Re: [IxDA Discuss] New to IXD, looking for some advice.
To side with Christina on this one, and maybe it Depends(tm) on the company, I went from hw to usability to design. Most of the other grads that started with me went on to Marketing or Program management - the managerial route. There are plenty of companies out there that dont pigeon hole their employees, there's no reason I see for those same companies to single out the IxD role as pre-qualified hire-in only. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Posted from the improved ixda.org http://beta.ixda.org/discuss?post=21042 Welcome to the Interaction Design Association (IxDA)! To post to this list ... [EMAIL PROTECTED] List Guidelines http://beta.ixda.org/guidelines List Help .. http://beta.ixda.org/help Unsubscribe http://beta.ixda.org/unsubscribe Questions .. [EMAIL PROTECTED] Home ... http://beta.ixda.org
Re: [IxDA Discuss] d schools
I guess the inmates are D.esigning asylum 2.0 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Posted from the new ixda.org http://gamma.ixda.org/discuss?post=21093 Welcome to the Interaction Design Association (IxDA)! To post to this list ... [EMAIL PROTECTED] List Guidelines http://beta.ixda.org/guidelines List Help .. http://beta.ixda.org/help Unsubscribe http://beta.ixda.org/unsubscribe Questions .. [EMAIL PROTECTED] Home ... http://beta.ixda.org
Re: [IxDA Discuss] Target.com Loses Accessibility Law Suit
Joseph said: "I haven't heard of any core, structural, intrinsic way in which any software or hardware system can be designed that allows for visual complexity to be more easily translated into audio or other input using an assistive technology." The technology is here, just not evenly distributed, read all about it: http://www.nfb.org/Images/nfb/Video/K-NFB Reader_Custom.wmv Andrei: "But why should that be a software overlay on the system instead of built into the system itself?" In a word, its an interface. A presentation layer. You dont re-interpret the visual spectrum to audio, back down in an OS (why not: e.g. JScript). It must be an open, standards based, solution to be truly universal and robust. Note the K-NFB is nothing more than a digital camera and OCR module. A simple solution that adapts to most any environment, subject text and user. It cant be rocketscience to build a dynamic OCR reader for today's powerful desktops. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Posted from the new ixda.org http://gamma.ixda.org/discuss?post=21080 Welcome to the Interaction Design Association (IxDA)! To post to this list ... [EMAIL PROTECTED] List Guidelines http://beta.ixda.org/guidelines List Help .. http://beta.ixda.org/help Unsubscribe http://beta.ixda.org/unsubscribe Questions .. [EMAIL PROTECTED] Home ... http://beta.ixda.org
Re: [IxDA Discuss] Target.com Loses Accessibility Law Suit
That URL again, http://tinyurl.com/2vtcqt . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Posted from the new ixda.org http://gamma.ixda.org/discuss?post=21080 Welcome to the Interaction Design Association (IxDA)! To post to this list ... [EMAIL PROTECTED] List Guidelines http://beta.ixda.org/guidelines List Help .. http://beta.ixda.org/help Unsubscribe http://beta.ixda.org/unsubscribe Questions .. [EMAIL PROTECTED] Home ... http://beta.ixda.org
Re: [IxDA Discuss] Target.com Loses Accessibility Law Suit
Andrei, lets try to understand the problem before we focus on the specifics of the engineered solution. We should first put a bit more resolution on what it takes to be "Disabled". Let me start with a few observations I've made. I've never seen someone with limited motor control use an Apple. It primarily tablet PCs or dedicated hardware. Of the group that falls under "Blind", I'd like to first better define the problem as Visual Acuity which can be broken down in to two major groups; Hyperopia or 'farsightedness' and Myopia 'shortsightedness'. -Very- generally speaking the first affects the elderly and the second is an eye defect. And, Hyperopia is going to be a significantly larger percentage of computer users as we all age and our eyesight fails us - I feel thats the business case for an eventual application based solution I others chime in with their observations... That said... if I may "bite" I'm surprised to see a talented designer such as yourself delve straight in to a proposed solution. If I may summarize your argument for fixing the OS with one comment you made "Text doesn't appear on your screen unless it was coded and rendered to do so." I, as a reader of what is on the screen in front of me, do not care about the code needed to compile/interpret/render the information in front of me. I just read, humans are system agnostic. I can read applications or web pages, games or graphics - what I describe as the 'visual spectrum' of information I take in. My approach to compensate for a lack of ability to interpret the visual spectrum would be to look for a solution not based in a specific OS or W3C standard. I'm suggesting a new layer that interfaces and translates between the user and the presentation layer. Build an engineering-out reader that interprets wpf, javascript, vista or OS X's core animation and you shoot yourself in the foot when that specific technology becomes redundant. I'm suggesting a system, based on my experience in working with people with disabilities, that tracks the user's eye (if possible) and reads that section back to them. Regardless, it monitors all activity on the screen, from OS dialogs to js interactions, read those and translate them in to audio or touch (the other two major 'spectrums', or senses, the we receive information). In short, an Optical Character Recognition based Intelligent Agent. Forget about interpreting what it takes to get those electrons to the monitor, lets just dynamically snapshot the screen and OCR it. I feel its going to be more fruitful to address the point of failure not the system. The underlying system will change, the issue of deficient vision does not. That point of failure lies between the user and the system presentation layer. I think I'll call this approach User Centered Design (o; cheers :-pauric . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Posted from the new ixda.org http://gamma.ixda.org/discuss?post=21080 Welcome to the Interaction Design Association (IxDA)! To post to this list ... [EMAIL PROTECTED] Unsubscribe http://gamma.ixda.org/unsubscribe List Guidelines http://gamma.ixda.org/guidelines List Help .. http://gamma.ixda.org/help
Re: [IxDA Discuss] Target.com Loses Accessibility Law Suit
Todd: "When has the government every been efficient at creating progress and innovation compared to the private sector?" Darpa, Apollo, Arpanet. If anything, governments do a rather fine job of leading innovation. There's no reason to wait until egn X is half blind and there's a market. The technology is available today but it will only take a non-profit to capitalize on it. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Posted from the new ixda.org http://gamma.ixda.org/discuss?post=21080 Welcome to the Interaction Design Association (IxDA)! To post to this list ... [EMAIL PROTECTED] Unsubscribe http://gamma.ixda.org/unsubscribe List Guidelines http://gamma.ixda.org/guidelines List Help .. http://gamma.ixda.org/help
Re: [IxDA Discuss] Target.com Loses Accessibility Law Suit
Andrei: "They should be going after MS and Apple to make them solve the problem for real on the computer itself." But the 'problem' is not on the computer, Operating Systems do what they were designed to do, as well as a few things they werent. Suing an OS manufacture is a pointless waste of advocates limited resources. Let me put it to you in a crude analogy, you dont sue the NY Times to get them to increase the font size. You -solve- the 'problem' by buying glasses. That is, dont try to redefine fundamental OS requirements based on a small percentage of the user base. Build an application that solves a user need. An an aside, try to avoid name calling, it diminishes the credibility of your arguments. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Posted from the new ixda.org http://gamma.ixda.org/discuss?post=21080 Welcome to the Interaction Design Association (IxDA)! To post to this list ... [EMAIL PROTECTED] Unsubscribe http://gamma.ixda.org/unsubscribe List Guidelines http://gamma.ixda.org/guidelines List Help .. http://gamma.ixda.org/help
Re: [IxDA Discuss] JOB UX Designer, Fulltime/Permanent Role, Recruiter, Redmond, WA
Dear 800lb Gorilla, I saw with great interest your open req for a UX Designer Role that requires "Client and server debugging skills", "Solid programming experience in C " and who will "make the user experience on their search engine the very best". Please review my personal site: http://www.superman.com/ Yours truly, "the Software Design Engineer with a keen sensitivity to the needs of the end-user" Clarke Kent. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Posted from the new ixda.org http://gamma.ixda.org/discuss?post=21232 Welcome to the Interaction Design Association (IxDA)! To post to this list ... [EMAIL PROTECTED] Unsubscribe http://gamma.ixda.org/unsubscribe List Guidelines http://gamma.ixda.org/guidelines List Help .. http://gamma.ixda.org/help
Re: [IxDA Discuss] JOB UX Designer, Fulltime/Permanent Role, Recruiter, Redmond, WA
Matt, I wholeheartedly agree with your sentiment. Castles in the clouds follow no rules of architecture. However.. a UX person thats being asked to debug server side code should send off a few alarm bells no? This is a developer role. The recruiter simply pasted UX in to the title and liberally sprinkled the lead with 'user'. None of the requirements touch on any methodologies needed to -design- user interface, just build them. cheers -p . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Posted from the new ixda.org http://gamma.ixda.org/discuss?post=21232 Welcome to the Interaction Design Association (IxDA)! To post to this list ... [EMAIL PROTECTED] Unsubscribe http://gamma.ixda.org/unsubscribe List Guidelines http://gamma.ixda.org/guidelines List Help .. http://gamma.ixda.org/help
Re: [IxDA Discuss] Target.com Loses Accessibility Law Suit
I'd like to understand your definition of 'disabled' Andrei. A system cant be all things to all people, it will fail being useful to anyone in particular. Should we ditch the mouse and keyboard for people without fine control of their muscles? A clickless interface for everyone? And for the hard of hearing - should the system have full voice recognition? And of course.. what we're really talking about here.. that sub group of 'the disabled' with reduced vision... OS's that talk to you. I present to you the 'Disabled' friendly computer http://tinyurl.com/2wecy4 OS's are platforms, on to which we build applications. Applications are solutions to unique/specific problems. Addressing the needs of a specific user group is best served with a platform wide solution dont you think? Andrei.. Andrei.. give me your answer true (o; :-p . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Posted from the new ixda.org http://gamma.ixda.org/discuss?post=21080 Welcome to the Interaction Design Association (IxDA)! To post to this list ... [EMAIL PROTECTED] Unsubscribe http://gamma.ixda.org/unsubscribe List Guidelines http://gamma.ixda.org/guidelines List Help .. http://gamma.ixda.org/help
Re: [IxDA Discuss] Target.com Loses Accessibility Law Suit
Sorry "Addressing the needs of a specific user group is -NOT- best served with a platform wide solution dont you think?" . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Posted from the new ixda.org http://gamma.ixda.org/discuss?post=21080 Welcome to the Interaction Design Association (IxDA)! To post to this list ... [EMAIL PROTECTED] Unsubscribe http://gamma.ixda.org/unsubscribe List Guidelines http://gamma.ixda.org/guidelines List Help .. http://gamma.ixda.org/help
Re: [IxDA Discuss] JOB UX Designer, Fulltime/Permanent Role, Recruiter, Redmond, WA
Mark S on the omni person type: "Those who choose to have control and do everything... interface design, coding, marketing. Typically this gets you a mediocre product that is of limited use." I feel the problem is not so 2 dimensional. If a team avoids single points of failure in their processes you can leverage omni types. No single omni-type should design-implement-test their work alone. No matter how talented a person is, they solve problems based on their experience/perspective. Peer review is critical in both omni & designer/developer teams. It goes back to a golden rule of development: never build and then test a system with the same tool. Faults or flaws in construction will not be caught in qualification. A small organization may not have the resources to afford the clear benefits of separate specialists for design & implementation. That, however, does not mean they will inherently create 'mediocre products'. p.rocess . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Posted from the new ixda.org http://gamma.ixda.org/discuss?post=21232 Welcome to the Interaction Design Association (IxDA)! To post to this list ... [EMAIL PROTECTED] Unsubscribe http://gamma.ixda.org/unsubscribe List Guidelines http://gamma.ixda.org/guidelines List Help .. http://gamma.ixda.org/help
Re: [IxDA Discuss] straw poll: best messaging user experience
>From the perspective of someone who works with both offshored and outsourced vendors. Email is the best for accountability, unfortunately the enterprise client is Notes which sucks harder than a dyson. For day to day itteration work, IRC for an office like discussion (unsecure though) and skype for IM/Voice detail orientated conversations. I use adium but will try to get peers over to skype. >From a design perspective, with dedicated hardware like the Philips VOIP8411B which will also plug in to your 19th century lines along side skype-in/out, the easy progression from im to voice, easy group IM etc etc.. I find its the best all round communications solution. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Posted from the new ixda.org http://gamma.ixda.org/discuss?post=21336 Welcome to the Interaction Design Association (IxDA)! To post to this list ... [EMAIL PROTECTED] Unsubscribe http://gamma.ixda.org/unsubscribe List Guidelines http://gamma.ixda.org/guidelines List Help .. http://gamma.ixda.org/help
Re: [IxDA Discuss] JOB UX Designer, Fulltime/Permanent Role, Recruiter, Redmond, WA
Let me add that google also required, when they schooled me in what it takes to be a real designer via their interviewing 'process', that they very much made it clear you needed to be a design thinker. Coding skills - a requirement, but you definitely needed to primarily think like a designer. Will T, I've no bone to pick with MS, I think there are some awesome changes coming out of Redmond such as giving Zune 1 buyers the latest Zune 2 firmware (when Apple's original response to early iPhone adopters after the price drop is @#$% you.. 'thats technology for you') That all said, calling for client/server debug is way the other end of developer from UX. That specific job req is really a developer role and sticking UX in the title is doing the hiring team a disservice. design-code-test is just too much. As always, do one thing - do it well. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Posted from the new ixda.org http://gamma.ixda.org/discuss?post=21232 Welcome to the Interaction Design Association (IxDA)! To post to this list ... [EMAIL PROTECTED] Unsubscribe http://gamma.ixda.org/unsubscribe List Guidelines http://gamma.ixda.org/guidelines List Help .. http://gamma.ixda.org/help
Re: [IxDA Discuss] Green and not: ON and off
Green LEDs in a jam I do not like them in my mocks. I do not like them on a box. I do not like them with Binary Switches. I do not like them with halloween witches. I do not like them here or there. I do not like them anywhere. I do not like to use green LEDs in a jam. I do not like them, designer-I-am. Momentary switches, I loath to press Rockers and sliders, state is addressed You do not like to use green LEDs in a jam? I do not like them, Designer-I-am. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Posted from the new ixda.org http://gamma.ixda.org/discuss?post=21392 Welcome to the Interaction Design Association (IxDA)! To post to this list ... [EMAIL PROTECTED] Unsubscribe http://gamma.ixda.org/unsubscribe List Guidelines http://gamma.ixda.org/guidelines List Help .. http://gamma.ixda.org/help
Re: [IxDA Discuss] How to improve graphic design skills?
