[IxDA Discuss] Jared Spool Speaking at IxDA Silicon Valley Event, Wednesday, March 5, 2008

[pabinigp]

Please join us at the next IxDA Silicon Valley F2F for an entertaining
evening with Jared Spool, who will speak about "Magic and Mental Models:
Using Illusion to Simplify Designs."

Wednesday, March 5, 2008

7:00-7:30 pm
Socializing

7:30-9:30 pm
Program

Yahoo! Sunnyvale Campus
Building C, Classroom 5
701 First Avenue
Sunnyvale, CA 94089

Magic and Mental Models: Using Illusion to Simplify Designs
Jared Spool

As children, we're told the world is a magical place. Babies are delivered
by storks. The tooth fairy harvests retired teeth in exchange for
currency. Bunnies deliver candies in brightly covered baskets on a spring
holiday. The world's adults use magic to explain away the complexity of
life.

In our work, confusing complexity is the natural result of an unchecked
design and development process. Teams work hard, responding to customer
requests through incremental improvements and feature enhancements, yet
they often end up with a dismaying array of features that make users
unhappy.

In this entertaining presentation, Jared will share some of his recent
research into the craft of professional magic. He'll demonstrate the
parallels between the world of magical illusions and the world of digital
design, comparing the similarities between professional illusions and some
of today's top design techniques.

In this presentation, you'll learn how:

* Illusions performed by professional magicians follow the same design
principles as your computer's file system.
* Designers can create specific mental models to eliminate perceived
complexity.
* Simple design tricks can make designs seem to be faster than they really
are.
* Whimsicality, attention, and functionality are essential elements to
creating delightful experiences.

You'll see examples of illusions built into a variety of designs,
including those from Microsoft, Flickr, Netflix, iTunes, and Facebook.
Jared will also, possibly at his own peril, reveal the secrets from
several magical illusions to show you just how the tricks were created and
the effects are realized, giving you the ammunition necessary to build
illusions into your own designs.

* Why it's ideal to have team members dedicated to either interaction
design or visual design.
* How minor adjustments to interaction design personas can help designers
guide, assess, and communicate about visual design and brand choices.
* How using research and personas to develop a set of visual design
requirements can give designers and stakeholders more objective assessment
criteria and help them build consensus.
* How visual design requirements help designers develop visual style
studies and guide stakeholders in selecting an appropriate direction.
* How iteration, continual reduction, and collaboration among disciplines
can form a coherent visual system.

Co-sponsors of this event:

* IxDA (Interaction Design Association) Silicon Valley Face to Face
* BayCHI IxD BOF

Jared Spool is the founding principal of User Interface Engineering. If
you've ever seen Jared speak about usability, you know that he's probably
the most effective, knowledgeable communicator on the subject today. What
you probably don't know is that he has guided the research agenda and
built User Interface Engineering into the largest research organization of
its kind in the world. He's been working in the field of usability and
design since 1978, before the term "usability" was ever associated with
computers.

Jared spends his time working with the research teams at the company,
helps clients understand how to solve their design problems, explains to
reporters and industry analysts what the current state of design is all
about, and is a top-rated speaker at more than 20 conferences every year.
He is also the conference chair and keynote speaker at the annual User
Interface Conference, is on the faculty of the Tufts University Gordon
Institute, and manages to squeeze in a fair amount of writing time.

Hope to see you there!

Regards, Pabini

Pabini Gabriel-Petit
IxDA Local Coordinator, Silicon Valley
BayCHI IxD BOF Leader



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[IxDA Discuss] Jared Spool Speaking at IxDA Silicon Valley Event, Wednesday, March 5, 2008

[pabinigp]

Please join us at the next IxDA Silicon Valley F2F for an entertaining
evening with Jared Spool, who will speak about "Magic and Mental Models:
Using Illusion to Simplify Designs."

Wednesday, March 5, 2008

7:00-7:30 pm
Socializing

7:30-9:30 pm
Program

Yahoo! Sunnyvale Campus
Building C, Classroom 5
701 First Avenue
Sunnyvale, CA 94089

Magic and Mental Models: Using Illusion to Simplify Designs
Jared Spool

As children, we're told the world is a magical place. Babies are delivered
by storks. The tooth fairy harvests retired teeth in exchange for
currency. Bunnies deliver candies in brightly covered baskets on a spring
holiday. The world's adults use magic to explain away the complexity of
life.

In our work, confusing complexity is the natural result of an unchecked
design and development process. Teams work hard, responding to customer
requests through incremental improvements and feature enhancements, yet
they often end up with a dismaying array of features that make users
unhappy.

In this entertaining presentation, Jared will share some of his recent
research into the craft of professional magic. He'll demonstrate the
parallels between the world of magical illusions and the world of digital
design, comparing the similarities between professional illusions and some
of today's top design techniques.

In this presentation, you'll learn how:

* Illusions performed by professional magicians follow the same design
principles as your computer's file system.
* Designers can create specific mental models to eliminate perceived
complexity.
* Simple design tricks can make designs seem to be faster than they really
are.
* Whimsicality, attention, and functionality are essential elements to
creating delightful experiences.

You'll see examples of illusions built into a variety of designs,
including those from Microsoft, Flickr, Netflix, iTunes, and Facebook.
Jared will also, possibly at his own peril, reveal the secrets from
several magical illusions to show you just how the tricks were created and
the effects are realized, giving you the ammunition necessary to build
illusions into your own designs.

* Why it's ideal to have team members dedicated to either interaction
design or visual design.
* How minor adjustments to interaction design personas can help designers
guide, assess, and communicate about visual design and brand choices.
* How using research and personas to develop a set of visual design
requirements can give designers and stakeholders more objective assessment
criteria and help them build consensus.
* How visual design requirements help designers develop visual style
studies and guide stakeholders in selecting an appropriate direction.
* How iteration, continual reduction, and collaboration among disciplines
can form a coherent visual system.

Co-sponsors of this event:

* IxDA (Interaction Design Association) Silicon Valley Face to Face
* BayCHI IxD BOF

Jared Spool is the founding principal of User Interface Engineering. If
you've ever seen Jared speak about usability, you know that he's probably
the most effective, knowledgeable communicator on the subject today. What
you probably don't know is that he has guided the research agenda and
built User Interface Engineering into the largest research organization of
its kind in the world. He's been working in the field of usability and
design since 1978, before the term "usability" was ever associated with
computers.

Jared spends his time working with the research teams at the company,
helps clients understand how to solve their design problems, explains to
reporters and industry analysts what the current state of design is all
about, and is a top-rated speaker at more than 20 conferences every year.
He is also the conference chair and keynote speaker at the annual User
Interface Conference, is on the faculty of the Tufts University Gordon
Institute, and manages to squeeze in a fair amount of writing time.

Hope to see you there!

Regards, Pabini

Pabini Gabriel-Petit
IxDA Local Coordinator, Silicon Valley
BayCHI IxD BOF Leader



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[IxDA Discuss] getsatisfaction.com

[Alexander Baxevanis]

Hi all,

just stumbled upon this website (getsatisfaction.com), which seems to
be a platform for facilitating user feedback & discussion about any
sort products & services. In many cases the people officially
responsible for the product/service participate in the discussions,
see for example:

http://getsatisfaction.com/twitter
http://getsatisfaction.com/dopplr
http://getsatisfaction.com/paypal

Yes, it does seem to be mostly web2.0 companies, on the other hand
many big companies haven't bothered to endorse any of these
conversations with their participation:

http://getsatisfaction.com/tmobile
http://getsatisfaction.com/dell

I know many companies have their own support forums (that are often
difficult to find or overly "moderated") or in some cases company
employees participate (un)officially in generic forums. But this seems
to be better designed and more "public" than any of the other
solutions.

So what do you think, is that kind of conversation useful for
interaction designers? Would you like to participate in such a forum
about the products/services you've designed? Or if you're already
there, have you managed to get any good insights that you wouldn't
otherwise have thought of?

Cheers,
Alex

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Re: [IxDA Discuss] Power icon

[Morten Hjerde]

>
> Whether correctly implemented or not, it's the last of the above symbols
> (the 'standby toggle') that we see most commonly applied to refer to
> 'power'.
>

Not 100% sure about "most commonly". But I'd accept "commonly".

The standby symbol is often seen on computers and monitors and interpreted
by most people as "power on/off", because, well, thats what it appears to
do. But in reality the device is set in standby mode and not turned
completely off (aka "Vampire Appliances"). I believe that in technical terms
the "power off" switch is required to disconnect the device from the mains
(or whatever power source it uses).

Interestingly, most mobile phones (Nokia, Sony Ericsson, Samsung, LG and
Blackberry) uses the "power on/off" symbol to turn the phone on or off.
Motorola used both, but seem to have settled for "power on/off". HTC and
Palm uses the "standby" symbol to turn the phone on or off.


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

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Re: [IxDA Discuss] Power icon

[Murli Nagasundaram]

Compare with the definitive origins of the Peace Symbol.

http://www.docspopuli.org/articles/PeaceSymbolArticle.html

How many know that it is stylized representation of the composite semaphore
signs for the letters 'N' and 'D', as in 'Nuclear Disarmament'?  Or that at
one point, the Christian Cross was an option considered?

The symbol is widely recognized among certain cultures or subcultures.  It
is even meaningful to anyone familiar with semaphore.  But for most others,
it is pretty arbitrary.  Nevertheless, it has taken on a life of its own.

Murli

-- 
murli nagasundaram, ph.d. | www.murli.com |  [EMAIL PROTECTED] | +91 99 02 69
69 20

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[IxDA Discuss] Shift from Legacy system to web UI interface application

[Rony Philip]

Hi,

Can anyone guide me in understanding, what are the key factors to be
considered while redesigning a legacy (green screen) application to a web UI
interface application?. Especialy with reagards to task flows, forms and
the toggle between keyboard and mouse.

