we might like to believe. We still have a
ways to go before being an IxD immediately gets you numbers at the bar, let
alone booking a paying gig without having to convince people they need you.

Sorry, Chris, lost your original question with the soapboxing. Maybe we can
continue this when Part 2 hits ...

- Nasir

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Re: [IxDA Discuss] Alan Cooper on Software Design: Code=Design?

[Dmitry Nekrasovski]

That would be

http://www.frogreview.com/

Dmitry

On 10/30/07, Nasir Barday <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote:
> I haven't heard of such a resource, but this sounds like a great initiative
> we could undertake as an organization: A forum for critiques of our own
> output and of products that currently exist.
>
> Now that I think of it, I remember someone posting a link to a Flash movie
> of two "design-minded frogs" critiquing a website. Seriously. I'm completely
> sober, I swear! :-)
>
> - Nasir
> 
> *Come to IxDA Interaction08 | Savannah*
> February 8-10, 2008 in Savannah, GA, USA
> Register today: http://interaction08.ixda.org/
>
> 
> Welcome to the Interaction Design Association (IxDA)!
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>

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Re: [IxDA Discuss] Tips on "breaking into" IA/ID/UxD industry for recent graduates?

[Dan Saffer]

On Oct 30, 2007, at 10:53 AM, Jason Barbarich wrote:

> is there anything in particular you look for
> when you see a potential junior IA/ID/UxD? Should we all have some  
> sort of
> crucial skill on lock? Is there something that NEEDS to be in our  
> sparsely
> populated portfolio? Or is it really just about being you, having a  
> handle
> on the standard toolset, and knowing the design process?

I've interviewed a few "junior designers" (although I hate that term)  
over the last year and here is what I'm looking for: raw talent. It's  
as simple (and as difficult) as that. I bet other people who are  
hiring are looking for the same thing too.

Sure, you need to have enthusiasm, smarts, and be able to talk about  
your work. You need to be a personality fit for our company. You need  
to have the temperament of a designer. You need to have some  
experience (school or professional). You need to have something  
interesting about you. You need to be well groomed. :)

But all of this is baseline. Hygiene, as it's called in product  
design: what people just expect to be there. What I'm really looking  
for in your portfolio is raw talent. This might be skills I don't  
have, or an idea I never would have thought of. A side project that  
is really interesting, or a new take on some existing product I  
haven't seen elsewhere.

What it comes down to is this: I want to hire people more talented  
than me, with better ideas than I have. The other stuff, bah, you can  
learn those skills. If you are halfway smart I can teach you to do  
decent documentation or how to write sales proposals or the myriad of  
other aptitudes that come with experience. I don't care if you can  
make a great wireframe as much as I care you had a great idea. Your  
portfolio has to say: I am a person with good ideas and skills you  
can use. I'd rather you present one mind-blowing project than two  
mediocre ones. Ok, TWO mind-blowing projects (to make sure the first  
isn't a fluke). :)

I might be idiosyncratic here, but maybe not. Anyway, I doubt this is  
helpful ("How do I show I'm a genius?!"), but my advice is simply to  
show where you shine. Demonstrate your thinking and your methods.  
Talk about choices you DIDN'T take, and why. Make me think I'd be a  
fool not to hire you. Because if you do, I (or someone like me)  
probably will.

Dan



Dan Saffer
Experience Design Director, Adaptive Path
http://www.adaptivepath.com
http://www.odannyboy.com



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Re: [IxDA Discuss] Tips on "breaking into" IA/ID/UxD industry forrecent graduates?

[Harvinder]

 

Try adapting the intern route or doing a Masters.
Harvinder Singh
210-614-4198 O
210-884-1311 C
[EMAIL PROTECTED]
www.bestica.com
Bridging the Usability Talent Gap

-Original Message-
From: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
[mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] On Behalf Of Steven
Pautz
Sent: Tuesday, October 30, 2007 5:29 PM
To: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Subject: Re: [IxDA Discuss] Tips on "breaking into" IA/ID/UxD industry
forrecent graduates?

I'm also trying to "break into" the field. I've haven't been searching
nearly as long, but I'm having some similar experiences.

For my portfolio, I left out nearly everything I did as coursework, except
for one "ooh, shiny" project, but the remainder of my work was either
school-contexted (extracurricular stuff, but not commercial) or was for
smaller projects/teams that didn't need and couldn't justify formal (ie,
non-whiteboard) wireframes or other artifacts/communicables. So far, it
seems as though those things haven't helped my "interest or ambition in the
field" score, though. (Although they don't count as "same type of work I'm
aspiring to get", either.)

I'm working on a very large personal project to demonstrate (and practice)
process and artifacts and such. Would it be preferable to de-emphasize
several minor and tangentially-related items in order to promote one huge,
unfinished, very relevant project? Or is it more likely that I'm just not
presenting the less-relevant work effectively or appropriately? ;-)

I'm also coming from a more development-oriented background, which doesn't
seem to resonate with many people. (Anybody want
IA/IxD/UX/PHP/SQL/C++/OpenGL/OMGWTFBBQ?) In a few cases, it seemed as though
mentioning development experience actually hurt me more than it helped --
which makes sense given the number of developers who don't seem to discern
between solution and implementation. I'm steadfast in my belief that
technical knowledge can add value to design (when applied appropriately,
just like any other discipline or tool,) so I don't want to just omit it
from my resume/portfolio, but it seems as though some employers/people
almost consider it a negative Has anybody else experienced this?

---
Steven Pautz
seeking junior- to mid-level IxD/IA/UX/UCD work
http://stevenpautz.com/portfolio/

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Re: [IxDA Discuss] Alan Cooper on Software Design: Code=Design?

[Kevin Silver]

Thanks Anne, you hit nail on the head.

This is how I read the article and I can from personal experience  
relate to Coopers sentiments.  I think there is a distinction between  
designing how something should work and then designing how you should  
build it.  Cooper refers to the latter as Design Engineering.  Having  
in a former life written multiple lines of code I can in my  
experience tell there is a difference between design code and  
production code.  I've spent a lot of time coding just to figure out  
how to build something, which can wind up being unwieldy and not  
pretty, but somehow still makes it into production because it works.   
Which was always unfortunate.

I am dealing with an interface redesign project that has a code  
foundation that wasn't architected--designed.  I have seen this in a  
lot of projects, especially internal applications that are being  
productized.  Is Cooper saying forethought in how to build it is just  
as important as how it works?

If there is a misnomer with Cooper's article is that he left out the  
idea of the software architect which in my mind is equivalent to the  
design engineer; the one who figures out how to build it.  Once again  
I chuckled reading this as I did when I first read Inmates.

As an aside, Dave's comment on form was interesting:

"What I think is the problem with Interaction Design which is
intrinsically related to Coopers argument but from a more semantic
side is that "interaction design" actually is the only design
medium that doesn't require FORM at all. It is behavioral and
requires "formational" (I'm making this up) design disciplines to
bring it to life. One such discipline is UI Design/Engineering."

I don't agree with this fully; it depends on how you define form.  I  
like to think of IxD's form as an intersection between 5-Dimensions  
of a design language and a conversation as described in this diagram  
I created: http://www.uxmatters.com/MT/archives/images/silver-ixd- 
fig_1.jpg.  Don't mean to lead us down the rabbit hole of semantics,  
I just think its interesting that form always has to be something  
tangible.  Again just a thought that is semantical and maybe even  
contradictory to my diagram and what I have written in the past.

