Re: [IxDA Discuss] UPA conferences
oliver green wrote: > Hi All, > > Needed some advice on the upcoming UPA conference - are these useful > for practitioners? How about from an academic point of view The UPA conferences are definitely geared towards practioners rather than academics. Almost all of the presentations are from practioners (or at least academics who do significant consulting on the side). I recommend going to them if you can. Ron 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
[IxDA Discuss] SHiFT is looking for speaker suggestions
SHiFT (Social and Human Ideas For Technology) is an International Conference that takes place in Lisbon, Portugal. The second edition is going to take place this year on October 15 to 17. I'm part of the organizing team and we are now looking for people to suggest speakers. Since we are having a User Experience track I thought that it would be a good idea to ask you to suggest some speakers names. So, feel free to send suggestions here or to [EMAIL PROTECTED] The closing date for suggestions is the end of March. For more info on the conferece, check our website at: http://www.shift.pt. I hope to see you there in October. It's going to be a great conference. 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
Re: [IxDA Discuss] Most usable doesn't always mean best solution
At 11:19 AM -0500 3/4/08, Todd Zaki Warfel wrote: >On Mar 4, 2008, at 10:59 AM, Elizabeth Buie wrote: >Whether we like it or not, and personally I don't really >like it, the reality is that these people are doing usability work >and it's rather common. I agree. But that doesn't make them usability professionals. >>Then would you mind explaining what you had in mind when you said >>that a design was less usable but more satisfying? Help me out here. > > >Can't. Satisfaction is included in my definition of usability. Let me repeat. YOU said that a design was more satisfying but less usable. How do you reconcile that discrepancy? I am perfectly willing to agree that a design can be both more satisfying and less usable, if the efficiency and/or effectiveness measures counter the satisfaction measure strongly enough so that they bring down the overall rating. But in your description of the "usability" of the design, the only thing you mentioned in calling it "less usable" was its efficiency. Therein lies my confusion. >>I have clients in the government, nonprofit, and commercial >>sectors. Which industry did you have in mind? :-) > >Based on your site, it looks like your focus is on government and >non-profit. Aha, you looked at my projects list. I need to update that. :-) >Last year at UPA, I taught an entire day long tutorial on creating >data-driven design research persons. I would like to have taken that. >not one single person in the room of 50+ ever once referenced the >ISO 9241 definition of usability. >Additionally, I've spoken at a number of UPA groups and have not >once heard any reference to ISO 9241. I didn't say that people talk about 9241, but that it's very common for them to know that usability consists of effectiveness, efficiency, and satisfaction. It's not necessary to mention those three factors by name, to be guided by them. We often see people talk about "Can they do the tasks?" "How long does it take them?" "How much do they like the product?" Elizabeth -- Elizabeth Buie Principal Consultant Luminanze Consulting, LLC tel +1.301.943.4168 fax +1.301.949.9694 http://www.luminanze.com 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
[IxDA Discuss] web app messaging
Hi Everybody. I've written to the list with a few of these practical questions and always received helpful answers, so here's one more. Are there any patterns or good examples of feedback/error type messaging in a web app? Here's a breakdown of the specific issues: 1 User can perform action on a single or multiple selection of list items 2 Message can either be a confirmation of the action with undo option, or an error 3 The top or bottom of the screen may not be visible when the action completes, so the messages need to be visible at (almost) any scroll position 4 Messages could contain next action links, eg. login, register, undo Most examples I've seen cover 1, 2, and 4 .. but I haven't seen any good examples that solve 3 Any tips would be appreciated. Matt. 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
Re: [IxDA Discuss] Most usable doesn't always mean best solution
On Mar 6, 2008, at 9:08 AM, Todd Zaki Warfel wrote: > On Mar 6, 2008, at 7:32 AM, Elizabeth Buie wrote: > >> I agree. But that doesn't make them usability professionals. > > Semantics. Call them usability practitioners, call them "people > practicing usability," but they're getting paid for doing usability > work, which is one of the definitions of a professional. BTW, I don't like it anymore than you that these people are doing usability work. In fact, I'm rather bothered by it. But it is a reality that it is happening and we need to be conscious of it. The fact that you don't consider them professionals says something about your confidence in their ability to do this work well, at least that would be my interpretation. And with that I would agree. Cheers! Todd Zaki Warfel President, Design Researcher Messagefirst | Designing Information. Beautifully. -- Contact Info Voice: (215) 825-7423 Email: [EMAIL PROTECTED] AIM:[EMAIL PROTECTED] Blog: http://toddwarfel.com -- In theory, theory and practice are the same. In practice, they are not. 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
