[IxDA Discuss] Functional Testing Vs Usability Testing ?
Where unit tests deal with checking for coding errors at class levels, functional testing is more from an end users perspective. But the major difference between a functional test and an usability test would be the lack of design principles to evaluate for and having the users perspective while designing the functional testing criteria themselves. Functional testing works more within the boundaries of the work/task flows and checks if the intended output is available to the user whereas, usability testing works on evaluating exactly how it is presented to the user. Having said that a functional tester with a little end user empathy, common sense and good knowledge of usability principles, could work well as a usability tester as well. Seems to me, where I can train a BA to capture end user requirements fairly through contextual research, interviews,etc. I can train a QA as well to do some(some) usability testing for sure, with fair results. Any experience with this situation? Comments please. Manish Govind Pillewar User Experience Designer www.thoughtworks.com __ Sent from Yahoo! Mail. A Smarter Email http://uk.docs.yahoo.com/nowyoucan.html 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] IxDA NYC (4/29) Interaction08 redux: Sketching and storytelling
Topic: Sketching and storytelling, an Interaction08 redux When: Tuesday, April 29th 2008, 6:30pm Where: Midtown Manhattan, full details provided on RSVP (e-mail nyc-rsvp at ixda.org) The IxDA NYC April event is an Interaction08 redux. We'll provide quick summaries to kick off a discussion on sketching and storytelling as pivotal tools for design. In his keynote, Bill Buxton convinced us that he views sketching as more than a design technique. At times, it can be a lifestyle choice. Sketches are used to explore a design problem: to generate alternatives, to elaborate upon them, and to winnow them. With this introduction, we'll give some examples of projects in which sketching has come in handy and invite you to do so too. We'll also visit storytelling. The conversational nature of a well-constructed story makes for engaging designs. We'll review and build on ideas reflected in talks by Sarah Allen, Chris Conley, and Gretchen Anderson. You can join in by telling a story that drove a successful project, or by recounting what happened when you tackled a project with a storytelling approach. Whether you were at the Interaction08 (http://interaction08.ixda.org) or not, we want to hear your stories about how sketching and storytelling have made a difference in your design work. In advance of the redux, we have created a wiki where we encourage you to offer sketches, stories and more that we can share during this lively discussion. For a wiki invitation, just request wiki access when you reply. Location to be announced on RSVP. Respond to nyc-rsvp at ixda dot 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] Navigation labeling in an industry shift
Hi, I'm working on a music website for music fans here in Argentina and I'm having doubt labeling a navigation item. Music records in my country are commonly known as Discos which means Discs, in a direct reference to vinyl and CDs. The issue is that now several groups are releasing their music in mp3, only trhough a website, on cellphones, etc... The website still reviews this releases, but i don't feel comfortable keeping the old label. The problem is that there is no agreed label for these. The website is not very big, so audience from it will probably read other websites and magazines, most of them refuse to review anything that isnt printed on a cd. So i wanted to know if anyone ever found themselves in a similar situation and could mention what they've done or suggest an approach. regards, Nicolas Cohen RANLOGIC BA +(54 11) 4855 9371 http://cubetto.com.ar http://www.linkedin.com/in/nicolascohentarica 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] Is Eye Tracking too expensive or complicated?
On Sun, Apr 20, 2008 at 11:43 PM, Jared M. Spool [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: All you know is that the eye tracker registered that they fixated on the link and that they didn't click. The notion that they didn't understand the link is one inference. It's not the only inference. It may not be the right inference. It is purely *your* interpretation that the user didn't understand it. One way of double-checking the inferences is to ask the participant. What I've observed in eyetracking has been confirmed by participants enough that I know that the premises of eyetracking are true. Seems like you have had a different experience, so I'll be curious to hear what people have to say at UPA about it. (And you could've gotten there without the eye tracking data.) This assumes that you knew there was an issue to begin with, or that the type of study allows you to follow up. Neither is always the case. In fact, in psychographic phenomena, it's pretty amazing what people can see and deduce from the peripheral vision. There's a lot happening within 140 degrees of the focal point. And it's pretty amazing what is lost within the center gaze area, especially with people who have field issues that are frequent in males over 40, females over 50, and anyone suffering from optic neuritis or other immune-deficiency-based symptoms. (In MS patients, for example, optic neuritis frequently shows up in late teens, early 20s.) Sounds interesting, do you have a link? Is the device all they need to make the judgments necessary to provide good design advice? Of course not. In nowhere here have I said that eyetracking was the only way to make judgments. It's just another tool. IMO, the main problems with eyetracking are 1) the multiple participant data (heatmaps) doesn't always make sense, 2) it is time consuming to use, and 3) the initial cost of the equipment is ridiculously high for the benefit that you get. It is not that the premises are wrong. On this point I think that we disagree, so let's just leave it there. Paul 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] Is Eye Tracking too expensive or complicated?
