Re: [IxDA Discuss] Teaching IxD through design challenges: Which challenges?
Hi JD, That sounds like a really good exercise, certainly meaty enough and realistic enough to teach some valuable truths. And it gives me one thing I hadn't previously considered for the list of lessons worth learning: * Content is often imperfect and inconsistent. Thanks for sharing John On 29 Jun 2009, at 22:00, JD Vogt wrote: Hi John, I designed and instructed a class last Spring at Virginia Tech, Designing UX for the Web, and it was meant to be a very hands-on sort of class. One of the assignments (mid-term) was for the students to assume that they had landed an architectural firm as a client who wanted a redesign of their website - with a particular emphasis on improving the portfolio section. My objective was to get the students thinking about the flow of moving from the home page to detailed information about a particular building project. Something we as professionals are often asked to do - move people from broad content to details so that decisions can be made. The content was based off of a real architectural firm's site with about 60 building projects of varying detail. However, they had to accommodate the fact that sometimes there was a page of info on a given building, sometimes there was only a paragraph. Sometimes there was one photo, sometimes there were 6. Imperfect content, just like the real world. 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-Design researcher at Visual Culture Lab SUPSI
The University of Applied Sciences and Arts of Southern Switzerland (SUPSI) is advertising a job vacancy at the Department of Environment, Construction and Design for the Laboratory of Visual Culture in Lugano- Canobbio: Researcher at full employment. Candidates are requested to hold experience in research in the field of Design. Tasks In the field of research at the Laboratory of Visual Culture: – Enhance the research activities together with the head of the Design and Technology field – Develop a documentation and archive as a base for the lab’s research activities – Define, prepare and manage projects in the field of applied research – Extend on an international level the Laboratories network towards other universities, research centers and companies – Disseminate the research results while participating at conferences and regularly updating the laboratories web sites In the field of the Master in Interaction Design: – Teaching activities and collaboration with the lecturers by preparing the materials and documents for their activities – Transferring the research results into the didactics Requirements – Candidates holding a PhD are favored – Knowing the state of the art in design and methodologies of applied research – Capacities and autonomy in the preparation of research proposals in the field of EU-research projects, Swiss foundations and private companies – A practical approach, multidisciplinary interests as well as interest for technological innovation and its social and cultural aspects – Basic knowledge of the Italian language and of a second Swiss national language are desirable Following skills are positively valuated: – Web applications as Xhtml, Css, Xml, Php, Sql, Actionscript, Java, Javascript, Ajax – Mobile applications such as IPhone SDK, Adobe Flash lite, Phyton, Brew, Java Me – Hardware programming such as Arduino, Max/Msp, Pure Data, Processing, Isadora, Eyesweb For the position as a researcher are also desirable: an initiative spirit, flexibility and the willingness to collaborate at all activities of the department, organizational capacities, confidence, independence, a precise and dynamic way to work as well as the knowledge of one or more foreign languages. The requirements for this position are publicized in the “Direttive interne SUPSI” (direttiva 7A, art. 2) at following Internet address: www.supsi.ch/index.php?page=Servizi_OfferteLavoro Other information can be requested at the head of research in Design and Technology: Massimo Botta +41 (0)58 666 63 94, massimo.bo...@supsi.ch The applications can be handed until July 6th (date stamp) together with curriculum vitae, diplomas, study- and work-certificates, references and salary expectations at: SUPSI – Direzione, Le Gerre, CH-6928 Manno (indicating the job announcement) P Please consider the environment and read MAInD 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] Where is the Sign In on Amazon.com?
I always stumble when signing in to Amazon (I may be the only one, I don't know). Does anyone have any background information on why they chose to break with convention (for signing in)? See my very small post on this -- http://www.dexodesign.com/2009/06/29/where-is-the-sign-in-on-amazon-com/ 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] Where is the Sign In on Amazon.com?
