Re: [IxDA Discuss] Scrivener's author on iPad
Thanks for posting this - I'm using Scrivener for my current novel-in-progress and I love it, and yes, I was one of those who was interested in iPad support for it. I have to admit, I deeply miss the days when I had a mobile version of Word and my entire current manuscript on my mobile device. I didn't need all the features of Word - I was just happy that I could add scenes, notes, whatever while waiting in line for takeout. I really question whether if the folks bugging them about it would want *all* the features of the full app on a mobile device. I think the Scrivener guys' reaction might be an artifact of the all-too common perception that the mobile web/mobile software should be a shrunk-down version of their full-sized friends. What they should probably write instead is a Scrivener companion for iPad that allows people to do a subset of likely mobile tasks such as writing research notes or scenes -- in a format that will be consumable by the desktop app, and without too many sync shenanigans. In fact - I'm going to go over to their blog now and recommend exactly that. Hope you're all having fun in Savannah - I'm green with envy! Cheers Billie Director, UX Myriad Group AG twitter: @synaesthete . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Posted from the new ixda.org http://www.ixda.org/discuss?post=48910 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] Design -- Development pipeline/tools?
Hey folks - What's your company's process/pipeline/set of tools for delivering and communicating designs (and associated visual design assets) to your dev team? *[Addressed particularly to innies in software development orgs though anyone's insights much appreciated]* TO be clear: I'm NOT asking the Visio vs Illustrator vs Fireworks etc conversation. I'm asking what happens *after* the design team has determined (at least a first cut of) both how the app should work, and how it should look. Do you have a tool or process that tells the developers which UI patterns/controls to use, where to place the art, how much velocity/decay there should be on animated transitions or gestural effects? Are they coding these things manually based on design team deliverables (wireframes/animated sequences)? Do you have a tool that you use in which designers can actually create the apps' front ends? I ask because I'm doing a bit of an audit of our processes, trying to streamline things and get more efficient. I'm trying to get a feel for the state of the art in UI development processes -- need to assess how behind/ahead my company is so I can decide how hard I need to push my process innovation agenda. Cheers - Billie PS - [waving hello] Haven't posted in ages - been a bit 'heads down' over here. Hope everyone's having a fab summer! *** Billie Mandel Director, User Experience Myriad Group AG www.myriadgroup.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: Mobile Interaction Designer, Paris Area/Manchester Area (Bay Area possible), Contract or Perm negotiable
Myriad is looking for a passionate and talented interaction designer to work on the user experience for our mobile software product portfolio. As a team member, you will work with product management and engineering to define the next generation of products for Myriad. The User Experience Designers role is to research users goals and tasks, and then conceptualize and define a coherent mobile user experience that is easy to use, compelling, cool and innovative. Our ideal candidate has 4+ years of experience designing interactive software products, and a portfolio that shows expertise and innovation in designing for small screens. S/he will thrive in an interdisciplinary environment, working with other designers and product managers, and be particularly fired up at the prospect of working closely with an awesome team of engineers (yes, you have to actively like engineers to work here). Also, while our ideal candidate doesn't believe that any one product or solution is the Holy Grail, s/he understands and is excited about the cool things that the current technologies enable a product development team to do. Responsibilities: Design user experiences for mobile application interfaces and other interfaces that comprise the mobile ecosystem, in conjunction with a cross-functional and global team of other designers, product managers and software engineers. Design and create user experience architecture diagrams (site maps, task flows) and wireframes Write user interface specifications detailing user interface designs; style guides detailing visual design, etc Clearly present and communicate designs and user experience strategy to senior management, team members and outside clients Conduct and coordinate user research and usability testing for mobile applications Create low/high fidelity prototypes in Flash Work with engineering to define details of product implementation and to solve any UI/usability issues that may arise Contribute ideas for improving processes and deliverables Knowledge and experience designing for a wide variety of interfaces including mobile interfaces, web interfaces and client software interfaces. Conceptualize and innovate while looking holistically at the entire mobile ecosystem Ability to roll up your sleeves and dig into defining the specific details of the mobile application interface on a day-to-day basis Focus on interaction design, but also be able to change hats quickly and do user research, prototyping, etc Assess customer needs as well as end-user needs in producing design solutions