[IxDA Discuss] Signup screen as the first screen?

[Pankaj Chawla]

On Tue, 19 Feb 2008 08:06:55, dave malouf <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote:
> On the document writing front, I LOVE using Buzzword.com
> This webApp is a great example of elegant and engaging design. Not
> too much, and not too little.
>
> I love this tool.
>
> -- dave

Hi

In response to Dave's message I decided to try buzzword.com (I have
never checked it before) and when I go to the main screen its a Sign
Up screen.
There is absolutely no information about what this website is about, no links
to take me to an introduction of buzzword.com, no clickable logo. Unless
Dave wont have recommended it I would have given this website a pass as
to me it has no right to ask me for information and go through a
signup process unless it can tell me something about it. I dont even
know if I want to use it all my life, hell !! I dont even know what
this website is all about in the first place. Yes I can go to google
and search and will get some external links to read about it, but why
would I want to do it? Why should I put an effort to know about it
when its not ready to say a polite "hello" to me and open itself to
me? A couple of days back there was somebody else also how gave a link
to his newly developed website and it had exactly the same problem.
Now, my question is "is it really me" or is it an example of a "Norman
website" or is this the future and my idiotic obsolete mind hasnt yet
learnt the new ways of interacting with websites.

Cheers
Pankaj

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Re: [IxDA Discuss] “The Most Frequently Used Featu res in Microsoft Office”

[Murli Nagasundaram]

The problem with (and yet, advantage of) software is its near-infinite
plasticity.  In the physical world, a device such as a bicycle attains
design maturity (in terms of both form and features) fairly quickly and
remains largely unchanged thereafter. [If anything, designers try to
simplify its form even further.]  Different sorts of vehicles with 3, 4, or
more wheels are created to meet specific needs given that physical designs
are not quite so plastic. Of course, from time-to-time, designers try to
develop 'hybrid, multi-purpose vehicles' that try to interpolate between
multiple vehicular forms to meet a broader spectrum of needs.
Design evolution and integration in software is achieved far more rapidly --
and with greater ease, from a developer's standpoint.  Humans, on the other
hand, have not yet evolved to easily deal with (cognitively, emotionally as
well as physically) with such immense shape-shifting plasticity in the
physical world (which is why shape-shifting beings are met with fear and
anxiety).

So there is a wide gap between what is achievable through technology and
what humans can comfortably work with.

Alexander mentioned the problem of organizing 500+ commands.  The answer is,
you don't organize it.  Not in the conventional way, anyway.  Anybody who
had downloaded Mosaic back in 1992-93 and surfed over to Yahoo would have
found (at one point) an organized list of about 50 websites -- that's all
there was at that time.  Yahoo continued with that model -- creating
organized lists -- and then added a search feature when the web exploded
beyond the point where organized lists of any kind become virtually
impossible. Remember the time when there were these things called 'Web
Portals' that were supposed to simplify your surfing experience?  Where the
heck did those go?

 When Google entered there scene, there were already a gazillion websites.
 Organization wasn't even an option.  The solution was to provide the best
kind of search facility possible so that you could find (in theory, anyway),
exactly what you were looking for even if you didn't know the precise terms
to use.  While we are still not at the point where clicking on 'I'm feeling
lucky' will take you to exactly where you want to go, the Google model has
worked very well.  Used to be that one had to grab domain names that matched
your corporate name precisely.  Now, all you need to do is to type in words
that relate somehow to the corporation and, more often than not, the right
link is there right on the first page of results.

So, I think search-based feature access might be the way to deal with a huge
feature list.  The day I first accessd Google, I fell in love with it and
left Yahoo search forever.  It's true that I rarely use advanced search, but
I rarely need it, anyway.  Word processor designers can learn a lot from
Google.

Murli

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Re: [IxDA Discuss] "The Most Frequently Used Features in Microsoft Office"

[Murli Nagasundaram]

One of the most thought-provoking tangents (and its preamble) I've read in a
long time. Thanks, Christine.  Murli

On Feb 20, 2008 9:04 AM, Christine Boese <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote:

> I'm as against bloatware as the next person, although feature overkill is
> sort of like pornography: "you know it when you see it," which means the
> definition remains completely relativistic.
>

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Re: [IxDA Discuss] "The Most Frequently Used Features in Microsoft Office"

[Steve Baty]

Chris,

I prefer the concept of co-creation in this context. But otherwise agree.

On 20/02/2008, Christine Boese <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote:
>
> "Consumer-Generated Content." As in, huh?! Who came up with that brilliant
> term? Will it one day fall into the annals of "jumbo shrimp" et al?
>
> I'm less offended by the term "user-generated content," because making use
> of something is doing something, an active activity. Consumer? A consumer
> is
> one who consumes something that is made by someone else. So what the hell
> is
> "consumer-generated content" except what (I suspect) is a marketing
> industry's deep structure refusal to accept the idea of active
> participants,
> CREATORS, makers, speakers with real voices, rather than the dominant
> marketing desire for compliant, passive, happy with what they are
> spoon-fed,
> "consumers." (we could dig even deeper for irony here, and note the
> history
> of tuberculous gave us a term for what happens when consumers consume
> themselves... Consumption?)
>
> Chris
>
>
>
Steve
-- 
--
Steve 'Doc' Baty B.Sc (Maths), M.EC, MBA
Principal Consultant
Meld Consulting
M: +61 417 061 292
E: [EMAIL PROTECTED]

UX Statistics: http://uxstats.blogspot.com

Member, UPA - www.upassoc.org
Member, IxDA - www.ixda.org
Contributor - UXMatters - www.uxmatters.com

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Re: [IxDA Discuss] "The Most Frequently Used Features in Microsoft Office"

[Oleh Kovalchuke]

Christine Boese wrote:

> That's really all I have to say, except to point up the irony of a term I've
> seen from time to time, a term that fills me with the overwhelming urge to
> sneeze "bullshit!"
>
> "Consumer-Generated Content." ...

Fresh and to the point. Thanks.

Oleh

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Re: [IxDA Discuss] "The Most Frequently Used Features in Microsoft Office"

[Christine Boese]

I'm as against bloatware as the next person, although feature overkill is
sort of like pornography: "you know it when you see it," which means the
definition remains completely relativistic.

However... I am someone who uses the deep features of software, and usually
without reading the manual. I don't want to be pestered with them, but I
like that I can find and harness real software power when I want it.

But there's a bigger danger to warn of here, the dangers current mass media
missteps provide the warning signs for, inadvertently. Lowest common
denominator. (are you as sick of "reality TV as I am?)

When we start lumping all into a mass, as in the mass of mass media, it
becomes the demographic of One, the oppressive  and tyrannical demographic
of the monolith, and excuse me whilest I run screaming from the room.

I was drawn to interactive media because it deconstructed the mass of mass
media; it dared to say one-to-many is evil and there can be something
better, something even better than niche marketing and demographic
hair-splitting on speed, something sometimes called many-to-many, but is
really about diversity and about resisting the urge to lump audiences into
undiscerning categories, even the category of "audience", which necessarily
constructs those in that category as passive consumers, and not interactive
co-creators.

That's really all I have to say, except to point up the irony of a term I've
seen from time to time, a term that fills me with the overwhelming urge to
sneeze "bullshit!"



"Consumer-Generated Content." As in, huh?! Who came up with that brilliant
term? Will it one day fall into the annals of "jumbo shrimp" et al?

I'm less offended by the term "user-generated content," because making use
of something is doing something, an active activity. Consumer? A consumer is
one who consumes something that is made by someone else. So what the hell is
"consumer-generated content" except what (I suspect) is a marketing
industry's deep structure refusal to accept the idea of active participants,
CREATORS, makers, speakers with real voices, rather than the dominant
marketing desire for compliant, passive, happy with what they are spoon-fed,
"consumers." (we could dig even deeper for irony here, and note the history
of tuberculous gave us a term for what happens when consumers consume
themselves... Consumption?)

Consumer-generated content, a variation of horseless carriages, the name
given to a thing by those who can't accept change except to define it in
terms of what is known and familiar in the past, the good old days, the old
time religion, when marketing was delivered to audiences assumed to be
passive and one-size-fits-all for a mass media compliant consumer who did
what he or she was told and liked it!

Is it really true traditional media can't deal with this radical idea of
active creators talking back to the big media bosses, so we gotta diminish
it by calling it by the old names, by defining it completely in terms of
what we want these people to be, not what they are?