Sounds like what's missing here is a set of consistent, objective and reliable guidelines for interpreting eye-tracking data (and potentially usability findings in general). For example a fixation of an a priori specified minimum duration on a link in conjunction with a user failing to click the link AND the user reporting that the link was seen would strongly indicate that indeed it was seen : ) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Posted from the new ixda.org http://www.ixda.org/discuss?post=28208 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] Interaction Design in an Agile Environment
Hi Loredana, You can also check the previous threads for more of people's thoughts, as there have been many interesting discussions on this subject: http://ixda.org/search.php?tag=agile Sebi On Fri, Apr 18, 2008 at 3:09 AM, Loredana Crisan [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: What are your thoughts on Interaction Design and the Agile Environment? Here's my experience of how extreme programming and design mix: 1) Product requirements are one thing today, another tomorrow, based mainly on strategic (not user) feedback 2) Weekly iteration cycles allow 4-5 days for research, prototyping and documentation of design 3) Little time is left for contextual inquiries - the product becomes the company's vision rather than the consumer's asked-for solution 4) Featuritis is a full-blown epidemic 5) Redesign of the entire system is needed every time a new feature changes how the ones already in place interact What are your thoughts on how a start-up interaction designer can... 1) Keep ahead of developers and still design useful interactions 2) Build flexibility in their design in order to prevent constant redesigning when new features are introduced 3) Keep an open dialog with users in the most time and budget- efficient way It sounds like a tall order, but as I was reading through the different postings it became clear to me that if there is an answer out there ... you guys have it! :) Thanks, Loredana 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 -- Sergiu Sebastian Tauciuc http://www.sergiutauciuc.ro/en/ 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] Is Eye Tracking too expensive or complicated?
On Apr 20, 2008, at 3:54 PM, Christopher Fahey wrote: Nor can they explain why they wouldn't get *better* results and *better* recommendations from simply showing the UI to a half-decent user interface designer for 20 minutes Eye-tracking should not be used on its own—if used at all, it should be for supplementary input. Yes, it tells you what someone is looking at, but doesn't tell you why—and the why is critical to finding the appropriate design solution. Cheers! Todd Zaki Warfel President, Design Researcher Messagefirst | Designing Information. Beautifully. -- Contact Info Voice: (215) 825-7423 Email: [EMAIL PROTECTED] AIM:[EMAIL PROTECTED] 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 ... [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] teaching young people about usability
Thanks so much for this, Elizabeth! It is indeed very encouraging :) Thanks to everyone else for their notes of interest and pointers to resources as well. It's clear that a lot of people are passionate about teaching the young about technology. I promise to get back to people individually (it might take a few days as I'm suddenly a bit swamped), but in the long term I will definitely keep the list updated about my project. I'm very excited about what the possibilities are! Meredith -Original Message- From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] [mailto:discuss- [EMAIL PROTECTED] On Behalf Of Elizabeth Sent: Sunday, April 20, 2008 4:15 PM To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Subject: Re: [IxDA Discuss] teaching young people about usability Interestingly enough I was just reading a report I was sent yesterday: Being Human: Human-Computer Interaction in the Year 2020 http://research.microsoft.com/hci2020/download.html which makes various recommendations, including number 4 which is summarised in the reader%u2019s guide as: Teach HCI to the young. The report argues that changes in computers and computing have a significant impact on all our lives. Consequently, the study of HCI should be introduced to the young as soon as possible. This goes beyond traditional educational concepts of %u2018computer science%u2019 %u2013 not just teaching children about how computers and applications work, but about their wider impact. -so sorry, it's not really helpful to you, Meredith, but I was just excited to see that people are already on it and thought it might be of interest and encouragement! . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Posted from the new ixda.org http://www.ixda.org/discuss?post=28169 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
Re: [IxDA Discuss] Interaction Design in an Agile Environment
I've worked as the UX application design lead within Agile processes for 9 or so years. I've experienced a few key initiatives which increase Design success with Agile, and which make projects more successful in general. Key Initiatives for Design success with Agile process: 1. Be flexible with the Agile Methodology – use aspects that work, deprecate those that don't. Dogmatic process adherence can kill a project. 2. Keep design artifacts one iteration ahead of engineering – Design doesn't have to be waterfall, rather design has laid out a roadmap with architecture and business, and these deliverables are consumed, negotiated and enhanced with engineering. 