I'd be willing to bet it's a direct reflection of their registration process, which (I think?) follows the more -recent- convention of don't make the user register until there's a clear benefit to doing so, i.e., until there's a clear contextual reason to do so -- buying a book, for example, or saving items to a wish list. What's the benefit of an obvious call to sign in, vs. the way Amazon currently does this? Other than the sense that having a sign-in button is a convention and something that people (or specifically, web designers) expect? -Anne On Tue, Jun 30, 2009 at 10:38 AM, Russell Wilsonruss.wil...@gmail.com wrote: I always stumble when signing in to Amazon (I may be the only one, I don't know). Does anyone have any background information on why they chose to break with convention (for signing in)? See my very small post on this -- http://www.dexodesign.com/2009/06/29/where-is-the-sign-in-on-amazon-com/ 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 -- Anne Hjortshoj | anne...@gmail.com | www.annehj.com | Skype: anne-hj 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] Where is the Sign In on Amazon.com?
Maybe they have read *this* and wanted to collect their $300,000,000... The $300 Million Button http://www.uie.com/articles/three_hund_million_button (Short answer: forcing buyers to register cost sales, so that convention doesn't work for stores). 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] Interviewing sales teams and customer call centers for project research
In planning a new website for a client, I'll get the chance to observe their call centers and sales process in addition to interviewing the company's representatives. I am developing lists of questions to use when interviewing these teams, and I thought I'd ask for your input. I can't get too specific about the client, so at a high level, what topics would you try to cover when interviewing the following teams? 1) Inbound sales call center 2) Customer support call center 3) Face-to-face sales representatives 4) Sales manager 5) Customer support manager 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] Where is the Sign In on Amazon.com?
But I'm not talking about forcing people to register to buy... I just want an easy way to log in that doesn't break with convention and force me to think about it every time... I totally agree that you should be able to buy something without registering. Russell Wilson Vice President of Product Design, NetQoS Blog: http://www.dexodesign.com LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/in/russwilson On Tue, Jun 30, 2009 at 10:12 AM, Diego Moya turi...@gmail.com wrote: Maybe they have read *this* and wanted to collect their $300,000,000... The $300 Million Button http://www.uie.com/articles/three_hund_million_button (Short answer: forcing buyers to register cost sales, so that convention doesn't work for stores). 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] Where is the Sign In on Amazon.com?
I'm guessing that signing in is an abstract step along the path to what the use really wants and they are attempting to bypass it. In other words, as a user I never really want to sign in - what I want is to look at past orders or see personalized recommendations. BUT, signing in is so much a part of popular convention that it is expected. Amazon's way may theoretically be better but it forces users to retrain themselves and modify their behavior/thought process for Amazon's site versus other sites. Russell Wilson Vice President of Product Design, NetQoS Blog: http://www.dexodesign.com LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/in/russwilson On Tue, Jun 30, 2009 at 10:12 AM, Diego Moya turi...@gmail.com wrote: Maybe they have read *this* and wanted to collect their $300,000,000... The $300 Million Button http://www.uie.com/articles/three_hund_million_button (Short answer: forcing buyers to register cost sales, so that convention doesn't work for stores). 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] Where is the Sign In on Amazon.com?
If you click the personalized recommendations link it takes you to sign in. Why not make the sign in text a link instead? I have no idea who did this or what their thinking was. My only guess would be they might have information that more of their audience behaves like I do... that is, I never sign in until I'm ready to check out. I've never even noticed or thought about a sign in link on Amazon until you pointed it out. I always browse first, then sign in only when I think I actually need something, and the point I do that is always at the start of the checkout process. But it's speculation. Someone from Amazon would need to chime in. -- Andrei Herasimchuk Chief Design Officer, Involution Studios innovating the digital world e. and...@involutionstudios.com c. +1 408 306 6422 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] Where is the Sign In on Amazon.com?
