Re: [IxDA Discuss] User Research: Three user groups, five hours. What would you do?

[FoongYeen Chan]

Sometime I will do mind mapping. There are tools like Mind Manager that able
to facilitate the creation of mind map quickly.


cheers,
CHAN



On Thu, Feb 5, 2009 at 11:29 AM, A S  wrote:

> Oh-oh, I draw pictures.
>  = : ^ )
>
> 
>
>
>
> Andrew Schechterman PhD
>
> LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/in/andrewschechterman
>
> E-mail: aschechter...@gmail.com
>
> Phone: 1-303-886-2440
>
>
>
> :
>
>
> On Wed, Feb 4, 2009 at 3:26 AM, Harry  wrote:
>
> > I vaguely recall reading that Microsoft OneNote can be used to record
> audio
> > and binds it with your notes as you write them. When you are viewing them
> > afterwards, you can double click on any line of text, and it will jump
> the
> > audio recording to that point.
> >
> > Has anyone tried it, and is it any good for taking notes in interviews?
> Are
> > there any other apps that do this?
> >
> > Harry
> > 
> > Welcome to the Interaction Design Association (IxDA)!
> > To post to this list ... disc...@ixda.org
> > Unsubscribe  http://www.ixda.org/unsubscribe
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> >
> 
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>

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Re: [IxDA Discuss] User Research: Three user groups, five hours. What would you do?

[Francis Norton]

2009/2/5 Jared Spool 

>
> Taking notes during interviewing is a different set of skills, because (as
> Katie aptly pointed out) you need to stay present in the moment and be
> working on the dialogue with the participant *while* you're making the
> notes.
>
> The best resources are going to either be from journalism or ethnography.
> Studying note taking techniques won't work as well, nor will note taking
> techniques used for interrogation (practiced by police). They are different
> animals.
>

Now that's a different perspective - is there a story or two there? And can
you recommend any resources short of taking a journalism or ethnography
course?

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Re: [IxDA Discuss] CRM system for a UX team?

[Barbara Ballard]

On Wed, Feb 4, 2009 at 5:00 PM, Alina Barbuceanu  wrote:
> I've used Sugar CRM. It's the only stable, popular, open source
> solution there is.  It's a very feature rich CRM, has all you may
> possibly need or not need.

I'll second that assessment.

However, don't rely on it to do bulk email. It claims it does it, but
doesn't. And hopefully you won't have to use its definitions of lead
vs. target. And converting people from one type (e.g., lead) to
another is questionable ... sometimes the data types don't match up.


We abandoned it since bulk email was a must-have for us. We are now
using Daylite, but it's pricey if you want to have several people
accessing it at once. It's cheap if you can put up with everybody
using the same account info (one seat).




Barbara Ballard
barb...@littlespringsdesign.com 1-785-838-3003

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Re: [IxDA Discuss] List ordering: alphabetical vs. logical?

[James Page]

The answer is it depends on what you are ordering, it also may depend on
where your participant is from, the length of the list.

On the question of ordering by country in our testing that we have done in a
remote study of over 100 participants, the findings where always list the
countries alphabetically. If you want to be clever place the top 5 countries
at the top of the list as well, but make sure that the country is listed
alphabetically as well. Less than 5% of your users will look at the top of
list.
People (at least in Germany/the Netherlands/Spain/UK/Austria/Italy) nearly
always look down the list to find their country in its correct alphabetical
order. When the country is promoted to the top of the list it adds
on average 15 seconds to peoples search time, and can lead to task
failure. Listing countries by region also does not work, but leads to a
lower failure rate than when the country is listed at the top of list out
of alphabetical order. One of the issues we had was on listing countries by
region was quite a high percentage of participants where unsure of which
region they where in.

We did not test with American participants, who may be used to the United
States been at the top.

Another test we carried out was to help people locate a bus stop using an
Ajax drop down. For this list quite a complex scoring system was used for
ordering the list. There where different weights for what characters the
user had entered, which region we thought the user was in, and popularity of
the bus stop. This worked better than a Alphabetical listing. The n on this
was about 40.

If you want to be more specific on what the list is I will see if we have
any findings to share.

James
http://blog.feralabs.com











2009/2/5 Elizabeth Buie 

> Jared wrote:
>
> >You lost me on the distinction between arbitrary and unpredictable.
>
> Alphabetical is arbitrary in that there is no logic to it; the order of the
> letters is an arbitary order that assigns no value or meaning or logic.  The
> fact that we all use the same arbitrary order is what makes it predictable.
>
> Elizabeth
>
> --
> Elizabeth Buie
> Luminanze Consulting, LLC
> tel +1.301.943.4168 (US)
> tel +39.347.394.7022 (Italia)
> fax +1.301.949.9694 (US only)
> www.luminanze.com
> 
> Welcome to the Interaction Design Association (IxDA)!
> To post to this list ... disc...@ixda.org
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>

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Re: [IxDA Discuss] User Research: Three user groups, five hours. What would you do?

[A S]

Oh-oh, I draw pictures.
 = : ^ )





Andrew Schechterman PhD

LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/in/andrewschechterman

E-mail: aschechter...@gmail.com

Phone: 1-303-886-2440



:


On Wed, Feb 4, 2009 at 3:26 AM, Harry  wrote:

> I vaguely recall reading that Microsoft OneNote can be used to record audio
> and binds it with your notes as you write them. When you are viewing them
> afterwards, you can double click on any line of text, and it will jump the
> audio recording to that point.
>
> Has anyone tried it, and is it any good for taking notes in interviews? Are
> there any other apps that do this?
>
> Harry
> 
> Welcome to the Interaction Design Association (IxDA)!
> To post to this list ... disc...@ixda.org
> Unsubscribe  http://www.ixda.org/unsubscribe
> List Guidelines  http://www.ixda.org/guidelines
> List Help .. http://www.ixda.org/help
>

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Re: [IxDA Discuss] List ordering: alphabetical vs. logical?

[Elizabeth Buie]

Jared wrote:

>You lost me on the distinction between arbitrary and unpredictable.

Alphabetical is arbitrary in that there is no logic to it; the order of the 
letters is an arbitary order that assigns no value or meaning or logic.  The 
fact that we all use the same arbitrary order is what makes it predictable.

Elizabeth

-- 
Elizabeth Buie
Luminanze Consulting, LLC
tel +1.301.943.4168 (US)
tel +39.347.394.7022 (Italia)
fax +1.301.949.9694 (US only)
www.luminanze.com

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Re: [IxDA Discuss] List ordering: alphabetical vs. logical?

[Jared Spool]

On Feb 4, 2009, at 6:34 PM, Elizabeth Buie wrote:


Jared wrote:


It is all about context. And in many, many contexts, alphabetical is
random.


Some people may be objecting to the characterization of alphabetical  
as random because they see "random" as "unpredictable" -- which  
alphabetical certainly is not... as long as you know the name of  
what you are looking for.  That is why I said it was arbitrary,  
which I think avoids the "random = unpredictable" problem.


You lost me on the distinction between arbitrary and unpredictable.