Re: [IxDA Discuss] Most usable doesn't always mean best solution
On Mar 6, 2008, at 7:32 AM, Elizabeth Buie wrote: > I agree. But that doesn't make them usability professionals. Semantics. Call them usability practitioners, call them "people practicing usability," but they're getting paid for doing usability work, which is one of the definitions of a professional. > Let me repeat. YOU said that a design was more satisfying but less > usable. How do you reconcile that discrepancy? > > I am perfectly willing to agree that a design can be both more > satisfying and less usable, if the efficiency and/or effectiveness > measures counter the satisfaction measure strongly enough so that > they bring down the overall rating. But in your description of the > "usability" of the design, the only thing you mentioned in calling > it "less usable" was its efficiency. Therein lies my confusion. First, satisfaction is only one factor in determining usability. Second, participants were stalled a bit at the screen and took significantly longer to fill out these three questions than what we've seen in the past. Now, that's not rocket science since there were close to 4x as many questions and they were each in random order. Third, as I've already said and I'll say it again, many people doing usability work focus on efficiency and think efficiency=usability. My point is that it doesn't. Might be obvious to you, but speaking from experience having watched and spoken to others doing usability work, as well as having read usability reports from others doing usability work, I can tell you, like it or not, that often the focus is mostly on efficiency. > I would like to have taken that. Well, if you're at the IA summit, you'll be able to hear a talk about it. It's not the workshop, but it will be a talk. Cheers! Todd Zaki Warfel President, Design Researcher Messagefirst | Designing Information. Beautifully. -- Contact Info Voice: (215) 825-7423 Email: [EMAIL PROTECTED] AIM:[EMAIL PROTECTED] Blog: http://toddwarfel.com -- In theory, theory and practice are the same. In practice, they are not. 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
Re: [IxDA Discuss] Most usable doesn't always mean best solution
Maybe I'm interpreting this discussion wrong, but it seems to be belittling the value of effectiveness and efficiency. Regardless of whether a product (read: product or service) provides the user with some level of satisfaction, it is better that it be effective and efficient than not. If a company that has previously paid little or no attention to any of the stated aspects of usability (and this seems to be a significant proportion of the marketplace) brings in someone to improve efficiency and effectiveness, the products will become more effective and efficient. This is almost certainly a positive outcome. Is it as good as if satisfaction was also addressed? Of course not. The more factors impacting user experience that are addressed, the better the product. Someone calling themselves a user experience professional could easily bash a usability professional for "only" addressing effectiveness, efficiency and satisfaction. This is where I find semantic arguments over the definition of usability not particularly useful. What really matters is which parts of the constellation of factors impacting user experience are addressed, not which label is applied to some arbitrary subset of those factors. I do think these discussions highlight something important though, which is the increasing recognition of the importance of a wide range of factors that impact the quality of a product. This is leading to broadening definitions of usability, IA, and IxD to be more encompassing of the whole experience. If you ask any particular usability professional, IA or IxD what they do, my guess is the answers would be very similar, whereas in the past that might not have been the case. -- A different Todd > BTW, I don't like it anymore than you that these people are doing > usability work. In fact, I'm rather bothered by it. But it is a > reality that it is happening and we need to be conscious of it. The > fact that you don't consider them professionals says something about > your confidence in their ability to do this work well, at least that > would be my interpretation. And with that I would agree. > > > Cheers! > > Todd Zaki Warfel > 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
Re: [IxDA Discuss] US/UK user testing
I also have worked with Usability Sciences while at Sony. I've worked with them in their lab in Texas and also traveled with them to Japan. They have a great set of custom tools they've built and can give some very interesting reports. They were all very kind and easy to work with. Best, Jason Conness Dir. User Experience TV Guide . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Posted from the new ixda.org http://www.ixda.org/discuss?post=25614 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
Re: [IxDA Discuss] Most usable doesn't always mean best solution
