Re: [IxDA Discuss] usability.gov relaunch
stevenitz wrote: Not too bad but they did not go all the way with CSS positioning, they are still using tables. Design is fairly clean and simple, could use some refinement. I think the color choices are a bit strange, but one can read everything, which is the most important thing. Have you noticed that the White House now has a very sophisticated presence since Obama has been in office? Well, his online media guys are very good. 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
[IxDA Discuss] Low Cost, Off Site, Remote Testing Options and Strategies
Hi All, I was wondering if anyone has experience with very low cost, off-site testing software and strategies. In the next few months I may have to conduct several off-site interaction observations but will not be able to travel. At my disposal are some quiet testing rooms equipped with computers that have web cams. I'm looking for suggestions of low cost remote testing software that I could employ to run / record interaction sessions with subjects remotely. Platform isn't so important, but something that can run on both OS X as well as Windows would be nice and cause less of a hassle. In the past I've used Moray, but the price is a bit prohibitive for the kind of low-fi work I'll be doing. In addition to software suggestions, does anyone have any helpful hints about basic strategy? Not being on site, I'll probably use a remote partner to serve as the prompter for the test, but that partner will most likely not have any IxD (or related) training, so I want to keep their role as slim as possible. All ideas and suggestions are welcome. Usually I would be on site doing the setup, and have someone else do the remote recording, but this time I'm flying solo. Sincerely, Damon 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
Re: [IxDA Discuss] Low Cost, Off Site, Remote Testing Options and Strategies
Does anyone have any experience with Silverback? http://silverbackapp.com/ Will Meurer wrote: This is a great post and doc put together on the subject of remote testing tools: http://www.ixda.org/discuss.php?post=41325 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Posted from the new ixda.org http://www.ixda.org/discuss?post=42729 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)! 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
Re: [IxDA Discuss] Thoughts about Wonder Wheel?
I think the wonder wheel is a great idea, but it seems out of place in the google search page. That's probably more of a well, how the heck do we tack THIS thing onto our traditional search problem. But the upside is that it serves as an evolving mind map of a search and lets you easily retrace your steps to get back to search contexts you may have missed (and to let you choose a more narrow context for which you might not have anticipated the best wording). To me Wonder-wheel is to Breadcrums as Subway Map is to spooling a string behind you in order to retrace your steps if you get lost. It is not very useful for basic searches, but is excels for searches about topics which I know little about. It basically provides me with suggestive context for my searching, and is more useful than a linear suggestive-typing feature in a search box. As for the aesthetic, well, that's a different matter. It looks awkward jammed in there to the right of the results filter menu. -Damon 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
[IxDA Discuss] Microsoft bing.com reactions
Well, Microsoft is spending a lot of money hyping up Bing.com I've found the results to be pretty good, and Bing Travel (formerly Faircast) is also a very nice feature, but what about the bing.com interface? What does everyone think of the IxD in regards to the initial page and the results pages? 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
Re: [IxDA Discuss] [Conan Team to IXDA members]: Paying job posts to fund IXDA activitiesother issues
Hi Maria, I think the biggest danger in losing job postings is in edge cases. If my company posts a job, and I'm simply trying to let my fellow interaction wonks know about it, there's no chance at all I would bother considering that posting fee. I think you'd find almost unanimous agreement with that sentiment. For recruiters and companies looking for IxDers, it makes total sense, but can we work out some system by which members can forward jobs from their parent companies without having to pay a fee? After all, that's almost like a community service, expsoing our fellow IxDers job opportunities in a recession economy is one of the core benefits of having an association like this. Unless your model would also permit users to post jobs in the forums without penalty, it might result in a net loss of postings. I don't have a strong opinion on this, I'm just using my self as a generic persona example. If I found out that there was a job at my company, but my company was unwilling to pay a posting fee, what could I do with that information? If I could still post it to the forums, well, no problem, but if I would have to pay a fee, I would not bother. Just some thoughts. Sincerely, Damon Dimmick SitePen Inc. Maria De Monte wrote: Hello IxDA members, IxDA is considering undertaking a partnership with Coroflot (http://www.coroflot.com/) to handle the job-related posts that now come through our discussion list. We need your input on this question! Coroflot has hosted the Job Board at both Interaction conferences, and they’re eager to work with us. Here are a few lines from Coroflot’s “About Us” page (http://www.coroflot.com/public/aboutus.asp): “Coroflot was started by designers, and is still run by designers […] Coroflot is an open system. There are no membership requirements, application processes, or invites. […] Coroflot is the creative world at work.” To pursue this partnership, IxDA would integrate a Coroflot-hosted Job Board into our upcoming new website at IxDA.org. Additionally, there is a possibility for Coroflot to provide us with a portfolio service, so that IxDA members could have a personal portfolio at IxDA.org and reach a wider audience. To see some examples of how Coroflot provides partner-branded Job Boards, some of their partner sites are with: Business Week (http://jobs.businessweek.com/a/all-jobs/list); Design Observer (http://designobserver.coroflot.com/public/jobs_browse.asp); AIGA (http://www.aigadesignjobs.org/public/default.asp) For IxDA members, searching for jobs and having an online portfolio would be free. However, POSTING a job would involve a $265 fee paid to Coroflot that would be split 50/50 with IxDA. This income provides a potential revenue stream to fund IxDA’s activities at the global and local level. However, we are concerned about having a possible conflict with IxDA’s current totally-free philosophy. We don’t want to lose job postings that may be coming from IxDA members who do not have a budget for posting such opportunities. Additionally, we would have to work with Coroflot to customize their service so that we can ensure that local job postings are displayed/accessible from the upcoming Local Group mini-sites. So, here are some of our questions to the membership: 1) Would you pay a fee to post a job at IxDA.org using Coroflot’s service, knowing that half of the fee you’ll be paying would go to fund IxDA activities? 2) How would you want to deal with other job-related opportunities such as internships, PhD, part-time positions and so on? 3) How valuable would the portfolio service be to you? 4) Should a Coroflot-hosted Job Board at IxDA.org display available jobs in categories OUTSIDE of Interaction Design? The other specialities they presently handle include fields such as Architecture; Art Direction; Design Management; Industrial Design; and Motion Graphics. Please let us know your thoughts—we’re waiting for your contribution! Regards, Maria and the IxDA Conan team 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)! 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
Re: [IxDA Discuss] Documenting State Changes in Web Apps
Nope, just looking for how people document state changes. The wireframes magazine link was actually a superb source. BonGeek wrote: Hello Damon, Let me understand the question, you want some kind of tool / software that help you track the State Changes in the Documents, like who created / added / appended the annotation etc on the Wireframes and related stuff? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Posted from the new ixda.org http://www.ixda.org/discuss?post=41022 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)! 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
[IxDA Discuss] Documenting State Changes in Web Apps
Question for the gallery: My company has until recently been documenting state changed -within- our visual design example documents. That is, we incorporate explanations of the various states of widgets and interface points in the same document that contains our wireframes/mockups. I was wondering if any of my esteemed colleagues here do this a different and potentially better way? We've tossed around the idea of having an external text document that lists each page, each field, and each state for each field. Possibly even an excel file etc. Any opinions? Better yet, any good online examples of how others do this? Cheers, Damon Dimmick Cambridge, MA 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
Re: [IxDA Discuss] $705k for redesigning a website???
