Re: [IxDA Discuss] Why beauty matters to IxD (a blog compilation)
Uday, I have to admit I struggled with the overly academic nature of the 1st pieces. But when I got to part 3, I was blown away. Your quarter of story, performance, utility and style are so on target, I wanted to yell hurray Thank you for sharing. I hope others skip back to the top of the thread and give all the articles a read. -- dave ps, I saw your David Malouf Reader ... nice. No schooling. I'm self taught. It's interesting that you feel forced to characterize designers by their schooling, so many of us in IxD have no formal training in it or other design. I'm an anthropologist (BA UC Berkeley) and while it aids me in my ability to think about the etic, I don't really see it as a fundamental influencer. My mentors past and present have been much more powerful. I wish I could have a degree that lists them all and what they contributed to my education. That would be cool. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Posted from the new ixda.org http://www.ixda.org/discuss?post=27633 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] Fighting trolls
For #3... How do we force new users to search for answers before creating a duplicate thread on issues that has been addressed already? Making things hard seems a little mean! ;) What springs to mind for me is a (erk) tag cloud. In general I find them an annoying waste of space, however I could see it being useful for this 'initial search' purpose. I'd envisage a pane that can be sorted alphabetically, by date, frequency, etc. and hidden by regulars if not required. That way its two or three clicks to the information that you'd want, rather than going to the hassle of writing a post. It'll give you an excuse to buy Jeffrey Friedl's 'Mastering Regular Expressions' if nothing else! (The only programming-y book I've touched that is actually quite fun to read as well as being good at conveying its subject matter). Alex. 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] Fighting trolls
About the search - and just everything else on IxDA.org site. There are a lot of place for improvement - but the entire thing has been built through individual volunteer initiative. If you have improvements, or would love to take on the task of wire-framing, designing, and implementing a new discussion list search functionality, I bet the powers that be would love the help. Send an email to [EMAIL PROTECTED] and describe your ideas, skillz, and anything else. - W On Thu, Mar 27, 2008 at 4:40 AM, Alexander Livingstone [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: For #3... How do we force new users to search for answers before creating a duplicate thread on issues that has been addressed already? Making things hard seems a little mean! ;) What springs to mind for me is a (erk) tag cloud. In general I find them an annoying waste of space, however I could see it being useful for this 'initial search' purpose. I'd envisage a pane that can be sorted alphabetically, by date, frequency, etc. and hidden by regulars if not required. That way its two or three clicks to the information that you'd want, rather than going to the hassle of writing a post. It'll give you an excuse to buy Jeffrey Friedl's 'Mastering Regular Expressions' if nothing else! (The only programming-y book I've touched that is actually quite fun to read as well as being good at conveying its subject matter). Alex. 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 -- ~ will Where you innovate, how you innovate, and what you innovate are design problems - Will Evans | CrowdSprout tel +1.617.281.1281 | fax +1.617.507.6016 | [EMAIL PROTECTED] 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] Fighting Trolls
A simple way would be, for the first few posts, when they click on the 'new thread' button, pop up a message that says something like Why not try searching for your topic first ... with a link to the search portion, and then another option - I've already searched, just start a new thread or something of that nature. B 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] Fighting trolls
This very issue has been bugging me on the myStarbucksIdea forum, I really wish they'd develop a way of combining ideas (or at least proposing that ideas are combined) because at the moment the world and his wife seem to be posting the same 'free wireless' idea. On mailing lists this is much much harder given that the (duplicate) email will have arrived in your inbox before it is identified as a similar topic. Recently I posted on IxDA looking for advice about Mac applications and eventually someone tracked down an old thread which helpfully allowed my new thread to gradually expire. I now realise I really ought to go out and check Slashdot and formulate more useful and researched posts before just hitting 'reply' to things I found interesting :-/ J. -Original Message- snipped for everyone's benefit For #3... How do we force new users to search for answers before creating a duplicate thread on issues that has been addressed already? /snip 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] Google Docs live forms - getting user feedback online
Watch out with the free account on surveygizmo. If you have required questions in your survey it will prevent the user from advancing to the next page of the survey (or submitting the survey), but it will not flag the question that is required. The survey participant has no idea which question they screwed up. It's a big problem. I do agree though that they have really good graphics and reports. On Mar 25, 2008, at 11:09 AM, Leandro Alves wrote: I like using surveygizmo because it has a free account and you're able to create different kinds of surveys. Moreover, it generates graphics and reports that could be exported in different data formats . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Posted from the new ixda.org http://www.ixda.org/discuss?post=27550 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] Any resources or testing data on quick entry grids vs. form fields?
Anyone? So I'm guessing no one has any data on this? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Posted from the new ixda.org http://www.ixda.org/discuss?post=27562 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] Flex? (was: What's exciting in Adobe Thermo?)
A lot of interesting posts here. HTML has a comfortable feel about it. Its main value is in Simplicity, familiarity and consistency. But there's things can't do in HTML or AJAX or any available Javascript project that you can do using the Flash plug-in. That's what it comes down to. That's why people use Flash. Not as an alternative but because there is no alternative. Silverlight is changing that, but i'll wait and see for that one. In terms of development.. Its painful... bad.. Flex and Actionscript 3 made it a lot better.. A proper OOP language aids development hugely. The main problem using Flex is designing for Flex is terrible.. The current flex framework is difficult to work with.. Thats why this Thermo tool sounds so nice.. They're showing demos of RIA's designed in other Adobe products (photoshop, illustrator, flash) and generating Flex apps, without needing to compromise the original design. This would be difficult to achieve using the current Flex 3 framework, but apparently in Flex 4 (which i'm guessing Thermo is targeted at) we've got a new MVC architecture for the framework, so they can generate the highly customised designs without effecting Application and client/server communication logic which is handy for the developers. regards, Bjorn . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Posted from the new ixda.org http://www.ixda.org/discuss?post=27483 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] Any resources or testing data on quick entry grids vs. form fields?
I was wondering if anyone can direct me to resources or testing data on comparative testing between quick entry grids and form fields? Ben, This seems like quite a generic question for what is probably a very specific problem. Can you give any more information? What sort of data are you talking about? To what depth? Is the user's domain knowledge relevant? Alex. 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] Fighting trolls
On Wed, Mar 26, 2008 at 6:33 PM, [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: For #3... How do we force new users to search for answers before creating a duplicate thread on issues that has been addressed already? An interesting method implemented by Metafilter (mentioned previous in regards to their banhammering) is to force a post preview prior to submission. In this process (assuming I haven't used the site's standard search options), I type up my post but can only preview it (versus immediately posting it live). This preview does some sort of check for similar or previous posts (in Metafilter's case, this check is done by looking at the URL in the post...but I imagine this check could be altered to other types of site-relevant content)...if a duplicate prior post is found, it is displayed with a message along the lines of It looks like someone has already posted about topic X... and some notes about not duplicating posts or checking to see if your post is taking a new/unique look at a similar topic. Granted, at this step, you could ignore the duplicate warning and post anyways...but I always thought this was a fairly helpful way to help avoid duplication of ideas. But I also tend to agree that there should be no penalty levied against new user who inquire about previously-discussed topics...maybe there could be some sort of rewards system set up for answering questions (like an ebay feedback concept) with no regard to the amount of time things have been discussed? - Tim -- http://www.clampants.com http://clampants.tumblr.com/ http://www.flickr.com/photos/clampants/ 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] Any resources or testing data on quick entry grids vs. form fields?