Help fuel the creative fire as a core member of the product development team Required Qualifications 4+ year college degree in Human-Computer Interaction or related field (Cognitive Science, Psychology etc), or equivalent experience Solid interaction design skills. A portfolio demonstrating experience in designing innovative, usable interfaces (this may be an online or printed portfolio). Minimum of 4 years of experience in software/application interaction design in a user-centred-design environment Minimum 1+ years designing interactive client applications for mobile devices Superlative communication and cooperation skills, including solid oral, written, presentation and organizational abilities Demonstrated ability to provide design leadership while working in a collaborative environment with engineers, interaction designers and product managers Must be a self-starter with strong problem solving skills and ability to switch rapidly between various projects in a fast-paced environment Working experience with design applications, including Visio, Photoshop, Illustrator, or equivalent tools, as they relate to producing design deliverables and specifications Experience in one or more relevant technology areas, including: Mobile client development (J2ME, Symbian, Microsoft Smartphone), Mobile content technologies (WAP/WML, WAP 2.0/XHTML, SMS, EMS, MMS) Prototyping skills in Flash, Flex or other technology a strong plus, as are visual design or production skills. Nerdy passion for beautiful products that work well Working fluency in English is required; French or other language skills a plus Please send your resume, portfolio link and a brief but brilliant cover letter to billie.mandel at myriadgroup dot 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: Mobile Visual Designer, Paris Area/Manchester Area/Bay Area, Contract or Perm negotiable
Myriads User Experience team is looking for a passionate and talented Visual Designer. The Visual Designers role is to 1) work with the team to define the visuals for Myriads cutting edge mobile software products, 2) be able to conceptualize and communicate cutting edge animation/motion for our products, and 3) produce high fidelity prototypes to convey user experience, visual design and animation/motion of product to product management and engineering. Our ideal candidate has 3+ years of experience designing interactive software products, and a portfolio that shows expertise and innovation in designing for small screens. S/he will thrive in an interdisciplinary environment, working with other designers and product managers, and be particularly fired up at the prospect of working closely with an awesome team of engineers (yes, you have to actively like engineers to work here). Also, while our ideal candidate doesn't believe that any one product or solution is the Holy Grail, s/he understands and is excited about the cool things that the current technologies enable a product development team to do. Responsibilities: Work with the team to define and create the visual design for Myriads mobile products Work closely with interaction designers to define and communicate the look and feel for our products. Research, design and innovate the next generation of visual design for interactive applications for mobile devices were going to need somebody to look beyond the iPhone Create Flash animations/visual effects and build high fidelity prototypes. Create production assets, visual design specifications and style guides to deliver to engineering Create conceptual demos for tradeshows, sales and product management. Create wireframes/UI specifications to augment interaction design staff when needed (an excellent opportunity to learn interaction design if you would like to get more experience) Help fuel the creative fire as a core member of the product development team, and participate as part of the team defining the products interaction design Required Qualifications 3+ years designing interactive consumer software products, not just web sites. Ideal would be experience in mobile interface design or consumer products (game consoles, set top boxes, consumer electronics etc.) 3+ years experience producing visual design assets and specifications for engineering, as well as experience with customizing branding. A portfolio that demonstrates design innovation and expertise 1+ years of experience designing products for mobile/handheld/small screen products Strong experience with Flash, creating high fidelity prototypes, rich animations and visual transitions, Flash applications, and animation/motion, as well as knowledge of Actionscript. Must be able to show examples in portfolio. Working experience with other design tools, including Photoshop, Illustrator, Visio, etc., as they relate to producing visual design deliverables and detailed specifications Fluency in the language and practice of interaction design though visual design should be your native language. Superlative communication and cooperation skills, and demonstrated ability to work in a collaborative environment with engineers, interaction designers and product managers. Project leadership experience a strong plus. BFA/BA in Interactive Design or related field, or equivalent work experience. Nerdy passion for beautiful products that work well Working fluency in English is required; French or other language skills a plus Please send your resume, portfolio link and a brief but brilliant cover letter to billie.mandel at myriadgroup dot 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] Touchscreen keyboard research?