Kevin

On Oct 30, 2007, at 1:50 PM, Anne Hjortshoj wrote:

> IMO, "Design engineer" does not equal "designer" in this article.  
> Cooper is
> describing well-designed code, not well-designed interfaces.
>
> I'm confused that his essay is being interpreted as an attack on  
> interaction
> design. He states very clearly in his essay that he's not talking  
> about this
> -- he's addressing the difference between easy-to-iterate (but  
> invisible to
> the user!) "design code" and robust "production code."
>
> 2cents,
>
> -Anne
>
>
>
> On 10/30/07, Katie Albers <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote:
>>
>> As far as I can tell, you're comfortable with Cooper's division of
>> engineers -- although you're accustomed to different terminology...so
>> let's pass over that.
>>
>> It seems that you believe that there once was a tendency for builders
>> to start building before the underlying work of the designer was in
>> place, but that that no longer happens in today's good companies. All
>> I can really say to that is "wow! Have you ever been lucky!"
>>
>> First of all, keep in mind that for many/most of us, our
>> understanding of the professional SW world is skewed by the simple
>> fact that we work with and for companies that are smart enough to
>> hire us. Thus, they implicitly acknowledge the existence and
>> importance of IxD.
>>
>> But it is still very much the case that the work of interaction
>> design gets relegated to the hands of the "builders" much of the
>> time, in my experience. Time constraints, resource constraints,
>> failure to understand that just because the engineer *can* work out a
>> way to get from point A to point B does not mean it will be a good
>> way...All these things and so many more frequently mean that the
>> "design" part just doesn't get done except by default.
>>
>> On the whole, I think the problem described by Cooper remains...and
>> has remained through many revisions and definitions of who works on
>> SW teams and what they do and how they do it. System Analysts -- to
>> my mind -- are a primary example of the obduracy of the engineering
>> problem. Many moons ago SAs were the individuals trusted with working
>> out the people-facing side of an app. Very few of them could code and
>> they weren't generally encouraged to learn how. Now coding is a
>> standard requirement for Systems Analysts and we are back to trying
>> to figure out where to locate the underlying design functions for SW.
>>
>> Some companies are good at separating and integrating the parts of
>> the process and others aren't. Interestingly, I've always found
>> start-ups to be better at it than existing and larger companies.
>>
>> Katie
>>
>>
>>
>> At 2:03 PM -0400 10/30/07, Rich Rogan wrote:
>>

Re: [IxDA Discuss] Application design in health care domain

[Juhan Sonin]

Pooja,

Your inspiration will come from outside the Health industry. 90% of
US Healthcare is 10  years behind the technology and design curve...
and backwards (i.e. not patient-centric).

Giant issue in the HC-space: there is zero data interoperability (for
example no CCD/CCR/C32 validation or data exchange across
organizations). This is by design (for vendor lock-in)... and it
kills any chance for digital data sharing across the globe.

Follow a few nurses, doctors, and (most importantly) patients around
in their everyday hospital activities. This will be a HUGE
eye-opener. 
Books to peruse: Understanding HealthCare, Internal Bleeding, The End
of Medicine, Set Phasers on Stun (among many reads).
Podcasts: Life and Death in the USA, Dr Mike Magee's podcasts

Grady - Spot on about MS CUI. Good idea but the execution is
laughable. There are several open source health efforts (like Vista,
openEHR, Tolven, etc) that need a monster amount of Design help. 

Pooja - if you need assistance, shoot me an email.

-Juhan


. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Posted from the new ixda.org
http://gamma.ixda.org/discuss?post=21932



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Re: [IxDA Discuss] Tips on "breaking into" IA/ID/UxD industry for recent graduates?

[Steven Pautz]

I'm also trying to "break into" the field. I've haven't been searching
nearly as long, but I'm having some similar experiences.

For my portfolio, I left out nearly everything I did as coursework, except
for one "ooh, shiny" project, but the remainder of my work was either
school-contexted (extracurricular stuff, but not commercial) or was for
smaller projects/teams that didn't need and couldn't justify formal (ie,
non-whiteboard) wireframes or other artifacts/communicables. So far, it
seems as though those things haven't helped my "interest or ambition in the
field" score, though. (Although they don't count as "same type of work I'm
aspiring to get", either.)

I'm working on a very large personal project to demonstrate (and practice)
process and artifacts and such. Would it be preferable to de-emphasize
several minor and tangentially-related items in order to promote one huge,
unfinished, very relevant project? Or is it more likely that I'm just not
presenting the less-relevant work effectively or appropriately? ;-)

I'm also coming from a more development-oriented background, which doesn't
seem to resonate with many people. (Anybody want
IA/IxD/UX/PHP/SQL/C++/OpenGL/OMGWTFBBQ?) In a few cases, it seemed as though
mentioning development experience actually hurt me more than it helped --
which makes sense given the number of developers who don't seem to discern
between solution and implementation. I'm steadfast in my belief that
technical knowledge can add value to design (when applied appropriately,
just like any other discipline or tool,) so I don't want to just omit it
from my resume/portfolio, but it seems as though some employers/people
almost consider it a negative Has anybody else experienced this?

---
Steven Pautz
seeking junior- to mid-level IxD/IA/UX/UCD work
http://stevenpautz.com/portfolio/

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Re: [IxDA Discuss] Alan Cooper on Software Design: Code=Design?

[Nasir Barday]

I haven't heard of such a resource, but this sounds like a great initiative
we could undertake as an organization: A forum for critiques of our own
output and of products that currently exist.

Now that I think of it, I remember someone posting a link to a Flash movie
of two "design-minded frogs" critiquing a website. Seriously. I'm completely
sober, I swear! :-)

- Nasir

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Re: [IxDA Discuss] Alan Cooper on Software Design: Code=Design?

[gb]

Coming from a motion graphics "design" &  production background and
being relatively new to the software realm and the concept of IxD .
Which I partially find annoying to have yet another term born into
the world  that uses the word "Design" in it and always ends up
getting everyone in trouble.  (but that's a different bone to pick)
I'm actually curious if anyone  knows of a good software critique 
or IxD critique site that can pose examples of contemporary software
and web application IxD that provides semi-objective  constructive
criticism for projects? A book even ? Is there a place on this site
I'm missing ? I'm curious to see how contemporary work is judged
and "Graded".. Besides reading the ranting the one line comments of
customers on versiontracker.com.  Just to at least try and learn from
examples of what the community considers "Good" and "Bad" design.

I imagine Rogan works for an exceptional company . While I'll just
take comfort that "it" does exist out there somewhere. But  up to
this point in my own personal experience. (Which I admit is quite
limited) I have not seen it.  I would venture to say that I agree
with David and say Rich's experience would be the exception instead
of the rule ?
 


. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Posted from the new ixda.org
http://gamma.ixda.org/discuss?post=21921



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Re: [IxDA Discuss] Tips on "breaking into" IA/ID/UxD industry for recent graduates?

[Jennifer Berk]

On 10/30/07, Jason Barbarich <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote:
> members have mentioned that they are taxed with the job of reading resumes
> and interviewing applicants - is there anything in particular you look for
> when you see a potential junior IA/ID/UxD? Should we all have some sort of
> crucial skill on lock? Is there something that NEEDS to be in our sparsely
> populated portfolio? Or is it really just about being you, having a handle
> on the standard toolset, and knowing the design process? I can talk for a
> pretty long time about the one, EXTREMELY simple website I freelanced over
> the summer. Obtaining requirements from interviewing the owner, getting a
> feel for who the primary users of the site were, wireframing to establish
> design concept, etc., but again, the site is epicly simple, and I'm still
> left with no agency experience.