Jared, Next time you pass one of those up, send it my way. I have the bandwidth, but not the connections ;) Cheers, mate. -Damon Jared Spool wrote: On Mar 24, 2009, at 10:13 PM, Russell Wilson wrote: http://www.dexodesign.com/2009/03/24/705k-for-redesigning-a-website/ This is for real (and maybe I'm the only one shocked about the price tag?) These days, projects that are $750k to $2.5m are fairly common. I'm not shocked. Jared 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)! 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
[IxDA Discuss] New Ipod Shuffle
No tiny url for this one: http://www.boygeniusreport.com/2009/03/11/apple-releases-new-4gb-ipod-shuffle/ What does everyone think about the new Shuffle? Personally, I think Apple finally fell off the truck on this one. I understand that they want to sell more of their in-line control headphones, but frankly this just seems incredibly annoying to me. I only use the shuffle to workout, so I always need to get specialized sport headphones that can tolerate sweat and that can get banged up. The idea of having to buy yet another set is annoying to me. No controls, no screen, forced to buy special headset = Fail. I can see some people really liking this, but I think if I had to buy a new shuffle I'd get one of the last generation ones. Anyone else think that removing controls from the actual device was a mistake? -Damon Dimmick 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
Re: [IxDA Discuss] Working group for psychology social media
Adrian, I'm not a psychologist, but I did study Clinical Social Psychology as one of my undergrad majors, and I use that experience for my IxDA work almost daily. What level of expertise would be required? And what kind of credentials? -Damon adrian chan wrote: Folks, I've set up a private google google group for psychologists interested in social media. I know there aren't likely many psychologists among us, but if you know of any, or have worked with, consulted with, read or otherwise caught wind of psychologists on social media, feel free to let me know. The aim of the group will be to share insights and ideas applicable to social media user studies, research, and so on. If we are able to agree on anything, and can bring ourselves to publish/blog our analyses, I'll be happy to share them here. A number of you have expressed interest in what psychologists have to say on social media -- I chose to limit the group to practicing psychologists but I do want to share our findings. Let me know if you'd like me to let you know what we come up with. I'm sure I'll blog about it here and at johnnyholland.org. cheers, adrian 415 516 4442 Twitter: /gravity7 Social Interaction Design, Expertise, Consulting (gravity7) (gravity7 blog) (slideshare) Sr Fellow, Society for New Communications Research (SNCR) Adhocnium Member (adhocnium) LinkedIn (www.linkedin.com/in/adrianchan) 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)! 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
[IxDA Discuss] Sources for Touch Interaction Information
Hi guys, So, specializing in web apps, I've had precious little work on touch-screens (especially for mobile platforms) come across my desk. However, the market seems to be heating up. Although many of our skills are easily transferable from one platform to another, I personally could use some reading on the nuances and strategies associated with good IxD in relation to mobile and touch interfaces. Do any of my fine colleagues out there have any links to how-to-guides, studies, and interaction overviews related to mobile platforms and touch screens? Sincerely, Damon Dimmick Cambridge, MA 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
Re: [IxDA Discuss] What music for interaction designers
I wish I had a link to the study, but I remember reading the following: The best music for doing work by has very little to do with the music itself, however, there are a few guidelines that seem to help you avoid distraction and get into a the flow. These include the following - 1. The music should be well known to you: New music requires processing and some degree of attention, even if is background music. New patterns are registered and you can easily be drawn into a more assertive, active listening pattern. Music that you know very well helps avoid the need for new processing. The better known, the less attention required. Think well worn music from your salad days, could be rock, classical, hip-hop, whatever, as long as you know if like the back of your hand. 2. Lyrics require an additional level of processing. If you have some music you like -without- lyrics, that would be better. This effect can be mitigated if the lyrics are so well known that their actual meanings are no longer processed (think Eye of the Tiger, if you know the words well, you don't even really think about them anymore) but in general, removing the linguistic processing level will help. 3. More spartan arrangements tend to be better. If you have a song with a lot of sounds going on, or a delicate but recognizable interplay of many different instruments, a more spartan composition may be better. This effect is apparently mitigated in the case of large orchestral arrangements where instruments are not necessarily perceived individually, but as part of a larger section. 4. A persistent beat is apparently desirable. Hope this gives you some ideas. Personally, I have a specific 1 hour track of some traditional japanese music which I have listened to over and over again to the point where I hum along to it without having to think. It has no lyrics, it has a spartan composition (4 instruments), and a nice, steady beat. Works like a charm for me. Also, by using this same track, I've actually trained a Pavlovian response into my psyche; when I hear it, I automatically feel like it's time to work. Just my 2 cents, Damon Mayur Karnik wrote: I put my headphones on and don't listen to anything when I am doing something high level / conceptual. The main idea is to not let others bother / disturb you. If there's noise around or any distracting conversations or something, I turn on trip hop / lounge - anything with slow bpm and calm, familiar... of course, there are instances when you are facing a creative block and music can be good inspiration; i log on to some internet radio service like aol / spinner and experiment with new music... world music also helps. If I am working on something low level / details (more often repetitive stuff), then I listen to something faster - like ministry of sound / fabric sort of compilations, chemical brothers / moby etc. to keep myself alert, awake. 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)! 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
Re: [IxDA Discuss] TED Talk: Siftables, interactive blocks
This seems like it would be fun, but have a very limited application. More of a novelty item. It is unclear to me how the interaction of physical blocks actually makes any tasks easier. I think the ability to scan gestures and apply them to virtual objects is much more compelling. The siftables are very fun, and they do beg some speculation on the future of 3D interaction, but the demonstrated uses don't seem to point to a lot of real world application advantages, although I could definitely see the use in entertainment and learning. -Damon Pauric wrote: Intriguing use of the building block as an interaction method. http://www.ted.com/talks/david_merrill_demos_siftables_the_smart_blocks.html http://web.media.mit.edu/~dmerrill/siftables.html /pauric 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)! 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
Re: [IxDA Discuss] TED Talk: Siftables, interactive blocks