I'm not sure how it can be taken as generic. It's actually very specific in terms of interaction performance. Anyone who has actually done the study should know the metrics instantly. To rephrase/clarify, the data I'm looking for: 1. Time difference in user data entry rate between form fields and quick entry grids; 2. The variation in this difference when the grid includes all the same fields as in the full form, compared to a truncated version (due to field prioritization); 3. Effects of horizontal scroll in data entry in the grid; Note that the grid entry is very similar to an Excel spreadsheet input with the exception that there may be some controls (i.e. dropdown list) within certain cells. I find it a very interesting concept and because of this nonstandard behavior, I'm not entirely open to the idea. I'd like to be convinced something this different really works well and gives benefits to the users. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Posted from the new ixda.org http://www.ixda.org/discuss?post=27562 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 project management tool do you use?
Please define Enterprise? My only experience with the word is that it's usually used by marketing dweebs to justify 6-figure implementation and licensing costs. On Thu, Mar 27, 2008 at 10:22 AM, Vishal Iyer [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: I'm specifically looking for enterprise level, cross functional usage- feel free to chime in even if thats not the case. I was surprised to find out that many companies don't use one (in conversations with people, nothing formal...any data would be appreciated) My experience with them is limited to using Basecamp (does it scale well for enterprise use?) for the Interactions 08 conference- which I thought worked really well. We currently use a mishmash of email, a document storage tool and a wiki, there is a lot of waste, redundancies and inconsistencies in the process. What's the deal with using a wiki as a project management tool anyways? It makes sense as a documentation tool, but fails miserably (because its not intended) as a PM tool. Please call out ones that can't even be used by the consultants who need to 'train' a team in order to use it. -- -Vishal http://www.vishaliyer.com Welcome to the Interaction Design Association (IxDA)! To post to this list ... [EMAIL PROTECTED] Unsubscribe http://www.ixda.org/unsubscribe List Guidelines http://www.ixda.org/guidelines List Help .. http://www.ixda.org/help -- ~ will Where you innovate, how you innovate, and what you innovate are design problems - Will Evans | CrowdSprout tel +1.617.281.1281 | fax +1.617.507.6016 | [EMAIL PROTECTED] 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] Fighting trolls
I question the initial premise of this post; is Trolling a problem on this list, (specifically individuals Trolling, with no malice - #3)? I just ignore posts I'm not interested in and it works very well. As for forcing searches of previous posts to minimize repeat discussions, I'm not sure this cure is worth the discussions it may stop. Sure many things are repeated with no value added, but when value is added it seems to often more then make up for the inconvenient noise. For example I'd still be interested in discussions on Agile and ID, even though it's been discussed 100 x. I'd even be interested in it being revisited with no further new info, besides to confirm old feedback is still relevant. I'd err on keeping an open forum, VS an expert focused forum. IMHO some of the best discussions are where experts initiate interesting discussions, and newbees add the value, I really wouldn't want to hamper this. -- Joseph Rich Rogan President UX/UI Inc. http://www.jrrogan.com Welcome to the Interaction Design Association (IxDA)! To post to this list ... [EMAIL PROTECTED] Unsubscribe http://www.ixda.org/unsubscribe List Guidelines http://www.ixda.org/guidelines List Help .. http://www.ixda.org/help
Re: [IxDA Discuss] What project management tool do you use?
back in the day, i used M$ Project then at another organization we used M$ Project Server. unfortunately, no one ever used it because of the high learning curve and the fact that schedules became as worthless as US dollars in Europe. :-) now that i'm no longer involved in project focused work, we use basic scheduling tied to our issue/bug tracking system. On Thu, Mar 27, 2008 at 10:49 AM, Vishal Iyer [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: I'm no expert on this, totally hope to avoid a semantic debate and I don't fancy the term either- but IMO it has a well understood connotation of being large scale, large budget- you were right in a warped way. More importantly- having the need to work with existing systems. Please define Enterprise? My only experience with the word is that it's usually used by marketing dweebs to justify 6-figure implementation and licensing costs. -- -Vishal http://www.vishaliyer.com Welcome to the Interaction Design Association (IxDA)! To post to this list ... [EMAIL PROTECTED] Unsubscribe http://www.ixda.org/unsubscribe List Guidelines http://www.ixda.org/guidelines List Help .. http://www.ixda.org/help -- -- www.flyingyogi.com -- Welcome to the Interaction Design Association (IxDA)! To post to this list ... [EMAIL PROTECTED] Unsubscribe http://www.ixda.org/unsubscribe List Guidelines http://www.ixda.org/guidelines List Help .. http://www.ixda.org/help
Re: [IxDA Discuss] What project management tool do you use?
I've used OmniPlan (http://www.omnigroup.com/applications/omniplan/) which is a typical PM tool, gant charts and timelines.. stuff like that. It's good, but Mac only. The other thing I've done on projects is use an issue tracking system like Trac. It allows you to set up milestones with dates, and assign tasks to them. The tasks can be anything, from documents, design, to dev.. whatever you need. It's a very flexible open source tool. On Thu, Mar 27, 2008 at 11:03 AM, Ari Feldman [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: back in the day, i used M$ Project then at another organization we used M$ Project Server. unfortunately, no one ever used it because of the high learning curve and the fact that schedules became as worthless as US dollars in Europe. :-) now that i'm no longer involved in project focused work, we use basic scheduling tied to our issue/bug tracking system. -- Matt Nish-Lapidus work: [EMAIL PROTECTED] / www.bibliocommons.com -- personal: [EMAIL PROTECTED] 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] Fighting trolls
I question the initial premise of this post; is Trolling a problem on this list, (specifically individuals Trolling, with no malice - #3)? For some cases, it can be a problem. For example, I enjoy going to howardforums.com which is a cellphone hacking community. That forum suffers greatly from new members asking HOW DO I ADD FREE RINGTONES TO MY NEW RAZR THX every.single.day. I'm not even joking about the caps and the tone of the voice either. Questions like this has been answered at least 20 times, and at this point, the question serves no value but degrading the signal to noise ratio. It makes the site harder to use because of the useless information like that, and it eventually renders the site useless. I understand where the members of this mailing list is coming from when you say respect the new users, but in some cases, new users must be forced to search unless you want your site to end up in a pile of junk. 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] Fighting trolls
On Thu, Mar 27, 2008 at 8:22 AM, Calvin Park 박상빈 [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: I question the initial premise of this post; is Trolling a problem on this list, (specifically individuals Trolling, with no malice - #3)? For some cases, it can be a problem. For example, I enjoy going to howardforums.com which is a cellphone hacking community. That forum suffers greatly from new members asking HOW DO I ADD FREE RINGTONES TO MY NEW RAZR THX every.single.day. I'm not even joking about the caps and the tone of the voice either. Again, this can be done through integration with the posting process. If more than 50% of the post content is in all caps, stop and make them rewrite (and at the same time, show the user matching similar posts to divert them). There are undoubtedly other patterns that are associated with noise - but the burden should be on the technology, not the user. Cindy 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 project management tool do you use?
