June 2012
2 posts
1 tag
How would a hotel designed by a UX professional...
As a UX professional who travels a lot, I love this question. It’s like playing a video game in God Mode: you are in complete control, for better or worse. Let’s try for the better, shall we?
A key principle I would bring to this design is personalization. If you stay at a hotel that’s part of a chain, they should know your preferences. Ordered smoked salmon the last two times...
1 tag
What technique(s) would you use to evaluate and...
One of the first things I would do is get a better understanding of is usage. What is the information that is being entered going to be used for? A good sense of what is important and what is not will quickly come from that. This will help you take your first cut with all the data fields. When in doubt, leave the questionable fields in.
Then, take your new short list and group like elements...
May 2012
12 posts
1 tag
Want your own arcade machine? Rec Room Masters can...
One of the things that I have always wanted to own was a full-sized arcade cabinet. It’s driven by nostalgia, of course: I spent countless hours of my youth shoving quarters into Defender, Pac Man, Frogger or Star Wars… and I’m pretty sure if I had dedicated that time to more productive activities like, say, studying, I would now be that doctor or lawyer my mom always wanted.
...
1 tag
The President's Analyst is crazy good
[flickr]photo:7297652698[/flickr]
Wow, James Coburn was SO good.
He’s stars as Sydney Schaefer, the title character in The President’s Analyst, a wild 1967 pastiche of comedy, drama, thriller and spy film… a movie that is as absurd as it is entertaining.
A fantastic scene early in the film sets up the premise. We see a black secret agent named Don Masters - one of Sydney...
1 tag
What are general good practices for improving a...
Here’s three tips on usability from my interview on the subject with TechJournal: http://www.techjournal.org:
First, create the simplest version of user interface required to accomplish the task you are designing. Take out everything that isn’t necessary to accomplish the task. Simplify.
Second, streamline any process toward an obvious end point for the user (enter this data and submit a...
1 tag
The rise of the enablers
I travel quite a bit for work, and as I recently sat in a hotel room I started thinking about all the steps that brought me to that room. I booked the flight and the room online, I flew from Atlanta to Boston and I took a cab to the hotel… A typical business trip, with no problems or delays. Breaking things down, I started counting off all the technological innovations that supported me in...
1 tag
What are the benefits of User Experience design?
There are several benefits to user experience design, and I’ll list some of them. Before I begin, a quick note: user experience design to me encompasses EVERYTHING, from UI design to customer support processes to retail store design and packaging. So when I speak of “user experience” I’m thinking about any touch point a user can have with a company.
Increased customer...
1 tag
Now available: Reflections of Sydney
I’ve compiled another book of my photography, this one focused on some of the favorite shots I took when I lived for over two years in the beautiful city of Sydney, Australia. Called Reflections of Sydney, it’s now in the iBookstore exclusively for the iPad. Like my other photo collection, it is available at the low low price of free.
You can get it by clicking the link here.
1 tag
How hard is to communicate to developers the UX...
The best response I have to this question is “it depends.” Depends on the organizational culture, the amount of design rationale you have to back up your design decisions, the personalities at play in both sides of the conversation, and the roles and responsibilities of the team members.
If you are working in an organization that doesn’t respect UX then you may end up...
1 tag
Lessons in UX and Analytics: Users aren't data
I recently went to a conference where several sessions focused on analytics, and what analytics could provide to businesses of any size. Having some background in analytics myself, I definitely agreed with several sentiments these speakers expressed.. but I also think that too much of a focus on analytics can be a big mistake.
Analytics is great, in that it gives you lots of data telling you...
1 tag
The Kentucky Fried Movie was a funny kick-off for...
Not for the easily offended, 1977’s The Kentucky Fried Movie was the first cinematic outing from the writers who brought us Airplane!, David Zucker, Jim Abrahams and Jerry Zucker. Composed of a series of vignettes that take on, well, almost everything, the movie feels like Saturday Night Live writ large… boisterous and free of television network censorship. With copious nudity and bad...
1 tag
A very personal list: my top 20 favorite films
It seems that nowadays everyone on the Internet has been posting a list of their favorite films. I blame Roger Ebert, who recently updated his top 10 list in a much-viewed column. Since I’m a lover of cinema (and also hate to be left out), I’ve compiled my own list. It is, like all such lists, a personal one, as it should be - movies that provoke a strong reaction, whether it’s...
1 tag
Lessons in UX: What is your "benefit case"?