I agree that tangible 3D interactions have a lot of potential, I'm just focusing on the Siftable blocks specifically. (And yes, Scott, those are real world applications, but I meant -applications- in a software sense ;] ) I think they're good to demonstrate an example of what might be accomplished, I just don't think these items themselves are that useful. I actually think virtual manipulation has a lot more potential, etc. Pauric wrote: Well... I dont know (o; In my domain of Model Based Design we produce a toolchain called Simulink. Think of it as visio/omnigraffle for Scientists Engineers; a graphical representation of the building blocks of a given system under design. As the systems we build become more complex the tools we use to build them do so too. Tangible interactions are an intriguing potential solution to making those complex tools more humane. I envison a day where we have the tangible interactivity of the Siftable blocks on top of a Microsoft Surface or better yet, a Reactable http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MPG-LYoW27E An input feedback device with a degree of cognitive bandwidth far beyond the mouse/keyboard/monitor. Well, thats enough daydreaming (o; More on Model Based Design if you're interested http://www.mathworks.com/programs/spotlight/bell_helicopter/index.html /pauric . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Posted from the new ixda.org http://www.ixda.org/discuss?post=38669 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)! 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
Re: [IxDA Discuss] Use of colon
Always keep your colons clean. Siya M wrote: HI, I personally feel that colons are redundant and the way we look at forms in general must change. A form without colons is much better!! Regards, Sia 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)! 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
Re: [IxDA Discuss] Aren't we just a little important to democracy?
I worked in politics for a while, and I can tell you the basic problem is mostly logistical and trust related. Let's take your example, which would be a much improved user experience by the way, and look at the trust/logistical breakpoints. Now wait, not doing this to beat down your idea. I think it's a GREAT idea, but here's all the nightmare detail that would be required before we could get it going. Let's assume people can use ATMs to vote, and that they can enter a candidate's name via an on screen touch type interface if they want to do a write in: 1. Who certifies the security of the ATMs? Currently this is done by hundreds of independent little firms. That wouldn't fly for elections, so we'd need a special new group to do it. 2. Which ATMs qualify? There are hundreds of thousands of little free-standing ATMS that are easily exploitable by anyone who has some knowledge of mag-readers and basic electronic engineering. Surely those would be out. So does that mean only ATMs at brick/mortar institutions? 3. Are the technicians that service the ATMS (again, some by banks, some by independent companies) trustworthy? How do we know they won't cause mischief. 4. Like in some states, pure electronic voting would probably not be enough, so you'd also have to count a generated paper-ballot, which in your example could be a receipt from the ATM. You'd need 2, one receipt to leave there as a paper-copy in case a hand-tally was needed, one for you to keep as your official receipt. Logistical problem: how do you collect those paper copies? Do you have a desk set up next to the ATMs with another machine that takes those receipts? Or a person? Is the person trustworthy? Do they meet election commission requirements? How does the paper get to an official polling place? 5. How do you coordinate people with multiple accounts in different banks? You'd need a new electronic / software infrastructure that makes sure they can only vote in one place, once. 6. What happens if I actually want to withdraw money that day? Do I have to wait in line for all the people using the ATMs to vote? Gads, there are tons more. BUT, to assume magical thinking (which is to say, if we imagine how it -should- be) the model would actually be pretty simple: 1. Create a central data repository of voter IDs (either by SSN or some voter ID number). 2. Create a special PIN that is sent out to voters prior to the election, each fairly unique, matched to their voter ID, and has a use-once attribute. 3. Let people use -any- networked interface (why stop at ATMs, how about just my computer?) by entering their address, and their PIN, and perhaps one additional ID (like credit card info, serving as a third party check on identity). 4. Register that the vote -occurred- against the voter ID database (not the nature of the vote, just that it happened) and the location of the vote (or IP address). 5. Generate an electronic receipt for local store or printing and/or ask if the voter would like a paper copy sent to them. Done. It wouldn't be that hard, but it requires a reworking of the system, and there are a lot of precursor steps that aren't listed here. That's really the problem. There's a huge amount of bureaucratic infrastructure built into the current system (along with parties interested in maintaining their plum jobs) which would have to be changed or gotten rid of in order to implement a new one. That's really the trip up point. Consider for example the IRS, which has virtually -no- duty that could not simply be automated with a very simple set of scripts (except for the actual job of harassing people and/or investigating problems). The problem really isn't lack of vision or will, it's having the required endurance and political ware-withal to change the system and alienate the people invested in the current model. Plus, you still need congress (with all of its individual constituency concerns) to approve a plan, and boy o boy, won't there be a lot of riders and add-on amendments to any bill that fundamentally changes the nature of voting (the lifeblood of the very people who would have to agree-to and implement the change). Hey, I guess it -is- like redesigning the UI for a major entrenched application. =) -Damon Susan wrote: Had a thought... this actually circles back to my original intended subject line to the White House. And was inspired by hearing thoughts from a fellow voter after this election. She asked, Why is it we can use ATMs to easily and reliably manage our finances, yet there's nothing easier they can provide to submit a vote, and to know it's been counted? Great question. Jared, you said making voting more error-free for citizens is a difficult problem, can you expand upon why? Could it be the cost of providing ATM-like touchscreen equipment? So here's a thought. Now that we, the citizens of the US, are the primary shareholders in many major banks... why can't we get them to swap out their firmware/
Re: [IxDA Discuss] Quick survey on 6 prototyping tools
Good question. At SitePen we use OmniGraffle all the time. Robert Hoekman Jr wrote: Why is OmniGraffle missing from the list? -r- 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)! 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
[IxDA Discuss] IxDA Email Changes... speaking of confusing UI
