Re: [IxDA Discuss] Bowman leaves Google
Kevin, Your post is both balanced and wise. I, on the other hand, am having trouble communicating my position on this issue. Shades of blue and widths of borders could well be inhibiting the crossing of a valley if undue time and resources are devoted to such 0.1% improvements to the exclusion of 10% leaps. Larry On Mar 23, 2009, at 2:35 PM, Kevin Fox wrote: Larry, I agree with the dangers of hill-climbing to the exclusion of finding new hills, but I don't believe this is the case at Google. Data-driven design is used when performing incremental design changes, and is more like QA or Usability testing. Neither preclude the utilization of blue-sky or revolutionary design, but all are important in optimizing design. Even Doug's examples of 41 blues and 3, 4, or 5 pixel borders aren't cases where data is inhibiting the crossing of a design valley, unless you consider a hue or a pixel width to be revolutionary. For another former Google designer's take on Doug's departure, and Google UX in general, I submit the post I wrote this morning: http://fury.com/2009/03/google-design-the-kids-are-alright/ Thanks, Kevin Fox Welcome to the Interaction Design Association (IxDA)! To post to this list ... disc...@ixda.org Unsubscribe http://www.ixda.org/unsubscribe List Guidelines http://www.ixda.org/guidelines List Help .. http://www.ixda.org/help
Re: [IxDA Discuss] Bowman leaves Google
Ah. This I understand. Your point is well taken. Welcome to the Interaction Design Association (IxDA)! To post to this list ... disc...@ixda.org Unsubscribe http://www.ixda.org/unsubscribe List Guidelines http://www.ixda.org/guidelines List Help .. http://www.ixda.org/help
[IxDA Discuss] Feature discoverability
Greetings, guys. After doing some testing/research we have found that some key features of our application, DaisyDisk (www.daisydiskapp.com) are not discoverable. )The app scans disk or folder and displays it as sunburst diagram.) People get familiar with the map and navigation very fast, but few can find out that one can right-click/cmd click to reveal the context menu. Context menu is primary used for opening target file or folder in finder. We are currently looking for some ways to make reveal file in finder (and delete) feature more discoverable. Ideas so far: -Welcome screen on start. Partially solves the problem for people willing to read/scan it. -Hint area, displaying hint if user is inactive for a while. Not really elegant and out of user's focus, but can be extended to other feature. -Handler. Display handlers after hovering sector for a while. Ugly, requires too much space (sectors can be small), hides information behind. -Drag area trash bin icon with drag files here to delete hint. Requires some paradigm shift (more drag'n'drop-centric), cannot be used for other context actions. Welcome to the Interaction Design Association (IxDA)! To post to this list ... disc...@ixda.org Unsubscribe http://www.ixda.org/unsubscribe List Guidelines http://www.ixda.org/guidelines List Help .. http://www.ixda.org/help
Re: [IxDA Discuss] The Save Icon rut
On Mar 20, 2009, at 5:37 PM, Todd Diemer wrote: Jeff G. and Jerome R. have a good point here about a continuous save, snapshot save, or checkpoints. Could we remove the save button completely if these checkpoints were constantly saved ala Gmail or other apps that save drafts on a regular basis. The user would then only be required to set a period between which they want saves to occur. Except checkpoint versions are wanted after significant actions, or at the end of work periods, which don't have any direct connection with set time periods. And in fact, people should generally want a finite, controllable number of checkpoint versions, rather than (say) six new ones per work day, which could get out of hand on a lengthy project. And checkpoint versions aren't of much use unless they are annotated so the user knows what he's rolling back to. The user still needs to control the big stage points manually. These would work as intermediate generic checkpoints, though -- super autosaves, as it were -- to free users from the need to make checkpoint versions at less important stages. You'd presumably erase them at the next manual checkpoint. -- Jim Welcome to the Interaction Design Association (IxDA)! To post to this list ... disc...@ixda.org Unsubscribe http://www.ixda.org/unsubscribe List Guidelines http://www.ixda.org/guidelines List Help .. http://www.ixda.org/help
Re: [IxDA Discuss] Bowman leaves Google
On 24 Mar 2009, at 02:48, Jarod Tang wrote: Hi Dave, On Tue, Mar 24, 2009 at 6:41 AM, Dave Malouf d...@ixda.org wrote: Not all forms of production are DESIGN. Engineering is not the same as design. Many companies are examples of engineering success. Maybe more proper says as some designs in the process of engineering? [snip] I think this list version of Godwin's law is As a IXDA discussion grows longer, the probability of a post involving a definition of design approaches 1. :-) Adrian Welcome to the Interaction Design Association (IxDA)! To post to this list ... disc...@ixda.org Unsubscribe http://www.ixda.org/unsubscribe List Guidelines http://www.ixda.org/guidelines List Help .. http://www.ixda.org/help
Re: [IxDA Discuss] Feature discoverability
Looks like your designers have worked hard to give the app an aesthetic minimalism - which looks fantastic but you might have to compromise it slightly to make the controls more discoverable. A disk space manager app is only likely to be used every few weeks. Even once the UI is learned, users may forget by the time they use it again. Personally, I'd experiment with having a single left-click trigger a menu strip to appear along the edge of the window. This could list all the functions as words on button labels. Single click to select, double click to drill-in, perhaps? Not very exciting, I know, but perhaps worth experimenting with. Good luck! Harry --- http://90percentofeverything.com/ Welcome to the Interaction Design Association (IxDA)! To post to this list ... disc...@ixda.org Unsubscribe http://www.ixda.org/unsubscribe List Guidelines http://www.ixda.org/guidelines List Help .. http://www.ixda.org/help
Re: [IxDA Discuss] Bowman leaves Google
Another perspective from Graham Jenkin who oversees the work of a team of designers focused on Google's advertiser and publisher products - http://www.grahamjenkin.com/blog/ Good reading. rgds, Dan . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Posted from the new ixda.org http://www.ixda.org/discuss?post=40237 Welcome to the Interaction Design Association (IxDA)! To post to this list ... disc...@ixda.org Unsubscribe http://www.ixda.org/unsubscribe List Guidelines http://www.ixda.org/guidelines List Help .. http://www.ixda.org/help
[IxDA Discuss] job descriptions
I was struck by how well this post was written (and what an amazing opportunity if you have the juice) and thought it worth sharing... I know there are lots of recruiters lurking here. No mention of rock stars or free lunches... and yet its pretty damn compelling. https://v2.projectix.com/tycohc/jobboard/JobDetails.aspx? __ID=*58BD98351350D6F8 Welcome to the Interaction Design Association (IxDA)! To post to this list ... disc...@ixda.org Unsubscribe http://www.ixda.org/unsubscribe List Guidelines http://www.ixda.org/guidelines List Help .. http://www.ixda.org/help
Re: [IxDA Discuss] Bowman leaves Google
Jennifer, asking me to re-design Google Search is an insane request. Of course, the complexities are there and it is a tangled web that needs to be weaved. I have said in almost every post that this is about continuum and not about absolutes. But for fun, here I go ... 1) I'd get a group of stakeholders in the room, minus end users and I'd say. Go! start sketching. Think pie in the sky. I'd ask people to riff off of each other's ideas, but not judge any. There are no technical constraints and no business constraints. If you could design search just for YOU what would it look like. 2) I'd ask everyone to then evaluate using affinities what came out of that. What were the themes that people seemed to gel around? What is missing? What is too much? What re-defines search? 3) I would do steps 1 2 around not just the UI of search but also the business model, technology elements, legal, marketing, etc. 4) From all those affinitities I would look for further affinitization. See where different segments of the organization overlap. differentiate (try to understand why there is differentiation). 5) I'd then try to start telling stories from various points of view. Some of these stories will be told in storyboards, others in hybrid storyboards and sketch UIs. Always making sure there is human situations throughout every element. 6) From there, sky's the limit ... You can't really proceed moving forward. I think your big question is where does data come in? And I would say that data for me in the context of use here is about validating design. And I would say that wouldn't be the first place I look to data. The 1st place I would look to data (AND I KNOW Google does this already, so it is not a criticism but an agreement) is in analytics for generating ideas. This would be done as part of the initial processes of ideation mentioned above. Validation data would only be used to measure mountains (to take the metaphor being passed around above). Make sure you don't break it. But don't be so risk averse as to LIVE by the data. Use the data to qualify the risk, not to quantify it. And don't quantify the minutiae. Don't try to quantify the subjective, or the emotional. I would also make sure there are systems in place so that you can roll-out design options (the way that Facebook is doing). I don't remember if Google does this in some of its apps or not. But allow users access to their live profile data when using new designs. I'd be surprised if Google isn't doing this already. but beyond this very high level explanation that i'm sure has a ton of wholes b/c I don't know the full culture of the place, nor the intricacies of the business. Having worked in enterprise software for most of my career now, I know 1st hand how deep all of this can go and the complexities involved. It is daunting and not simple in the slightest. Making it look simple is but pure genius. Clarification: I respect Google. I use their products without much reservation. I use many of their UI patterns as examples in my teaching and applaud the thought leadership Google has taken in various technologies. Saying an organization is not a Design success is not saying they are not a success and is not saying there aren't a ton of things to explore and learn from their success. Maybe, just maybe the lesson to be learned from Google is that Design is full of shit and those of us like myself who believe in design and design thinking should close shop and move on to taking up engineering thinking. I'm not quite there yet, b/c well there is this other company on the other side of that same valley doing quite well, and there are other case studies from the design thinking and design process community that have demonstrated success as well. If anything, it demonstrates that as always there is more than one elegant answer to any articulated problem and you should use the skills, methods and processes that best fit you, your corp culture, and possibly the type of solution you are trying to build. This whole thread started with the announcement of a great designer, being fed up at an engineering centric organization. Others who relate to that experience stood up in agreement. Others who resonate with the Google mind were upset with that agreement, or just wanted to challenge its representation as an absolute (which I'm not sure that those who were in agreement with it, were saying). My point is that it is OK for Doug or anyone else to feel that Google is not for them. That it doesn't map to the way they believe or have seen their talents and methods bring success into the world. I went so far as to say that the Google type of conception production of ideas leads to a soul-less design. I stand by this. Not everything needs to be an iPhone, Kitchmate Food Process, a Dreamliner interior, a Harley or a Cooper Mini, but as someone who is into aesthetics, I know I wish everything was. But that is MY opinion. -- dave . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Re: [IxDA Discuss] Bowman leaves Google
