Re: [IxDA Discuss] Off Topic: how will rising gas prices affect e-commerce?
Late to chime in.. I've always been a believer of e-commerce. A well-executed site with near-perfect logistics will outperform brick and mortar commerce solely by the time it saves. Time of going to some place built in the 70's, time of fighting traffic, gassing up your vehicle, and time of looking for a parking space. Other than wanting it instantly or to entertain yourself out there in the malls, there's really no reason to head out to stores to buy something. I believe this applies mostly to hardware, although software like clothing can be considered the exception in some cases. E-commerce is the equivalent of mail order - just that payment and seeing products in different perspectives is much better. E-commerce is here to stay. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Posted from the new ixda.org http://www.ixda.org/discuss?post=31262 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] Ubicomp Reading List
Nice overview of Ubiquitous Computing (with PDFs). http://www.ics.uci.edu/~jpd/ubicomp/ From the list description: The goal of the reading list is to ensure that Ubicomp students are familiar with a broad body of work in ubiquitous computing. It does not constitute everything you need to know, but rather provides an overview of those perspectives that will allow students to critically engage with the research literature, and position their own work within it. It is selective and representative rather than exhaustive. What else should be on this list? // 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
[IxDA Discuss] Opening PDFs
Does anyone know of a best practice or have thoughts on opening PDFs from a hyperlink? There seem to be 2 major methods for opening PDFs: 1) User clicks on hyperlink, PDF automatically opens in new browser window, via Plugin. Ref: http://www.ge.com/investors/financial_reporting/index.html 2) User clicks on hyperlink, browser dialog asks user whether they want to 'open', 'save', or 'cancel' the action. Ref: http://phx.corporate-ir.net/phoenix.zhtml?c=107357p=irol-sec Either can be achieved, but which is better? One could make the case for a 'seamless' browsing experience by not having a dialog interrupt the hyperlink action; but I wonder if this is invalid as we are opening a new document type (not hypertext). Utilizing the dialog box may be helpful for the user, as it makes it clear that a user is launching a new document type or application, and gives options to save for later, or cancel; but it requires an additional decision and action on the part of the user. The best guidance I have found up to this point suggests that dialog boxes be retained when a user is opening a file (pdf): http://www.useit.com/alertbox/open_new_windows.html So, whether the link helps the user to anticipate opening a PDF or file (via icon or file extension) -- which is better, browser dialogs, or just open a new window? Thanks, Ben Woods 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] [EVENT] Reminder: IxDA Toronto event tonight at 7pm!
Hi all, Just a reminder that IxDA Toronto is having its first educational event tonight - Nick Farnell is going to be giving a sketching tutorial at the Centre for Social Innovation (215 Spadina). If you're looking for something to do tonight, we'll have lots of room. Festivities start at 7pm! Everyone is welcome. If there's interest, we'll head over to The Rivoli afterward. Full details on Upcoming: http://upcoming.yahoo.com/event/863232/ Meredith - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Meredith Noble Information Architect, Usability Matters Inc. 416.598.7770 x6 [EMAIL PROTECTED] http://www.usabilitymatters.com http://www.usabilitymatters.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] Opening PDFs
I think you answered your own question: indicate that the link leads to a PDF and let the user decide. In my experience, the default behavior changes even when a different browser is being used, and people get used to the way their browser operates. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Posted from the new ixda.org http://www.ixda.org/discuss?post=31430 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] Opening PDFs
Loading pdf's directly into the browser can be a very frustrating experience if the pdf is large or the computer is somewhat slow - the browser usually locks up while the pdf is loading. Furthermore, the browser chrome limits the amount of viewable space available on the pdf itself. So for purely practical usability issues, I always recommend that pdf hyperlinks open into a dialog box asking users to save or open the file seperately. Asking the user to make one additional decision is far less annoying than the alternative. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Posted from the new ixda.org http://www.ixda.org/discuss?post=31430 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] Off Topic: how will rising gas prices affect e-commerce?
I think the trend is that higher gas prices this will help ecommerce, as the cost to find and purchase items is not affected by increases in gas prices, (note shipping is a factor, but this is often offset by lower prices online and discounts eaten by the retailer via shipping promotions). A few years back I worked with a large fulfilment co. and I believe even back then the conventional wizdom was that high gas = more internet purchases. -- 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] Practical UX tips for developers
Hi Qixing, I have a presentation I've given to quite a few .NET user groups (devs) and at one architect conf (minus the .NET stuff): http://dotnettemplar.net/downloads/good-experience-dotNet.zip Up to Slide 28, it is introductory/rhetorical stuff for UX. Slide 28 starts talking about devs/architects applying it to what they do, and there are a few slides specifically around .NET tooling (because it is for .NET UGs). I think the two core areas for devs/architects are internalizing/changing their core orientation (from tech to people); for that I have the core principles, which no doubt could be expanded. The other core piece I think they can use today is UX patterns. Those would be good starting points for them to launch from. I also typically recommend LukeW's book on forms, as that's a big %age of the typical biz dev's work, and it's an easy read. Actually, I have a little post herehttp://blogs.infragistics.com/blogs/ambrose_little/archive/2008/06/12/from-blah-to-aha-in-web-sites-apps.aspxalong those lines that is geared at Web devs. I appreciate any feedback/suggestions for improvement. --Ambrose On Thu, Jul 17, 2008 at 1:53 PM, Qixing Zheng [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: Hi all, I was wondering if anyone has done presentation for developers to show them why is UX design relevant for them (not just designer's job) and offer them practical tips. I've found many presentations on why UX is important, but haven't found a lot tailor to the developer audience. I'm interested in pratical tips that developers can apply to their work. Thanks in advance! Qixing 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] Article: Is Google Making Us Stoopid? from The Atlantic.com
Benjamin Ho wrote: Instead of the catchy title naming Google, the author should have called it, Is the Internet making us stupid? I've been taking some classes at CMU with people half my age. It's amazing how few of them are familiar with the research tools I grew up on, say, the Readers Guide to Periodical Literature. We did some research projects on clothing in one class, and out of ~20 of us, there were only 3-4 of us pulling history/art books off the shelf in the library, scanning images on the massive (and free!) scanner, then putting them into our projects. Pretty much everyone else had the same stock images from teh interwebs. Looking at the results, I'm not sure if it's much different from people copying each other's work in the 80s instead of doing library research. Maybe the Internet doesn't make it easier to do research, it just makes it easier to copy off of someone else's research? -- jet / KG6ZVQ http://www.flatline.net pgp: 0xD0D8C2E8 AC9B 0A23 C61A 1B4A 27C5 F799 A681 3C11 D0D8 C2E8 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