3. Design Strategic Interface/Interaction Scaffolding upfront/ in first iteration – (This assumes the organization has Strategic vision, if not, good luck and cash your checks quick ;). Strategic vision into the business domain and objectives are the design drivers. With this information design can build interface Scaffolding to be reused and adapted to multiple situations, (see pattern libraries). Note these interface patterns can include deep domain specific interactions, which become component building blocks. Interface scaffolding components should be minimum viable in functionality and design, this will aide in all aspects of usability, design and development, including consistency, ease of testing and training. Has anyone else had success with these initiatives or others within an Agile process? On 4/19/08, Sean Goggins [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: I think the conflict between design and agile development methods is best understood by reflecting on the values conflict between the two disciplines. Here's a full list of the principles of agile development: http://agilemanifesto.org/principles.html These principles are ones I think designers and developers/technolgists will agree on in most cases: Simplicity--the art of maximizing the amount of work not done--is essential. Welcome changing requirements, even late in development. Agile processes harness change for the customer's competitive advantage. These two fight design values the most: Our highest priority is to satisfy the customer through early and continuous delivery of valuable software. Working software is the primary measure of progress. This one has some risk because technology is excellent, but design is merely Good... Continuous attention to technical excellence and good design enhances agility. Ten years ago software development was in a crisis. Agile methods have made a significant, positive impact on software development quality and productivity. As somebody with a software development background who is currently working both sides in the development of social software systems in a research environment, I found this question interesting, and I hope the response is helpful. -- Sean P. Goggins http://www.goggins.com ``Design is what you do when you don't [yet] know what you are doing.'' -- George Stiny, Professor of Architecture, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, The game is a lot better because he played it, and I think that's the criteria that matters most. --Mike Ditka on Brett Favre http://www.wisconsinidea.wisc.edu/history.html 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 -- Joseph Rich Rogan President UX/UI Inc. http://www.jrrogan.com Welcome to the Interaction Design Association (IxDA)! To post to this list ... [EMAIL PROTECTED] Unsubscribe http://www.ixda.org/unsubscribe List Guidelines http://www.ixda.org/guidelines List Help .. http://www.ixda.org/help
[IxDA Discuss] Design Thinking
Has anyone else read this month's ID magazine article on Design Thinking? Peter M @ Adaptive is quoted... -- ~ will Where you innovate, how you innovate, and what you innovate are design problems - Will Evans | User Experience Architect tel +1.617.281.1281 || [EMAIL PROTECTED] - 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] Navigation labeling in an industry shift
Hi Nicolas, I suppose that Discos in your native language is the equivalent term for what is called Albums in English. Album is somehow more disconnected from the notion of physical media (e.g. Compact Disc, LP record etc.) and has continued to be used in the digital world for a collection of music tracks. So is the issues that in your language Discos is more connected to physical media and less to digital media? Or is it that you are seeing artists releasing more and more individual tracks (sometimes in English the term Singles is used) rather than albums? Thanks, Alex On Mon, Apr 21, 2008 at 11:41 AM, Nicolas Cohen [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: Hi, I'm working on a music website for music fans here in Argentina and I'm having doubt labeling a navigation item. Music records in my country are commonly known as Discos which means Discs, in a direct reference to vinyl and CDs. The issue is that now several groups are releasing their music in mp3, only trhough a website, on cellphones, etc... The website still reviews this releases, but i don't feel comfortable keeping the old label. The problem is that there is no agreed label for these. The website is not very big, so audience from it will probably read other websites and magazines, most of them refuse to review anything that isnt printed on a cd. So i wanted to know if anyone ever found themselves in a similar situation and could mention what they've done or suggest an approach. regards, Nicolas Cohen RANLOGIC BA +(54 11) 4855 9371 http://cubetto.com.ar http://www.linkedin.com/in/nicolascohentarica 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
Re: [IxDA Discuss] teaching young people about usability
In teaching HCI to the young, it is important to highlight good designu as well as teach people how to find design and usability problems. I've seen some sessions where children are asked to critique or evaluate systems which is fine, but there is often a lack of discussion about what good design is. Actually the same is true of our interaction with people outside the field. We can show what bad design is, but examples of good design are harder to come by. Exercises where people redesign something to eliminate problems would seem to be critical so in ideas about exercises, consider a cycling through evaluation, design, review several times. As a field we love to find fault, but finding what is good with a product or service is a bit harder. A question that I like to ask designers and usability colleagues is What artifacts (online or real) have inspired your work?. People could give many answers, but I am often presented with a long pause and an interviewee struggling to think of examples of good design. Chauncey On Sun, Apr 20, 2008 at 8:22 AM, Elizabeth [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: Interestingly enough I was just reading a report I was sent yesterday: Being Human: Human-Computer Interaction in the Year 2020 http://research.microsoft.com/hci2020/download.html which makes various recommendations, including number 4 which is summarised in the reader%u2019s guide as: Teach HCI to the young. The report argues that changes in computers and computing have a significant impact on all our lives. Consequently, the study of HCI should be introduced to the young as soon as possible. This goes beyond traditional educational concepts of %u2018computer science%u2019 %u2013 not just teaching children about how computers and applications work, but about their wider impact. -so sorry, it's not really helpful to you, Meredith, but I was just excited to see that people are already on it and thought it might be of interest and encouragement! . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Posted from the new ixda.org http://www.ixda.org/discuss?post=28169 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