Larry, Very well said! Alan __ cooper | Product Design for a Digital World Alan Cooper a...@cooper.com | www.cooper.com All information in this message is proprietary confidential. Whenever you are asked if you can do a job, tell 'em, 'Certainly, I can!' Then get busy and find out how to do it. - Theodore Roosevelt -Original Message- From: discuss-boun...@lists.interactiondesigners.com [mailto:discuss-boun...@lists.interactiondesigners.com] On Behalf Of Larry Tesler Sent: Saturday, March 21, 2009 5:59 PM To: IxDA Discuss Subject: Re: [IxDA Discuss] Bowman leaves Google Yes, over-reliance on data-driven incremental design (DDID) is ill- advised. - Customers who use more than one of a company's products tend to be the most valuable customers in the long run. DDID usually optimizes one product at a time. The resulting inconsistencies may make each product a bit more profitable but can make it less likely for a heavy user of one to become a casual user of another. - DDID is an effective way to climb a little higher on a profit hill. It will never get you off the current hill onto a taller mountain. - Changing shades of blue and line widths can nudge a product higher on its current hill. But an organization that makes choices based solely on the basis of performance data won't learn why a certain shade or width works better, and is unlikely to apply the lesson to the next project. Revenue is foregone, costs mount and precious resources are tied up while each new product is gradually optimized. But many managers love DDID. It a systematic, replicable, and inherently measurable. Delight in the experience and passion for the product line are much harder to measure. The non-mathematical way that designers go about evoking such emotions isn't something that the staffing and training departments can reliably replicate. These days, great success usually emerges from a smart combination of analytical thinking and design thinking, a combination that requires mutual respect and cooperation as equals among the various practitioners. Larry Tesler When a company is filled with engineers, it turns to engineering to solve problems. Reduce each decision to a simple logic problem. Remove all subjectivity and just look at the data. Data in your favor? Ok, launch it. Data shows negative effects? Back to the drawing board. And that data eventually becomes a crutch for every decision, paralyzing the company and preventing it from making any daring design decisions. Welcome to the Interaction Design Association (IxDA)! To post to this list ... disc...@ixda.org 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 ... disc...@ixda.org Unsubscribe http://www.ixda.org/unsubscribe List Guidelines http://www.ixda.org/guidelines List Help .. http://www.ixda.org/help
Re: [IxDA Discuss] Feature discoverability
Your UI is interesting since it alternates information about the current location and what the user hovers above with the mouse. If you had one list/item for where am I? and one list for what am I hovering?, you could add the Show in Finder as a button or list item to the former. This seems to be the only item from the context menu that is not shown anywhere else? There is poor affordance that clicking the bullseye = go to enclosing folder. Add an up arrow? By the way: great app that feels really OSX :) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Posted from the new ixda.org http://www.ixda.org/discuss?post=40362 Welcome to the Interaction Design Association (IxDA)! To post to this list ... disc...@ixda.org Unsubscribe http://www.ixda.org/unsubscribe List Guidelines http://www.ixda.org/guidelines List Help .. http://www.ixda.org/help
Re: [IxDA Discuss] Command line vs. menu driven interface
AutoCAD 2009 still has a command line and from what I see many users prefer it. But they did invest in moving to a Ribbons menu recently. I would love to see their data about CLI vs. menu (if they have any...) Nurit Peres www.sivandesign.com . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Posted from the new ixda.org http://www.ixda.org/discuss?post=40330 Welcome to the Interaction Design Association (IxDA)! To post to this list ... disc...@ixda.org Unsubscribe http://www.ixda.org/unsubscribe List Guidelines http://www.ixda.org/guidelines List Help .. http://www.ixda.org/help
Re: [IxDA Discuss] Command line vs. menu driven interface
In one aspect windows vista / 7 have returned to command line. And thats in the application execution. You just fire up the start menu and start typing, finding every application in just 3-4 keystrokes (including the windows key) is extremely fast. For me it has gone into such a habit I now find windows XP very hard to navigate. It's not full command line off course but for its purpose it's even more powerful with the build in search. --- Håkan Reis User experience and .NET Consultant at Dotway AB Øredev Program Committee +46(768)510033 Our conference || http://oredev.org - It's going to be great in 2009 My company || http://dotway.se My blog || http://blog.reis.se Welcome to the Interaction Design Association (IxDA)! To post to this list ... disc...@ixda.org Unsubscribe http://www.ixda.org/unsubscribe List Guidelines http://www.ixda.org/guidelines List Help .. http://www.ixda.org/help
Re: [IxDA Discuss] Feature discoverability
I'm a rare Mac user who regularly uses right-clicking; I find that most (even PC-converts) look for menus and buttons before they think to right/control click on something. And I agree with that - right clicking is counter-intuitive and inherently invisible. Since your map isn't like anything else, we don't come with preconceived notions of how it should work. I haven't used your app, but does each segment act like a button on rollover, encouraging clicking? Do you have a hint area somewhere that changes depending on where your mouse is? And once they click, why not keep your flower-like design and have it bring up a circular context menu - the center area acts as it does now, but it brings up a few options in a circle around the mouse, like Maya does, but which fade if not clicked on. That encourages that first, investigative click on an area and then gives them options without having to figure out what to do. Alternatively, why not have the clicks be sticky? Once a segment is clicked on, in the down state it could provide all sorts of user information and options in an intuitive area - maybe the lower-right below your list. I would never rely on right-clicking. For one thing, Macs, especially notebooks, don't make that using them intuitive at all - still no two-button mouse. But more so because RCs are inherently a hidden feature. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Posted from the new ixda.org http://www.ixda.org/discuss?post=40362 Welcome to the Interaction Design Association (IxDA)! To post to this list ... disc...@ixda.org Unsubscribe http://www.ixda.org/unsubscribe List Guidelines http://www.ixda.org/guidelines List Help .. http://www.ixda.org/help
[IxDA Discuss] Five things Interaction Design probably isn't
I'm stunned no one has commented on this Core77 article yet: http://www.coroflot.com/creativeseeds/2009/03/five_things_interaction_design.asp I went to Interaction09 in Vancouver with an intense personal mission to nail down a clear definition of Interaction Designer, and what abilities are needed in order to be one. Almost every time I asked (and I asked a lot of times), the answer was I have no idea. Which is funny, because several hundred people with that title gathered together in rooms every day of the conference to agree that the work they were doing was necessary, and worthy of attention and responsibility (much as people do at any other professional conference). Playing devil's advocate, this raises the Wizard of Oz question: are they really doing something new, unique, and especially useful, once you pull back the curtain? Or are Interaction Designers merely the beneficiaries of a fad, like so many mediocre Seattle bands that got snapped up by labels in the early 90s, by virtue of where they happened to live (I'm talking to you, Candlebox)? It's easy to read things like the IxDA website's definition of the field with a cynical eye, and conclude that intentional obfuscation is part of the profession's appeal: Interaction design (IxD) is a professional discipline that illuminates the relationship between people and the interactive products they use. While interaction design has a firm foundation in the theory, practice, and methodology of traditional design, its focus is on defining the complex dialogues that occur between people and interactive devices of many types -- from computers to mobile communications devices to appliances. Ah, they define complex dialogues. Got it. About time someone started doing that. Another piece of what I would consider bad PR for our profession. Dan Welcome to the Interaction Design Association (IxDA)! To post to this list ... disc...@ixda.org Unsubscribe http://www.ixda.org/unsubscribe List Guidelines http://www.ixda.org/guidelines List Help .. http://www.ixda.org/help
Re: [IxDA Discuss] Command line vs. menu driven interface
As an aside, has anyone any experience of using Mozilla Ubiquity? http://labs.mozilla.com/2008/08/introducing-ubiquity/ Which introduces elements of a CLI to web browsing? I haven't used it yet so I'm in *absolutely* no position to comment :). But, my first thoughts were how potentially complex it looked. Looking in more detail at the manual (yes, you have to read a manual before you can use it), I can definitely see how it would be useful in some situations for advanced tasks like first find this, then do that, then send this to x, although that would assume that you'd planned out your tasks that far in advance. 2009/3/24 Nurit Peres nuri...@gmail.com: AutoCAD 2009 still has a command line and from what I see many users prefer it. But they did invest in moving to a Ribbons menu recently. I would love to see their data about CLI vs. menu (if they have any...) Nurit Peres www.sivandesign.com . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Posted from the new ixda.org http://www.ixda.org/discuss?post=40330 Welcome to the Interaction Design Association (IxDA)! To post to this list ... disc...@ixda.org Unsubscribe http://www.ixda.org/unsubscribe List Guidelines http://www.ixda.org/guidelines List Help .. http://www.ixda.org/help -- David Little w: www.littled.net t: twitter.com/djlittle Welcome to the Interaction Design Association (IxDA)! To post to this list ... disc...@ixda.org Unsubscribe http://www.ixda.org/unsubscribe List Guidelines http://www.ixda.org/guidelines List Help .. http://www.ixda.org/help
Re: [IxDA Discuss] Five things Interaction Design probably isn't
Interaction design is a useful fuzzy abstraction, much like Information Architecture or even Design. Useful in the sense that: - it allows people who do somewhat overlapping similar stuff to get together around this title and discuss things, ie. it allows groups to form. - it allows these people to communicate to non-members of this group that they're needed (note I didn't say what for). - and there's more, but gotta run Note you'll never agree on a definition, just like (but worse than) you'll never agree on the definition of Christian. Peter On Tue, Mar 24, 2009 at 3:26 PM, Dan Saffer d...@odannyboy.com wrote: I'm stunned no one has commented on this Core77 article yet: http://www.coroflot.com/creativeseeds/2009/03/five_things_interaction_design.asp I went to Interaction09 in Vancouver with an intense personal mission to nail down a clear definition of Interaction Designer, and what abilities are needed in order to be one. Almost every time I asked (and I asked a lot of times), the answer was I have no idea. Which is funny, because several hundred people with that title gathered together in rooms every day of the conference to agree that the work they were doing was necessary, and worthy of attention and responsibility (much as people do at any other professional conference). Playing devil's advocate, this raises the Wizard of Oz question: are they really doing something new, unique, and especially useful, once you pull back the curtain? Or are Interaction Designers merely the beneficiaries of a fad, like so many mediocre Seattle bands that got snapped up by labels in the early 90s, by virtue of where they happened to live (I'm talking to you, Candlebox)? It's easy to read things like the IxDA website's definition of the field with a cynical eye, and conclude that intentional obfuscation is part of the profession's appeal: Interaction design (IxD) is a professional discipline that illuminates the relationship between people and the interactive products they use. While interaction design has a firm foundation in the theory, practice, and methodology of traditional design, its focus is on defining the complex dialogues that occur between people and interactive devices of many types -- from computers to mobile communications devices to appliances. Ah, they define complex dialogues. Got it. About time someone started doing that. Another piece of what I would consider bad PR for our profession. Dan Welcome to the Interaction Design Association (IxDA)! To post to this list ... disc...@ixda.org Unsubscribe http://www.ixda.org/unsubscribe List Guidelines http://www.ixda.org/guidelines List Help .. http://www.ixda.org/help -- me: http://petervandijck.com blog: http://poorbuthappy.com/ease/ global UX consulting: http://290s.com free travel guides: http://poorbuthappy.com Belgium: (+32) 03/325 88 70 Skype id: peterkevandijck Welcome to the Interaction Design Association (IxDA)! To post to this list ... disc...@ixda.org Unsubscribe http://www.ixda.org/unsubscribe List Guidelines http://www.ixda.org/guidelines List Help .. http://www.ixda.org/help