Chris

On Feb 19, 2008 9:18 AM, Marty DeAngelo <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote:

> At the Adaptive Path UXi conference, they spoke almost specifically
> about this - the fact that new webapps are coming out that try to give
> 20% of the functionality that 80% of the users will use instead of being
> everything for everybody.  They used Writely as an example (which has
> since been bought up by Google) to show that people usually only need a
> subset of what is offered in Microsoft Word.
>
> The presentation made a good point that while those extra features are
> interesting and even useful in some situations, many people will never
> use them and have trouble finding what they DO need amidst the broad
> choices offered.
>
> I for one think that the "Less is More" mentality makes a lot of sense,
> because the interfaces get so complicated that even veteran users get
> lost going for features that would be somewhere around 26-50 on the
> 'most used' list.
>
> -- Marty
>
> > Probably unsurprisingly, these numbers appear to show some kind of
> "Pareto principle" usage ("20 % of the application commands are used in
> 80 % of the time"). Does your experience support this?
> >
> >
> > [1]
> > http://googlesystem.blogspot.com/2008/02/most-frequently-used-features
> > -in.html
> >
> > --
> > Jens Meiert
> > http://meiert.com/en/
> 
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Re: [IxDA Discuss] Interaction Design and Theatre

[Jeff Howard]

Triple jinx!

Anthony Hempell wrote:
> You might want to get really old school and check out 
> Brenda Laurel's "Computers As Theatre".

Seamus Byrne wrote:
> I recommend reading: "Computers as Theatre" by Brenda 
> Laurel.

Jeff Howard wrote:
> Brenda Laurel's _Computers as Theater_ comes to mind.


. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Posted from the new ixda.org
http://www.ixda.org/discuss?post=26112



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Re: [IxDA Discuss] Password enforcement UI - good, bad or ugly?

[William Evans]

Yeah. Depends on what your securing and from whom. Good combo is the  
old biometric plus passphrase plus mutating challenge-response. But 99.9 
  don't require it since most people will willingly give up their pw  
through social engineering and cmps capable of brute force are too  
busy reading our email. Thanks AT&T!

will evans
user experience architect
[EMAIL PROTECTED]
617.281.1281


On Feb 19, 2008, at 7:44 PM, "Ari Feldman" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote:

> yes but passwords like those you describe are prone to hacking as they
> contain dictionary words that some brute force password crackers use  
> to
> increase their chances of cracking passwords.
>
>
> On Feb 19, 2008 3:10 PM, Anthony Hempell <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote:
>
>> Another strategy is to create memorable Name/Number combinations that
>> are part of a larger set that can be mined for almost infinite
>> password ideas, such as:
>>
>> Car make / year  (Cadillac77 or Mustang!56)
>> Athlete / number (Jordan23 or Gretzky!99)
>>
>> etc
>>
>>
>> On 19-Feb-08, at 12:00 PM, Katie Albers wrote:
>>
>>> I know I was taught by a shockingly sane network engineer that the
>>> easy way to develop hard to crack passwords was to choose a regular
>>> word of the right length in your native language and then substitute
>>> number(s) and punctuation marks as appropriate and capitalize either
>>> the first or last letter. As long as you use consistent
>>> substitutions, all you have to remember is the word. So, for  
>>> example,
>>> "Olympics" becomes
>>> "0!ymp1cS" and in all my passwords O becomes 0, L becomes !, I
>>> becomes 1 and so forth. Not all users have to use the same set of
>>> substitutions, but each user needs to be consistent from one  
>>> password
>>> to the next, otherwise it's yet another memory problem.
>>>
>>> Is there a problem with recommending -- perhaps on a "help" linked
>>> page -- such a method to users?
>>>
>>
>> 
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>
>
>
> -- 
> --
> www.flyingyogi.com
> --
> 
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Re: [IxDA Discuss] Password enforcement UI - good, bad or ugly?

[Ari Feldman]

yes but passwords like those you describe are prone to hacking as they
contain dictionary words that some brute force password crackers use to
increase their chances of cracking passwords.


On Feb 19, 2008 3:10 PM, Anthony Hempell <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote:

> Another strategy is to create memorable Name/Number combinations that
> are part of a larger set that can be mined for almost infinite
> password ideas, such as:
>
> Car make / year  (Cadillac77 or Mustang!56)
> Athlete / number (Jordan23 or Gretzky!99)
>
> etc
>
>
> On 19-Feb-08, at 12:00 PM, Katie Albers wrote:
>
> > I know I was taught by a shockingly sane network engineer that the
> > easy way to develop hard to crack passwords was to choose a regular
> > word of the right length in your native language and then substitute
> > number(s) and punctuation marks as appropriate and capitalize either
> > the first or last letter. As long as you use consistent
> > substitutions, all you have to remember is the word. So, for example,
> > "Olympics" becomes
> > "0!ymp1cS" and in all my passwords O becomes 0, L becomes !, I
> > becomes 1 and so forth. Not all users have to use the same set of
> > substitutions, but each user needs to be consistent from one password
> > to the next, otherwise it's yet another memory problem.
> >
> > Is there a problem with recommending -- perhaps on a "help" linked
> > page -- such a method to users?
> >
>
> 
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-- 
--
www.flyingyogi.com
--

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[IxDA Discuss] [JOB] User Experience Designer : Biotech firm, South San Francisco - Recruiter: Aqu ent ­ Fulltime contract position.

[Dehnert, Terra]

Our client, a leading Biotech firm (voted ³top employer in biotechnology² by
Fortune magazine 10 years running) is seeking an experienced User Researcher
and Experience Designer well versed in user-centered design methodologies,
preferably with portal/web application experience.
 
The User Experience group is responsible for gathering user requirements via
research, user testing, and the quality design, some front end development
and usability of web based applications.
 
Responsibilities will include:
-Gauge the usability of new and existing products, and make constructive
suggestions for change
-Conduct generative and evaluative user research
- Work with internal UX team, Business Customers, Project Managers, Business
Analysts and Technical Leads to develop high level and/or detailed
storyboards, mockups and prototypes to effectively communicate interaction
and design ideas
- Perform usability studies with an eye toward enterprise scalability needs
(i.e., can this swiki be used for everyone?)
- Create UI mockups, UI flow diagrams, final UI designs and help provide
digital assets to developers
- Establish and leverage existing UI design guidelines to promote
consistency and ease of use across the product lines
-Validate resulting UI for consistency and adherence to guidelines and alert
PMs for escalation when guidelines are not followed
 
We are looking for a self-starter with an enthusiastic, approachable,
confident, "can do" attitude. This position requires the ability to work
well with other team members with a minimal amount of direction. Good
communication skills, verbal and written, are a must.
 
To be considered, you must be creative, passionate about process
improvement, working with diverse groups and have strong technical ability
with Usability, User Interface Design, and related web technologies, and be
exceptional at written and verbal communication.
 
If you are interested in more information on this position or fee your skill
set matches these qualifications, please apply via the following link:
http://jobs.aquent.com/myaquent?PROC=AWUIDrawJobDesc&websiteType=mcs&serverI
D=1&postingId=38653

 
 
Thank you!
 
Terra Dehnert, Account Manager
Aquent
(415) 399-2609
[EMAIL PROTECTED]




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Re: [IxDA Discuss] Interaction Design and Theatre

[Seamus Byrne]

Hi Maria,

I have no knowledge of information pertaining directly to interaction 
design and theatre, but if you haven't already done so, I recommend 
reading:

"Computers as Theatre" by Brenda Laurel
http://www.amazon.com/Computers-as-Theatre-Brenda-Laurel/dp/0201550601

Personally, I find that some principles from stage direction to be very 
relevant and applicable to interface visual design. Concepts such as 
"selection" and "emphasis" and "levels" help me understand designing 
within space and therefore lend themselves very well to the informed 
placement of UI elements. After all, a screen has similar 
characteristics to the traditional proscenium stage.

-- 
All the Best,

Seamus Byrne 
Senior User Experience Designer

WestGlobal Ltd
Dublin, Ireland

Mobl: 087 618 5655





Maria De Monte wrote:
> Hello,
>
> just wondering... does anyone of you has information about interaction design 
> studies applied to theatre?
> I've tried to put up a show using human-machine interaction principles a 
> couple years ago, and the results were astonishing.
> I'd like to keep on working in this sense of direction. Anything in Dublin, 
> Ireland?
>
> Thanks,
>
> Maria :-)
>
>
>
>
>   ___ 
> L'email della prossima generazione? Puoi averla con la nuova Yahoo! Mail: 
> http://it.docs.yahoo.com/nowyoucan.html
> 
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>
>
>   



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Re: [IxDA Discuss] Digital Instrument Interfaces

[mosquito]

you sure that owning four lemur's borders on "fiscal
irresponsibility?" i'm thinking its more jealousy that someone has
four of them. ;)

personally i don't know if i would have included really any of the
items listed as being unique IxD. the novation itself is nothing
revolutionary. just a keyboard with a collection of pots and faders. 
it does show the values at the top, but i've found those values to be
only useful if you are programming CC messages and values.  otherwise
the computer screen is really giving you everything you need. i
recently started using one of the behringer bcf2000 (8 faders   pots
and buttons) and programmed the cc messages specifically for how i
use ableton.

so this of course means I use ableton. i also use cubase, as well as
other outboard recording equipment, and honestly ableton is for an
entirely different animal than cubase. there are things one can do
that the other can't and vice versa. when it comes to music software
that has created a different user experience, i think max/msp would be
the place to look as it gives you a visual approach to how things are
connected (similar to yahoo's pipes).

outside of the lemur the most impressive interface to me is the
monome (http://monome.org) because of it's ability to react how i
want/need it too. one of the members of bjork's band is using an
interesting control surface, though it comes across more as
performance art to me.


. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Posted from the new ixda.org
http://www.ixda.org/discuss?post=26087



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Re: [IxDA Discuss] Digital Instrument Interfaces

[Andrew Milmoe]

Be sure to check out this

The International Conference on New Interfaces for Musical Expression
http://www.nime.org/

There was a course at NYU-ITP about sound as an interface to communicate 
states, direction, etc. 

Currently there is a course around building interfaces for musical instruments. 
http://itp.nyu.edu/nime/journal/

-Andrew

_ __  ___   _
 Andrew G. Milmoe
 www.milmoe.com 
www.makesf.org 
Sr. Information Architect
 AA|Razorfish - San Francisco 



From: "Loren Baxter" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
Sent: Monday, February 18, 2008 11:31 PM
To: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Subject: [IxDA Discuss] Digital Instrument Interfaces 

Did anyone else see Daft Punk rocking out at the Grammys? They played the
coolest instruments I've ever seen - four multitouch screens with various
graphical elements controlling an array of synth and software backend. (
http://tinyurl.com/2krxy9 - the solo three quarters of the way through the
video ) Further research uncovered this: the Lemur by JazzMutant (
http://www.jazzmutant.com/lemur_overview.php ). If you're at all into
music, sound manipulation, and visualization, take a look. Has anyone here
had experience with these or other audio control devices? Any thoughts on
the design? These are thought provoking from an IXD perspective - a very
different sensory space than your standard UI.



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Re: [IxDA Discuss] Interaction Design and Theatre

[Andrew Milmoe]

These organizations are in New York, but they are very open and friendly. great 
champions of interaction design in theater.

 http://www.troikaranch.org/

http://www.gertstein.org/

Feel free to contact both of them (and tell them I sent you!) they should be 
able to point you towards conferences or organizations in your area. 

-Andrew

_ __  ___   _
 Andrew G. Milmoe
 www.milmoe.com 
www.makesf.org 
Sr. Information Architect
 AA|Razorfish - San Francisco 



From: Maria De Monte <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
Sent: Tuesday, February 19, 2008 10:40 AM
To: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Subject: [IxDA Discuss] Interaction Design and Theatre 

Hello,

just wondering... does anyone of you has information about interaction design 
studies applied to theatre?
I've tried to put up a show using human-machine interaction principles a couple 
years ago, and the results were astonishing.
I'd like to keep on working in this sense of direction. Anything in Dublin, 
Ireland?

Thanks,

Maria :-)

___ 
L'email della prossima generazione? Puoi averla con la nuova Yahoo! Mail: 
http://it.docs.yahoo.com/nowyoucan.html

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Re: [IxDA Discuss] Password enforcement UI - good, bad or ugly?

[Anthony Hempell]

Another strategy is to create memorable Name/Number combinations that  
are part of a larger set that can be mined for almost infinite  
password ideas, such as:

Car make / year  (Cadillac77 or Mustang!56)
Athlete / number (Jordan23 or Gretzky!99)

etc


On 19-Feb-08, at 12:00 PM, Katie Albers wrote:

> I know I was taught by a shockingly sane network engineer that the
> easy way to develop hard to crack passwords was to choose a regular
> word of the right length in your native language and then substitute
> number(s) and punctuation marks as appropriate and capitalize either
> the first or last letter. As long as you use consistent
> substitutions, all you have to remember is the word. So, for example,
> "Olympics" becomes
> "0!ymp1cS" and in all my passwords O becomes 0, L becomes !, I
> becomes 1 and so forth. Not all users have to use the same set of
> substitutions, but each user needs to be consistent from one password
> to the next, otherwise it's yet another memory problem.
>
> Is there a problem with recommending -- perhaps on a "help" linked
> page -- such a method to users?
>


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Re: [IxDA Discuss] Interaction Design and Theatre

[Anthony Hempell]

You might want to get really old school and check out Brenda Laurel's  
"Computers As Theatre".  It's a blast from the past, but at its time  
way ahead of everything else.

http://www.amazon.com/Computers-as-Theatre-Brenda-Laurel/dp/0201550601

There's quite a bit of crossover from the theatre --> interaction  
design direction (Aristotle's Poetics are a staple of a lot of  
introductory interaction studies) but I'm not as familiar with the  
other way around.


On 19-Feb-08, at 8:24 AM, Maria De Monte wrote:

>
> Hello,
>
> just wondering... does anyone of you has information about  
> interaction design studies applied to theatre?
> I've tried to put up a show using human-machine interaction  
> principles a couple years ago, and the results were astonishing.
> I'd like to keep on working in this sense of direction. Anything in  
> Dublin, Ireland?
>
> Thanks,
>
> Maria :-)
>


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Re: [IxDA Discuss] Digital Instrument Interfaces

[Angel Marquez]

http://www.buzzmachines.com/

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Re: [IxDA Discuss] Digital Instrument Interfaces

[Matthew Nish-Lapidus]

one of the most intriguing interfaces i've ever used for making music
is software called PD (pure data)... sort of like Max/MSP, but with
less initial structure.

it's all about playing, discovering ... there's almost no manual and
you start with a blank screen.. you can build your own UI with a
multitude of controls, giving the musician complete control over the
"instrument" they use.  it's a lot of fun.

it's beyond not "immediately self-explanatory"  and begins to delve
into another UI territory all together... faced with a blank slate
what should I create?  the endless possibility is both exciting and
paralyzing ... i've seen people use PD for the first time and they
either dive in and just start making things, or they sit there and
stare at it until they ask for help...


On Feb 19, 2008 5:09 PM, Loren Baxter <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote:
> What I find interesting about all of these interfaces is that they aren't
> immediately self-explanatory.  The user needs to play around with them
> before discovering how it can be used.  At first, I thought this was
> categorically a design flaw, but after further thought it seems that
> avoiding instruction can help the artist.  Beyond basic interaction, why
> fence them in with strict guidelines or rules about how to use the
> instrument?  The purpose of creativity is to explore and push the boundaries
> of the tools available rather than to use them in the "correct" manner.
>
> On Feb 19, 2008 10:17 AM, Patrick Grizzard <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote:
>
> > Also, not sure if the JazzMutant Lemur has any connection to the League of
> > Electronic Musical Urban Robots (LEMUR), but another great resource if you
> > are interested in novel musical instruments:
> > http://www.lemurbots.org/videoandaudio.html
> >
> > The artist Bjorn Schulke has also created instruments that are triggered
> > by proximity and are weirdly beautiful, almost alien-looking:
> >
> > http://www.bitforms.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=29&Itemid=58#id=99&num=1
> >
> > :PG


-- 
Matt Nish-Lapidus
work:  [EMAIL PROTECTED] / www.bibliocommons.com
--
personal: [EMAIL PROTECTED]

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Re: [IxDA Discuss] Digital Instrument Interfaces

[Dave Cronin]

It's interesting how most sophisticated "user interfaces" aren't immediately 
self-explanatory.

There's often a healthy tension between how learnable an interface is and how 
capable it is of providing nuanced control.


-Original Message-
From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] on behalf of Loren Baxter
Sent: Tue 2/19/2008 2:09 PM
To: Patrick Grizzard
Cc: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Subject: Re: [IxDA Discuss] Digital Instrument Interfaces
 
What I find interesting about all of these interfaces is that they aren't
immediately self-explanatory.  The user needs to play around with them
before discovering how it can be used.  At first, I thought this was
categorically a design flaw, but after further thought it seems that
avoiding instruction can help the artist.  Beyond basic interaction, why
fence them in with strict guidelines or rules about how to use the
instrument?  The purpose of creativity is to explore and push the boundaries
of the tools available rather than to use them in the "correct" manner.