Never used it, but there's this: http://www.projectx.com/ (Again, it's Mac only, but it looks Windows friendly in some respects, like reporting.) -ty 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] Fighting trolls
I peruse the Kurzweil (musical instrument) forums every now and then. They have some read-only forums consisting of answers to commonly asked questions. (Now if I would just read them, I could get more out of my Kurzweil instrument.) I suspect that such threads/forums can provide the information that some users seek in a format that is even easier than posting to the forum. I question the initial premise of this post; is Trolling a problem on this list, (specifically individuals Trolling, with no malice - #3)? For some cases, it can be a problem. For example, I enjoy going to howardforums.com which is a cellphone hacking community. That forum suffers greatly from new members asking HOW DO I ADD FREE RINGTONES TO MY NEW RAZR THX every.single.day. I'm not even joking about the caps and the tone of the voice either. Again, this can be done through integration with the posting process. If more than 50% of the post content is in all caps, stop and make them rewrite (and at the same time, show the user matching similar posts to divert them). There are undoubtedly other patterns that are associated with noise - but the burden should be on the technology, not the user. 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] Fighting trolls
Billy, I like the idea of FAQ and Wikis. Cindy, Wouldn't forcing the posts with all caps to be rewritten be equivalent to forcing the new posts to be delayed? In both cases, we are detecting behaviours that are recognized as noise and disallowing such behaviours. In your case, we would use pattern recognition, and in my case, we would simply assume that all posts are potential source of noise. I understand your argument and respect your input, but to me it seems like your idea is fundamentally equivalent to mine; only difference is what we consider noise. So far, my model is to 1. upon posting, ask for the title first 2. search the title and present the results 3. if the poster isn't interested in the results, let him/her post 4. if the post body is recognized as noise(too many caps, etc), reject the post 5. the post isn't publicized until the poster comes back in a few hours and reconfirms it 6. other users can flag the posts as redundant or rude so that moderators can act upon it 7. create a wiki and FAQ 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] Fighting trolls
Hi Calvin, An explicit timeout period for the new post isn't going to go over well at all. It'll work but people will hate you. I wouldn't recommend your approach, but if you're set on it I'd construct some plausible deniability into the process. For instance, you might do the post confirmation via e-mail, and note that the e-mail may take up to 24 hours to arrive. That makes the actual 2 hour delay seem less harsh. Give them the option to cancel and search instead. During the interim, they might find the answer they're looking for and decide not to confirm the post when it arrives. // jeff . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Posted from the new ixda.org http://www.ixda.org/discuss?post=27634 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] Fighting trolls
Jeff, That is an excellent suggestion! Maybe I can take your approach and adjust the timeout period according to the usefulness of the member(however we measure it). And you're right that it'll work but people will hate me. Would you have some other suggestions that will help? rantDuring this discussion, I realized that what I'm fighting is immaturity. Since a dominant character of immaturity is impatience, I'm using the patience of a poster to determine the level of maturity./rant On Thu, 27 Mar 2008 09:51:47, Jeff Howard [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: Hi Calvin, An explicit timeout period for the new post isn't going to go over well at all. It'll work but people will hate you. I wouldn't recommend your approach, but if you're set on it I'd construct some plausible deniability into the process. For instance, you might do the post confirmation via e-mail, and note that the e-mail may take up to 24 hours to arrive. That makes the actual 2 hour delay seem less harsh. Give them the option to cancel and search instead. During the interim, they might find the answer they're looking for and decide not to confirm the post when it arrives. // jeff 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] Fighting trolls
Cindy, In your case, we would use pattern recognition, and in my case, we would simply assume that all posts are potential source of noise. That is exactly the important difference - assuming that all posts are potentially noise. How disrespectful to the user! The thing is, no one thinks their post is noise, and most of them are correct. You should only be interfering when you have some real evidence that their post is noise. It's a subtle difference but the feel of any community is mostly governed by subtle interactions. So far, my model is to 1. upon posting, ask for the title first 2. search the title and present the results 3. if the poster isn't interested in the results, let him/her post 4. if the post body is recognized as noise(too many caps, etc), reject the post I think this is great (you could move #1 to between #3 and #4 potentially as well) 5. the post isn't publicized until the poster comes back in a few hours and reconfirms it I think you'll lose 90% of posts this way. When you ask the user to come back, a lot won't bother - just human nature. 6. other users can flag the posts as redundant or rude so that moderators can act upon it rude, yes. redundant, I think that's rude if it's public. But it would be really useful to flag as redundant IF you used that as a guideline to what FAQs to create next! 7. create a wiki and FAQ Definitely good. Cindy 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] Skip or not
Hi Min, I've been in your seat plenty of times. ;) Much good advice has been offered for many good reasons. I'll add my two cents. With such an exhaustive wizard and as you mentioned a possible dead end, it seems to me that there is an imperative for a skip button or at the least some sort of means to continue forward. It's a setup wizard which means it's the first thing the user does before using the actual product. If they were to dead end there without any indication of forward movement or further instruction it seems like a good candidate for the return line at Best Buy. Most OSes and programs at one time or another have 'forced' me to enter information or agree to things but ultimately the steps that are 'forced' are the steps I learn to ignore or belligerently click through to complete (ex. when's the last time you actually read a EULA before Agreeing to it?). So, there is an argument to be made that force can actually cause the inverse of the desired effect on the user. Be Well, Jason On Mar 26, 2008, at 10:58 AM, Lin Min wrote: I am working on a setup wizard for a consumer product. Somewhere toward the end of the wizard we have a two-screen guided tutorial to help users understand the main functions of the remove device (a component of the product). My manager believes it is beneficial to force users go through the tutorial and I am arguing to have a Skip button available. Since most users are not familiar with the remote, the tutorial certainly becomes very useful to teach the person who set up the product. My user testing has shown that the functions are understandable and learnable in a reasonable brief time without any form of instruction. The issue is users may forget the existence of certain functions on the remote because it is difference from what they are used to. She is afraid that the Skip button will encourage users to skip the *important* step. I think we should provide users with control (one extreme case is that if an intended button doesn't work during the tutorial, users will become trapped). There are about 20 steps in the process and I think it is better to make all optional steps clear to users. What does our pool of wisdom think? Is there any data on the clicking rate of the Skip button if there is one? Min Lin Usability Engineer Hillcrest Laboratories, Inc. Welcome to the Interaction Design Association (IxDA)! To post to this list ... [EMAIL PROTECTED] Unsubscribe http://www.ixda.org/unsubscribe List Guidelines http://www.ixda.org/guidelines List Help .. http://www.ixda.org/help 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] Using the term 'usability'