Re: [IxDA Discuss] ISO: Research on interactive kiosks
Here are a few interesting sources: Anatomy of a kiosk http://www.thekioskfactory.com/anatomyof.html You could take the components and look at issues with individual components. For example, will there be enough heat dissipation through the enclosure in the summer? What are the access point for vandals (glue in the slots)? What about wheelchairs and parallax on the screen? What about partially sighted users? You could take and deconstruct the kiosk and list the problems with each component. Keep in mind that maintainability is important as is security since these are public. What is a kiosk? (with notes on design) http://blogs.msdn.com/embedded/archive/2005/03/15/396528.aspx Check out www.hcibib.org, a wonderful compilation of tens of thousands of HCI articles. I typed in Kiosk and got several dozen hits. www.hcibib.org Research from the University of Maryland http://www.cs.umd.edu/Library/TRs/CS-TR-4293/CS-TR-4293.pdf An article and site with some usability nuggets http://www.kioskmarketplace.com/article.php?id=11794prc=334 You might want to search on touchscreen. There are some good design guidelines on touchscreens that are relevant to kiosk design. Forrester has written some papers on kiosk and did Best and Worst reviews, but those reports cost around $400 if memory serves me right. Postal kiosks might be a source of inspiration. IBM published some work regarding the design of postal kiosks. I think that there might be a paper at this year's UPA on kiosk design though I'll have to check on that. Thanks, Chauncey On Mon, Apr 21, 2008 at 10:09 AM, Kim Bieler [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: Hey all, I'm looking for any and all information on interactive kiosks I can dig up: trade magazines, research papers, marketing surveys, best practices, anecdotes, screen shots, whatever you can send my way. Basically, I'm not having much luck doing Google searches on this topic, and the only magazine devoted to kiosks seems to have folded several years ago. Thanks much. -- Kim + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + Kim Bieler Graphic Design www.kbgd.com + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + Welcome to the Interaction Design Association (IxDA)! To post to this list ... [EMAIL PROTECTED] Unsubscribe http://www.ixda.org/unsubscribe List Guidelines http://www.ixda.org/guidelines List Help .. http://www.ixda.org/help 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] teaching young people about usability
Thanks for this, Chauncey. I am probably one of those people who would struggle when asked the question you mention, but I've been trying to keep it front of mind for the past little while. (I believe you wrote on the subject in another thread not long ago and it hit home.) It's particularly relevant in terms of teaching the kids though, you're absolutely right. The ideal activity does seem to be a) let's come up with some things that don't work well in this example and b) can you design something that fixes those problems? You mention that you've seen sessions where kids are asked to critique systems -- where was this? Was it part of a program of some kind or something more informal? How old were the kids, out of curiosity? Meredith -Original Message- From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] [mailto:discuss- [EMAIL PROTECTED] On Behalf Of Chauncey Wilson Sent: Monday, April 21, 2008 1:30 PM To: Elizabeth Cc: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Subject: Re: [IxDA Discuss] teaching young people about usability In teaching HCI to the young, it is important to highlight good designu as well as teach people how to find design and usability problems. I've seen some sessions where children are asked to critique or evaluate systems which is fine, but there is often a lack of discussion about what good design is. Actually the same is true of our interaction with people outside the field. We can show what bad design is, but examples of good design are harder to come by. Exercises where people redesign something to eliminate problems would seem to be critical so in ideas about exercises, consider a cycling through evaluation, design, review several times. As a field we love to find fault, but finding what is good with a product or service is a bit harder. A question that I like to ask designers and usability colleagues is What artifacts (online or real) have inspired your work?. People could give many answers, but I am often presented with a long pause and an interviewee struggling to think of examples of good design. Chauncey On Sun, Apr 20, 2008 at 8:22 AM, Elizabeth [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: Interestingly enough I was just reading a report I was sent yesterday: Being Human: Human-Computer Interaction in the Year 2020 http://research.microsoft.com/hci2020/download.html which makes various recommendations, including number 4 which is summarised in the reader%u2019s guide as: Teach HCI to the young. The report argues that changes in computers and computing have a significant impact on all our lives. Consequently, the study of HCI should be introduced to the young as soon as possible. This goes beyond traditional educational concepts of %u2018computer science%u2019 %u2013 not just teaching children about how computers and applications work, but about their wider impact. -so sorry, it's not really helpful to you, Meredith, but I was just excited to see that people are already on it and thought it might be of interest and encouragement! . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Posted from the new ixda.org http://www.ixda.org/discuss?post=28169 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 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] Navigation labeling in an industry shift