You might find useful a session on IA resumes (and portfolios) that
was run by the DC area UX community.  Summary at
http://olgahow.com/?p=98 , audio and more useful links at
http://livlab.com/thinkia/2007/04/audio-from-ia-roundup/ .  Looking
quickly at your portfolio, the language used is very informal and
there isn't much discussion of the thought process that led to the
diagram.  Showing the value you brought to each portfolio project
would let your interviewer more easily imagine what value you'd bring
to theirs.

Jennifer Berk

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Re: [IxDA Discuss] Rich Media question

[Reinier Butot]

I second that After Effects is used. From what i've experienced using
the program the effects used are all available in AE, but i'm not
sure how they did the writing in the form at the beginning though...
but it doesn't look like a movie, just a screenshot that is
animated.


. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Posted from the new ixda.org
http://gamma.ixda.org/discuss?post=21945



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[IxDA Discuss] When those who know little about Usability offer Usability Services

[Adam Connor]

In the past few months I've run into quite a few designers, studios, 
developers, etc. who have begun offering Usability services to their 
clients. However after talking to them for a while it becomes clear that 
they really don't know what Usability is (they've never conducted a 
usability test, are unfamiliar with many common best practices, don't 
have any training, and so on and so forth...). Instead it would seem 
that they have picked up on the importance of usability and have 
included it in their services to better promote themselves to clients.

I've also noticed that most of these individuals I've spoken to mistake 
Usability for a set of logical conventions. Something like "button A 
goes in the top left corner because thats where it would logically 
go..." or "module B should look like this because most sites do it that 
way..."  They forget that while many usability best practices may 
conform to logical thinking, the user's expectations are what matter and 
if that differs from what you believe is logical, well... you need to 
make adjustments.

So I ask you: Is this the price we pay for growing popularity of 
Usability and User-Centered Design?

Have you noticed other groups doing similar things?

Does it bother you as much as it does me?

-adam

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Re: [IxDA Discuss] Fair Hourly Rate for Usability Test

[Barbara Ballard]

Hi Bora,

In my experience, there are three factors driving hourly cost for tests:
- facility and travel costs
- expertise level - mobile frequently costs more because there's a bit
of specialized expertise necessary
- where the consulting firm is located

We, for example, charge a premium due to our mobile expertise, but as
we're in Kansas we can pay our people less than half what we'd have to
pay in San Francisco. We then use focus group facilities - anywhere -
to run the actual test.  So $160/hour is more than what we'd charge
for the work. But then there's the facility, travel, and recruiting
costs.  It still adds up to less than $160/hr.

If you want a Bay Area firm, I'm not sure what the average rates would be.

Barbara

On 10/30/07, Bora Ultas <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote:
> Hello all. I am new to this list, but I wanted to get some people's opinion.
> I received an SOW from a usability firm in San Francisco for user testing on
> a mobile device. They want to charge $160 per hour for their consulting time
> and some material costs. This seems like a very high rate, but I have never
> hired such a company before, so I don't know what is fair. Does this seem
> like a standard rate or is it too high? Any advice would be very helpful.
>
> Bora



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Re: [IxDA Discuss] Rich Media question

[Michael Lisboa]

The hard way:

1) take fully designed photoshop files and rotate and perspective  
transform the image(s) or toss them into a 3D modeling app.
2) import into a video editing app-- or flash -- and do your zooms,  
pans and scans using the timeline and export to flash video.


The *really* easy way (like my dog could probably figure it out... but  
then again he's a pretty smart pup):

Use Apple's Motion or Adobe After Effects. Import your images, rotate  
on a 3D axis and pan & scan in the timeline. Export to FLV.

(the mouse cursor is a separate file. this wasn't captured using  
camtasia or the like.)


Michael Lisboa

On Oct 30, 2007, at 8:50 AM, Mike Scarpiello wrote:

> Can anyone explain how the video on this page was done?  I use  
> Camtasia and
> Abobe Captivate now to make web demos and training materials, but  
> this one
> kinda looks like a video of a video.
>
> Thanks.
>
> http://www.restaurant.com/
> 
> *Come to IxDA Interaction08 | Savannah*
> February 8-10, 2008 in Savannah, GA, USA
> Register today: http://interaction08.ixda.org/
>
> 
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Re: [IxDA Discuss] Alan Cooper on Software Design: Code=Design?

[David Malouf]

ACtually Rich, I think you are overreaching the advances of IxD and UX
for most programmers.

Let's give a taste. When I was interviewing for the UX Evangelist
position @ MS I learned a few things about reality.

1. There are some 20-25 million MS developers worldwide. That is ONLY
MS developers. Then there are Java and every other type of developer
out there, right? 

2. Compare that to at best the numbers of UX professionals in total
out there. What 100,000 at best! And that number in my mind is so
over-inflated. For example there are 5000  IxD's represented on the
IxDA lists. 

3. Almost all of the enterprise work I interact with from my position
at Motorola Enterprise Mobility, I have NEVER interacted with anyone
close to a UX professional. These people are creating systems and
software without any research other than at best business analytics.

4. While there is an increase in designers, there is also an increase
in inmates and I have not seen real proof of the problem resolving
itself in any major way.

5. Even where there ARE UX professionals, I often see them as
tokenized, and disempowered behind engineering focused folks. he who
controls the code, controls output and controls the process.

I don't mean to dismiss people's experiences, but if you are doing
Great, I applaud you. The reality is that the far majority of UX
practitioners are working as non-equals to engineers and that where
they do exist is a far minority to where they don't exist at all.

To your point about "constraints" on engineering ... I find most of
these are excuses derived by engineering as a means of saving their
own ass. 

on the flip side, I don't think Alan is a great evangelist for
design. I find that by poking at "the other" he is alienating us
even further. I don't think this tactic is valuable even when the
content is accurate and well intentioned.

But it is always nice to see that there is someone out there that is
kickin' ass for the home team!


. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Posted from the new ixda.org
http://gamma.ixda.org/discuss?post=21921



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Re: [IxDA Discuss] Rich Media question

[Mike Hickman]

Mike,

The video is pushed through Flash, which has been pointed at before.  But
with the more complex camera movement; the change of aspect combined with a
pan; I would guess they took static screenshots and animated them in After
Effects or another compositing package.  A good AE guy could've run through
that fairly quickly I'd guess.

You could so it in Flash, but it'd be a pain.

Mike


On 10/30/07, Matthew Nish-Lapidus <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote:
>
> I'm not sure I understand what you mean by "how the video on this page
> was done" 
>
> I'm sure you already know it's Flash video.
>
> As for the content of the video itself, it looks like they just had an
> animator do some simple 3D stuff with screenshots, mouse pointers, and
> screen capture vids.  Pretty simple, could all be done in Flash.
>
> On 10/30/07, Mike Scarpiello <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote:
> > Can anyone explain how the video on this page was done?  I use Camtasia
> and
> > Abobe Captivate now to make web demos and training materials, but this
> one
> > kinda looks like a video of a video.
> >
> > Thanks.
> >
> > http://www.restaurant.com/
>
> --
> Matt Nish-Lapidus
> email/gtalk: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
> ++
> LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/in/mattnl
> Home: http://www.nishlapidus.com
> 
> *Come to IxDA Interaction08 | Savannah*
> February 8-10, 2008 in Savannah, GA, USA
> Register today: http://interaction08.ixda.org/
>
> 
> Welcome to the Interaction Design Association (IxDA)!
> To post to this list ... [EMAIL PROTECTED]
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>

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Re: [IxDA Discuss] IA Summit 2008 %u2013 Call for Papers Deadline Reminder

[Josh Seiden]

[ Moderator's note: Posted on behalf of Richard Dalton.]