On Mar 6, 2008, at 9:48 AM, Todd Roberts wrote: > I do think these discussions highlight something important though, > which is the increasing recognition of the importance of a wide > range of factors that impact the quality of a product. I think this is the most important point of the discussion, or at least my original intent. Cheers! Todd Zaki Warfel President, Design Researcher Messagefirst | Designing Information. Beautifully. -- Contact Info Voice: (215) 825-7423 Email: [EMAIL PROTECTED] AIM:[EMAIL PROTECTED] Blog: http://toddwarfel.com -- In theory, theory and practice are the same. In practice, they are not. 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
Re: [IxDA Discuss] web app messaging
Matt- Here are two suggestions depending on how your information is processed. 1. If you're doing your validation on the fly using javascript, using something like the "lost focus" event, then you can just put the message right where the user is, since whatever they just did triggered the error. This works even if the error actually exists somewhere else; for instance, if I put in my ZIP code on page 1 of a form, and the state I live in on page 2, and there was a conflict, I should put the message next to the "state" field that triggered the error if there is a conflict, even though the most likely reason is that I fat-fingered the ZIP. At least then I know where to go to fix it. 2. If you're validating on the submit action, then you can cerate a "status" box at the top of the form that gives both success, warning, and error messages in list form. You just need to make sure that the messages are well-referenced; of course you know better than to say "invalid value in field 36", unless "field 36" is the actual label of the input. Hope that helps, Dante Dante Murphy | Director of Information Architecture | D I G I T A S H E A L T H 229 South 18th Street | Rittenhouse Square | Philadelphia, PA 19103 | USA Email: [EMAIL PROTECTED] www.digitashealth.com -Original Message- Are there any patterns or good examples of feedback/error type messaging in a web app? Here's a breakdown of the specific issues: 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
Re: [IxDA Discuss] web app messaging
Hi, Thanks for the tips, however these aren't really "form" interactions. The interaction is with a list of item.. typical actions would be remove, save to another list, etc. Any of these actions can be performed on a single item in the list, or on a selection of multiple items. Think Gmail. The biggest issue is that on a page with 15 items, the user could be scrolled half way down the page, so putting the messages at the top (like gmail) doesn't really work. Matt. On Thu, Mar 6, 2008 at 10:28 AM, Dante Murphy <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > Matt- > Here are two suggestions depending on how your information is processed. > > 1. If you're doing your validation on the fly using javascript, using > something like the "lost focus" event, then you can just put the message > right where the user is, since whatever they just did triggered the > error. This works even if the error actually exists somewhere else; for > instance, if I put in my ZIP code on page 1 of a form, and the state I > live in on page 2, and there was a conflict, I should put the message > next to the "state" field that triggered the error if there is a > conflict, even though the most likely reason is that I fat-fingered the > ZIP. At least then I know where to go to fix it. > > 2. If you're validating on the submit action, then you can cerate a > "status" box at the top of the form that gives both success, warning, > and error messages in list form. You just need to make sure that the > messages are well-referenced; of course you know better than to say > "invalid value in field 36", unless "field 36" is the actual label of > the input. > > Hope that helps, > Dante > > Dante Murphy | Director of Information Architecture | D I G I T A S H E > A L T H > 229 South 18th Street | Rittenhouse Square | Philadelphia, PA 19103 | > USA > Email: [EMAIL PROTECTED] > www.digitashealth.com > > > -Original Message- > > Are there any patterns or good examples of feedback/error type > messaging in a web app? Here's a breakdown of the specific issues: > > -- Matt Nish-Lapidus work: [EMAIL PROTECTED] / www.bibliocommons.com -- personal: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Welcome to the Interaction Design Association (IxDA)! To post to this list ... [EMAIL PROTECTED] Unsubscribe http://www.ixda.org/unsubscribe List Guidelines http://www.ixda.org/guidelines List Help .. http://www.ixda.org/help
[IxDA Discuss] Remote usability testing
I've been recently tasked with testing users on a call center application... here's the kicker -- the client doesn't want to foot the bill for air travel. I will have access to video conferencing and I think that I will be able to use some kind of web conferencing software (like WebEx), but I've never had to do anything like this. Does anyone have experience with remote usability testing? Any recommendations on how to carry this out? Thanks in advance! k. 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
Re: [IxDA Discuss] web app messaging