I’ve worked on several design projects that resulted in “dead ends,” situations where what we created didn’t really work. I always try and learn something from these experiences, and a key lesson I’ve learned again and again was that benefits that seemed obvious to my design team weren’t obvious at all when the work was tested with potential customers. We were...
1 tag
The future, predicted: How Apple can "own" mobile...
One of the domains I pay particular attention to is person-to-person and mobile payments (I’ve also done some design work in this space). Right now, there is a lot of discussion/debate/chatter around near field communication (NFC) technology and how it can be intergrated with mobile devices to support payments “on the go.” Several mobile hardware manufacturers have already...
April 2012
7 posts
1 tag
Psycho IV: The Beginning is a fitting end to the...
I remember when I first read they were making a sequel to Psycho, I shook my head at how wrong-headed the idea was. Alfred Hitchcock’s Psycho was an amazing, ground-breaking film that started the entire slasher genre. The fact that the next slasher film wasn’t released until ten years later (The Texas Chainsaw Massacre) just reflected how ahead of its time Psycho was. How could they...
1 tag
Photos: Alcatraz Island
A week ago I was able to take a day off from business travel and visit Alcatraz Island, also known as “The Rock.” Here’s pics I took of the historic site:
[flickr]set:72157629506382882[/flickr]
1 tag
What are the principles of good UX design?
These are high-level, but I think still specific enough to be actionable. These are principles to apply to a design project, and good UX design is reflected in these principles.
Know your users. Have a firm and clear “target” in mind for who you are designing for. Get such insights by conducting user interviews, studying the domain you are designing in, and working with your business...
1 tag
What are some least pleasant aspects of the Disney...
I’ve gone to the Disney parks a lot. And when I say “a lot” I mean “over 20 times.” I’ve hit the parks on both coasts, and hope to someday visit the parks outside the US. When comes to least pleasant aspects, I have some examples that I think are worth noting.
First off, there is definitely a drop-off in quality if you stay at one of the value (i.e. cheap)...
1 tag
How does linkedin measure categories to a 100%...
LinkedIn, like Google and Facebook, benefits from the more it “knows” about you. As I and others have frequently mentioned, you are not the user of such services… You are the product that the service “sells.” In LinkedIn’s case, the more information they have about their users makes the paid services they sell more desirable to those who choose to use them...
1 tag
The Two Jakes tries... but forget it, Jake, it's...
I hate narration in movies.
It’s usually completely unnecessary, and in those rare occassions when it works… well, that these occassions are rare is proof enough. The Two Jakes, the 1990 sequel to the film noir classic Chinatown, starts out with narration. Jack Nicholson as Private Investigator JJ Gittes tells the audience what he does as he photographs a couple in the act of...
1 tag
Project 52 is an art project worth paying...
My friend Anthony Quinn has been working on a participatory art project for quite a while now, and I want to hype/promote it here. Once a week (give or take a day or two), he creates a piece of art and a 52-word story based on a photo of an object that he is sent. I was happy to contribute to his efforts last month, when I sent him a photo of a Dalek wearing sombrero (which I just happened to have...
March 2012
15 posts
1 tag
Love and Death is early Woody Allen at his best
[flickr]photo:7033447265[/flickr] Russian gentleman: So who is to say what is moral?
Sonja: Morality is subjective.
Russian gentleman: Subjectivity is objective.
Sonja: Moral notions imply attributes to substances which exist only in relational duality.
Russian gentleman: Not as an essential extension of ontological existence.
Sonja: Can we not talk about sex so much?
What do you get when...
1 tag
Lessons in UX: How a high-level design makes...
I’ve been in several meetings where the words “high level design” was bandied about by designers and stakeholders. The importance of a high level design… well, it was unquestioned. A high level design was absolutely vital, to ensure the success of the project. Everyone agreed needed one, of course.
At one such meeting, a long time ago, someone asked the obvious...
1 tag
Is there any reason for there to be a new Star...
There are two ways to look at this question: From a business perspective, and from a creative perspective.
From a business perspective, you have to start by looking at the recent history of the franchise and the current marketplace. Star Trek on TV was losing more and more viewers as time went by, until the final series Enterprise was canceled. Was this an indication of declining interest,...
1 tag
What are the major differences between the 1979...
The main difference between the original Battlestar Galactica series and the remake is in tone. The remake was much darker than the original, and much more “realistic” about how characters would react to the destruction of the 12 Colonies and the loss of billions of lives. In the original series the characters were kinda sad for about fourteen minutes and then, Wow! Look! A space...