To give submitters a little more time over the weekend we've
extended the deadline for all types of papers (except research
papers, which remains 11/30) to midnight (EST) on Sunday 11/4.


  Richard
  2008 IA Summit Chair


. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Posted from the new ixda.org
http://gamma.ixda.org/discuss?post=21470



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Re: [IxDA Discuss] Alan Cooper on Software Design: Code=Design?

[Rich Rogan]

Note I think Cooper has some great ideas, and has really aided me and this
community, he is not perfect, and this latest article just seems old news,
and of little relevance to my situation.

Regarding Anne's comment: "I'm confused that his essay is being interpreted
as an attack on interaction design."

I don't think anyone writing in this thread feel Cooper is attacking ID,
rather he seems to be rehashing very old "positive" concepts on ID, without
considering massive advances the ID field has experienced in the past 10
years +, (note without a doubt Mr Cooper can take credit for many advances).


His comments seem very relevant if it were say, 1995, but it's 2007 and
there are more involved issues with design and development then development
simply being ignorant of design.
_

Regarding Katie's comment:

"It seems that you believe that there once was a tendency for builders to
start building before the underlying work of the designer was in place, but
that that no longer happens in today's good companies."

 Cooper states "engineers don't know/ can't follow design", ID design in
particular.

My point of what troubles IxDA designers, and me in particular, was a little
more nuanced then either above black and white statements. The main issues I
deal with today are not when engineers don't know or can't follow ID design,
but rather when there are many factors in the mix, which necessitate
multi-facteted solutions rather then "all would be good if engineers just
"got" design".

What are some of these factors, Katie does a decent job listing a few, such
as "time constraints", "resource constraints", "engineers design
limitations", etc.

This list goes on and on. Add in lots of business problems that might come
up, these are the issues I deal with every day and need solutions to, as
well as engineers that "get it", "don't get it", "don't want to get it", and
"are trying to compete to get it".

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[IxDA Discuss] Job/Sr. UX Lead/Boulder, CO/Recruiter/Full-time

[Jonathan Ballard]

Hi-
 
This position has the primary responsibility of overseeing all tasks
associated with the User Experience team including strategic design,
usability testing, tactical design, and associated management efforts. 

Your role combines oversight of the user experience of a consumer Web
application with hands-on contributions necessary to meet an aggressive
development schedule. 


Specific duties include (in no particular order)
o Determine UI design priorities and respond to changes as they occur
o Manage and/or facilitate design sessions with a cross-functional team
o Produce and/or review interaction design documents and wireframes
o Maintain efficient and effective communication with product management,
development, and QE
o Oversee usability testing
o Monitor implementation of designs
o Maintain pattern library and other design tools
Background Requirements 
o 7-10 years experience in a UX-related position
o Passionate about usable software
o Proven track record designing usable software interfaces, preferably with
consumer Web applications
o Experience with low-cost usability testing methods
o Experience implementing user-centered design in an agile (scrum)
development environment
o Ability to articulate usability and usable design principles to developers
and management
o Willingness to pitch in as needed in a "start up" environment
o Excellent written communication skills

If interested please contact Jonathan Ballard at [EMAIL PROTECTED] with a
Word formatted resume or by phone at 720-221-5445.

 

 

 
<>
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Re: [IxDA Discuss] Alan Cooper on Software Design: Code=Design?

[Anne Hjortshoj]

IMO, "Design engineer" does not equal "designer" in this article. Cooper is
describing well-designed code, not well-designed interfaces.

I'm confused that his essay is being interpreted as an attack on interaction
design. He states very clearly in his essay that he's not talking about this
-- he's addressing the difference between easy-to-iterate (but invisible to
the user!) "design code" and robust "production code."

2cents,

-Anne



On 10/30/07, Katie Albers <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote:
>
> As far as I can tell, you're comfortable with Cooper's division of
> engineers -- although you're accustomed to different terminology...so
> let's pass over that.
>
> It seems that you believe that there once was a tendency for builders
> to start building before the underlying work of the designer was in
> place, but that that no longer happens in today's good companies. All
> I can really say to that is "wow! Have you ever been lucky!"
>
> First of all, keep in mind that for many/most of us, our
> understanding of the professional SW world is skewed by the simple
> fact that we work with and for companies that are smart enough to
> hire us. Thus, they implicitly acknowledge the existence and
> importance of IxD.
>
> But it is still very much the case that the work of interaction
> design gets relegated to the hands of the "builders" much of the
> time, in my experience. Time constraints, resource constraints,
> failure to understand that just because the engineer *can* work out a
> way to get from point A to point B does not mean it will be a good
> way...All these things and so many more frequently mean that the
> "design" part just doesn't get done except by default.
>
> On the whole, I think the problem described by Cooper remains...and
> has remained through many revisions and definitions of who works on
> SW teams and what they do and how they do it. System Analysts -- to
> my mind -- are a primary example of the obduracy of the engineering
> problem. Many moons ago SAs were the individuals trusted with working
> out the people-facing side of an app. Very few of them could code and
> they weren't generally encouraged to learn how. Now coding is a
> standard requirement for Systems Analysts and we are back to trying
> to figure out where to locate the underlying design functions for SW.
>
> Some companies are good at separating and integrating the parts of
> the process and others aren't. Interestingly, I've always found
> start-ups to be better at it than existing and larger companies.
>
> Katie
>
>
>
> At 2:03 PM -0400 10/30/07, Rich Rogan wrote:
> >In Coopers article he seems to "Jump the Shark", (makes assumptions that
> >have little relevance to most companies I've worked for), when he writes:
> >
> >"Of course you can see how both of these problems, (engineers don't know
> >how/can't follow design), would stem from the same root: if a programmer
> has
> >never learned to follow a written design, then he would structure his
> daily
> >work to do without. He would attempt to do the necessary design himself,
> >concurrent with the construction effort. *And that is exactly what
> >programmers at all levels and in all sub-disciplines of computer
> programming
> >do*: *they design code at the same time as they build it.* If we could
> >untangle these two parts of the programming job, we could begin to defeat
> >the apocalyptic horsemen."
> >
> >He then goes on to identify two types of engineers which I have always
> heard
> >called "Engineers", (Cooper calls them "builders") and "Architects",
> (Cooper
> >calls them "designers").
> >
> >Every place I've worked at/heard of, that was a professional/respectable
> >software co., not in ultra start up mode, did upfront design, besides
> >"Architectural Software" design. It seems he is implying that
> "Interaction
> >Design" as a profession is some new concept, which few software
> >engineers/projects have heard of or incorporate.
> >
> >This seems to be very old news, and not really relevant in todays market,
> or
> >do I just work for ultra bleeding edge organizations when it comes to
> >process? I like Alan's premise of promoting our discipline, but he seems
> to
> >be looking from the past, (very far past in SW terms - 10 yrs back or
> so).
> >
> >Did anyone else get this from the article?
>
> --
>
> 
> Katie Albers
> [EMAIL PROTECTED]
> 
> *Come to IxDA Interaction08 | Savannah*
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>
> 
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-- 
Anne Hjortshoj | [EMAIL PROTECTED] | www.annehj.com

Re: [IxDA Discuss] Rich Media question

[Matthew Nish-Lapidus]

I'm not sure I understand what you mean by "how the video on this page
was done" 

I'm sure you already know it's Flash video.

As for the content of the video itself, it looks like they just had an
animator do some simple 3D stuff with screenshots, mouse pointers, and
screen capture vids.  Pretty simple, could all be done in Flash.