I'm always signed in (at the most basic level of recognition) on Amazon, so I had to check to see what the experience looks like if you've signed out. There is an explicit sign-in link, though the linked part of the sentence mentions personalized recommendations rather than sign in. It's at top center rather than top right, which is a little unconventional, but it's still noticeable--and the way it's phrased (Sign in to get personalized recommendations) calls out the main benefit of signing in if you're just browsing: the recommendations. Otherwise, unless you're checking order status, it seems to me that there's no obvious benefit to signing in until you check out, so there's no particular need for a sign-in link. If you are checking something to do with an order, payment, refund, etc., clicking Your Account instead of Sign In seems natural enough. The sign-in area on the main account page is clearly set off from the rest of the page. In general, I like the fact that you aren't prompted to sign in until you need to. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Posted from the new ixda.org http://www.ixda.org/discuss?post=43262 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] Where is the Sign In on Amazon.com?
Is the problem you're seeing (and I totally get) because Amazon spells out Sign In prior to and apart from the actions? On Tue, Jun 30, 2009 at 11:40 AM, Russell Wilsonruss.wil...@gmail.com wrote: I'm guessing that signing in is an abstract step along the path to what the use really wants and they are attempting to bypass it. In other words, as a user I never really want to sign in - what I want is to look at past orders or see personalized recommendations. BUT, signing in is so much a part of popular convention that it is expected. Amazon's way may theoretically be better but it forces users to retrain themselves and modify their behavior/thought process for Amazon's site versus other sites. 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] Where is the Sign In on Amazon.com?
Essentially yes. My first thought always is to want to click sign in. When I can't I look to see if I'm already signed in. When I realize I'm not, I look for a sign in link... and when I don't find that I click any of the links in order to sign in... Maybe I'm crazy... :-) Russell Wilson Vice President of Product Design, NetQoS Blog: http://www.dexodesign.com LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/in/russwilson On Tue, Jun 30, 2009 at 10:58 AM, Scott McDaniel sc...@scottopic.comwrote: Is the problem you're seeing (and I totally get) because Amazon spells out Sign In prior to and apart from the actions? On Tue, Jun 30, 2009 at 11:40 AM, Russell Wilsonruss.wil...@gmail.com wrote: I'm guessing that signing in is an abstract step along the path to what the use really wants and they are attempting to bypass it. In other words, as a user I never really want to sign in - what I want is to look at past orders or see personalized recommendations. BUT, signing in is so much a part of popular convention that it is expected. Amazon's way may theoretically be better but it forces users to retrain themselves and modify their behavior/thought process for Amazon's site versus other sites. 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] Where is the Sign In on Amazon.com?
It's Your Account link. The landing page shows all possible options upfront (including Sign In box). I think its clever, never had problems with that. Oleh Kovalchuke Interaction Design is design of time http://www.tangospring.com/IxDtopicWhatIsInteractionDesign.htm On Tue, Jun 30, 2009 at 9:38 AM, Russell Wilson russ.wil...@gmail.comwrote: I always stumble when signing in to Amazon (I may be the only one, I don't know). Does anyone have any background information on why they chose to break with convention (for signing in)? See my very small post on this -- http://www.dexodesign.com/2009/06/29/where-is-the-sign-in-on-amazon-com/ 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] Where is the Sign In on Amazon.com?