Otherwise, I'm there.

Jared

Jared M. Spool
User Interface Engineering
510 Turnpike St., Suite 102, North Andover, MA 01845
e: jsp...@uie.com p: +1 978 327 5561
http://uie.com  Blog: http://uie.com/brainsparks  Twitter: jmspool
UIE Web App Summit, 4/19-4/22: http://webappsummit.com

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Re: [IxDA Discuss] List ordering: alphabetical vs. logical?

[Angel Marquez]

Their is no such thing as random without context.

On Wed, Feb 4, 2009 at 6:34 PM, Elizabeth Buie  wrote:

> Jared wrote:
>
> >It is all about context. And in many, many contexts, alphabetical is
> >random.
>
> Some people may be objecting to the characterization of alphabetical as
> random because they see "random" as "unpredictable" -- which alphabetical
> certainly is not... as long as you know the name of what you are looking
> for.  That is why I said it was arbitrary, which I think avoids the "random
> = unpredictable" problem.
>
> Elizabeth
> --
> Elizabeth Buie
> Luminanze Consulting, LLC
> tel +1.301.943.4168 (US)
> tel +39.347.394.7022 (Italia)
> fax +1.301.949.9694 (US only)
> www.luminanze.com
> 
> Welcome to the Interaction Design Association (IxDA)!
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>

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Re: [IxDA Discuss] List ordering: alphabetical vs. logical?

[Elizabeth Buie]

Jared wrote:

>It is all about context. And in many, many contexts, alphabetical is  
>random.

Some people may be objecting to the characterization of alphabetical as random 
because they see "random" as "unpredictable" -- which alphabetical certainly is 
not... as long as you know the name of what you are looking for.  That is why I 
said it was arbitrary, which I think avoids the "random = unpredictable" 
problem.

Elizabeth
-- 
Elizabeth Buie
Luminanze Consulting, LLC
tel +1.301.943.4168 (US)
tel +39.347.394.7022 (Italia)
fax +1.301.949.9694 (US only)
www.luminanze.com

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Re: [IxDA Discuss] List ordering: alphabetical vs. logical?

[Jared Spool]

It is all about context. And in many, many contexts, alphabetical is  
random.


So, making it a blind "default" doesn't really work.

Jared

On Feb 4, 2009, at 5:33 PM, Mary Deaton wrote:

No, it doesn't sound different from shuffle, but when I open my  
music library list on line looking for things to put on my MP3  
player, I want the list of artists or songs or albums in  
alphabetical order. In that context and at that time, alphabetical  
is a well-ordered, predictable arrangement that makes it easy for me  
to find Ryan Adams or Ziggy Marley. It is all about context and user  
goals, isn't it?


On Wed, Feb 4, 2009 at 3:06 PM, Jared Spool  wrote:

On Feb 4, 2009, at 10:13 AM, Mary Deaton wrote:

I disagree that alphabetical is random; it is quite well-ordered by a
long-set of standing rules.

Really?

Here's a suggestion: take your iTunes music list and play each song  
in alphabetical order. See if it sounds different from shuffle.


I bet not.

Jared






--
Mary Deaton
Yes we can. Yes we did. Yes we will



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Re: [IxDA Discuss] List ordering: alphabetical vs. logical?

[Angel Marquez]

I just took a class and we had to do a card sort and I did alphabetical off
the bat. It is universal order. The teacher didn't approve of why quick
to alphabetize approach...
Yes, Adam, Ryan and The Cardinal rocks and Marley, Ziggy lays it down just
like his pops.

When I'm in iTunes Album order (in alpha) is better than Artist Name (in
alpha); but, it is always alphabetic that suits my needs.

It took me awhile to figure out how to put a 00-1000 track orders (Deep Dish
like smooth transition between tracks etc..) back into place after
resorting...

On Wed, Feb 4, 2009 at 5:40 PM, Elizabeth Buie  wrote:

> Mary Deaton writes:
>
> >... when I open my music
> >library list on line looking for things to put on my MP3 player, I want
> the
> >list of artists or songs or albums in alphabetical order. In that context
> >and at that time, alphabetical is a well-ordered, predictable arrangement
> >that makes it easy for me to find Ryan Adams or Ziggy Marley. It is all
> >about context and user goals, isn't it?
>
> Mary, what you have described supports perfectly  my position that
> alphabetical ordering is the best when there is no logical ordering based on
> content.  Alphabetical is not itself a logical order.  That doesn't mean
> it's illogical to use it, of course, just that there is no logic on which it
> is based: It is arbitrary.
>
> Elizabeth
>
> --
> Elizabeth Buie
> Luminanze Consulting, LLC
> tel +1.301.943.4168 (US)
> tel +39.347.394.7022 (Italia)
> fax +1.301.949.9694 (US only)
> www.luminanze.com
> 
> Welcome to the Interaction Design Association (IxDA)!
> To post to this list ... disc...@ixda.org
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>

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Re: [IxDA Discuss] List ordering: alphabetical vs. logical?

[Elizabeth Buie]

Mary Deaton writes:

>... when I open my music
>library list on line looking for things to put on my MP3 player, I want the
>list of artists or songs or albums in alphabetical order. In that context
>and at that time, alphabetical is a well-ordered, predictable arrangement
>that makes it easy for me to find Ryan Adams or Ziggy Marley. It is all
>about context and user goals, isn't it?

Mary, what you have described supports perfectly  my position that alphabetical 
ordering is the best when there is no logical ordering based on content.  
Alphabetical is not itself a logical order.  That doesn't mean it's illogical 
to use it, of course, just that there is no logic on which it is based: It is 
arbitrary.

Elizabeth

-- 
Elizabeth Buie
Luminanze Consulting, LLC
tel +1.301.943.4168 (US)
tel +39.347.394.7022 (Italia)
fax +1.301.949.9694 (US only)
www.luminanze.com

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Re: [IxDA Discuss] User Research: Three user groups, five hours. What would you do?

[Jared Spool]

On Feb 4, 2009, at 1:52 AM, Francis Norton wrote:

I am trying to improve my life-long poor note-taking skills and  
would be be very interested in your recommendations. I've currently  
trying to adopt Cornell Notes (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cornell_Notes 
) which is definitely an improvement on what I've been doing so far.


The Cornell system is for studying.

Taking notes during interviewing is a different set of skills, because  
(as Katie aptly pointed out) you need to stay present in the moment  
and be working on the dialogue with the participant *while* you're  
making the notes.


The best resources are going to either be from journalism or  
ethnography. Studying note taking techniques won't work as well, nor  
will note taking techniques used for interrogation (practiced by  
police). They are different animals.


Jared

Jared M. Spool
User Interface Engineering
510 Turnpike St., Suite 102, North Andover, MA 01845
e: jsp...@uie.com p: +1 978 327 5561
http://uie.com  Blog: http://uie.com/brainsparks  Twitter: jmspool
UIE Web App Summit, 4/19-4/22: http://webappsummit.com

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Re: [IxDA Discuss] List ordering: alphabetical vs. logical?