If it's a really simple message (success, problem, etc), you could put a small indicator next to each record that saved, and your longer message at the top. That way people will know which records succeeded or failed, and have a longer more descriptive text at the top. I built a master-detail record updater a few years back where after you saved a record you came back to the master list. To show that your record saved, I put the message up top, and a bright read "Saved!" piece next to the name of the actual record. It solved one of our more common usability complaints. Bryan http://www.bryanminihan.com -Original Message- From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] On Behalf Of Jack Moffett Sent: Thursday, March 06, 2008 10:50 AM To: IxDA Discuss Subject: Re: [IxDA Discuss] web app messaging Matt, Could you use a floating div positioned to the center (or top) of the current view? Jack On Mar 6, 2008, at 10:36 AM, Matthew Nish-Lapidus wrote: > The biggest issue is that on a page with 15 items, the user could be > scrolled half way down the page, so putting the messages at the top > (like gmail) doesn't really work. Jack L. Moffett Interaction Designer inmedius 412.459.0310 x219 http://www.inmedius.com If there's anything more annoying than a machine that won't do what you want, it's a machine that won't do what you want and has been programmed to behave as though it likes you. - Don Norman Welcome to the Interaction Design Association (IxDA)! To post to this list ... [EMAIL PROTECTED] Unsubscribe http://www.ixda.org/unsubscribe List Guidelines http://www.ixda.org/guidelines List Help .. http://www.ixda.org/help Welcome to the Interaction Design Association (IxDA)! 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
Re: [IxDA Discuss] web app messaging
Matt, Could you use a floating div positioned to the center (or top) of the current view? Jack On Mar 6, 2008, at 10:36 AM, Matthew Nish-Lapidus wrote: > The biggest issue is that on a page with 15 items, the user could be > scrolled half way down the page, so putting the messages at the top > (like gmail) doesn't really work. Jack L. Moffett Interaction Designer inmedius 412.459.0310 x219 http://www.inmedius.com If there's anything more annoying than a machine that won't do what you want, it's a machine that won't do what you want and has been programmed to behave as though it likes you. - Don Norman 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
Re: [IxDA Discuss] Remote usability testing
http://www.techsmith.com/uservue.asp Dante Murphy | Director of Information Architecture | D I G I T A S H E A L T H 229 South 18th Street | Rittenhouse Square | Philadelphia, PA 19103 | USA Email: [EMAIL PROTECTED] www.digitashealth.com -Original Message- I've been recently tasked with testing users on a call center application... here's the kicker -- the client doesn't want to foot the bill for air travel. I will have access to video conferencing and I think that I will be able to use some kind of web conferencing software (like WebEx), but I've never had to do anything like this. Does anyone have experience with remote usability testing? Any recommendations on how to carry this out? Thanks in advance! k. 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
Re: [IxDA Discuss] Remote usability testing
At 07:43 AM 3/6/2008, Kevin Doyle wrote: >I've been recently tasked with testing users on a call center >application...here's the kicker -- the client doesn't want to foot >the bill for air travel. I will have access to video conferencing >and I think that I will be able to use some kind of web conferencing >software (like WebEx), but I've never had to do anything like this. >Does anyone have experience with remote usability testing? Any >recommendations on how to carry this out? Hi Kevin, UserVue is especially valuable when teams want to collect their observations during test sessions in a common log and review points of interest in the recordings after the sessions. For the highly iterative testing I typically do, where there isn't time to review recordings between tests, I use Citrix GoToMeeting http://www.gotomeeting.com/ which is less expensive and very easy for participants to use. It includes a conference call service, whose only drawback is that it's a toll call for participants and observers. GoToMeeting can record sessions if you use their conference call service. If you'd like to provide a toll-free number as a courtesy to participants, which I typically do, you can use a two-line phone with a Conference button to connect the toll-free call with the GoToMeeting call. Best, Mitchell Gass uLab | PDA: Learning from Users | Designing with Users Berkeley, CA 94707 USA +1 510 525-6864 office +1 415 637-6552 mobile +1 510 525-4246 fax http://www.participatorydesign.com/ Mitchell Gass uLab | PDA: Learning from Users | Designing with Users Berkeley, CA 94707 USA +1 510 525-6864 office +1 415 637-6552 mobile +1 510 525-4246 fax http://www.participatorydesign.com/ 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
Re: [IxDA Discuss] First Set of Interaction08 Videos
Not to be impatient :) but is there any news on the Chris Conley video yet? It's one that I'm really eager to share with my colleagues. Just wanted to make sure I didn't miss an announcement about it! Thanks! Meredith . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Posted from the new ixda.org http://www.ixda.org/discuss?post=25901 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
Re: [IxDA Discuss] web app messaging
