Re: [IxDA Discuss] Usability Reports: A waste of time?

2009-08-25 Thread Angela Arnold
In my experience, usability reports go largely unread. The business wants to know the quick wins as well as the longer term issues, but they need to be easy to digest, engaging and prioritised: filter out the stuff people dont need to know right now. As a UX designer working in an agile

[IxDA Discuss] Click to enlarge

2009-08-25 Thread Lizz
Hello, I was wondering if you have any thoughts on usability best practices for clicking on a picture to enlarge it. The context is a newspaper-type article (as opposed to a gallery or photo site - which, I think, is an important difference in regard to user expectations), and it's one where the

Re: [IxDA Discuss] Eye-Tracker software/hardware recommendations

2009-08-25 Thread Jared Spool
On Aug 25, 2009, at 5:44 AM, Guy Redwood wrote: That's why the in-depth understanding comes from using the eyetracking data in a retrospective review session with the users. When you play back eye tracking to the user, they tell you why they did things. We don't sit there looking at heatmaps,

Re: [IxDA Discuss] How do you make sure your design gets implemented right?

2009-08-25 Thread Bryan Minihan
Two things have always helped to ensure my designs are always executable: 1. Make sure the project has a designated front-end developer, and be VERY close to that person (or actually BE that person, as I prefer). 2. Always be ahead of the development team. I agree with Brandon that if you're

Re: [IxDA Discuss] Eye-Tracker software/hardware recommendations

2009-08-25 Thread Guy Redwood
Jared, we don't badger and we don't make things up. Users are very relaxed and chat freely in our retrospective sessions. That's the point. Are you assuming that we need to badger users because that's what you do in your think aloud sessions? Is that because the user is trying to do something,

Re: [IxDA Discuss] Click to enlarge

2009-08-25 Thread Bryan Minihan
You might also consider how much value the user will get from enlarging pictures. Having the ability to enlarge pictures on a site does not necessarily mean every visitor will want to use the functionality, or on every photo. I would weigh the benefit of clearly identifying pictures that can be

Re: [IxDA Discuss] How do you make sure your design gets implemented right?

2009-08-25 Thread Jonathan Abbett
In addition to doing the design in my group, I'm also responsible for most of the HTML/CSS -- so I'll know immediately if something's not implemented to spec. But that fundamental designer-developer chasm remains. We've developed a technology called Clickframes that lets me spec out our web apps

Re: [IxDA Discuss] Usability Reports: A waste of time?

2009-08-25 Thread Cone
Mashoor, I'm guessing that you make a report and then mail/ hand it out. *If* that's the case, then there's a simple solution. The issue with preparing a report and mailing it out to stakeholders is that there is a slim chance that it will be read by all. Taking print outs and personally handing

Re: [IxDA Discuss] Persuasiveness of showing goals and rewards

2009-08-25 Thread Brian Mila
Thanks for the responses, but I think I didn't explain it very well. What I have is a weight loss web service. The user can set goals, say 20 lbs, and that goal can then be broken up into milestones, say every 5 lbs. So in this case, the user has a 25%, 50%, 75% and 100% milestone every 5 lbs.

Re: [IxDA Discuss] How do you make sure your design gets implemented right?

2009-08-25 Thread Audrey
I am glad that Jim brought up the QA team. They should have specs, scenarios or prototypes from which to build test plans. If eng knows they'll get a bug filed against them, they're more likely to implement to spec. Designers should also be brought into the QA cycle to catch visual problems that

[IxDA Discuss] [Event] IxDA Dublin, Ireland: August 09 Meeting

2009-08-25 Thread Seamus Byrne
When: Wednesday, August 26th. Starting at 6:30pm until 8:30pm Where: Neary's Pub. 1 Chatham St. Dublin 2.** (http://tinyurl.com/m3mw73) ** What: Plan the IxD Showcase for Design Week '09 (http://www.designweek.ie/) IxDA Dublin are presenting an “Interaction Design Showcase at Dublin's Design

Re: [IxDA Discuss] Persuasiveness of showing goals and rewards

2009-08-25 Thread Jennifer R Vignone
http://www.ianschafer.com/2008/03/duane-reade-dollar-rewards-how-not-to-run-a-loyalty-program.html The above link discusses the Duane Reade Rewards program, something that many shoppers are a part of in NYC with the ubiquitous DR drug store chain. Not a usability study, as much as one man's

Re: [IxDA Discuss] Eye-Tracker software/hardware recommendations

2009-08-25 Thread Nick Gould
Wow, just as I was thinking that this thread was getting a little tiresome and unproductive, I discovered that it actually started in 2005! http://www.ixda.org/search.php?tag=eyetracking Jared - it's really not fair as you have had way more practice attacking eyetracking than I have had

Re: [IxDA Discuss] Global navigation: persistent or not across all pages?