[Mary Deaton]

No, it doesn't sound different from shuffle, but when I open my music
library list on line looking for things to put on my MP3 player, I want the
list of artists or songs or albums in alphabetical order. In that context
and at that time, alphabetical is a well-ordered, predictable arrangement
that makes it easy for me to find Ryan Adams or Ziggy Marley. It is all
about context and user goals, isn't it?

On Wed, Feb 4, 2009 at 3:06 PM, Jared Spool  wrote:

>
> On Feb 4, 2009, at 10:13 AM, Mary Deaton wrote:
>
>  I disagree that alphabetical is random; it is quite well-ordered by a
>> long-set of standing rules.
>>
>
> Really?
>
> Here's a suggestion: take your iTunes music list and play each song in
> alphabetical order. See if it sounds different from shuffle.
>
> I bet not.
>
> Jared
>
>
>
>


-- 
Mary Deaton
Yes we can. Yes we did. Yes we will

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Re: [IxDA Discuss] CRM system for a UX team?

[Tom Nunes]

Check out Basecamp or Highrise at http://www.37signals.com/. Not free,
but perhaps affordable.


. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Posted from the new ixda.org
http://www.ixda.org/discuss?post=38164



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Re: [IxDA Discuss] List ordering: alphabetical vs. logical?

[Angel Marquez]

I like the top five ways to sort information present in the list readily
available, leaving the choice to the users discretion & and not limiting
them, via the interface similar to the way you can organize files in the
Finder on a Mac or in Explorer on a PC. The high level sort at the very top
of the list ordered by a usage frequency would be ideal.
Five Hat Racks 

Alphabetical
Time
Location
Continuum
Category

Run it past the schema or DBI architect. These taxonomies mirror the
database design. The architect might shed some light on the situation and
you would build a useful relationship.

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Re: [IxDA Discuss] List ordering: alphabetical vs. logical?

[Jared Spool]

On Feb 4, 2009, at 10:13 AM, Mary Deaton wrote:


I disagree that alphabetical is random; it is quite well-ordered by a
long-set of standing rules.


Really?

Here's a suggestion: take your iTunes music list and play each song in  
alphabetical order. See if it sounds different from shuffle.


I bet not.

Jared




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Re: [IxDA Discuss] CRM system for a UX team?

[Alina Barbuceanu]

I've used Sugar CRM. It's the only stable, popular, open source
solution there is.  It's a very feature rich CRM, has all you may
possibly need or not need. 

The only drawback - it's not so user friendly :-) Maybe someone will
have the brilliant plan to redo a nicer template for it

Cheers,
Alina
http://user-experience.iterating.net


. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Posted from the new ixda.org
http://www.ixda.org/discuss?post=38164



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Re: [IxDA Discuss] Blackberry Storm

[Robert Barlow-Busch]

I recently tried a Storm for the first time and quite liked typing on it. In
fact,  I actually preferred it over typing on my iPhone .

Personal preference is likely a huge factor here. A few weeks after
purchasing an iPhone, I found my typing speed and accuracy increased
noticeably when I stopped gently brushing the screen and began pressing
aggressively on it. With gusto, you might say.

Doing the same on the Storm provides tactile feedback, a nice benefit.

BBB


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[IxDA Discuss] ANNOUNCE: UX Australia 2009

[Steve Baty]

We're very excited to announce UX Australia 2009 - Australia's new user
experience design conference, which will include a day of pre-conference
workshops and two days of conference presentations.

The conference will be held in Canberra (Australia) from 26-28 August at
Hotel Realm.

A call for proposals will open on 16 Feb 2009.

Keep up to date by:
- Check out the website: http://uxaustralia.com.au/
- Following us on twitter: uxaustralia
- Subscribe to the fortnightly newsletter (with conference news, ux
articles, jobs & events): http://www.uxaustralia.com.au/subscribe

-- 
Steve 'Doc' Baty | Principal | Meld Consulting | P: +61 417 061 292 | E:
steveb...@meld.com.au | Twitter: docbaty | LinkedIn:
www.linkedin.com/in/stevebaty

Blog: http://docholdsfourth.blogspot.com
Contributor - UXMatters - www.uxmatters.com
UX Australia 2009: http://uxaustralia.com.au
UX Book Club: http://uxbookclub.org/ - Read, discuss, connect.

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[IxDA Discuss] CRM system for a UX team?

[Dmitry Nekrasovski]

Thanks to everyone who responded to my earlier question. Here's another one.

Has anyone had experience with using a CRM system (preferably a free
or low-cost one) to manage customer/user contacts within a UX team?

My team currently uses an Excel spreadsheet stored in a shared
repository. Keeping it up to date is a painful experience. I'm
thinking that there must be a better way.

Thanks,

Dmitry

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Re: [IxDA Discuss] List ordering: alphabetical vs. logical?

[Chauncey Wilson]

Many menus have some kind of progressive disclosure, but they key to showing
a subset of items is knowing which items are of extremely high frequency -
which is possible for a copier but not always for complex software that
people might use in different ways or where there are different groups that
use different clusters of problems.  Of course, you could have role-based
progressive disclosure where the items you see are determined at login.

In the early days of GUIs, Apple tried to have"Novice" and "Expert" menus on
some of the core products, but that was scrapped because it was slightly
condescending and it was hard to define what "novices" and "experts" were.

The description of the SAS system is probably chunked into "most frequent"
at the top and then the rest in alphabetical order (usually repeating the
ones at the top).  This works well when you have good logging software or
know that the first 5 items cover say 80-90% of the choices that users wil
make.


Chauncey

On Wed, Feb 4, 2009 at 3:18 PM, Simon Clatworthy  wrote:

> I have seen combinations a few times. SAS airlines have a drop down
> list of destinations that is alphabetical (and very long) but have
> the major nordic destinations pulled out first as well.
> That makes it a hell of a lot easier to use:
>  - is my destination one of these 5
>  - if not, find it on the long list
>
> Isn't this really a use of the old photocopier rule: show a subset
> of options and hide the full functionality under a cover until
> needed?
>
> try it yourself  at www.sas.no
>
>
> . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
> Posted from the new ixda.org
> http://www.ixda.org/discuss?post=38149
>
>
> 
> Welcome to the Interaction Design Association (IxDA)!
> To post to this list ... disc...@ixda.org
> Unsubscribe  http://www.ixda.org/unsubscribe
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>

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Re: [IxDA Discuss] List ordering: alphabetical vs. logical?

[Simon Clatworthy]

I have seen combinations a few times. SAS airlines have a drop down
list of destinations that is alphabetical (and very long) but have
the major nordic destinations pulled out first as well. 
That makes it a hell of a lot easier to use:
 - is my destination one of these 5
 - if not, find it on the long list

Isn't this really a use of the old photocopier rule: show a subset
of options and hide the full functionality under a cover until
needed?

try it yourself  at www.sas.no


. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Posted from the new ixda.org
http://www.ixda.org/discuss?post=38149



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Re: [IxDA Discuss] Tablet PC vs PC+Wacom ?