Question 2 of the evening: has anyone done any comparative user research yet on different layouts for touchscreen keyboards on mobile phones? I'm just not convinced that the metaphor translates for a QWERTY keyboard on a one-hand device with no actual buttons. Will probably do said research myself if none of you lovely people has taken it on yet. Thoughts? Cheers, - Billie *** Billie Mandel Director, User Experience Purple Labs S.A. This message, including attachments, is intended solely for the addressee indicated in this message and is strictly confidential or otherwise Privileged. If you are not the intended recipient (or responsible for delivery of the message to such person) : - (1) please immediately (i) notify the sender by reply email and (ii) delete this message and attachments, - (2) any use, copy or dissemination of this transmission is strictly prohibited. If you or your employer does not consent to Internet email messages of this kind, please advise Purple Labs by reply e-mail immediately. Opinions, conclusions and other information expressed in this message are not given or endorsed by Purple Labs unless otherwise indicated by an authorized representative independent of this message. Welcome to the Interaction Design Association (IxDA)! To post to this list ... [EMAIL PROTECTED] Unsubscribe http://www.ixda.org/unsubscribe List Guidelines http://www.ixda.org/guidelines List Help .. http://www.ixda.org/help
Re: [IxDA Discuss] [IxDA Digest] IxD biz model similar to Bio/Life Science
MIT Media Lab is the closest I can think of, in terms of product design innovation. I think we've got a problem impeding this type of relationship in our field, though; overall, we still have a divide between our (HCI-focused) academic programs and the way the majority of us practice our professions. [Note: I'm not throwing around generalizations just to be incendiary. Specific example: my old company acquired a smaller company who had a prior relationship with a university professor in HCI who would run user tests for them. When we acquired them, as head of UX, I inherited this relationship, and was tasked with working with him to plan the next study and feed the findings into the dev cycle. Despite our shared native fluency in the same mother tongue, and years of experience in the same field, I swear to you all, it was like we were talking about apples and fish. His research was smart and interesting, but not really actionable for product design purposes.] Hopefully, as we bridge this divide (say, for instance, by some of us bringing our front-line design studio mindsets back to the academy - and vice versa, of course), it will become more possible in our field for academic and think tank-type research to drive innovation. Cheers, - Billie * Billie Mandel Director, User Experience Purple Labs S.A. [EMAIL PROTECTED] This message, including attachments, is intended solely for the addressee indicated in this message and is strictly confidential or otherwise Privileged. If you are not the intended recipient (or responsible for delivery of the message to such person) : - (1) please immediately (i) notify the sender by reply email and (ii) delete this message and attachments, - (2) any use, copy or dissemination of this transmission is strictly prohibited. If you or your employer does not consent to Internet email messages of this kind, please advise Purple Labs by reply e-mail immediately. Opinions, conclusions and other information expressed in this message are not given or endorsed by Purple Labs unless otherwise indicated by an authorized representative independent of this message. Welcome to the Interaction Design Association (IxDA)! To post to this list ... [EMAIL PROTECTED] Unsubscribe http://www.ixda.org/unsubscribe List Guidelines http://www.ixda.org/guidelines List Help .. http://www.ixda.org/help
[IxDA Discuss] Vive l'ergonomie?