Sorry if it's a commonplace question, but still: how do you use the word 'usability' when talking to clients, describing your work and your impact to the product design? Do you think the term covers everything you do, so that you can call yourself 'usability specialist' and your job as 'usability services', or you tend to use it only naming one of product's features (along with some others)? I know the ISO definition, but I'm interested in how the word is used in real life. In Russia, where I work, 'usability' has become a kind of trademark familiar to the majority of IT-people, so while they won't understand 'interaction design' or 'UX design', they understand phrases like we do usability very well. Personally I feel that interaction design is broader than the ISO 'usability', but may be the meaning of the term in the language has been already changed?.. If there are past talks about this, I would be grateful if you will point me at them. Thanks a lot! -- Valentin Filippov, Niskaya 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] Fighting Trolls
I like Cindy's solution. I would also like to share how this was handled on a board I frequented. New people are encouraged to make themselves known to others (via a post). A moderator would send them a welcome with links to some old postings that had great information they may be here seeking. She knew what that information was because basically it was a FAQ. She also took the time to introduce some of the regulars that they may be reading if they choose to stick around. Of course, this is less of a technological solution and it would require some work on someone's part to keep that welcome post up to date. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Posted from the new ixda.org http://www.ixda.org/discuss?post=27634 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] JOB | Sr. Flash/Multimedia Developer | Newtown, PA | Recruiter | Contract or contract to hire
As a Sr. Flash/Multimedia Developer, based in Newtown, PA, you will be responsible for partnering with our client's internal teams to design, develop and deliver innovative marketing initiatives. In this role, you will partner with interactive designers and art directors and lead the development of innovative Flash interfaces and applications. The Sr. Flash/Multimedia Developer must possess the ability to take abstract concepts and minimal corporate visualization and turn them into exciting, cutting-edge experiences that are user-friendly, representative of the client's goals, and within brand guidelines. You will be required to partner with information architects and software developers on the execution and implementation of design concepts with minimal oversight from art directors or creative directors. General and Daily Responsibilities: * Partner with designers and art directors to concept innovative user experiences that are beyond what is expected or normal * Bring interfaces to life via Flash and Actionscript * Develop prototypes, visual interfaces and Flash-based applications * Maintain existing Flash applications or Web properties * Present work, provide design rationale, and defend work in creative reviews or meetings * Assist with the development of new business presentations * Collaborate with interactive designers, art directors, copywriters, strategists, account managers and other studio staff * Establish and/or adhere to timelines and schedules * Establish and/or work within defined scopes and hourly allotments * Stays abreast on industry techniques and new technologies * Perform duties as assigned by art directors and creative directors Minimum Qualifications Skills Required: * Expert-level knowledge of Actionscript and Flash * Advanced knowledge of HTML Programming * Advanced knowledge of XML * Advanced knowledge of Photoshop and Illustrator * Working knowledge of CSS and Javascript * Understanding of video and multimedia * At least 2-3 years of agency (or in-house agency) interactive experience For immediate consideration: Meg Metz | [EMAIL PROTECTED] | (215) 545-1600 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] Recruiters
On Mar 27, 2008, at 12:29 PM, Jay Morgan wrote: You could mine that opportunity and build an app that aggregates jobs and candidates, then maps skills. That might look like a wizard to an uninformed recruiter, and it would be a big relief to people like us. Or you could get into the recruiting business yourself. My experience has been that this can't be automated very well - its a very personal kind of thing. 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] Survey to research roles of UX/IxD/BA etc.
Hi all, Excuse me for crossposing- Please take about 15 minutes to complete a survey http://personasofia.karemaker.com/survey/ It is used to learn more about the different roles of information architects in the broadest sense (this includes user experience consultants, interaction designers, business analysts and the like). Results will be presented at the coming IA conference in a poster presentation called 'Personas OF the Information Architect, and communicated to participants that leave their email address. Feel free to send this survey to interested fellow professionals. It will be online until april 4th. http://personasofia.karemaker.com/survey/ Thanks, David Karemaker link: http://www.iasummit.org/proceedings/2008/personas_of_the_information_ar to learn more about the research and myself. 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] Recruiters
Hi, is this Will Evans, the unknown voice asked. Yes, it is, who is this? This is Sarah X from CTR, Clueless Technical Resources, and we had an opportunity that we think might be a great fit for you. Really - do tell? We have a great opportunity for a 3 month contract as a J2EE Architect for a Fortune 500 company in Des Moines, Iowa. Excellent - you do realize that I have never coded java before, I am moving to DC on Saturday...and don't travel for short term contract work... Can I ask you what your rate is Um... a three month contract 1000 miles from where I live doing something I have never done for a big evil multinational that destroys labor unions while not offering health care benefits to it's employeescan I get back to you on that? -- Why can't recruiters read? I know I have had a resume posted on Monster since about 2003, and I do update it every 6 months or so even though I have never gotten a job from monster - but what really burns my goat is that I very clearly say: 1. I have done IA and IxD work for a really long time 2. I have no interest in relocating for short term contracts 3. how much I cost Yet they never read that. I want to put together a list of all the Good not evil recruiting firms that actually know the difference between an interaction designer, information architect, and UI engineer - at least knows enough to know we aren't Java or .Net engineers. Post back to me recruiters that are great -on either side of the hiring equation. It might be nice to have a list of places to go that get us -- ~ will Where you innovate, how you innovate, and what you innovate are design problems 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] GUI for interactive whiteboards
Would anyone be able to point me to any white papers or empirical data on interactive whiteboard application interfaces? projection based. SMART board, Pegasus, Mimio Board? I'm working on Classroom presentation application that ideally can be used on various whiteboards with it's own native tools rather than utilizing each boards proprietary toolset. Looking for any literature, information on teacher/board interaction... toolbar orientation, projection resolution, etc... Lots to think about and evaluate. I know the UK is ahead of us in the states with board adoption... wondering if any UK ixd'ers can point me to any useful info. Thanks in advance. 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] job: manager, user experience design/mountain view, ca/fte/intuit