[Troy Gardner]

I have all the approaches

*  Motion Computing slate tablet PC.  which has a wacom.
* a wacom tablet for a powerful but cheap Dell laptop as a primary workstation.
* a 8.5x11 hardbound art pad.

They are all different tools and I think it depends on what the goal
is, they are by no means incompatible.

>From a cost perspective, a tablet with a laptop is the best bang for
the buck. TabletPC' are relatively expensive.  The standard
laptop+tablet are also the best suited for long working sessions (e.g.
graphic designer roles). If on a fixed budget, looking for
productivity, the money that might be spent on a TabletPC would be
MUCH better spent on multiple big monitors.

I was a loyal tablet PC user for quite some time. Using Alias Sketchup
and www.artrage.com.The Motion computing is good portable. In many
things it's far superior to paper. Ability to replicate, erase,
search, collaborate, etc.  However the battery life, the variability
of visibility, the cords, the lack of go, the lack of, the
sluggishness in flipping through pages, the social stigma.   I can't
tell you how many times when travelling with my tablet I ended up
being evangelist.  With my paper pad they *have* to play, they just
let me work in peace :)  I've gone back to paper and nice pens
(buy em in bulk in case they ..go travelling).  The 8x11 "Manga Boy"
Canson drawing pads are durable, perforated making it easy to scan in
(a sheet fed scanner makes this fast) for archival purposes when so
desired.

The tablet and paper are very different visual and tactile feel.  The
resolution on paper is SOOO much higher than tablet PC's, and flipping
through binders SOOO much faster than loading large TIFFs.   I find
them hard to compare, even though conceptual similar.   When on paper
I don't feel like I'm working and there is no internet access, email,
skype etc to distract me. It's easy to rework and the finiteness of
the paper makes me pay more attention to the strokes.

Many animators I know start in paper, then scan in, then use the wacom
tablet to trace.  If having a tablet PC they might spend more time at
the front in the digital realm, especially for when targgeting web.
Like if the output is a flash animation, doing it with a TabletPC
might be a better tool, but then most have portable tablets and are
based on a laptop so I don't see this adding much value.

Troy.

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Re: [IxDA Discuss] Question about streamlining Axure prototypes, Feb 3

[Gloria Petron]

Thank you Kim, and to everyone else who has responded.
I regenerated the prototype into a new folder, which caused it to lose 20lbs
instantly!

Best regards,
Gloria

On Wed, Feb 4, 2009 at 1:03 PM, Kim Mc  wrote:

> If you remove all of the unused pages or layers from your prototype, then
> save it with a different name in a different folder, it will save only the
> files that are in the current prototype.  If you need to revert to the
> original name, you can delete the old prototype, then rename the new one
> with the original name.
>
> Hope this helps.
>
>
>
>
> - Original Message 
> From: Gloria Petron 
> To: IXDA list 
> Sent: Wednesday, February 4, 2009 12:13:12 PM
> Subject: [IxDA Discuss] Question about streamlining Axure prototypes, Feb 3
>
> Hello,
> I'm generating an Axure prototype that's morphed quite a bit over time.
> How can I clean up the prototype folder to get rid of unused files and
> folders?
> I don't see a "Clean up/remove unused files" feature on Axure.
> Does one do this manually?
>
> Thanks!
> Gloria
> 
> Welcome to the Interaction Design Association (IxDA)!
> To post to this list ... disc...@ixda.org
> Unsubscribe  http://www.ixda.org/unsubscribe
> List Guidelines  http://www.ixda.org/guidelines
> List Help .. http://www.ixda.org/help
>
>
>
>
> 
> Welcome to the Interaction Design Association (IxDA)!
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> Unsubscribe  http://www.ixda.org/unsubscribe
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>

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Re: [IxDA Discuss] iPhone Custom Application Standards andemulators for testing - reference

[Evan K. Stone]

> Can anyone point to iPhone custom application design standards. And 
> the emulators available for testing the application in our local
machine.

It depends what you want to do. It sounds like you want to develop
native iPhone applications, not web applications, so that rules out
iPhoney and Safari in developer mode.

For developing native iPhone applications, the guidelines, resources,
and tools you need are available on the Apple iPhone Developer website:

   http://developer.apple.com/iphone/

All you have to do is sign up for their free developer program
(http://developer.apple.com/iphone/program/develop.html) and download
the SDK, which includes an iPhone simulator. One thing to keep in mind
is that the tools not only require a Mac, they require OS X 10.5
(Leopard). So you might want to make sure you have a Mac that is running
Leopard first.

Additionally, if you don't have access to an iPhone, don't overlook the
possibility of using an iPod Touch for testing. It's an awesome device
in its own right, perfect as a testing device (except for testing cell
network bandwidth since it only does wi-fi), and can be had for around
$150 on eBay. My iPod touch enabled me to do just about everything an
iPhone could do (except call people), and I used it for over a year
until I finally took the iPhone plunge. No regrets. Highly recommended.
And no monthly fee! ;)

Hope this helps!

evan k. stone | ux | dragnet solutions, inc.


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[IxDA Discuss] UX Book Club Chicago meeting, Feb 26, 2009

[Gabby Hon]

The book is "The Creative Habit: Learn It and Use it For Life" by
Twyla Tharp.

Meeting Details:

Thursday, February 26, 2009

Time: 6:30 p.m.

Location: Fado, 100 W Grand Avenue

Visit our blog for all up-to-date info:
http://uxbookclubchicago.wordpress.com/

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Re: [IxDA Discuss] List ordering: alphabetical vs. logical?

[Elizabeth Buie]

Alphabetical order is no better than random order if the user does not know 
what to look for.  Alpha order aids in scanning through a list of things with 
known names, to find the one sought.  

>I disagree that alphabetical is random; it is quite well-ordered by a
>long-set of standing rules. It is also a means of ordering that people
>learn, in Western culture, from the day they begin to learn to read. As
>Chauncey says, it is the way to order when no other order makes sense.
>
>Mary Deaton

-- 
Elizabeth Buie
Luminanze Consulting, LLC
tel +1.301.943.4168 (US)
tel +39.347.394.7022 (Italia)
fax +1.301.949.9694 (US only)
www.luminanze.com

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Re: [IxDA Discuss] List ordering: alphabetical vs. logical?

[Mary Deaton]

I disagree that alphabetical is random; it is quite well-ordered by a
long-set of standing rules. It is also a means of ordering that people
learn, in Western culture, from the day they begin to learn to read. As
Chauncey says, it is the way to order when no other order makes sense.