Sorry if this topic as already been discussed, maybe someone can provide me
the thread.

Thanks a ton!
Rony

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Re: [IxDA Discuss] Nokia Morph & Nanotechnology

[Brian Williams]

Certainly correlation is not causation. But my wild speculations shouldn't
be confused with science :) Besides you could never have enough data points,
there are too few data points.
But I do think that it signifies something, a desperate need for attention,
a need to be seen as relevant, a distraction from the design of the actual
products?

On Wed, Feb 27, 2008 at 8:22 PM, Scott McDaniel <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote:

> Correlation is not causation.
>
> Scott
>
>

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Re: [IxDA Discuss] iPhones on Campus

[Martin]

This is turning into Monty Python's "Four
Yorkshiremen"
sketch...

-- 
Martin Polley
Technical Communicator
+972 52 3864280



Not a manual typewriter, but an electric portable Smith Corona.  Then again,
> I seem to recall I usually wrote them out longhand.
>
> > Oooh, geezer thread!
> > ...
>

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Re: [IxDA Discuss] IxDA Announces New Board of Directors for 2008-2009

[John Gibbard]

Hmm, mentoring. (I should probably have cross-posted this to
the IAI ...) I've tried a couple of times to obtain a mentor through the IAI
and this has fallen on deaf ears both times so I'd caution against offering
a scheme without a robust approach to ensuring it's adhered-to.


On 27/02/2008, Loren Baxter <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote:
>
> A mentoring program would be huge.  There are many talented and
> experienced
> designers on this board, and many new entrants to the field.  The juniors
> have a lot to learn from the seniors, but the sheer size and maturity of
> this list can make posting intimidating.  I've heard of creating some
> other
> smaller conversation spaces, such as a job board (still a great idea).
> Something similar geared toward mentoring or IxD development may help
> encourage more personalized discussion and relationship building.
> 
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>



-- 
John Gibbard (User Experience Architect)
t. +44 (0)7957 102577 skype. johngibbard

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Re: [IxDA Discuss] Offtopic: What music do you listen to while you

[James Leslie]

Yeah, I am the same, I'm getting to grips with it now and pretty much
select what I am going to listen to based on the mood that I want to
convey. I find that Industrial and noise stuff tends to yield more
angular designs than some trip hop or ambient which tend to yield more
flowing lines and curves in the design.
 



I do find, however, that I have to keep watch on how much industrial I'm
listening to when in 'graphics land' due to the possibility of the
design incorporating too much of a 'barbed wire and concrete' style.
Does anybody else find that the creative process can be greatly
influenced by what's currently playing?



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[IxDA Discuss] Outcome of rich UI?

[maeda toshiyuki]

I'm going to propose rich user interface to my client , big EC website in Japan.
In an effort to persuade the client, I want to instantiate
effectiveness of making rich interface.

Does anybody know any data or articles about the outcome or
effectiveness of  introducing rich UI ?

+--
Toshiyuki Maeda
[EMAIL PROTECTED]

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Re: [IxDA Discuss] Nokia Morph & Nanotechnology

[Morten Hjerde]

> anytime that a company has to resort to making videos
> of products, rather than making products, it's in serious trouble.



> it signifies something, a desperate need for attention,
> a need to be seen as relevant, a distraction from the design of the actual
> products?


Hi Brian
You should probably be aware that the company you refer to sells 1 million
mobile phones every single day of the year including Saturdays, Sundays and
holidays. I would not think that "making videos rather than products" really
applies in this case :-)

They have around 15 thousand people working in R&D. The video is a "7 years
from now" future vision from the Cambridge Nanoscience Centre where they
just built a $60 millon nanotech research lab.

The way to achieve something is to set yourself a Big Hairy Goal. I'd say
that they just did exactly that.

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

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Re: [IxDA Discuss] Offtopic: What music do you listen to while you "design"

[Bryan J Busch]

A couple of people already mentioned last.fm as one resource, and it
occurred to me that one other idea might be for people on this list to tag
appropriate, design-friendly music with something like "ixd" or even just
"design".

It looks like the "design" tag has been used at least a few times, already.

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Re: [IxDA Discuss] Shift from Legacy system to web UI interface application

[Ari Feldman]

data entry speed is one of the prime advantages of green screen apps.

web apps don't really excel at this due to their emphasis on mouse-based
input.

i'd focus on building in lots of key-based redundancy for common tasks such
as tabbing between fields, etc.

also, web forms can reduce many green screen menus, which can speed certain
tasks and eliminate others.

another challenge you'll have is the fact that green screen apps are
'single-tasking' - they assume control over the entire environment whereas
web apps run insider a browser with limited control over state on an OS that
can have multiple windows open.

you'll have devise some interesting ways of keeping the user's focus on the
task while still allowing them to maintain efficiency.

On Thu, Feb 28, 2008 at 6:01 AM, Rony Philip <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote:

> Hi,
>
> Can anyone guide me in understanding, what are the key factors to be
> considered while redesigning a legacy (green screen) application to a web
> UI
> interface application?. Especialy with reagards to task flows, forms and
> the toggle between keyboard and mouse.
>
> Sorry if this topic as already been discussed, maybe someone can provide
> me
> the thread.
>
> Thanks a ton!
> Rony
> 
> Welcome to the Interaction Design Association (IxDA)!
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>



-- 
--
www.flyingyogi.com
--

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Re: [IxDA Discuss] Nokia Morph & Nanotechnology

[Bill DeRouchey]

>  But I do think that it signifies something, a desperate need for attention,
>  a need to be seen as relevant, a distraction from the design of the actual
>  products?

I disagree. Creating concept videos like this is a common tool in the
product design world to understand how an idea may be crazy or
interesting. It's just another form of prototyping based on scenarios.
It poses the huge WHAT IF? question to the company, often to simply
secure the necessary funds for research.

I imagine someone in marketing or development asked, what if we
applied learnings in nanotechnology to a  cellphone? Stupid question?
As dumb as, what if we put a touchscreen with no buttons on a
cellphone? What if we made an MP3 player with no screen at all? The
What If questions drive, well, almost all invention.

So they thought about how the technology could have bearing on
someone's daily life, and made a video to show it.

Companies like Nokia don't "need to be seen as relevant," they need to
make sure they stay relevant. Where technology changes rapidly,
companies can quickly lose their edge, fall behind, and die. This is a
tool to look ten years out to discover where they should be investing
their research dollars now. Development takes years, so they have to
plan smartly.

Exploring scenarios through concept videos is just a way to gauge the
relative values of investments. It IS the design of actual products,
just not products in the next sales season.

- Bill

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Re: [IxDA Discuss] Nokia Morph & Nanotechnology

[Jack Moffett]

On Feb 28, 2008, at 9:06 AM, Bill DeRouchey wrote:

> So they thought about how the technology could have bearing on
> someone's daily life, and made a video to show it.

I also wanted to point out that the scenario very purposefully  
doesn't focus on the device itself. The phone/watch/etc. remains very  
ambiguous in its functionality. Instead, it puts the focus on the  
nanotechnology and the qualities it can afford to any device.


> Exploring scenarios through concept videos is just a way to gauge the
> relative values of investments. It IS the design of actual products,
> just not products in the next sales season.

Well said, Bill.




Jack L. Moffett
Interaction Designer
inmedius
412.459.0310 x219
http://www.inmedius.com

I am in search of the
simple elegant seductive
maybe even obvious IDEA.
With this in my pocket
I cannot fail.

  - Tibor Kalman



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[IxDA Discuss] CFP - The 10th Persistent Conversation minitrack

[Tom Erickson]

CALL FOR PARTICIPATION

Persistent Conversation Minitrack
Digital Media and Content Track at HICSS 42
January 5-8, 2009
Hilton Waikoloa Village, the Big Island, Hawai'i
See http://www.visi.com/~snowfall/HICSS_PC.html for an online version  
and further information.

IN ONE PARAGRAPH
The Persistent Conversation minitrack is a yearly gathering of people  
who design and study systems that support computer-mediated  
communication. Persistent conversation is not limited to asynchronous  
textual communication: It includes instant messaging, voice chat, and  
other 'ephemeral' media. Nor do we limit our focus to systems  
explicitly designed to support conversation: We are interested in  
conversational exchanges as manifested in applications (for instance,  
blogs, annotation systems, distance education) and in sites oriented  
around the use of photos, video and other media. If you're interested  
in presenting a paper in the minitrack, the first step is to submit an  
abstract by March 15, 2008. A 10-page paper would be due June 15th.

IMPORTANT DATES
-03/15: Prospective authors submit 300-word abstracts
-03/31: Feedback on abstracts sent
-06/15: 10-page papers due (see 
http://www.hicss.hawaii.edu/hicss_42/authorinstruction.htm 
  for details)
-08/15: Accept/Conditional Accept/Reject notices sent
-09/15: Final papers due; at least one author must register for  
conference

ABOUT THE MINITRACK
This interdisciplinary minitrack and workshop brings designers and  
researchers together to explore persistent conversation, the  
transposition of ordinarily ephemeral conversation into the  
potentially persistent digital medium. Persistent conversations occur  
via instant messaging, text and voice chat, email, blogs, web boards,  
MOOs, graphical and 3D virtual environments, gaming systems, video  
sharing sites, document annotation systems, mobile phone texting, etc.  
Such communication is persistent in that it leaves a digital trace,  
and the trace in turn affords new uses. It permits conversations to be  
saved, visualized, browsed, searched, replayed, and restructured.  
Persistence also means that conversations need not be synchronous:  
They can be asynchronous (stretching out over hours or days) or  
supersynchronous (with multiple parties 'talking' at the same time).  
Finally, the creation of persistent and potentially permanent records  
from what was once an ephemeral process raises a variety of social and  
ethical issues.