On Feb 19, 2008 10:17 AM, Patrick Grizzard <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote:

> Also, not sure if the JazzMutant Lemur has any connection to the League of
> Electronic Musical Urban Robots (LEMUR), but another great resource if you
> are interested in novel musical instruments:
> http://www.lemurbots.org/videoandaudio.html
>
> The artist Bjorn Schulke has also created instruments that are triggered
> by proximity and are weirdly beautiful, almost alien-looking:
>
> http://www.bitforms.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=29&Itemid=58#id=99&num=1
>
> :PG
>
>
> On Feb 19, 2008, at 2:24 AM, Loren Baxter wrote:
>
> Did anyone else see Daft Punk rocking out at the Grammys? They played the
> coolest instruments I've ever seen - four multitouch screens with various
> graphical elements controlling an array of synth and software backend.  (
> http://tinyurl.com/2krxy9 - the solo three quarters of the way through the
> video ) Further research uncovered this: the Lemur by JazzMutant (
> http://www.jazzmutant.com/lemur_overview.php ).  If you're at all into
> music, sound manipulation, and visualization, take a look. Has anyone here
> had experience with these or other audio control devices?  Any thoughts on
> the design?  These are thought provoking from an IXD perspective - a very
> different sensory space than your standard UI.
> 
> Welcome to the Interaction Design Association (IxDA)!
> To post to this list ... [EMAIL PROTECTED]
> Unsubscribe  http://www.ixda.org/unsubscribe
> List Guidelines  http://www.ixda.org/guidelines
> List Help .. http://www.ixda.org/help
>
>
>

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Re: [IxDA Discuss] Interaction Design and Theatre

[Patrick Grizzard]

Not sure if this is the kind of thing you are thinking of, but Troika  
Ranch is a dance/theater company that focuses on interactive  
performances. I believe they have even developed their own software  
for such purposes:

http://www.troikaranch.org/

There's also a Yahoo! Group run by students in the Performance and  
Interactive Media Arts program at Brooklyn College:

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/pimatalk/



On Feb 19, 2008, at 11:24 AM, Maria De Monte wrote:

> Hello,
>
> just wondering... does anyone of you has information about  
> interaction design studies applied to theatre?
> I've tried to put up a show using human-machine interaction  
> principles a couple years ago, and the results were astonishing.
> I'd like to keep on working in this sense of direction. Anything in  
> Dublin, Ireland?
>
> Thanks,
>
> Maria :-)
>
>
>
>
>   ___
> L'email della prossima generazione? Puoi averla con la nuova Yahoo!  
> Mail: http://it.docs.yahoo.com/nowyoucan.html
> 
> Welcome to the Interaction Design Association (IxDA)!
> To post to this list ... [EMAIL PROTECTED]
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Re: [IxDA Discuss] Digital Instrument Interfaces

[Loren Baxter]

What I find interesting about all of these interfaces is that they aren't
immediately self-explanatory.  The user needs to play around with them
before discovering how it can be used.  At first, I thought this was
categorically a design flaw, but after further thought it seems that
avoiding instruction can help the artist.  Beyond basic interaction, why
fence them in with strict guidelines or rules about how to use the
instrument?  The purpose of creativity is to explore and push the boundaries
of the tools available rather than to use them in the "correct" manner.

On Feb 19, 2008 10:17 AM, Patrick Grizzard <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote:

> Also, not sure if the JazzMutant Lemur has any connection to the League of
> Electronic Musical Urban Robots (LEMUR), but another great resource if you
> are interested in novel musical instruments:
> http://www.lemurbots.org/videoandaudio.html
>
> The artist Bjorn Schulke has also created instruments that are triggered
> by proximity and are weirdly beautiful, almost alien-looking:
>
> http://www.bitforms.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=29&Itemid=58#id=99&num=1
>
> :PG
>
>
> On Feb 19, 2008, at 2:24 AM, Loren Baxter wrote:
>
> Did anyone else see Daft Punk rocking out at the Grammys? They played the
> coolest instruments I've ever seen - four multitouch screens with various
> graphical elements controlling an array of synth and software backend.  (
> http://tinyurl.com/2krxy9 - the solo three quarters of the way through the
> video ) Further research uncovered this: the Lemur by JazzMutant (
> http://www.jazzmutant.com/lemur_overview.php ).  If you're at all into
> music, sound manipulation, and visualization, take a look. Has anyone here
> had experience with these or other audio control devices?  Any thoughts on
> the design?  These are thought provoking from an IXD perspective - a very
> different sensory space than your standard UI.
> 
> Welcome to the Interaction Design Association (IxDA)!
> To post to this list ... [EMAIL PROTECTED]
> Unsubscribe  http://www.ixda.org/unsubscribe
> List Guidelines  http://www.ixda.org/guidelines
> List Help .. http://www.ixda.org/help
>
>
>

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Re: [IxDA Discuss] Interaction Design and Theatre

[Jeff Howard]

Hi Maria,

I'm more familiar with this working the other way around; applying
theatrical principles to interface design. Brenda Laurel's
_Computers as Theater_ comes to mind:

http://www.amazon.com/Computers-as-Theatre-Brenda-Laurel/dp/0201550601

Many human-machine interaction principles are derived from older
social interaction principles, so you could work back up the chain
and consider how to apply something like Erving Goffman's
interaction framework of 1) Initiation, 2) Maintenance and 3)
Leavetaking to a theatrical performance, though theater is a more
mature field and the principles wouldn't exactly come as a shock.

I'd be interested in hearing about how you incorporated the
principles in your previous show. 

// jeff


. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Posted from the new ixda.org
http://www.ixda.org/discuss?post=26112



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Re: [IxDA Discuss] Password enforcement UI - good, bad or ugly?

[Jeff Seager]

The problem with this trend (and I'm seeing it as such, too, Kenny)
is that it presumes that more security is always better. But in many
use cases (blogs, mailing lists, software tech support), such
stringent security can be ridiculous and inconvenient.

Security is not just protection. It's also reassurance. Excessive
protection is more aggravating than reassuring, and likely to drive
people to goods and services that balance these considerations
better.

I like the visual and verbal indicators of password strength. They
give me choice, leave me in control. I think it's best to err on the
side of enlightened self-interest and leave the details of these
decisions to the user.


. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Posted from the new ixda.org
http://www.ixda.org/discuss?post=26110



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Re: [IxDA Discuss] Password enforcement UI - good, bad or ugly?

[Omri Eliav]

There are legal and global security sides too. In many cases it takes  
one bad password to hack your entire webapp. If someone hack your  
application because of a bad password policy, you can be exposed to  
lawsuit from other users.

As for solution... It depends.


-- Omri

On Feb 19, 2008, at 6:33 PM, Kenny Kutney wrote:

> Thought maybe I could garner some opinions on the usability of
> password enforcement techniques.



 
 

This footnote confirms that this email message has been scanned by
PineApp Mail-SeCure for the presence of malicious code, vandals & computer 
viruses.





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[IxDA Discuss] [EVENT] UPA Boston: Annual Conference Timeline and Details

[Jen Hocko]

Hi!

Join us for the seventh annual Boston Mini UPA conference at Bentley
College in Waltham, MA on Wednesday, May 28th!

Hear and discuss critical topics in usability and user-centered design
with practitioners, students, and experts in the field. Whether a
newcomer, a seasoned usability professional, or a member of a product
team interested in usability, this conference offers unique content and
learning opportunities!

Attend: Early registration, student, and group discounts available.
Volunteer admission is free, contact us soon, spaces limited:
[EMAIL PROTECTED]
Present: We welcome presentation submissions from all interested
parties- "seasoned" presenters and novices alike. We will have openings
for approximately 30 presenters and tutorial providers (total).
Sponsor: We invite sponsorship of the entire event, on-site booths, the
cocktail and networking event, printed materials, signage, and more!



Learn more about the event and submit presentation proposals online:
http://www.upaboston.org/miniconf08/index.shtml
 

Date and Time
Wednesday, May 28th, 2008
On-site Registration begins at 8AM
Conference from 9AM - 6PM
Cocktails and Networking from 6PM - 7PM

Location
Bentley College
The Bentley Conference Center
LaCava Building, Third Floor
175 Forest Street
Waltham, MA 02452

Call for Proposals
*   Proposal submissions due: Midnight EST, Monday, March 17th
*   Proposal acceptance notification will be: Monday, March 31st
*   Final Presentation materials due: Midnight EST, Monday April
21st

As usability professionals we face challenges that are unique to our
field. We are often asked to perform detailed analysis with little time
or resources. To be successful, each of us has to work creatively with
what we are given. This conference is an opportunity to share your
insights, successes, challenges, techniques, or findings with industry
colleagues. We invite you to submit a presentation proposal. We
encourage you to design a presentation that is as hands-on as possible
and that uses creative techniques for involving your audience.

The Boston Chapter of the UPA is looking for presentations, panels,
tutorials, workshops, and out-of-the box sessions in the following
areas:
*   Case studies and success stories
*   Presentation skills
*   Usability "disasters" and how to prevent them
*   Getting noticed as a usability professional
*   Starting up a usability program
*   Getting started and setting up measures of ROI
*   Tools, tips and techniques for consultants
*   Research topics and advancements in methods
*   Method validation
*   Agile and extreme usability techniques
*   Reasons usability fails (timetable, budget, personality,
utility)
*   Fitting usability into the product lifecycle
*   "Out of the box" presentations
*   How to hire a usability specialist: what do they do?
*   Difficulties in working with UI professionals
*   Client perspective of usability-related issues
*   How usability relates to other disciplines
*   ROI - Getting your money's worth from a usability professional
*   (Other ideas are welcome)

 

 


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Re: [IxDA Discuss] Password enforcement UI - good, bad or ugly?

[Katie Albers]

I know I was taught by a shockingly sane network engineer that the 
easy way to develop hard to crack passwords was to choose a regular 
word of the right length in your native language and then substitute 
number(s) and punctuation marks as appropriate and capitalize either 
the first or last letter. As long as you use consistent 
substitutions, all you have to remember is the word. So, for example, 
"Olympics" becomes
"0!ymp1cS" and in all my passwords O becomes 0, L becomes !, I 
becomes 1 and so forth. Not all users have to use the same set of 
substitutions, but each user needs to be consistent from one password 
to the next, otherwise it's yet another memory problem.