Re: [IxDA Discuss] Five things Interaction Design probably isn't
On Mar 24, 2009, at 10:26 AM, Dan Saffer wrote: I went to Interaction09 in Vancouver with an intense personal mission to nail down a clear definition of Interaction Designer, and what abilities are needed in order to be one. Ah, they define complex dialogues. Got it. About time someone started doing that. So, it seems that the expectation is that a definition would/should include what abilities are needed to be considered an Interaction Designer. I think that makes perfect sense. Solving complex problems is really nothing new and doesn't do anything to distinguish IxD from Physics, Biochemical Engineering, or a Mechanic. Personally, I don't really care about defining IxD as a discipline, at least in the sense that is being done today. I'm really more interested in doing interaction design. I do think it's important to understand the skills necessary, but in real speak, not PR speak. And yes, I'll be bold enough to say that I don't really see that much of a difference between IA and IxD. And frankly, I'm not that interested in spending time creating a divide between the two. I've been doing them in tandem for over a decade. They have the same goal in mind—making products easier and more enjoyable to use. The only real important distinction I see is that IA provides the foundation, which IxD builds on top of. In theory, they're different. But in reality, if you're doing one, you're doing the other. Yeah, I said it. Cheers! Todd Zaki Warfel Principal Design Researcher Messagefirst | Designing Information. Beautifully. -- Contact Info Voice: (215) 825-7423 Email: t...@messagefirst.com AIM:twar...@mac.com Blog: http://toddwarfel.com Twitter:zakiwarfel -- In theory, theory and practice are the same. In practice, they are not. Welcome to the Interaction Design Association (IxDA)! To post to this list ... disc...@ixda.org Unsubscribe http://www.ixda.org/unsubscribe List Guidelines http://www.ixda.org/guidelines List Help .. http://www.ixda.org/help
Re: [IxDA Discuss] Five things Interaction Design probably isn't
On 24 Mar 2009, at 14:39, Todd Zaki Warfel wrote: [snip] Personally, I don't really care about defining IxD as a discipline, at least in the sense that is being done today. I'm really more interested in doing interaction design. I do think it's important to understand the skills necessary, but in real speak, not PR speak. [snip] round of applause Adrian -- delicious.com/adrianh - twitter.com/adrianh - adri...@quietstars.com Welcome to the Interaction Design Association (IxDA)! To post to this list ... disc...@ixda.org Unsubscribe http://www.ixda.org/unsubscribe List Guidelines http://www.ixda.org/guidelines List Help .. http://www.ixda.org/help
Re: [IxDA Discuss] Command line vs. menu driven interface
Ubiquity is fabulous, and abundantly simple. All of the commands I use are denotative terms for the action I want to execute, like map or wikipedia. Sure, there are more complex commands, but the concept of a ubiquitous web CLI is simply brilliant. Dante Murphy | VP/D User Experience| D I G I T A S H E A L T H 100 Penn Square East| Wanamaker Building, 11th Floor | Philadelphia, PA 19107 | USA Email: dmur...@digitashealth.com www.digitashealth.com -Original Message- From: discuss-boun...@lists.interactiondesigners.com [mailto:discuss-boun...@lists.interactiondesigners.com] On Behalf Of David Little Sent: Tuesday, March 24, 2009 10:32 AM To: disc...@ixda.org Subject: Re: [IxDA Discuss] Command line vs. menu driven interface As an aside, has anyone any experience of using Mozilla Ubiquity? http://labs.mozilla.com/2008/08/introducing-ubiquity/ Which introduces elements of a CLI to web browsing? I haven't used it yet so I'm in *absolutely* no position to comment :). But, my first thoughts were how potentially complex it looked. Looking in more detail at the manual (yes, you have to read a manual before you can use it), I can definitely see how it would be useful in some situations for advanced tasks like first find this, then do that, then send this to x, although that would assume that you'd planned out your tasks that far in advance. 2009/3/24 Nurit Peres nuri...@gmail.com: AutoCAD 2009 still has a command line and from what I see many users prefer it. But they did invest in moving to a Ribbons menu recently. I would love to see their data about CLI vs. menu (if they have any...) Nurit Peres www.sivandesign.com . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Posted from the new ixda.org http://www.ixda.org/discuss?post=40330 Welcome to the Interaction Design Association (IxDA)! To post to this list ... disc...@ixda.org Unsubscribe http://www.ixda.org/unsubscribe List Guidelines http://www.ixda.org/guidelines List Help .. http://www.ixda.org/help -- David Little w: www.littled.net t: twitter.com/djlittle Welcome to the Interaction Design Association (IxDA)! To post to this list ... disc...@ixda.org 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 ... disc...@ixda.org Unsubscribe http://www.ixda.org/unsubscribe List Guidelines http://www.ixda.org/guidelines List Help .. http://www.ixda.org/help
Re: [IxDA Discuss] Bowman leaves Google
I think some of the gold in a Google Search design going forward includes: 1. Continued data mining on what people are searching for 2. Looking for patterns 3. Playing with how search results page design could be tweaked to display smarter results and providing contextual actions based on the keyword (or being able to do more with a single search result as a widget (save it somewhere, send it to someone, manipulate it) 4. Advertising inside a search result widget (maybe) We are seeing small snippets of this when you search for things like weather etc where the forecast displays in the search results. Would I want to change the search results screen immediately. No way. Would I want to edit bits of how results are displayed to see how users react. Absolutely and let the data speak to me. rgds, Dan . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Posted from the new ixda.org http://www.ixda.org/discuss?post=40237 Welcome to the Interaction Design Association (IxDA)! To post to this list ... disc...@ixda.org Unsubscribe http://www.ixda.org/unsubscribe List Guidelines http://www.ixda.org/guidelines List Help .. http://www.ixda.org/help
Re: [IxDA Discuss] Five things Interaction Design probably isn't
On Tue, Mar 24, 2009 at 10:51 AM, Adrian Howard adri...@quietstars.com wrote: Personally, I don't really care about defining IxD as a discipline, at least in the sense that is being done today. I'm really more interested in doing interaction design. I do think it's important to understand the skills necessary, but in real speak, not PR speak. round of applause Adrian I second that - but/and I'm finding that to recruiters these days, and more and more internal use, Interaction Designer means Flash Designer. This is fine in some sense, as Flash is an excellent tool to have in one's toolbox, but I don't think it's being used in the intent of, say, the IxDA. Scott -- I have mad skills at doing spazzy things. - Janiene West Welcome to the Interaction Design Association (IxDA)! To post to this list ... disc...@ixda.org Unsubscribe http://www.ixda.org/unsubscribe List Guidelines http://www.ixda.org/guidelines List Help .. http://www.ixda.org/help
Re: [IxDA Discuss] Feature discoverability
Greetings, Den. You can refer to this video for interaction details: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qs9D26VG7Uk We used the following solutions to encourage clicking the map and Info panel: - sectors start pulsing on hovering - Info panel items get highlighted - central part (level up) of the map also slightly pulses Nevertheless there's absolutely no visual clue for context actions which seem to be my fault as interaction designer. I have also pointed several possible solutions above, but none of them look elegant enough yet. Hint area is mentioned there, but I'm unsure it would be useful enough. Probably quick test could help :) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Posted from the new ixda.org http://www.ixda.org/discuss?post=40362 Welcome to the Interaction Design Association (IxDA)! To post to this list ... disc...@ixda.org Unsubscribe http://www.ixda.org/unsubscribe List Guidelines http://www.ixda.org/guidelines List Help .. http://www.ixda.org/help
Re: [IxDA Discuss] Five things Interaction Design probably isn't
On Mar 24, 2009, at 7:39 AM, Todd Zaki Warfel wrote: And yes, I'll be bold enough to say that I don't really see that much of a difference between IA and IxD. And frankly, I'm not that interested in spending time creating a divide between the two. I've been doing them in tandem for over a decade. They have the same goal in mind—making products easier and more enjoyable to use. The only real important distinction I see is that IA provides the foundation, which IxD builds on top of. In theory, they're different. But in reality, if you're doing one, you're doing the other. Yeah, I said it. This really bothers me because it is so untrue and we've spent countless hours as a group outlining the differences between the two. The methodologies, history, and focus are all different. Just because you do both things doesn't make them the same. I'd posit yours is a very web-centric POV. The farther away from the web you go, the less information architecture work you are likely to do. It's easily less than 1 percent of my work. There's a reason no one at frog or IDEO has the title Information Architect. Dan Welcome to the Interaction Design Association (IxDA)! To post to this list ... disc...@ixda.org Unsubscribe http://www.ixda.org/unsubscribe List Guidelines http://www.ixda.org/guidelines List Help .. http://www.ixda.org/help
Re: [IxDA Discuss] Command line vs. menu driven interface
Of course if you go too far you end up with this http://vimperator.org/trac/wiki/Vimperator Gk. Gregor Kiddie Senior Developer INPS Tel: 01382 564343 Registered address: The Bread Factory, 1a Broughton Street, London SW8 3QJ Registered Number: 1788577 Registered in the UK Visit our Internet Web site at www.inps.co.uk The information in this internet email is confidential and is intended solely for the addressee. Access, copying or re-use of information in it by anyone else is not authorised. Any views or opinions presented are solely those of the author and do not necessarily represent those of INPS or any of its affiliates. If you are not the intended recipient please contact is.helpd...@inps.co.uk -Original Message- From: discuss-boun...@lists.interactiondesigners.com [mailto:discuss-boun...@lists.interactiondesigners.com] On Behalf Of Dante Murphy Sent: 24 March 2009 15:00 To: David Little; disc...@ixda.org Subject: Re: [IxDA Discuss] Command line vs. menu driven interface Ubiquity is fabulous, and abundantly simple. All of the commands I use are denotative terms for the action I want to execute, like map or wikipedia. Sure, there are more complex commands, but the concept of a ubiquitous web CLI is simply brilliant. Welcome to the Interaction Design Association (IxDA)! To post to this list ... disc...@ixda.org Unsubscribe http://www.ixda.org/unsubscribe List Guidelines http://www.ixda.org/guidelines List Help .. http://www.ixda.org/help
Re: [IxDA Discuss] job descriptions