Mary Deaton

On Wed, Feb 4, 2009 at 9:51 AM, Chauncey Wilson
wrote:

> There is a good discussion of ordering in the old, but classic book by
> Deborah Mayhew, *Principles* and *Guidelines* in *Software* User Interface
> Design.
>
> The book has a nice if-then chart which highlights a rough way to choose
> how
> to order items. The chart and guidelines are based on research into order
> items.  Alphabetical ordering is generally used when the list if very long
> and/or there is not better way to order the items. There is some research
> on
> ordering of items in the ACM digital library if you have access to that.
> Menus are often hybrid designs as Elizabeth notes where you have a general
> structure that might be frequency of use, but within that structure use
> other grouping schemes as well (like semantic similarity). General grouping
> schemes include:
>
> Alphabetical
> Task order
> Frequency
> Numerical (font size)
> De facto standard
> Legal order
> Complexity (simple to hard)
> Semantic similarity
> First-in, first out
>
> This is a good topic since much of what we do is to organize things in an
> order which helps understanding or makes us more efficient or supports easy
> recollection.
>
> Thanks,
> Chauncey
>
>
>
>
>
> On Wed, Feb 4, 2009 at 12:20 PM, Dmitry Nekrasovski
> wrote:
>
> > Does anyone know of any studies, tests, or standards of practice that
> > discuss when to organize a list of items in alphabetical order vs.
> > another designed order (such as one based on expected frequency of
> > use)?
> >
> > I'm most interested in this topic for web site navigation, but
> > applicable references for other contexts (e.g. menu design in desktop
> > applications) would also be appreciated.
> >
> > Thanks,
> >
> > Dmitry
> > 
> > Welcome to the Interaction Design Association (IxDA)!
> > To post to this list ... disc...@ixda.org
> > Unsubscribe  http://www.ixda.org/unsubscribe
> > List Guidelines  http://www.ixda.org/guidelines
> > List Help .. http://www.ixda.org/help
> >
> 
> Welcome to the Interaction Design Association (IxDA)!
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>



-- 
Mary Deaton
Yes we can. Yes we did. Yes we will

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Re: [IxDA Discuss] Question about streamlining Axure prototypes, Feb 3

[Kim Mc]

If you remove all of the unused pages or layers from your prototype, then save 
it with a different name in a different folder, it will save only the files 
that are in the current prototype.  If you need to revert to the original name, 
you can delete the old prototype, then rename the new one with the original 
name.

Hope this helps.




- Original Message 
From: Gloria Petron 
To: IXDA list 
Sent: Wednesday, February 4, 2009 12:13:12 PM
Subject: [IxDA Discuss] Question about streamlining Axure prototypes, Feb 3

Hello,
I'm generating an Axure prototype that's morphed quite a bit over time.
How can I clean up the prototype folder to get rid of unused files and
folders?
I don't see a "Clean up/remove unused files" feature on Axure.
Does one do this manually?

Thanks!
Gloria

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Re: [IxDA Discuss] Preparing a presentation on Fireworks

[Julie Strothman]

I use FW for prototyping, but I don't have consistent efficient
workflow rules regarding elements that change somewhat from
page-to-page, such as navigation. I use symbols and start out with an
all-closed example of nav, then share across pages and then detach on
each page and adjust to be page-specific. I hope this is not the best
way to do this and would love to learn efficiency at this level w/FW.
But then I live in VT, so I won't be there for your preso. :-)

And text styles? Are there such a thing as text styles? Yesterday I
had a request to make all type in a prototype larger so that people
with macular degeneration can read the prototype when printed for
quick testing. Not a problem for symbols, but for the rest...


. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Posted from the new ixda.org
http://www.ixda.org/discuss?post=38092



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Re: [IxDA Discuss] Blackberry Storm

[Rony Philip]

Thanks Maria for the link. That was a neat report.

Now which one is the better Tphone (not considering the price).
Unfortunatley or fortunatley iPhone is the one phone that every other phone
must be measured against!

Nokia N97, iPhone, Blackberry Storm,

And this is something that I found from Nokia -
http://www.engadgetmobile.com/2006/10/08/nokias-aeon-full-surface-screen-cellphone-concept/

cheers
Rony

On Wed, Feb 4, 2009 at 10:14 PM, Maria Cordell  wrote:

> I don't have personal experience with the Storm, but David Pogue of
> the New York Times pretty much slammed the Storm when he reviewed it
> back in November:
>
> http://www.nytimes.com/2008/11/27/technology/personaltech/27pogue.html
>
> Maria
>
> On Wed, Feb 4, 2009 at 10:46 AM, Michael Micheletti
>  wrote:
> > I stopped by the Verizon booth in the mall the other day to try out a
> > Blackberry Storm, the new one with the touchscreen. I'm a current Verizon
> > customer, and my antique Moto Razor is about to do the El Croako. I'd
> heard
> > the Storm had a good browser and a great screen for viewing media. Since
> > Verizon has treated me pretty well and I've no complaints about their
> > service, I was curious about their new phone.
> >
> > The guy at the booth let me play with theirs. I tried typing on it, and
> was
> > not very successful. The Storm's touch screen acts like a button, so you
> > have to press it down to enter a character. But it also acts like a
> > touchscreen, so there's obviously no indent for your finger to know when
> > you're over a button. I mistyped many characters, sometimes more than
> once,
> > and got frustrated after a few minutes of fiddling with it.
> >
> > Perhaps this is just me. I'm curious to know if others on this list have
> > successfully adapted to the Storm's unique touchscreen/button controls.
> Or
> > if anyone here helped test or develop it and would like to share
> something
> > of their experiences. Some million or so people have eagerly purchased
> this
> > handset; I'd like to know how it's worked out for you. Thanks,
> >
> > Michael Micheletti
> > 
> > Welcome to the Interaction Design Association (IxDA)!
> > To post to this list ... disc...@ixda.org
> > Unsubscribe  http://www.ixda.org/unsubscribe
> > List Guidelines  http://www.ixda.org/guidelines
> > List Help .. http://www.ixda.org/help
> >
> 
> Welcome to the Interaction Design Association (IxDA)!
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Re: [IxDA Discuss] List ordering: alphabetical vs. logical?

[Chauncey Wilson]

There is a good discussion of ordering in the old, but classic book by
Deborah Mayhew, *Principles* and *Guidelines* in *Software* User Interface
Design.

The book has a nice if-then chart which highlights a rough way to choose how
to order items. The chart and guidelines are based on research into order
items.  Alphabetical ordering is generally used when the list if very long
and/or there is not better way to order the items. There is some research on
ordering of items in the ACM digital library if you have access to that.
Menus are often hybrid designs as Elizabeth notes where you have a general
structure that might be frequency of use, but within that structure use
other grouping schemes as well (like semantic similarity). General grouping
schemes include:

Alphabetical
Task order
Frequency
Numerical (font size)
De facto standard
Legal order
Complexity (simple to hard)
Semantic similarity
First-in, first out

This is a good topic since much of what we do is to organize things in an
order which helps understanding or makes us more efficient or supports easy
recollection.

Thanks,
Chauncey





On Wed, Feb 4, 2009 at 12:20 PM, Dmitry Nekrasovski
wrote:

> Does anyone know of any studies, tests, or standards of practice that
> discuss when to organize a list of items in alphabetical order vs.
> another designed order (such as one based on expected frequency of
> use)?
>
> I'm most interested in this topic for web site navigation, but
> applicable references for other contexts (e.g. menu design in desktop
> applications) would also be appreciated.
>
> Thanks,
>
> Dmitry
> 
> Welcome to the Interaction Design Association (IxDA)!
> To post to this list ... disc...@ixda.org
> Unsubscribe  http://www.ixda.org/unsubscribe
> List Guidelines  http://www.ixda.org/guidelines
> List Help .. http://www.ixda.org/help
>

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Re: [IxDA Discuss] List ordering: alphabetical vs. logical?