Is there a problem with recommending -- perhaps on a "help" linked 
page -- such a method to users?


At 2:24 PM -0500 2/19/08, mark schraad wrote:
>Hey Kenny,
>I worked in the field (computer security) for a couple of years. In the
>simplest terms, the continuum is between ease of use, and security. Just as
>you state... the extremes are not good. Easy to use = easy to crack. Hard to
>crack = hard to remember. Forcing any or all of those criteria is pretty
>harsh unless the sit has a lot of liability. Suggesting those as 'tips' for
>a more secure password offers the user a lot of flexibility.
>
>Mark
>
>On Feb 19, 2008 11:33 AM, Kenny Kutney <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote:
>
>>  Thought maybe I could garner some opinions on the usability of
>>  password enforcement techniques.
>>
>>  Recently, I've noticed a trend towards more "secure" passwords for
>>  many things, and that's a good idea. However, I've also noticed that
>>  certain web sites take that to an extreme, disallowing the use of any
>>  password that does not meet their criteria. Often, these criteria are
>>  also extreme.
>>
>>  For example, one web-based product (non-financial) refused to allow
>>  me to enter a password that did not have ALL of:
>>  - at least one capital letter
>>  - at least one numeric
>>  - at least one non-alpha character
>>  - at least 8 characters
>>
>>  Clearly, this would produce a reasonably secure password, but I'd
>>  never remember it!!! I prefer Google's approach, where a graphic
>>  indicator shows me the "strength" of my password, but lets me choose
>>  anything I want.
>>
>>  Would certainly love to hear the group's thoughts on this...
>>
>>  --
>>  kenny kutney
>>  [EMAIL PROTECTED]
>>
>>  
>>  Welcome to the Interaction Design Association (IxDA)!
>>  To post to this list ... [EMAIL PROTECTED]
>>  Unsubscribe  http://www.ixda.org/unsubscribe
>>  List Guidelines  http://www.ixda.org/guidelines
>>  List Help .. http://www.ixda.org/help
>>
>
>Welcome to the Interaction Design Association (IxDA)!
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-- 


Katie Albers
[EMAIL PROTECTED]

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Re: [IxDA Discuss] Password enforcement UI - good, bad or ugly?

[mark schraad]

Hey Kenny,
I worked in the field (computer security) for a couple of years. In the
simplest terms, the continuum is between ease of use, and security. Just as
you state... the extremes are not good. Easy to use = easy to crack. Hard to
crack = hard to remember. Forcing any or all of those criteria is pretty
harsh unless the sit has a lot of liability. Suggesting those as 'tips' for
a more secure password offers the user a lot of flexibility.

Mark

On Feb 19, 2008 11:33 AM, Kenny Kutney <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote:

> Thought maybe I could garner some opinions on the usability of
> password enforcement techniques.
>
> Recently, I've noticed a trend towards more "secure" passwords for
> many things, and that's a good idea. However, I've also noticed that
> certain web sites take that to an extreme, disallowing the use of any
> password that does not meet their criteria. Often, these criteria are
> also extreme.
>
> For example, one web-based product (non-financial) refused to allow
> me to enter a password that did not have ALL of:
> - at least one capital letter
> - at least one numeric
> - at least one non-alpha character
> - at least 8 characters
>
> Clearly, this would produce a reasonably secure password, but I'd
> never remember it!!! I prefer Google's approach, where a graphic
> indicator shows me the "strength" of my password, but lets me choose
> anything I want.
>
> Would certainly love to hear the group's thoughts on this...
>
> --
> kenny kutney
> [EMAIL PROTECTED]
>
> 
> Welcome to the Interaction Design Association (IxDA)!
> To post to this list ... [EMAIL PROTECTED]
> Unsubscribe  http://www.ixda.org/unsubscribe
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>

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Re: [IxDA Discuss] "The Most Frequently Used Features in Microsoft Office"

[Katie Albers]

>I for one think that the "Less is More" mentality makes a lot of sense,
>because the interfaces get so complicated that even veteran users get
>lost going for features that would be somewhere around 26-50 on the
>'most used' list.
>
>-- Marty

Well, since I often get official communications from Microsoft in 
which the paragraphs are separated by double returns...and forms 
which don't use Word's built-in form technology...I suspect the 
feature-set long since passed the useful set.

Part of this can be laid at the doorstep of mere feature creep; but 
part if it is also a failure to define a product (both these issues 
are endemic, they're just easiest to find in MS Word). What started 
life as a word-processor has quickly gone through the stage of 
formatting tool and is striving to be a full-fledged 
document/publishing tool (which it actually does rather poorly). 
Thus, features that are necessary to one level of tool are 
incorporated into all of them and the increased levels of complexity 
often lead to failure of the tools. Issues like the occasional 
randomization of numbering, the persistence of changes in tracked 
documents and so forth result from this complexity.

All of this by way of saying: One of the critical pieces of good 
interaction design is deciding what set of interactions your 
application is going to support. Who has that responsibility will 
often not be an IxD, but it is still the job of the IxD to call 
attention to the problem.

Katie
-- 


Katie Albers
[EMAIL PROTECTED]

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Re: [IxDA Discuss] Password enforcement UI - good, bad or ugly?

[Ari Feldman]

although these recommendations are valid, why put the burden on the user?

there exist several AJAX and Flash plugins or classes for doing 'password
strength' assessments, that visually grade the user's password using both
color and verbal ratings.

i think this would be more effective for users and keep the recommendations
in an FAQ for more advanced users.

thoughts?

Ari

On Feb 19, 2008 11:33 AM, Kenny Kutney <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote:

> Thought maybe I could garner some opinions on the usability of
> password enforcement techniques.
>
> Recently, I've noticed a trend towards more "secure" passwords for
> many things, and that's a good idea. However, I've also noticed that
> certain web sites take that to an extreme, disallowing the use of any
> password that does not meet their criteria. Often, these criteria are
> also extreme.
>
> For example, one web-based product (non-financial) refused to allow
> me to enter a password that did not have ALL of:
> - at least one capital letter
> - at least one numeric
> - at least one non-alpha character
> - at least 8 characters
>
> Clearly, this would produce a reasonably secure password, but I'd
> never remember it!!! I prefer Google's approach, where a graphic
> indicator shows me the "strength" of my password, but lets me choose
> anything I want.
>
> Would certainly love to hear the group's thoughts on this...
>
> --
> kenny kutney
> [EMAIL PROTECTED]
>
> 
> Welcome to the Interaction Design Association (IxDA)!
> To post to this list ... [EMAIL PROTECTED]
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--
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[IxDA Discuss] RE : Interaction Design and Theatre

[Alain D. M. G. Vaillancourt]

Hello!

What do you mean when you say that you put on a show using HCI?

You incorporated HCI in the script of the play that you wrote, and
perhaps also in the stage instructions to the set designers and the
director?

Or:

You were yourself the director and/or the set designer and you
incorporated HCI in your work, using an existing play?

Or is it all of the above all together?

Alain Vaillancourt

--- Maria De Monte <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> a écrit :

> Hello,
> 
> just wondering... does anyone of you has information about
> interaction design studies applied to theatre?
> I've tried to put up a show using human-machine interaction
> principles a couple years ago, and the results were astonishing.
> I'd like to keep on working in this sense of direction. Anything in
> Dublin, Ireland?
> 
> Thanks,
> 
> Maria :-)
> 
> 
> 
> 
>   ___ 
> L'email della prossima generazione? Puoi averla con la nuova Yahoo!
> Mail: http://it.docs.yahoo.com/nowyoucan.html
> 
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Alain Vaillancourt

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  Découvrez les styles qui font sensation sur Yahoo! Québec Avatars.
http://cf.avatars.yahoo.com/

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[IxDA Discuss] Interaction Design and Theatre

[Maria De Monte]

Hello,

just wondering... does anyone of you has information about interaction design 
studies applied to theatre?
I've tried to put up a show using human-machine interaction principles a couple 
years ago, and the results were astonishing.
I'd like to keep on working in this sense of direction. Anything in Dublin, 
Ireland?

Thanks,

Maria :-)




  ___ 
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Re: [IxDA Discuss] "The Most Frequently Used Features in Microsoft Office"

[Marty DeAngelo]

At the Adaptive Path UXi conference, they spoke almost specifically
about this - the fact that new webapps are coming out that try to give
20% of the functionality that 80% of the users will use instead of being
everything for everybody.  They used Writely as an example (which has
since been bought up by Google) to show that people usually only need a
subset of what is offered in Microsoft Word.  

The presentation made a good point that while those extra features are
interesting and even useful in some situations, many people will never
use them and have trouble finding what they DO need amidst the broad
choices offered.