On 10/30/07, Mike Scarpiello <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote:
> Can anyone explain how the video on this page was done?  I use Camtasia and
> Abobe Captivate now to make web demos and training materials, but this one
> kinda looks like a video of a video.
>
> Thanks.
>
> http://www.restaurant.com/

-- 
Matt Nish-Lapidus
email/gtalk: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
++
LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/in/mattnl
Home: http://www.nishlapidus.com

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Re: [IxDA Discuss] Rich Media question

[Ari Feldman]

it looks like it is. camtasia, captivate and snap x all make videos of your
screen and provide various means of adding annotations. this looks like a
professionally made video using elements of a real or even simulated
desktop.

On 10/30/07, Mike Scarpiello <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote:
>
> Can anyone explain how the video on this page was done?  I use Camtasia
> and
> Abobe Captivate now to make web demos and training materials, but this one
> kinda looks like a video of a video.
>
> Thanks.
>
> http://www.restaurant.com/
> 
> *Come to IxDA Interaction08 | Savannah*
> February 8-10, 2008 in Savannah, GA, USA
> Register today: http://interaction08.ixda.org/
>
> 
> Welcome to the Interaction Design Association (IxDA)!
> To post to this list ... [EMAIL PROTECTED]
> Unsubscribe  http://gamma.ixda.org/unsubscribe
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>



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--
www.flyingyogi.com
--

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Re: [IxDA Discuss] Tips on "breaking into" IA/ID/UxD industry forrecent graduates?

[Kristen Johansen]

I often get applicants fresh out of school and I'm always
disappointed when their portfolio consists entirely of
homework assignments.  To me, anyway, that's an indicator
that they didn't have enough interest or ambition in
their field to do at least a few freelance projects (who
doesn't have a cousin/friend/etc who needs a website?)
and get some real-world experience.  I can't stress
enough the importance of internships while you're in
school, or at the very least trying to do the *same kind
of work* you're aspiring to get.  If you're looking for a
job making basic brochureware websites, and that's what's
in your portfolio, great!  If not, you need to
re-evaluate what you're presenting and make sure it
matches what they're looking for.

We often take people on as interns with no real world
experience, but once we're looking at a full time, even
junior, position, I want to see that the person is at
least capable of producing somewhat professional quality
work that's somewhere near the complexity of what we do.
Too often school projects are oversimplified or academic,
not focused on the things that will actually be important
in real life (real clients are a big part of that!)

So don't give up, but do consider using this time that
you're looking to further build out your portfolio.  I
also recommend soliciting feedback about why you got
rejected whenever possible, and asking for advice and
pointers on your presentation and portfolio.  You didn't
get the job, so it can't hurt to at least get some decent
advice out of it, right? :)

k


-Original Message-
From: Jason Barbarich
Sent: Tuesday, October 30, 2007 10:54 AM

A few members have mentioned that they are taxed with the
job of reading resumes and interviewing applicants - is
there anything in particular you look for when you see a
potential junior IA/ID/UxD? Should we all have some sort
of crucial skill on lock? Is there something that NEEDS
to be in our sparsely populated portfolio? Or is it
really just about being you, having a handle on the
standard toolset, and knowing the design process? I can
talk for a pretty long time about the one, EXTREMELY
simple website I freelanced over the summer. Obtaining
requirements from interviewing the owner, getting a feel
for who the primary users of the site were, wireframing
to establish design concept, etc., but again, the site is
epicly simple, and I'm still left with no agency
experience.

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Re: [IxDA Discuss] Alan Cooper on Software Design: Code=Design?

[Mark Schraad]

 When I was a young art director I used to hire folks to operate a camera and 
record my vision. As I got more experienced, and my budgets grew, I began to 
hire photographers with great skill and hand over my very vague vision for them 
to run with. I think any profession can be broken down to 'production' minimums 
if you want. I know there are lots of architects that do not design buildings 
so much as execute or manage production drawings. I have worked with developers 
in both categories.

Mark



On Tuesday, October 30, 2007, at 01:56PM, "Dmitry Nekrasovski" <[EMAIL 
PROTECTED]> wrote:
>Amen Rich.
>
>While reading this article, I've tried very had to understand why Alan
>has gone to the lengths of inventing a completely new ontology of
>software development to justify his point.
>
>The only reason I can think of is that, to a person who is not
>familiar with basic principles of software engineering (e.g. a
>business stakeholder), the article might sound like a magical fix for
>all the complexity and uncertainty that typically plagues software
>development projects. Just "segregate engineers who like to design
>software from engineers who like to build software". Preferably build
>a wall between them. Sounds easy, doesn't it? ;)
>
>As a counterpoint to notions like this, I highly recommend Fred
>Brooks's classic No Silver Bullet paper:
>
>http://tinyurl.com/yv8kqj
>
>Dmitry
>
>On 10/30/07, Rich Rogan <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote:
>> In Coopers article he seems to "Jump the Shark", (makes assumptions that
>> have little relevance to most companies I've worked for), when he writes:
>>
>> "Of course you can see how both of these problems, (engineers don't know
>> how/can't follow design), would stem from the same root: if a programmer has
>> never learned to follow a written design, then he would structure his daily
>> work to do without. He would attempt to do the necessary design himself,
>> concurrent with the construction effort. *And that is exactly what
>> programmers at all levels and in all sub-disciplines of computer programming
>> do*: *they design code at the same time as they build it.* If we could
>> untangle these two parts of the programming job, we could begin to defeat
>> the apocalyptic horsemen."
>>
>> He then goes on to identify two types of engineers which I have always heard
>> called "Engineers", (Cooper calls them "builders") and "Architects", (Cooper
>> calls them "designers").
>>
>> Every place I've worked at/heard of, that was a professional/respectable
>> software co., not in ultra start up mode, did upfront design, besides
>> "Architectural Software" design. It seems he is implying that "Interaction
>> Design" as a profession is some new concept, which few software
>> engineers/projects have heard of or incorporate.
>>
>> This seems to be very old news, and not really relevant in todays market, or
>> do I just work for ultra bleeding edge organizations when it comes to
>> process? I like Alan's premise of promoting our discipline, but he seems to
>> be looking from the past, (very far past in SW terms - 10 yrs back or so).
>>
>> Did anyone else get this from the article?
>> \


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Re: [IxDA Discuss] Alan Cooper on Software Design: Code=Design?

[Katie Albers]

As far as I can tell, you're comfortable with Cooper's division of 
engineers -- although you're accustomed to different terminology...so 
let's pass over that.

It seems that you believe that there once was a tendency for builders 
to start building before the underlying work of the designer was in 
place, but that that no longer happens in today's good companies. All 
I can really say to that is "wow! Have you ever been lucky!"

First of all, keep in mind that for many/most of us, our 
understanding of the professional SW world is skewed by the simple 
fact that we work with and for companies that are smart enough to 
hire us. Thus, they implicitly acknowledge the existence and 
importance of IxD.

But it is still very much the case that the work of interaction 
design gets relegated to the hands of the "builders" much of the 
time, in my experience. Time constraints, resource constraints, 
failure to understand that just because the engineer *can* work out a 
way to get from point A to point B does not mean it will be a good 
way...All these things and so many more frequently mean that the 
"design" part just doesn't get done except by default.

On the whole, I think the problem described by Cooper remains...and 
has remained through many revisions and definitions of who works on 
SW teams and what they do and how they do it. System Analysts -- to 
my mind -- are a primary example of the obduracy of the engineering 
problem. Many moons ago SAs were the individuals trusted with working 
out the people-facing side of an app. Very few of them could code and 
they weren't generally encouraged to learn how. Now coding is a 
standard requirement for Systems Analysts and we are back to trying 
to figure out where to locate the underlying design functions for SW.