ABOUT PAPER TOPICS
We are seeking papers that address one or both of the following two  
general areas:
* Understanding Practice. The burgeoning popularity of the internet  
(and intranets) provides an opportunity to study and characterize new  
forms of conversational practice. Questions of interest range from how  
various features of conversations (e.g., turn-taking, topic  
organization, expression of paralinguistic information) have adapted  
in response to the digital medium, to new roles played by persistent  
conversation in domains such as education, business, and entertainment.
* Design. Digital systems do not currently support conversation well:  
It is difficult to converse with grace, clarity, depth and coherence  
over networks. But this need not remain the case. Toward this end, we  
welcome analyses of existing systems as well as designs for new  
systems which better support conversation. Also of interest are  
inquiries into how participants design their own conversations within  
the digital medium -- that is, how they make use of system features to  
create, structure, and regulate their discourse.

Examples of appropriate topics include, but are not limited to:
- Turn-taking, threading and other structural features of CMC
- The dynamics of large scale conversation systems (e.g. blog networks)
- Methods for summarizing or visualizing conversation archives
- Studies of virtual communities or other sites of digital conversation
- The roles of mediated conversation in knowledge management
- Studies of the use of instant messaging in large organizations
- Novel designs for computer-mediated conversation systems
- Analyses of or designs for distance learning systems

NEXT STEPS
Submit a 250 to 300 word abstract of your proposed paper via email to  
the chairs: Tom Erickson (snowfall at acm dot org), Susan Herring  
(herring at indiana dot edu) by the deadline noted above. We will send  
you feedback on the suitability of your abstract by the deadline noted  
above.

FOR MORE INFORMATION
- About the minitrack, see http://www.visi.com/~snowfall/HICSS_PC.html  
or
contact: Thomas Erickson (snowfall at acm.org) and Susan Herring  
(herring at indiana.edu)
- About previous years' papers (including pdf's) and participants,  
see: http://www.visi.com/~snowfall/HICSS_PC_History.html
- About the HICSS conference, see: http://www.hicss.hawaii.edu/
-
Tom Erickson
http://www.visi.com/~snowfall/

We

Re: [IxDA Discuss] Offtopic: What music do you listen to while you "design"

[John Dailey]

No "music"...  Just the purring of my cat.  I find that music
continues, but always changes or stops.  My cat purrs then goes to
sleep.  Both her purring and her sleeping are more soothing than any
style of music to me.  Now, get me out of the office and I'm ready
for live jazz...


. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Posted from the new ixda.org
http://www.ixda.org/discuss?post=26467



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Re: [IxDA Discuss] iPhones on Campus

[John Dailey]

We're designing a "video news interface" for the iPhone.  Sort of a
way to do interactive TV on a small screen.  Everyone on campus could
watch a live stream of "local headline news."   

Stories are linked to meta data so an appropriate news item could
call your iPhone and play itself.

Think IM for Live TV.


. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Posted from the new ixda.org
http://www.ixda.org/discuss?post=26579



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Re: [IxDA Discuss] Undergraduate Interaction degree

[Leah Noble]

I've entered a new program at the AI of Portland: Design Studies- there are
7 of us so far in our 2nd year. The name doesn't fit well, and the director
is considering a change to Design Research Degree. He's met with local
design companies for input, and thus, our courses are more like: visual
culture and design methods we've got a MAJOR focus on ethnographic and
Feldman model-type ways of looking at design... its not at all like graphic
design. The program is all about a user-centered approach to design in any
field, so we often encounter industrial and web design. It is a shorter
degree than a masters, but I'm wondering if I should still go ahead and go
on to get my masters instead of jumping into a job right away
What are your thoughts? Do you think my degree would be at all similar to
IxD?

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[IxDA Discuss] Interaction design of appliances

[silence]

Hi everyone, I'm an interaction designer from Saint-Petersburg, Russia :)

As I see, most of Ix designers work on applications, websites or maybe
mobile devices. But looking around I notice lots of ubiquitous
appliances, like microwave ovens, coffee makers, electric teapots etc.
that surely lack ease of use. I think, that the problem with
appliances is essentially the same as with applications and lies in
the nature of digital. This means, we could use the same methods and
approaches to design a perfect appliance, as we use for designing
perfect sites and apps.

Does anybody has an experience of designing interactions for
appliances? Does anybody HIRE such people? I would like to be the
first candidate ;)

--
Valentin Filippov
http://www.niskaya.ru

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Re: [IxDA Discuss] iPhones on Campus

[Geoff Barnes]

While the video has all the subtlety of an Old Navy TV ad from 2001
(obvious lure is the iPhone, not so much the university), the
potentialities revealed are riveting - and a bit disturbing.

Some of my disturbance comes from concern that, if students don't
have to look at a map and learn where a room or building is, perhaps
they never learn to "figure out" those types of things.  IE,
perhaps we encourage devolution by accepting such heavy reliance on a
replacement for brain-power and the mental calisthenics by which such
power is developed and nourished.

Am I just old and paranoid?  I don't think so.  Left unstimulated,
neural pathways go dark.  I think that we, as IxDs, have some
obligation to maintain engagement while providing ease.  I personally
don't want to help bring about a world akin to "Idiocracy."


. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Posted from the new ixda.org
http://www.ixda.org/discuss?post=26579



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Re: [IxDA Discuss] Nokia Morph & Nanotechnology

[Kim Bieler]

I think it's interesting that the video uses "hand-drawn" animation  
and a handwriting-style font to humanize the technology. The music is  
really touchy-feely and the woman is not in a business setting, but  
at an outdoor cafe. They're trying to suggest that this will be the  
complete opposite of most people's experience with technology, which  
is often frustrating and intrusive.

I'm finding that the main problem with "portable" electronic devices  
is the proliferation of batteries chargers and power cords. Do away  
with those, and suddenly today's iPod and laptop and cell phone are a  
lot closer to this rosy vision of the future.

-- Kim

+ + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + +
Kim Bieler Graphic Design
www.kbgd.com
+ + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + +




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[IxDA Discuss] [EVENT] Tonight!! IxDA Boston Interaction08 remix: 7-9pm. The Asgard, Cambridge.

[Lisa deBettencourt]

Tonight!!!

We are gathering at the Asgard in Cambridge to enjoy and discuss the talks
of Alan Cooper and others from the Interaction08 conference. We'll be in the
back of the pub where the projector/screen is. Please join us. Bring
friends. :-)

-

Did you attend the Interaction08 conference and are still talking about it?
Did you miss Interaction08 and wish you could have gone?
Did you see all the speaker recording links and wish you had time to watch
them?

Well, come join us for an evening of revisiting and remixing Interaction08!
We'll be watching a speaker video or two, sharing an insight or two, and
raising a pint (or two).

All are welcome!

Look forward to seeing you there!
//Boston IxDA

What: Interaction08 remix!
When: Thursday 28th, February 7-9pm (come whenever you can)
Where: Asgard Pub, 350 Massachusetts Ave. Cambridge, MA 02139, (617)
577-9100 http://tinyurl.com/3dp4dy
RSVP: http://boston.going.com/event-240790

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Re: [IxDA Discuss] Offtopic: What music do you listen to while you "design"

[John Gibbard]

Consider it done: http://www.last.fm/group/IxDA

On 28/02/2008, Bryan J Busch <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote:
>
> A couple of people already mentioned last.fm as one resource, and it
> occurred to me that one other idea might be for people on this list to tag
> appropriate, design-friendly music with something like "ixd" or even just
> "design".
>
> It looks like the "design" tag has been used at least a few times,
> already.
> 
> Welcome to the Interaction Design Association (IxDA)!
> To post to this list ... [EMAIL PROTECTED]
> Unsubscribe  http://www.ixda.org/unsubscribe
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>



-- 
John Gibbard (User Experience Architect)
t. +44 (0)7957 102577 skype. johngibbard

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[IxDA Discuss] [EVENT] David Malouf is in the house tonight for the IxDA Boston Interaction08 remix

[Lisa deBettencourt]

Okay, okay, sorry for the barrage of emails, but... we just got word that
David Malouf will be in Boston tonight and joining us for our social at the
Asgard! He'll be sharing a few of his own stories about the conference and
of IxDA in general. We're looking forward to it!

Do come out to meet Dave and help us welcome our Founder to Beantown

~Lisa

On Thu, Feb 28, 2008 at 10:07 AM, Lisa deBettencourt <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
wrote:

> Tonight!!!
>
> We are gathering at the Asgard in Cambridge to enjoy and discuss the talks
> of Alan Cooper and others from the Interaction08 conference. We'll be in the
> back of the pub where the projector/screen is. Please join us. Bring
> friends. :-)
>
> -
>
> Did you attend the Interaction08 conference and are still talking about
> it?
> Did you miss Interaction08 and wish you could have gone?
> Did you see all the speaker recording links and wish you had time to watch
> them?
>
> Well, come join us for an evening of revisiting and remixing
> Interaction08! We'll be watching a speaker video or two, sharing an insight
> or two, and raising a pint (or two).
>
> All are welcome!
>
> Look forward to seeing you there!
> //Boston IxDA
>
> What: Interaction08 remix!
> When: Thursday 28th, February 7-9pm (come whenever you can)
> Where: Asgard Pub, 350 Massachusetts Ave. Cambridge, MA 02139, (617)
> 577-9100 http://tinyurl.com/3dp4dy
> RSVP: http://boston.going.com/event-240790
>
>
>

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Re: [IxDA Discuss] getsatisfaction.com

[Bryan Minihan]

I like the idea, and have been wondering about creating such a beast within
our application (we're soft-launching in 2 days, whee!).  I've had a heck of
a time getting face-time with our audience and would love any chance at
opening a conversation with folks.  I guess one of the drawbacks to the site
below is that it would need to be heavily promoted on the site it's meant to
support (to get people to go there) and might suffer from the general
pitfalls of online feedback - that a very small percentage of people have or
take the time to commit to online forums and feature discussions.