2009-08-25 Thread paul bryan
Like David Danielson did in the paper Victor referenced, the best bet is to test the headers with users, in as quantitatively representative a manner as is feasible for your team. If there's no budget / time / interest in researching this topic with users, then it's a question of the relative

Re: [IxDA Discuss] Nintendo Wii and \Side Effects\

2009-08-25 Thread Adrian Chong
Something has to be said for it being the 3rd ranking all time selling game in history. 21.82 million units! Either this product is pure marketing creating a demand or there could be something to it :) On Sat, Aug 22, 2009 at 2:39 PM, Adam Tramposhadamtramp...@gmail.com wrote: I've always been

Re: [IxDA Discuss] Usability Reports: A waste of time?

2009-08-25 Thread paul bryan
The scope and contents of a usability report should be tailored to reflect the organizational context in which it is sponsored and produced. If you are internal to the organization, and the organization is small, then I think a bullet list of recommended changes that can be discussed in person

Re: [IxDA Discuss] Usability Reports: A waste of time?

2009-08-25 Thread Amy Jones
I'll just add that nothing I've done has ever been more persuasive to a dev team than producing a highlight reel. Watching one person struggle with an interaction is one thing, watching 5 users have the same problem in 5 1 minute clips is quite another. The change in the way the work and the

Re: [IxDA Discuss] Nintendo Wii and \Side Effects\

2009-08-25 Thread John Yuda
It sounds like not many here have a Wii, so it seems like it might be a good time for me to come in and clear a few things up: First, let's not confuse Wii Fit with Wii Sports. The tennis game you speak of is part of Wii Sports, which is more game than exercise regimen -- that said, it does

Re: [IxDA Discuss] Persuasiveness of showing goals and rewards

2009-08-25 Thread adrian chan
brian i cant see there being a globally valid solution here. If the rewards for 75% and 100% are lame, disclosing them won't help -- might even hurt. If I saw messages from other members to the effect of OMG I just got the 100% reward and it ROCKS! I might eat half as much twice as

Re: [IxDA Discuss] Eye-Tracker software/hardware recommendations

2009-08-25 Thread Jared Spool
On Aug 25, 2009, at 7:21 AM, Guy Redwood wrote: Here's a video of some retail testing. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=38w95lKFIWc What do you find irrelevant about the eye tracking? I didn't see anything in the video that surprised me or informed me about users interacting with the Amazon

Re: [IxDA Discuss] Click to enlarge

2009-08-25 Thread Diana Wynne
How about using an explicit zoom button, rather than going into zoom mode from clicking anywhere on the image? An image is a big, appealing target, especially in a sea of text. It sounds like it would easy to click it accidentally. Lots of e-commerce sites use magnifying glass buttons (or a

Re: [IxDA Discuss] Eye-Tracker software/hardware recommendations

2009-08-25 Thread Nick Gould
Jared, you are selling Caroline's point short... how about this scenario: We report that test participants asked to locate the search box looked in the upper right corner for it. They told us that this is where they expected it to be and the eyetracking confirms that this is where they looked for

Re: [IxDA Discuss] IA Usability of TV Graphics

2009-08-25 Thread Marty DeAngelo
I started to do one on MLB score graphics on different channels around playoff time last year; but alas, real work took over my time and it fell by the wayside. I'd love to see what you find out. Marty DeAngelo Director, User Experience Digitas Health On Thu, Aug 13, 2009 at 7:12 AM, Mike

Re: [IxDA Discuss] How do you make sure your design gets implemented right?

2009-08-25 Thread Jim Drew
19 years doing it, I can't help but bring it up. Grin. Two more things from you brought up: 1. Cultivate a UX test savvy QA person. They can see the 13 shades of gray and single pixel alignment issues at 10 paces. Let them do that consistency checking, and support them in getting things

Re: [IxDA Discuss] Persuasiveness of showing goals and rewards

2009-08-25 Thread jesse
I'm not sure monetary or point rewards are going to be helpful here. As I cautioned above, shifting the focus of your user from the task to the reward may cause them to be less interested in (or have less positive feelings about) the task. That is, causing the user to refocus on rewards