Hey folks - I guess today's my day to open my trap on IxDA, which I haven't done in ages (*waving hello to everyone*) So, question of the day: what can you guys tell me about the state of our field in France? Back story: In my years in this community and on this list, I've met designers from many other countries, but never from France. And now I've got a new job building a design organization in a largely French software company. From my as-yet-limited observations, it seems as though there are experts in ergonomie - which appears to be synonomous with usability - and then there are are front-end developers. The actual design of the product seems to be either a collaboration between the two, or something done by the developers based on guidelines produced by the /ergonomie/ folks. What I'm wondering: Is this observation generally applicable to the practice of UX in France, or does it vary between companies or sub-sectors (software vs web, mobile vs desktop)? Any insight you can provide will be greatly appreciated. Cheers, - Billie * Billie Mandel Director, User Experience Purple Labs S.A. This message, including attachments, is intended solely for the addressee indicated in this message and is strictly confidential or otherwise Privileged. If you are not the intended recipient (or responsible for delivery of the message to such person) : - (1) please immediately (i) notify the sender by reply email and (ii) delete this message and attachments, - (2) any use, copy or dissemination of this transmission is strictly prohibited. If you or your employer does not consent to Internet email messages of this kind, please advise Purple Labs by reply e-mail immediately. Opinions, conclusions and other information expressed in this message are not given or endorsed by Purple Labs unless otherwise indicated by an authorized representative independent of this message. Welcome to the Interaction Design Association (IxDA)! To post to this list ... [EMAIL PROTECTED] Unsubscribe http://www.ixda.org/unsubscribe List Guidelines http://www.ixda.org/guidelines List Help .. http://www.ixda.org/help
Re: [IxDA Discuss] OSD Design Resources
Have you seen the on-screen web browser for the Wii? It's pretty awesome, at first glance, at least (though I'm used to designing for mobile screens, so maybe I was just impressed with the size :-) ) I'd say it's worth looking at the Wii in particular, and game designs in general, if you're working in this space. Cheers, - Billie -Original Message- From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] On Behalf Of Yunus Tunak Sent: Thursday, June 26, 2008 1:49 AM To: IXDA list Subject: [IxDA Discuss] OSD Design Resources Hi all, I'm looking for sources about TV OSDs (on-screen display). Any particular experience on design, case-studies, technical specifications, user experiences, books or any relevant material is appreciated. We are going to develop an OSD to be used on LCD TVs ranging from 19'' to 52''. I am looking for these sources all over the web for the past 2 weeks and its interesting to see how uncharted this topic is. And your views and comments are also welcome. Best regards, Yunus Tunak /Creative Lead, Partner spacesheep interactive | www.spacesheep.net Welcome to the Interaction Design Association (IxDA)! To post to this list ... [EMAIL PROTECTED] Unsubscribe http://www.ixda.org/unsubscribe List Guidelines http://www.ixda.org/guidelines List Help .. http://www.ixda.org/help Welcome to the Interaction Design Association (IxDA)! To post to this list ... [EMAIL PROTECTED] Unsubscribe http://www.ixda.org/unsubscribe List Guidelines http://www.ixda.org/guidelines List Help .. http://www.ixda.org/help
[IxDA Discuss] Ratio of designers to developers
Hey fab folks - So I was at dinner the other night with the technical publications manager here at my company, and he mentioned that the STC had stats on how many documentation people a software company should have per software developer, in order for the tech pubs team to be optimally effective. Do we have anything like that for designers? Anyone done any work determining what the relative size of the design team to the dev team should be overall for a software dev shop? (Yes, I know, it depends, but a ratio range would certainly be useful) Thanks in advance (you'll be helping me build my empire and take over the world, of course) Cheers, - Billie * **** * * Billie Mandel | Manager, User Experience Design Research | OPENWAVE *Come to IxDA Interaction08 | Savannah* February 8-10, 2008 in Savannah, GA, USA Register today: http://interaction08.ixda.org/ Welcome to the Interaction Design Association (IxDA)! To post to this list ... [EMAIL PROTECTED] Unsubscribe http://www.ixda.org/unsubscribe List Guidelines http://www.ixda.org/guidelines List Help .. http://www.ixda.org/help