I think a big part of the problem is: Hello. Sign in to get personalized recommendationshttp://www.amazon.com/gp/yourstore/ref=pd_irl_gw?ie=UTF8signIn=1. New customer? Start herehttp://www.amazon.com/gp/flex/sign-out.html/ref=pd_irl_gw_r?ie=UTF8path=%2Fgp%2FyourstoresignIn=1useRedirectOnSuccess=1action=sign-out . The linking seems off (I expect Sign in to be a link) Russell Wilson Vice President of Product Design, NetQoS Blog: http://www.dexodesign.com LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/in/russwilson On Tue, Jun 30, 2009 at 11:08 AM, Oleh Kovalchuke tangospr...@gmail.comwrote: It's Your Account link. The landing page shows all possible options upfront (including Sign In box). I think its clever, never had problems with that. Oleh Kovalchuke Interaction Design is design of time http://www.tangospring.com/IxDtopicWhatIsInteractionDesign.htm On Tue, Jun 30, 2009 at 9:38 AM, Russell Wilson russ.wil...@gmail.comwrote: I always stumble when signing in to Amazon (I may be the only one, I don't know). Does anyone have any background information on why they chose to break with convention (for signing in)? See my very small post on this -- http://www.dexodesign.com/2009/06/29/where-is-the-sign-in-on-amazon-com/ 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] Where is the Sign In on Amazon.com?
Hello. Sign in to get personalized recommendationshttp://www.amazon.com/gp/yourstore/ref=pd_irl_gw?ie=UTF8signIn=1. Yes, that looks like noise (they might have quantified the impact in A/B tests, I assume foolishly). New customer? Start herehttp://www.amazon.com/gp/flex/sign-out.html/ref=pd_irl_gw_r?ie=UTF8path=%2Fgp%2FyourstoresignIn=1useRedirectOnSuccess=1action=sign-out . This could have been grouped with My Account link. Oleh Kovalchuke Interaction Design is design of time http://www.tangospring.com/IxDtopicWhatIsInteractionDesign.htm On Tue, Jun 30, 2009 at 11:12 AM, Russell Wilson russ.wil...@gmail.comwrote: I think a big part of the problem is: Hello. Sign in to get personalized recommendationshttp://www.amazon.com/gp/yourstore/ref=pd_irl_gw?ie=UTF8signIn=1. New customer? Start herehttp://www.amazon.com/gp/flex/sign-out.html/ref=pd_irl_gw_r?ie=UTF8path=%2Fgp%2FyourstoresignIn=1useRedirectOnSuccess=1action=sign-out . The linking seems off (I expect Sign in to be a link) Russell Wilson Vice President of Product Design, NetQoS Blog: http://www.dexodesign.com LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/in/russwilson On Tue, Jun 30, 2009 at 11:08 AM, Oleh Kovalchuke tangospr...@gmail.com wrote: It's Your Account link. The landing page shows all possible options upfront (including Sign In box). I think its clever, never had problems with that. Oleh Kovalchuke Interaction Design is design of time http://www.tangospring.com/IxDtopicWhatIsInteractionDesign.htm On Tue, Jun 30, 2009 at 9:38 AM, Russell Wilson russ.wil...@gmail.comwrote: I always stumble when signing in to Amazon (I may be the only one, I don't know). Does anyone have any background information on why they chose to break with convention (for signing in)? See my very small post on this -- http://www.dexodesign.com/2009/06/29/where-is-the-sign-in-on-amazon-com/ 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] Interviewing sales teams and customer call centers for project research
Erin, I've worked with call centers for a long time. You've probably thought of at least some of these, and some seem simplistic and obvious, but here are questions I find helpful. For groups 1, 2, and 3 - Why do people call/email/chat with/come see you? - What are they usually trying to do? - What steps work and which seem problematic? - What frustrates them? - What frustrates you (the agent)? - How else can people do what they ask you to do for them? - How would they know about that? - Why don't they use other methods? - Where are they when they contact you? - Do you use scripts? If so, are they in line with other channels (web, IVR, collateral, etc.)? - How do you keep and access knowledge? For 4 and 5, I would ask similar questions, though with a management focus. And ask them separately from the other groups to avoid even subtle influence. Doing so will usually raise some interesting conflicts that can be further explored. That's not everything, but I hope it helps! Good luck, Phillip http://www.design-outloud.com . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Posted from the new ixda.org http://www.ixda.org/discuss?post=43265 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] Interviewing sales teams and customer call centers for project research