When designing digital mobile music products I have used the terms 'Tracks' and 'Albums' to refer to single tracks released grouped tracks. Not sure how that translated to Argentina, but it has work well for all languages cultures I've designed for (for example English, Italian, Austrian, Swedish). Can't help on getting reviews though. Gavin. Hi, I'm working on a music website for music fans here in Argentina and I'm having doubt labeling a navigation item. Music records in my country are commonly known as Discos which means Discs, in a direct reference to vinyl and CDs. The issue is that now several groups are releasing their music in mp3, only trhough a website, on cellphones, etc... The website still reviews this releases, but i don't feel comfortable keeping the old label. The problem is that there is no agreed label for these. The website is not very big, so audience from it will probably read other websites and magazines, most of them refuse to review anything that isnt printed on a cd. So i wanted to know if anyone ever found themselves in a similar situation and could mention what they've done or suggest an approach. regards, Nicolas Cohen This e-mail message (including any attachment) is intended only for the personal use of the recipient(s) named above. This message is confidential and may be legally privileged. If you are not an intended recipient, you may not review, copy or distribute this message. If you have received this communication in error, please notify us immediately by e-mail and delete the original message. Any views or opinions expressed in this message are those of the author only. Furthermore, this message (including any attachment) does not create any legally binding rights or obligations whatsoever, which may only be created by the exchange of hard copy documents signed by a duly authorised representative of Hutchison 3G UK Limited. Hutchison 3G UK Limited is a company registered in England and Wales with company number 3885486. Registered Office Hutchison House, 5 Hester Road, Battersea, London, SW11 4AN. __ 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 ... [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] Interaction Design in an Agile Environment
Hi, Agile development offers new and interesting perspectives for interaction designers and usability specialists(and great benefits : something to test about every 4 weeks, continuous user feedback, focus on quality and simplicity, lightweight but accurate format of user stories, ...). But they also require that we adapt the way we (interaction designers and usability specialists) intervene, our tools and techniques, in order to be more efficient and more reactive in such specific environment(short iterations; incremental development, high velocity ...). I think interaction designers have first to fully and clearly understand the most important agile methods (SCRUM, XP) and the principles / values of the agile Manifesto. This is a good and mandatory starting point ! We also have to work within the team in the same work environment, and always have to be ready with our stuff the D day (timeboxing, an agile essential principle, is sometimes hard to respect). The feedback we provide to the team must be quick, efficient and usable. In terms of deliverables and studies, we should also produce only what is just enough and during the first iterations leave the the Big design Up Front philosophy. Studies must be short (to take place in the very first iterations) or accomplished before the sprint 0 (off project). Usability testing sessions must be more reactive, more accurate: the scope shorter, well defined and evolutive (iterations afer iterations in terms of participants profile, testing format, testing content and scenarios ...). Agile teams need us; they start to understand their weak points. Some of our tools and techniques, like personas, prototyping, requirements and design workshops facilitation, usability testing ... are so useful for them and they know it. For people ineresting and ready to read french, I wrote on my blog an article called Manifeste pour une ergonomie Agile (An Agile Usability Manifesto) where I described our new challenges and the key points of our interventions in Scrum, Xp or Up contexts. The link: http://www.qualitystreet.fr/?2007/09/30/61-manifeste-pour-une-ergonomie-agile Regards, Jean Claude Grosjean Jc-Qualitystreet www.qualitystreet.fr 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
Re: [IxDA Discuss] Acceptable download/performance time on flash sites?
The question keeps coming up about how long people are willing to wait for something to load. Is there such a thing as an acceptable load time? Guess that's all already said, but the 10 seconds rule continues to apply anyway, and as fast as possible, no matter what will remain an important design/UX principle ... Cheers, Jens. -- Jens Meiert http://meiert.com/en/ 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] Interaction Design in an Agile Environment
The Journal of Usability Studies had a great article on integrating Agile/UCD, written by Desiree Sy last year: http://www.upassoc.org/upa_publications/jus/2007may/agile-ucd.html . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Posted from the new ixda.org http://www.ixda.org/discuss?post=28227 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] Functional Testing Vs Usability Testing ?