I don't know that you could use it for statistically accurate user sampling,
but as another way to "stay in touch" I think it fills a need many services
have, that would cost some time/resources to build internally.

Thanks for the tip!

Bryan
http://www.bryanminihan.com


-Original Message-
From: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
[mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] On Behalf Of
Alexander Baxevanis
Sent: Thursday, February 28, 2008 4:03 AM
To: IxDA Discuss
Subject: [IxDA Discuss] getsatisfaction.com

Hi all,

just stumbled upon this website (getsatisfaction.com), which seems to
be a platform for facilitating user feedback & discussion about any
sort products & services. In many cases the people officially
responsible for the product/service participate in the discussions,
see for example:

http://getsatisfaction.com/twitter
http://getsatisfaction.com/dopplr
http://getsatisfaction.com/paypal

Yes, it does seem to be mostly web2.0 companies, on the other hand
many big companies haven't bothered to endorse any of these
conversations with their participation:

http://getsatisfaction.com/tmobile
http://getsatisfaction.com/dell

I know many companies have their own support forums (that are often
difficult to find or overly "moderated") or in some cases company
employees participate (un)officially in generic forums. But this seems
to be better designed and more "public" than any of the other
solutions.

So what do you think, is that kind of conversation useful for
interaction designers? Would you like to participate in such a forum
about the products/services you've designed? Or if you're already
there, have you managed to get any good insights that you wouldn't
otherwise have thought of?

Cheers,
Alex


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[IxDA Discuss] electronic Tattoo display.

[Scott McDaniel]

With the Nokia conceptual video fueling some interesting discussion, I
thought I'd throw this out there as something perhaps even more
removed from our normal
approaches to design, but...well...it's not entirely implausible that
real application of this technology could come about.
Crazy kids...

http://www.physorg.com/news122819670.html

Jim Mielke's wireless blood-fueled display is a true merging of
technology and body art. At the recent Greener Gadgets Design
Competition, the engineer demonstrated a subcutaneously implanted
touch-screen that operates as a cell phone display, with the potential
for 3G video calls that are visible just underneath the skin.
The basis of the 2x4-inch "Digital Tattoo Interface" is a Bluetooth
device made of thin, flexible silicon and silicone. It´s inserted
through a small incision as a tightly rolled tube, and then it unfurls
beneath the skin to align between skin and muscle. Through the same
incision, two small tubes on the device are attached to an artery and
a vein to allow the blood to flow to a coin-sized blood fuel cell that
converts glucose and oxygen to electricity. After blood flows in from
the artery to the fuel cell, it flows out again through the vein.

On both the top and bottom surfaces of the display is a matching
matrix of field-producing pixels. The top surface also enables
touch-screen control through the skin. Instead of ink, the display
uses tiny microscopic spheres, somewhat similar to tattoo ink. A
field-sensitive material in the spheres changes their color from clear
to black, aligned with the matrix fields.

The tattoo display communicates wirelessly to other Bluetooth devices
- both in the outside world and within the same body. Although the
device is always on (as long as your blood´s flowing), the display can
be turned off and on by pushing a small dot on the skin. When the
phone rings, for example, an individual turns the display on, and "the
tattoo comes to life as a digital video of the caller," Mielke
explains. When the call ends, the tattoo disappears.

Could such an invasive device have harmful biological effects?
Actually, the device could offer health benefits. That´s because it
also continually monitors for many blood disorders, alerting the
person of a health problem.

The tattoo display is still just a concept, with no word on plans for
commercialization.


-- 
'Life' plus 'significance' = magic. ~ Grant Morrison

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Re: [IxDA Discuss] Offtopic: What music do you listen to while you "design"

[Shaun Bergmann]

what a great idea!
I'm on it!

On Thu, Feb 28, 2008 at 7:05 AM, John Gibbard <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
wrote:

> Consider it done: http://www.last.fm/group/IxDA
>
> On 28/02/2008, Bryan J Busch <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote:
> >
> > A couple of people already mentioned last.fm as one resource, and it
> > occurred to me that one other idea might be for people on this list to
> tag
> > appropriate, design-friendly music with something like "ixd" or even
> just
> > "design".
> >
> > It looks like the "design" tag has been used at least a few times,
> > already.
> > 
> > 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
> >
>
>
>
> --
> John Gibbard (User Experience Architect)
> t. +44 (0)7957 102577 skype. johngibbard
> 
> Welcome to the Interaction Design Association (IxDA)!
> To post to this list ... [EMAIL PROTECTED]
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>

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[IxDA Discuss] ANN: Site Search Analytics workshop (Sunnyvale, Boston, Chicago)

[Louis Rosenfeld]

(apologies for cross-posting)

This spring I'll be teaching a new day-long workshop, "Site Search Analytics
for a Better Experience".  I won't be focusing on tools and transactions;
rather, I'll demonstrate how this method can help designers of all types
diagnose and fix problems with their sites' navigation, search, content, and
interaction design.  You can find the full description here:

  ==>  http://louisrosenfeld.com/ssa

Date/Locations
  * March 18:  Sunnyvale, CA (through Involution Studios' Master Academy;
limited class size)
  * April 4:  Boston, MA (catch Steve Krug's web usability workshop the day
before)
  * May 15:  Chicago, IL (Steve teaches his workshop the next day)

Learn more and register here:

  ==>  http://louisrosenfeld.com/ssa

Thanks!

-- 
Louis Rosenfeld :: http://louisrosenfeld.com
Rosenfeld Media :: http://rosenfeldmedia.com

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Re: [IxDA Discuss] iPhones on Campus

[Jeff Howard]

Geoff wrote:
> Am I just old and paranoid? I don't think so. Left unstimulated, 
> neural pathways go dark.

I think this is a real concern for design. There's a lot to find on
the topic by searching google for the keyword "de-skilling"

// jeff


. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Posted from the new ixda.org
http://www.ixda.org/discuss?post=26579



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Re: [IxDA Discuss] Power icon

[Loren Baxter]

This may be the simplest form of an "engineering driven interface"
ever encountered.  1 vs 0?  Closed vs open circuit?  Show that symbol
to someone in an undeveloped country and it loses its meaning.

It's certainly easy to think of a more intuitive symbol using
natural phenomena rather than artificial.  Use the sun: circle for
off, circle emitting rays for on.  But I do wonder: how could such an
entrenched standard as the power symbol ever change?


. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Posted from the new ixda.org
http://www.ixda.org/discuss?post=26596



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Re: [IxDA Discuss] Offtopic: What music do you listen to while you"design"

[Eugene Kim]

If I listen to music, it's gotta be a favorite artist and an album I'm
already familiar with.  I can't listen to anything new or that isn't a
favorite because it becomes a distraction...  "Should I rate this
song?", "This one doesn't sound so great", etc.

4- or 5-star songs, shuffle, repeat.  Specific artists include
Metallica, Morrissey, Ministry, Elliott Smith, Soundgarden, Cat Power,
Half-handed Cloud, and a dash of others.

(Then again, I don't think it helps to have my Gibson SG/Fender amp
sitting right next to my desk, either.) 

:)

Eugene

-Original Message-
From: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
[mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] On Behalf Of
Bryan Minihan
Sent: Tuesday, February 26, 2008 10:38 AM
To: 'IXDA list'
Subject: [IxDA Discuss] Offtopic: What music do you listen to while
you"design"

I never think of fun topics to talk about (frequent complaint at work),
but
have been wondering what folks like to listen to while they work, if
anything.  I recently found an online station called somafm.com that's
been
able to keep me working into the wee hours even as I'm approaching 40
(yuck).

Hope it's not too far off-topic...

Bryan
http://www.bryanminihan.com



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Re: [IxDA Discuss] Power icon

[Morten Hjerde]

Why would it lose its meaning in an underdeveloped country??

I think you would have to travel pretty far to find a country where people
didn't know the meaning of 0 and 1.
And if you where even able to find a country that didn't know 0 from 1,
didn't have engineers and didn't have electricity they wouldn't need a power
button anyway :-)
Btw, check out the symbol used on the power button on the One Laptop Per
Child.

I've thought a little bit about why I react to this discussion. I agree that
the symbol is very engineer-ish, not especially intuitive and not
particularly good looking. But as an IxD I jump at ANY chance to build on
prior knowledge, things people know. This symbol has been around for 40
years, is standardized, is culture-proof - interpreted in exactly the same
way over the entire globe. Are there more than a handful of other symbols in
the same league? The play/pause symbol qualifies I guess. Why would anyone
want to mess with a symbol that is universally recognized? Why not try to
fix the gazillion of things that are broken instead of breaking the few
things that work? I don't get it.

This is turning into a rant. Sorry! :-)

Morten



On Thu, 28 Feb 2008 11:39:21, Loren Baxter <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote:

> This may be the simplest form of an "engineering driven interface"
> ever encountered.  1 vs 0?  Closed vs open circuit?  Show that symbol
> to someone in an undeveloped country and it loses its meaning.
>
> It's certainly easy to think of a more intuitive symbol using
> natural phenomena rather than artificial.  Use the sun: circle for
> off, circle emitting rays for on.  But I do wonder: how could such an
> entrenched standard as the power symbol ever change?
>
>
> . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
> Posted from the new ixda.org
> http://www.ixda.org/discuss?post=26596
>
>
> 
> Welcome to the Interaction Design Association (IxDA)!
> To post to this list ... [EMAIL PROTECTED]
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> List Help .. http://www.ixda.org/help
>



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

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Re: [IxDA Discuss] Offtopic: What music do you listen to while you"design"

[Angel Marquez]

http://kittenwar.com/kittens/139009/

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Re: [IxDA Discuss] Power icon

[Katie Albers]

Considering I have actual relatives who would never in a million 
years make the connection between on/off and 1/0, (and they are not 
stupid, old, uneducated or otherwise outlying cases) I think it's 
foolish to believe that this symbol is as universally comprehensible 
as you would like to believe it is. It is certainly not "universally 
recognized" or known.