Touch of irony here... I was just trying to update my email address for this list So, this hole had probably been excavated before, but does anyone else find the process of updating you email address on the IxDA website to be terribly counter intuitive? No offense to the good people who actually had to build the site, I'm not throwing darts at the work, but bringing it up for discussion since I'm curious to know if maybe my experience makes me an outlier. If you have not tried it, here's a summary: 1. Sign in to the website (fine) 2. Click your underlined username in the top right column to get to your personal profile / history page (fine) 3. Click very faint, not obvious Edit Profile / Subscription at the top left of the page next to the Members header ( Would this be move intuitive if the link for updating my profile was in the right column, perhaps in the Member Profile section?) 4. Click Edit Subscription (fine -ish) 5. Stop. Wonder why you can only Add a new address and not change a current address, but figure that clicking Add a new address will get you there, so click it (Interaction gamble) 6. Nearly don't read the You'll need to create a new account if you'd like to use a new address. The new account will link with your old one so you won't lose your posting history. message because it appears above and to the left of the actual input area, where it could just be a header, not necessarily related to the current task. (Autopilot trip point) 7. Mumble to yourself and wonder why you have to create a new account. Does this mean the old account gets deleted? Do you then have two accounts? Do you have to manually configure the original account -not- to get emails while the new account does? (Seriously?) 8. Go ahead and create the new account. (fine) 9. Get an email confirmation for the new subscription at your new account email address. (fine) 10. Follow link in email (fine) 11. Sign into new account to see if it exists. (fine) 12. Wonder again if this means you'll stop getting email at the original account (maybe you get them both places?) 13. Sign out of new account. 14 Sign into old account. 15. Click your underlined username in the top right column to get to your personal profile / history page (again) 16. Click very faint, not obvious Edit Profile / Subscription at the top left of the page next to the Members header ( again) 17. Click Edit Subscription (again) 18. Click Unsubscribe e-mail delivery radio option and then click update button (fine) 19. Wonder, since the previous message you almost didn't read noted that these accounts were linked, if unsubscribing this old account had any impact on the new account (probably not, but there's no way to be sure) 20. Log out of old account (again) 21. Log into new account (again) 22. Click your underlined username in the top right column to get to your personal profile / history page (again) 23. Click very faint, not obvious Edit Profile / Subscription at the top left of the page next to the Members header ( again) 24. Click Edit Subscription (again) 25. Verify that the new account is still subscribed. 26. Send a snarky email to the list describing this experience as a way to make sure that messages are going out and coming in. 27. Throw self off building. Maybe there was a shortcut somewhere that I missed? =) Thoughts? Limitation of the current site backend? Sincerely, Damon 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
Re: [IxDA Discuss] IxDA Email Changes... speaking of confusing UI
I'm with you, William. I know the site's built to allow this kind of comp/locational validation, I'm just saying that the experience is confusing and tedious. An end user doesn't sit back and think how nifty the authentication system is, they just think what the heck is this?? Etc etc. -Damon William Brall wrote: Have you ever wondered how the site authenticates you? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Posted from the new ixda.org http://www.ixda.org/discuss?post=36748 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)! 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
Re: [IxDA Discuss] Declaration of User Rights by Dan Saffer
I'm sorry fellas, but if anyone thinks the current crisis is the cause of an unregulated free market, you really don't know what you are talking about. (And interestingly, this relates to IxD in a way) You can not look at our financial system and say we have an unregulated free market when: - We have a federal reserve which artificially keeps interest rates low in order to incentivise or discourage savings and investment that would otherwise be subject to pure market conditions - We have a monetary system bolstered by government bonds which are impacting overall market conditions deeply and which are being issued at an insane rate because the government is spending far more than it collects - We have federal mandates and regulations which incentivise financial institutions to offer loans to unfit consumers who would otherwise not be approved, and which punishes financial institutions that do not comply with the mandated risky behavior - We have huge sweetheart deals being offered to businesses based on political influence and affiliation with elected officials None of these are free market activities. The merits of free markets aside, we should at least be clear minded that we are not in an unregulated free market, and in fact, we are in a market that is highly distorted by government interference (which directly contributed to the current crisis, though the extent is debatable). This of course is an interesting IxD point in that the experience of the user (us) is highly subjective based on the beliefs and goals brought to the system (the economy) and which directly impacts individual user perceptions in radically different ways, despite the fact that the system activities are absolutely the same for all users. Todd Zaki Warfel wrote: On Nov 17, 2008, at 6:24 PM, Dan Saffer wrote: Yes, because we've seen how well an unregulated free market works recently. Users often cannot go elsewhere. [...] And even if you can switch, it can be a difficult process. The Users Rights would be for those who don't have a choice. I'm a firm believer in capitalism, free markets, and freedom of choice. I'd love for free markets to work, but that would require all people to have honor, integrity, and a sense of sympathy for our fellow man. Unfortunately, one bad apple can ruin the bunch. Balance trumps idealism in my book. We need a balance between free market and regulation. Too much regulation has shown to produce oppression and a socialist welfare state, which creates dependency and reduces innovation. Look at what Six Sigma did to 3M. A company known for innovation didn't release an innovative product in 6 years. But the reverse is also true. Completely unregulated markets have been shown to produce excessive greed. Look at the executives of the large insurance and financial companies in the US. If we were all machines, than either of these two extremes would work. The face is that we're human. And as humans we have certain desires and needs, like life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. While we share similar categories of desires and needs, our individual definitions of what qualifies those items is different. If it was always about choice, then fewer people would be using Windows and more people would be using Macs. Detroit wouldn't be in such a shambles. In short, we're human, which is why theoretical ideologies often fail. Humans can are predictably unpredictable. And systems of balance work better than extremes. 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 Twitter:zakiwarfel -- 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 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 that ACD thing fits
I suspect that ACD could be considered a modular component of UCD, a component that could be exercised on its own, but which really should be incorporated into a larger UCD process. ACD should be a part of the design process, closely related to functional design, one that -might- be sufficient on its own if a designer is pressed for time or if a project has a very limited set of functionalities. In a way, ACD jumps from Requirements to Functions without focusing on the intermediary step of thinking about how and why users would wish to fulfill the goals that require said functions. Jared, I like your scale metaphor. It's a continuum of design, which is precisely how the real world functions. In the company I work for, we often have to decide up front how much design time and research time we can allocate. Although we don't have a formal scale the likes of which you have proposed, I see in this scale a very strong parallel to our projected design-depth results. Short term projects tend to fall back on self and genius design, longer term projects include ACD and UCD. The very best, robust projects, almost always extend deeply into UCD (but include initial ACD steps). I think the scale metaphor is very valuable. ACD also seems to be closely related to Requirements Gathering and Functional Specifications Implementation, so I think that it is precisely correct to put it as the step before (or beneath) UCD on a scale. Many designs end a functional implementations when really they could seriously benefit from a deeper UCD approach. Kudos, Damon Slinging my UX in Providence 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] Ixda.org crowdsourcing for a presence UI
