Re: [IxDA Discuss] City experience
One example I read about in a recent book, Nudge I believe, was Lake Shore Drive in Chicago. One section of road had many accidents because it was a dangerous curve and people would ignore signs to slow down. The city of Chicago drew lines on the road that gradually came to be closer and closer together. The visual experience gave drivers the sensation of speeding up. Drivers compensate by slowing down, and accident rates have dropped. You could use that example in your pitch. -Jesse __ Jesse S. Zolna, Ph.D. From: Gregor Kiddie To: Rob Epstein ; disc...@ixda.org Sent: Tuesday, July 21, 2009 10:55:00 AM Subject: Re: [IxDA Discuss] City experience That's a very intriguing set of questions there! No experience but my curiosity is piqued! How could you re-design a road (or pavement) from a UX perspective... Fantastic question for an interview! Gk. Gregor Kiddie Senior Developer INPS Tel: 01382 564343 Registered address: The Bread Factory, 1a Broughton Street, London SW8 3QJ Registered Number: 1788577 Registered in the UK Visit our Internet Web site at www.inps.co.uk The information in this internet email is confidential and is intended solely for the addressee. Access, copying or re-use of information in it by anyone else is not authorised. Any views or opinions presented are solely those of the author and do not necessarily represent those of INPS or any of its affiliates. If you are not the intended recipient please contact is.helpd...@inps.co.uk -Original Message- From: discuss-boun...@lists.interactiondesigners.com [mailto:discuss-boun...@lists.interactiondesigners.com] On Behalf Of Rob Epstein Sent: 21 July 2009 11:29 To: disc...@ixda.org Subject: [IxDA Discuss] City experience Has anyone provided UX / usability services to a city or local council, regarding: - Road / sidewalk design and maintenance - Road signs - locations, standards, maintenance - Navigation signs - to local sites, main roads, points of interest - Traffic calming - Pedestrian crossings - Shared spaces - and in general, how to make cities more walkable, safe, and a great place to live. I'd like to hear your experiences, war stories, and how you convinced the city that they needed you (or did they "get it" from the start?) Thanks, Rob ___ Rob Epstein UX consultant 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 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] Research methods when you only have 2-3 hours or 2-3 days
The coffee shop is one version of the man on the street approach, which can be done on the subway, in the park etc. It does take some gumption, but more than that it takes the feeling that this HAS to be done. Once you convince yourself you have no other choice, you will get it done. I will stake a place out for a bit and get comfortable (and caffeinated). When I decide it is time to perform, I choose a target mostly on gut (in addition to visible target user characteristics) and follow the three second rule: decide if they are a good candidate in 3 seconds or move on. If you observe carefully, you can tell if someone is more or less likely to be in a relaxed and flexible mood. Just straight to the point "Hi, my name is X, and I am designing X. I need feedback from everyday people like you to help make it better. If you'll go through it with me for ten minutes while you drink your coffee, I'll buy your coffee." If they say yes, bring them to your table. The approach is often awkward, and you will certainly hear a lot of 'no', but the outcome is rewarding. You can do a couple people here and there without much issue, but if you plan to spend hours there, you might talk to management. Sometimes getting a pair of people is also fun. It is easier with mobile apps. Having a camera-person (in public spaces) to make it more like a news interview can help people 'get it'. -Jesse __ Jesse S. Zolna, Ph.D. From: Jason Robb To: disc...@ixda.org Sent: Wednesday, July 8, 2009 10:32:24 AM Subject: Re: [IxDA Discuss] Research methods when you only have 2-3 hours or 2-3 days Todd et al., Awesome! I'm so glad you asked this question... The current state of my company culture allows me literally no time for testing people outside of our organization. So when we want to test some new idea, we usually try it on our own internal resources, student advisers and the dev team. Recruiting in a coffee shop is an awesome idea. I wonder if I could get the gumption to try it. What does this process look like? "Hey I'll buy your coffee if you try our site, it'll take 10 minutes"... a lot of people are going for coffee to break. How successful has this method been for you, Jesse? Cheers, Jason R. -- Jason Robb Experience Design & Implementation http://jasonrobb.com http://uxboston.com http://uiscraps.tumblr.com . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Posted from the new ixda.org http://www.ixda.org/discuss?post=43514 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] Doctoral study in design.