[Paul Trumble]

To add to what Elizabeth said.  Alphabetical order only makes sense where
there is a well understood common vocabulary in your list (as with states.)
If the items lack a well-understood and expected set of labels, alphabetical
order is just as random as ordering them by length.

Paul Trumble

On Wed, Feb 4, 2009 at 12:27 PM, Elizabeth Buie  wrote:

> Dmitry asks:
>
> >Does anyone know of any studies, tests, or standards of practice that
> >discuss when to organize a list of items in alphabetical order vs.
> >another designed order (such as one based on expected frequency of
> >use)?
>
> Alphabetical ordering is, under most circumstances, appropriate when there
> is no logical order based on similarity or relatedness.  It is a logical
> order for something like countries or states in e-commerce, although even
> there I can imagine situations in which you'd want to group states or
> countries by region first and then order them alphabetically within the
> group.
>
> Frequency of use is not a logical order, either.
>
> A logical order would be one where the information structure is based on
> how people think about the task and related items are grouped together.  For
> example, "Save" and "Save As" are nowhere near each other in frequency of
> use, but they are grouped together in most File menus (and rightly so!)
> because they are very closely related.
>
> Elizabeth
>
> --
> Elizabeth Buie
> Luminanze Consulting, LLC
> tel +1.301.943.4168 (US)
> tel +39.347.394.7022 (Italia)
> fax +1.301.949.9694 (US only)
> www.luminanze.com
> 
> Welcome to the Interaction Design Association (IxDA)!
> To post to this list ... disc...@ixda.org
> Unsubscribe  http://www.ixda.org/unsubscribe
> List Guidelines  http://www.ixda.org/guidelines
> List Help .. http://www.ixda.org/help
>



-- 
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http://www.flickr.com/photos/paultrumble/
http://www.twitter.com/trumbling

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Re: [IxDA Discuss] List ordering: alphabetical vs. logical?

[Elizabeth Buie]

Dmitry asks:

>Does anyone know of any studies, tests, or standards of practice that
>discuss when to organize a list of items in alphabetical order vs.
>another designed order (such as one based on expected frequency of
>use)?

Alphabetical ordering is, under most circumstances, appropriate when there is 
no logical order based on similarity or relatedness.  It is a logical order for 
something like countries or states in e-commerce, although even there I can 
imagine situations in which you'd want to group states or countries by region 
first and then order them alphabetically within the group.  

Frequency of use is not a logical order, either.  

A logical order would be one where the information structure is based on how 
people think about the task and related items are grouped together.  For 
example, "Save" and "Save As" are nowhere near each other in frequency of use, 
but they are grouped together in most File menus (and rightly so!) because they 
are very closely related.

Elizabeth

-- 
Elizabeth Buie
Luminanze Consulting, LLC
tel +1.301.943.4168 (US)
tel +39.347.394.7022 (Italia)
fax +1.301.949.9694 (US only)
www.luminanze.com

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[IxDA Discuss] List ordering: alphabetical vs. logical?

[Dmitry Nekrasovski]

Does anyone know of any studies, tests, or standards of practice that
discuss when to organize a list of items in alphabetical order vs.
another designed order (such as one based on expected frequency of
use)?

I'm most interested in this topic for web site navigation, but
applicable references for other contexts (e.g. menu design in desktop
applications) would also be appreciated.

Thanks,

Dmitry

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[IxDA Discuss] Question about streamlining Axure prototypes, Feb 3

[Gloria Petron]

Hello,
I'm generating an Axure prototype that's morphed quite a bit over time.
How can I clean up the prototype folder to get rid of unused files and
folders?
I don't see a "Clean up/remove unused files" feature on Axure.
Does one do this manually?

Thanks!
Gloria

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Re: [IxDA Discuss] Blackberry Storm

[Maria Cordell]

I don't have personal experience with the Storm, but David Pogue of
the New York Times pretty much slammed the Storm when he reviewed it
back in November:

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/11/27/technology/personaltech/27pogue.html

Maria

On Wed, Feb 4, 2009 at 10:46 AM, Michael Micheletti
 wrote:
> I stopped by the Verizon booth in the mall the other day to try out a
> Blackberry Storm, the new one with the touchscreen. I'm a current Verizon
> customer, and my antique Moto Razor is about to do the El Croako. I'd heard
> the Storm had a good browser and a great screen for viewing media. Since
> Verizon has treated me pretty well and I've no complaints about their
> service, I was curious about their new phone.
>
> The guy at the booth let me play with theirs. I tried typing on it, and was
> not very successful. The Storm's touch screen acts like a button, so you
> have to press it down to enter a character. But it also acts like a
> touchscreen, so there's obviously no indent for your finger to know when
> you're over a button. I mistyped many characters, sometimes more than once,
> and got frustrated after a few minutes of fiddling with it.
>
> Perhaps this is just me. I'm curious to know if others on this list have
> successfully adapted to the Storm's unique touchscreen/button controls. Or
> if anyone here helped test or develop it and would like to share something
> of their experiences. Some million or so people have eagerly purchased this
> handset; I'd like to know how it's worked out for you. Thanks,
>
> Michael Micheletti
> 
> Welcome to the Interaction Design Association (IxDA)!
> To post to this list ... disc...@ixda.org
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Re: [IxDA Discuss] Testing- Remote Focus Group

[majid dadgar]

Shima,

I just saw the Adv. on CNN, give it a free trial try, if it might be of some
help to you:

https://www.gotomeeting.com

Best,
Majid.

On Tue, Jan 27, 2009 at 2:17 AM, Shima Kazerooni wrote:

> Hi,
>
> We are planning to conduct a remote focus group with a limited number of
> participants and I was wondering if anyone has done that before.  Did you
> use any specific tools or applications?  Are there ways to make it more
> efficient and get the most out of the remote focus groups?
>
> Thank you,
> Shima
>
>
>
> 
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P.O.Box: 15635-119, Tehran, Iran.
- - - -  -   -   -   --  -  -   -
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[IxDA Discuss] Silicon Valley UX book club meeting tonight, 7:30, San Mateo

[Cindy Alvarez]

We'll be discussing _The Back of the Napkin_ by Dan Roam.  I'll bring pens
and paper so we can sketch out some concepts.

But please come by even if you haven't read it!  It's an important time to
stay in touch with contacts and meet new ones.

WHEN: TODAY, Weds Feb 4 at 7:30pm
WHERE: Three Bees coffeeshop in San Mateo. It's at 224 E 3RD AVE SAN MATEO
CA which is about two blocks from the Caltrain station.