" Are there any patterns or good examples of feedback/error type messaging in a web app? Here's a breakdown of the specific issues:" If you've got a particularly rich client you can try something along the lines of outlook's notification system (the little window at the bottom right of your screen that appears). Essentially a floating alert box. I've got the benefit of using Flex for this, I don't know how possible it would be in HTML. Gk. Gregor Kiddie Senior Developer INPS Tel: 01382 564343 Registered address: The Bread Factory, 1a Broughton Street, London SW8 3QJ Registered Number: 1788577 Registered in the UK Visit our Internet Web site at www.inps.co.uk The information in this internet email is confidential and is intended solely for the addressee. Access, copying or re-use of information in it by anyone else is not authorised. Any views or opinions presented are solely those of the author and do not necessarily represent those of INPS or any of its affiliates. If you are not the intended recipient please contact [EMAIL PROTECTED] Welcome to the Interaction Design Association (IxDA)! To post to this list ... [EMAIL PROTECTED] Unsubscribe http://www.ixda.org/unsubscribe List Guidelines http://www.ixda.org/guidelines List Help .. http://www.ixda.org/help
Re: [IxDA Discuss] web app messaging
Web2.0 translucent overlay? A dialogue box that centres to the screen with the background greyed-out example*: http://nerd.metrocat.org/wp-content/uploads/2006/04/screen2.jpg * - not one of mine :) J. 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
Re: [IxDA Discuss] Remote usability testing
We do remote testing all the time. Check out the Morae suite of tools. if your company will make investment you will get lots of mileage for testing locally and remotely. Here';s more info: http://www.techsmith.com/morae.asp?CMP=KgoogleMtmhome Susan Johnson netXperience Practice Director CSC Consulting Group 266 Second Avenue Waltham, MA 02451-1122 Direct: 781-290-1370 Mobile: 617-571-3494 Fax: 781-890-1208 CSC Consulting, Inc. Registered Office: 29 Sawyer Road, Waltham Massachusetts 02453, USA Registered in USA No: 042593545 This is a PRIVATE message. If you are not the intended recipient, please delete without copying and kindly advise us by e-mail of the mistake in delivery. NOTE: Regardless of content, this e-mail shall not operate to bind CSC to any order or other contract unless pursuant to explicit written agreement or government initiative expressly permitting the use of e-mail for such purpose. "Kevin Doyle" <[EMAIL PROTECTED] m> To Sent by: "IXDA list" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> [EMAIL PROTECTED] cc ists.interactiond esigners.com Subject [IxDA Discuss] Remote usability testing 03/06/2008 10:43 AM I've been recently tasked with testing users on a call center application... here's the kicker -- the client doesn't want to foot the bill for air travel. I will have access to video conferencing and I think that I will be able to use some kind of web conferencing software (like WebEx), but I've never had to do anything like this. Does anyone have experience with remote usability testing? Any recommendations on how to carry this out? Thanks in advance! k. Welcome to the Interaction Design Association (IxDA)! To post to this list ... [EMAIL PROTECTED] Unsubscribe http://www.ixda.org/unsubscribe List Guidelines http://www.ixda.org/guidelines List Help .. http://www.ixda.org/help Welcome to the Interaction Design Association (IxDA)! 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
Re: [IxDA Discuss] Remote usability testing
Is the call center application on your machine or on the test participants' machines? If it's on theirs, you can simply watch via WebEx, or you can have Morae Recorder capturing the WebEx session as you see it. If it's on yours... you have a tougher problem. Maybe UserVue allows participants to access apps on your machine -- I don't have it, so I can't say. But this issue has been a big one for me, so I wanted to be sure you were considering it. -Sarah Kampman . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Posted from the new ixda.org http://www.ixda.org/discuss?post=26850 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
Re: [IxDA Discuss] Usability is more than...
On Mar 5, 2008, at 1:35 PM, Jeff Howard wrote: > I dug back into the archives to find the original quotes that inspired > my question. I'm particularly interested in understanding of the role > of usability beyond evaluation. Any readings or insights along those > lines would be much appreciated. The biggest problem you're going to run into is one of the usability field's own making to a certain degree. That is, usability is as much if not more about research as it is about evaluation, which most translate as "testing" unfortunately. Research is the real heart of the matter for good design. Evaluation is often merely a means to satisfy one's own desire to get validation on what they've done, or somehow prove that what they've created was worth the money. But it's almost always an afterthought in that it comes in the point of the process where it has the least influence on what can be altered since it's already been designed in order to be tested. Once you treat evaluation as only one portion of the equation, and a somewhat smaller one at that, imho, and bring research back into the forefront of your corporate culture for your design process, then everything changes. For the better. It also allows you to drop thinking about "usability" as only an evaluation tool, and allows the "useful, usable, desirable" triumvirate to have far depeer meaning. -- Andrei Herasimchuk Principal, Involution Studios innovating the digital world e. [EMAIL PROTECTED] c. +1 408 306 6422 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
Re: [IxDA Discuss] Usability is more than...