This is a new position within our Small Business Group. Experience with Web 2.0 and RIA highly desirable: -nancy Intuit isn't just another place to work. It's a company made up of smart, motivated people with a passion for what they do - developing, marketing and supporting products and services that transform the way people and small businesses around the world manage their finances. We take pride in our dedication to the customers who use our products and services every day. Intuit offers some of the best rewards in the industry. We don't think you'll find another employer more dedicated to its employees' success. The Small Business Experience Design (XD) group is tasked with designing the user experience for the Quicken and QuickBooks family of products and services. Responsibilities: * Lead a team of Experience Designers and Researchers to define Shop, Buy and Use experiences that delight our customers * Work with the team and key stakeholders to understand and promulgate a strong vision for user experience * Collaborate across functional areas and segments to plan innovative changes to experience design methodologies, strategy, development processes, and organizational capabilities/structure * Provide design direction to ensure delivery of high quality user experiences * Drive the integration of user-centered research and design processes into the product development process * Prioritize Experience Research and Design work to align with the Small Business division's goals and objectives for the business you support * Oversee the work of Interaction Designers, Visual Designers, and User Research across multiple projects * Attract, grow and retain a world class team of experience designers and researchers * Manage all run-the-business aspects of the team (budgets, personnel, reporting) * Foster user experience collaboration across the Small Business Ecosystem and the Intuit XD Community on shared UI frameworks, design patterns, and cross-offering experiences * Stay abreast of external research, standards, inventions, and trends for potential opportunities Qualifications : * Master's or PhD in design, the social sciences, HCI or related fields, or related experience * Minimum 5 years experience managing design teams that deliver exceptional user experiences in new and existing offerings * At least 7 years of experience as a practicing visual designer, interaction designer, or other design-related role * Proven track record of leading user experience organizations to be highly influential, effective, and strategic within a matrixed structure * Excellent command of: user experience methods, design principles, problem-framing skills, verbal and written communication skills * Proven experience delivering products and services to the market * Ability to build positive, collaborative relationships across teams/groups/functions through facilitative leadership * Strong track-record of developing and hiring great people Email: [EMAIL PROTECTED] 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] Skip or not
Wow! Thank you for the helpful feedback! I just got my manager to agree to include the Skip button. The 'price' is to redesign the leading page so it will appear more fun and inviting to encourage users to go through the tutorial. Actually I don't view it as the price. It is what it should be. I took many valuable pieces from the responses and used them to make the case. Thank you all again. Min 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] blog recap on music to listen to while designing
A couple weeks back, someone on this list started a great post that got many people chiming in about what music and online channels they listen to while designing. You all churned out some fantastic recommendations, and I compiled many of them in my weekly blog post for Webgrrls International: http://www.webgrrls.com/blog/2008/03/13/online-music-to-help-you-design/ Just figured I'd pass it along in case anyone wants a recap. Kristin Kristin Vincent Sr Information Architect Barnes Noble.com [EMAIL PROTECTED] Good luck exploring the infinite abyss. - Garden State This electronic mail message contains information that (a) is or may be CONFIDENTIAL, PROPRIETARY IN NATURE, OR OTHERWISE PROTECTED BY LAW FROM DISCLOSURE, and (b) is intended only for the use of the addressee(s) named herein. If you are not an intended recipient, please contact the sender immediately and take the steps necessary to delete the message completely from your computer system. Not Intended as a Substitute for a Writing: Notwithstanding the Uniform Electronic Transaction Act or any other law of similar effect, absent an express statement to the contrary, this e-mail message, its contents, and any attachments hereto are not intended to represent an offer or acceptance to enter into a contract and are not otherwise intended to bind this sender, barnesandnoble.com llc, barnesandnoble.com inc. or any other person or entity. 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] Fighting trolls
I'm hearing from this thread: -Don't want Noobies to clutter the forum with redundant information -Noobies more than likely don't know what to search for, thats why they ask it -If they don't know what to search for, they might ask their question in any possible folder/thread on the forum I guess there's 3 types of new users #1. experts ready to join the community #2. noobies without a clue but wanting to learn #3. noobies that just want their answer and most likely will never participate further How about giving the noobies their own area. This would help both #2 and #3 noobies, but would also filter out #3noobie quick and dirty posts. They can visit all forum areas, but can only post in their own Noobie folder for the first 2 weeks. Afterwards they can graduate to join the rest of the forum . 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] Don't listen to your customers.
I'm in a quandary. I like Dell Ideastorm [1], I like myStarbucksIdea [2] and I like the approach listening to customers espouse what they like and don't like about stuff I, and my clients, do. But, I keep digging up these quotes with monotonous regularity: a) If I had asked my customers what they wanted, they would have said, 'a faster horse - Henry Ford b) We don't ask consumers what they want. They don't know. Instead we apply our brain power to what they need, and will want, and make sure we're there, ready - Akio Morita, founder of Sony c) It sounds logical to ask customers what they want and then give it to them. But they rarely wind up getting what they really want that way - Steve Jobs d) It's really hard to design products by focus groups. A lot of times, people don't know what they want until you show it to them - Steve Jobs (again) So should I stop talking about focus groups? Is the old method of ask and listen not applicable - particularly when designing stuff that's 'future proof' and therefore impossible to assess with the users of the future - or should we seek out new methods? Some have suggested trawling user communities, eavesdropping on online dialogue to perform a gap analysis . but is the next iPod or Flickr going to come out of a conversation on a Facebook wall. It just seems so vague. Of course, myStarbucksidea (flawed as it is from an Ix point of view) is an attempt to localise the dialogue but will the ultimate output of this just be a 'faster horse'? For us in the IxD arena when we're trying to create something unique and something innovative we press ahead with the development of prototypes and visuals that may reflect an interface and design that doesn't reflect where our users are today and, because they've not seen the insight we might have done, simply don't get why they'd need it. A case in point: a piece of work I've been involved with presented the idea that banking customers could tag transactions in their account - customers didn't get it: why would I do that . but we know from Mint [3], Wesabe [4] and others that people do use this feature. The problem being that the client has heard too many users in testing being dismissive about the idea and therefore increasingly thinks it's a waste of time. Granted, we could have fleshed out the prototype with 'why would I do this' type content and is this the failing here or simply that users don't always know best? Your learned opinions are sought. John. [1] http://www.dellideastorm.com/ [2] http://www.mystarbucksidea.com http://www.mystarbucksidea.com/ [3] http://www.mint.com http://www.mint.com/ [4] http://www.wesabe.com http://www.wesabe.com/ Welcome to the Interaction Design Association (IxDA)! To post to this list ... [EMAIL PROTECTED] Unsubscribe http://www.ixda.org/unsubscribe List Guidelines http://www.ixda.org/guidelines List Help .. http://www.ixda.org/help
Re: [IxDA Discuss] Fighting trolls
I think it's good that we're having this conversation, because it implies that there enough people doing this long enough the same number of ways that there are both newbies and a more or less established way to do things. That's a lot of progress! However, any growing community has this issue - what to do with all those bandwidth sucking people who keep asking the same damn question? I second the moderation - it helps keep the conversational tension even between everyone. It's also welcoming for the new or insecure who need a little reassurance. I'd also request that you think about this in a different light - maybe it's the same question, but are you answering it the same way you did a year ago? 5 years ago? Why did you change? What's remained constant and fundamental? Context, delivery, user knowledge and experience are all very different from when I started thinking about interaction problems (too long ago to get into), and require different tools and solutions. Just my two cents - Lorelei 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] Displaying search results
This may be somewhat to Dante's first point but I have designed a scenario where a user is searching for favorite Celebreties, Programs, and Channels. The use case is not intended to take the user to a separate page to learn more information. It is intended as a selection tool. Search Select Search Select. For this case I found it a great way to allow users to quickly search for an item, find it, select it and never have to leave the page. Much quicker than loading a new page only to have to have the user click back. 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] [JOBS] onsite Freelance Information Architect: New York City: Rapp Collins: Contract or Temp to Perm