Agreed, it's quite eloquently written. For those who couldn't get the link working there's an underscore missing from the wrap. Here's a shortened version: http://bit.ly/WZgy The position is for a 'Director of RD Design Excellence' SUMMARY OF POSITION: The Director of Design Excellence is responsible for driving design excellence across the RMS RD organization through the successful execution of our new product development process, DFSS capabilities, human factors engineering and international standards compliance. The DDE is the owner of our Product Development Process, and manages it to promote design excellence and maintain compliance to our quality system. The DDE is responsible for developing and growing a culture of continuous improvement and Design for Six Sigma tool application and performance. The DDE is the leader of our the Human Factors Engineering team and the HFE and user interface design approaches that guarantee high utility an ease of use in our products. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Posted from the new ixda.org http://www.ixda.org/discuss?post=40367 Welcome to the Interaction Design Association (IxDA)! To post to this list ... disc...@ixda.org Unsubscribe http://www.ixda.org/unsubscribe List Guidelines http://www.ixda.org/guidelines List Help .. http://www.ixda.org/help
Re: [IxDA Discuss] Five things Interaction Design probably isn't
I don't think traditional education paradigms should or would work with IxD. One could even argue that barring some large-scale reorientation, there are some people who just will not think in these paradigms. Others just will. Also, one could consider that IxD may always need to operate within a context. IxD designers and architects may not be swappable between the financial field (where I work) and the medical field or whatever. Some ideas/paradigms are transferable, but there is a complexity of the context that cannot be overlooked. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Posted from the new ixda.org http://www.ixda.org/discuss?post=40375 Welcome to the Interaction Design Association (IxDA)! To post to this list ... disc...@ixda.org Unsubscribe http://www.ixda.org/unsubscribe List Guidelines http://www.ixda.org/guidelines List Help .. http://www.ixda.org/help
Re: [IxDA Discuss] Five things Interaction Design probably isn't
I really think we're over complicating the whole thing. As far as designers go in the interactive world, I think they now fall into two distinct types: visual and interaction (or UI). In my mind, Interaction/UI Designers define how a web app/system/gadget works. Or, how someone uses it. Visual designers define how something *looks *. They choose the colors, fonts, and images. Visual designers are a dime a dozen, but interaction/ui designers are rare. A combination of the two is even more rare. It's a simple view, and it could be worded much better, but that's my two cents. Hugh Griffith User Interface Designer On Tue, Mar 24, 2009 at 9:28 AM, Dan Saffer d...@odannyboy.com wrote: On Mar 24, 2009, at 7:39 AM, Todd Zaki Warfel wrote: And yes, I'll be bold enough to say that I don't really see that much of a difference between IA and IxD. And frankly, I'm not that interested in spending time creating a divide between the two. I've been doing them in tandem for over a decade. They have the same goal in mind—making products easier and more enjoyable to use. The only real important distinction I see is that IA provides the foundation, which IxD builds on top of. In theory, they're different. But in reality, if you're doing one, you're doing the other. Yeah, I said it. This really bothers me because it is so untrue and we've spent countless hours as a group outlining the differences between the two. The methodologies, history, and focus are all different. Just because you do both things doesn't make them the same. I'd posit yours is a very web-centric POV. The farther away from the web you go, the less information architecture work you are likely to do. It's easily less than 1 percent of my work. There's a reason no one at frog or IDEO has the title Information Architect. Dan Welcome to the Interaction Design Association (IxDA)! To post to this list ... disc...@ixda.org 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 ... disc...@ixda.org Unsubscribe http://www.ixda.org/unsubscribe List Guidelines http://www.ixda.org/guidelines List Help .. http://www.ixda.org/help
Re: [IxDA Discuss] Five things Interaction Design probably isn't
Job titles and descriptions only matter to me when I am looking for a job, not when I am doing my job This was a comment made to me when I was discussing the issue of 'Defining the damn thing..' at the IA Summit this past weekend. I fully agree that my current job title doesn't mean squat when it comes to the day to day activities at work. When I am interviewing for a job however, it is very important because the hiring manager has a concept about what that job title entails. Personally, I would love to see recruiters and hiring managers stop using job titles and simply publish what their needs are. This would provide people looking for a job a better representation on what they are getting themselves into, and allow the designer to properly assess if they can actually do the job. Brad Ty Nunnally Interaction Designer Twitter: bnunnally Blog: http://bnunnally.tumblr.com Welcome to the Interaction Design Association (IxDA)! To post to this list ... disc...@ixda.org Unsubscribe http://www.ixda.org/unsubscribe List Guidelines http://www.ixda.org/guidelines List Help .. http://www.ixda.org/help
Re: [IxDA Discuss] Five things Interaction Design probably isn't
Can everyone who doesn't care about the specific title stand on the right, and everyone who wants to define Interaction design stand on the left? Thanks! Peter On Tue, Mar 24, 2009 at 4:21 PM, Brad Nunnally bnunna...@gmail.com wrote: Job titles and descriptions only matter to me when I am looking for a job, not when I am doing my job This was a comment made to me when I was discussing the issue of 'Defining the damn thing..' at the IA Summit this past weekend. I fully agree that my current job title doesn't mean squat when it comes to the day to day activities at work. When I am interviewing for a job however, it is very important because the hiring manager has a concept about what that job title entails. Personally, I would love to see recruiters and hiring managers stop using job titles and simply publish what their needs are. This would provide people looking for a job a better representation on what they are getting themselves into, and allow the designer to properly assess if they can actually do the job. Brad Ty Nunnally Interaction Designer Twitter: bnunnally Blog: http://bnunnally.tumblr.com Welcome to the Interaction Design Association (IxDA)! To post to this list ... disc...@ixda.org Unsubscribe http://www.ixda.org/unsubscribe List Guidelines http://www.ixda.org/guidelines List Help .. http://www.ixda.org/help -- me: http://petervandijck.com blog: http://poorbuthappy.com/ease/ global UX consulting: http://290s.com free travel guides: http://poorbuthappy.com Belgium: (+32) 03/325 88 70 Skype id: peterkevandijck Welcome to the Interaction Design Association (IxDA)! To post to this list ... disc...@ixda.org Unsubscribe http://www.ixda.org/unsubscribe List Guidelines http://www.ixda.org/guidelines List Help .. http://www.ixda.org/help
Re: [IxDA Discuss] Five things Interaction Design probably isn't
This really bothers me because it is so untrue and we've spent countless hours as a group outlining the differences between the two. Agreed. I rarely do IA work, and although I do take on that role on occasion, I wouldn't dare call myself an IA. Christina Wodtke all but demolishes the distinction between IA and IxD in her book, *Information Architecture*, but it's unsettling to me. On the web, maybe those lines blur a lot more than in other types of design, but my specialty has always been in *designing **interaction*, not architecting information. There is definitely a difference. I design how people will interact with web products and services based on an understanding of why they might do so. Information is certainly part of that, but I'm less concerned with the information than how people will encounter it in the context of some interactive experience. -r- Welcome to the Interaction Design Association (IxDA)! To post to this list ... disc...@ixda.org Unsubscribe http://www.ixda.org/unsubscribe List Guidelines http://www.ixda.org/guidelines List Help .. http://www.ixda.org/help
Re: [IxDA Discuss] Five things Interaction Design probably isn't
Dudes, take a step back. People need groups (for identity creation and support), professions need recognition (for money and power, basically). The Information Archtitects group was pretty good at this. The Interaction Design group is doing it's best, but less successfully to be honest. Other groups haven't done so well - Knowledge management comes to mind - who calls themselves that anymore? Cheers, Peter On Tue, Mar 24, 2009 at 5:20 PM, Peter Van Dijck petervandi...@gmail.comwrote: Can everyone who doesn't care about the specific title stand on the right, and everyone who wants to define Interaction design stand on the left? Thanks! Peter On Tue, Mar 24, 2009 at 4:21 PM, Brad Nunnally bnunna...@gmail.comwrote: Job titles and descriptions only matter to me when I am looking for a job, not when I am doing my job This was a comment made to me when I was discussing the issue of 'Defining the damn thing..' at the IA Summit this past weekend. I fully agree that my current job title doesn't mean squat when it comes to the day to day activities at work. When I am interviewing for a job however, it is very important because the hiring manager has a concept about what that job title entails. Personally, I would love to see recruiters and hiring managers stop using job titles and simply publish what their needs are. This would provide people looking for a job a better representation on what they are getting themselves into, and allow the designer to properly assess if they can actually do the job. Brad Ty Nunnally Interaction Designer Twitter: bnunnally Blog: http://bnunnally.tumblr.com Welcome to the Interaction Design Association (IxDA)! To post to this list ... disc...@ixda.org Unsubscribe http://www.ixda.org/unsubscribe List Guidelines http://www.ixda.org/guidelines List Help .. http://www.ixda.org/help -- me: http://petervandijck.com blog: http://poorbuthappy.com/ease/ global UX consulting: http://290s.com free travel guides: http://poorbuthappy.com Belgium: (+32) 03/325 88 70 Skype id: peterkevandijck -- me: http://petervandijck.com blog: http://poorbuthappy.com/ease/ global UX consulting: http://290s.com free travel guides: http://poorbuthappy.com Belgium: (+32) 03/325 88 70 Skype id: peterkevandijck Welcome to the Interaction Design Association (IxDA)! To post to this list ... disc...@ixda.org Unsubscribe http://www.ixda.org/unsubscribe List Guidelines http://www.ixda.org/guidelines List Help .. http://www.ixda.org/help
Re: [IxDA Discuss] Bowman leaves Google
On Mar 24, 2009, at 4:57 AM, dave malouf wrote: Jennifer, asking me to re-design Google Search is an insane request. Of course, the complexities are there and it is a tangled web that needs to be weaved. I have said in almost every post that this is about continuum and not about absolutes. But for fun, here I go ... 1) I'd get a group of stakeholders in the room, minus end users and I'd say. Go! start sketching. Think pie in the sky. I'd ask people to riff off of each other's ideas, but not judge any. There are no technical constraints and no business constraints. If you could design search just for YOU what would it look like. 2) I'd ask everyone to then evaluate using affinities what came out of that. What were the themes that people seemed to gel around? What is missing? What is too much? What re-defines search? snip I think your big question is where does data come in? And I would say that data for me in the context of use here is about validating design. And I would say that wouldn't be the first place I look to data. The 1st place I would look to data (AND I KNOW Google does this already, so it is not a criticism but an agreement) is in analytics for generating ideas. This would be done as part of the initial processes of ideation mentioned above. Actually, my big question is: where does the problem you're trying to solve come in? Where do you introduce data about what needs to be different? About what the organization needs to achieve? About the gap between the current and the aspirational? Should that influence the sketches and the subsequent discussions? Or am I missing the point of the conversation? Jared Jared M. Spool User Interface Engineering 510 Turnpike St., Suite 102, North Andover, MA 01845 e: jsp...@uie.com p: +1 978 327 5561 http://uie.com Blog: http://uie.com/brainsparks Twitter: jmspool UIE Web App Summit, 4/19-4/22: http://webappsummit.com Welcome to the Interaction Design Association (IxDA)! To post to this list ... disc...@ixda.org Unsubscribe http://www.ixda.org/unsubscribe List Guidelines http://www.ixda.org/guidelines List Help .. http://www.ixda.org/help