I for one think that the "Less is More" mentality makes a lot of sense,
because the interfaces get so complicated that even veteran users get
lost going for features that would be somewhere around 26-50 on the
'most used' list.

-- Marty

> Probably unsurprisingly, these numbers appear to show some kind of
"Pareto principle" usage ("20 % of the application commands are used in
80 % of the time"). Does your experience support this?
>
>
> [1] 
> http://googlesystem.blogspot.com/2008/02/most-frequently-used-features
> -in.html
>
> --
> Jens Meiert
> http://meiert.com/en/

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[IxDA Discuss] Password enforcement UI - good, bad or ugly?

[Kenny Kutney]

Thought maybe I could garner some opinions on the usability of  
password enforcement techniques.

Recently, I've noticed a trend towards more "secure" passwords for  
many things, and that's a good idea. However, I've also noticed that  
certain web sites take that to an extreme, disallowing the use of any  
password that does not meet their criteria. Often, these criteria are  
also extreme.

For example, one web-based product (non-financial) refused to allow  
me to enter a password that did not have ALL of:
- at least one capital letter
- at least one numeric
- at least one non-alpha character
- at least 8 characters

Clearly, this would produce a reasonably secure password, but I'd  
never remember it!!! I prefer Google's approach, where a graphic  
indicator shows me the "strength" of my password, but lets me choose  
anything I want.

Would certainly love to hear the group's thoughts on this...

-- 
kenny kutney
[EMAIL PROTECTED]


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Re: [IxDA Discuss] Digital Instrument Interfaces

[James Leslie]

Have you seen the Reactable and what Bjork has been doing with it?

http://www.wired.com/entertainment/music/news/2007/08/bjork_reacTable
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QVVULBXvmxk

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Re: [IxDA Discuss] Digital Instrument Interfaces

[Patrick Grizzard]

Also, not sure if the JazzMutant Lemur has any connection to the  
League of Electronic Musical Urban Robots (LEMUR), but another great  
resource if you are interested in novel musical instruments:
http://www.lemurbots.org/videoandaudio.html

The artist Bjorn Schulke has also created instruments that are  
triggered by proximity and are weirdly beautiful, almost alien-looking:
http://www.bitforms.com/index.php? 
option=com_content&task=view&id=29&Itemid=58#id=99&num=1

:PG


On Feb 19, 2008, at 2:24 AM, Loren Baxter wrote:

> Did anyone else see Daft Punk rocking out at the Grammys? They  
> played the
> coolest instruments I've ever seen - four multitouch screens with  
> various
> graphical elements controlling an array of synth and software  
> backend.  (
> http://tinyurl.com/2krxy9 - the solo three quarters of the way  
> through the
> video ) Further research uncovered this: the Lemur by JazzMutant (
> http://www.jazzmutant.com/lemur_overview.php ).  If you're at all into
> music, sound manipulation, and visualization, take a look. Has  
> anyone here
> had experience with these or other audio control devices?  Any  
> thoughts on
> the design?  These are thought provoking from an IXD perspective -  
> a very
> different sensory space than your standard UI.
> 
> Welcome to the Interaction Design Association (IxDA)!
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[IxDA Discuss] Definitions project

[Robert Hoekman, Jr.]

As some of you know, a small group of people recently got together via an
IxDA Basecamp acct to try to come up with definitions for common terms,
including UCD, ACD, and genius design.

This has proven more than a little frustrating, as expected. So far, we
haven't even all been able to agree that these terms need defining (and no,
I don't know why someone would join a definitions project without first
believing a definition needs to be created, but that's a different matter).

I very much believe the project is worth pursuing, for many reasons, but I
think I've come to realize I simply don't care enough about defining these
concepts to persevere the battle. There may be great potential benefits to
the design community in completing the project, but I have too many other
things to do right now that are far more important to me, and those must be
tended to first.

Regardless, I wanted to mention that the group is still going on and that
you can contact David Malouf about joining it. I encourage you to get
involved if you too believe there is value in defining these key terms that
get debated so frequently on this and other lists.

Thanks.

-- 
-Robert Hoekman, Jr.-
CEO / Principal Experience Designer
Miskeeto, LLC — www.miskeeto.com

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Re: [IxDA Discuss] Digital Instrument Interfaces

[Patrick Grizzard]

Sony BlockJam: http://www.sonycsl.co.jp/IL/projects/blockjam/ 
contents.html

Yamaha Tenori-On: http://www.global.yamaha.com/design/tenori-on/

What I like about each of these interfaces is that I feel like I  
could figure out pretty quickly how to use them to make some pretty  
cool sounds, which might even have the qualities of "music," despite  
the fact that I can't carry a tune in a bucket. The UI abstracts the  
underlying principles of music composition to a degree where I can  
make sense of them based on physical mappings in space and variations  
in feedback. They are like "conceptual models" that reflect my  
(limited) understanding of music, as opposed to a traditional  
instrument (physical/analog or software)'s "implementation model" UI,  
which reflects notes, chords, pitch (?) and lots of other things I  
don't really understand.

If you are a virtuoso, or even moderately skilled musician, you'd  
likely find these interfaces limiting after experimenting with them  
for a while. On the other hand, by forcing a trained musician to  
think differently, they might also be valuable sources of insight and  
inspiration.


Patrick



On Feb 19, 2008, at 2:24 AM, Loren Baxter wrote:

> Did anyone else see Daft Punk rocking out at the Grammys? They  
> played the
> coolest instruments I've ever seen - four multitouch screens with  
> various
> graphical elements controlling an array of synth and software  
> backend.  (
> http://tinyurl.com/2krxy9 - the solo three quarters of the way  
> through the
> video ) Further research uncovered this: the Lemur by JazzMutant (
> http://www.jazzmutant.com/lemur_overview.php ).  If you're at all into
> music, sound manipulation, and visualization, take a look. Has  
> anyone here
> had experience with these or other audio control devices?  Any  
> thoughts on
> the design?  These are thought provoking from an IXD perspective -  
> a very
> different sensory space than your standard UI.
> 
> Welcome to the Interaction Design Association (IxDA)!
> To post to this list ... [EMAIL PROTECTED]
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[IxDA Discuss] health websites/web apps that show rather then tell about disease and what you can do about it

[Klein Info Design]

Hi

I’d appreciate pointers to websites that do a good job of presenting basic
info about a disease and esp. what you can do about it
(prevention/detection). 

 

I’d especially like to see sites that don’t rely so heavily on text to get
across prevention tips, screening tests, symptoms to watch for, for someone
who just found out they’re at risk for a condition. Looking for sites for
regular people (not healthcare professionals).

 

I’ve checked the archives but don’t find anything good. 

I’ve found some nice examples of showing public health statistics, but
nothing very creative in conveying here’s a disease, here’s steps you can
take (without huge reams of text).

 

Thanks - Kathleen

 

Kathleen Klein

Klein Info Design LLC

HYPERLINK "http://www.kleininfodesign.com"www.kleininfodesign.com

206-781-2615

 

 

 


No virus found in this outgoing message.
Checked by AVG Free Edition. 
Version: 7.5.516 / Virus Database: 269.20.7/1285 - Release Date: 2/18/2008
5:50 AM
 

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Re: [IxDA Discuss] Using voice narration on sites

[Jeff Seager]

James said: "I was shocked to find that only about 10% of blind
people in the UK use screen readers, mainly due to inhibitive costs
and the (generally) complicated set-up involved and learning process.
"

The number may be a bit higher here in the states, James, but all the
same issues apply.

There is slow progress being made. When I upgraded to Ubuntu 7.10, I
was surprised to find that the Orca screen reader is part of the
default installation of the Gnome desktop:
http://live.gnome.org/Orca

It isn't a mature product yet (though Ubuntu itself is great for
me), but it is free and functions pretty well. I alerted Dan
Jellinek, who does a great job of keeping up with accessibility news
in the E-Access Bulletin:
http://www.headstar.com/eab
... and Dan alerted his readers, most of whom are in the UK. Linux
may never achieve an impressive market share, but maybe it will push
competitors to advance this technology and others.

FireVox is a Firefox extension that enables text-to-speech in the
browser alone. From what I've seen in print, it's moving forward at
a good pace and it's been widely accepted.
http://www.firevox.clcworld.net/

If you follow that FireVox link, you can also read about AxsJAX, with
which Google aims to improve the accessibility of Web 2.0
applications.
http://code.google.com/p/google-axsjax/

I don't agree with Kevin Carey about sound starting by default,
although I have much respect for the RNIB's very consistent and
compelling accessibility advocacy. From the standpoint of interaction
design, it isn't usually good practice to surprise people; there's
always a price to be paid for that.

I'm with you on standards compliance, James. We also can (and
should, I think) design in such a way that we don't push unwanted
enhancements from the server side and at the same time don't inhibit
them on the client side.

I wish I was as certain about an answer to Vicky's original
question, but there's obviously a lot that Vicky can't tell us. I
believe people are weary of being talked at, and quick to leave when
they perceive this kind of message. The message or the customer's
need would have to be very compelling to overcome that resistance.
The Web is not as good a medium for this as TV or radio because it
isn't linear and users aren't *required* to wait.


. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Posted from the new ixda.org
http://www.ixda.org/discuss?post=25934



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Re: [IxDA Discuss] health websites/web apps that show rather then tellabout disease and what you can do about it

[Dante Murphy]

This is a big part of what my company does...we do probably ten-twenty
of these a year.  Here's a recent one about atherosclerosis that
includes animation, motion graphics, and video.

http://www.usagainstathero.com/


Dante Murphy | Director of Information Architecture | D I G I T A S  H E
A L T H
229 South 18th Street | Rittenhouse Square | Philadelphia, PA 19103 |
USA
Email: [EMAIL PROTECTED] 
www.digitashealth.com  
-Original Message-
I'd appreciate pointers to websites that do a good job of presenting
basic
info about a disease and esp. what you can do about it
(prevention/detection). 

I'd especially like to see sites that don't rely so heavily on text to
get
across prevention tips, screening tests, symptoms to watch for, for
someone
who just found out they're at risk for a condition. Looking for sites
for
regular people (not healthcare professionals).

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Re: [IxDA Discuss] %u201CThe Most Frequently Used Features in Microsoft Office%u201D

[dave malouf]

On the document writing front, I LOVE using Buzzword.com
This webApp is a great example of elegant and engaging design. Not
too much, and not too little. 

I love this tool.

-- dave



. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Posted from the new ixda.org
http://www.ixda.org/discuss?post=26088



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Re: [IxDA Discuss] Digital Instrument Interfaces

[Fred Beecher]

One more thing on the topic of this thread... At interaction08, Dave Cronin
gave a great talk on this subject, called "Designing for Flow." Here's the
video:
http://www.brightcove.tv/title.jsp?title=1418571288&channel=1274129191

- F.

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Re: [IxDA Discuss] “The Most Frequently Used Featu res in Microsoft Office”

[Kim Bieler]

I use CopyWrite (http://www.bartastechnologies.com/products/ 
copywrite/) for fiction writing. It's got a full-screen mode that is  
very calming, as you say, and it's otherwise quite minimalist.

Oddly, at work, I often find myself using an email window to jot down  
notes or compose forum posts or whatever (FWIW, I'm on a Mac). Then I  
just save them into the drafts folder if I want to file them for  
future reference.


On Feb 19, 2008, at 9:55 AM, Bill DeRouchey wrote:

> This is why I love products like WriteRoom. It is pure writing and
> reading. It removes every distraction. You see no menu bar, no
> buttons. It's just you, a blank white screen, and words. That's it.
> When I use WriteRoom, I actually work better. I focus on the words.
> That's the feature I want from a "word processor".
>



-- Kim

+ + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + +
Kim Bieler Graphic Design
www.kbgd.com
c. 240-476-3129
+ + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + +




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Re: [IxDA Discuss] undergrad education

[Christine Boese]

Just a quick note about the RPI Distance Learning classes... this is a
long-established high level distance learning program, degree-granting,
including high level engineering degrees (HCI stuff came later). I think
this year or next it will celebrate its 20-year anniversary.

(disclaimer: I used to be responsible for its website and all other
publications, 10 years ago, so I'm biased)

You should know that the RPI program is expensive for a reason, which is
that the interactive experience is very comprehensive, with interactive
video satellite teleconferencing in special classrooms with multiple cams
(lots more schools have this now, I know), collaborative courseware for
realtime project work, and excellent faculty attention.

It ain't no mail correspondence course masquerading as distance learning, as
you see at some universities, in other words.

And just to build it up further, let me add that one of the reasons is that
RPI is actively involved in NSF research into collaborative groupware
designs between face to face and distance individuals and groups
(disclaimer, I also worked as an RA on one of those NSF projects), as well
as the recipient of MAJOR educational foundation grants into studio vs
lecture-style learning, which include distance learning tools. Innovative
subject-specific courseware has been developed there as well, for 10 years
or more. Few other distance learning programs can boast that they come from
that kind of base.

Here endeth my commercial for RPI .

Chris

On Feb 19, 2008 10:16 AM, David Shaw <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote:

> Hey Ashley
>
> I know that predicament.  Here in Portland I have the same issue
> education wise.  I've been looking at RPI in NY and Bentley College in
> MA.  They do have online classes/degrees.  Although the one thing I
> would caution is that you won't get the same class experience with
> these.  But at least you'll get a grounding in human-digital
> interaction.
>
> The other way is to find a local IxDA group in your area and try and
> find a mentor.  You know, that's probably something we need for the
> IxDA site a mentorship program!
>
> Hope that helps a little!
> David
>
> On Mon, 18 Feb 2008 13:26:28, ashley rovenski <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
> wrote:
> > I don't already have an undergraduate degree - but I'd like to learn
> >  more about Interaction Design - trouble is, I already have a job
> >  (which I want to keep) and there don't seem to be any really great
> >  schools around me (I live in Kentucky). Are there any good online
> >  schools or even books/websites (other than this one of course) that I
> >  could look into to teach myself?
> >
> >
> >  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
> >  Posted from the new ixda.org
> >  http://www.ixda.org/discuss?post=25770
> >
> >
> >  
> >  Welcome to the Interaction Design Association (IxDA)!
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>
>
>
> --
> "Art provokes thinking, design solves problems"
>
> w: http://www.davidshaw.info
> 
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Re: [IxDA Discuss] Digital Instrument Interfaces

[Fred Beecher]

On 2/19/08, Loren Baxter <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote:
>
> Did anyone else see Daft Punk rocking out at the Grammys? They played the
> coolest instruments I've ever seen - four multitouch screens with various
> graphical elements controlling an array of synth and software backend.  (



You've touched on one of my obsessions... interaction design for creativity.
I'm an electronic musician, and it was through working with machines to
create music that I decided on User Experience Design (or as I thought of it
at the time UI Design) as a career (over technical writing).


But yes, the Lemur is an amazing piece of equipment, and its price is
equally mind-boggling. Using four of them is complete insanity and borders
on fiscal irresponsibility. : )


Here are some other examples of particularly unique musical IxD:


Novation Remote SL: http://tinyurl.com/2kqgj8


One of the biggest issues in electronic music today is this shift from
physical instruments (synths, drum machines, mixers, etc.) to software
simulations. Now, computers have few affordances for music creation, so the
creative flow is always interrupted by having to do something "computery"
like using a mouse to select a different track and open its virtual
instrument. Once you're there, you'd then need to move the mouse up and down
to move a knob on the instrument. MIDI controllers that allow you to assign
these controls to physical knobs have been around for awhile, but you have
to explicitly program the knob, etc. assignments and then call up the
correct assignment when you switch instruments. The Remote SL is unique in
that it automatically adapts itself to the selected instrument on the
selected track. You never have to assign knobs or program it in any way
(although you can). You can even switch tracks using its physical UI, and
you can go into a special Mixer Mode in which you're controlling the
channels on your DAW rather than a virtual instrument. Using this device,
musicians are able to bring the musicality out of the computer.


Native Instruments KORE: http://tinyurl.com/ys2ran


KORE is... somewhat difficult to describe. It is many things, but there are
two things it does that put it on my list of good musical IxD. First, it
attempts to solve the problem of finding the right sound. It allows users to
classify patches from nearly any software synthesizer using an extensible
faceted navigation system. Now, for those musicians who already have tons of
soft synths with all their requisite patches, classifying all that is a
somewhat daunting task. I look back to when I first created my iTunes
library and assigned correct genres and ratings to every song. It was a lot
of work, but it was worth it in the end. It's other advancement (and I'm not
entirely sure it can do this... the videos, etc. are unclear) is that it
allows you to *select* those patches using the hardware interface. I'm not
sure you can use the faceted navigation system with the hardware, but
regardless that makes using soft synths one step closer to using a real
synth. ("Real synth... heh.")


Ableton Live: http://www.ableton.com/live


Live is a Digital Audio Workstation (DAW) that was originally developed to
allow people to compose and perform loop-based music... um... live. Hence
its name. This is *revolutionary* when it comes to DAWs. The thought of
using others like Cubase, Sonar, or even Logic or Pro Tools live gives me
the willies. Since then, it has expanded and now does MIDI as well. Live
does a *superb* job of getting out of the musician's way. I will attempt to
be brief by talking about its main feature. You can pull loops in while the
application is playing, then drop others on top of it, regardless of
tempo... it will automatically sync them up. Then you can bring them in and
out, and everything stays in sync. In fact, there's nothing the application
does that you can't do while it's playing (except application configuration,
which you wouldn't do live anyway). Also, it's visually beautiful. Other
DAWs are just... fugly.