Some companies are good at separating and integrating the parts of 
the process and others aren't. Interestingly, I've always found 
start-ups to be better at it than existing and larger companies.

Katie



At 2:03 PM -0400 10/30/07, Rich Rogan wrote:
>In Coopers article he seems to "Jump the Shark", (makes assumptions that
>have little relevance to most companies I've worked for), when he writes:
>
>"Of course you can see how both of these problems, (engineers don't know
>how/can't follow design), would stem from the same root: if a programmer has
>never learned to follow a written design, then he would structure his daily
>work to do without. He would attempt to do the necessary design himself,
>concurrent with the construction effort. *And that is exactly what
>programmers at all levels and in all sub-disciplines of computer programming
>do*: *they design code at the same time as they build it.* If we could
>untangle these two parts of the programming job, we could begin to defeat
>the apocalyptic horsemen."
>
>He then goes on to identify two types of engineers which I have always heard
>called "Engineers", (Cooper calls them "builders") and "Architects", (Cooper
>calls them "designers").
>
>Every place I've worked at/heard of, that was a professional/respectable
>software co., not in ultra start up mode, did upfront design, besides
>"Architectural Software" design. It seems he is implying that "Interaction
>Design" as a profession is some new concept, which few software
>engineers/projects have heard of or incorporate.
>
>This seems to be very old news, and not really relevant in todays market, or
>do I just work for ultra bleeding edge organizations when it comes to
>process? I like Alan's premise of promoting our discipline, but he seems to
>be looking from the past, (very far past in SW terms - 10 yrs back or so).
>
>Did anyone else get this from the article?

-- 


Katie Albers
[EMAIL PROTECTED]

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[IxDA Discuss] Fair Hourly Rate for Usability Test

[Bora Ultas]

Hello all. I am new to this list, but I wanted to get some people's opinion.
I received an SOW from a usability firm in San Francisco for user testing on
a mobile device. They want to charge $160 per hour for their consulting time
and some material costs. This seems like a very high rate, but I have never
hired such a company before, so I don't know what is fair. Does this seem
like a standard rate or is it too high? Any advice would be very helpful.

Bora

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[IxDA Discuss] Tips on "breaking into" IA/ID/UxD industry for recent graduates?

[Jason Barbarich]

First time I've actually created my own message here, just wanted to preface
it by saying thanks so much to all the users who make the IxDA list as
awesome as it is (which is very awesome).
Anyway, I graduated from the School of Communication, Information and
Library Studies (SCILS) at Rutgers University in May, and have since had a
pretty difficult time finding relevant work within the industry. I went
through the Information Technology & Informatics program, which focuses on
things like HCI, good design, knowing the limitations of available tools
(learned a lot about a ton of different languages), and how society in
general comes to interact with and understand technology.

Now I've read plenty of posts all over the Intertubes, and I've got a pretty
good idea of what I'm looking for, as well as what I'm in for:
1. A junior/entry position at an agency with senior IA/ID/UxD folks. I'm not
going to learn anything about my craft if I'm not working with people who
know more than me.
2. I am prepared to make coffee, photocopy, and be a gopher, all for a
meager paycheck as long as it means I will be able to do "real" IA/ID/UxD
work in the near future (earning a little bit more money would be acceptable
too).
3. Most importantly, I want to be part of an agency that really legitimately
cares about the design process. If this precondition isn't met, then there
is no good reason to sign up. Many of you have said that being an
evangelistic junior designer is a waste of good sanity.

All that being said, it seems like there is a lack of opportunity at the
junior/entry level in my particular field of interest. Maybe its because I'm
looking primarily in Brooklyn/Manhattan (trying to move there by next year),
maybe its because I'm looking almost exclusively at interactive agencies, or
maybe its because there is just a general lack of interest in "training" a
newbie. I don't know. I've interviewed at 2 of NY's more reputable agencies,
mostly through the help of connections, only to be told that I'm a real good
kid (personable), my (meager) portfolio (of 90% homework) is impressive as
far as understanding the tools and procedures, but that I could use a few
months of grooming in an agency setting. Now if the people I've talked with
are being honest, it seems to come down to that problem of needing
experience without anyone being willing to give me the opportunity to earn
some.

The fact that I've been interviewed and rejected, despite not having any
legitimate agency experience leads me to believe that I: (A) Was pitied, (B)
Totally blew it on the interview, or (C) Was overwhelming in my lack of
experience. I'd like to chalk it up to (C), and if thats the case, I can't
help but wonder what the interviewers were expecting to see from me. A few
members have mentioned that they are taxed with the job of reading resumes
and interviewing applicants - is there anything in particular you look for
when you see a potential junior IA/ID/UxD? Should we all have some sort of
crucial skill on lock? Is there something that NEEDS to be in our sparsely
populated portfolio? Or is it really just about being you, having a handle
on the standard toolset, and knowing the design process? I can talk for a
pretty long time about the one, EXTREMELY simple website I freelanced over
the summer. Obtaining requirements from interviewing the owner, getting a
feel for who the primary users of the site were, wireframing to establish
design concept, etc., but again, the site is epicly simple, and I'm still
left with no agency experience.

While this post has been very me-centric, I feel like almost all of the
things the community will come up with could be extremely useful for other
recent graduates. I know some of my friends are interested in interaction
design, and I have got to assume that there will be a ton of other bachelor
degree-waving alumni rabid for work in the coming months. Any tips that the
community could offer on portfolio work, interview strategies, networking
opportunities, or just about anything else would be extremely useful not
only to me, but to the handful of hopeful job-seekers that stumble upon this
thread.

Oh, and if you'd like to take a gander at what I've got to work with, the
URL for my pseudo-resume/portfolio is http://eden.rutgers.edu/~jjbarb .
Can't wait to hear what you've all got to say!

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Re: [IxDA Discuss] Data Visualisation

[Sarah J. Geitz]

Here's another visualization link of interest:
 http://prefuse.org/

AND it looks like they just (last week) posted an alpha release of
"flare" http://flare.prefuse.org/
 (Prefuse for Flash) on Sourceforge -
http://sourceforge.net/project/showfiles.php?group_id=98962


Sarah Geitz, Senior Design Manager
SPADAC Inc.
[EMAIL PROTECTED]
703.740.3933 office
571.344.1358 cell
703.893.8131 fax
7921 Jones Branch Drive
McLean, VA 22102-3399
http://www.spadac.com
The Power to Know Where(r)




-Original Message-
From: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
[mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] On Behalf Of Al
Matthews
Sent: Monday, October 29, 2007 4:39 PM
To: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Subject: Re: [IxDA Discuss] Data Visualisation

re: Processing and the O'Reilly book: It will  also be of interest to
some to link Ben's PhD thesis, from Media Lab, on this topic.

http://benfry.com/
(see 25 Aug 05)


--

Al Matthews
http://fatmilk.tv


. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Posted from the new ixda.org
http://gamma.ixda.org/discuss?post=21778



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[IxDA Discuss] Rich Media question

[Mike Scarpiello]

Can anyone explain how the video on this page was done?  I use Camtasia and
Abobe Captivate now to make web demos and training materials, but this one
kinda looks like a video of a video.

Thanks.

http://www.restaurant.com/

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Re: [IxDA Discuss] Alan Cooper on Software Design: Code=Design?

[Dmitry Nekrasovski]

Amen Rich.

While reading this article, I've tried very had to understand why Alan
has gone to the lengths of inventing a completely new ontology of
software development to justify his point.