On Mar 6, 2008, at 12:25 PM, Andrei Herasimchuk wrote: > That is, usability is as much if not more about research as it is > about evaluation, which most > translate as "testing" unfortunately. Excellent point Andrei. Our company puts usability under the research umbrella. We do call it out in our service offerings, because companies search for that term specifically. However, I've always been of the school of thought that usability analysis/testing is a research method. You'll find this in the way we run our studies as well—they're as much about exploratory research as they are about seeing if the participant can complete a task/goal. Cheers! Todd Zaki Warfel President, Design Researcher Messagefirst | Designing Information. Beautifully. -- Contact Info Voice: (215) 825-7423 Email: [EMAIL PROTECTED] AIM:[EMAIL PROTECTED] Blog: http://toddwarfel.com -- In theory, theory and practice are the same. In practice, they are not. 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
Re: [IxDA Discuss] Where are all the designers?
I know this thread is probably over-cooked, but I think it's absolutely ludicrous to suggest that whether or not you get to do "interesting work" depends on your geographic location. Job/project opportunities may be more abundant in cities, but the "interestingness" of the work comes more from the individual than the work itself. - Russ blog: http://www.dexodesign.com On Sun, Feb 24, 2008 at 12:05 PM, Dwayne King <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > > On Feb 21, 2008, at 7:26 AM, Dan Saffer wrote: > > > Location still matters. > > > I don't know. We're based in Portland Oregon, we do some local work > but most of our revenue comes from San Francisco and Washington D.C. > > It makes for a fair amount of plane travel and web conferencing, but > all in all it allows us to live where cost of living is reasonable, > quality of life is high an keeps our rates in check to be more > competitive than a lot of the NYC and SF groups. > > That said, finding people is tough in Portland also. It seems supply > and demand is out of whack. > > best regards, > Dwayne > > 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 > -- Russell Wilson Vice President of Product Design, NetQoS Blog: http://www.dexodesign.com 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
Re: [IxDA Discuss] Remote usability testing
Wow! I was not expecting replies this fast, everyone! Thank you so much! I've only recently sold my employer on the value of usability testing and, well, he's gone gang-busters on finding usability work for me. Be careful what you wish for, eh? ;-) Most usability testing I've done is usually paper-based (re: Carolyn Snyder), HTML mock-ups or off of the UAT after a majority of the development has already been done. Your replies have been more than helpful -- thanks again, everyone. k. On Thu, Mar 6, 2008 at 1:35 PM, Jason Richardson <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > Hi Kevin, > We do an extensive amount of remote usability testing at E&Y on our > applications. From a technical point of view, we are a Notes shop so we use > Sametime Meeting to view the screens and capture the test with Camtasia. In > your case, if you have a video feed as well you'll be able to capture some > physical reactions to questions or tasks which we can't do with our testing. > > Not sure if you were also looking for some logistical aspects to remote > testing, but here are a few that we use. > > >- We use conference calls that have a toll free option for observers >and participants. We typically have our observers dial in 10-15 minutes >early so we don't hear beeping throughout the test. We then stress to the >observers to stay on mute until after the test is completed and questions >are opened to everyone. Nothing worse then hearing a sidebar conversation >or coughing attack that leaks into the test. >- We send out our observation worksheets prior to the test in order >to maintain a consistent note-taking style. Since all of our observers are >remote, this also helps them stay on track with the questions. >- Not sure if you're tests will be international or across time >zones but we need to watch ours and make sure our invitations are correct. >It sounds obvious, but coordinating 10-15 tests across the US, UK and India >can sometimes get a little messy. >- Translation hasn't been a problem often, but in some instances >we've either IM'd or emailed the question to a participant if they were >proficient at reading English but had trouble understanding the question >over the phone. > > > Jason > > On Thu, Mar 6, 2008 at 10:43 AM, Kevin Doyle <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > > > I've been recently tasked with testing users on a call center > > application... > > here's the kicker -- the client doesn't want to foot the bill for air > > travel. I will have access to video conferencing and I think that I will > > be > > able to use some kind of web conferencing software (like WebEx), but > > I've > > never had to do anything like this. Does anyone have experience with > > remote > > usability testing? Any recommendations on how to carry this out? > > > > Thanks in advance! > > k. > > > > Welcome to the Interaction Design Association (IxDA)! > > To post to this list ... [EMAIL PROTECTED] > > Unsubscribe http://www.ixda.org/unsubscribe > > List Guidelines http://www.ixda.org/guidelines > > List Help .. http://www.ixda.org/help > > > > Welcome to the Interaction Design Association (IxDA)! 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