Hope to see some new faces there!
Cindy

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[IxDA Discuss] Blackberry Storm

[Michael Micheletti]

I stopped by the Verizon booth in the mall the other day to try out a
Blackberry Storm, the new one with the touchscreen. I'm a current Verizon
customer, and my antique Moto Razor is about to do the El Croako. I'd heard
the Storm had a good browser and a great screen for viewing media. Since
Verizon has treated me pretty well and I've no complaints about their
service, I was curious about their new phone.

The guy at the booth let me play with theirs. I tried typing on it, and was
not very successful. The Storm's touch screen acts like a button, so you
have to press it down to enter a character. But it also acts like a
touchscreen, so there's obviously no indent for your finger to know when
you're over a button. I mistyped many characters, sometimes more than once,
and got frustrated after a few minutes of fiddling with it.

Perhaps this is just me. I'm curious to know if others on this list have
successfully adapted to the Storm's unique touchscreen/button controls. Or
if anyone here helped test or develop it and would like to share something
of their experiences. Some million or so people have eagerly purchased this
handset; I'd like to know how it's worked out for you. Thanks,

Michael Micheletti

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[IxDA Discuss] LiveScribe Pulse Pen

[Mark Hoffman]

Anyone else use the livescribe pen?  Looks like pretty cool
> > technology.  Is it worth the $$?
> >
> > -eva

Also second Chauncey and and Michael's posts.

I've been using the LiveScribe pen since it first shipped and have been very
happy with it. Personally, note taking in usability tests and meetings had
been problematic. I could never scribble fast enough.

With the pen, I'm able to relax and know that all the audio is being
recorded, plus I always have the option of starting and stopping the
recording. The Pen also syncs what I've recorded with what I'm putting down
on the special LiveScribe paper.

Using a USB connection, you can download the "session" to Livescribe's
software on your computer, where you can listen, edit and see the actual
pages you've written in digital form. The one issue I'm wrestling with is
telling folks you're recording everything. Apparently you're supposed to do
that, but I wonder how much that affects what people say.

It's more than paid for itself IMHO

Mark Hoffman  

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Re: [IxDA Discuss] Tablet PC vs PC+Wacom ?

[Michael Micheletti]

Hi Pankaj,

I have both an IBM X60 tablet laptop as well as a serious design workstation
with a Wacom tablet. I've been using a Wacom tablet for years, and am very
comfortable with it. I've never quite gotten used to the tablet laptop
though. There's something about the way my hand shields the screen that
bothers me. I sense a visual flicker around my hand, but this may just be
me. Also the tablet drivers on the laptop worked better with its original XP
OS than with Vista, even after upgrading - the stylus contact point is just
enough off the mark to be unpredictable. My laptop is one of those "Vista
Capable" machines that MS got sued for though, undoubtedly yours will be
better behaved.

My recommendation: Wacom tablet for desk work and a Moleskine notebook and a
nice pen for sketching in the field. Scan when you get back. Hope this
helps,

Michael Micheletti

On Tue, Feb 3, 2009 at 6:57 PM, Pankaj Chawla  wrote:

> Hi,
> I am trying to equip my design team with work toys and was
> wondering if anybody has strong opinions or experience while
> working with a touchscreen based tablet PC vs a regular PC/laptop
> with digital Tablet (Wacom etc.)
>
> Here is the link to the tablet PC that I have in mind
> http://www.dell.com/tablet
>
> The second option of having a regular PC + Wacom will be
> a 21 inch LCD with a high end desktop processor and stuff
> plus a Wacom digital tablet pad.
>
> I know the choice will also depend on what we want to do
> as part of the design but lets say from a pure visual and
> graphics designing point of view which one will be better to
> use. First hand experience and feedback will be greatly
> appreciated. Money is not a constraint but happy designers
> and excellent output is a must :-)
>
> --
> Cheers
> Pankaj
> 
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>

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[IxDA Discuss] JOB: User Experience Manager; Bristol, UK; Recruiter; 6 month contract

[Sean @ IC Software]

Ideal Profile: Mobile UX design lead/manager

 

Bristol (UK South West) based UX design centre of excellence is seeking a User 
Experience Manager for a six month contract.

 

You will be managing senior Interaction designers, Information Architects and 
Visual/Graphic designers. You must have should UX experience at teamlead 
/management level.

 

The ideal candidate will have had exposure to Mobile, Web and Application 
software design. This is a six-month contract - offering significant stability 
in today's shaky market place.

 

IC Software - providing a quality selection of the market's best User Interface 
Design roles (UX / UI / Usability and IA) throughout UK, Europe, and Worldwide. 
Deep market knowledge and extensive contacts. Personal representation, strong 
ethics.   http://www.ic-software.co.uk  

 

Sean Pook 

+44 (0)118 988 1156
s...@ic-software.co.uk

 

__
This email has been scanned by the MessageLabs Email Security System.
For more information please visit http://www.messagelabs.com/email 
__

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[IxDA Discuss] JOB: Information Architect/Interaction Designer, Central London (Permanent)

[Tim Ostler]

Tribal DDB London are looking for a Middleweight Information
Architect/Interaction Designer.

The IA/IxD is responsible for designing, developing and documenting
the structure of both web sites and applications In this role, you
will be expected to work collaboratively with a project team and
support other IAs in the execution of all information architecture
deliverables.

Be aware that much of Tribal DDB's work is on digital marketing sites,
where the emphasis is as much on persuasion and motivatiion as on
usability or the organization of information. We are therefore
particularly interested in individuals who are as interested in design
as in IA, and who can demonstrate particular success in working
alongside designers in a digital marketing context.

Core Duties/Responsibilities:

•   Creating the information architecture for marketing, informational,
and transactional sites and microsites
•   Understanding target audiences' needs, tasks, and goals and
translating them into creative concepts and functional components.
•   Supporting the team in translating business requirements into
involving interactive experiences.
•   Planning, facilitating and documenting immersive user research,
concept testing, and usability testing.
•   Developing user personas and scenarios to clarify results of user
research and focus the team's design efforts on the needs of key
users.
•   Collaboratively developing prototypes for demonstration of concepts
to clients.
•   Working alongside visual designers to develop user journeys that
motivate users to engage fully with the interactive concept.
•   Conducting expert reviews, competitive benchmarking and market
research.
•   Developing and documenting detailed user experience specifications
for highly interactive interfaces.
•   Contributing to the further development of user experience design as
an intellectual discipline both within Tribal DDB and in the wider
professional context.

Required Skills
•   Demonstrated ability to execute IA on complex transactional
interfaces, taxonomies and metadata frameworks, and templates for
content management systems.
•   Demonstrated ability to work in a highly collaborative environment.
•   Experience with user-centred design methodologies.
•   Excellent oral and written communication and presentation skills.
•   Experience in client services and negotiating business decisions.
•   Readiness on occasion to extend his/her role to encompass activities
normally associated with other disciplines
•   Openness to contributions from other disciplines to the project's
information architecture or interaction design.

Required Experience
•   Role typically requires 3+ years experience as an information
architect, interaction designer, or experience designer (or similar
role).
•   Degree in a related field, such as Library Science, Cognitive
Science, Industrial Design, Graphic Design, Human-Computer
Interaction, Technical Communications, English, History, Anthropology,
Economics.
•   Proficiency in a variety of design tools including OmniGraffle,
Visio or equivalent, as well as the MS Office Suite.