1 tag
The ghost of Steve Jobs
I recently watched the video of Apple’s announcement of the new iPad. It was, like all Apple product announcements, a familiar affair. It started with statistics, it teased features, it detailed specs, and demonstrated new programs designed to take full advantage of the new hardware. It was polished, professional… and kinda boring.
Apple CEO Tim Cook, who oversaw the presentation, is...
1 tag
Ancestry.com is an addicting, engrossing...
On a whim last week I decided to try out Ancestry.com, after seeing several tv ads about the service. I had always been curious about my family’s lineage, and I thought, what the heck? Lets see how it works.
Now, I can’t stop using it.
The service is fantastic and completely engrossing. It’s very well constructed and designed, with a very easy-to-use UI and a very solid...
1 tag
Cold Turkey is a dark comedy, but a failure as a...
Norman Lear had a great run on television in the 1970s. He created one of the decade’s most popular shows, All in the Family, and also benefited from spinoffs such as Good Times and Maude. But before that, in 1969, he made a movie called Cold Turkey… a movie that sat on the shelf for over two years as the studio figured out what they heck to do with it.
Rewatching it today, that...
1 tag
Endings
I’m going home.
They say home is where your heart is, and that’s exactly right. My heart is with my family, and they aren’t here. They’re in my house in Dacula, Georgia, just northeast of Atlanta. Me? Well, for the last two and a half years, on and off, I’ve been in Sydney Australia, working. My family came over for some of that time, but left in July of last...
1 tag
Can a product be an experience - or is one a...
No, a product is not an experience, it is part of an experience.
As I’ve written before, the idea that anyone can “design an experience” is incorrect. You design solutions and products that are a part of user’s experience, and what you design has to be crafted in a way that both reflects the user’s expectations and supports their needs and behavior. You do that be...
1 tag
Prince of Darkness is a John Carpenter gem
[flickr]photo:6812497098[/flickr]
I have two John Carpenter movies on my Neglected Cinema’s list. Why two Carpenter movies? Primarily because I am a fan of his work, but also because if there is any list of the great modern-era directors that is underrated and underappreciated, John Carpenter should be on the top of it. His work is not only consistently good, but he is one of the few modern...
1 tag
How would you measure user experience of...
The obvious answer to me is in usability testing.
Define a series of tasks that you want to test the packaging for. The obvious task for packaging is…well, opening it. The next obvious task is about the content displayed/printed on the package. What is the product? What are the primary features that the packaging tells you about? Once you have the tasks, you test several sealed packages...
1 tag
How does one prepare for a UX Design job...
The same way you prepare for any other interview: RELAX.
If you go into an interview stressed and nervous, guess what the person or persons interviewing you will think? “Wow, he’s nervous.” That may be enough to cast doubt in your capabilities and abilities in their mind.
Look at an interview as a conversation, with the topic being what you have done and what you can do....
1 tag
What are the ten best movies of all time?
I’m looking at this question semi-scientifically.
When you look at the 10 “best” of anything, you have to look at the characteristics of that “thing” and then find examples where every identified characteristic is exemplary. For movies, I think the key characteristics to look at are:
Story/Plot
Acting
Directing
Music
Cinematography
The following films are...
1 tag
The Monkee's movie HEAD was ahead of its time
[flickr]photo:6797336562[/flickr]
“Pleasure - the inevitable byproduct of our civilization… The tragedy of our time, my young friends, is you may get exactly what you want.”
When I was pulling together a list of movies to view or revisit as part of this series, I knew that Head had to be on the list. After I found out that a member of The Monkees, the kind and talented Davy...
1 tag
We are ephemera.
I had a very emotional day this week when I found out an old friend of mine had passed away over a year ago. I was upset, and angry at mutual friends who already knew and hadn’t reach out to tell me. But more than that… I was sad that my friend was gone, and that feeling still lingers.
I noticed something as I frantically searched through search results to try and piece together what...
February 2012
17 posts
1 tag
New regular series: Neglected Cinema
I love movies, and I’ve always had a specific affinity for movies that aren’t incredibly popular or well known. There’s something about seeing and enjoying an obscure film that makes me happy. It’s like finding a rare jewel in a box of costume jewelry.
To that end, I have started up a new section here, one that I intent to fill with retro-reviews. I will revisit some...
1 tag
Rest in peace, Marilyn Daniel-Ware
[flickr]photo:6787123632[/flickr]
Ignorance is definitely bliss.
After a lovely, leisurely lunch with some friends today, I grew nostalgic. I thought back to my college days, to when I was doing college radio. I thought about the friends I made when I worked at Jefferson State Community radio, and one in particular: Marilyn Daniel. I hadn’t heard from her in several months, and the last...