Graphic design in the sense of creating artifacts.. Trace. Take an image you want to copy.. ummm say like an icon... http://wiki.openmoko.org/wiki/Look_&_Feel#Styles Stick them in an application that has layers, tuck them in the background and lock the layer. Then just draw in a layers above. Like so http://flickr.com/photos/pauric/1355629082/ Graphic design in the sense of 'having an eye' for things. No idea. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Posted from the new ixda.org http://gamma.ixda.org/discuss?post=21454 Welcome to the Interaction Design Association (IxDA)! To post to this list ... [EMAIL PROTECTED] Unsubscribe http://gamma.ixda.org/unsubscribe List Guidelines http://gamma.ixda.org/guidelines List Help .. http://gamma.ixda.org/help
Re: [IxDA Discuss] How to improve graphic design skills?
Adrienne's point on typography reminded me of this excellent little film about the London College of Printing http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1Xg5O0l7ybY David Dabner is very quotable 'When playing Jazz, you've got to learn the instrument first, otherwise its going to sound bloody aweful' and my favourite 'Computers make for sloppy thinking, thinking allows you to delete the non-essential.' . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Posted from the new ixda.org http://gamma.ixda.org/discuss?post=21454 Welcome to the Interaction Design Association (IxDA)! To post to this list ... [EMAIL PROTECTED] Unsubscribe http://gamma.ixda.org/unsubscribe List Guidelines http://gamma.ixda.org/guidelines List Help .. http://gamma.ixda.org/help
Re: [IxDA Discuss] Green and not: ON and off
"Technological progress positively sucks some times. I'm sure the glowing screens are touted as a "feature", too." Go over to your stationary area. Do a blank (black) photocopy on to a transparent sheet. Stick the sheet on to your alarm clock. p.hixit . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Posted from the new ixda.org http://gamma.ixda.org/discuss?post=21392 Welcome to the Interaction Design Association (IxDA)! To post to this list ... [EMAIL PROTECTED] Unsubscribe http://gamma.ixda.org/unsubscribe List Guidelines http://gamma.ixda.org/guidelines List Help .. http://gamma.ixda.org/help
Re: [IxDA Discuss] A badly designed site about bad design
Hi Matt, I'm not that well versed on what makes a good 'web'site, I design embedded interfaces on appliances. Granted the site is a little Nielsenian, I would appreciate your insights on specific flaws. I was able to navigate and find content with great ease. What would you change or do differently? cheers -pauric . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Posted from the new ixda.org http://gamma.ixda.org/discuss?post=21442 Welcome to the Interaction Design Association (IxDA)! To post to this list ... [EMAIL PROTECTED] Unsubscribe http://gamma.ixda.org/unsubscribe List Guidelines http://gamma.ixda.org/guidelines List Help .. http://gamma.ixda.org/help
Re: [IxDA Discuss] A badly designed site about bad design
Just to play the devils advocate, as I do like Jenifer's site "(her) site makes the navigation of the content more friendly (because of the left side nav bar)." As both sites roughly follow the sequential format of a book, especially true with Jenifer's content, it could be argued that forcing a user to constantly scroll down for the later pages is something of a flaw with simple left/right nav. The 'Bad Designs' site allows a reader to flip though the content without forcing them to scroll down past the 'fold' everytime the want to move to the next page. I agree with both Matt & Jarod that always present Nav is a good thing. I think the underlying flaw is the way both sites interrupt the experience with fairly flat layout that doesnt necessarily require scrolling. Here's an example of what can be done when you think about content as you design the architecture, as opposed to building a navigation system and then hooking it to the content separately. http://htmlplayground.com http://www.ted.com/index.php/themes Either way, thanks for clarifying the flaws. Its always good to share insights. thanks, pauric Welcome to the Interaction Design Association (IxDA)! To post to this list ... [EMAIL PROTECTED] Unsubscribe http://gamma.ixda.org/unsubscribe List Guidelines http://gamma.ixda.org/guidelines List Help .. http://gamma.ixda.org/help
Re: [IxDA Discuss] Wow, look at you all go...!
As one of the more active posters (I suffer from verbal diarrhea and no one to talk to at work) I HIGHLY recommend the http://gamma.ixda.org/discuss.php site for tracking the discussions. http://www.howardesign.com has done a phenomenal job at bending the archaic mail server in to a very usable discussion front end. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Posted from the new ixda.org http://gamma.ixda.org/discuss?post=21519 Welcome to the Interaction Design Association (IxDA)! To post to this list ... [EMAIL PROTECTED] Unsubscribe http://gamma.ixda.org/unsubscribe List Guidelines http://gamma.ixda.org/guidelines List Help .. http://gamma.ixda.org/help
Re: [IxDA Discuss] Wow, look at you all go...!
Chauncey: "It would be interesting to conduct a brief survey regarding the overall quality of the discussions" If you or anyone else wants to respond with questions that would suit such a quarterly review. I'll happily put the survey together and conduct it. Lets crowdsource a solution to measuring quality (o; thanks - pauric . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Posted from the new ixda.org http://gamma.ixda.org/discuss?post=21519 Welcome to the Interaction Design Association (IxDA)! To post to this list ... [EMAIL PROTECTED] Unsubscribe http://gamma.ixda.org/unsubscribe List Guidelines http://gamma.ixda.org/guidelines List Help .. http://gamma.ixda.org/help
Re: [IxDA Discuss] Non graphical storyboards
Not sure if this will help Marvin, I came across a youtube video of a literature student in Texas who also paints. You could listen to the story on youtube: http://tinyurl.com/26qqnu Although I have to warn you the narration is a little schmaltzy. I did a little research and found some more detail on the story: "About five years ago, Mr. Bramblitt realized his sight was going away. %u201CMy heart just sank,%u201D he said. %u201CIt seemed like the entire world went away.%u201D Doctors haven%u2019t been able to determine the reason for Mr. Bramblitt%u2019s blindness. Mr. Bramblitt, who had drawn and written before going blind, kept writing. But it wasn%u2019t the cathartic experience he was seeking. He thought about painting. He figured he%u2019d try painting for a year and see where it took him. One big hurdle: How to apply paint on canvas in the right places. A solution: Make a raised drawing %u2014 a bumpy outline you can feel with your hands %u2014 and form a map that makes it easier to determine the boundaries of the image. He tried glue, but it cracked. Then he discovered fabric %u2014 or puffy %u2014 paint, which leaves a raised line after it dries. He uses oil paints because each color has its own texture. He feels the paint in his hands to help guide him to the right colors. He also uses his hands to see the canvas, moving them along the fabric to determine the boundaries. While Mr. Bramblitt started painting for himself, he eventually showed his work to friends and family. When his friend, Jacqi Serie, saw his paintings, she joked that she thought he was faking. %u201CIt%u2019s hard [for others] to wrap their heads around the fact that he can draw that well without seeing,%u201D she said. Here is john Bramblitt's website: http://www.bramblitt.net/ here is his email address johnbramblitt at hotmail.com Note that he says on his contact page "I would like to encourage anyone that is blind/visually impaired or knows someone that is and would enjoy painting to please feel free to contact me. I don%u2019t have all the answers, but maybe working together we could at least come up with some intelligent questions." Good luck & g-day ,pauric . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Posted from the new ixda.org http://gamma.ixda.org/discuss?post=21538 Welcome to the Interaction Design Association (IxDA)! To post to this list ... [EMAIL PROTECTED] Unsubscribe http://gamma.ixda.org/unsubscribe List Guidelines http://gamma.ixda.org/guidelines List Help .. http://gamma.ixda.org/help
Re: [IxDA Discuss] examples of filtering data based on a series of and/or/not criteria?
I like the and - controls for adding rules in pipes, then the ability to minimise the panel, leaving just a label, when you're done. http://pipes.yahoo.com/pipes/pipe.edit . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Posted from the new ixda.org http://gamma.ixda.org/discuss?post=21858 Welcome to the Interaction Design Association (IxDA)! To post to this list ... [EMAIL PROTECTED] Unsubscribe http://gamma.ixda.org/unsubscribe List Guidelines http://gamma.ixda.org/guidelines List Help .. http://gamma.ixda.org/help
[IxDA Discuss] Dasher, an intuitive
Apologies if this has been posted before: 'Dasher is a competitive text-entry system wherever a full-size keyboard cannot be used, driven by natural continuous pointing gestures' Video demonstration http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0d6yIquOKQ0 More info and free download available at; http://www.inference.phy.cam.ac.uk/dasher/ I think the use of a 'library of books' metaphor is truly inspired. - pauric *Come to IxDA Interaction08 | Savannah* February 8-10, 2008 in Savannah, GA, USA Register today: http://interaction08.ixda.org/ Welcome to the Interaction Design Association (IxDA)! To post to this list ... [EMAIL PROTECTED] Unsubscribe http://gamma.ixda.org/unsubscribe List Guidelines http://gamma.ixda.org/guidelines List Help .. http://gamma.ixda.org/help
Re: [IxDA Discuss] Tips on "breaking into" IA/ID/UxD industry for recent graduates?