Katie


>Why would it lose its meaning in an underdeveloped country??
>
>I think you would have to travel pretty far to find a country where people
>didn't know the meaning of 0 and 1.
>And if you where even able to find a country that didn't know 0 from 1,
>didn't have engineers and didn't have electricity they wouldn't need a power
>button anyway :-)
>Btw, check out the symbol used on the power button on the One Laptop Per
>Child.
>
>I've thought a little bit about why I react to this discussion. I agree that
>the symbol is very engineer-ish, not especially intuitive and not
>particularly good looking. But as an IxD I jump at ANY chance to build on
>prior knowledge, things people know. This symbol has been around for 40
>years, is standardized, is culture-proof - interpreted in exactly the same
>way over the entire globe. Are there more than a handful of other symbols in
>the same league? The play/pause symbol qualifies I guess. Why would anyone
>want to mess with a symbol that is universally recognized? Why not try to
>fix the gazillion of things that are broken instead of breaking the few
>things that work? I don't get it.
>
>This is turning into a rant. Sorry! :-)
>
>Morten

-- 


Katie Albers
[EMAIL PROTECTED]

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Re: [IxDA Discuss] Power icon

[Jim Drew]

Gee, that's helpful.  "Standby" — even if a user knew that's what it  
meant — is only marginally more useful than "closed circuit" (again,  
if the user even knows that's what if symbol means, and then what the  
term itself means).

And thus, "what it means" isn't of any use here.  To the majority of  
users, it is just a nonsense icon that "means" "power".  (It shows on  
the "glare reduction" button on the mirror in our current rental car,  
in fact.)  But it has become widespread enough -- I've seen it on  
computer switches for a decade now -- that it is the de facto  
standard that users now expect (if they expect anything).

The only generic user-created deciphering of the icon that I've heard  
created which makes sense is "it's a toggle switch" — a circle with a  
flip switch in the middle.  Since pressing the button typically  
toggles the power on and off, that's at least a "meaning" that  
generic users can often grasp.

-- Jim Drew
 Seattle, WA (but currently in Ireland)



On Feb 27, 2008, at 11:09 PM, Bruce Esrig wrote:

> According to the standards, the two components are a vertical  
> stroke and a
> circle. When the vertical stroke goes through the top of the  
> circle, the
> meaning is "standby".


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Re: [IxDA Discuss] Nokia Morph & Nanotechnology

[Kontra]

>  You should probably be aware that the company you refer to sells 1 million
>  mobile phones every single day of the year including Saturdays, Sundays and
>  holidays.

Yes, this the same company that has sold hundreds of millions of
devices over a decade and never came even close to the power and
functionally of an iPhone. Even after it was introduced to the
possibility of such a device (a year and a half later), it still
doesn't have multi-touch answer to it.

>  They have around 15 thousand people working in R&D.

And what have they accomplished in the last decade? Let's start with
the most obvious: have they even grasped the power of the web, until
the iPhone amply demonstrated it?

What have they done, in the last decade, in re-arranging the power
structure between handset manufacturers and carriers? Nada. That takes
careful integration of technology, systems design and business acumen,
which apparently they lack. Hopefully, they'll ride on the coattails
of the iPhone and make something semi-useful out of Ovi.

Nokia N81: Ominous lesson to iPhone from carriers
http://counternotions.com/2007/10/09/patience-for-apple/

>  The way to achieve something is to set yourself a Big Hairy Goal. I'd say
>  that they just did exactly that.

For years, car manufacturers have been setting 'Big Hairy Goals' with
nothing to show for in actually shipping products. How's Nokia
different?

-- 
Kontra
http://counternotions.com

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[IxDA Discuss] [JOB] User Experience Design Manager - Waterloo, Ontario, Canada - Research In Motion

[Henry Chen]

POSITION SUMMARY

The Manager, User Experience Design will manage a growing team of
usability professionals who work on the full range of BlackBerry
products and services. The successful candidate must demonstrate
technical, personal, and team leadership to drive user-centered design
throughout the product development process, from concept to
commercialization. The User Experience Design team conducts user and
task analysis, develops use cases and personas, creates and evaluates
design prototypes, and conducts user research and usability testing. The
manager must continuously improve the overall planning and execution of
these activities across the team's portfolio of projects, help the team
translate research findings into concrete product requirements and
recommendations, and package, present and 'sell' ideas and
recommendations to other teams and to senior management. The manager
will manage the performance and development of team members through goal
setting, performance reviews and feedback, and provide ongoing
leadership and support. He or she will assign projects and provide
appropriate direction and support to team members to help them succeed.
The manager will develop and maintain relationships at all levels of the
organization, as well as with external customers and partners, to foster
collaboration across functional areas, set strategic priorities,
standardize and streamline processes, and resolve conflicts. In addition
to managing the team, the successful candidate should also be prepared
to directly oversee higher profile projects, and must be willing to
perform hands-on activities if necessary.

ESSENTIAL SKILLS AND QUALIFICATIONS

*   Post-secondary education in human computer interaction, systems
design engineering, or a related field

*   10+ years experience working in a professional environment on
user experience research, design, and testing

*   Proven ability to develop, lead, and motivate high performing
teams

*   Experience managing user experience activities throughout the
software development lifecycle

*   Demonstrated ability to manage multiple projects at once in
collaborative, fast-paced environments

*   Strong research and quantitative skills, including statistics
and data analysis

*   Excellent problem-solving skills to translate research into
practical recommendations

*   Excellent written and verbal communication skills to present
ideas effectively to both technical and business audiences

*   Experience planning and facilitating usability testing, focus
groups, and customer interviews

*   Solid understanding of user interface design principles and
practices

*   Must be passionate about user-centered design

*   Prior exposure to quality management methodologies (such as Six
Sigma) is an asset

Research In Motion Limited(r) (RIM)(r) is a world leader in the mobile
communications market and has a history of developing breakthrough
wireless solutions. RIM's portfolio of award-winning products, services
and embedded technologies is used by thousands of organizations around
the world and includes the BlackBerry(r) wireless platform, the RIM
Wireless Handheld(tm) product line, software development tools and
software/hardware licensing agreements. RIM is seeking driven
individuals who can take our wireless data products to the next level in
the global wireless market.



HOW TO APPLY:

Follow this link
  to the online job posting webpage, scroll
to the bottom of the page, and click on the button labelled "Apply Now"











Henry Chen | User Experience Analyst | User Experience Design | Research
In Motion Ltd.

[EMAIL PROTECTED] :: +1.519.597.9712 (o) :: +1.226.220.3604 (m)

RIM 11, 415 Phillip St., Waterloo, ON, N2L 3X2




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[IxDA Discuss] Emotional Response Testing

[Jason Richardson]

Hi everyone,
Our User Experience team at work is looking to begin Emotive or Emotional
response testing on our internal web applications in the near future.  We're
starting to do some research on the topic to build out our methodology
around this type of testing. So, does anyone have pointers on the subject,
any presentations you've seen that are worth checking out, maybe some
methodology that people are familiar with that could provide some insight?
Is anyone out there now using a version of the Repertory Grid, Emotional
Heuristics or just a great way of capturing user satisfaction?  I'm also
interested in reporting these findings and how they're accepted by
management/clients.

Thanks for the input!
Jason

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Re: [IxDA Discuss] Power icon

[jody tate]

This is relevant to a reorganization of my division at the University  
of Washington. We were formerly the artist known as "Computing and  
Communications." We're now "UW Technology." The fun, however, has been  
the new logo incorporating a "power" icon.

It appears here with all the requisite verbiage, 
http://www.washington.edu/uwtech/ 
, but you can see it without scrolling here: 
http://www.washington.edu/uwtech/images/ovpuwt_pref_rgb_205w.gif 
.

At least one person thought that it was a cannonball-bomb with a fuse.  
Other people wondered have wondered if the icon looked on or off.

--
Jody Tate
Web Developer - UW Network Systems
http://staff.washington.edu/jtate/


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Re: [IxDA Discuss] Offtopic: What music do you listen to while you "design"

[uxdesign . com]

Glad you asked. I created this station on pandora.com specifically to
share what I listen to while working, hoping others will enjoy it
too: 
http://www.pandora.com/stations/975a6d3136879cceedf8dffe5cc6faa4425ba2910f7abf8b


. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Posted from the new ixda.org
http://www.ixda.org/discuss?post=26467



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Re: [IxDA Discuss] Means to an IxDA message? WAS: Where are all the designers?

[Michael Heraghty]

Re: the value of portfolios. I've begun to think that it would be
better for my company to give examples of wireframes (i.e.
prototypes) that we've created as part of designing compex websites
or online applications. 

This way we'd be able to showcase our interaction design skills and
evangelise the benefits interaction design generally.

Thing is, I'm a bit wary of asking clients whether I can use their
wireframes in our portfolio. Clients are usually okay with putting
website designs in the porftolio, but examples of wireframes... I
just get the feeling they wouldn't like that. 

Has anyone else posted their wireframe designs in their portfolios?

web:heraghty.net
blog:mediajunk.com


. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Posted from the new ixda.org
http://www.ixda.org/discuss?post=26265



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Re: [IxDA Discuss] *non-web* analytics

[Michael Heraghty]

Oliver, let's try and hone in your needs a little. What kind of usage
stats would you need for a desktop app?

Web-based apps have very specific stats relating to users, who come
from different locations, in different ways, etc.

Is your desktop app shared across a network?

web:www.heraghty.net
blog:www.mediajunk.com


. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Posted from the new ixda.org
http://www.ixda.org/discuss?post=26586



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[IxDA Discuss] iRise Designers?

[Rob Nero]

Is anyone using iRise for simulations, requirements gathering, or any other
purpose?