Ali, I'd be interested as well. Pop me a line. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Posted from the new ixda.org http://www.ixda.org/discuss?post=35185 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] Crowdsourcing design
Wow. Way to sneak political bias into an IxDA discussion. I'm sure all of those pitch fork wielding peasants at the Palin rallies would totally agree with this point. Although I'm not a big Palin fan myself, I highly doubt that Palin supporters think of themselves as mobs and of Obama supporters as tribes. Mobs and crows don't have any of those things which is why their behavior is unpredictable and their dynamics chaotic. Think about the difference between an Obama rally (a tribe), and a Palin rally (a mob) - 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] IxDA and QA
Hi Guys, The company I work for is a very lean, fast moving company, and we're constantly looking for ways to tighten our product life cycle timelines. One thing we've noticed in the last few months is that IxDA (and general design practitioners) have been extremely valuable not just during the design phase of a product, but also during the ongoing Quality Assurance / Quality Control phases as well as the final Quality Acceptance phases of the product lifecycle. This being the case, we're experimenting with the idea of putting IxDA people in charge (or in review positions within) the QA process. I've been playing around with this model myself on a couple of projects with very strong results. The net benefit seems to derive from the fact that there is really no one better to certify that a product meets QA requirements than the very people that identified the necessary interactions, UI results, and full design elements to begin with. So far, this also seems to fit in nicely with the fact that our design team tends to be very busy at the start of the project (front loading interaction design and then visual design) and then gets much less busy as the development cycle begins and ends. It seems a really good use of our time to swoop back in after the design phase and act as part of the QA process, making sure that developers are conforming to our specifications via a formal testing structure. I was wondering if anyone else has had experience with this kind of structure, and if so, what challenges, results, and tips can you share? We're sort of excited about the idea on our end, as our initial forays into this model have really helped projects move along faster and with better results. Being a small/midsized team, we don't have a large QA department, so this allocation of resources seems to fill a lot of gaps. Any thoughts out there among my colleagues? Sincerely, Damon Dimmick Interaction Design (and newly QA) SitePen, Inc. dojotoolkit.org sitepen.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] Resiliency of IxDA Jobs in a Major Recession
Hey there, colleagues. With the financial crisis and credit crunch hitting the economy squarely in the wallet, my thoughts have been drifting towards musings on the viability and resiliency of IxDA (and related) jobs during a major economic downturn. In the IT sector, I'm already seeing the early warning signs of a downturn the likes of which I haven't seen since the Dot-Com bubble, though the epicenter this time is outside of the IT world. Several of my contacts and colleagues who are involved in the management of smaller IT firms are already pulling back on investing in new hires, eying the value of their current stable of employees, and preparing for the worst. Generally, I feel like IxDA, while pretty valuable, is the type of work which offers a business value that is not as easily understood by numbers-minded executives who are constantly scanning for short-term, demonstrable ROI. As with any job related to design, there's a real tendency to minimize the value of the skillset because it doesn't have the kind of immediate, measurable impact that a lot of managers like to quantify. Of course, this isn't always the case, and many organizations understand the strong importance of the field, but my anecdotal experience seems to indicate that interaction / design people tend to be scrutinized earlier and more closely when the time comes for personnel cuts. I just thought I would throw my thoughts on the list, see what other people think, and help stir up some opinions on how IxDA (and related) practitioners can continually show their value in a market that may become very tight, very very soon. -Damon Dimmick SitePen. Inc, 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] The New Facebook Redesign: The Beginning of The End?
This is actually an issue I've been grappling with as it is deeply relevant to our industry. A lot of our work these days is done for companies basing their business plans on social networking and community building sites. This may be a small slice of the work available to IxD people, but it is a significant bit. Are we in fact nearing a watershed moment similar to the mortgage crisis (that Jared so appropriately sited) in which a lot of people will just wake up and go wait, there's no huge value in this, what are we doing? and thereby pull the carpet out from under a significant part of the web? Again, it gives me TulipMania worries: http://tinyurl.com/jo2l9 It's possible I'm just dense about this and everyone else gets it. But to me, it feels a bit like the house of cards that's been holding up the mortgage biz for the past 6 years. Jared 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] Boston IxDA: jQuery for designers follow-up
Hi guys, I'd actually like to plug the capabilities of the Dojo Toolkit. I work for SitePen, the company who's employees helped create the toolkit, and all I can say is that Dojo is pretty amazing as well. The implementation, focus and philosophy are a little different from jQuery, but it has similarly great capabilities and has a huge amount of support as well. A lot of my friends who do hardcore development swim happily in both. And of course, it's free and lovely. http://dojotoolkit.org/ Looking forward to some more awesome Boston events. I'll be moving up there pretty soon! -Damon Boston IxDA wrote: Hi Folks, thanks to all those that came to our September event. For those that could not make it, John delivered a talk that first introduced the basics and then walked seamlessly through ever increasing degrees of power up to 'I dont know why you'd want to do this.. but you can' (o; John has put the content up here http://ejohn.org/blog/adv-javascript-and-processingjs/ Since the presentation I've read yet more articles declaring jQuery as the defacto js library of choice. Thats not to say libraries such as http://mootools.net/ or http://extjs.com/ should not be considered, and jQuery's terseness takes a little getting used to. However, the community which has put its weight behind this particular 'tool' makes it a safe bet to invest some learning in. I hope to see some of you at the jQuery Conference on Sunday (sold out) and maybe next year, if John has time, we'll repeat this event with whatever amazing extensions come out in that time. I'd also like to thank Steve Pomeroy for organising the room at MIT as well as all those that have helped us put on events this year. We're going to take a break for the rest of '08 and we'll see you in '09 with more discussions, workshops social events for those working in the field of Interaction Design. Take care /pauric 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] The New Facebook Redesign: The Beginning of The End?