Re: [IxDA Discuss] Remote usability testing
Hi Kevin, We do an extensive amount of remote usability testing at E&Y on our applications. From a technical point of view, we are a Notes shop so we use Sametime Meeting to view the screens and capture the test with Camtasia. In your case, if you have a video feed as well you'll be able to capture some physical reactions to questions or tasks which we can't do with our testing. Not sure if you were also looking for some logistical aspects to remote testing, but here are a few that we use. - We use conference calls that have a toll free option for observers and participants. We typically have our observers dial in 10-15 minutes early so we don't hear beeping throughout the test. We then stress to the observers to stay on mute until after the test is completed and questions are opened to everyone. Nothing worse then hearing a sidebar conversation or coughing attack that leaks into the test. - We send out our observation worksheets prior to the test in order to maintain a consistent note-taking style. Since all of our observers are remote, this also helps them stay on track with the questions. - Not sure if you're tests will be international or across time zones but we need to watch ours and make sure our invitations are correct. It sounds obvious, but coordinating 10-15 tests across the US, UK and India can sometimes get a little messy. - Translation hasn't been a problem often, but in some instances we've either IM'd or emailed the question to a participant if they were proficient at reading English but had trouble understanding the question over the phone. Jason On Thu, Mar 6, 2008 at 10:43 AM, Kevin Doyle <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > I've been recently tasked with testing users on a call center > application... > here's the kicker -- the client doesn't want to foot the bill for air > travel. I will have access to video conferencing and I think that I will > be > able to use some kind of web conferencing software (like WebEx), but I've > never had to do anything like this. Does anyone have experience with > remote > usability testing? Any recommendations on how to carry this out? > > Thanks in advance! > k. > > Welcome to the Interaction Design Association (IxDA)! > To post to this list ... [EMAIL PROTECTED] > Unsubscribe http://www.ixda.org/unsubscribe > List Guidelines http://www.ixda.org/guidelines > List Help .. http://www.ixda.org/help > Welcome to the Interaction Design Association (IxDA)! 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
Re: [IxDA Discuss] First Set of Interaction08 Videos
The other video that seems to be missing is the keynote from Malcom McCullough. Does anyone know if that will get posted? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Posted from the new ixda.org http://www.ixda.org/discuss?post=25901 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
Re: [IxDA Discuss] Remote usability testing
Hi Kevin, We did a lot of remote usability testing while I was at Microsoft since our customer councils were spread out across the globe. Being able to record and annotate the recording is really critical... MS had a custom tool, but I'd look to the tools that others have recommended for some good ideas. Beyond that I think there are some procedural questions that you might want to consider. Since you aren't going to be there to work with the participants face-to-face, I recommend arranging a 10-15 minute phone call before conducting any testing to introduce yourself and just talk about the process. This was helpful for laying the ground work and getting the user used to talking to you on the phone, in the same way practicing a think aloud in person helps the user adjust to that process. Since you're doing this remotely, you have the benefit of users using the software to do their own tasks, as opposed to tasks that you have created (assuming your users are already using the software). In this case, you might consider a diary study, where users take notes on their use of the software for 2 weeks - jotting down how they used the system, making special notes of any high or low points. You can then use the diary for a guided retrospective during your actual interview, and cast a wider net in terms of issues that you find. There are certainly tradeoffs between a diary study and a traditional one-shot usability study, but I was fairly successful in finding a fair few critical issues with a remote diary study. Good luck! -Sam 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
Re: [IxDA Discuss] First Set of Interaction08 Videos
Unfortunately there were technical problems with Malcolm's keynote video and it is likely we won't have it to distribute. There was a rumor about a bootleg of it (seriously), but I have yet to see it. Dan 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
Re: [IxDA Discuss] Remote usability testing