I suggest asking if there is any seasonality to calls. Depending on your client, they may have more products sold at a certain time of year, need certain functionality/reporting help at tax time or end of year, or get more calls when a quarterly upgrade occurs. I also ask for reports or metrics - these are often broken out for various tiers in support levels (Tier 1- simple answers; Tier 3 complex, technical follow-up). I ask manager how their team is measured for success or performance? This could impact their approach to their work. What work arounds they have developed or learned form a co-worker. What work seems redundant or should be simpler? One presenter at UPA mentioned asking about what others have a problem with so you deflect the discomfort the intervieweee may have with telling a less flattering story. I always ask for copies of cheat sheets or locally saved documentation that is better handled as version controlled/open documentation and I watch for sticky notes. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Posted from the new ixda.org http://www.ixda.org/discuss?post=43265 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] Interviewing sales teams and customer call centers for project research
For any type of field study (including, even especially, call centres), I've found this book invaluable: Hackos and Redish: User and task analysis for interface design (Wiley) http://www.amazon.com/User-Task-Analysis-Interface-Design/dp/0471178314/ref= sr_1_2?ie=UTF8s=booksqid=1246390798sr=1-2 Despite the name, this is actually a book about going to observe users in their natural habitat and finding out what they do. It's still the best book on the topic even though it was published in 1998. The best bit about it having been out for ages is that you can pick up a good second-hand copy for about $15 including shipping. As with any book written by Ginny Redish, it's amazingly clear and practical. And one quick tip: I ask people to save up examples of three types of work ahead of my visit: - something easy - something typical - something difficult, important, or that they'd be upset if it went wrong. They're usually quite willing to do that because it doesn't sound onerous (and it isn't). This then opens the door to a conversation about what 'easy', 'typical' and 'difficult' might mean to them. I've found that if I _don't_ do this, then they tend to focus only on the difficult/important stuff - which is well worth finding out about, don't get me wrong, but which then obscures the everyday humdrum stuff which is actually the bulk of the work. Best Caroline Jarrett www.formsthatwork.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] User experience blogs / journals with an emphasis on non-web applications?
No problem! p.s. sorry everyone about the double post, I have problems with these threads sometimes :-/ . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Posted from the new ixda.org http://www.ixda.org/discuss?post=42905 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] Interviewing sales teams and customer call centers for project research
Personally, I would start with a question for yourself: what is it that you want to find out about? That should guide the questions that you ask of the staff. If you're not clear what it is that you want to find out, then your research could be aimless. Of course, feel free to change mid-stream if some interesting stuff comes up that you didn't anticipate, but having a framework to guide things is useful so that you don't get distracted into irrelevant topics and focus instead upon what is relevant to what you want to do. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Posted from the new ixda.org http://www.ixda.org/discuss?post=43265 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] Interviewing sales teams and customer call centers for project research
Erin, I'm at the footstep to a similar problem, I'm so glad you asked this! Phillip, that's an excellent start! Much appreciated. Thanks everyone. Jason R. -- Jason Robb ja...@jasonrobb.com http://jasonrobb.com http://uxboston.com http://uiscraps.tumblr.com . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Posted from the new ixda.org http://www.ixda.org/discuss?post=43265 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] Adaptive Path's UX Week Special $1, 776 Independence Day Pricing
Special $1,776 Independence Day Pricing through July 5th Hi there, Have you registered for UX Week yet? No?! Do it by July 5th to get our special $1,776 Independence Day pricing (regular price is $2,495). Use PROMO CODE 'IXDA' and get an additional 15% discount. Join us at the historic Palace Hotel in San Francisco for four days of talks, hands-on workshops, inspiration, and community. *Main stage talks include:* * Matias Duarte, Senior Director of Human Interface and UX at Palm * Sarah Jones, Tony Award winning playwright and performer * Scott McCloud, author of Understanding Comics * Genevieve Bell, Director, User Experience Group, Intel Digital Home Group * Temple Grandin, Best-selling author, Animals Make Us Human and Thinking in Pictures * Jesse James Garrett, Co-Founder and President of Adaptive Path * David Merrill, one of the creators of Siftables * Erin McKean, Independent lexicographer and dictionary evangelist * Martyn Ware, Sonic ID (and founder of the 80's band, The Human League!) * Elizabeth Windram, Senior UX Designer Bernhard Seefeld, Product Manager, Google Maps *3 days of hands-on workshops include:* * Good Design Faster with Rachel Glaves and Brandon Schauer of Adaptive Path * Noel Franus, Manager of the global identity practice for Sonic ID * Strategy Team of One with Henning Fischer of Adaptive Path * Content Strategy with Kristina Halvorson of Brain Traffic * Facilitation and Collaboration with Julia Houck-Whitaker of Adaptive Path and Sarah B. Nelson * Designing for Mobile with Rachel Hinman of Adaptive Path * Multitouch with Nathan Moody and Darren David of Stimulant * Michal Migurski and Tom Carden of Stamen * Making Things with Jared Cole of Adaptive Path * Tangible Thinking with Todd Wilkens of Adaptive Path See more about our program here: www.uxweek.comhttps://app.bronto.com/public/?q=ulinkfn=Linkssid=8317id=226yukersm50kkj2uebvs6ru7gk4xid2=cqkrt8cj3wwubfok4nk1oq2hdnbt1 UX Week 2009 The Palace Hotel September 15-18 Special pricing through July 5th = $1,776 (regular price $2,495) Use PROMO CODE IXDA and get an additional 15% off. If your organization is interested in sending four or more people, we can talk group discounts. Email: apeve...@adaptivepath.com Cheers, Analisa Lono 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] Where is the Sign In on Amazon.com?
I agree. The key problem for me is that Amazon is the only site where I have to click on My Account before signing in rather than after. Until I got used to that, I would look around the page for a sign in link, confused about whether or not I was authenticated. Another problem I had, which came with knowing how cookies work, is that I wasn't sure whether changes to my shopping would be saved if I didn't hunt down that login form. (Of course Amazon wanted me to edit my cart without logging in at all, but took me a while to realize that. In addition, I expect and intend that websites will forget me when I close my browser.) I guess you have to think a certain way for this to be a problem, and it probably doesn't ultimately drive any customers away. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Posted from the new ixda.org http://www.ixda.org/discuss?post=43262 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] Front-End Developer - Positive Energy - Washington DC area - Full-time
Positive Energy (www.positiveenergyusa.com) is a 2-year-old energy efficiency company based in Arlington, VA. We create software solutions to reduce the demand for energy in the residential consumer market. With over a dozen utilities in our client-base, we have over 300,000 homes with access to our Home Energy Reports. Through the comparative data and energy efficiency tips in our reports, residential consumers can modify their behavior to see dramatic reductions in their usage. We're looking for a smart and talented web developer, who is looking for early-career experience with a top-notch development team. You will work directly with our small development team to design and implement the XHTML/CSS-based front-end to our reporting engine The products you build will change the way millions of people across the country think about and use energy. If you're not in DC, don't let it deter you - we've already relocated about 15 people from all over the country - California, Boston, Texas. Come join us :) Responsibilities •Design and implementation of the front-end of our energy efficiency reporting engine •Development of new modules customized for our clients •Support and ongoing enhancement of our corporate website •Prototyping of web apps to be used during sales presentations About You • You have a BS or MS in Computer Science or a related field • You have at least one year of related professional experience • You are very strong with the broad range of web technologies including XHTML and CSS. Javascript is a plus. • You are fluent in Java and/or another high-level language • You understand the intricacies of building a web application from the browser to the database • You have a strong drive to learn and enjoy challenges • You function well in a fast-paced, informal environment, where constant change is the norm and the bar for quality is set high No phone calls No visa sponsorships/transfers No external recruiters APPLICATION INSTRUCTIONS Please email your resume in MS Word, RTF, HTML, or ASCII text format to the address below. If you wish to enclose a cover letter, please include it in the body of your email message. 34113-cj...@positiveenergyusa.hrmdirect.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] Where is the Sign In on Amazon.com?