[IxDA Discuss] JOB: Senior Freelance User Experience Manager/Strategist; London, UK; Recruiter; Contract
£Consultancy rates Key profile: UX Management, UCD Strategy and business development, team leadership/management, Interaction Design consultancy My ground-breaking public sector client has identified user experience as a key facet of its growth strategy and is seeking senior level advice on a consultancy basis to shape the UX team's development and future. Candidates are required to participate at a high-level in identifying needs and structure for a brand new usability team and must have had experience developing a medium to large team in the past. Experience in web is a must and previous multi-national public sector experience/knowledge will be hugely advantageous. Senior designers/IAs will not be considered for this position. Candidates don't have to have a visa but must have UK public sector experience. To view similar UI / UX / IA / Usability jobs please visit: http://www.ic-software.co.uk/Jobs.aspx?category=UI_~_UX_~_IA_~_Usability_Design http://www.ic-software.co.uk/Jobs.aspx?category=UI_~_UX_~_IA_~_Usability_Designfrom=section from=section Sean Pook D +44 (0)118 988 1156 s...@ic-software.co.uk __ This email has been scanned by the MessageLabs Email Security System. For more information please visit http://www.messagelabs.com/email __ Welcome to the Interaction Design Association (IxDA)! To post to this list ... disc...@ixda.org Unsubscribe http://www.ixda.org/unsubscribe List Guidelines http://www.ixda.org/guidelines List Help .. http://www.ixda.org/help
Re: [IxDA Discuss] job descriptions
I'm curious, though - how many IxDers are Master Black Belt level in Six Sigma or comparable process re-engineering methodologies? Is that something you'd expect an interaction designer or manager to have? On Tue, Mar 24, 2009 at 4:37 AM, iamshimone shim...@shimone.info wrote: Agreed, it's quite eloquently written. For those who couldn't get the link working there's an underscore missing from the wrap. Here's a shortened version: http://bit.ly/WZgy The position is for a 'Director of RD Design Excellence' SUMMARY OF POSITION: The Director of Design Excellence is responsible for driving design excellence across the RMS RD organization through the successful execution of our new product development process, DFSS capabilities, human factors engineering and international standards compliance. The DDE is the owner of our Product Development Process, and manages it to promote design excellence and maintain compliance to our quality system. The DDE is responsible for developing and growing a culture of continuous improvement and Design for Six Sigma tool application and performance. The DDE is the leader of our the Human Factors Engineering team and the HFE and user interface design approaches that guarantee high utility an ease of use in our products. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Posted from the new ixda.org http://www.ixda.org/discuss?post=40367 Welcome to the Interaction Design Association (IxDA)! To post to this list ... disc...@ixda.org 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 ... disc...@ixda.org Unsubscribe http://www.ixda.org/unsubscribe List Guidelines http://www.ixda.org/guidelines List Help .. http://www.ixda.org/help
Re: [IxDA Discuss] Five things Interaction Design probably isn't
On Mar 24, 2009, at 11:28 AM, Dan Saffer wrote: This really bothers me because it is so untrue and we've spent countless hours as a group outlining the differences between the two. The methodologies, history, and focus are all different. How is it untrue that while in theory they are different, or technically, while they are different, if you're doing one, you're doing the other? IA provides underlying structure and IxD provides the model to move through those structures. This applies to web and non- web systems. Yes, most of my work is web-centric, but in the non-web-centric environments I've worked on (e.g. handhelds, iPhone apps, kiosks, ATMs, desktop apps) the underlying structure is still technically IA work and the model of moving through that structure is IxD. Again, technically, they are different, but if you're doing one, you're doing the other. Cheers! Todd Zaki Warfel Principal Design Researcher Messagefirst | Designing Information. Beautifully. -- Contact Info Voice: (215) 825-7423 Email: t...@messagefirst.com AIM:twar...@mac.com Blog: http://toddwarfel.com Twitter:zakiwarfel -- In theory, theory and practice are the same. In practice, they are not. Welcome to the Interaction Design Association (IxDA)! To post to this list ... disc...@ixda.org Unsubscribe http://www.ixda.org/unsubscribe List Guidelines http://www.ixda.org/guidelines List Help .. http://www.ixda.org/help
Re: [IxDA Discuss] Five things Interaction Design probably isn't
(moving to the right) On Mar 24, 2009, at 12:20 PM, Peter Van Dijck wrote: Can everyone who doesn't care about the specific title stand on the right, and everyone who wants to define Interaction design stand on the left? Cheers! Todd Zaki Warfel Principal Design Researcher Messagefirst | Designing Information. Beautifully. -- Contact Info Voice: (215) 825-7423 Email: t...@messagefirst.com AIM:twar...@mac.com Blog: http://toddwarfel.com Twitter:zakiwarfel -- In theory, theory and practice are the same. In practice, they are not. Welcome to the Interaction Design Association (IxDA)! To post to this list ... disc...@ixda.org Unsubscribe http://www.ixda.org/unsubscribe List Guidelines http://www.ixda.org/guidelines List Help .. http://www.ixda.org/help
Re: [IxDA Discuss] Bowman leaves Google
On Tue, Mar 24, 2009 at 12:25 PM, Jared Spool jsp...@uie.com wrote: Actually, my big question is: where does the problem you're trying to solve come in? Where do you introduce data about what needs to be different? About what the organization needs to achieve? About the gap between the current and the aspirational? Should that influence the sketches and the subsequent discussions? Or am I missing the point of the conversation? Yes and no. First off, I think David Malouf's post was brilliant in that it laid out some rapid-fire ways that a design-driven process could be initiated. It's by no means a complete description of such a process but it touches on key themes of brainstorming, storytelling, and so on. In that sense I think David is making the point (and I agree) that there is room for non-data-driven methods even within such a complex and diverse space as Google's search design. As to your specific question I think all your ideas are relevant, but some are implicit. For example, the stakeholders that David advocates putting into that room are the people who have the vision about what the organization needs to achieve. It's probably part of their daily conversations and I would expect it to emerge as part of the brainstorm (probably the part where people explain their ideas, after the idea generation phase). If it doesn't, then you've probably put the wrong people in the room. Likewise the gap between the current and the aspirational should be obvious to everyone. If they're not intimately familiar with the current then again they probably aren't part of this exercise. The question about introducing data about needs is a good one, I think. My personal preference is to make that part of the post-brainstorming exercise. Presumably at some point you've narrowed your set of alternatives to some manageable number. At that point I'd introduce data and put people through an exercise of correlating design brainstorm ideas with data. Given THESE data, how does THAT idea hold up? sort of. Best, --Alan Welcome to the Interaction Design Association (IxDA)! To post to this list ... disc...@ixda.org Unsubscribe http://www.ixda.org/unsubscribe List Guidelines http://www.ixda.org/guidelines List Help .. http://www.ixda.org/help
Re: [IxDA Discuss] Five things Interaction Design probably isn't
What follows is not an attempt at defining our domain, although it can be read that way, but it is my understanding as to why IxD currently evades a concise definition. Interaction design is, for me and in a sentence, the creation of a contextual language that allows systems to interact. At a very high level I see humans machines as systems with capabilities, limitations and very different methods of communicating with their surroundings. I would also point out that one of those 'systems' is currently experiencing an exponential growth in complexity. The role of Interaction design has come about as a result of Moore's Law (which in itself is a product of human evolution). As computer systems and their capabilities have become more complex, so to has its vocabulary when tasked with interacting with us, the human 'system'. As technology, at a singular level and as a network, evolves it is the role of those responsible for effective communication to reinterpret the playing field and create a language suitable for the given capabilities, goal context for that point in time. What we create today would not be the same a year ago, or a year from now, if goals/motivations/users we the same. Technology evolves and so to does our understanding of it both as users and designers. As the capabilities of technology accelerate the field of design responsible for enabling communication will evolve. We will constantly re-evaluate the rules and re-invent our roles. Definitions be damned, we are fulfilling a role. We do not need PR, good or bad, we do not need to market our trade. The forces that brought about our role are too strong to be swayed imho. regards /pauric p.s. Its with a little trepidation that I post this, I'll be the first to admit that it sounds a little nuts. Again I'm not defining our role but trying (poorly) to explain why it came about and why it will continue to change. Kevin Kelly proposes that Technology is the 7th kingdom and I see us as the translators to that 'domain' http://www.edge.org/documents/archive/edge217.html#kelly . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Posted from the new ixda.org http://www.ixda.org/discuss?post=40375 Welcome to the Interaction Design Association (IxDA)! To post to this list ... disc...@ixda.org Unsubscribe http://www.ixda.org/unsubscribe List Guidelines http://www.ixda.org/guidelines List Help .. http://www.ixda.org/help
Re: [IxDA Discuss] job descriptions
I agree with Alan - IMO Six Sigma and other efficiency approaches aren't really well suited to UCD, rapid prototyping, iterative process and other best practices in our field. There is a humanistic aspect to what we do which isn't particularly well suited to A=B=C business approaches. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Posted from the new ixda.org http://www.ixda.org/discuss?post=40367 Welcome to the Interaction Design Association (IxDA)! To post to this list ... disc...@ixda.org Unsubscribe http://www.ixda.org/unsubscribe List Guidelines http://www.ixda.org/guidelines List Help .. http://www.ixda.org/help
Re: [IxDA Discuss] job descriptions
The post is for an ID role, not an IxD... but the specifics of the job were not my point. As to the relevance of six sigma to design, or interaction design... I don't see much. It has a place if you are designing for manufacture (such as an industrial designer typically would). Unlike manufacturing where variance is a huge problem, the design process can actually benefit from it (thinking outside of the box). On Tue, Mar 24, 2009 at 12:40 PM, Alan Wexelblat awexelb...@gmail.comwrote: I'm curious, though - how many IxDers are Master Black Belt level in Six Sigma or comparable process re-engineering methodologies? Is that something you'd expect an interaction designer or manager to have? Welcome to the Interaction Design Association (IxDA)! To post to this list ... disc...@ixda.org Unsubscribe http://www.ixda.org/unsubscribe List Guidelines http://www.ixda.org/guidelines List Help .. http://www.ixda.org/help
Re: [IxDA Discuss] Five things Interaction Design probably isn't
I see interaction designer as a general title similar to graphic designer. An interaction designer is a person that works with interactive media, and designs and produces more than just visual representations. Behind that it it can include any or all of designing interactions, information architecture, user experience, project management, and some front-end coding and even visual design. Plus more. Using it in such a broad way can be convenient. I work independently, and thus my role varies a lot depending on the project. On smaller projects I work alone or with 1-2 others and might do everything from identity to production. In larger ones, I may be responsible for just the wireframes. Whatever the role, I am the same person with the same background that propels me to think interactively with the user in the center. I am an interaction designer. Thanks, I've been wondering how to title myself. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Posted from the new ixda.org http://www.ixda.org/discuss?post=40375 Welcome to the Interaction Design Association (IxDA)! To post to this list ... disc...@ixda.org Unsubscribe http://www.ixda.org/unsubscribe List Guidelines http://www.ixda.org/guidelines List Help .. http://www.ixda.org/help