In a less commercial vein, I talked to a guy at interaction08 who develops
what I would describe as "artistic physical sequencer interfaces." One of
them is based on wood blocks, while another is based on *pools of
water*(!!!).

http://www.jeffhoefs.com/

Enjoy,
Fred

(Oh... yes, the iPhone interface is real... I think it's mainly for Pro
Tools though... Google for "iphone pro tools" and you'll find it again)

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Re: [IxDA Discuss] undergrad education

[David Shaw]

Hey Ashley

I know that predicament.  Here in Portland I have the same issue
education wise.  I've been looking at RPI in NY and Bentley College in
MA.  They do have online classes/degrees.  Although the one thing I
would caution is that you won't get the same class experience with
these.  But at least you'll get a grounding in human-digital
interaction.

The other way is to find a local IxDA group in your area and try and
find a mentor.  You know, that's probably something we need for the
IxDA site a mentorship program!

Hope that helps a little!
David

On Mon, 18 Feb 2008 13:26:28, ashley rovenski <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote:
> I don't already have an undergraduate degree - but I'd like to learn
>  more about Interaction Design - trouble is, I already have a job
>  (which I want to keep) and there don't seem to be any really great
>  schools around me (I live in Kentucky). Are there any good online
>  schools or even books/websites (other than this one of course) that I
>  could look into to teach myself?
>
>
>  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
>  Posted from the new ixda.org
>  http://www.ixda.org/discuss?post=25770
>
>
>  
>  Welcome to the Interaction Design Association (IxDA)!
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-- 
"Art provokes thinking, design solves problems"

w: http://www.davidshaw.info

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Re: [IxDA Discuss] “The Most Frequently Used Featu res in Microsoft Office”

[Bill DeRouchey]

> the most used features in Microsoft Word 2003 […]:
>
> 1. Paste (11% of the usage)
> 2. Save (5.5% of the usage)
> 3. Copy
> 4. Undo
> 5. Bold

That's funny. I would've thought that this list should have started...
The most used features in Microsoft Word 2003 are […]:
1. Typing in words
2. Reading words

This is a perfect example of the challenge with software. They tend to
forget why they were made in the first place. They lose their essence.
Microsoft Word is for writing and reading. Everything beyond that just
gets in the way. I bet that 95% of what we do in Word existed in Word
circa 1990.

All those extra features and toolbars and status dealies put you in
the mode of "making a document" instead of "writing something
brilliant." They distract you from what it says to what it looks like.
I do it all the time. I'll be typing and think, "This should be
indented differently. This is a larger point size." It gets in the
way.

This is why I love products like WriteRoom. It is pure writing and
reading. It removes every distraction. You see no menu bar, no
buttons. It's just you, a blank white screen, and words. That's it.
When I use WriteRoom, I actually work better. I focus on the words.
That's the feature I want from a "word processor".

Don't get me wrong: I couldn't live without Save, Undo, Copy, Paste
(probably in that order). But in reality I could chuck everything
else.

Bill

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Re: [IxDA Discuss] “The Most Frequently Used Featur es in Microsoft Office”

[Jens Meiert]

> > http://googlesystem.blogspot.com/2008/02/most-frequently-used-features-in.html


Alexander Baxevanis wrote:
> So suppose you took care of the 5 most used commands, a far bigger
> challenge is to organise a flat (in terms of usage frequency) list of
> 500 commands. And that's why such sort of analytics is not
> particularly helpful, and you really need to go beyond "commands" and
> look at the bigger picture of how people are using a word processor to
> accomplish some task.

That's for certain, interpretation is “limited” here.


Claude Knaus wrote:
> > > 2. Save (5.5% of the usage)
> 
> This is the one which worries me. I find myself hitting Ctrl-S every
> few sentences or seconds.
> 
> How can software restore the trust of the user?

In this case by providing auto-save, presumably, long overdue [1] anyway.


[1] 
http://meiert.com/en/blog/20070625/a-plea-for-better-software-provide-auto-save/

-- 
Jens Meiert
http://meiert.com/en/





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Re: [IxDA Discuss] Using voice narration on sites

[James Leslie]

 
I was shocked to find that only about 10% of blind people in the UK use
screen readers, mainly due to inhibitive costs and the (generally)
complicated set-up involved and learning process. I think the idea put
forward about automatically having sound start was so to help address
that issue. I don't know how the figures are elsewhere in the world but
would be surprised if they were massively different.

A lot of interesting points were made regarding the web becoming more of
an extension of broadcasting rather than print and a move away from text
towards multimedia. Were that to be the case then we would almost
certainly change the way we think in terms of sound being played
automatically. Kind of like treating a browser as more of an interactive
television than an interactive magazine.

I'm still trying to let the ideas settle down in my head as they have
turned some thoughts upside down and I still disagree with some of them.
I was just interested in what Ix people would think... (being primarily
a standardista front end developer it goes against a lot of things I
believe(d) to be true).


-Original Message-

Couldn't that be countered with an added skip link or similar device
("start audio")?  I know that could open a Pandora's Box of 1,001 skip
links, but it might be a method to let someone know early on that audio
content is available on the page.

Of course, one could make the argument that there should be text within
the page that is hidden from 'normal' users but is available to those
using assistive technologies - thus, they would get the content anyway.
If a link at the beginning of the section announced an audio track, they
would have the choice of either activating the audio track provided or
having the content delivered to them through a screen reader or similar
device.



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Re: [IxDA Discuss] “The Most Frequently Used Featu res in Microsoft Office”

[Claude Knaus]

> > 2. Save (5.5% of the usage)

This is the one which worries me. I find myself hitting Ctrl-S every
few sentences or seconds.

How can software restore the trust of the user?

-- Claude

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Re: [IxDA Discuss] “The Most Frequently Used Featur es in Microsoft Office”

[Alexander Baxevanis]

From the same article:

"Beyond the top 10 commands or so, however, the curve flattens out
considerably. The percentage difference in usage between the #100
command ("Accept Change") and the #400 command ("Reset Picture") is
about the same in difference between #1 and #11 ("Change Font Size"),"
according to Microsoft's data."

So suppose you took care of the 5 most used commands, a far bigger
challenge is to organise a flat (in terms of usage frequency) list of
500 commands. And that's why such sort of analytics is not
particularly helpful, and you really need to go beyond "commands" and
look at the bigger picture of how people are using a word processor to
accomplish some task.

Cheers,
Alex

On Feb 19, 2008 11:43 AM, Jens Meiert <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote:
> Thought this Google OS post [1] hasn't been posted but would be of interest:
>
> > the most used features in Microsoft Word 2003 […]:
> >
> > 1. Paste (11% of the usage)
> > 2. Save (5.5% of the usage)
> > 3. Copy
> > 4. Undo
> > 5. Bold
> >
> > These five commands account for 32% of all the command usage
> > in Microsoft Word 2003 […]
>
> Probably unsurprisingly, these numbers appear to show some kind of "Pareto 
> principle" usage ("20 % of the application commands are used in 80 % of the 
> time"). Does your experience support this?
>
>
> [1] 
> http://googlesystem.blogspot.com/2008/02/most-frequently-used-features-in.html
>
> --
> Jens Meiert
> http://meiert.com/en/
>
>
>
>
> 
> Welcome to the Interaction Design Association (IxDA)!
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Re: [IxDA Discuss] %u201CThe Most Frequently Used Features in Microsoft Office%u201D

[dave malouf]

hmmm?  is missing. I live on backspace. ;)

but otherwise, it seems about right to me. I do do a lot of table
work in most of my word docs, but I imagine that is an industry
thing.

-- dave


. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Posted from the new ixda.org
http://www.ixda.org/discuss?post=26088



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Re: [IxDA Discuss] Digital Instrument Interfaces

[Jeremy Yuille]

(in a previous life) I used to do quite a bit of work in this space,
looking at new interfaces for musical performance.. lots of building
in environments like max etc.

wrt IxD, I see a few really fundamental differences:
* many performers will make an environment for each show, or craft
their own environments over time (kind of like making your own
instrument)
therefore a LOT of these realtime software environments have a user
community of one

having said that - Lemur is way cool.. and realtime A/V control
raises a lot of IxD questions that are diofferent in asynchronous
apps.. (eg latency and higher orders of overload)

btw: i heard someone was working on a Lemur like iphone/ipod touch
app that spoke Open Sound Control over wifi (same high resolution low
latency protocol Lemur and many sound apps use) .. anyone else heard
of this?


. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Posted from the new ixda.org
http://www.ixda.org/discuss?post=26087



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[IxDA Discuss] “The Most Frequently Used Featur es in Microsoft Office”

[Jens Meiert]

Thought this Google OS post [1] hasn't been posted but would be of interest:

> the most used features in Microsoft Word 2003 […]:
> 
> 1. Paste (11% of the usage)
> 2. Save (5.5% of the usage)
> 3. Copy
> 4. Undo
> 5. Bold
> 
> These five commands account for 32% of all the command usage
> in Microsoft Word 2003 […]

Probably unsurprisingly, these numbers appear to show some kind of “Pareto 
principle” usage (“20 % of the application commands are used in 80 % of the 
time”). Does your experience support this?


[1] 
http://googlesystem.blogspot.com/2008/02/most-frequently-used-features-in.html

-- 
Jens Meiert
http://meiert.com/en/





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