Dan: "Your portfolio has to say: I am a person with good ideas and skills you can use." Jason, have you thought about complimenting your portfolio with a blog? Something that's going to demonstrate the kind of thinking that Dan refers to. Also, take my advice with a pinch of salt as I've worked at the same place for the last 11 years but to your points 1)"I'm not going to learn anything about my craft if I'm not working with people who know more than me." Not strictly true. I work alone and am the Principal Architect for user interfaces at a large(ish) multinational, 6000 peeps. I would prefer to have a mentor, I'd certainly be better for it, but, its not a requirement imho. You've got Dan Saffer on the line giving you advice if you hadnt noticed! Leverage the cloud. 2)"I am prepared to make coffee, photocopy, and be a gopher, all for a meager paycheck" I met with David Malouf last week and he said something that's stuck in my mind. If I've understood what he said correctly.. then knowing your worth is important. If you let yourself be treated as you describe then I fear you'll be abused. There's a balance but I wouldnt set yourself up as someone who's seen as desperate. I believe Dan Saffer has said in the past that you shouldnt 'work for free' to fill out your portfolio (correct me) and I disagree with that to an extent. I'd encourage you to look at some of the more interesting OSS projects in places like Sourceforge and cut your teeth there. Its a great way to balance your experience even when you do have a job. 3) "I want to be part of an agency that really legitimately cares about the design process. If this precondition isn't met, then there is no good reason to sign up." True, as long as you understand the real reason a business cares about any particular process is its ability to make money. Following the right principles is more important than simply being principled. Best of luck - pauric . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Posted from the new ixda.org http://gamma.ixda.org/discuss?post=21947 *Come to IxDA Interaction08 | Savannah* February 8-10, 2008 in Savannah, GA, USA Register today: http://interaction08.ixda.org/ Welcome to the Interaction Design Association (IxDA)! To post to this list ... [EMAIL PROTECTED] Unsubscribe http://gamma.ixda.org/unsubscribe List Guidelines http://gamma.ixda.org/guidelines List Help .. http://gamma.ixda.org/help
Re: [IxDA Discuss] What tools do you use for prototyping?
Robert: "I use OmniGraffle PDF for simple prototypes, and occasionally Flash. Then I often screencast the interactions with narration using Snapz Pro X. I call it a "protocast"." Thats interesting. Do make a distinction between iterative designing, and deliverables? I would describe your Protocast as a Mockup. My thinking is that its important to understand the audience for anything I'm working on. Be that an audience of myself as I'm sketching on paper, or a larger group. Robert, is your output all 'prototype' or do you switch over from throw-away designs to deliverable work at some point? thanks - pauric . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Posted from the new ixda.org http://gamma.ixda.org/discuss?post=22050 *Come to IxDA Interaction08 | Savannah* February 8-10, 2008 in Savannah, GA, USA Register today: http://interaction08.ixda.org/ Welcome to the Interaction Design Association (IxDA)! To post to this list ... [EMAIL PROTECTED] Unsubscribe http://gamma.ixda.org/unsubscribe List Guidelines http://gamma.ixda.org/guidelines List Help .. http://gamma.ixda.org/help
Re: [IxDA Discuss] What tools do you use for prototyping?
apologies for the typos, long day. I'm not entirely sure what I'm asking either, I was interested in your process more than anything. Maybe I should turn it around and explain where I'm coming from. It helps me to make a distinction between creating a design and then communicating that design. For me, prototyping is the sketching and testing of possible layouts & flows. Once one or more designs become candidates for a particular problem I then render them in to something that is then used to explain them to a wider audience. But, at this point, the kernel of the interaction is captured, defined. I then move on to explaining that definition. Thus the end of the prototyping stage. That not to say I dont take input on a given design... but essentially.. its not really 'prototyping' anymore is it? Just ironing out the wrinkles as well as selling the design to stakeholders. Maybe 'throw-away' was a bad choice of words on my part. I was thinking in project specific terms. But it does underline the distinction for me. The paperwork, wireframes and library elements all fall under prototyping for me. They are in a 'language' that only I need to interpret. Anything thats handed over, presented.. anything that could possibly be called a Specification, well its a mockup. Understanding the audience for a particular doc aids me in determining the level & type of detail needed for that doc. Put it another way. If a design, in omni.pdf for example, isnt really going to change a whole lot from draft... bar some fixes & input from the stakeholders. Is is -really- a prototype anymore? Or just a specification in need of a few tweaks. Let me also say, as if the typos dont give it away, I'm a little dyslexic.. so maybe my wrangling with documentation requires me to go through this 'understand your audience' thing. This smells awfully like a semantics debate, so I'll be quite now (o; thanks for your time - pauric *Come to IxDA Interaction08 | Savannah* February 8-10, 2008 in Savannah, GA, USA Register today: http://interaction08.ixda.org/ Welcome to the Interaction Design Association (IxDA)! To post to this list ... [EMAIL PROTECTED] Unsubscribe http://gamma.ixda.org/unsubscribe List Guidelines http://gamma.ixda.org/guidelines List Help .. http://gamma.ixda.org/help
Re: [IxDA Discuss] What tools do you use for prototyping?
Robert wrote: "There are also some good reasons not to use these tools." I would argue that the tools used for a task such as prototyping are pretty much irrelevant. As long as it gets the job done. Now, understanding what it will take to get the job done requires you understanding who the audience of that document is. It seems to me a lot of different things get called 'prototypes', right up to near specifications. Which is fine, but Robert highlights an issue with such a generic label for a document that can be for anything from a personal feasibility eval right up to a client presentation or something that might be handed off to implementation. As I said previously, the first and foremost part of prototyping for me is understanding the audience, producing the right level of detail required for that audience to interpret the design decisions captured withing. I chose to label some of these docs 'mockups', that suits my process. It would seem a worthwhile exercise to put a coversheet on your 'prototyping' to explain whether the doc is up for review or just a heads-up presentation level release. We put annotations on the elements within a prototype, why not annotate the entire thing with its purpose? In the past when I've called something a prototype in the wrong context I've set myself up for a world of mess when what I had was almost final. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Posted from the new ixda.org http://gamma.ixda.org/discuss?post=22050 *Come to IxDA Interaction08 | Savannah* February 8-10, 2008 in Savannah, GA, USA Register today: http://interaction08.ixda.org/ Welcome to the Interaction Design Association (IxDA)! To post to this list ... [EMAIL PROTECTED] Unsubscribe http://gamma.ixda.org/unsubscribe List Guidelines http://gamma.ixda.org/guidelines List Help .. http://gamma.ixda.org/help
Re: [IxDA Discuss] What tools do you use for prototyping?
I used a 10" bandsaw, Orbital & belt sander and sometimes a drill press, e.g. http://tinyurl.com/2w86gp for some things http://tinyurl.com/2ula9h . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Posted from the new ixda.org http://gamma.ixda.org/discuss?post=22050 *Come to IxDA Interaction08 | Savannah* February 8-10, 2008 in Savannah, GA, USA Register today: http://interaction08.ixda.org/ Welcome to the Interaction Design Association (IxDA)! To post to this list ... [EMAIL PROTECTED] Unsubscribe http://gamma.ixda.org/unsubscribe List Guidelines http://gamma.ixda.org/guidelines List Help .. http://gamma.ixda.org/help
Re: [IxDA Discuss] What tools do you use for prototyping?
Gavin Edmunds - well said! Also, on the desire for an all-in-one solution that could combine a number of drafting, graphic & interactivity applications. I would say that's not necessarily a good thing. Working on paper allows for complete freeform but once you move in to an app you're always going to be slightly constrained by the tool's functionality. Put it another way, every app adds its flavour to your work. Its why UI's created in code only look engineering centric. Its not because coders like engineering centric interfaces, working within code produces a systemic centric layout. So, I believe its very important to always have a number of tools from different vendors in your toolset. Poor analogy time: a Chef who only uses a microwave will produce food that tastes like it was cooked in a microwave . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Posted from the new ixda.org http://gamma.ixda.org/discuss?post=22050 *Come to IxDA Interaction08 | Savannah* February 8-10, 2008 in Savannah, GA, USA Register today: http://interaction08.ixda.org/ 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] How do you define a prototype [was:What tools do you use for prototyping?]
Andrei, I dont necessarily disagree with your ideas on the difference between and ideation sketch and a working rendering of those ideas. However, I'd be very interested in your views on the following. Lets say I create a design in omni, export that as a clickable pdf. Still a prototype? now, what if I print that pdf out, no longer a prototype in your view? thanks - pauric . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Posted from the new ixda.org http://gamma.ixda.org/discuss?post=22323 *Come to IxDA Interaction08 | Savannah* February 8-10, 2008 in Savannah, GA, USA Register today: http://interaction08.ixda.org/ 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 does the usability department belong?
I would say, based on my experience setting up a Usability group in a 14,000 org, that it's best placed in the product qualification area of R&D To effect any changes in the product you're best placed near development. If this is a new group then dovetailing in to existing process will make for a much smoother ramp up to UCD. I would suggest piggy-backing on the existing bug reporting structure, but with a strong emphasis on the Enhancement Request reports for TPL's & PMs. You will still need close ties with Marketing (inc MarComms), establish a review of the CSO reports. But primarily, you need to be in the same silo as those implementing the designs. regards - pauric . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Posted from the new ixda.org http://gamma.ixda.org/discuss?post=22415 *Come to IxDA Interaction08 | Savannah* February 8-10, 2008 in Savannah, GA, USA Register today: http://interaction08.ixda.org/ 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 does the usability department belong?
Richard Rogan:"Align with QA - Isn't this team focused on "after the fact/this are already built" issues?" I appreciate that. In our org, the members of QA are actively involved in new product introduction as they bring in the experience of what went wrong previously. When I worked in the "usability dept" I applied both the collected enhancement requests from previous products as well as UCD to new features. I think its worth noting that large corporations often have rolling roadmaps with gated review cycles of waterfall developments. I can be a tall order to wedge in a new UCD cycle at the start of a program. I've found more buying by taking the long view and 'fixing things in version 2'. I guess there are advantages to being an autonomous body within the organisation. I would say that if this is a new function within an existing business then you're going further the aims of that unit by leveraging existing processes - not wedging yourself in somehow. To my mind, while I accept the limitations, being a part of the Product Quality group it will give you direct access to the general checks and balances already in place. While 'it depends' I would find it hard to see an org flip the switch on to front end UCD overnight - too risky. Also there's just far too much politics in place for a 15,000 org to swallow that much enlightenment in one go. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Posted from the new ixda.org http://gamma.ixda.org/discuss?post=22415 *Come to IxDA Interaction08 | Savannah* February 8-10, 2008 in Savannah, GA, USA Register today: http://interaction08.ixda.org/ 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] what are your fundamental tenets of design?