Re: [IxDA Discuss] Bowman leaves Google
On Tue, Mar 24, 2009 at 12:57 AM, dave malouf dave@gmail.com wrote: Jennifer, asking me to re-design Google Search is an insane request. Why? There are real live UXers working on that problem over here, you know. :-) No, it's not insane at all. This is the context of the original post: an influential designer at Google has left, and Google's main product is search. Let me say again that this product has lots of people and dollars worldwide depending on it. Data helps us answer design questions over here, because breaking the user experience even a little bit makes a HUGE difference to those people. We innovate, try things out with real users, and roll out designs that show *measurable* improvement. Validation data would only be used to measure mountains (to take the metaphor being passed around above). Make sure you don't break it. But don't be so risk averse as to LIVE by the data. Use the data to qualify the risk, not to quantify it. And don't quantify the minutiae. Don't try to quantify the subjective, or the emotional. Why not? At this scale, minutiae are important. And the emotional is important too -- we understand that, and as other people have pointed out, some aspects of the Google brand actually do have soul and personality. :-) We know that numbers alone don't tell the full story, but they tell a compelling part of the story. Saying an organization is not a Design success is not saying they are not a success and is not saying there aren't a ton of things to explore and learn from their success. Maybe, just maybe the lesson to be learned from Google is that Design is full of shit and those of us like myself who believe in design and design thinking should close shop and move on to taking up engineering thinking. Not at all. But big-D Design is more effective when it (a) works very closely with engineering thinking and people, and (b) uses its tools well. To us, data analysis is one of those tools. In other organizations, it isn't such a good tool, because of smaller scale, usage patterns, cost of acquiring such data, org culture, or whatever else. But here, it's quite useful, and I'm thankful for it. - Jenifer --- Jenifer Tidwell jenifer.tidw...@gmail.com http://designinginterfaces.com http://jtidwell.net Welcome to the Interaction Design Association (IxDA)! To post to this list ... disc...@ixda.org Unsubscribe http://www.ixda.org/unsubscribe List Guidelines http://www.ixda.org/guidelines List Help .. http://www.ixda.org/help
Re: [IxDA Discuss] Five things Interaction Design probably isn't
This is not a definition problem (or at least so only indirectly): it's a PR problem. And in this, the IxDA has failed one of its core missions, I think: creating tools to help interaction designers promote our value to our organizations and those who don't know anything about us. We don't need mission statements; we need a communications strategy. Dan Welcome to the Interaction Design Association (IxDA)! To post to this list ... disc...@ixda.org Unsubscribe http://www.ixda.org/unsubscribe List Guidelines http://www.ixda.org/guidelines List Help .. http://www.ixda.org/help
Re: [IxDA Discuss] Five things Interaction Design probably isn't
On Mar 24, 2009, at 2:26 PM, Dan Saffer wrote: We don't need mission statements; we need a communications strategy. Agree 1001%. Cheers! Todd Zaki Warfel Principal Design Researcher Messagefirst | Designing Information. Beautifully. -- Contact Info Voice: (215) 825-7423 Email: t...@messagefirst.com AIM:twar...@mac.com Blog: http://toddwarfel.com Twitter:zakiwarfel -- In theory, theory and practice are the same. In practice, they are not. Welcome to the Interaction Design Association (IxDA)! To post to this list ... disc...@ixda.org Unsubscribe http://www.ixda.org/unsubscribe List Guidelines http://www.ixda.org/guidelines List Help .. http://www.ixda.org/help
Re: [IxDA Discuss] Five things Interaction Design probably isn't
I agree 99.7% :) P On Tue, Mar 24, 2009 at 7:29 PM, Todd Zaki Warfel li...@toddwarfel.comwrote: On Mar 24, 2009, at 2:26 PM, Dan Saffer wrote: We don't need mission statements; we need a communications strategy. Agree 1001%. Cheers! Todd Zaki Warfel Principal Design Researcher Messagefirst | Designing Information. Beautifully. -- Contact Info Voice: (215) 825-7423 Email: t...@messagefirst.com AIM:twar...@mac.com Blog: http://toddwarfel.com Twitter:zakiwarfel -- In theory, theory and practice are the same. In practice, they are not. Welcome to the Interaction Design Association (IxDA)! To post to this list ... disc...@ixda.org Unsubscribe http://www.ixda.org/unsubscribe List Guidelines http://www.ixda.org/guidelines List Help .. http://www.ixda.org/help -- me: http://petervandijck.com blog: http://poorbuthappy.com/ease/ global UX consulting: http://290s.com free travel guides: http://poorbuthappy.com Belgium: (+32) 03/325 88 70 Skype id: peterkevandijck Welcome to the Interaction Design Association (IxDA)! To post to this list ... disc...@ixda.org Unsubscribe http://www.ixda.org/unsubscribe List Guidelines http://www.ixda.org/guidelines List Help .. http://www.ixda.org/help
Re: [IxDA Discuss] Five things Interaction Design probably isn't
I totally agree with Dan on needing a communication strategy. Having one though means we need to be able to differentiate ourselves from everyone else. If you explain a set of values that an interaction designer brings to an industry/company/etc and someone simply states 'Well that sounds just like ...' then we have a problem. I have been doing this for 3 years and it still takes me a conversation with someone to explain what I do. If we were able to develop a one-liner that sums up all the value we bring to people and gets our message across, that would be a total win. Here I am though helping to point out the problem without offering a solution. Guess it is time to do some brainstorming. Brad Ty Nunnally Interaction Designer Twitter: bnunnally Blog: http://bnunnally.tumblr.com Welcome to the Interaction Design Association (IxDA)! To post to this list ... disc...@ixda.org Unsubscribe http://www.ixda.org/unsubscribe List Guidelines http://www.ixda.org/guidelines List Help .. http://www.ixda.org/help
Re: [IxDA Discuss] job descriptions
While six sigma isn't central to my role (though I am comfortable with statistics because of my previous research experience), some of the research done in my present work has been useful in highlighting process problems that can be resolved, in part, by my work. It's a tool for insight into something, no more and no less, and can help in some situations. I don't see it as a regular part of my job though. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Posted from the new ixda.org http://www.ixda.org/discuss?post=40367 Welcome to the Interaction Design Association (IxDA)! To post to this list ... disc...@ixda.org Unsubscribe http://www.ixda.org/unsubscribe List Guidelines http://www.ixda.org/guidelines List Help .. http://www.ixda.org/help
Re: [IxDA Discuss] Five things Interaction Design probably isn't
One problem about not defining the field is that recruiters will do it for us - and they can make mistakes. For example, there are already jobs out there that demand a BA or MA in a design related discipline as part of the qualifications. This means that all the artists, the engineers, psychologists, people with bags of experience but no direct qualifications etc, are left out regardless of their competence. This is no problem for the gurus but for most of us, it presents a real challenge to even get a foot in the door because the initial criteria filter us out. Having said that, it is a hard field to define because it is so multi-disciplinary. The beings an outstanding issue: many recruiters don't realise this and assume that IxD is uniquely associated with one particular approach. So some will say they want an interaction designer with X years flash experience and a fine arts degree; others will want business analysis skills; and yet others will want 5 years of programming GUIs in C . All of these can be relevant, but they focus too hard on one approach and don't seem to realise that while our current jobs are similar, our backgrounds are strikingly different. I' m quite lucky. I have a good job now where I was taken on for my research skills and this should give me the experience I need to grow and be able to prove it, but I had an awful lot of rejections on the way without getting past the first stage of recruitment. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Posted from the new ixda.org http://www.ixda.org/discuss?post=40375 Welcome to the Interaction Design Association (IxDA)! To post to this list ... disc...@ixda.org Unsubscribe http://www.ixda.org/unsubscribe List Guidelines http://www.ixda.org/guidelines List Help .. http://www.ixda.org/help
Re: [IxDA Discuss] Five things Interaction Design probably isn't
In the communication material, I would add: -What is interaction design -How is interaction design practised (the methodologies/tools utilized) -Professional fields that interaction design is related to/can be confused with/is not -What is the differentiating factor/when does a practitioner of a related field have to perform as an interaction designer instead of a practitioner of their own field for accomplishing a task (even better add what would those tasks be.) -Why would a company need a full time interaction designer to solve tasks best tended to by a full fledged interaction designer. As a start how about a couple of printable pages that can be tacked on college notice boards, technology camps or handed out at technology expos? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Posted from the new ixda.org http://www.ixda.org/discuss?post=40375 Welcome to the Interaction Design Association (IxDA)! To post to this list ... disc...@ixda.org Unsubscribe http://www.ixda.org/unsubscribe List Guidelines http://www.ixda.org/guidelines List Help .. http://www.ixda.org/help
Re: [IxDA Discuss] Five things Interaction Design probably isn't
Interaction designers are like moms that want to build skate parks for their kids. Welcome to the Interaction Design Association (IxDA)! To post to this list ... disc...@ixda.org Unsubscribe http://www.ixda.org/unsubscribe List Guidelines http://www.ixda.org/guidelines List Help .. http://www.ixda.org/help
Re: [IxDA Discuss] Five things Interaction Design probably isn't
Interaction designers are like moms that want to build skate parks for their kids. That is awesome. This is how I am going to explain it to my mom from now on. Brad Welcome to the Interaction Design Association (IxDA)! To post to this list ... disc...@ixda.org Unsubscribe http://www.ixda.org/unsubscribe List Guidelines http://www.ixda.org/guidelines List Help .. http://www.ixda.org/help
Re: [IxDA Discuss] Five things Interaction Design probably isn't
Why is the ground made of rubber mom? So you don't get hurt honey. But how do I go fast to catch air mom? The pattented interaction designer response: 'you don't need to go fast' Sent from my iPhone On Mar 24, 2009, at 2:09 PM, Brad Nunnally bnunna...@gmail.com wrote: Interaction designers are like moms that want to build skate parks for their kids. That is awesome. This is how I am going to explain it to my mom from now on. Brad Welcome to the Interaction Design Association (IxDA)! To post to this list ... disc...@ixda.org 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 ... disc...@ixda.org Unsubscribe http://www.ixda.org/unsubscribe List Guidelines http://www.ixda.org/guidelines List Help .. http://www.ixda.org/help
Re: [IxDA Discuss] Five things Interaction Design probably isn't