The only reason I can think of is that, to a person who is not
familiar with basic principles of software engineering (e.g. a
business stakeholder), the article might sound like a magical fix for
all the complexity and uncertainty that typically plagues software
development projects. Just "segregate engineers who like to design
software from engineers who like to build software". Preferably build
a wall between them. Sounds easy, doesn't it? ;)

As a counterpoint to notions like this, I highly recommend Fred
Brooks's classic No Silver Bullet paper:

http://tinyurl.com/yv8kqj

Dmitry

On 10/30/07, Rich Rogan <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote:
> In Coopers article he seems to "Jump the Shark", (makes assumptions that
> have little relevance to most companies I've worked for), when he writes:
>
> "Of course you can see how both of these problems, (engineers don't know
> how/can't follow design), would stem from the same root: if a programmer has
> never learned to follow a written design, then he would structure his daily
> work to do without. He would attempt to do the necessary design himself,
> concurrent with the construction effort. *And that is exactly what
> programmers at all levels and in all sub-disciplines of computer programming
> do*: *they design code at the same time as they build it.* If we could
> untangle these two parts of the programming job, we could begin to defeat
> the apocalyptic horsemen."
>
> He then goes on to identify two types of engineers which I have always heard
> called "Engineers", (Cooper calls them "builders") and "Architects", (Cooper
> calls them "designers").
>
> Every place I've worked at/heard of, that was a professional/respectable
> software co., not in ultra start up mode, did upfront design, besides
> "Architectural Software" design. It seems he is implying that "Interaction
> Design" as a profession is some new concept, which few software
> engineers/projects have heard of or incorporate.
>
> This seems to be very old news, and not really relevant in todays market, or
> do I just work for ultra bleeding edge organizations when it comes to
> process? I like Alan's premise of promoting our discipline, but he seems to
> be looking from the past, (very far past in SW terms - 10 yrs back or so).
>
> Did anyone else get this from the article?
> \
> 
> *Come to IxDA Interaction08 | Savannah*
> February 8-10, 2008 in Savannah, GA, USA
> Register today: http://interaction08.ixda.org/
>
> 
> Welcome to the Interaction Design Association (IxDA)!
> To post to this list ... [EMAIL PROTECTED]
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>

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Re: [IxDA Discuss] IxDA Toronto

[Parth Upadhye]

It seems like I completely fell off the planet... but here's the
format I would like to introduce tonight at our first F2F. 
1. Every F2F will have a topic. I have already proposed one for
tonight.
2. Every attendee will get to speak towards the topic as part of
creating a dialogue with the group. Of course, this will mean we will
appoint a moderator for every F2F.
Eventually, it would be good to get a space with boards so we can
sketch/draw our ideas. I am eager to get feedback from everyone on
this format. It's casual formal ... the idea is to seriously treat
these F2F as steps towards professional growth.




. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Posted from the new ixda.org
http://gamma.ixda.org/discuss?post=21743



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Re: [IxDA Discuss] Alan Cooper on Software Design: Code=Design?

[Rich Rogan]

In Coopers article he seems to "Jump the Shark", (makes assumptions that
have little relevance to most companies I've worked for), when he writes:

"Of course you can see how both of these problems, (engineers don't know
how/can't follow design), would stem from the same root: if a programmer has
never learned to follow a written design, then he would structure his daily
work to do without. He would attempt to do the necessary design himself,
concurrent with the construction effort. *And that is exactly what
programmers at all levels and in all sub-disciplines of computer programming
do*: *they design code at the same time as they build it.* If we could
untangle these two parts of the programming job, we could begin to defeat
the apocalyptic horsemen."

He then goes on to identify two types of engineers which I have always heard
called "Engineers", (Cooper calls them "builders") and "Architects", (Cooper
calls them "designers").

Every place I've worked at/heard of, that was a professional/respectable
software co., not in ultra start up mode, did upfront design, besides
"Architectural Software" design. It seems he is implying that "Interaction
Design" as a profession is some new concept, which few software
engineers/projects have heard of or incorporate.

This seems to be very old news, and not really relevant in todays market, or
do I just work for ultra bleeding edge organizations when it comes to
process? I like Alan's premise of promoting our discipline, but he seems to
be looking from the past, (very far past in SW terms - 10 yrs back or so).

Did anyone else get this from the article?
\

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[IxDA Discuss] Yahoo! Messenger 9.0 beta

[David Cortright]

http://beta.messenger.yahoo.com/

I'm proud of this one. I worked with a great PM who believed in the design
vision. Some of

   1. Focus on friends. the friends list is once again the primary focus
   of the main window. bigger display images, more room for status messages,
   and a contextual toolbar telling you what actions you can take with each
   contact.
   2. Designed for both keyboard and mouse access. Keyboard access =
   Windows+Y, type a few characters, optionally use the up/down arrow keys to
   select the contact and optionally use the left/right arrows to select the
   action.
   3. Words, not pictures. No more icons that need to be deciphered. Kept
   the tooltip, got rid of the tool :-)

There are some other nice features in there too, like the inline media
players and the modeless Flickr photo picker. Check it out, and I'd love
your expert feedback.

·Dave

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Re: [IxDA Discuss] Application design in health care domain

[Rich Rogan]

I worked with United Health Group/Ingenix on their billing/claims
adjudification software, which delt with identifying and matching
proceedures and modifiers, with contractual obligations, inorder to identify
payment discrepencies.

Ingenix is the leading source of medical procedure codes and their
modifiers. The issue we found with identifying and subsequently matching of
procedures from providers, (hospital groups), and payers, (insurance
companies), is that, (as was stated in an earlier post), most providers have
their own codes and almost all payers have their own different codes. Also
procedures are "bundled" in different means between the two organization
types. Basically it's a complete mess in identifying a "lingua franca" for
what is done to patients in hospitals and the subsequent billing issues.

There are standards which are leading the way such as HIPPA/HICFA/Medicare.
Along with all of this there is vested interest in NOT changing the system,
as most contracts would have to be re-negotiated, which would cause risk to
cash flows.

So lots of reasons why things are not easy in US Health Care, some of the
best solutions, (amazingly), seem to come from the US gov.

Rich

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Re: [IxDA Discuss] Application design in health care domain

[Ty Hatch]

Haven't done any application design, but am working on a project for  
customers/patients. The biggest challenge to me isn't the design  
requirements, it's getting buy-in from the decision makers as they're  
under a super tight budget with pressure from the top to deliver by a  
set date. Sadly, design's taken a backseat to functionality (it's an  
IT-driven project in a large company). Fortunately, the developers  
and I are on the same page.

Now we just have to pound Websphere 5 into submission to release a  
standards-based design. Anyone done that? We're having the toughest  
time implementing a new theme as WS wants to wrap it all up in  
multiple nested tables... Any help/hints appreciated.

On Oct 30, 2007, at 6:00 AM, pooja wrote:

Hi All,



Does any member have designed the application for hospital or related  
health care fields? Is there any Samples or Guidelines available for  
health care domain?

What are the major attributes or details which have to be kept in  
attention while designing? Any example available which has the least  
number of mouse clicks?



Please suggest as I am currently working on hospital management  
application, need some guidance.