I guess I see Functional Testing in a different light. In the organizations where I have worked, Functional Testing has always focused on verifying the system/product/application performs as architected - within performance criteria, corner cases, continuous testing and several over functional tests that the QA guys are great at figuring out. How can I break this thing? tends to be a common theme. The focus is on finding bugs. By contrast, Usability Testing answers different questions. This type of evaluation focuses on customer acceptance and how well the customer can use the product to complete a task. A product can be functionally 100% bug-free (though that usually just means you aren't looking deep enough or testing hard-enough) but can still have major usability problems. As to whether QA members can be taught Usability Testing Methods? Maybe, but its a different skill set (QA doesn't necessarily have facilitation skills, etc. - though they may) and different point of view (Well, it's performing exactly to spec vs. I can figure out how to complete scenario X While there is a common goal for a high-quality product, these are looking at different aspects of quality and probably need to be approached separately. Hope this helps . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Posted from the new ixda.org http://www.ixda.org/discuss?post=28283 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] Is Eye Tracking too expensive or complicated?
In the end, it's on what people click, which is really important. And even more important is the information people are really looking for and the findability of that information. It all comes down to offering the right information content in a nice way. Without the right information, your site may be optimized the way you want, people won't be happy. It's a bit back to basics, but basics are extremely important. Pieter Jansegers http://webosophy.ning.com Welcome to the Interaction Design Association (IxDA)! To post to this list ... [EMAIL PROTECTED] Unsubscribe http://www.ixda.org/unsubscribe List Guidelines http://www.ixda.org/guidelines List Help .. http://www.ixda.org/help
Re: [IxDA Discuss] The slow-rise phenomenon
On Fri, Apr 18, 2008 at 4:04 PM, Robert Hoekman Jr [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: What I'm interested in is why the rise in effectiveness takes so long to kick in? I mean, logically, you should be able to compare one day's metrics with another and see the effect of a design change, but this is not the case. There's a delay, and this delay is absolutely fascinating to me. Can you share the metrics you're seeing? 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] What to call The User?
We prefer the terms person or customer when referring to people who use our software in general, but I'm wondering if anyone has suggestions for referring to them specifically? For example, let's say you're offering two sets of information to customers, one set each for new and existing users. They could be labeled: Info for new users and Info for existing users. The terms people and customers don't work here, because they're not new *people* and they could be existing customers, but new to this product. I've been tossing this around in my head for a while and can't seem to come up with anything that works. If anyone has suggestions, they'll be greatly appreciated! Thank you, Sylvania User Experience Designer 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] What to call The User?
I can't see the problem right away, could be me... If you label your products R and S (for the new one S), you can address the fast group as R users and the second as (potential) S (interested) users. And when you stop promoting the R product, R users might be getting interested in the S product as well. Whitout being pushed to do so, these users realize the R product isn't discussed and showed anymore. I have the impression Microsoft is using this right now Millenium, XP, VISTA, ... Pieter Jansegers http://webosophy.ning.com On 4/21/08, Dye, Sylvania [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: We prefer the terms person or customer when referring to people who use our software in general, but I'm wondering if anyone has suggestions for referring to them specifically? For example, let's say you're offering two sets of information to customers, one set each for new and existing users. They could be labeled: Info for new users and Info for existing users. The terms people and customers don't work here, because they're not new *people* and they could be existing customers, but new to this product. I've been tossing this around in my head for a while and can't seem to come up with anything that works. If anyone has suggestions, they'll be greatly appreciated! Thank you, Sylvania User Experience Designer 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
Re: [IxDA Discuss] What to call The User?
I think that your idea is a good one Susie. I've been listening (and struggling) with the user debate for years. I've never been able to find another generic word that works consistently. So I tend to do what you suggest which is to use the term user when writing professionally and, when discussing or presenting to outsiders, I try to find a term with a bit more warmth. Sometimes I use human, as in human-computer interaction or human-centered design where it works and I want to avoid the term. I will often use the term visitor for a web site -- perhaps member if there is a sign-up. But good old user has the grace to be grammatical in most every circumstance. Charlie (always open, however, to a better choice) Charles B. Kreitzberg, Ph.D. CEO, Cognetics Corporation . 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] What to call The User?