Rapp Collins Worldwide Is Leading the Way. With a 40-year history in direct marketing, Rapp Collins combines unique behavioral insights with dynamically rendered content to create breakthrough communications that deliver valuable customers. We call it dynamic marketing, a term that reflects the changing nature of communications today. Instead of the one-size-fits-all mass marketing model of the 20th century, dynamic marketing recognizes that every current and prospective customer is unique and experiences the brand in different ways over time. Marketers who send the same message over and over again through multiple, often competing, channels are missing out on the opportunity to customize the experience and optimize the relationship. With 50+offices in 30 countries and four full-service offices in New York, Dallas, Los Angeles and Chicago, Rapp Collins Worldwide is leading the direct marketing industry even as we redefine it. Information Architect Job Description DEFINITION: One who designs and supervises the identification, classification, index and display of knowledge to facilitate the user-centric organization and presentation of data in an interactive environment, as determined by experience, instruction and research. SUMMARY OF POSITION: Support the Digital Marketing Group in the development of online interactive components - including, but not limited to, HTML e-mails, landing pages, interactive units and all scale of web sites and applications. Will be involved from project inception through discovery, strategy, definition, architecture, documentation, testing and iterative development. RESPONSIBILITIES: Responsibilities include all of the following: * Recognize, interview and work closely with key stakeholders - including internal, client and end-users - to identify and prioritize goals and objectives as related to the project. Must be able to clearly articulate those goals to the extended team. * Map the relation of goals, internal and external influences to success matrices. * Identify project scope in totality and clearly demarcate the individual components, their interaction with internal and external actors and/or actions. * Work closely with Brand Planning to accurately determine, design and develop for the appropriate psychographic/demographic/geo-targeted audience. * Construct the internal vocabulary and definitive taxonomy as related to all project components. * Develop site architecture as defined within a site map, working within template constraints and labeling best practice. * Create accurate functionality representations per page in wire frame format, working within template constraints and labeling best practice. * Work closely with Creative department to ensure usability guidelines are well understood and represented. Provide feedback and recommendations during conceptual phases of a project. * Work in tandem with technical architect or technology lead to define platform and environment per project. Ensure accessibility guidelines are well understood and accepted. * Demonstrate desire and capacity to be a strong team player. * Works with other Information architects to transfer knowledge, extend expertise and participate in larger team efforts. * Leverage direct marketing knowledge as applied to the interactive environment to aid in strategic initiatives. REQUIRED SKILLS: Skills sets recommended for this position: * Familiarity with the iterative development process, facilitation and/or participation in focus groups. * Strong grasp of HCI and UI. * Knowledge of content indexing and navigational constructs and hierarchies. * Extensive experience working in collaborative environments, integrating user-centered design, technology, and business strategy, and be client-facing. Must be able to work independently, take initiative, and innovate. Must have strong verbal and communication skills, as this is integral to the position. * Perform content analysis, task analysis, task modeling, and usage scenarios. * Create and document information design concepts and solutions by various means, including diagrams, maps, flows, and rapid prototypes. * Develop effective user-centered solutions for all interactive applications. Work with developers and testers to ensure high usability of applications. * Exhibit expert-level knowledge in information and interaction design; apply this knowledge appropriately to create solutions that best meet clients' strategic goals. * Work to integrate effective information and interaction design strategies and practices into our overall design process. * Stay abreast of new and innovative trends in the information architecture discipline as well as industry news and developments; work to build similar knowledge among other design and production team members. * Assist project
Re: [IxDA Discuss] What project management tool do you use?
Collaboration and communication is definitely a major aspect and there are bound to be redundancies waste in a large project with 100+ people across half a dozen time zones. Some of it is probably needed, especially at mission critical stages. But if a tool can help manage all this, that would be sweet. On Thu, Mar 27, 2008 at 4:30 PM, Nabil Durand [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: Sounds like you're talking project management as well as team collaboration. mishmash of email, a document storage tool and a wiki, there is a lot of waste, redundancies and inconsistencies in the process You probably need an intranet with collaboration tools. I don't want to sound like a plug for m$... We use sharepoint 2003 and in the process of migrating to SharePoint 2007. They have come out with some awesome project management templates that might assist in removing inconsistencies/redundancies in your process. http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/windowsserver/sharepoint/bb407286.aspx -- -Vishal http://www.vishaliyer.com Welcome to the Interaction Design Association (IxDA)! To post to this list ... [EMAIL PROTECTED] Unsubscribe http://www.ixda.org/unsubscribe List Guidelines http://www.ixda.org/guidelines List Help .. http://www.ixda.org/help
Re: [IxDA Discuss] Recruiters
While I suffer the same predicament, I find it amusing that ask Why can't recruiters read?. A common assumption is that users do not read when trying to accomplish a task. Whenever they contact me w/ Leonardo job or a J2EE job, I remind myself that these users are motivated by incentives to find candidates. Unfortunately, that mixes with their nearly complete lack of familiarity with terms that we take for granted. You could mine that opportunity and build an app that aggregates jobs and candidates, then maps skills. That might look like a wizard to an uninformed recruiter, and it would be a big relief to people like us. I hope this helps. On Thu, Mar 27, 2008 at 12:55 PM, W Evans [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: Hi, is this Will Evans, the unknown voice asked. Yes, it is, who is this? This is Sarah X from CTR, Clueless Technical Resources, and we had an opportunity that we think might be a great fit for you. Really - do tell? We have a great opportunity for a 3 month contract as a J2EE Architect for a Fortune 500 company in Des Moines, Iowa. Excellent - you do realize that I have never coded java before, I am moving to DC on Saturday...and don't travel for short term contract work... Can I ask you what your rate is Um... a three month contract 1000 miles from where I live doing something I have never done for a big evil multinational that destroys labor unions while not offering health care benefits to it's employeescan I get back to you on that? -- Why can't recruiters read? I know I have had a resume posted on Monster since about 2003, and I do update it every 6 months or so even though I have never gotten a job from monster - but what really burns my goat is that I very clearly say: 1. I have done IA and IxD work for a really long time 2. I have no interest in relocating for short term contracts 3. how much I cost Yet they never read that. I want to put together a list of all the Good not evil recruiting firms that actually know the difference between an interaction designer, information architect, and UI engineer - at least knows enough to know we aren't Java or .Net engineers. Post back to me recruiters that are great -on either side of the hiring equation. It might be nice to have a list of places to go that get us -- ~ will Where you innovate, how you innovate, and what you innovate are design problems 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 -- Jay A. Morgan Information Architect. Business man. 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] At what point does a mailing list become counter-productive?