Designing is the act of deleting the non-essential. Understanding the non-essential is our craft. 'how do you use your tenets to guide you on a daily basis?' Use only what you need, create only what is necessary. Everything else is noise. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Posted from the new ixda.org http://gamma.ixda.org/discuss?post=22431 *Come to IxDA Interaction08 | Savannah* February 8-10, 2008 in Savannah, GA, USA Register today: http://interaction08.ixda.org/ 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's Annual Board Meeting
Lisa, as we use google groups for local stuff. Could the same not be setup at a higher level for the chairs? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Posted from the new ixda.org http://gamma.ixda.org/discuss?post=22389 *Come to IxDA Interaction08 | Savannah* February 8-10, 2008 in Savannah, GA, USA Register today: http://interaction08.ixda.org/ 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] Songza
wow, I'm simply blown away by the UI. Very distinctive controls, layout & flow. I expect we might see more niche search engines also differentiate with novel/innovative UI designs. e.g. http://www.kayak.com/moby/ (not a lot going on with style, but the interaction thinking is good) Thanks for the link David, I feel like a kid in a candy store. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Posted from the new ixda.org http://gamma.ixda.org/discuss?post=22547 *Come to IxDA Interaction08 | Savannah* February 8-10, 2008 in Savannah, GA, USA Register today: http://interaction08.ixda.org/ 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] Songza Compare Seeqpod
Lisa, functionally there appears to be little difference between the two. I would disagree (personal opinion obviously!) about the ease of interaction. My take-away thought about Seeqpod is that most of the options are up front whereas Songza, for me, did a better job of defining the primary controls and hide the secondary nice to haves two layers down e.g. Seeqpod: 32 immediately clickable controls on the main media page Songza: 7 (not including clicking on individual tracks. Also, stand to be corrected on those numbers) Remember, this is simply a music player Songza, to me, presents the primary message of the site up front and places secondary features such as social, playlist controls, etc in one level. There's arguments for both approaches, there are some flaws in the layout for songza such as scrolling. Seeqpod has a very broken flow in places. Nothing is ever perfect. But if Simplicity was ever a good design directive then... (o; . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Posted from the new ixda.org http://gamma.ixda.org/discuss?post=22558 *Come to IxDA Interaction08 | Savannah* February 8-10, 2008 in Savannah, GA, USA Register today: http://interaction08.ixda.org/ 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's Annual Board Meeting
Lisa: "Google Groups. I look forward to the IxDA site owning our content instead of Google." David: "I don't think a simple discussion group is what Lisa is envisioning here." I just want to make a small point on resources and tools. Lisa, I agree. However with google 'owning' the content they also take ownership of the maintenance. Its a tradeoff. David, google groups as we've been using it in Boston is far more than a mail list. The Pages function is for all intents a basic wiki with the added benefit of being hooked in to a mail list. While this isnt perfect, I do get a little bee in my bonnet when I see people shoot for the ideal when there's a work-able alternative and your resources can be better allocated. I dont have a boner for google, but I'd rather see development on more critical issues - the resources section, bugs in gamma etc. And make do with 3rd part tools that meet the 80/20 requirements. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Posted from the new ixda.org http://gamma.ixda.org/discuss?post=22389 *Come to IxDA Interaction08 | Savannah* February 8-10, 2008 in Savannah, GA, USA Register today: http://interaction08.ixda.org/ 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] Songza Compare Seeqpod
David: "I don't think "innaccessibility" is an issue with these sites. Especially Songza which is meant as a study in Interaction Design." One could argue that sites that focus on audio might be on special interest to the visually impaired. If Songza was an exercise in interface design then I might agree with you. Interaction, no. Anyway, I believe songza has dont a good job with high contrast. Excellent balance of colours with the search results being the only weak point I can see. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Posted from the new ixda.org http://gamma.ixda.org/discuss?post=22558 *Come to IxDA Interaction08 | Savannah* February 8-10, 2008 in Savannah, GA, USA Register today: http://interaction08.ixda.org/ 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] Songza
Robert: "I wholeheartedly disagree. You can't do anything with the information once you get it - nothing is clickable. Don't people normally search for flight info so they can buy a plane ticket?" Context. Why would you click to buy from your phone? You call a number. Understanding the context of the mobile interaction is what I really liked about the kayak moby design. regards - pauric . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Posted from the new ixda.org http://gamma.ixda.org/discuss?post=22547 *Come to IxDA Interaction08 | Savannah* February 8-10, 2008 in Savannah, GA, USA Register today: http://interaction08.ixda.org/ 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] Songza
I see some fundamental differences between the leisurely street corner purchase and the more stressful environment of missing a flight, hauling backage around a city/airport scenario that I'm picturing when I think of why someone would use a phone over a PC to book flights. I think they also nailed it when they removed date selection, returning results for the context. Anyway, we could banter this back and forth all day. My original point is that these niche search services can differentiate by understanding the context of use. Thats not to say the big guys cant do the same - but then they face something of a branding/identity problem that needs to be solved thanks for the interesting debate Robert, apologies for the fractured response, I didnt reply all from my mail client previously, regards -pauric *Come to IxDA Interaction08 | Savannah* February 8-10, 2008 in Savannah, GA, USA Register today: http://interaction08.ixda.org/ 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] Songza
Lisa: "Hmmm... so is the song I'm clicking on from the original album or from a remake? Live or studio?" I would imagine that they are circumventing any potential copyright infringement by simply being a search engine for existing sources of content. I'll guess they're pulling the audio of flash video files on gootube and the likes. Thats why you're going to see spotty results. Note that Pandora, which has its own library, will not allow you to play a specific song due to its license. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Posted from the new ixda.org http://gamma.ixda.org/discuss?post=22547 *Come to IxDA Interaction08 | Savannah* February 8-10, 2008 in Savannah, GA, USA Register today: http://interaction08.ixda.org/ 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] Local page on the site?
Somewhat related, I started collecting Design Schools off the list and putting them on a map. I never got around to finishing this off... http://platial.com/ixdamaps/map/56336#Interaction_Design_Schools I'll add to it the next time the discussion comes up. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Posted from the new ixda.org http://gamma.ixda.org/discuss?post=22640 *Come to IxDA Interaction08 | Savannah* February 8-10, 2008 in Savannah, GA, USA Register today: http://interaction08.ixda.org/ 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] Local page on the site?
Dont get me wrong David, I use tinyurl -all- the time: http://tinyurl.com/2pb7f8. However, in the context of a public forum I would think the majority of tech-savvy users would like to know where a link is going to take them - better safe than sorry. Personally I'm very unlikely to follow a tinyurl unless I trust the source/poster. And I wouldnt trust me if you paid me. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Posted from the new ixda.org http://gamma.ixda.org/discuss?post=22640 *Come to IxDA Interaction08 | Savannah* February 8-10, 2008 in Savannah, GA, USA Register today: http://interaction08.ixda.org/ 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] Local page on the site?
Jeff, that bug never got sorted. How do I post a long link from inside gamma. I cant use brackets and dont want to use tinyurl... . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Posted from the new ixda.org http://gamma.ixda.org/discuss?post=22640 *Come to IxDA Interaction08 | Savannah* February 8-10, 2008 in Savannah, GA, USA Register today: http://interaction08.ixda.org/ 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] Local page on the site?
Taking a step back for a moment.. David: "Also, in 4 years of this list nothing I can think of was ever posted that was egregious in any way, so while I appreciate the concern I think something about community context is also relevant here." Is that not the equivalent of saying 'I've never had a problem using my application, so users need to understand how it really works' I dont think there's an easy solution to this, some people inherently do not trust masked links (tinyurl). I appreciate the concerns over embedding html and not everyone knows that wrapping around long links in your email stops them getting broken. But if that functionality is available outside gamma I'm not sure why I cant do the same inside. //rant -off thanks -p . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Posted from the new ixda.org http://gamma.ixda.org/discuss?post=22640 *Come to IxDA Interaction08 | Savannah* February 8-10, 2008 in Savannah, GA, USA Register today: http://interaction08.ixda.org/ 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] Kindle
Mark, point of fact; you spent 60 cents reading Techcrunch on your iphone over the month (assuming 10 minutes a day, ~2K TCO iphone over 2 years). While this device has a better story than previous e-readers it fails in that its over priced even for early adopters. Jeff Bezos struck me as a smart guy until I read this: "We forget (that the printed book) is a 500-year-old technology, and we sort of forget that it's even a technology," Bezos mused. "Gutenberg would still recognize a modern-day book." If it aint super broke, why charge $400 to fix it? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Posted from the new ixda.org http://gamma.ixda.org/discuss?post=22764 *Come to IxDA Interaction08 | Savannah* February 8-10, 2008 in Savannah, GA, USA Register today: http://interaction08.ixda.org/ 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] Kindle
Robert :"With regard to the environment, the printing process, ink, paper, bleaching the paper, etc., is hugely wasteful. " Probably not the forum for this but paper is both recyclable & renewable. Plastic (oil), copper, NiCad and all the other ingredients in a modern device produced here: <http://www.guardian.co.uk/news/gallery/2007/jul/18/china.pollution?picture=330216030> are marginally renewable and hugely wasteful in the sense that we dont know where to put this crap once its obsolete... paper.. I cant take it to the outhouse (o; Carbon offsetting your next book is a nice touch. Jorge, completely agree with sentiment on enabling the developing world. The OLPC project goes a some way to addressing those issues. Until Amazon offer a device to the developing world (and make it 802.11 not evdo) for everyone sold here, as the OLPC project has done, then I dont buy the your argument. Also, I dont see how an e-reader helps someone who cant read or write... laptops & teachers address that problem. This is a $400 closed device that will get cut by about $100 in the new year. Go to version 2 in colour sometime in the middle of next year and then slowly fade in to the annals of niche devices that had a beloved following but which never really caught on. This thing has Newton written all over it. Spend that $400 on a good bike and you'll do the world of good for mind, body & environment (or $250 on a crappy bike and buy some kid a laptop). Apologies for the off-topic rant. Kind regards - pauric *Come to IxDA Interaction08 | Savannah* February 8-10, 2008 in Savannah, GA, USA Register today: http://interaction08.ixda.org/ 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] Kindle
Jorge:"I'm sure the first bound books must have felt weird to people used to reading off scrolls." You should watch this (o; http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xFAWR6hzZek . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Posted from the new ixda.org http://gamma.ixda.org/discuss?post=22764 *Come to IxDA Interaction08 | Savannah* February 8-10, 2008 in Savannah, GA, USA Register today: http://interaction08.ixda.org/ 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] Choosing fonts for mobile phones
Sachendra, there are a number of references to mobile fonts in the archives http://gamma.ixda.org/discuss.php?post=17330 http://gamma.ixda.org/discuss.php?post=12569 best of luck -p . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Posted from the new ixda.org http://gamma.ixda.org/discuss?post=22822 *Come to IxDA Interaction08 | Savannah* February 8-10, 2008 in Savannah, GA, USA Register today: http://interaction08.ixda.org/ 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] Kindle
Matthew:"(drm versus open library) To me that's the biggest difference between the iPod and Kindle and the reason why the Kindle is not going to take off like the iPod did." The iPod isnt as 'open' as you might think. You cant really take your iTunes library and plonk it on another player, you can only burn a track/album to cd 5 times. Its not terrible but its certainly DRM. However, I think there's a strong argument to say that isnt the reason the iPod took off. Ease of use, and for me.. the 'story'. Non technical users pitched a scenario that they could buy in to, and a solution that actually worked. The question hanging over the Kindle's head is will people buy the story? Can they visualise their life being better through carrying digitised reading collection around? There's no question in my mind that the ebook reader concept will have a significant market share in the future. But I see a more gradual shift from book to connected-linked-searchable-always on which younger and future generations will be more comfortable with. But a ~5 year mass switch from book to ebook, similar to CD-iPod... very hard to see that happening with something that wouldnt look out of place on the set of Space 1999 http://www.treksf.com/podcast/space1999cast.jpg . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Posted from the new ixda.org http://gamma.ixda.org/discuss?post=22764 *Come to IxDA Interaction08 | Savannah* February 8-10, 2008 in Savannah, GA, USA Register today: http://interaction08.ixda.org/ 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] Kindle
Mark: "The real deciding factor may be that listening to music is, and always has been much cooler than reading books." Interesting, so you dont see a marketing campaign consisting of silhouettes reading Kindles? It might work, no? (o; "That is takes months to get a book printed and distributed renders > it much less instant and as a result less relevant for all but the most > in-depth studies and stories." 'll point to the more recent Michael Wesch video: <http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dGCJ46vyR9o> As an example of why the Kindle will fail at being a well rounded learning solution when compared to the laptop. Getting the latest MBA course material is one thing, having it on the same device along with the 'cloud' is missing here. Or have I misunderstood your point? thanks -pauric *Come to IxDA Interaction08 | Savannah* February 8-10, 2008 in Savannah, GA, USA Register today: http://interaction08.ixda.org/ 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] Some form fun, to lighten the mood
Its the 'vertical wizard' pattern. Robert:"No need to type anything." While I dont disagree that its not the best form in the world and would be better suited with a traditional multi page wizard. In your view, if someone was actually entering text in to this.. is it really so bad? whats the fundamental interaction flaw? For me own learning I like to understand -why- things are poor, not just point at them and smile. So, you're insight would be of great value. thanks - pauric . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Posted from the new ixda.org http://gamma.ixda.org/discuss?post=23078 *Come to IxDA Interaction08 | Savannah* February 8-10, 2008 in Savannah, GA, USA Register today: http://interaction08.ixda.org/ 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] Some form fun, to lighten the mood
Robert: "Every time another section of the form is revealed, your heart sinks a little more. " I agree. Thats the point I was hoping to explore a little. I come across people that both like of loathe the magical appearing form divs. Is the 'heart sinking' the designer in us or a proper usability issue? I personally dislike them but havent nailed down a solid usability argument against the design Robert highlighted. Lets put aside the fact that with a little thought the online form could be as succinct as the pdf. Let say the choice was a single ever expanding page or a multistage wizard (right xor choice??? another option?) then is a multistage wizard not conceptually the same thing - no real end in sight except some arbitrary progress bar? for the record I prefer to create wizards, but it would be great to have a solid argument for them to back up my choices. thanks for your thoughts on this folks - regards , pauric *Come to IxDA Interaction08 | Savannah* February 8-10, 2008 in Savannah, GA, USA Register today: http://interaction08.ixda.org/ 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] Some form fun, to lighten the mood
Pauric: "but it would be great to have a solid argument for them to back up my choices." Already answered in the time it took me to write that - "IxDA.. the designer's customer support line (tm)" Cool, so with a wizard you can set up expectations and requirements a little better on an introductory page than is possible on a single page form. Its up to the designer to decide which pattern better suits the context. So as always.. the default IxDA customer support response: "It depends (tm)" thanks all! . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Posted from the new ixda.org http://gamma.ixda.org/discuss?post=23078 *Come to IxDA Interaction08 | Savannah* February 8-10, 2008 in Savannah, GA, USA Register today: http://interaction08.ixda.org/ 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] Some form fun, to lighten the mood
I've used progress bars a lot in the past both as a designer and as a user. I believe the only true value they bring to a design is the illusion of speed. That things are moving along. However I disagree that they set expectations for users. Step 3 can still contain the War & Peace of forms - I think its false to say users dont expect they'll get hit with something like that. So, in the end it is an arbitrary indication of how long something is going to take. The windows boot-up progress is an excellent example of what you can achieve but also the shortcomings of an indication of progress. I do agree that cutting things in to chunks helps but... lets say they labeled each of the steps in your original example - would that have helped? arguably not. Progress bars are good design practice but they're not a drop-in fix for bad design - not that you said that! Robert:"The trick is to make the user feel confident. You want to make her feel like an expert who can get through a form with no problem. You don't want her to feel like constantly-surprised" I do not believe progress meters instill any confidence or set any discernible expectations. Telling the user in advance what to expect from the form//wizard is key to setting them up. When the unexpected does happen such as a server DB errors, random docs from the filing cabinet etc - then they are prepared and confident its not their fault. You just dont get that with progress bars alone. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Posted from the new ixda.org http://gamma.ixda.org/discuss?post=23078 *Come to IxDA Interaction08 | Savannah* February 8-10, 2008 in Savannah, GA, USA Register today: http://interaction08.ixda.org/ 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] Books on IxDA and RIAs?