In fact, common users don't look for a sign inbutton, because they don't think like experts. Their main goal is to actually do something on the site (like edit their account settings for example) but they don't know if they would have to sign in before doing it, and honestly, they don't care. They look for the thing they want to do, and see if they have to sign in. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Posted from the new ixda.org http://www.ixda.org/discuss?post=43262 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] Interviewing sales teams and customer call centers for project research
You might want to check out Steve Mulder's book on Practical Personas although I'm not recommending you build personas as a response to your question. One of the things I got from his book was about the script being there primarily to keep the conversation going; the real goal is getting the person on the other end talking about what's important to them; be open to dialogue that is off-topic and not on the script. That said, is your goal to uncover end user needs or to collect stakeholder needs..or both? Because each of these roles has different connections to the customer and different perspectives. They will probably be most responsive to you when your questions seem to benefit them. For example, if you are improving on a feature in the product that is currently below par in the competitive landscape, the sales people will probably be happier since they won't have to defend the current product deficiency in their meetings. If you are talking to the phone support staff about high frequency call topics and mention how you are trying to reduce the volume of these through design changes, they may love you for that. Or, maybe you are putting a heavy paper-process into online format such as a registration one-off that currently isn't available on the website. In short, I think it would be helpful to know what your goals are: customer input or stakeholders...or are the customers internal? It's hard to suggest questions not knowing what you want to get out of it. Good luck! Brian Rhythmspice Media www.rhythmspice.com p.s. listening to inbound calls an hour a week in the call center is a great way to learn about the customers and call center staff at the same time. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Posted from the new ixda.org http://www.ixda.org/discuss?post=43265 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] low cost wireframing/diagramming solution?
Balsamiq is the best program ever for quick wireframing and prototyping. If you write a blog post or promote their product on the web at all, they will give you a free license. -Matthew Stephens Co-Founder, deviantART.com Lead UX Designer, OneSpot.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] Where is the Sign In on Amazon.com?
I agree with you Russell. I find this very annoying and I am a frequent Amazon shopper. I know better, but I still find my self having to take note of where and how to log in because it is not intuitive. I agree with Medina, they are not setting proper expectations. People scan websites, and read link text more than regular page text. When I scan the header I read Personalized Recommendations which I visualize as a list of recommended products, not a login screen. As far as the reference to Spools 3 million dollar change, I agree that users shouldn't be forced to login, but that can be solved by simply not requiring it. Making the login hard to spot and not immediately recognizable only makes it harder for current customers to log in. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Posted from the new ixda.org http://www.ixda.org/discuss?post=43262 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] Looking for data to refute crazy client
Hello, Someone I work for has a strange enhancement request which I do not agree with, but this person is the boss. I think in my gut, this is wrong. *website: * a user management system for secure student data. Clients are a little paranoid about passwords and user names getting out. *behavior:* when you select a user and want to reset his or her password, the resulting screen shows the user name, but then blanks out the password which you can only see by printing the page. Blanking out the password seems silly since you can still see it if you print it out. Do people agree this is poor functionality? If so, is there any evidence to support my feeling that this is a bad idea? Thanks, Matthew 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] Looking for data to refute crazy client
The system should programmatically choose a new temporary password and should send it to the user, with a note reminding them to change it immediately. The administrators should not have direct access to the temporary or user-selected passwords. Functions that the administrators are able to perform on behalf of users should be done via their own login credentials, so the actions can be distinguished from the user's. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Posted from the new ixda.org http://www.ixda.org/discuss?post=43289 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