Abstracting the user, referring to the content instead, is a great suggestion - thanks, Susie! Taking a conversational approach is good in some cases, too - in one case our buttons read I'm new to X and I've used X before. We've encountered a scenario where we've felt a need to refer to the person directly, though - but maybe we can look at it differently and refer to the content there, too. For Web, guest, visitor, or member all work - it does seem harder to find something suitable for desktop apps. I'll step back and look at it from a content perspective. Thanks, again! Sylvania User Experience Designer 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] The slow-rise phenomenon
Can you share the metrics you're seeing? Not specifically, no, but I can tell you that I'm comparing page views, site-wide and then by segment. There are multiple types of site users (visitors, visitors who search, members, content creators, etc). Most of the traffic on this site enters from a search engine, and most of that traffic bounces immediately. It's this group in particular the design changes were geared towards—things to help them understand the purpose of the site within a few seconds, improve sideways discovery, etc. For it to be a cache issue, most of the current users would have to have already visited the pages they're viewing now (thereby caching them), and that's not the case. This was also not the case for WordPress.com. So, the delay seems to occur even when the largest audience segment is first-time site visitors. When a new design is successful, it seems, the effect is not immediate. It still takes a week or so for the metrics to start reflecting the success of the new design. -r- 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] What to call The User?
Well, right or wrong, we generally just say users. As in new users or existing users or advanced users. I've found over the years that customer may just mean the person who purchased the products but does not use it. However, that's all internal-speak. If you are exposing this to users then I would actually try to not use any of that. So, Info for New Users could become Getting Started or Basic Options or something like that, while Info for Existing Users could become Advanced Options. Obviously I don't know your context but basically, take out the people part of it and just label it what it is not who it's for. Just a thought. Susie Robson -Original Message- From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] On Behalf Of Dye, Sylvania Sent: Monday, April 21, 2008 3:58 PM To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Subject: [IxDA Discuss] What to call The User? We prefer the terms person or customer when referring to people who use our software in general, but I'm wondering if anyone has suggestions for referring to them specifically? For example, let's say you're offering two sets of information to customers, one set each for new and existing users. They could be labeled: Info for new users and Info for existing users. The terms people and customers don't work here, because they're not new *people* and they could be existing customers, but new to this product. I've been tossing this around in my head for a while and can't seem to come up with anything that works. If anyone has suggestions, they'll be greatly appreciated! Thank you, Sylvania User Experience Designer 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] For those, who are interested in interaction design schools in Europe.
Six 10 minutes long presentations at Innovationsforum (2007) from IxD programs in Europe: http://www.vimeo.com/752455 An introduction of the school, and one or two student projects from the school. The presentation by the representative of Extreme Green Guerilla on mail service via migrating animals (at 19 minutes) is totally rad (to use my daughter's lingo). Schools: Royal College of Art, London Design Interactions Ravensbourne College of Design and Communication, London MA Interactive Digital Media MA Online Media School of Arts Communication, Malmö University Interaction Design Programme UdK Berlin Digitale Klasse HGK Zürich Interaction Design Programme FH Potsdam Interface Design Programme -- Oleh Kovalchuke Interaction Design is design of time http://www.tangospring.com/IxDtopicWhatIsInteractionDesign.htm 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] What to call The User?
Putting the YOU in User When I'm talking to you, I may as well use that syntax. If I'm giving directions or otherwise informing you, I generally use the convenient, casual and accessible you. Fdor example: You just click on the button... If you're a newbie / If you're experienced You might want to check this out... et cetera I believe that the informal you style makes any web System-Generated Information (i.e. Help, Directions/Instructions or Notifications/Alerts) *much* more readable. It's direct. Its's concise. It's immediate. There's no abstraction. It even works on Documentation. Just contextualize by identifying which Role you're addressing. Value-added: by encouraging you (the documentation reader) to put yourself in the shoes of several user roles, we've helped everyone to embrace the very essence of UxP. Y'all have a good time now, John We prefer the terms person or customer when referring to people who use our software in general, but I'm wondering if anyone has suggestions for referring to them specifically? For example, let's say you're offering two sets of information to customers, one set each for new and existing users. They could be labeled: Info for new users and Info for existing users. The terms people and customers don't work here, because they're not new *people* and they could be existing customers, but new to this product. I've been tossing this around in my head for a while and can't seem to come up with anything that works. If anyone has suggestions, they'll be greatly appreciated! Thank you, Sylvania User Experience Designer 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
Re: [IxDA Discuss] Interaction Design in an Agile Environment
Hi Laura, Regarding your last point, we're working with Feature Driven Design (FDD) methodologies, (along with 3 or 4 other cobbled together methodologies ;). FDD process embeds users/clients/engineers/QA/BA's (and a bunch of other acronyms whom I'm not sure what they do), together in most design meetings. Although FDD can be cumbersome (with everybody involved at every juncture), I'd totally agree that getting all feedback early and often helps design immensely. Rich On 4/21/08, Laura Francis [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: Hi Rich ...The other thing I think is really valuable is getting a team together and involving the clients/users/devs/designers right from the start. Laura Francis -- Joseph Rich Rogan President UX/UI Inc. http://www.jrrogan.com Welcome to the Interaction Design Association (IxDA)! To post to this list ... [EMAIL PROTECTED] Unsubscribe http://www.ixda.org/unsubscribe List Guidelines http://www.ixda.org/guidelines List Help .. http://www.ixda.org/help
[IxDA Discuss] [EVENT] Reminder! Boston IxDA social: This Thursday, April 24, 7pm
Just a reminder to come join us this Thursday night in downtown Boston!! IxDA Boston April Social We're sure you've noticed: it's that time of year between snow storms. Help shake off the cabin fever with some cold beer and good food at Boston Beer Works * When: *Thursday April 24th, 7pm (but feel free to come earlier too!) * Where:* Boston Beer Works, 112 Canal St, Boston. * Map:* http://tinyurl.com/6fvxgs It's an opportunity to connect and network with other local designers, implementors and thinkers. The Boston IxDA coordinators will also be there mapping out our next event and we invite you to contribute to the planning! Bring your ideas! Looking forward to seeing you there! / IxDA Boston -- local site: www.bostonixda.org Feed: http://boston-ixda.blogspot.com/feeds/posts/default 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] What to call 'Totals' header ...