Here goes ... First, I admit that I am not an IA but rather a developer who believes in creating a synergy with IAs and designers to help solve our common problems. That being said, this list has become unmanageable. There are great discussions happening here but it is becoming increasingly hard to find them amongst the job postings, event announcements, feel-good off-topic questions, and especially the numerous snarky replies. I mean there were 15 replies to the Nannybot etiquette post ... we get that you're all clever and witty. I understand this is a balancing act. Some people want to lurk and some want this to be their second home. Ultimately, what should a non- IA like me get from this list? Has the possibility of breaking into multiple lists been discussed? I fear that a monolithic list could further silo this community even while members are saying traditional walls in the industry need to go away. Have any list personas been created? Zack Frazier -- Senior Developer VSA Partners, Inc. 1347 South State Street Chicago, Illinois 60605 http://www.vsapartners.com Welcome to the Interaction Design Association (IxDA)! To post to this list ... [EMAIL PROTECTED] Unsubscribe http://www.ixda.org/unsubscribe List Guidelines http://www.ixda.org/guidelines List Help .. http://www.ixda.org/help
Re: [IxDA Discuss] Don't listen to your customers.
All right. I'll bite. But rant first: Even though I understand exactly what people mean when they say don't listen to your customers or don't pay attention to what users say, pay attention to what they do, these things irk the hell out of me. Of course you should listen to your customers--as you should listen to your kids, and your pets, and your friends, and your enemies, and everyone and everything that has the ability to express itself. Duh! But listening to your customers is not the same thing as listening to your parents when you're 5 years old. You don't have to do what they say, just because they say so. So to begin with, it would make sense to ask people only for information you actually are going to want to listen to. (I don't ask my cat whether he wants his flea medicine; I do ask, in one way or another, whether he prefers the beef-goop or the salmon-goop that comes out of the can of cat food.) Okay, now that I've got that off my chest ... your post actually brings up a great question about what kind of research will get you what kind of results. For instance, testing prototypes is not a good way to suss out what (small?) percentage of people is going to do something like write reviews, tag their expenses, or do some other power user type of thing which demands a lot more dedication than the average user would bring to it. That requires a different (and likely more quantitative) type of research. To run a useful study on such prototypes, you'd want to make sure you have figured out what kinds of people are the most likely to do power-X and then recruit _them_. This might mean recruiting for people who study and analyze and dissect their quarterly credit card expense breakdowns. Or, frankly, the people who tag their expenses on Wesabe and Mint. If _they_ don't like the functionality you're building, then you should wonder whether you're doing the right thing. In short, absolutely listen to your customers, but only the right ones responding to the right questions. marijke John said For us in the IxD arena when we're trying to create something unique and something innovative we press ahead with the development of prototypes and visuals that may reflect an interface and design that doesn't reflect where our users are today and, because they've not seen the insight we might have done, simply don't get why they'd need it. A case in point: a piece of work I've been involved with presented the idea that banking customers could tag transactions in their account - customers didn't get it: why would I do that . but we know from Mint [3], Wesabe [4] and others that people do use this feature. The problem being that the client has heard too many users in testing being dismissive about the idea and therefore increasingly thinks it's a waste of time. Granted, we could have fleshed out the prototype with 'why would I do this' type content and is this the failing here or simply that users don't always know best? 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 project management tool do you use?
you touch on a good point. most of the solutions that have been references from M$ Project Server to various OS-specific project management or issue-tracking systems are all capable of doing what they're designed to do. the biggest hurdle is actual rollout and use. case in point: i was previously the exec producer of a fairly large interactive group and we had nice tools like Project Server and Axure but the culture basically prevented them from being used effectively as no one used them. In contrast, I now work primarily in a UI and software engineering environment: we use fairly basis issue-management and bug tracking software. it's not shiny and it has limitations but people use it - we've gotten through 20 release cycles with it. the point is simple: if the culture embraces the tool, people will use the tool. if the culture does not, then you've wasted a lot of time and money in acquiring or learning the tool. On Thu, Mar 27, 2008 at 4:51 PM, Vishal Iyer [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: Collaboration and communication is definitely a major aspect and there are bound to be redundancies waste in a large project with 100+ people across half a dozen time zones. Some of it is probably needed, especially at mission critical stages. But if a tool can help manage all this, that would be sweet. On Thu, Mar 27, 2008 at 4:30 PM, Nabil Durand [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: Sounds like you're talking project management as well as team collaboration. mishmash of email, a document storage tool and a wiki, there is a lot of waste, redundancies and inconsistencies in the process You probably need an intranet with collaboration tools. I don't want to sound like a plug for m$... We use sharepoint 2003 and in the process of migrating to SharePoint 2007. They have come out with some awesome project management templates that might assist in removing inconsistencies/redundancies in your process. http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/windowsserver/sharepoint/bb407286.aspx -- -Vishal http://www.vishaliyer.com Welcome to the Interaction Design Association (IxDA)! To post to this list ... [EMAIL PROTECTED] Unsubscribe http://www.ixda.org/unsubscribe List Guidelines http://www.ixda.org/guidelines List Help .. http://www.ixda.org/help -- -- www.flyingyogi.com -- Welcome to the Interaction Design Association (IxDA)! To post to this list ... [EMAIL PROTECTED] Unsubscribe http://www.ixda.org/unsubscribe List Guidelines http://www.ixda.org/guidelines List Help .. http://www.ixda.org/help
Re: [IxDA Discuss] Fighting trolls
How many experts do you think would actually frequent the n00b forums to answer their questions though? Maybe a couple of kind-hearted altruists, but really, it'd end up like posting your question on the event horizon of a black hole. Maybe it'll get picked up and answered, but more likely it'll be sucked into the abyss. B On 3/27/08 1:49 PM, Nabil Durand [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: How about giving the noobies their own area. This would help both #2 and #3 noobies, but would also filter out #3noobie quick and dirty posts. 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] 2 part button - industry standard?