I agree Eirik. I am surprised, given the recent discussion of design education programs, that there has been little to no response to this topic. I suspect it is because the following statements are true, and many of the designers on this board do not find it as scary as you do, but rather find it appropriate. “Few undergraduate design students, especially those in single-discipline colleges of art in the USA, engage in original, disciplined inquiry intended to inform design decisions, nor do most learn how to read and apply research findings from other fields. … A small portion of American undergraduate design students eventually enroll in master’s programs, where the dominant educational model – borrowed from the studio arts – addresses the refinement of practice-oriented skills and portfolios.” In the interest in sparking discussion, I’d like to mention that I myself have witnessed many events where designers say ”research shows …” and have wondered if they think saying those magical words is simply a bullet proof way to win an argument. There have been times when I have doubted the existence or relevance of said research, and that makes me nervous about those other times when I trust such an assertion. One top-of-mind example is when I recently read the following words on these boards: “Studies show people go bananas for "FREE".” I do not usually disagree or doubt designers when they make these statements (especially something as self-evident as this), but I rarely if ever actually see the research or a reference, which I can say from first-hand knowledge would not fly in a PhD program. In this example, I would bet there are some caveats to users’ jumping on free things (e.g., if they think they might get SPAMed or compromise their privacy or download a virus, etc.). Perhaps a research informed education would reduce this practice. The article suggests the creation of a dependable research database. Providing a place for designers to ‘get’ and share their research would be great. Even better, I believe that applied-research is most valuable when it is conducted in context, and providing (some) designers with the chops to do so would be of great value to the field. Rather than the blanket "research shows..." statement, designers should more often say "I did research in this context on this question and and it shows..." This is of course difficult, and requires the progression of rapid design research methods. What are people's opinions on useful rapid (as in, more rapid than even one day of lab-tests) research? What do you use? Maybe a database of this is also necessary. As the authors conclude: “…it is also clear that development in this area will be slow without broader recognition that research matters to the future of the design professions and that the outcomes of design decisions have consequences in society.” It matters folks, and I think this community is as open to research as anyone. How do you use research and what is your advice for or argument against the authors of this article? __ Jesse S. Zolna, Ph.D. From: Eirik Midttun To: disc...@ixda.org Sent: Friday, February 20, 2009 6:20:12 AM Subject: Re: [IxDA Discuss] Doctoral study in design. Why the exclamation mark behind engineering? I find some of the things in "What Does the Field Think about Research?" rather scary. I don't live in the US so maybe it is better elsewhere. Anyway it has to change, or the discipline won't survive. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Posted from the new ixda.org http://www.ixda.org/discuss?post=38981 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] A Study on how End User's perceive change
Hi Shashank, Sounds like an interesting topic. The way your phrase it now seems rather broad, but if one of the aspects of "change" you are looking at includes visual placement of menu items and icons etc, you might look at the Psych lit in visual scene perception. good luck and go jackets! . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Posted from the new ixda.org http://www.ixda.org/discuss?post=37036 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's the right default font size for a website?
Hi, I don't know the research or have any citations, but I believe the research essentially says: bigger font is easier to read and/or is read faster. Of course, you are trading off large font size with fitting more information into your text region or above the fold, or whatever your constraints are. I think getting your content so that it fits into your overall design scheme and makes for a good user experience is the main issue you need to consider and/or test. Not to mention that my very general statement must be taken with a grain of salt, as *extremely* large font might be disconcerting to users. Most sites set the font pretty small. Hopefully someone who really needs enlarged font (e.g., w/ low vision) has set their browser to change the font across the board. Therefore, sticking with convention - assuming you want your site to be conventional in this way - seems advisable. If your site is aimed at helping ppl with low vision adjust thier browser settings, well, you probobly would start with larger font. Yohan's guidelines seem about right, but I would use a serif-font for printed materials. -Jesse - Original Message From: Nick Gassman <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> To: IXDA list <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Sent: Wednesday, September 10, 2008 2:28:45 AM Subject: [IxDA Discuss] What's the right default font size for a website? Is there any research on font sizes? Yes, you should build your site so users can change the size, but in reality many who would benefit from doing so don't know that you can, even if you provide the tools. You need to start with an appropriate default. What should that default be? *Nick Gassman - Usability and Standards Manager - http://ba.com * * I vote for reply-to to go to the list* 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