Alan: "What I'm looking for is concrete discussion of how I should (re)think workflows, user goal achievement, and design patterns when I have a technology like AJAX available to me." As we are increasingly less dependent on the constraints of the underlying platform, i.e. cloud & desktop UI capabilities merging. Maybe your question could be; 'how I should (re)think workflows, user goal achievement, and design patterns' in a particular context? be that social, creative or exploratory user modes. Other questions I see raised with the new paradigm are -How to address the need for an offline mode -Privacy -identity anything else? While Andrei is right on one hand that you can pick up a book from '82 and it will be of great use. The context of use has changed so much that there's an entirely different dimension to applications nowadays. To a certain degree that book from '82 will raise as many questions as it answers. For example. Pick the version of MS Word before it caught feature-itis. How would it stack up against Zoho (or insert favorite online app) Similarly Outlook v. Gmail. Just throwing this out there.. saying that RIA's can be like ye olde .exe's is only going to address some of today's requirements. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Posted from the new ixda.org http://gamma.ixda.org/discuss?post=23083 *Come to IxDA Interaction08 | Savannah* February 8-10, 2008 in Savannah, GA, USA Register today: http://interaction08.ixda.org/ 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] Books on IxDA and RIAs?
Point taken Andrei and no I havent read that specific book. I'll add to my ever increasing to-read list )o; thanks! So, on that note, a tier down from that seminal book list, do you have anything in the get'r'done section that might address Alan's original question? Thanks in advance -pauric . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Posted from the new ixda.org http://gamma.ixda.org/discuss?post=23083 *Come to IxDA Interaction08 | Savannah* February 8-10, 2008 in Savannah, GA, USA Register today: http://interaction08.ixda.org/ 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] Some form fun, to lighten the mood
Murli: "Is there any tool that allows discussion threads to flow like rivers, connecting at times, and then flowing off in different directions" Not exactly related to discussion threads but your question reminded me of the interaction on http://www.liveplasma.com/ Enter in an artist and then you can follow the connection around. Each time you click on a new datapoint, the context changes. Using that as a visual model for your design issue. The datapoints are posts, I can then copy-past a section of a post and create a response. This forms a link. Links could also be represented by common tags. The solution would require a new and complex type of recommendation engine as a large 'thread' would become static noise very quickly as I think you allude too: "busy threads and such busy people, nobody really has the time or desire to go back up a thread" Nor would they see new posts in a multithreading conversation... . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Posted from the new ixda.org http://gamma.ixda.org/discuss?post=23078 *Come to IxDA Interaction08 | Savannah* February 8-10, 2008 in Savannah, GA, USA Register today: http://interaction08.ixda.org/ 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] link vs button
I dont think that's ironic at all Bruce: "buttons for simple, finite actions versus links for actions that begin a process or require further detail." I agree with your definition whole heartedly. It follows the existing conventions. Links are the prepositions and buttons are the full-stop of interaction sentences. Links enable flow, buttons commit. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Posted from the new ixda.org http://gamma.ixda.org/discuss?post=23139 *Come to IxDA Interaction08 | Savannah* February 8-10, 2008 in Savannah, GA, USA Register today: http://interaction08.ixda.org/ 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] nested, multi-step progress bars
Suggestion: Create a split progress bar once the user jumps from one task to another. User some form of colour coding (green = a, blue =b) to allow the user to connect each bar with its corresponding task. This is a little half-baked and would need a lot of testing... http://web.mac.com/pauric_ocallaghan/progresseses.jpg . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Posted from the new ixda.org http://gamma.ixda.org/discuss?post=23155 *Come to IxDA Interaction08 | Savannah* February 8-10, 2008 in Savannah, GA, USA Register today: http://interaction08.ixda.org/ 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] nested, multi-step progress bars
Meredith, I have to ask about the value of displaying all the labels in your example. Obviously you have insight to the application . Do you feel this detail is critical for a user's understanding of progress, especially when balanced with the cognitive load this may induce. >From your initial post I took the key design directive 'how to design progress bars for some nested flows' to translate roughly in to; 'A method of displaying overall progress when a user has the ability to change between two work flows' -If- completion of the wizards is a requirement and the progress bars cannot be used as a navigation tool. Is it necessary to have such detailed labels on the bars?? In my mind, progress bars are arbitrary, they have no basis in work load or time. If, for some reason, a user needs to know they've complete Step A.2 when they're on B.5 then I think you need something more sophisticated, the progress bar pattern wont help. Either way - fascinating design problem. Thanks for sharing! -pauric . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Posted from the new ixda.org http://gamma.ixda.org/discuss?post=23155 *Come to IxDA Interaction08 | Savannah* February 8-10, 2008 in Savannah, GA, USA Register today: http://interaction08.ixda.org/ 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] nested, multi-step progress bars
I didnt read your description carefully.. apologies. Point taken on the labels, Amazon is an excellent example I guess this boils down to my belief that progress meters are an illusion. A little trick designers can employ to comfort users in to thinking things aren't stuck. Borne out of the flaws of slow systems - where user's needed feedback. I do see a fundamental difference between a 'progress bar' (extreme example - but fundamentally this is what they are) http://www.dynamicdrive.com/dynamicindex11/xpprogressbar.htm and a stage indicator http://www.webreference.com/programming/xul/amazon.png I didnt realize before that your process can be stopped and picked up over a number of days. In that case I'd point towards some of the Tax applications (TaxAct, Turbo tax etc). I dont believe they use progress meters - stand to be corrected on that. If this was a straight forward flow I'd buy the requirement. But I still have the question - why would users need a graphic to indicate 'progress' when the user is the dependency in terms of the time they spend in your flows and the subroutines they may (or may not) choose. Again, I may (hell.. probably) have misunderstood things but it sounds like you need a navigation system that indicates the stages. I have in the past used a series of tabbed mini wizards... my aprroach here would be to build the 'progress' in to the navigation. regards- pauric *Come to IxDA Interaction08 | Savannah* February 8-10, 2008 in Savannah, GA, USA Register today: http://interaction08.ixda.org/ 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] how to test GUI requirements
Liz, I havent got an answer for you. We have a stellar in-house QA dept with low level functional test, automated CLI testing and intensive systems testing. I've been involved with the dept for 11 years now and we still havent found an automated way to test compliance with web specs or style guide. It boils down to experienced tester catching inconsistencies as well as recommending enhancements. I know they looked at some software a while back that automated a mouse pointer, but it didnt cut the mustard. Sorry I cant be of help, but I share your pain, wanted to let you know we drew a blank and rely on expensive manual testing. pauric . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Posted from the new ixda.org http://gamma.ixda.org/discuss?post=23222 *Come to IxDA Interaction08 | Savannah* February 8-10, 2008 in Savannah, GA, USA Register today: http://interaction08.ixda.org/ 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] Interaction08
Heyup Matt... Highlighting bad interaction design from the organisation is a fair thing to point out. That said, one of the key traits of a good interaction designer is their ability to explain issues to developers. Being able to crit someone's work, in a constructive way, is a very important skillset. Leading in to that, its valuable to understand the reasons something might have failed.. the 'projects constraints'. Personally, when I get brought in to fix a mess, I start with questions. It brings people on board. Demonstrates a willingness to understand why a coder created something that you view as a 'bad design', they are human after all. Also, it adds a lot of value to ixda.org/discuss if we can debate bad design instead of just pointing at it. Where do you feel the registration process fails, what would you do to improve it? Do a screengrab and annotate it if the issues are buried in the sign up process. That will certainly get the discussion going kind regards - pauric p.s. the irony of 'complaining' about someone who 'complains' is not lost on me (o; p.p.s. I have nothing to do with the design, I just get a bee in my bonnet when I see designers beat up coders -unless- that designer has the goods to code a better solution themselves. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Posted from the new ixda.org http://gamma.ixda.org/discuss?post=23261 *Come to IxDA Interaction08 | Savannah* February 8-10, 2008 in Savannah, GA, USA Register today: http://interaction08.ixda.org/ 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] Interaction08
Jeff: "Really? So what about designers who don't write any code?" I'm not saying Designers need to code, I dont really code anymore. I am saying that I've seen enough developers get pissed off when all it takes are essentially two simple steps. 1)Understand why something is the way it is. 2)Suggest a solution. This might be getting a little out of proportion, I appreciate Matt's comment was made in jest. However, I see no value in 'this is crap' statements... especially when its home turf. Learn from mistakes or be prepared to repeat them. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Posted from the new ixda.org http://gamma.ixda.org/discuss?post=23261 *Come to IxDA Interaction08 | Savannah* February 8-10, 2008 in Savannah, GA, USA Register today: http://interaction08.ixda.org/ 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] Interaction08
Matt:"like i mentioned in the other thread, i meant my criticism it all in good fun and completely appreciate the nature of third party services for things like this." No Matt - my bad. Any sane normal being would have understood your point in the context it was intended. I, on the other hand, have spent the best part of 8 years working with developers in far flung places through email. In very simple terms you can either drive a developer or feed them. I've been on more than enough programs where a PM, marketing or technical lead chewed the head off a developer over email. The quality of work goes south after those kind of interactions. There's a quote from Patton that I think rings very true for development "Never tell people how to do things. Tell them what to do and they will surprise you with their ingenuity." and in the same vein, when someone invariably produces work that's not up to spec I find its best to understand why they failed and then -encourage- them to correct. Fwiw, working with remote developers is a topic I'm reasonably involved with. I gave a 10 minute presentation at UPA Boston in November: http://www.slideshare.net/radiorental/designing-within-the-outoffshoring-busines-model Its a very high level deck (complex topic - 10 minutes) and here's my notes for the presentation: http://web.mac.com/pauric_ocallaghan/Designing_with_outsourcing.doc Its all a little light on details but worth a scan if you're interested. Again, apologies for snapping, you weren't out of order... I had just got out of one of those meetings. kind regards -p . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Posted from the new ixda.org http://gamma.ixda.org/discuss?post=23261 *Come to IxDA Interaction08 | Savannah* February 8-10, 2008 in Savannah, GA, USA Register today: http://interaction08.ixda.org/ 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] What tools do you use for prototyping?
