I found the Millenial coverage interesting on a couple levels and I think some of the overtones directly relate to our field. One theme was that the workforce is becoming increasingly selfish and I see this happening in lots of contexts not just limited to the newest generation. As the collective workforce shifts from "what can I do for the company" to "what can the company do for me", I believe the demand for quality interaction design will also continue to increase. Here is some anecdotal evidence ...
In usability studies you've probably witnessed members of the older generation sitting in front of an interface and determinedly trying to figure it out. If they can't figure it out they are tempted to blame themselves and/or work harder at trying to figure it out. However the newer generation can very quickly judge the interface; they either get it or it sucks. Unless those users are properly incentivized to want to figure something out, they won't bother. I believe effective interface design is essential for this emerging generation. We also see this in the "consumerization of the workplace". Users both young and old are better understanding what is possible with technology (i.e. Google) and they are now demanding / expecting that level of sophistication in the tools they use at work (and at home). As this trend continues I believe the demand for what we do will continue to increase. Anyway this is nothing ground breaking, but perhaps a positive message for all of us ... Cheers, Ben- ________________________________________________________________ *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