This is where it becomes relevant to IxD, in my mind. Every time Facebook has tried to change the design to open a space for revenue generating functionality, the users have borked. The users have made it clear they don't want ads in their feeds. They don't want Facebook using them as a sales reference (Your buddy, Jared, just bought shoes at Amazon -- you should too!). They want to stay connected, but not pay for that privilege. Jared brings up the everpresent, and hugely important question. How -does- one monetize this kind of service? It seems that more and more web 2.0 (cringe) companies are following the get-users-first-then-monetize model, but with no apparent idea of how to actually jump from A to B (underwear gnomes, anyone?) without alienating users. Is there enough advertising revenue out there to pay for our favorite web apps? Is advertising revenue even a feasible solution for some of these apps? This reminds me on a few years back when Salon.com (which I admit I don't read much except for articles by Paglia) was going down the tubes, tried a pay-subscription based solution (which didn't work) and ended up shifting its model. And here's the other frustrating question: Why -shouldn't- users be ok with advertising? Yeah, it is annoying. I hate it too, but for a free service, I mean... someone has to pay the bills. Is this all a market maturity issue? Are monetize-later ventures acclimating users to the idea that they shouldn't have to pay for services (via advertising or cash) and hence hurting their own chances of jumping to a profitable model later? I think this issue is going to keep coming up, but the chickens will come home to roost, and probably sooner rather than later considering the economic climate. Someone is going to say where's the money loudly enough, and then there's going to be some change. I'm vaguely worried about the Dutch Tulip market scenario, although of course, that metaphor is tortured, unapt, and possibly not fit for this scenario. But in general, we have a questions of how much users are willing to pay (in money, attention, and time) for services that are currently presented as free. It is indeed an IxD issue how to capture eyes without annoying eyes. I boggle at it. -Damon 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] non-web-based interaction prototype tools (Axure)
I actually just did a review of OmniGraffle a while ago. Might be useful. You can find it here: http://www.sitepen.com/blog/2008/09/04/the-interactive-prototyping-dilemma-a-review-of-software-options/ More reviews will be on the way. -Damon Shaun Bergmann wrote: Omnigraffle. Yet another reason to get a Mac. Perhaps we're just in a grey zone, time wise. A few years ago there were not enough designers out there working on touchscreen devices, so there was no business case for creating the appropriate tool to use in the design process. Now as these devices are just beginning to proliferate, the call will get louder from us for somebody to step up and provide an appropriate tool. anyone? anyone? Beuler? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Posted from the new ixda.org http://www.ixda.org/discuss?post=32876 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] The New Facebook Redesign: The Beginning of The End?
Would you be willing to watch similar ads at log-in time? Just curious. -Damon j. eric townsend wrote: Damon Dimmick wrote: This reminds me on a few years back when Salon.com (which I admit I don't read much except for articles by Paglia) was going down the tubes, tried a pay-subscription based solution (which didn't work) and ended up shifting its model. Salon still has paid memberships, you get to read the site sans ads. I'm not sure I'd pay for FB, tho. 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] List problems
Well, as for me: I only ever see my replies on the web site, never on the email list. And I don't expect this one to be any different! Jeff Howard wrote: Dave wrote: Kordian, only the first post gets moderated. That's a features of Mailman. second it is coded in PHP, but maybe Jeff can explain more. All new members are moderated by default, and as I understand it they remain that way until an administrator manually turns off that setting in Mailman for the member's e-mail address. That's supposed to happen after the first or second post, but only if one of the moderators actually notices that the member has posted a few times and remembers to uncheck the appropriate Mailman setting. That doesn't always happen. I'm not sure anyone has ever complained specifically about the out-of-sync nature of the web and e-mail. Everything originates via e-mail but in most cases the web/rss should catch up within a few minutes when the website receives the e-mail. What kind of lag are people seeing? Hours, days? For people who are interested in helping out, the website is currently cobbled together in custom PHP, running off a MySQL database and hooked into a Mailman e-mail list. It's kind of a crazy quilt. With a system like this, things occasionally break. When that happens please send an e-mail to list at ixda dot org and we'll try to address the problem. // jeff . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Posted from the new ixda.org http://www.ixda.org/discuss?post=33067 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] The New Facebook Redesign: The Beginning of The End?
Genuine question: People are saying that facebook is obsolete Why? What supplanted it? jeff lippiatt wrote: Weighing in. Facebook became obsolete a while ago. Soon to become the relic of Yahoo, aka Geocities. All of these sites will eventually fail unless they address something of value. Currently they are all riding the plummet of social entertainment. They have mainly ignored their core audiences: Myspace was music, Facebook was college students and grad students. Both have annoying advertisements that have no context...just battering people over the head to make advertising money on which is steadily declining...How long do you really need to stay on either site to catch up? Not long, because all of the new changes you can get a snapshot of everything now in under 5 minutes. That leaves no incentive to stay on the site. All the widgets and mini-apps that bog down both sites are 99% pointless because people just add and delete them sometimes within hours or minutes. In summation, you can't please everyone any of the time. They abandoned their niches and have been sliding downhill since. Social entertainment is not robust enough to keep users online and engaged. I use both Myspace and Facebook, but am not pleased with either. I use them mostly for keeping up with friends and birthdays and posting pictures of my some what ridiculous but fun cooking antics. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Posted from the new ixda.org http://www.ixda.org/discuss?post=33019 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] The New Facebook Redesign: The Beginning of The End?