Adrian - UK based http://www.magnetic-paper.com/ just search the tubes for 'magnetic paper'. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Posted from the new ixda.org http://gamma.ixda.org/discuss?post=22721 *Come to IxDA Interaction08 | Savannah* February 8-10, 2008 in Savannah, GA, USA Register today: http://interaction08.ixda.org/ 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] Bad Changes In The New GMail Version
I started using the gmail local client http://mailplaneapp.com/ after the gmail upgrade which caused FF to crash as well as some of the other bugs. Mailplane, which is webkit I think, does not seem to have the same js 'enhancements' so you see the old address book, etc. Killer feature of the client is the offline mode. I was initially apprehensive in pulling gmail out of the browser, now I will never go back. regards -pauric . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Posted from the new ixda.org http://gamma.ixda.org/discuss?post=23351 *Come to IxDA Interaction08 | Savannah* February 8-10, 2008 in Savannah, GA, USA Register today: http://interaction08.ixda.org/ 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] Bad Changes In The New GMail Version
Very good point Jan, also, I'd like to refine my statement on mailplane's offline mode. mailplane is a local 'html' version of your gmail.com view. I like the consistency. POP clients will have their own layout and might lack the great search and other nuances? however, a pop client has a fully working offline mode, mailplane only allows me to browse and has a minor bug refreshing... its still beta. So.. not totally awesome, but a very nice hybrid - local-ish mail client with web view consistency. Also I'd like to thank Leonardo for starting the discussion, I appreciate seeing someone else's in depth review of the problems - thank you. regards - pauric *Come to IxDA Interaction08 | Savannah* February 8-10, 2008 in Savannah, GA, USA Register today: http://interaction08.ixda.org/ 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] Screen Capture Software of Interest
Thank you Robby! Skitch, video: http://plasq.com/skitch#demo looks perfect for one of my clients.. they usually put all their 'ideas' in to a ppt. I've put them on to this app, and with the upload to flickr functionaly, we should be able to get a more fluid conversation going with a closed flickr album. Cheers! -p . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Posted from the new ixda.org http://gamma.ixda.org/discuss?post=23401 *Come to IxDA Interaction08 | Savannah* February 8-10, 2008 in Savannah, GA, USA Register today: http://interaction08.ixda.org/ 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 Masters Thesis & Extent of Realization
Jack: "There were faculty members on the committee from other visual arts disciplines, and they expect a thesis project to result in a finished work of art." Without knowing the members it would seem that this is a misunderstanding in the normal process of design and implementation. The produced 'work of art' should be an interactive prototype with dummy data backed up with research. Its possibly worth taking the time to explain the normal deliverables of designers in the industry, and the consequences of requesting what they perceive to be the -working- piece of art. Maybe a brief overview of an implemented website stack should be part of her thesis? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Posted from the new ixda.org http://gamma.ixda.org/discuss?post=23446 *Come to IxDA Interaction08 | Savannah* February 8-10, 2008 in Savannah, GA, USA Register today: http://interaction08.ixda.org/ 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 Masters Thesis & Extent of Realization
Jack, there were two other point that came to mind. 1) I guess it could be explained to the reviewers that while an implemented site is an conceivable goal. Creating a living/breathing social community for cancer patients is not something that should be entered in to for the purposes of getting sign-off on a thesis. A website 'shell' is a pointless milestone in this context. When they ask for 'implementation' it should be explained that they're really asking for a live working community. 2) Sort of a small one, and not really a criticism of the student, something to file in the lessons-learned category. I feel a fundamental checkbox for -all- output from a designer is to 'understand your audience'. Be that a spec, an email, a prototype or an implementation. Maybe it wasnt possible for the student to know who was going to be on the review board, but if it was, she could have avoided this misunderstanding by preparing a solid answer to the question. Best regards - pauric . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Posted from the new ixda.org http://gamma.ixda.org/discuss?post=23446 *Come to IxDA Interaction08 | Savannah* February 8-10, 2008 in Savannah, GA, USA Register today: http://interaction08.ixda.org/ 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] OLPC: BBC article
Murli: "But that does not always translate into ideas and actions that 'succeed'." I was very fortunate to have the opportunity to talk to the Minister for Culture for Brazil, Gilberto Gil, about the OPLC. He described how a pilot classroom was seeded with the XO and how that injection of technology in to the community went as far as involving the often illiterate parents in to their child's education. He was not able to give a clear answer to the larger issues of product lifecycle/recycling. But on the whole he was hugely positive about the initiative based on the findings from the pilot scheme. Regards -pauric . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Posted from the new ixda.org http://gamma.ixda.org/discuss?post=23456 *Come to IxDA Interaction08 | Savannah* February 8-10, 2008 in Savannah, GA, USA Register today: http://interaction08.ixda.org/ 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] Why has micro-blogging become so popular
Sachendra: "What I cannot understand is why "What are you doing right now" (Twitter, Pownce, Jaiku) has become so popular." I grew up in a small remote town where everyone knew everyone else and even strangers said hello, asked how you were doing and commented on the weather. I noticed this is less common in larger towns and cities. I see the 'micro blog' not at a sharing of information but the fulfillment of a basic human need to connect at a simple level have have our/their existence acknowledged. To my mind, its more about the act than the content. Yes, there have been some 'practical' uses of places like twitter but I think there's a substantial underlying human need being met with these tools. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Posted from the new ixda.org http://gamma.ixda.org/discuss?post=23528 *Come to IxDA Interaction08 | Savannah* February 8-10, 2008 in Savannah, GA, USA Register today: http://interaction08.ixda.org/ 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] On the topic of twitter - Why?
Mark: "I just can't imagine that my mutterings or mundane observations would be of any interest to someone as I broadcast them." I with you on that and I've wondered why. I do think there is a lot to be drawn from Jerome Ryckborst's anthropological take in the other thread - http://www.ixda.org/discuss.php?post=23528#23563 I'm a lot like my father when it comes to a lack of motivation to mutter, make small talk, 'tweet' in social scenarios, and he like his father, however other people in the town I grew up certainly made up for that. My theory is that the twittering phenomenon is time/space agnostic. The current generation of cloud communication tools are just re-enabling needs that have not been satisfactorily met since humans moved out of the village town hall, pub "where everyone knows your name", post office, etc.. Mark: "The elimination of geography and time in socially connecting is proving quite valuable and will no doubt have a profound effect on us going forward." I agree but I'd turn that around. Where the comforting security of village life was a double edged sword, -everyone- knew your business, little control over privacy. We now have more say over what people know about us, and control over who is in our own personal community village. The profound change as I see it will come in an increase in personal social capital and a general trend up in collective happiness (which I understand has been in decline since the 1950's) More on Social Capital; http://www.ksg.harvard.edu/saguaro/primer.htm and I see this book mentioned a lot, haven't read it though: http://www.bowlingalone.com/ . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Posted from the new ixda.org http://gamma.ixda.org/discuss?post=23553 *Come to IxDA Interaction08 | Savannah* February 8-10, 2008 in Savannah, GA, USA Register today: http://interaction08.ixda.org/ 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] 'Select Country' dropdown
Out of curiosity, how feasible would it be for you to hook in to the geolocation DB api at http://www.hostip.info/ and provide the form based on US preferred or Worldwide? regards - pauric . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Posted from the new ixda.org http://gamma.ixda.org/discuss?post=23593 *Come to IxDA Interaction08 | Savannah* February 8-10, 2008 in Savannah, GA, USA Register today: http://interaction08.ixda.org/ 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] When/Where/How did you decide to be a designer?
Brian Hoffman wrote in another thread: "While many of you have followed a very straight career path into interaction design, I'm probably not alone here in having come into this field along a more winding path." I think many of us took the long winding path actually. I was wondering if we could hear some stories about those pivotal moments in our careers where we changed from being 'X' in to Interaction Designers I fell off the engineering centric wagon in 1996 when I was writing code for a chip that made the LEDs flash on the front of a 10/100 ethernet hub, i.e. the 'interface'. I had to solve a number of technical issues translating the large array of information inside the chip in to the limited abilities of the LEDs . In looking around for tools/thinking to correctly solve these problems I chose some UCD principles. A couple of months later I used the similar principles to discovered a major usability bug and had a product placed on ship hold. From there on out I was responsible for advocating the user. regards -pauric *Come to IxDA Interaction08 | Savannah* February 8-10, 2008 in Savannah, GA, USA Register today: http://interaction08.ixda.org/ 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] Interesting tab navigation example
Interesting, looks someone fixed the height of the rows and left the overflow on auto. Maybe not a new pattern exactly (o; Naturally, no scroll bar in FF. So all those developers working in 800/600 monitors will lose out if they're looking for |Technical Resources| (o; . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Posted from the new ixda.org http://gamma.ixda.org/discuss?post=23821 *Come to IxDA Interaction08 | Savannah* February 8-10, 2008 in Savannah, GA, USA Register today: http://interaction08.ixda.org/ 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] Interesting tab navigation example
Mike: "I DO think it's hilarious that MS refuses to make their sites work properly in Firefox." Thats funny, 'cos the site -doesnt- crash FF for me, unlike another browser I'm using (hint: begins with I., ends with E. version 6.0.2900) Might be just me but try making the browser as thin as possible... Ouch... now.. what was this site trying to sell me? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Posted from the new ixda.org http://gamma.ixda.org/discuss?post=23821 *Come to IxDA Interaction08 | Savannah* February 8-10, 2008 in Savannah, GA, USA Register today: http://interaction08.ixda.org/ 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] Interesting tab navigation example
Lucy: "I've noticed the form to post to this list is also javascript controlled. What functionality would be lost if that were changed to default html submit button that would be accessible to more folk?" I -think- it avoids the vulnerability exposed in posting html to the list. Some html is allowed. Out of curiosity, how does switching off js make a submit form more accessible? Thanks - pauric . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Posted from the new ixda.org http://gamma.ixda.org/discuss?post=23821 *Come to IxDA Interaction08 | Savannah* February 8-10, 2008 in Savannah, GA, USA Register today: http://interaction08.ixda.org/ 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] Interesting tab navigation example
Thank you Lucy, so I read through a bit of the site (not all) and found the following "Use server-side submission, even if JavaScript is used to carry out most of the form validation, it shouldn't be used to actually submit the form content. This would make it completely impossible for anyone to send their data unless their browser supported JavaScript." To aid my understanding, are there any statistics available for people with reduced vision and disabling javascript? I agree with the use-case, but I've never seen hard facts on this topic. I'm not a well read expert on the matter so its great to have your attention. From what I gather, javascript in itself is not necessarily a bad thing - as long as it is used with accessibility in mind. I have seen RIA work well with readers, I think Cameron Moll's presentation at UIE 12 covered this, I'll see if I can dig out the examples... With that in mind, I'm wondering what your views are on the rising tide of richness in web interaction? In my mind, things are going to become more complex in the client. I wonder if holding out for html only client-side is a practical goal? Correct me if I'm wrong... with the practicalities of development, I see the hard requirements of screen reader compatibility resulting in a reduced experience for 'accessibility' in the long term. Would it not be better to embrace technology as it arrives and advocate best practices? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Posted from the new ixda.org http://gamma.ixda.org/discuss?post=23821 *Come to IxDA Interaction08 | Savannah* February 8-10, 2008 in Savannah, GA, USA Register today: http://interaction08.ixda.org/ 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] Bring your OLPC XO laptops to Interaction08!