Remote testing really becomes useful when the user-designer gap is huge gegraphically. Like when I was in India, the clients would mostly be in US or Europe. This is a pretty petty thing but one thing to make sure while doing remote user testing is that the users are taking the test in the time zone that they are most comfortable using the application. For example if you are testing a office mail application, you would not want the user to take the test at night (unless ofcourse the call center here, is working at the night). Also, it is advisable, if you could have a person to act as the observer at the remote location. This is especially useful to take into consideration the user's actions, that cannot be captured by softwares like Webex. After the meeting, the observer could send you the noted observations. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Posted from the new ixda.org http://www.ixda.org/discuss?post=26850 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
Re: [IxDA Discuss] SHiFT is looking for speaker suggestions
Hello Bruno, Great news, who are the speakers until now? best regards. Pedro Soares Neves Userdesign.org . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Posted from the new ixda.org http://www.ixda.org/discuss?post=26839 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
[IxDA Discuss] [JOB] # Interaction Designer # Brooklyn, NY # EnergyHub # Full Time
Company: EnergyHub Job Title: Interaction Designer Location: Carroll Gardens/Park Slope Brooklyn (Gowanus) Description: EnergyHub is a funded, early-stage startup dedicated to developing green consumer electronics for reducing home energy consumption. We are a small office of engineers and designers who share a passion for elegant, user-centered design and enjoy developing innovative solutions to tough design problems. We're looking for a talented interaction designer to work closely with the Design Director to develop the look, feel, and key functionality of the screen-based user interfaces in support of the overall product experience. Responsibilities will include the following: · Act as the primary interaction designer of engaging and simple, data-driven user interfaces for both stand-alone devices and web-based applications. · Design and produce documentation, wireframes, and functional specifications of the interfaces and work with the lead software engineer to implement and validate your designs. · Be an active participant in building and refining our company’s brand and visual identity. · Participate in user research - including observation and interviews - to better understand our audience, their needs, affinities, and capabilities. Research will also be performed to gather data on general use patterns and to assess usability of our products as iterations of the designs are completed. Qualifications and Skills: · Strong graphic design sensibility and skill set to facilitate the creation of visually rich wireframes, presentation graphics, and prototype interfaces for testing. These skills will be essential as we develop the company’s brand and visual identity. · Demonstrated ability to manage short and long term projects/ timelines, while being sure that identified deadlines and schedules are met. · The ability to drive research, communicate findings, and make research findings actionable. · Prior experience in designing consumer-oriented interfaces. · Bachelors degree in Graphic or Human Factors, Interaction Design or a related program and a minimum of 2 years’ relevant work experience, OR 4 or more years designing interactive experiences - including information architecture, user interface, and information design. Preferred Qualifications: · Advanced degree in human-computer interaction, visual design, and/or information science or related field. Compensation is commensurate with experience. Please send your resume along with a cover letter briefly describing your interests, any relevant experiences you have had, and be sure to include some visual examples from projects you have worked on to [EMAIL PROTECTED] . Welcome to the Interaction Design Association (IxDA)! To post to this list ... [EMAIL PROTECTED] Unsubscribe http://www.ixda.org/unsubscribe List Guidelines http://www.ixda.org/guidelines List Help .. http://www.ixda.org/help
Re: [IxDA Discuss] Remote usability testing
Just to add to the list as I practically do usability testing for various regions based on the project requirements. 1) If no budget for tools, try using Netmeeting that comes with practically all Windows Desktops. 2) Have a good internet connection, this is very critical. ( Lag costs a lot of problem) 3) Before the testing, call the users and get accquainted and put the fears/issues/etc at rest. ( very important). I think these three are important for remote testing, plus all the normal usability testing items . Regards, Jay Kumar On 3/6/08, Kevin Doyle <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > I've been recently tasked with testing users on a call center application... > here's the kicker -- the client doesn't want to foot the bill for air > travel. I will have access to video conferencing and I think that I will be > able to use some kind of web conferencing software (like WebEx), but I've > never had to do anything like this. Does anyone have experience with remote > usability testing? Any recommendations on how to carry this out? > > Thanks in advance! > k. > > Welcome to the Interaction Design Association (IxDA)! > To post to this list ... [EMAIL PROTECTED] > Unsubscribe http://www.ixda.org/unsubscribe > List Guidelines http://www.ixda.org/guidelines > List Help .. http://www.ixda.org/help > Welcome to the Interaction Design Association (IxDA)! 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