Hi folks, If, as Dan says, the IxDA has failed one of its core missions...: creating tools to help interaction designers promote our value to our organizations and those who don't know anything about us then it's because this issue has not previously risen to the level of critical need. We deliberately focused on building our own community first, and only now that we are established and vital are we able to look outwards more actively. Please also see this recent Discussion thread: http://www.ixda.org/discuss.php?post=39978#39978 . Here the group already has identified the urgent need for a public communications strategy, more specifically targeted at the recruiting/hiring side of things. Those who would like to help Scott Berkun with that effort, please say so somehow, either here or by emailing him or myself directly. We can create a forum for you in IxDA's back room (Basecamp ;) where members principally work to get things done for the organization as a whole. All I want to say further right now is that IxDA is addressing as much as we can as quickly as we can, but our pace does not always keep up with the real world. We are an *entirely* volunteer-driven organization and depend on our members to achieve our ends. Dan, of course, knows this well since he himself spent several years on the Board of Directors. So, *we need your help* to make all of our hopes dreams come to life. Step up and contribute if you want to help IxDA help make a difference in our professional lives. Cheers, Liz, IxDA Vice-President . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Posted from the new ixda.org http://www.ixda.org/discuss?post=40375 Welcome to the Interaction Design Association (IxDA)! To post to this list ... disc...@ixda.org Unsubscribe http://www.ixda.org/unsubscribe List Guidelines http://www.ixda.org/guidelines List Help .. http://www.ixda.org/help
Re: [IxDA Discuss] Five things Interaction Design probably isn't
This conversation is very timely for IxDA. We are creating an IxDA Communications Initiative which will address both internal (keeping you all up-to-date on what IxDA is doing and encouraging participation) and external PR (which can mean many things), as a part of a larger communication strategy. In fact, we started outlining a communication strategy just three days ago. Timely, indeed. This IxDA Communications initiative will certainly have broad reach across (and awareness of) many of our current initiatives, such as: Education (the outreach we need to institutions and students) Conferences (both our global, annual conference and potential regional conferences that may occur) Local Groups (how can we arm local groups with talking points) Business Outreach (still a gem of an idea, but start to think specifically about how we can raise awareness of IxD and provide guidance for businesses) As Liz mentioned, we are purely volunteer-driven, so if you would like to be a part in crafting the IxDA Communication Strategy with us and even taking some leadership of how we execute parts of that, email me directly and we will get this thing jump-started. At the end of the day, we have 10,000+ people on the mailing list, and almost 10,000 people on LinkedIn, to name a few of the places IxDA has a presence. It's high time to tap into you all and move people from passive affiliates to active participants. Who's in? Janna DeVylder President, IxDA On Tue, Mar 24, 2009 at 2:26 PM, Dan Saffer d...@odannyboy.com wrote: This is not a definition problem (or at least so only indirectly): it's a PR problem. And in this, the IxDA has failed one of its core missions, I think: creating tools to help interaction designers promote our value to our organizations and those who don't know anything about us. We don't need mission statements; we need a communications strategy. Dan Welcome to the Interaction Design Association (IxDA)! To post to this list ... disc...@ixda.org 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 ... disc...@ixda.org Unsubscribe http://www.ixda.org/unsubscribe List Guidelines http://www.ixda.org/guidelines List Help .. http://www.ixda.org/help
Re: [IxDA Discuss] Bowman leaves Google
On Mar 24, 2009, at 12:53 PM, Alan Wexelblat wrote: For example, the stakeholders that David advocates putting into that room are the people who have the vision about what the organization needs to achieve. It's probably part of their daily conversations and I would expect it to emerge as part of the brainstorm (probably the part where people explain their ideas, after the idea generation phase). If it doesn't, then you've probably put the wrong people in the room. Likewise the gap between the current and the aspirational should be obvious to everyone. If they're not intimately familiar with the current then again they probably aren't part of this exercise. So, if I understand correctly, you're speaking in an ideal world, where everyone already has the data they need when they walk in the room and everyone is on the same page with that data. Did I get that right? Because, I've never stepped into that world. The world I live in has stakeholders who have no clue what's happening with their designs outside their perceptions of mythical users with mythical scenarios. Jared Welcome to the Interaction Design Association (IxDA)! To post to this list ... disc...@ixda.org Unsubscribe http://www.ixda.org/unsubscribe List Guidelines http://www.ixda.org/guidelines List Help .. http://www.ixda.org/help
Re: [IxDA Discuss] Accordion Interaction
As promised a month or so ago, I've put together a survey about the accordion user interface element to help inform a design pattern I'm writing. If you have opinions about what makes an accordion an accordion (and whether it's really anything different from stacked panels or a reskinned tab interface or a tree widget), please come by and share your thoughts. The questionnaire is here: http://www.surveymonkey.com/s.aspx?sm=lGHKygw2YwMI8yoom00Tzg_3d_3d ...and my blog post about it is here: http://yuiblog.com/blog/2009/03/23/survey-when-is-an-accordion-not-an-accordion/ (hoping those links don't break) Thanks! -xian- -- Christian Crumlish I'm writing a book so please forgive any lag http://designingsocialinterfaces.com Welcome to the Interaction Design Association (IxDA)! To post to this list ... disc...@ixda.org Unsubscribe http://www.ixda.org/unsubscribe List Guidelines http://www.ixda.org/guidelines List Help .. http://www.ixda.org/help
[IxDA Discuss] [JOB] Sr. Information Architect with Flex 12+ months NYC
Hey All, This role is located in downtown Manhattan and is a senior position within a financial firm. This group is looking for the best and for an IA who has worked in the financial realm around projects that involve Flex. Please send your updated resume to liz.ged...@sapphire.com or call 212-257-6123 as soon as possible if you are interested. Thank you! -- Liz Job Description: · Responsible for thorough usability-focused business requirements, UI designs, and usability testing · Develop hi-fidelity interactive web 2.0 user interface designs and must have strong experience in Flex and RIA concepts · Serve as the primary contact with business users to gather requirements and validate requirements and designs—developing and maintaining strong relationships, and keeping them informed and engaged throughout the entire project lifecycle. · Work closely with project management and the application development teams, to provide support for their work products and to act as an informed customer advocate within the development team. · Responsible for detailed, high-quality documentation which meets the needs of the various project stakeholders. Qualifications: · Bachelor's or Master's degree in Computer Science or related field · At least 3 to 4 years experience in business analysis, usability, and UI design of both web and client-server applications. · At least 1 to 2 years experience in various other aspects of systems development, including development, architecture, project management, data modeling, testing, etc. Experience in multiple areas is required. · Strong experience in developing Use Cases and wireframe UI specifications and conducting usability testing. · Knowledge of data modeling, normalization, and SQL queries. · Experience in multi-system application integration. · Familiarity with multiple architectures: n-tier, .NET, client-server, etc.—especially in terms of how to optimize the user experience in these environments. · Fundamental understanding of software development lifecycle. · Graphic design skills are a plus. · Experience with a large, functionally diverse, and informed user base that demands high quality applications. · Self-directed, adaptable, flexible, and curious · Excellent communication and interpersonal skills. · Candidate will be required to submit writing samples illustrating their ability to author a range of high-quality project deliverables Liz Geddes Sapphire Technologies (A Randstad Company) liz.ged...@sapphire.com voice: 212-257-6123 cell: 360-581-4522 140 Broadway Suite 4450 New York NY 10005 http://www.sapphire.com/ Welcome to the Interaction Design Association (IxDA)! To post to this list ... disc...@ixda.org Unsubscribe http://www.ixda.org/unsubscribe List Guidelines http://www.ixda.org/guidelines List Help .. http://www.ixda.org/help
Re: [IxDA Discuss] Feature discoverability
Unfortunately, I am not a beneficiary of the new multitouch trackpads as I am mobile-computer free! (for the moment). It's always been a little weird about Mac and right-clicking, like it's some kind of hack. But I really understand why, at least from an Apple POV. I'm pretty sure I read somewhere in their UI guidelines that no task should be invisible, and that's why right-clicks are only for shortcuts. Funny, I wonder how the UI semantics will change with multitouch. Right now, double-click = open, single click= activate, etc. But will a program have to teach us how to activate a tool? Oh, to get that, you need to use TWO fingers... Etc. Sorry, off topic... I right-click a lot as well on my Mac, but then I use XP, OS X and Linux (Eee PC version of Xandros) on a regular basis, so it's probably more typical of switchers than those who've used Macs for years. I've also had Mac users comment before that they can tell I'm a switcher because I don't use all the keyboard shortcuts and I right-click a lot. The newer Mac laptops do allow right-clicking, but it's a bit of a kludge. You have to use two fingers on the mouse pad and then click. I've noticed on my newish white MacBook that it's not always reliable. Sometimes it doesn't seem to register that there are two fingers and it performs a left-click instead. So I definitely use it less than I used to, due to the hassle. I'm not sure how the unibody MacBooks and MacBook Pros are, but I think they have a glass trackpad, so maybe it registers multitouch better? Welcome to the Interaction Design Association (IxDA)! To post to this list ... disc...@ixda.org Unsubscribe http://www.ixda.org/unsubscribe List Guidelines http://www.ixda.org/guidelines List Help .. http://www.ixda.org/help
[IxDA Discuss] Last Chance for CHI 2009 Online Registration
CHI 2009 is barely a week away! For those who haven't yet registered, registration ends this Saturday, March 28th. Register now and save $200 over onsite registration! http://www.chi2009.org/Attending/Registration.html For those already registered: The CHI 2009 Registration area is located on the second floor level of the Hynes Convention Center, outside of Hall C. Pre-registered participants must pick up their badges and conference materials in this area. On-site registration for the conference and courses (subject to space availability) is located here as well. Registration Hours are: Saturday: 7:30 12:00 Sunday: 7:30 20:00 Monday: 8:00 21:30 Tuesday: 8:00 17:30 Wednesday: 8:00 17:30 Thursday: 8:00 16:30 Most courses still have space, and there is no limit to the number of courses you can register for. You can still edit your registration to add more courses! You can find the final program here: http://www.chi2009.org/Attending/Program.html Some highlights: Opening Plenary: Judith Olsen, U.C. Irvine, discussing Social Ergonomics as an area ripe for exploration. How well do your workplaces and systems fit the natural social capabilities and inclination of workers/users? Closing Plenary: Kees Overbeeke, Eindhoven University, on Dreaming of the Impossible, the seemingly impossible goal of integrating science, engineering, and design, with design leading the way. See designers and chefs together at the Monday panel, What Can User Experience Learn from Food Design? See the Tuesday panel on Mobile Technology for the World's Children, including a team of experts answering questions from children around the world. See you in Boston! The CHI 2009 Conference Committee Welcome to the Interaction Design Association (IxDA)! To post to this list ... disc...@ixda.org Unsubscribe http://www.ixda.org/unsubscribe List Guidelines http://www.ixda.org/guidelines List Help .. http://www.ixda.org/help
[IxDA Discuss] $705k for redesigning a website???