I have recently had to do some research into two-part buttons and I have found that there are two types of these buttons. One is the menu button and the other is a split button. The menu button has a category name or label on the button. Clicking it will always give you a list of options or actions that you can choose from. The label remains unchanged. Examples of this type would be the page button in ie7, the button to choose the search provider in firefox 2 and the amazon wish lists button. The split button on the other hand has two distinct parts - the left (and usually larger) part executes the default action when clicked. The right part provides the user with a set of related (and sometimes less frequently used) actions that they can choose from. I have also seen the drop down being used to change parameters for the default action. Depending on the situation that it is used in the default action may change or remain the same when a choice is made from the list. A save button with save as in the right side usually keeps save as the default choice. Other examples - button to execute the search and change the default provider in ie7, the print button in ie7. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Posted from the new ixda.org http://www.ixda.org/discuss?post=27578 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] Conference: Interaction Design for Children (IDC08)
Forwarding this on... - Hello, Can you please include the upcoming Interaction Design and Children 2008 conference on your website or forward to members of your organizaiton? We believe it would be of interest to your members. Please contact me if you should require additional information. Any help you can give me is greatly appreciated. Interaction Design for Children idc08.org June 11-13,2008 Northwestern University in Chicago, USA Each year, IDC brings together the leading researchers, designers, and developers of children's technology to discuss the challenges, opportunities, and emerging trends in interaction design for children. This year's conference theme is Think Outside the Toybox, and in addition to sessions on videogames and other toys, IDC08 will have sessions on educational technologies, online communities, assistive technologies, and a special pre-conference workshop on designing for children with disabilities. Kindest regards, Elisa Revello Local Arrangements Chair 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] Fighting trolls
Oh, er, um...my previous responses were going on the idea of general means to moderate forums, not being overly concerned with moderation of this list. We all seem adults here and usually act like it... So...never mind! Scott On Thu, Mar 27, 2008 at 12:19 PM, Dave Meeker [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: One random thought: This is a MAILING LIST not a FORUM. -- 'Life' plus 'significance' = magic. ~ Grant Morrison 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] JOB - Web/UI Designer - Anywhere - Food Moves, Inc. - Contract
We're looking for a contractor to redesign our web application for improved usability. You must have both graphic design and usability analysis skills. The project budget is $5K to $10K, depending on scope and experience. You can work from anywhere (no in-person meetings required). Our site, foodmoves.com, http://www.foodmoves.com/, is an online auction site for the produce industry (think eBay for truckloads of tomatoes). We hope to bring down the cost of fresh food (for everyone) and improve the quality of life for food producers (in the US and Latin America) by introducing Internet efficiencies to the produce supply chain. This is a unique professional challenge: Traders in the produce industry are reluctant to use the web and we want you to find ways to make it easier for them to adopt our trading platform. We're privately funded by people in the produce industry. Our business style is more mom 'n pop than corporate; you will be directly engaged in a group process with the lead developer and the company's owners to redefine the architecture and look-and-feel of the site. The ideal contractor (or design team) will have strong visual communication skills as a graphic designer, with an ability to render complete page designs in Photoshop. He or she must also have practical experience with usability best practices and research methodologies. At a minimum he or she must be prepared to informally interview several of our current users and synthesize user experience observations as part of the process of developing a site redesign. This project does not require extensive proposals, documentation, or written specifications. Rather, you must be prepared to participate in a series of phone conference calls with the company principals, explaining what you've learned and what you are proposing. An acceptable deliverable is a set of pages rendered in Photoshop with a memo that explains and justifies design decisions in terms of improved user experience. We'd like to see your portfolio. Please send a list of URLs for sites you've designed to: kehoe (at) foodmoves.com Welcome to the Interaction Design Association (IxDA)! To post to this list ... [EMAIL PROTECTED] Unsubscribe http://www.ixda.org/unsubscribe List Guidelines http://www.ixda.org/guidelines List Help .. http://www.ixda.org/help
Re: [IxDA Discuss] Don't listen to your customers.
First of all, I have never seen anything useful come out of a focus group. Marketing, design, whatever...useless. The only reason to do a focus group is that your management/client likes them and wants you to do one. But on to the actual topic: There's a difference of scale here. Great new ideas virtually never come out of listening to your users because the user focus is on making their own day-to-day life a little easier. That's why so much bad design (in the broadest sense) is perpetuated. Users are accustomed to it and they want incremental change...slight betterment, something that will make their work a bit simpler, something they recognize and have to think *less* about from day one. This is not how you get Visicalc, or cars, or refrigerators, or ipods or TiVOs. Each of these changes fundamentally the paradigm of the work to be done and the only way to get to those is by looking way down-level at what you're doing and how that figures in your life. You have to entirely redefine the problem at a very low level. It means not saying how do we add all those numbers fast and keep track of them but what do we need to do with the numbers, forget about getting the ice to market faster, take the ice out of the equation. Look past programming a VCR to tape your favorite show at a particular time and channel and make a machine do the work of tracking the show, taping whenever it's on and wherever, and taping everything that has the person you watch it for whenever *she* is on a talk show rerun at 3:45 AM, the computer world is going to the network and going wireless, why spend time, energy and money putting connection buses on the computer? This kind of thinking means that instead of figuring out how many cars would be using the freeway exits per minute (incidentally, they came up with 1) so that you can avoid accidents, you decide not to have the entry ramps and exit ramps cross, so that the first problem disappears. In many ways, Interaction Design can be said to be an ongoing decision regarding what problems to look at so that we solve the right problems. This is never going to be something you'll find out in a focus group, because even if a participant were to say Why solve that problem in the first place? Why not solve this underlying problem, instead? You've already decided what your product is, and it's very unlikely that you'll do more than dismiss that questioner as a crank. So the question is: what are you trying to do? Build a better mousetrap or do away with house mice? Katie At 6:05 PM + 3/27/08, [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: I'm in a quandary. But, I keep digging up these quotes with monotonous regularity: a) If I had asked my customers what they wanted, they would have said, 'a faster horse - Henry Ford b) We don't ask consumers what they want. They don't know. Instead we apply our brain power to what they need, and will want, and make sure we're there, ready - Akio Morita, founder of Sony c) It sounds logical to ask customers what they want and then give it to them. But they rarely wind up getting what they really want that way - Steve Jobs d) It's really hard to design products by focus groups. A lot of times, people don't know what they want until you show it to them - Steve Jobs (again) So should I stop talking about focus groups? Is the old method of ask and listen not applicable - particularly when designing stuff that's 'future proof' and therefore impossible to assess with the users of the future - or should we seek out new methods? Some have suggested trawling user communities, eavesdropping on online dialogue to perform a gap analysis . but is the next iPod or Flickr going to come out of a conversation on a Facebook wall. It just seems so vague. Of course, myStarbucksidea (flawed as it is from an Ix point of view) is an attempt to localise the dialogue but will the ultimate output of this just be a 'faster horse'? For us in the IxD arena when we're trying to create something unique and something innovative we press ahead with the development of prototypes and visuals that may reflect an interface and design that doesn't reflect where our users are today and, because they've not seen the insight we might have done, simply don't get why they'd need it. A case in point: a piece of work I've been involved with presented the idea that banking customers could tag transactions in their account - customers didn't get it: why would I do that . but we know from Mint [3], Wesabe [4] and others that people do use this feature. The problem being that the client has heard too many users in testing being dismissive about the idea and therefore increasingly thinks it's a waste of time. Granted, we could have fleshed out the prototype with 'why would I do this' type content and is this the failing here or simply that users don't always know best? Your learned opinions are sought. John. [1]
Re: [IxDA Discuss] Don't listen to your customers.
On Mar 27, 2008, at 11:05 AM, [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: Your learned opinions are sought. Don't ask people what they want. Simply ask them what they *think* they want. Pause. Then ask them why. After that, you're on your own. -- Andrei Herasimchuk Principal, Involution Studios innovating the digital world e. [EMAIL PROTECTED] c. +1 408 306 6422 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] Don't listen to your customers.
I say skip it all, provide paths for everything, collect heatmaps, normalize UI ruthlessly. 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