Also, its possible to run Sugar in an emulator on a PC & Mac. I've had is running on a mac... but it seemed to need to be networked with other instances for many of the features to work. http://www.olpcnews.com/software/operating_system/emulating_olpc_sugar.html . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Posted from the new ixda.org http://gamma.ixda.org/discuss?post=23870 *Come to IxDA Interaction08 | Savannah* February 8-10, 2008 in Savannah, GA, USA Register today: http://interaction08.ixda.org/ 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] Interesting tab navigation example
Jeff: "Traditional designers hate this way of thinking because presentation is EVERYTHING. Good web designers (and here creeps in my opinion) recognize that it's just part of the game plan. Added function and enhanced presentation are fine if they don't impede the underlying function of the delivery system, but please don't shove 'em down my throat." I do accept some teams jazz up their UI's with frivolous flash-y wizzbang crap. That is bad practice. However, on the whole the world is heading in a more immersive online experience using -good- design practices. I do agree with you what you've said to an extent, that is for only the most basic interactions, shopping carts, simple forms etc. However, I'm wondering how your views fit with the following 2 genres; a)RIAs, e.g. gmail.com have a html only version but it's kind of limited. I think those that advocate accessibility user rights are doing the them a disservice in mandating this 2nd class experience. Its my understanding that gmail.com proper is accessible, are keyboard shortcuts not useful for people with motor limitations? b)Sites like Pandora, which it could be argued is useful for vision limitations. First, they cant present a basic html version as that would allow the content to be ripped and therefore the site loses its license. Or, try youtube with js turned off. Now Pandora is far from being high contrast, has small pokey buttons and no keyboard shortcuts (I think) so - that should be addressed. Not some blanket statement that bans all js & flash. I think the analogy of the little dutch boy with his finger in the dam is apt here. Now, I'm not sure what the answer is going forward, I appreciate the argument and fwiw I spend the majority of my time outside of my professional design role working with and advocating for people of all abilities. However, as a techonolgist I just dont believe holding on to the what we everything we learned in web1.0 is really a workable option frankly. We should have a hand at the tiler guiding the direction, advocating best practices for js, flash, Expression, Air, etc One final thing, I asked Lucy and I'll ask you now.. you said "I'll add: People who use screen readers and other assistive technologies have no choice in the matter, so they aren't turning off scripts just to deny you your God-given right to deliver your brilliant Design." Show me the stats on browsers with js swtiched off. I know they must be out there - but I cant find them... and only when I see the numbers will I buy the argument. Readers and js -do not- have to be mutually exclusive from what I've read. Thanks - pauric p.s. The 'firewall' argument, http://tinyurl.com/yhcr7o , is -completely- bogus. I've been building corporate networks for 12 years and designed a number of firewall UIs. This limitation is purely down to dumbass lazy network admins BOFH's (as Will put it). If you cant access blogger from your place of work - talk to the admin and get the site whitelisted, if they refuse then you're really facing work-practice politics, not true concerns over blogger.com injecting malicious js code in to your corporate network. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Posted from the new ixda.org http://gamma.ixda.org/discuss?post=23821 *Come to IxDA Interaction08 | Savannah* February 8-10, 2008 in Savannah, GA, USA Register today: http://interaction08.ixda.org/ 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] Interesting tab navigation example
Jeff:" it seems to me there are a lot of people actively working in a manner that pulls us away from accessible design, which has many benefits for all of us. For the most part, I think it's because they don't understand it""This is a choice Google made, and it's their choice to make, and as a private enterprise they are entitled to all the above. And in so doing, they deny their service to people who might benefit, but those people can go elsewhere." Yes! could not agree more. I'm happy to see the discussion focus on good design practices going forward, not an XOR switch that will degrade gracefully to html only interfaces as what appears to be the thinking behind current accessibility standards alongside argument from development that costs are too high to justify the statistically small market. My perspective on addressing accessibility needs; A person with reduced eyesight or limited motor control is still a unique human just like everyone else. Yes there's a few extra 'requirements' here and there but I dislike the 'special needs' kind of thinking, I feel its condescending. I would restate the issue you describe as too much design effort on creating delight, part of the 'essential' granted but, at the cost of defining the core goals. This results in feature creep in my view (and gmail is well down that road now). Poor analogy time: I can sit in a chair with wheels on it, my friend Paul with CP can sit in my Herman miller, the core design goal of the chair is universal, the requirements are added on to give him a practical variant with mobility and I a chair that is more delightful, our individual needs are addressed with the core function inter-usable. While a herman miller on wheels is some theoretical ideal, its too impractical in reality. I think there's a middle approach between meeting accessibility requirements and unified access for all in a single UI. You elude to a methodology/thinking that could be the path forward, Exogeny: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Exogenous (look to nature, it will never fail you!) So, as I see that approach, the core design "should be as simple as is possible, but not more simple"- Einstein, and the accessibility requirement be addressed with an optional add-on, the more gui intensive variant for me if I want it on a fast connection. And all the product segments inbetween addressed as they are needed. I'm thinking Greasemonkey control but produced inhouse by the development team. See the Lifehacker extension better gmail as an example that meets the needs of power users. Gmail should -not- have a degraded version, thats a design loop-hole past the accessibility requirements frankly. Why not an accessibility 'extension'? The Exogeny design approach focuses the core design on the essential, the core set of requirements, not the largest marketshare. Instead of chasing the 'focus group' or marketing driving target userbase you work off all people being equal. Pull out the common requirements from all your personas, build, then add in individual considerations. Regards - pauric . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Posted from the new ixda.org http://gamma.ixda.org/discuss?post=23821 *Come to IxDA Interaction08 | Savannah* February 8-10, 2008 in Savannah, GA, USA Register today: http://interaction08.ixda.org/ 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] Interesting tab navigation example
Jeff: "Is it harder to sell simplicity if it truly is the best solution?" Mark Twain once received this telegram from a publisher: NEED 2-PAGE SHORT STORY TWO DAYS. He responded: NO CAN DO 2 PAGES TWO DAYS. CAN DO 30 PAGES 2 DAYS. NEED 30 DAYS TO DO 2 PAGES. There within lies 'the sell'. The value proposition will hopefully change some day from the quantity of the end result to the effort needed to produce it. One can only dream (o; Have a great break everyone, I'm told I must go socialise in the real world.. bah humbug. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Posted from the new ixda.org http://gamma.ixda.org/discuss?post=23821 *Come to IxDA Interaction08 | Savannah* February 8-10, 2008 in Savannah, GA, USA Register today: http://interaction08.ixda.org/ 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] OLPC: Sugar Not So Sweet?
http://www.cnn.com/2007/TECH/ptech/12/25/onelaptop.onevillage.ap/index.html " Take Kevin, the aspiring trumpet player. Sitting in his dirt-floor kitchen as his mother cooks lunch, he draws a soccer field on his XO, then erases it. Kevin plays a song by "Caliente," his favorite combo, that he recorded off Arahuay's single TV channel. He shows a reporter photos he took of him with his 3-year-old brother. A bare light bulb hangs by a wire from the ceiling. A hen bobs around the floor. There are no books in this two-room house. Kevin's parents didn't get past the sixth grade. Indeed, the laptop project also has adults in its sights. Parents in Arahuay are asking Mendoza, the visiting psychologist, what the Internet can do for them. Among them is Charito Arrendondo, 39, who sheds brief tears of joy when a reporter asks what the laptop belonging to ruddy-cheeked Miluska -- the youngest of her six children -- has meant to her. Miluska's father, it turns out, abandoned the family when she was 1. "We never imagined having a computer," said Arrendondo, a cook. Is she afraid to use the laptop, as is typical of many Arahuay parents, about half of whom are illiterate? "No, I like it. Sometimes when I'm alone and the kids are not around I turn it on and poke around." Arrendondo likes to play checkers on the laptop. "It's also got chess, which I sort of know," she said, pausing briefly. "I'm going to learn." " Robert: "It's clearly stated on the OLPC site that they do not offer tech support because they hope users will become savvy enough with the XO to fix issues on their own. I think this is ... well, insane." I'd like to think that there's a future generation of nerds, who like me, got their start supporting & fixing their friend's computers. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CmYDgncMhXw Frankly, I think throwing kids in at the deep end of maker/hacker culture is a stroke of genius. Robert: "So far, a huge number of design decisions have clearly been made by the proverbial developer. " I'm sure you're aware Alan Kay is a principal designer on the project although I dont know the extent of his involvement. From the interviews I've read there's method to his madness, I might not necessarily agree with the result, but it's certainly not your typical OSS engineering centric featurefest. I would have to disagree with the thinking that Sugar fails because it does not "communicates how to make things work" Children learn best by exploring their world. regards -pauric . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Posted from the new ixda.org http://gamma.ixda.org/discuss?post=23928 *Come to IxDA Interaction08 | Savannah* February 8-10, 2008 in Savannah, GA, USA Register today: http://interaction08.ixda.org/ 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] OLPC: Sugar Not So Sweet?
Dan: "And how about some heuristic evaluations from this community?" The impression I get from the reviews you quoted is that on a scale of DOS to OS X, Sugar is a missed opportunity. I would say, wrong scale, it cant be measured by conventional standards. Of course there is no such thing as a perfect design but unless the IxDA sponsors some Ethnographic research in the depths of the Amazon I Think its a fools errand to judge the endeavor by western standards. If anything we should define a new set of heuristics as I'm having a lot of trouble applying any of 10 principles to the context of a dirt floor classroom of 50 kids, 1 teacher, where the only other piece of technology is a light switch (at best) http://www.useit.com/papers/heuristic/heuristic_list.html . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Posted from the new ixda.org http://gamma.ixda.org/discuss?post=23928 *Come to IxDA Interaction08 | Savannah* February 8-10, 2008 in Savannah, GA, USA Register today: http://interaction08.ixda.org/ 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] OLPC: Sugar Not So Sweet?
Robert: "The goal shouldn't be to force these kids to dedicate all sorts of attention to the tool, but on the content to which the tool provides access" I see this missing support mechanism as a challenge turned in to an opportunity. I agree with your risk assessment and maybe have a more optimistic view of the potential outcome. A purely academic approach focusing on the content layer will not address the needs of the do-ers among us who understand through taking tools apart to see how they work; I hear, and I forget. I see, and I remember. I do, and I understand. - Confucius Dan:"My guess is that it gives them access to information that they otherwise wouldn't have." Included is access to the basic concepts of information technology, its more than just the content on the screen. Robert: "From what I can tell, Alan Kay's name isn't typically followed by "designer"." Actually, he might be more in tune with the project at hand than you might have realised: http://www.vpri.org/ And I -strongly- urge you to watch this through.. http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-1109203988787201616 Robert:"How does Alan Kay's experience make up for the apparent lack of quality interaction design? " I cant answer that question, but I ask you to think about the bigger picture here, the context of the endeavor. I installed Sugar on my mac and based on that I decided to put only $200 down for 1 laptop to be sent off. I think its very unsuitable for western goals and would bet yours will sit collecting dust in 6 months if not sooner. "They live in a different world, for sure, but their brains are still human, and human behavior is what led Nielsen to this list of usability heuristics." I dont think Nielsen gets 'social', he's very goal-quantitate result driven and maybe not the best yardstick for the mushy-human-chaos stuff. As I interpret Nielsen's "Location is Irrelevant for Usability Studies" I conclude that its true as long as there's a baseline in collective understanding of technology. Remove any preceding exposure and the methodology falls apart. Take his Parking Meter example from the linked page. In this case there is no concept of meter, parking or even car - its as much use as providing feedback on the "Help and documentation" that comes with negotiating Peruvian border control. "so I'm hoping I just don't get what you're saying." nope, I think you got me right and we have a different view on the matter, but thats what makes for great debate and learning. I will accept that I might have an optimistic view of the potential. But, I also think that Sugar fails in preparing kids for practical applications... however, spreadsheets dont engage kid's imaginations. regards - pauric . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Posted from the new ixda.org http://gamma.ixda.org/discuss?post=23928 *Come to IxDA Interaction08 | Savannah* February 8-10, 2008 in Savannah, GA, USA Register today: http://interaction08.ixda.org/ 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] OLPC: Sugar Not So Sweet?