Regards,



Pooja Rastogi





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Re: [IxDA Discuss] Application design in health care domain

[Margaret Hanley]

Susan Webber from LBi in the UK did a great presentation on the user research 
and design of the Map of Medicine for mobiles (MobileMap) at Euro IA. Her 
presentation isn't up on the web site, but I am sure that she would be willing 
to discuss her findings with you directly.

http://www.euroia.org/Programme.aspx
 

Mags



Mags Hanley
Email: [EMAIL PROTECTED] 
Mobile: +44 7789 132726


- Original Message 
From: pooja <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
To: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Sent: Tuesday, 30 October, 2007 11:00:58 AM
Subject: [IxDA Discuss] Application design in  health care domain

Hi All,

 

Does any member have designed the application for hospital or related
 health care fields? Is there any Samples or Guidelines available for
 health care domain? 

What are the major attributes or details which have to be kept in
 attention while designing? Any example available which has the least number
 of mouse clicks?

 

Please suggest as I am currently working on hospital management
 application, need some guidance.



Regards,



Pooja Rastogi

 

 

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Re: [IxDA Discuss] Application design in health care domain

[Grady Kelly]

Pooja,

I was a designer in the Health Care industry for three and a half years,
with two different medical companies.  One of which provided an EMR
(Electronic Medical Record) applciation, and a PHR (Personal Health
Record).  The other provided applications to Physicians that facilitated the
viewing and ordering of Lab Results.  Each had users numbering in the
thousands with both patients and medical professionals.  When it came to the
UI, I would use best practices to create the applications where needed, and
innovated where I could.  And there are lots of places where you can be
innovative.  The same is true of the interactions.  What was the most
cumbersome was getting user acceptance or buy off on functionality, because
most had very drastic differences in their opinions of what they wanted to
do what and how.  Because of that, we made the application very flexible or
customizable so that each user could have the application do what they
wanted.  This was not the case for bigger pieces of the application, such as
reporting, etc.  In those cases, most users had similar needs that we were
able to design around.  In regards to Accessibility, we did not have any
strict requirements from any customers that I was ever aware of.  This was
again a place where we would use best practices in design with css/xhtml,
etc to allow for the best possible experience, font sizing, screen
resolution, etc.

   As for the Microsoft Health Common User Interface, when I first saw that,
I chuckled.  There is nothing there that is new.  Sure, maybe you could use
it as a starting point, but I can almost guarantee that groups of Physicians
or Medical professionals will not like the way that they have done things.

   So to answer your questions ...

   Is there any Samples or Guidelines available for health care domain?
   I have never seen any good guidelines or samples.  The various companies
that are solving problems in the Health Care industry are all doing it
differently.  The are not unified.  There are some websites for the various
EMR vendors that will show demos of their products.  You may get some ideas
there, if nothing more that a starting point to come up with a better
solution.

   What are the major attributes or details which have to be kept in
attention while designing?
   My suggestion would be to use best practices in web application design
and go from there.  Talk to customers and design around their needs.

   Any example available which has the least number of mouse clicks?
   You can think about mouse clicks, but in some cases it does not matter.
For instance, if a Physician wants to run an ad hoc report off of some
medical data, the steps that are required in choosing the data, how it is
sorted and displayed can take many clicks.  Sure you want the least amount
possible, and you want the task to be easy to accomplish, but I would not
set yourself a limit on something like mouse clicks, it will vary.

Hope that helps.

Grady Kelly
[EMAIL PROTECTED]
http://www.gradykelly.com

On Tue, 30 Oct 2007 06:57:24, David Malouf <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote:
>
> Microsoft has developed what they call a Clinical UI guidelines
> document.
>
> Here is an article about it:
>
> http://www.examiner.com/p-37868~Microsoft_Helps_Developers_of_Clinical_User_Interfaces_Improve_Efficiency__Patient_Safety_With_Free_Toolkit.html
>
> Enjoy!
>
> Otherwise I believe that healthcare is one of the worst examples of
> enterprise software design. It is so sorely lacking, especially
> in the hospital administration and other clinical direct patient care
> applications out there. I imagine that any designer with any good
> resources and political clout and money can do better than anything
> previously done.
>
>
> -- dave
>


On 10/30/07, pooja <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote:Hi All,

Does any member have designed the application for hospital or related health
care fields? Is there any Samples or Guidelines available for health care
domain?
What are the major attributes or details which have to be kept in attention
while designing? Any example available which has the least number of mouse
clicks?
Please suggest as I am currently working on hospital management application,
need some guidance.

Regards,

Pooja Rastogi

*Come to IxDA Interaction08 | Savannah*
February 8-10, 2008 in Savannah, GA, USA
Register today: http://interaction08.ixda.org/


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Re: [IxDA Discuss] Alan Cooper on Software Design: Code=Design?

[gb]

The interesting thing I get out of the article is making the
distinction between programmers who like to design and programmers
who like to build . Many times in my experience there are different
ego's involved when working on a project sometimes they clash and
it's detrimental to the project. Some programmers have an innate 
taste for design and a like to design. If that programmer is stuck
doing assembly code that someone else has designed and he personally
thinks it sucks he's not effective in that role and he may over
design the thing and add things to it that are not designed in an
effort to show off his programming prowess and ideas . If you have a
programmer who is more of a production coder and you give him to many
loose ends to tie up chances are it's too late and he will most
likely solve the problem from a pragmatic programming perspective
instead of a user centric perspective . You have to find a way to
utilize and satisfy each programmers desires and strengths.Aww Hell 
I dunno I think Kung Fu is the real path to IxD.
 


. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
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Re: [IxDA Discuss] Data Visualisation

[Al Matthews]

re: Processing and the O'Reilly book: It will  also be of interest to
some to link Ben's PhD thesis, from Media Lab, on this topic.

http://benfry.com/
(see 25 Aug 05)


--

Al Matthews
http://fatmilk.tv


. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Posted from the new ixda.org
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Re: [IxDA Discuss] Alan Cooper on Software Design: Code=Design?

[Parth Upadhye]

I found this article an excellent read - almost like a loose
manifesto. I have not read his books but this article has some great
gems. 

>> Software is the only medium where the construction materials are
entirely the same as the design materials: source code. 
For some, as David put it, it is Photoshop or Illustrator, for others
it can be Visio, and even others code

>> Yes, software can be a cheap, disposable, high bandwidth,
easy-to-iterate medium. Advocates of Agile methods would have you
believe that all software is so. If only it were true. 
The arguments so clearly state some discomfort I feel while trying to
apply Agile practices into small/medium applications.


. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
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Re: [IxDA Discuss] Application design in health care domain

[David Malouf]

Microsoft has developed what they call a Clinical UI guidelines
document. 

Here is an article about it:
http://www.examiner.com/p-37868~Microsoft_Helps_Developers_of_Clinical_User_Interfaces_Improve_Efficiency__Patient_Safety_With_Free_Toolkit.html

Enjoy!

Otherwise I believe that healthcare is one of the worst examples of
enterprise software design. It is so sorely lacking, especially
in the hospital administration and other clinical direct patient care
applications out there. I imagine that any designer with any good
resources and political clout and money can do better than anything
previously done.


-- dave



. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Posted from the new ixda.org
http://gamma.ixda.org/discuss?post=21932



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[IxDA Discuss] Application design in health care domain

[pooja]

Hi All,

 

Does any member have designed the application for hospital or related health 
care fields? Is there any Samples or Guidelines available for health care 
domain? 

What are the major attributes or details which have to be kept in attention 
while designing? Any example available which has the least number of mouse 
clicks?

 

Please suggest as I am currently working on hospital management application, 
need some guidance.



Regards,



Pooja Rastogi

 

 

*Come to IxDA Interaction08 | Savannah*
February 8-10, 2008 in Savannah, GA, USA
Register today: http://interaction08.ixda.org/


Welcome to the Interaction Design Association (IxDA)!
To post to this list ... [EMAIL PROTECTED]
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