1 tag
Twin Peaks: Fire Walk With Me blu-ray review
[flickr]photo:6927453147[/flickr]
On February 23rd, 1989, Laura Palmer died.
And we all heard about it.
That’s the date, in the fictional world of Twin Peaks, that the high school homecoming queen met her end… The pivotal event that was the moment that triggered the core narrative of the classic TV series. It was a series that I was, and am, an obsessive fan of. I love the show,...
1 tag
Design with confidence, by knowing your users
I have had several discussions lately with colleagues around design processes. I personally think that the best process is a flexible one, with standard phases that can have various “tactics” and effort that can be applied, depending upon the complexity and timelines of the project. Some of my colleagues disagree, and they can’t even agree to what they disagree with. One person...
1 tag
How could bank branches be improved?
As someone who has designed software for many a bank, as well as done ethnographic research in and around branches, I have some very direct ideas on how the banking experience at branches can be improved.
Have express lanes. If someone is coming in to just do one thing, like cash or deposit a check, then have dedicated lines to support those “fast” transactions.
Have a “genius...
1 tag
Focus on the outcome, not the tool
I’m fighting with Adobe. Not literally, obviously - I’m not having physical altercations with a multinational corporation. I’m fighting with thier apps, specifically InDesign. And InDesign is winning.
The thing is, it shouldn’t be. I’ve used page layout programs for years - one of my first jobs was doing magazine and catalog layouts in Quark Express. I SHOULD be able...
1 tag
What's the most awesome thing you've ever done?
It was at Dragon*Con 2009, a HUGE convention in Atlanta, GA. One of my all-time favorite filmmakers, Terry Gilliam, was there, promoting his (then new) movie The Imaginarium of Dr. Parnassus.
Terry Gilliam had a panel on Friday afternoon, in a HUGE auditorium. Imagine a football field, with Terry Gilliam on stage in the end zone, and me standing behind a microphone on the opposing team’s...
1 tag
Don't design with "something to prove"
I’m wrapping up a long-term design project, and, after two years working on the same thing, I’ve learned a lot. A lot about myself, a lot about design, and a lot about people.
One of the things that I notice over this time was that different designers on my team took design criticism differently. Some of them would be completely open to feedback and respond collaboratively. Others… well, it was...
1 tag
Lessons in UX: The "tender trap" of the iPhone
If you’ve been paying attention to the stock market lately, you may have noticed that Apple is doing quite well. At the time of this writing the stock is over $500 a share, the company has just had another quarter of record earnings, and Apple is worth more, in market capitalization, than Microsoft and Google combined. And some analysts say its growth rate is accelerating…
What is driving such...
1 tag
Why don't Mac Mini's have MagSafe power...
Being a close follower of Apple and their design decisions, I’d say a primary reason the Mac Mini doesn’t have that connection is simple: it’s not a portable computer, and it doesn’t have a battery.
The idea behind the MagSafe connector is to prevent laptops from being yanked off tabletops when someone trips over the cord. When this happened before, the laptop inevitably...
1 tag
What are some of the things that Apple decided not...
Lots of things.
They decided not to build a MIDI “break-out” box a couple of years ago, even though the product was ready for production according to some sources.
They decided to stop making printers.
They decided to simplify thier product lineup, to have two (then three, then four) lines to sell. Desktops, laptops, (and eventually) mobile phones and tablets.
They decided to...
1 tag
Which mobile apps offer a perfect user experience?
Perfect is the enemy of good, and perfect is also a very high bar to achieve. I don’t know if I’d say that the following are perfect, but they ae very good indeed:
Simplenote let’s you take notes and write. It also syncs your text to all other devices that have the appropriate software in the background. It’s simple and just works.
Instagram let’s you take and share...
1 tag
On pop culture, and drowning in abundance
When is the last time you got legitimately excited about a new movie or TV show? When you had a moment where the idea of seeing the premiere genuinely got your energy level up? If you’re like me, it probably happens a lot less than it used to. My reaction, more often than not, is ‘Meh.” And a lot of people are having the same reaction. TV audience levels have been declining for...
1 tag
What are best 10 books about user experience...
Designing for the Digital Age: How to Create Human-Centered Products and Services by Kim Goodwin is a favorite of mine, in the fact that it is just so comprehensive. It’s THE book to me.
A Project Guide to UX Design: For user experience designers in the field or in the making is a great primer on UX and a good book around project planning.
The Persona Lifecycle: Keeping People in Mind...