Robert, I said "however, spreadsheets dont engage kid's imaginations." and I'll take that back, I appreciate you're not talking about a UI interaction that suits the needs and desires of a developed country. However, I have little trouble imagining being 5 again and being given an XO. Could the UI design be better - undoubtedly. Would a finely tuned Sugar with web 2.0 corners and feedback at every corner made my wide eyed learning any more efficient in my Mongolian Yurt? questionable. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Posted from the new ixda.org http://gamma.ixda.org/discuss?post=23928 *Come to IxDA Interaction08 | Savannah* February 8-10, 2008 in Savannah, GA, USA Register today: http://interaction08.ixda.org/ 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] Universal Principles of Interaction Design (was: OLPC: Sugar not so Sweet?)
Oleh:"Therefore they can be applied to heuristic evaluation of OLPC." To what end? To measure success? What is the primary goal with the OLPC, a successful 'design', or to simply satisfy an enormous hunger for learning? In the same way the UN & RedCross/Cresant dont fly Gordon Ramsey in to famines when the cost/requirement necessitates something completely different, it is completely and utterly unnecessary to perform such an postmortem in this context. Good design costs money. The needs, goals, requirements and deliverables are arguably unlike anything we've come across before. To Roberts point in the preceding thread about his valid complaints on the sluggish interaction, one word... $150 (although it should have been $100) that is the ultimate measure of success of this project. Miss that 'heuristic' and the entire project fails. Dan:"So you feel that everything is contextual, that there are no universal principles of good design that are always true?" Let me turn that around, would you argue that Negroponte should have waited until technology advanced to the point where an iPhone grade machine could have been delivered to children in developing countries. Sorry to turn the conversation back on to the OLPC specifically, thats how I tend to rationalise and feel free to generalise back out to universal design principles - regards - pauric . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Posted from the new ixda.org http://www.ixda.org/discuss?post=23952 *Come to IxDA Interaction08 | Savannah* February 8-10, 2008 in Savannah, GA, USA Register today: http://interaction08.ixda.org/ 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 appearance of change
Confessions of a deceitful designer.. I work in the networking equipment domain. A couple of years back I was working on a building to building wireless bridge. A key aspect of the design was that the appliance is usually mounted on a roof or such inaccessible location with a single cable into the box which carries both management and normal traffic. This presents the issue in that unlike the kit found in a wiring closet, its not a simple matter of sending a technician to the box to reconfigure it, its always remotely configured. If the IP address & VLAN had to be changed, the admin would loose connectivity as both those elements are interdependent, change one and the networking configuration is broken because the other didnt match. And a box on your roof that you cant manage is a big PITA. So, we implemented a temporary config state and a [Save Configuration] button, make all your changes then push the config in one go. Other products in the line such as indoor APs and wireless switches do not need this concept as they usually have a dedicated management connection, not possible with the b2b box. Later, usability testing on wiring closet devices showed some users looking for the Save function that was on the B2B box, resulting in a concern that the config was not being applied. So, now I have a fake button on wiring closet boxes that does nothing. Changes in the UI are applied instantaneously in most cases and admins can choose to click a Save Config button, or not. Usability Theater. I hope this doesnt mean I come back as a user in the next life for my sins. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Posted from the new ixda.org http://www.ixda.org/discuss?post=24028 *Come to IxDA Interaction08 | Savannah* February 8-10, 2008 in Savannah, GA, USA Register today: http://interaction08.ixda.org/ 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] Universal Principles of Interaction Design (was: OLPC: Sugar not so Sweet?)
Andrei:"It's like gravity. You can choose to ignore it but it's still there keeping you alive on planet Earth without asking for any compensation in return." How the 9.8m/s/s is applied to rocket science and bungee jumping are two completely different contexts for that universal law. The same can be said for universal laws of design, yes.. they hold true and if you try to break them you'll fail. However they do not aid you in crossing the t's nor dotting the i's. Fundamentals are critical to craft, but its 1/3rd the story. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Posted from the new ixda.org http://www.ixda.org/discuss?post=23952 *Come to IxDA Interaction08 | Savannah* February 8-10, 2008 in Savannah, GA, USA Register today: http://interaction08.ixda.org/ 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] Universal Principles of Interaction Design (was: OLPC: Sugar not so Sweet?)
Andrei:"what are the other 2/3 of the story that I'm apparently missing" you:"product design is not user centered nor technology centered. It always has and always will be both." Maybe my math is a little out of whack?? you:"The original question posed was are there design principals that live outside of context. My long answer to that, via example, was that yes, there are." And we agree, but as David points out:"interpretations and utility differ so widely across so many different axis" you:"why even inside whatever point you are trying to make you'd think I'm of the opinion that I only view fundamentals as the only thing any designer ever needs." I dont think that at all, you have a valid point, and in the grander scheme of this discussion on fundamentals and context, the point I feel Dave makes is that a good designer understands one and has a good appreciation of the other. So it seems we're all in agreement, fantabulous. p.eace *Come to IxDA Interaction08 | Savannah* February 8-10, 2008 in Savannah, GA, USA Register today: http://interaction08.ixda.org/ 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 appearance of change
Patricia: "isn't it easier to just put on a show and make people feel safe again?" Call me a conspiracy theorist... First, the point of terrorism is to terrorise. Civilians fought through the battle of Britain by trying in any way to lead their lives as normal. The British government dealt with the IRA on the mainland through very non-invasive security measures. Allow yourself to be terrorised and you succumb. Throughout the ~30 years of troubles in Northern Ireland people's freedom in both countries remained fairly intact although thousands died. 52 people lost their lives on 7/7 but the government used that to pass sweeping laws that allow gross infringements of personal freedom. I may be wrong but I believe one of those new laws is that the police can randomly stop you and take your DNA without formal charges. Many other crazy stuff.. anyway... The security theater is, in my mind anyway, designed to remind people of 9/11. To continue the feeling of insecurity and to allow the security forces to infringe on our personal privacy. This is a little off topic but it is worth noting that the experience has been designed and the goals, if I'm not being too paranoid, are being met. They're just not -our- goals. With the argument that all this security has ensured our safety since 9/11 & 7/7 its very hard to see how to break out of the vicious circle of self inflicted bad experience. Not too dissimilar to our love, as consumers, for more/bigger/better resulting in feature-creep driven products, resulting in our dissatisfaction with the experience they offer. It would seem reasonable to conclude that only enlightened users can bring about better design. Be that voting for leaders that advocate for us, not special interests, or buying products that meet our needs and not our desires. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Posted from the new ixda.org http://www.ixda.org/discuss?post=24028 *Come to IxDA Interaction08 | Savannah* February 8-10, 2008 in Savannah, GA, USA Register today: http://interaction08.ixda.org/ 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 appearance of change
Jim:"The project I work on has two faked progress meters. One occurs in a login scenario and appears to be a marker of how much is done, but once it fills all the way, it empties and starts to refill." Without seeing the design, I might conclude that wrong pattern has been applied here?? Progress bars shouldnt really refill unless its a staged install or something similar like the xp bootup screens. If the underlying functionality is not able to provide the presentation layer with a finite completion estimate then I provide an 'hourglass'. Really good example of this is the browser page loading animation. In my mind progress meters/bars and hourglasses are two completely different patterns, or as Jared calls them.. magic tricks (o; "The project I work on has two faked progress meters" Everything is fake unless you're peering in to a scope at transistors (o; . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Posted from the new ixda.org http://www.ixda.org/discuss?post=24028 *Come to IxDA Interaction08 | Savannah* February 8-10, 2008 in Savannah, GA, USA Register today: http://interaction08.ixda.org/ 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] Leading websites using Web 2.0
your confusion is shared Andrei. I think the cause has more to do with the term web2.0. Running a little contrary to Tim O'Reilly's original thinking is this alternate view from Nova Spivak : http://tinyurl.com/36byj9 http://novaspivack.typepad.com/RadarNetworksTowardsAWebOS.jpg Basing it on a timeline is a much more robust definition that we can measure/define sites against. Gloria: "Elliot Jay presented his view that the "Web2.0 look" is something that needs to be destroyed" We should never look back, its distracts from the now. No more hobo rounded corners darlinks! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M68ndaZSKa8 I wonder if we'll see some sort of parallel with the fashion world, trend setting centers of design, whats in and whats out... and if that also means Web1.0 is the equivalent of the 80's - the decade that shall never be mentioned. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Posted from the new ixda.org http://www.ixda.org/discuss?post=24104 *Come to IxDA Interaction08 | Savannah* February 8-10, 2008 in Savannah, GA, USA Register today: http://interaction08.ixda.org/ 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] Leading websites using Web 2.0
Jeff, I'm not suggesting one definition is generally better than the other. The philosophical and the implementation views compliment each other. O'Reilly succinctly described what the new technologies were enabling, at a high level. I do believe the perspective put forward by Spivak helps us look at the layer down from O'Reilly to understand what was, is and might be. And, in the context of this thread, help us decide objectively if a flash site can be described as having 2.0-like functionality or just brochureware in shinny 2.0 styling. I feel its very much the latter. I used the word alternate, as in perspective, not opposing view. I could have phrased that better. Now, you said "All the rest is bells and whistles, much ado about nothing" I think its a little more chicken and egg than that. You cant have "data and who owns and controls, or gives the best access to, a class of data." without the underlying technology to enable that. And until we see what is made of the underlying nuts and bolts, we wont be able to predict what the next burst in innovation will be. Nova's model helped him predict where things are heading: http://www.twine.com/ and I believe he's on the money. "Emerging technologies on the Web don't evolve in a straight line" The Spivak graph plots complexity against time, similar to Moores Law and in line with the general continuous evolution of technology. Of course nothing evolves in a straight line. "A better mental model might be based on atomic models in chemistry %u2014 the periodic table" And the periodic table was used to predict elements that did not occur naturally. I accept the graph is overly simplistic but reject that its fundamentally flawed in capturing what is 2.0 and what might be 3.0, 4.0 etc I've yet to see a better infograph of what leads to singularity. take care, p . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Posted from the new ixda.org http://www.ixda.org/discuss?post=24104 *Come to IxDA Interaction08 | Savannah* February 8-10, 2008 in Savannah, GA, USA Register today: http://interaction08.ixda.org/ 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] Leading websites using Web 2.0
Charlie, I agree wholeheartedly with your assessment. "The value of thinking about Web 2.0 as these three dimensions is that it focuses on three sets of capabilities that define current web capabilities." I realized that I should have pointed out that Nova's graph should be viewed as having 3 axis, whether that was his intention or not: again - http://tinyurl.com/36byj9 x = social complexity, or as Charlie describes it, the relationship web y = increasing depth of semantic connection, roughly mapping on to what you describe as the 'The Service Web', am I correct in that thinking? z = time, now you describe this as 'The Information Web' I'm inclined to think that based on your description of this part of your piechart that you're looking at what becomes enabled as technology advances, which is based on time. very interesting, thanks for sharing your thoughts, looking forward to the book regards - pauric . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Posted from the new ixda.org http://www.ixda.org/discuss?post=24104 *Come to IxDA Interaction08 | Savannah* February 8-10, 2008 in Savannah, GA, USA Register today: http://interaction08.ixda.org/ 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