[IxDA Discuss] link vs button
Hey gang - Back in the day when there was a clear(er) delineation between software and the web, the way most of us designed was to use buttons for actual actions or operations, and hyperlinks for opening or filtering a web page. It seems to me like this is changing in our wild mashed-up world of web app fabulousity - lots of folks are designing apps where a hyperlink invokes an action (edit, add, send message, etc). What do you say - are said designers committing heresy, or are they trailblazers? Should we be enforcing this line, or letting it blur? Cheers, -Billie * * * * * * * Billie Mandel | Manager, User Experience Design Research | OPENWAVE | [EMAIL PROTECTED] *Come to IxDA Interaction08 | Savannah* February 8-10, 2008 in Savannah, GA, USA Register today: http://interaction08.ixda.org/ Welcome to the Interaction Design Association (IxDA)! To post to this list ... [EMAIL PROTECTED] Unsubscribe http://www.ixda.org/unsubscribe List Guidelines http://www.ixda.org/guidelines List Help .. http://www.ixda.org/help
Re: [IxDA Discuss] Interview Questions - For interviewing a teamlead/mgr
Try to get him/her to go off script and talk candidly. Depending on the cultural context, a little slang can go a long way (along with relaxed body language etc). - What's the crappiest job you ever had? Why? - What was the most awesome job you ever had? What made it awesome? - (Repeat the first 2 with manager in place of job if you want to know what the person's leadership role model/anti-hero are like) - What's the hardest thing you've ever had to deal with as a manager/leader? How'd you deal with it? The toughest - and one of the best - interview questions I've ever gotten: What's the bit of constructive criticism you're most likely to get from people you work well with? (if this approach seems to be working, you can ask how that might change if the feedback were coming from someone with whom s/he did NOT work well) You can also try a bit of what would you do if... with one of your own nightmare or success stories from the past (where your manager did great or did lousy). OK, so imagine it's 9pm on deadline night, the whole team has been there late every night for a month, but one guy is missing, and suddenly a huge green monster comes in the front door and starts eating all the computers. You're in charge. How would you handle it? Hope this helps! - Billie (who's obviously been watching too much Miyazaki lately) * **** * * Billie Mandel | Manager, User Experience Design Research | OPENWAVE | [EMAIL PROTECTED] -Original Message- From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] On Behalf Of David Shaw Sent: Friday, October 12, 2007 7:52 AM To: IxDA Discuss Subject: [IxDA Discuss] Interview Questions - For interviewing a teamlead/mgr Hi All, I know there's been discussions before about interview questions, but I don't think there's been discussion on this kind. I've got to interview a potential teammate who might end up leading us. I'm curious from those that have been through this as to good questions to ask to get a good indication of what that person will be like to work with, as well as possibly work for. Any guidance would be great! Thanks, David Welcome to the Interaction Design Association (IxDA)! To post to this list ... [EMAIL PROTECTED] Unsubscribe http://gamma.ixda.org/unsubscribe List Guidelines http://gamma.ixda.org/guidelines List Help .. http://gamma.ixda.org/help
Re: [IxDA Discuss] Examples of excellent interaction design NOT on the web
OK - slight diversion, since it's not design for the web, but I had to share this. Was just catching up with a friend with whom I've worked in the past, and she shared the most exciting project her team has finished lately: http://www.smartdeck.com/ How cool is *that*? -Billie * **** * * Billie Mandel | Manager, User Experience Design Research | OPENWAVE | [EMAIL PROTECTED] Welcome to the Interaction Design Association (IxDA)! To post to this list ... [EMAIL PROTECTED] Unsubscribe http://gamma.ixda.org/unsubscribe List Guidelines http://gamma.ixda.org/guidelines List Help .. http://gamma.ixda.org/help
[IxDA Discuss] straw poll: best messaging user experience
To my wise and ever-so-opinionated peers - I need your opinions: What are the best/your favorite/the most compelling messaging user experiences out there today? I'm talking email/text messaging/etc, for PC or mobile. What stands out from the crowd, from a design perspective? Thanks, and happy Wednesday, -Billie * **** * * Billie Mandel | Manager, User Experience Design Research | OPENWAVE | [EMAIL PROTECTED] Welcome to the Interaction Design Association (IxDA)! To post to this list ... [EMAIL PROTECTED] Unsubscribe http://gamma.ixda.org/unsubscribe List Guidelines http://gamma.ixda.org/guidelines List Help .. http://gamma.ixda.org/help