I've got a datagrid (oh the humanity!) with lots of columns and rows. In some of the columns are cumulative numbers (e.g. 124 foos, 203 bars etc.) and in some columns are averages (1.5 avg. foo per bar, 30 avg. bar per foo etc.) Below the datagrid is a row matching columns to the grid above with the sum total of each totals column and the average of each of the average columns. The row below the datagrid is currently called Totals - but it's not very accurate, as an average of averages is not a total. What title would you suggest over Totals? Is there a word that says Totals/Averages/Other? Or is Totals/Averages my best bet? Thanks, B 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] Raising awareness for Interaction Design in a corporate IT company
Rein, I also work for a (very large) IT company with a lot of consultants. We've found that using internal channels (forums, blogs, workshops, etc.) has been pretty effective in raising awareness of what exactly UX is and what it can do for the company. We regularly circulate 37better documents around those channels; we've done makeovers on everything from internal error pages to login screens to application dashboards. Showing (visually/interactively) examples of how UX can take an interface from one state to a new, elevated state does far more to open up opportunities than talking about it in abstract terms (but talking will come later). UX is highly marketable, and if you can show your company that the competency for good UX design exists in the company, then it should be follow that the light bulb goes off in their heads as they realize Hey, this is something I can sell! Jared . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Posted from the new ixda.org http://www.ixda.org/discuss?post=28266 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] Interaction Design in an Agile Environment
Hi Rich I totally agree with all the points you made, in my experience working with UX/UCD and Agile things like making the methodology 'your' methodology, as in whatever works for your organisation is fundamental to success. Working one sprint/iteration ahead is a really good idea, we always start with a planning sprint anyway, its not whats recommended in any methodology but, it has always worked for me. It also allows you to allocate resources and plan some time in for planning. The other thing I think is really valuable is getting a team together and involving the clients/users/devs/designers right from the start. Laura Francis 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] teaching young people about usability
Tangential, but perhaps of interest... An article about The Laptop Club, wherein children draw laptops. http://www.themorningnews.org/archives/galleries/the_laptop_club/02tlc.php Tori 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] What to call 'Totals' header ...
On Apr 21, 2008, at 1:24 PM, Brandon E.B. Ward wrote: The row below the datagrid is currently called Totals - but it's not very accurate, as an average of averages is not a total. Before you get to the label, question both the validity and the actual utility of any data that include 'averages of averages'; that phrase carries a faint aroma of spreadsheet abuse. (Well, maybe not so faint.) Ask what is intended to be expressed in that row, ask for a plain- English description of how the cumulative average is being calculated, and then quietly ask _someone other than the person who wrote the averaging code_ if their math and their assumptions make any sense whatsoever. Once you've done the sniff test for BS-based math, you should have an accurate picture of what that part of the data actually means to the people who will use it, and your human-readable label for the row should be fairly self-evident. What title would you suggest over Totals? Is there a word that says Totals/Averages/Other? Or is Totals/ Averages my best bet? There's really not enough detail in your description to tell. The best bet is to use the term that will make the most sense to the intended audience in the context the data will be used. If that happens to be 'Slurms/Quatloo' for the given audience, so be it -- but it's up to you to understand what you're displaying, so you can present it in a meaningful manner. -Will Will Parker [EMAIL PROTECTED] 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