I would be curious to know your experiences.
thanks






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Re: [IxDA Discuss] getsatisfaction.com

[timoni grone]

>  I know many companies have their own support forums (that are often
>  difficult to find or overly "moderated") or in some cases company
>  employees participate (un)officially in generic forums. But this seems
>  to be better designed and more "public" than any of the other
>  solutions.
>
>  So what do you think, is that kind of conversation useful for
>  interaction designers?

I know that a lot of independent app developers LOVE this site--it
eases the (sometimes substantial) burden of tech support from one- or
two-men shops.   I'm sure the info they get on Satisfaction informs
how they design their apps.  No reason designers at larger companies
couldn't find it useful for the same reasons.


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-- 
+ + = ++

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[IxDA Discuss] [Job] - Bestica User Experience Analyst - Full Time - Santa Clara, CA

[Veena Gowthamchand]

We are looking for an Experienced User Experience Analyst for our client in 
Santa Clara,CA.

 

User Experience Analyst – Full Time – Santa Clara, CA

 

DESCRIPTION OF FUNCTION AND RESPONSIBILITIES:   

 

As Business Analyst you will lead the design effort on a variety of projects in 
a highly collaborative, fast-paced environment.  Your role is to design 
innovative solutions to real market problems.  You will work closely with 
product and marketing managers, user interaction designers, and software 
engineers to improve the Web site.

 

*   Conduct detailed analyses of existing processes and document findings, 
e.g., Pareto charts, Swim Lanes, Process Flow diagrams, Cause and Effect 
Diagrams. 

*   Write summary and detailed use cases, based on understanding of our 
systems and users. 

*   Write detailed functional requirements and design specifications for 
Web site applications and flows, coordinating with business owners, development 
leads, user interface designers, and usability specialists to build a great 
customer experience.  

*   Research, analyze, and deliver in a clear, straightforward manner 
details which will facilitate an efficient development cycle. 

*   Balance business needs and understanding of existing system design to 
recommend alternative approaches to meet requirements. 

*   Design or collaborate on user interaction models, navigation flows, and 
prototypes. 

*   Translate usability and field research into design improvements. 

*   Anticipate and make tradeoffs, balance business needs and technical 
constraints in the design specifications. 

*   Successfully communicate conceptual ideas and design rationale. 

 

 

EXPERIENCE REQUIRED:

 

· 5-7 years experience in software and Web technologies    

· Minimum 5 years product development experience, writing requirements 
for ecommerce platform 

· Experience with Windows 2000, Web service Architecture, .NET 
framework, SQL database 

· Strong analytical and communication skills 

· Negotiation and influence skills 

· Ability to successfully lead teams and cross-functional groups from 
technical and business disciplines. 

· Ability to communicate design rationale and build consensus. 

· Ability to develop new approaches to complex design problems. 

· Must be organized, have an eye for detail, and be able to put ideas 
into a tangible form. 

· Ideal: Experience with Pragmatic Marketing methodology 

· Ideal: Experience with Security Software 

 

 

QUALIFICATIONS/EDUCATION:

 

*   Undergraduate or graduate degree in computer science, information 
architecture, business, or related field 

*   Must have portfolio of analyses, use cases, product requirement and/or 
design specification documents 

 

**Non-confidential work samples must be provided.**

 

Email your resumes to   [EMAIL PROTECTED]

 

 

Regards

Veena Gowthamchand

Recruiting Coordinator

Ph:   210-614-4187

Fax: 210-745-1631

 

  www.bestica.com

  
http://www.linkedin.com/in/veenarecruiter

 
 
 

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[IxDA Discuss] Job #3018177 User Researcher Permanent Full -Time Opportunity Company Smith Hanley Associates Recruiter Jaymie Willbarger Location Chicago-Land, IL 312-629-2400

[Jaymie Willbarger]

 
Smith Hanley Associates is working for a client in who is a major financial 
services/insurance company, is targeting a User Researcher to support their 
User Centered Design and Research Group. 


Job Responsibilities:
* Design and conduct User Research on for on-line and
offline business applications, including applications used by internal 
consultants and customers.
* Conduct user and task analyses to define user needs (user
scenarios, persona/profile building and interpretation)
* Collaborate software developers, and business leaders
across the organization.
 
Required Qualifications:
*•  2-3 years performing research on user issues for
software development in a laboratory setting, online, and in the field.
* Degree from a 4-year college, required
field such as computer science, human-computer interaction, psychology, or 
graphic design
* Fluency in hand-coding HTML and a mastery of CSS
* A team player with excellent communication skills
 
Desired Qualifications:
* Advanced degree in Human Factors or Psychology related
field is ideal.
 
Qualified applicants may submit a cover letter, resume, and samples of your 
work (online portfolio, URLs, or screenshots will suffice) in confidence to 
[EMAIL PROTECTED]  
 
About Smith Hanley Associates:
  
The first thing to know about us is that we are about you. Smith Hanley 
Associates has recruited premier candidates in specialized disciplines 
nationwide since 1980. While many recruiters today are generalists, our 
philosophy is different: we meet your specialized needs with our specialized 
services.

Personalized Service
Your specialized needs are our top priority. Our recruiters focus on niche 
areas within each business unit and have in-depth knowledge of your specific 
requirements. Low staff turnover means our recruiters can provide professional 
and accurate representation in your marketplace.

Multi-channel Approach
With Smith Hanley you reap the advantages of our wide network of contacts. Our 
extensive participation in industry associations and expert use of all forms of 
print and electronic media put your interests first in every venue and market.

Long-term Commitment
We are committed to building strong and lasting relationships with you — our 
clients and candidates. Many of our relationships have lasted more than two 
decades. We are proud of these long-term success stories and our goal is make 
you one of them.

If you are interested Please contact Jaymie Willbarger:  E-mail [EMAIL 
PROTECTED] and Reference AB3018177, Phone 312-629-2400
x212




Jaymie Willbarger
Smith Hanley Associates
Associate Recruiter
 
200 W. Madison Suite 2110
Chicago, IL 60606
Phone: 312-629-2400 Ext. 212
Fax: 312-629-0615
E-mail: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
www.smithhanley.com
www.themarketresearchdepot.blogspot.com
 


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Re: [IxDA Discuss] Interaction design of appliances

[timoni grone]

>
> >  Does anybody has an experience of designing interactions for
> >  appliances? Does anybody HIRE such people? I would like to be the
> >  first candidate ;)
>

Yes, there are a lot of people who think about appliance design.  If you're
looking to get hired, IDEO immediately comes to mind (
http://www.ideo.com/ideo.asp).

Additionally, there is a LOT of literature about object design.  Donald
Norman's books are a good place to start, as is Christopher Alexander's
large body of work (especially *Notes on the Synthesis of Form* and *A
Pattern Language*).  Their subject matter doesn't always touch specifically
on appliances, but it's general enough to be applicable.  Lots of teapot
references, too.  :)

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Re: [IxDA Discuss] Default value in chekbox

[Jessica Enders]

Hi Yann
I would recommend having none of the options checked by default but
including an "All" checkbox to simplify this selection, especially
if there are more than 5 options.
Having none of the options checked:
- encourages the user to think about what they actually want
- prevents accidental selection of an option if the user doesn't
notice that an option is checked.
Note that checking the "All" box on should check on all the other
options and vice versa. Similarly, if the user checks "All" but
then unchecks an option, "All" should be unchecked.


. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Posted from the new ixda.org
http://www.ixda.org/discuss?post=26405



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Re: [IxDA Discuss] Interaction design of appliances

[mark schraad]

The ergonomic abstracts could keep you reading for years to come on this
topic.
Mark


On Thu, Feb 28, 2008 at 5:46 PM, timoni grone <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote:

> >
> > >  Does anybody has an experience of designing interactions for
> > >  appliances? Does anybody HIRE such people? I would like to be the
> > >  first candidate ;)
> >
>
> Yes, there are a lot of people who think about appliance design.  If
> you're
> looking to get hired, IDEO immediately comes to mind (
> http://www.ideo.com/ideo.asp).
>
> Additionally, there is a LOT of literature about object design.  Donald
> Norman's books are a good place to start, as is Christopher Alexander's
> large body of work (especially *Notes on the Synthesis of Form* and *A
> Pattern Language*).  Their subject matter doesn't always touch
> specifically
> on appliances, but it's general enough to be applicable.  Lots of teapot
> references, too.  :)
> 
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>

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Re: [IxDA Discuss] Power icon

[Loren Baxter]

> I think you would have to travel pretty far to find
> a country where people didn't know the meaning of
> 0 and 1.
 And if you where even able to find a country
> that didn't know 0 from 1, didn't have engineers and
> didn't have electricity they wouldn't need a power
> button anyway :-)

To be honest, I didn't even know that it is a 0 / 1 until I read this
discussion.  If they are a zero and one, they should look like real letters,
not abstract shapes.  Zeros are generally not perfect circles, in almost any
standard font.

In any case, once one learns that they are a 0 / 1, they must then find the
proper mapping.  Which one is off, and which is on?  0 should be off, 1
should be on, but I can't say whether that transfers across cultures.  I
understand that the concept of zero has different backgrounds across the
world and is quite different in the East.

Then there's the added confusion of closed and open circuits.  In that case,
it should be the opposite (the 0 or closed circuit means on).

I definitely see where you're coming from with standardization, but I've
never felt that it was a good standard.  Sometimes the status quo simply
isn't good enough; I think the power icon is a fine candidate for that.

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Re: [IxDA Discuss] Power icon

[Andrei Herasimchuk]

On Feb 28, 2008, at 3:31 PM, Loren Baxter wrote:

> I definitely see where you're coming from with standardization, but  
> I've
> never felt that it was a good standard.  Sometimes the status quo  
> simply
> isn't good enough; I think the power icon is a fine candidate for  
> that.