Tribal DDB are currently located on Bishop's Bridge Road just north of
Paddington Station, although we will be moving to another central
London location sometime this year.

Salary is negotiable. We're looking to fill the position as soon as
possible, although we will of course wait on any notice you may have
to give your current employer.

If you're interested in this position, please contact Jason West
, indicating where you saw this message.

--
Tim Ostler

Senior Information Architect
Tribal DDB London



-- 
Tim Ostler

E tim.ost...@tribalddb.co.uk

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Re: [IxDA Discuss] Livescribe Pen / was: User Research: Three user groups, five hours. What would you do?

[Michael Carvin]

I can second everything Chauncey said. It's been a great help as a "second
memory" when my note-taking skills aren't quite up to snuff. However,
today's going to be my first time recording a phone call with it, so I'll
report back on that.
One thing I've found particularly helpful, at least using the Mac version of
the desktop app, was the ability to export the audio as AAC and the pages as
PDF. With a little bit of workflow, I'm able to transfer notes + audio to
another team member and help alleviate any "tribal knowledge" challenges
which might crop up. Ideally, I'll refine the workflow enough to be able to
integrate it with Evernote and its OCR capabilities.

I've also been using the 1GB version since I got it back in August, and
haven't come close to running out of space.

On Wed, Feb 4, 2009 at 12:22 AM, Chauncey Wilson
wrote:

> Hi Eva,I've been using the Pulse pen since it came out and find the pen and
> the software quite good. I used it at our user conference and even gave it
> to some users so they could describe something to me while they drew
> diagrams.  I found the sound fine and there are some adjustments for
> sensitivity and a special mike that you wear.  I like that you can use
> codes
> to note where there was something useful.  The software allows you to speed
> up the sound which is helpful and since you can bookmark or code good
> stuff,
> the pen is quite useful and efficient.  The company is continually
> improving
> the software and I believe you can now print your own paper on a laser
> printer.  There is a version for the Mac as well as the PC.  I've been
> experimenting with pen based systems for probably 15 years and this is the
> first one that is truly useful.  You can buy them on sale at Target for
> $179
> and buy nice looking black notebooks - lined or unlined.
>
> Chauncey
>
> On Tue, Feb 3, 2009 at 12:29 PM, Marijke Rijsberman <
> mari...@interfacility.com> wrote:
>
> > Yes. The automatic coding of the recording to the notes makes it
> completely
> > worth it, even if the audio quality is disappointing.
> >
> > Marijke
> >
> > -Original Message-
> > From: discuss-boun...@lists.interactiondesigners.com
> > [mailto:discuss-boun...@lists.interactiondesigners.com] On Behalf Of Eva
> > Kaniasty
> > Sent: Tuesday, February 03, 2009 9:23 AM
> > To: disc...@ixda.org
> > Subject: [IxDA Discuss] Livescribe Pen / was: User Research: Three user
> > groups, five hours. What would you do?
> >
> > Anyone else use the livescribe pen?  Looks like pretty cool
> > technology.  Is it worth the $$?
> >
> > -eva
> >
> > xda.org/help
> >
> > 
> > Welcome to the Interaction Design Association (IxDA)!
> > To post to this list ... disc...@ixda.org
> > Unsubscribe  http://www.ixda.org/unsubscribe
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> >
> 
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-- 
--
Michael Carvin
skype: mcarvin
@mcarvin

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Re: [IxDA Discuss] iPhone Custom Application Standards and emulators for testing - reference

[Lewis Buttress]

Try a program called iphony, it may be an mac only program though...

2009/2/4 sanugeorge at gmail. com 

> Hi
>
> Can anyone point to iPhone custom application design standards. And the
> emulators available for testing the application in our local machine.
>
> thanks in advance
> Sanu George
>
>
> 
> Reply to this thread at ixda.org
> http://www.ixda.org/discuss?post=38136
>
> 
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-- 
Lewis Buttress
www.lewisbuttress.co.uk

Web Producer @ Net-a-Porter.com
BA Hons Business Information Systems

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Re: [IxDA Discuss] iPhone Custom Application Standards and emulators for testing - reference

[Nik Lazell]

Hi Sanu,

The iPhone SDk comes with iPhone Simulator which you can use to test
your app locally.

http://developer.apple.com/iphone/

Nik


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[IxDA Discuss] iPhone Custom Application Standards and emulators for testing - reference

[sanugeorge]

Hi

Can anyone point to iPhone custom application design standards. And the  
emulators available for testing the application in our local machine.


thanks in advance
Sanu George

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Re: [IxDA Discuss] User Research: Three user groups, five hours. What would you do?

[Harry]

I vaguely recall reading that Microsoft OneNote can be used to record audio
and binds it with your notes as you write them. When you are viewing them
afterwards, you can double click on any line of text, and it will jump the
audio recording to that point.

Has anyone tried it, and is it any good for taking notes in interviews? Are
there any other apps that do this?

Harry

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Re: [IxDA Discuss] Tablet PC vs PC Wacom ?

[Miles Dowsett]

I've found a Wacom tablet and pen to be a great tool simply because
you have 'pressure' control when drawing interface elements which
you don't have with a mouse.

Also, from a personal point of view, it has always been nice to use
both; I'm left handed so I draw with my left hand with the pen, and
then quickly do lots of conventional mouse actions with the mous in
my right handm - at the same time, like tooled up commando.

That being said, I think it's a personal choice; I wouldn't force a
pen and tablet on a designer if they weren't comfortable using it. 


. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
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http://www.ixda.org/discuss?post=38121



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Re: [IxDA Discuss] User Research: Three user groups, five hours. What would you do?

[Francis Norton]

2009/2/3 Jared Spool 

>
> That's a really good question. In my experience, it's a core competency of
> any journalism or ethnography program.
>
> I've seen good stuff over the years, but am hard pressed to put my finger
> on anything current. Years ago, we had Ellen Isaacs (a UX researcher who was
> a trained journalist) do a full-day seminar on the topic at the User
> Interface Conference, but she's disappeared from the UX world of late.
>
> Over the years, I've trained our researchers and dozens of clients. It's
> not hard, but there are definitely tricks and techniques to learn. And
> practice is really what makes it work.
>
> I'll research it some more and see if I can find something current.


I am trying to improve my life-long poor note-taking skills and would be be
very interested in your recommendations. I've currently trying to adopt
Cornell Notes (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cornell_Notes) which
is definitely an improvement on what I've been doing so far.

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Re: [IxDA Discuss] Web site workflows and the IA

[Andy Polaine]

I have a whole stack of these in a zip file that Karen McGrane (who is
also on this list) sent me when this was last discussion. Several are
already on Luke's site.

I'm happy to pass them on if Karen is okay by it.

Here was a previous discussion about it:
http://www.ixda.org/discuss.php?post=34912


. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
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http://www.ixda.org/discuss?post=38098



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