I think I get what you are saying, but I disagree on the idea of google fulfilling all the needs of facebook. Sure, it can, if all your contacts maintain a website and you fancy searching for their info, one at a time, every time you are interested. I'm not saying that facebook is game changing, but it does allow for passive keeping in touch, which is exactly what most people want out of their non-central relationships. When it comes to second order friends, we all generally want to keep abreast of their lives and be able to jump in when something interests us, otherwise stay clear without any negatives. Facebook allows the kind of active/passive dichotomy that is perfect for people who don't have the energy to keep in constant active contact with their networks. You don't have to take part, you don't have to be engaged, but you can see what's going on, and if you like it or it interests you, you can reach out. As far as I know, facebook is almost the ideal scenario for this kind of user goal, and I don't know if there are other technologies that meet that need as effectively or efficiently. There are other sites that do similar things, and they are all contenders, but currently facebook seems the best suited this particular kind of interaction. And I would argue that this need for passive contact is actually something that many of us, maybe a majority of us, intrinsically have. There are certainly other technologies that dance well around this idea (twitter, general IM, your basic web log) but facebook's advantage is bifurcated: it requires little effort to broadcast, and even less effort to receive. My mother would probably never twitter, but facebook she understands. My nephew, who's all lightning-fast thumbs and text skill, still uses it too, because it's easier than sending a message to each of his 187 friends. I would therefore argue that calling something obsolete because other choices are available isn't sufficient. I mean, the skateboard is another choice for getting around a city, but does that make car's obsolete? For true obsolescence to occur, there must be a better way to accomplish the goal that the newly-obsolete technology addresses, and this better way must make the original choice more costly (in a games theory sense of utility) than the new technology in so far as satisfying that user goal. It's certainly possible to keep up with your network via google searches, twitters, emails, IMs etc. Or, you could just log onto Facebook and see what's going on with most of your contacts in one fell swoop by scanning a single page. The energy required to satisfy the goal of keeping up with my extended network is far lower when I use facebook than when I use a constellation of other technologies. If and when that changes, facebook may well become obsolete, but so far it seems to be the better solution. However, if we're just talking about trends and such, well, then sure, Facebook may be moving towards obsolescence (if you believe it has crested or jumped the shark). But still, that implies something better coming along. Just my thoughts. -Damon Jarod Tang wrote: On Sun, Sep 21, 2008 at 10:05 AM, Damon Dimmick [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: Genuine question: People are saying that facebook is obsolete Why? What supplanted it? It's not a issue on replacement, but more on if it make people's everyday better, for e.g., by google, you could easily searching for the information you want, by amazon, you want to get the object you interested. By facebook, you want to have friends, yes, keep relationships ( for what?), And it's good to have keep friendship and share experience, and that's all. The sites does good job on this, and it's not enough to say it's a game changing stuff. What'll be next phenomenon? It definitely should be some one that make people's life better, like google dose. Like a better traveling experience, a better city life, a life long better education , etc. And safe food service ( for e.g. , taking into account current food safety issue from China and Japan) , a better energy friendly living system, etc. The chances are open. Cheers, -- Jarod jeff lippiatt wrote: Weighing in. Facebook became obsolete a while ago. Soon to become the relic of Yahoo, aka Geocities. All of these sites will eventually fail unless they address something of value. Currently they are all riding the plummet of social entertainment. They have mainly ignored their core audiences: Myspace was music, Facebook was college students and grad students. Both have annoying advertisements that have no context...just battering people over the head to make advertising money on which is steadily declining...How long do you really need to stay on either site to catch up? Not long, because all of the new changes you can get a snapshot of everything now in under 5 minutes. That leaves no incentive to stay on the site. All the widgets and mini-apps that bog down
Re: [IxDA Discuss] The New Facebook Redesign: The Beginning of The End?
That's very interesting. You are right, it may be cultura. I have never used my Myspace account, not really anyway. I resisted the myspace surge and was always interested in orkut / friendster until I found facebook, so perhaps there's a relative difference. Interesting point, Jarod. I would therefore argue that calling something obsolete because other choices are available isn't sufficient. I mean, the skateboard is another choice for getting around a city, but does that make car's obsolete? For true obsolescence to occur, there must be a better way to accomplish the goal that the newly-obsolete technology addresses, and this better way must make the original choice more costly (in a games theory sense of utility) than the new technology in so far as satisfying that user goal. Agree fully. 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] A New Browser: Google Chrome
Normal people don't use the Task Manager in Windows today. And when introduced to it, it's usually in the bad use case flow, which gives them a negative connotation of what it is. In other words, when they have to use the Task Manager it means something is broken. The only perception the Task Manager in Google Chrome might bring to the average user in my opinion is that the browser is now as broken as Windows is. Ooof. I don't know about this. Sure, I'm not the standard user, but the task manager is a blessing. I don't know if an interface to help you nuke a page is going to make you think that the browser is broken. A hanging window, a lagging page, a complete browser lock, -that- already makes people think browsers are broken. It all depends on what the task manager looks like. With proper styling and design, the task manager could be made very friendly, listing pages / processes in nice, readable fonts, with some friendly iconography and a message that clearly denotes this one is working, this one is not, and you can fix it easily etc. How is this any different than opening a new window (via menu or right click or the code doing it for you) and removing the chrome? Which you can do and have been able to do in all the browsers for at least 8 years? I see what you are getting at here, but I think there's a more natural interaction going on here. The interaction is more naturalistic, maybe even gesture-like. Oh, I just grab this and move it over here and presto. Although I agree that the innovation here is subtle, the more I am using this thing the more I am starting to believe that we have here a very tasty little acorn that could grow into something magnificent, even if only through germinating other browsers with its own DNA. But I also agree that the changes are aimed at developers, and they will have to drive the possibilities for this app. I'm thinking about using this browser exclusively for a few days as a deep immersion test. Anyone thinking of doing the same? -Damon Dimmick User Experience SitePen Inc. 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] A New Browser: Google Chrome