This thread has now entering the silly realm.

The symbols for On, Off, Toggle On/Off and Standby are elegant,  
simple, clean, easy to draw and can be used anywhere and under any  
condition. The fact designers and others have used them incorrectly  
is an entirely separate problem.

Creating symbols that are general enough, can work under any print or  
manufacturing process while also being clear and not easily confused  
with OTHER standard symbols that have been defined -- while also  
being reasonably culturally agnostic -- is extraordinarily difficult.  
The folks who created these particular symbols did an amazing job  
solving this problem.

A long time ago, I made the decision at Adobe to propagate the "new"  
icon across all the products. It's the rectangle with the "page tear"  
in the corner. Does that symbol mean "new." Good luck trying to find  
anything that means "new." You pick a symbol based a few criteria, a  
large part of which is due to it simplicity to draw it, then spend  
literally years, often times decades, making it a standard.

Question: How is the symbol for the letter "A" intuitive or meaningful?

Answer: It's not. Someone a long time ago drew it, probably some  
despot liked it or otherwise forced it onto his people, those people  
won a lot of wars and the symbol stuck. After that, you were  
basically taught at a very early age that "A" was the symbol for the  
letter A. And it took you a long time to learn all those symbols in  
the alphabet while you were in grade school, but thankfully you were  
young and less inclined to argue about how intuitive the symbol was  
based solely on nothing more than your own personal opinion or  
experience.

In other words, the symbol had already made its way into the culture  
and you learned it like you and everyone else learned all those other  
symbols: You were taught what it meant by someone else.

The On, Off, Toggle On/Off, and Standby symbols are elegant, simple  
and very useful, and are a standard in the engineering and  
manufacturing industry. Trying to go against them -- especially now  
that they are legitimate standards --  is the largest possible waste  
of time imho. I think we simply need to learn what they are and use  
them properly.

The faster designers do that, the faster they will become "intuitive"  
in society at large as people are taught what the symbols mean.

-- 
Andrei Herasimchuk

Principal, Involution Studios
innovating the digital world

e. [EMAIL PROTECTED]
c. +1 408 306 6422



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Re: [IxDA Discuss] Emotional Response Testing

[Chauncey Wilson]

Hello Jason,

The new book that was mentioned a few weeks ago, Product Experience
(Schifferstein & Hekkert, 2008) has two sections devoted to the
Emotional Experience.

The repertory grid is good at getting at underlying dimensions of
product experience from the user's perspective rather than the user
experience designer's perspective.

There is an earlier book out by Patrick Jordan that might prove useful:

Jordan, P. W. (2000). Designing pleasurable products: An introduction
to the new human factors. London, UK: Taylor & Francis.
Jordan describes how there are three levels of human needs (relative
to consumer products): functionality, usability, and pleasure. The
first two levels are the primary focus of most product teams. Jordan
argues that we must go beyond usability and design pleasurable
products. He defines four pleasures: physio-pleasure, socio-pleasure,
psycho-pleasure, and ideo-pleasure. After describing these pleasures,
Jordan gives some examples of pleasurable products and methods for
designing pleasurable products.

You might want to look up the work of Rosalind Picard at MIT.  She has
been researching affective computing for some time and put out a book
in 1997.  You can find later work if you dig around MIT. This might be
a bit tangential, but there might be references that would be helpful.

Picard, R. W. (1997). Affective computing. Cambridge, MA: Wiley.
Affective Computing is a book about how to imbue computers with
emotion. The author's thesis is that emotion can have a positive
effect on decision-making. This book reviews the literature on
theories of emotion and the impact of emotion on decision making.
Picard describes work by Daniel Goleman who wrote the book Emotional
Intelligence, Patti Maes, a strong voice for agent technology, Reeves
and Nass, authors of the Media Equation, and other prominent
psychologists delving into the importance of emotion in human-human
and human-computer interactions.

Chauncey

On Thu, Feb 28, 2008 at 1:04 PM, Jason Richardson <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote:
> Hi everyone,
> Our User Experience team at work is looking to begin Emotive or Emotional
> response testing on our internal web applications in the near future.  We're
> starting to do some research on the topic to build out our methodology
> around this type of testing. So, does anyone have pointers on the subject,
> any presentations you've seen that are worth checking out, maybe some
> methodology that people are familiar with that could provide some insight?
> Is anyone out there now using a version of the Repertory Grid, Emotional
> Heuristics or just a great way of capturing user satisfaction?  I'm also
> interested in reporting these findings and how they're accepted by
> management/clients.
>
> Thanks for the input!
> Jason
> 
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Re: [IxDA Discuss] Shift from Legacy system to web UI interface application

[Gloria Petron]

Rony,
These are some books I've read or am currently reading that directly relate
to what you're about to get into.

   - For creating good forms and managing documentation:
   Robert Hoeckman Jr., *Designing the
Obvious*
   - For taming office politics and keeping the product focused:
   Indi Young, *Mental
Models*
   - For dealing with the difficult situations you're going to encounter
   if your IT team is grounded in green-screen apps:
   David Platt, *Why Software Sucks and What You Can Do About
It
   .*

That's a lot of reading, but I read Robert's book in a weekend. I haven't
even gotten through the first chapter of Indi Young's book but I've already
gotten enough of the concept (and I attended her virtual seminar last week)
that I intend to try it in my next project. David's book is comic relief
backed up by solid insight.

Personal lessons I've learned from doing several green-screen-to-web app
conversions for a big corporation:

1. RESEARCH.
This is when good people skills come in really handy. Find a couple of
people who are the end users, give them fair warning that you may be
spending LOTS of time with them, and then stick on 'em like a reality-show
camera crew. You don't always get the opportunity to do this, so if you've
got that chance, recognize it for the gold that it is. It's a great way to
get to know people.

2. User task flows rock.
These are the best way I've found for flushing out unexpected surprises and
getting a true screen count, which in turn helps you develop a realistic
project schedule. There have been times when I've skipped this step, and
I've always regretted it later.

3. Just because they're I.T. doesn't mean they know web.
Perhaps my first and biggest mistake. I came to the bank assuming that
financial green-screen IT guys would be able to do all the same stuff as
dotcom programmers. That doesn't mean there isn't a willingness to try, but
be prepared to deal with some serious management-of-expectation issues.

4. Do not be alarmed by white space.
You do not need to fill every inch of space in order to convince someone
they're getting their money's worth. Where I work, it's actually the
marketing and business teams that are the most guilty of this; user research
is the crucifix for this particular vampire.

5. Prototypes, baby.
People -includes programmers- are visual creatures, and prototypes visually
communicate goals better than a 300-page requirements doc. Also, conducting
usability sessions on clickable prototypes and recording those sessions with
Morae is a powerful method for fast, iterative design.

Hope this helps! Please let me know if I can help you in any other way.
-Gloria

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Re: [IxDA Discuss] Shift from Legacy system to web UI interface application

[Chauncey Wilson]

Hello Rony,

Legacy applications may not be the most aesthetic, but they are often
quite efficient and when moving from legacy to GUI or WUI (Web user
interface), keeping the efficiency can be quite a challenge.  If you
are looking at applications like order-entry or financial apps where
people are working with forms and data all day, then you might
consider minizing keyboard-mouse transitions (those are slow), examine
workflow and optimal layout of required and optional fields.  For the
highest frequency operations, it might be useful to gather some
baseline data for comparison.  Youl could also use the GOMS
Keystroke-level modeling to compare different designs for your Web
interface.  The GOMS KLM is quite powerful for doing relative
comparisons and examining expert usage.

I went through this in the early 1990s when legacy moved to Windows
and for those will admit it, the first Windows versions of legacy app
were often worse than the legacy app even if they "looked more
usable".  Here is a note that I wrote in respone to a question like
yours in the STC Usability SIG newsletter in 1998.

By Chauncey Wilson, edited by Robi Gunn
Reprinted from Usability Interface, Vol 4, No. 4, April 1998
http://www.stcsig.org/usability/newsletter/9804-character2gui.html

Chauncey

On Thu, Feb 28, 2008 at 6:01 AM, Rony Philip <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote:
> Hi,
>
> Can anyone guide me in understanding, what are the key factors to be
> considered while redesigning a legacy (green screen) application to a web UI
> interface application?. Especialy with reagards to task flows, forms and
> the toggle between keyboard and mouse.
>
> Sorry if this topic as already been discussed, maybe someone can provide me
> the thread.
>
> Thanks a ton!
> Rony
> 
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Re: [IxDA Discuss] Power icon

[Gretchen Anderson]

Thought Bill DeRouchey's Language of Interaction was relevant here:
http://www.languageofinteraction.com/


As he points out designers/IxDers are the curators of the language of
interaction, and our usage of symbols is part of the process of teaching
them to people. A triangle for "Play" is only the accepted standard
because it is, not because that symbol is inherently "play-like".

I only recently heard about the 0/1 bit, but that's never interfered
with my usage of a power button.

His piece is really worth a read...

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Re: [IxDA Discuss] Means to an IxDA message? WAS: Where are all thedesigners?

[Gretchen Anderson]

>I've begun to think that it would be
>better for my company to give examples of wireframes (i.e.
>prototypes) that we've created as part of designing compex websites
>or online applications. 

I've found that the value of your work better be understood and
perceivable in the end product and that wireframes as a sales tool get
in the way. I *rarely* use them as supplemental materials if a client
wants to see an example of an in progress deliverable.



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Re: [IxDA Discuss] Offtopic: What music do you listen to while you "design"

[LMelbourne]

Wow! I am feeling like the gate keeper for the almost 40 crowd. 

Like the others on this list, my musical tastes run the gamut too.
When I design or code, I really like anything that keeps my mind
chilled, my mood light and my focus on the task at hand. That could
be classical, jazz, blues, world, ambient, acoustical or eclectic... 