Wow - see post/article here: http://www.dexodesign.com/2009/03/24/705k-for-redesigning-a-website/ This is for real (and maybe I'm the only one shocked about the price tag?) Russell Wilson Vice President of Product Design, NetQoS Blog: http://www.dexodesign.com LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/in/russwilson Welcome to the Interaction Design Association (IxDA)! To post to this list ... disc...@ixda.org Unsubscribe http://www.ixda.org/unsubscribe List Guidelines http://www.ixda.org/guidelines List Help .. http://www.ixda.org/help
Re: [IxDA Discuss] $705k for redesigning a website???
Well, without knowing the scope of the project (which could be significant) and the amount of bureaucracy that is involved with dealing with a client like that, it may not be so surprising after all... 2009/3/24 Russell Wilson russ.wil...@gmail.com Wow - see post/article here: http://www.dexodesign.com/2009/03/24/705k-for-redesigning-a-website/ This is for real (and maybe I'm the only one shocked about the price tag?) Russell Wilson Vice President of Product Design, NetQoS Blog: http://www.dexodesign.com LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/in/russwilson Welcome to the Interaction Design Association (IxDA)! To post to this list ... disc...@ixda.org 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 ... disc...@ixda.org Unsubscribe http://www.ixda.org/unsubscribe List Guidelines http://www.ixda.org/guidelines List Help .. http://www.ixda.org/help
Re: [IxDA Discuss] $705k for redesigning a website???
I've been involved with one of these city projects (ironically, one for a city about the same size, reach). You wouldn't believe what you run into. - City government runs slow. Real slow. One project I worked on, I did the IA in March of last year, and they are hoping to launch next month. - You have to scrub all the old content and re architect it. There's NO WAY you can do IA for every page, so you do very high level patterns, hoping the content fits. Or, does anyone want to do a site inventory for thousands of pages? - It's decision by committee. - Training isn't easy because the employees aren't what you see in the private sector (not saying they aren't as smart, their priorities are different). The site 84,000 pages according to Google. They're going to go over that bid. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Posted from the new ixda.org http://www.ixda.org/discuss?post=40427 Welcome to the Interaction Design Association (IxDA)! To post to this list ... disc...@ixda.org Unsubscribe http://www.ixda.org/unsubscribe List Guidelines http://www.ixda.org/guidelines List Help .. http://www.ixda.org/help
Re: [IxDA Discuss] $705k for redesigning a website???
reminds me of the late 90's On Mar 24, 2009, at 10:13 PM, Russell Wilson wrote: Wow - see post/article here: http://www.dexodesign.com/2009/03/24/705k-for-redesigning-a-website/ This is for real (and maybe I'm the only one shocked about the price tag?) Russell Wilson Vice President of Product Design, NetQoS Blog: http://www.dexodesign.com LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/in/russwilson Welcome to the Interaction Design Association (IxDA)! To post to this list ... disc...@ixda.org 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 ... disc...@ixda.org Unsubscribe http://www.ixda.org/unsubscribe List Guidelines http://www.ixda.org/guidelines List Help .. http://www.ixda.org/help
Re: [IxDA Discuss] $705k for redesigning a website???
Yeah, and it's probably shovel ready. Chris On Tue, Mar 24, 2009 at 3:39 PM, Patrick Neeman p...@usabilitycounts.comwrote: I've been involved with one of these city projects (ironically, one for a city about the same size, reach). You wouldn't believe what you run into. - City government runs slow. Real slow. One project I worked on, I did the IA in March of last year, and they are hoping to launch next month. - You have to scrub all the old content and re architect it. There's NO WAY you can do IA for every page, so you do very high level patterns, hoping the content fits. Or, does anyone want to do a site inventory for thousands of pages? - It's decision by committee. - Training isn't easy because the employees aren't what you see in the private sector (not saying they aren't as smart, their priorities are different). The site 84,000 pages according to Google. They're going to go over that bid. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Posted from the new ixda.org http://www.ixda.org/discuss?post=40427 Welcome to the Interaction Design Association (IxDA)! To post to this list ... disc...@ixda.org 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 ... disc...@ixda.org Unsubscribe http://www.ixda.org/unsubscribe List Guidelines http://www.ixda.org/guidelines List Help .. http://www.ixda.org/help
Re: [IxDA Discuss] $705k for redesigning a website???
On Mar 24, 2009, at 10:13 PM, Russell Wilson wrote: http://www.dexodesign.com/2009/03/24/705k-for-redesigning-a-website/ This is for real (and maybe I'm the only one shocked about the price tag?) These days, projects that are $750k to $2.5m are fairly common. I'm not shocked. Jared Welcome to the Interaction Design Association (IxDA)! To post to this list ... disc...@ixda.org Unsubscribe http://www.ixda.org/unsubscribe List Guidelines http://www.ixda.org/guidelines List Help .. http://www.ixda.org/help
Re: [IxDA Discuss] $705k for redesigning a website???
Jared, Next time you pass one of those up, send it my way. I have the bandwidth, but not the connections ;) Cheers, mate. -Damon Jared Spool wrote: On Mar 24, 2009, at 10:13 PM, Russell Wilson wrote: http://www.dexodesign.com/2009/03/24/705k-for-redesigning-a-website/ This is for real (and maybe I'm the only one shocked about the price tag?) These days, projects that are $750k to $2.5m are fairly common. I'm not shocked. Jared Welcome to the Interaction Design Association (IxDA)! To post to this list ... disc...@ixda.org 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 ... disc...@ixda.org Unsubscribe http://www.ixda.org/unsubscribe List Guidelines http://www.ixda.org/guidelines List Help .. http://www.ixda.org/help
Re: [IxDA Discuss] Bowman leaves Google
HI Jennifer, I think you mis-understand me when I say is an insane request. I mean that to even begin to do that job requires intimacy with the product that as an outsider, I can at best pretend to understand. You've demonstrated some issues below. that doesn't negate my point, but underscores the intricasies of the Google system and how important using various paths is. Regarding the minutiae question, I see your point about how a fraction of a penny per view at your level of scale can make huge differences. I still challenge as other people have the notion that ONLY working at that level is required. You need to zoom in and out and allow for the absurd to take hold, reflect, zoom in, allow for the inane to break free, and then zoom out again. I think in the end we are probably both speaking about a balanced perspective, but from different sides of the see-saw. It happens a lot! -- dave On Tue, Mar 24, 2009 at 2:21 PM, Jenifer Tidwell jenifer.tidw...@gmail.comwrote: On Tue, Mar 24, 2009 at 12:57 AM, dave malouf dave@gmail.com wrote: Jennifer, asking me to re-design Google Search is an insane request. Why? There are real live UXers working on that problem over here, you know. :-) No, it's not insane at all. This is the context of the original post: an influential designer at Google has left, and Google's main product is search. Let me say again that this product has lots of people and dollars worldwide depending on it. Data helps us answer design questions over here, because breaking the user experience even a little bit makes a HUGE difference to those people. We innovate, try things out with real users, and roll out designs that show *measurable* improvement. Validation data would only be used to measure mountains (to take the metaphor being passed around above). Make sure you don't break it. But don't be so risk averse as to LIVE by the data. Use the data to qualify the risk, not to quantify it. And don't quantify the minutiae. Don't try to quantify the subjective, or the emotional. Why not? At this scale, minutiae are important. And the emotional is important too -- we understand that, and as other people have pointed out, some aspects of the Google brand actually do have soul and personality. :-) We know that numbers alone don't tell the full story, but they tell a compelling part of the story. Saying an organization is not a Design success is not saying they are not a success and is not saying there aren't a ton of things to explore and learn from their success. Maybe, just maybe the lesson to be learned from Google is that Design is full of shit and those of us like myself who believe in design and design thinking should close shop and move on to taking up engineering thinking. Not at all. But big-D Design is more effective when it (a) works very closely with engineering thinking and people, and (b) uses its tools well. To us, data analysis is one of those tools. In other organizations, it isn't such a good tool, because of smaller scale, usage patterns, cost of acquiring such data, org culture, or whatever else. But here, it's quite useful, and I'm thankful for it. - Jenifer --- Jenifer Tidwell jenifer.tidw...@gmail.com http://designinginterfaces.com http://jtidwell.net -- Dave Malouf http://davemalouf.com/ http://twitter.com/daveixd http://scad.edu/industrialdesign http://ixda.org/ Welcome to the Interaction Design Association (IxDA)! To post to this list ... disc...@ixda.org Unsubscribe http://www.ixda.org/unsubscribe List Guidelines http://www.ixda.org/guidelines List Help .. http://www.ixda.org/help
Re: [IxDA Discuss] $705k for redesigning a website???
I know there are projects of this size, but from the description (and admittedly many details were left out), it just didn't seem like that large of a project. Russell Wilson Vice President of Product Design, NetQoS Blog: http://www.dexodesign.com LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/in/russwilson On Tue, Mar 24, 2009 at 10:24 PM, Jared Spool jsp...@uie.com wrote: On Mar 24, 2009, at 10:13 PM, Russell Wilson wrote: http://www.dexodesign.com/2009/03/24/705k-for-redesigning-a-website/ This is for real (and maybe I'm the only one shocked about the price tag?) These days, projects that are $750k to $2.5m are fairly common. I'm not shocked. Jared Welcome to the Interaction Design Association (IxDA)! To post to this list ... disc...@ixda.org Unsubscribe http://www.ixda.org/unsubscribe List Guidelines http://www.ixda.org/guidelines List Help .. http://www.ixda.org/help
Re: [IxDA Discuss] $705k for redesigning a website???
It's funny but the actual software development is outsourced in India. And by the looks of it the core is an open source platform . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Posted from the new ixda.org http://www.ixda.org/discuss?post=40427 Welcome to the Interaction Design Association (IxDA)! To post to this list ... disc...@ixda.org Unsubscribe http://www.ixda.org/unsubscribe List Guidelines http://www.ixda.org/guidelines List Help .. http://www.ixda.org/help
Re: [IxDA Discuss] $705k for redesigning a website???
Well, that will play well in Austin, er, Peoria. :) I've quoted that exact project, and the price actually seems low. They must be outsourcing a good portion of that project. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Posted from the new ixda.org http://www.ixda.org/discuss?post=40427 Welcome to the Interaction Design Association (IxDA)! To post to this list ... disc...@ixda.org Unsubscribe http://www.ixda.org/unsubscribe List Guidelines http://www.ixda.org/guidelines List Help .. http://www.ixda.org/help