Hi Will, I don't think we'll be seeing the disposal of the back/forward model anytime soon. The available documentation seems to indicate that there are specialized non-browser-like capsules available in which users can choose to run web apps. This reminds me of the Prism project (http://labs.mozilla.com/2007/10/prism/) which essentially provides a browser window, minus fluffery, in which to run applications. There are other similar options available that do the same thing, and I make use of several in order to run Gmail and facebook, which I keep as launchable-apps in my dock. More likely, we may see some evolution in which browsers recognize the nature of the site / app they are displaying and provide appropriate controls, or at least control warnings. May not happen anytime soon. I am very interested to see how Chrome handles precisely the issue you bring up. Can't wait to install it tonight. Good food for thought. Things are changing out there. Fast. Will Evans wrote: @daveIxD made an interesting point earlier today which I think is worth exploring. In a browser built from the ground-up for delivering RIAs -- we seem to be hitting a metaphor conflict. If we are using Chrome for RIAs, then the browse-document mental model no longer works, and neither does all it's associated baggage, i.e. the Back button. Will apps designed for this new browser toss out the browse-doc model with it's back, forward, and replace it with a more App-appropriate mental model that includes a robust Action-Commit-Undo-Redo functionality? I mean - really - in today's apps like, CS3, you don't browse - so this new Chrome should or should not be called a browser? Not sure, but I can see the train-wreck caused by this cognitive dissonance. Would Chrome as an RIA App Shell rock - especially if we finally had a robust undo? Absolutely. How about a history of actions like I have in CS3? I would love that, but for many users, this switch requires a gestalt switch. At the most basic metaphorical level, these are two very different models, with different user expectations. @daveIxD - Dude, you have been teaching RIA - how would you handle this? PS: The comic was nice. On Tue, Sep 2, 2008 at 2:25 PM, pauric [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: regarding my comic book gripes, I'm referring to the link floating around on the internets http://www.google.com/googlebooks/chrome/ as opposed to the slightly less constrained view in the original poster's link http://books.google.com/books?id=8UsqHohwwVYC printsec=frontcover . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 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] Mozilla Labs: Ubiquity
I was thinking about this earlier today: This kind of service, although superb for the user, poses some serious questions to companies who develop web-apps. How do you monetize your service (and keep it available) if the future of web interaction relies on pulling your service rather than bringing visitors to your site. For instance, Ubiquity lets you throw twitters, embed maps, snag ratings from sites these are all fantastic abilities. I'm already using the darn thing and i've only had it installed for 2 hours. But for the providers of these services (maps / twits / ratings) what does it mean when a new generation of services actually snags your content and cuts out the source of potential profits (visitors). Do you have to embed your revenue generators (say advertisements) into your content? Or do you hope that by providing ubiquitous inclusion on your content you will somehow grow your total eye-share and visitor numbers? As micro apps get better and better at pulling info from the semantic web, does the very idea of visiting a site become obsolete? And if so, where can you generate a revenue stream? Food for thought. We're moving away from the Paged Web faster than some expected. pauric wrote: Aza Raskin presents very intriguing interaction paradigm for the browser, similar to his previous work with Enzo for the OS; instead of you going to services, the application pulls those services in to your workflow via a natural language command line. http://labs.mozilla.com/2008/08/introducing-ubiquity/ He's created a nice video demoing the app I wonder what people's thoughts are on (power-user orientated?) command line interfaces when compared to the visually heavy designs at the other end of the spectrum, e.g. http://adaptivepath.com/aurora/ exciting times! regards/pauric 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] Cuil
I actually find the horizontal / multi column results search a lot more natural in this kind of setting. usually the summary section isn't necessary for most searches, so changing the format to a more blocky, horizontal grouping might actually be beneficial. Since users have to read the results in any case, their eyes are already moving horizontally, so the idea of putting the top results in a shoulder-to-shoulder seems like a natural. There are bad ways of doing that, of course. But from a purely visual (non interaction) design point of view, the entry page seems somehow wrong. Maybe that's just because current vogue and standard is an open, airy, white-space style search page. Right now the major problem seems to be server overload so it is tough to see how responsive the site will be. Andy Edmonds wrote: The UI design is interesting as well. Multi-column search layouts have typically not fared very well at scale, though I personally like them just fine. It seems that avoiding a costly scroll for examining more results would be a win, but people are quite use to a single column and it makes the ad placement tricker. Will Evans wrote: A new clustering search engine? Wall Street Journal article here: * http://tinyurl.com/5b9e9q http://www.cuil.com/ launches today. 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] Cuil
I don't know, Lucy. It's hard to know if the multi-column would be better or worse if we were used to it. Maybe we've all been trained to expect the row-by-row format since that's been the default for 10 years, but if this concept were actually implemented well, it might prove beneficial. Wonder if the luminaries have done research on this. PS: Have you noticed that the image/results pairing is slightly random? Like they just grab any old image from the result site and go with it. I guess the algorithm needs a tiny bit of work. -Damon Misenreseau wrote: Andy Edmonds wrote: The UI design is interesting as well. Multi-column search layouts have typically not fared very well at scale, though I personally like them just fine. I hated that bit. I didn't know where to look, which column would contain the most important search results? Just made my eyes jump around the page and not land anywhere. Add to that the tiny font on the site and its a sure fire only with style switched off app but I'm not sure that the functionality is worth moving from Google. Lucy 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] Design Thinking
Hi Scott, I agree with a lot of what you are saying, so I won't add much. As far a Jobs and Wosniak go though, I don't think either is particularly in the designer category. I think Jobs's particular genius lies in recognizing good design and scoping out a vision for good design. It also is -immensely- useful sometimes to have someone who can cut through the marketing-meetings and endless stakeholder gripe fests to say This is how it is going to be, because this is how it works best. In my company we talk about the idea of Design as Management in projects. I think that's sort of what you are getting at: Design should helm or at least have serious veto authority when the projects go into development, ultimately as the advocate of the end user. Is that sort of touching on your point? All three examples Palm, Motorola and Creative, are competing against Apple, a company started by two men who quit their jobs at big companies (Steve Jobs quit Atari and Steve Wozniak quit HP) because they thought they could make something better on their own, and they were right. They fit the question I asked before: why do so few designers start their own companies? Apple is a great example of what can happen when they do (although to be fair, I doubt Jobs or Wozniak would call themselves designers. Certainly not when they started). Palm et. al. are not losing because they are tone deaf to design - they are losing because someone is making a superior product. All three companies, in the grand scheme, have been quite succesful. 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