Some artists on my ipod...Miles Davis, Coltrane, Air, Imogen Heap,
Calexico, Zero 7, Remy Zero, Mazy Starr, MOS, Buddah Bar, Cafe del
Mar, Putumayo: Brazilian Lounge, Armik, Beck, Bright Eyes, Feist,
Frou frou, Belle & Sebastian, Blond Redhead, Carbon Leaf, Iron &
Wine, Wilco, Ryan Adams, Jack Johnson, Ben Harper, Depeche Mode, Echo
& The Bunnymen, The Cure...and the list goes on.


. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Posted from the new ixda.org
http://www.ixda.org/discuss?post=26467



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Re: [IxDA Discuss] Means to an IxDA message? WAS: Where are all thedesigners?

[Scott McDaniel]

While it was some time ago, I have had a client ask me why my end product
didn't look like the wireframes.  As in...literally looking like the Visio.

On Thu, Feb 28, 2008 at 8:33 PM, Gretchen Anderson <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote:
>  I've found that the value of your work better be understood and
>  perceivable in the end product and that wireframes as a sales tool get
>  in the way. I *rarely* use them as supplemental materials if a client
>  wants to see an example of an in progress deliverable.
-- 
'Life' plus 'significance' = magic. ~ Grant Morrison

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Re: [IxDA Discuss] Power icon

[Murli Nagasundaram]

Until I moved to the US from India in 1986, I don't recall having
encountered the 0/1 power symbol more than a couple of times.  Even today,
the symbol is quite rare except on computers and some other digital
products.  Many educated people in India could probably guess at the meaning
of the symbol but the use or awareness of the symbol is far from universal
in land of over a billion people (and a rapidly emerging market for consumer
durables).

This is not a rant against the 'Standard Power Symbol' -- it's simply to
take note that naive assumptions about universality and a dismissive
attitude towards raising questions about the issue are very similar to the
attitude of some system developers who view users as being 'losers' and if
they are unable to appropriately use a system then its their own problem.

Language and symbology does take time to permeate through society,
particularly a large, diverse, complex one.  While most symbols are at least
somewhat arbitrary, the 'right arrow/right-pointing triangle' used for the
PLAY button is much less so -- pointing and arrows developed early enough in
the evolution of the species that the symbol could be considered
'universal'.  The Pause and Stop symbols, however, are pretty darned
arbitrary -- the mapping to the real functions is cognitively more taxing.

Sitting here in my parents' home in India, I can step out of the house and
point at any random person outside and be fairly certain that they don't
understand the 0/1 symbol.  This situation is unlikely to change for a long
while.  Indeed, I am pretty sure that they are more likely to associate the
power function with a button colored RED than one with an arbitrary symbol
slapped on it.  The association of a color or more primeval shape with a
fundamental function such as power on/off is more likely than its
association with an arbitrary symbol.

Speaking of learning arbitrary conventions: Power switches in India follow
the British standard of turning on if the switch is down and turning off it
is up -- the reverse of what obtains in the Americas.  While one's mind
quickly learns this distinction, muscle memory is quite another thing.  The
reliance on arbitrary symbols in a critical, possibly catastrophic situation
is fraught with peril, especially if quick reflexes are essential to contain
a rapidly emergent problem.

I learned to drive on the left hand side of the road in India and then had
to learn to drive on the other side in the US.  I'm pretty good at switching
sides when I travel across the oceans and choose to drive.  But I know a lot
of people who refuse to drive in one or another country because they don't
trust their reflexes.  And if you choose to drive in India, you'd better
have good reflexes -- and a calm, unruffled, mind.

I live with my aged parents in India now.  Every day -- and indeed several
times a day -- I encounter situations that they are unable to cope with
because of an inability to deal with arbitrary symbols or conventions, or
complex processes.  Generalizing design principles from a Web 2.0 user base
of twenty-something, college-educated, Americans leaves a whole lot of
people out in the cold.

- murli

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Re: [IxDA Discuss] Power icon

[Murli Nagasundaram]

I'm guessing you eat donuts and muffins for breakfast and take your coffee
black -- isn't that what everybody does?  ;-)

Growing up in India, we used to use this thing that apparently came on wires
-- though I have never actually see it with my eyes, I kinda believe the
wise people who assured us it did.  We used to attach the wires to a set of
holes in the wall that the Village Elders told us never to explore because
there were Evil Demons present in there.  Perhaps because of their Evil
Nature, the Wise Ones chose never to place any symbol next to the Wall
Holes, lest the symbols imbue the Evil Demons with more vengeful power than
they already possessed.

Since the Gods have now decreed that there is No Other Way to graphically
represent an On/Off switch I think we should hereafter accept it as our
totem.

Sorry to sound like a troll, but I am amused by the 'No Other Way'
perspective among some designers.  I think it is possible to both
acknowledge that there might be few options but to learn an arbitrarily
developed symbol as well as understand and accept that there are going to be
issues relating to having it universally recognized.  This is just being
realistic. Designing while esconced in an ivory tower is not particularly
useful.

Regards,

murli

On Fri, Feb 29, 2008 at 8:16 AM, Weixi Yen <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote:

> ...I'm guessing you don't use a power outlet ;)
>
> I don't see why there is so much hesitation to use the icon.  For whatever
> reason or other, this circle IO has become a standard.  Anyone who uses
> electricity (and those would be people using web apps) has probably
> encounted it.  That's why it is safe to use in the OP's situation.
>
> Also...
>
> http://images.google.com/images?ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8&sourceid=navclient&gfns=1&q=power+icon&um=1&sa=N&tab=wi
>
> There's really no other way to graphically represent an On/Off switch...
>



-- 
murli nagasundaram, ph.d. | www.murli.com |  [EMAIL PROTECTED] | +91 99 02 69
69 20

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Re: [IxDA Discuss] electronic Tattoo display.

[sajid saiyed]

Checkout skin tatoo's project by Philips Design.

http://www.design.philips.com/probes/projects/tattoo/index.page

It's a Design Probe.
To know more about design probes, you can read here:
http://www.design.philips.com/probes/whataredesignprobes/index.page

-sajid

On Thu, Feb 28, 2008 at 11:45 PM, Scott McDaniel <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote:
> With the Nokia conceptual video fueling some interesting discussion, I
>  thought I'd throw this out there as something perhaps even more
>  removed from our normal
>  approaches to design, but...well...it's not entirely implausible that
>  real application of this technology could come about.
>  Crazy kids...
>
>  http://www.physorg.com/news122819670.html
>
>  Jim Mielke's wireless blood-fueled display is a true merging of
>  technology and body art. At the recent Greener Gadgets Design
>  Competition, the engineer demonstrated a subcutaneously implanted
>  touch-screen that operates as a cell phone display, with the potential
>  for 3G video calls that are visible just underneath the skin.
>  The basis of the 2x4-inch "Digital Tattoo Interface" is a Bluetooth
>  device made of thin, flexible silicon and silicone. It´s inserted
>  through a small incision as a tightly rolled tube, and then it unfurls
>  beneath the skin to align between skin and muscle. Through the same
>  incision, two small tubes on the device are attached to an artery and
>  a vein to allow the blood to flow to a coin-sized blood fuel cell that
>  converts glucose and oxygen to electricity. After blood flows in from
>  the artery to the fuel cell, it flows out again through the vein.
>
>  On both the top and bottom surfaces of the display is a matching
>  matrix of field-producing pixels. The top surface also enables
>  touch-screen control through the skin. Instead of ink, the display
>  uses tiny microscopic spheres, somewhat similar to tattoo ink. A
>  field-sensitive material in the spheres changes their color from clear
>  to black, aligned with the matrix fields.
>
>  The tattoo display communicates wirelessly to other Bluetooth devices
>  - both in the outside world and within the same body. Although the
>  device is always on (as long as your blood´s flowing), the display can
>  be turned off and on by pushing a small dot on the skin. When the
>  phone rings, for example, an individual turns the display on, and "the
>  tattoo comes to life as a digital video of the caller," Mielke
>  explains. When the call ends, the tattoo disappears.
>
>  Could such an invasive device have harmful biological effects?
>  Actually, the device could offer health benefits. That´s because it
>  also continually monitors for many blood disorders, alerting the
>  person of a health problem.
>
>  The tattoo display is still just a concept, with no word on plans for
>  commercialization.
>
>
>  --
>  'Life' plus 'significance' = magic. ~ Grant Morrison
>  
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Re: [IxDA Discuss] Interaction design of appliances

[sajid saiyed]

sorry Mark, I forgot to reply all :)

Hi,
Yes I do interaction design for both consumer electronics as well as
domestic appliances.
I work for Philips Design, so I would say you can try Philips if you
are looking to get hired.

Try careers section on http://www.design.philips.com to see if there
are any relevant job openings.

-sajid

On Fri, Feb 29, 2008 at 4:57 AM, mark schraad <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote:
> The ergonomic abstracts could keep you reading for years to come on this
>  topic.
>  Mark
>
>
>
>
>  On Thu, Feb 28, 2008 at 5:46 PM, timoni grone <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote:
>
>  > >
>  > > >  Does anybody has an experience of designing interactions for
>  > > >  appliances? Does anybody HIRE such people? I would like to be the
>  > > >  first candidate ;)
>  > >
>  >
>  > Yes, there are a lot of people who think about appliance design.  If
>  > you're
>  > looking to get hired, IDEO immediately comes to mind (
>  > http://www.ideo.com/ideo.asp).
>  >
>  > Additionally, there is a LOT of literature about object design.  Donald
>  > Norman's books are a good place to start, as is Christopher Alexander's
>  > large body of work (especially *Notes on the Synthesis of Form* and *A
>  > Pattern Language*).  Their subject matter doesn't always touch
>  > specifically
>  > on appliances, but it's general enough to be applicable.  Lots of teapot
>  > references, too.  :)
>  > 
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