Human Nature
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Walking Wikipedias
Experience Design is a constantly changing landscape where many of us get to temporarily step inside the protective bubble of organisations and industries most people only ever read about.
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NZ Govt Set to Mothball Economic Powertrain
In a myopic move the New Zealand Transport Agency has nixed a proposed rescue package that could have saved the long-running Capital Connection rail service. In the process they will be killing-off a productive little economy that has been thriving for over 20 years. Their excuse is that removing the service won’t lead to traffic…
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Keep sucking and carry on
DJ FiESTA! 1995. Photo Otago Daily Times. To others I apparently appear self-confident, but in reality I suffer from a fairly regular sprinkling of self-doubt. Too often I feel like my work might not be good enough, that I don’t spend quality time on things and that there’s someone better than me who could be…
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Tsunami of Confusion
The information graphics created to inform people on the Samoan tsunami about to hit New Zealand didn’t send a clear message. When disaster hits it spreads on the internet like wildfire. But the information graphics the public are served up are next to useless for making an informed decision on whether or not you’re in…
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Be Very Afraid…
With around 75% of New Zealand homes online that leaves about a million people who do still do not have access to the internet in this country. Worldwide an estimated one billion people have access. That’s leaves around 5.7 billion who don’t. The main reasons are they can’t afford it, are too young to pick…
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Don’t Mash the Method
Is ‘process’ the same as ‘method’? Many people seem confused. Does it matter? Sort of. It matters when your job is to take a look at how a company runs its design and production line. Over the years I’ve re-engineered the in-house processes for a handful of IT and New Media companies. I’ve learnt that,…
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Smokin Little Industries
Recently a few people have asked me why I haven’t formed my own User Experience company. I do think about it and it’s possible that one day I will. But for now I aim to be my own ‘little industry’ within another company. It is something I hold close as one of my work ethics.…
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Goggle and Google : Side by Side
With the “Goggle Type Appliance” making the TV3 Nightline news last night, many people have been asking “…so what’s the difference between Goggle and Google?” Here’s a side-by-side comparison of a Goggle-generated document and a Google-generated webpage… [A] A slight variation in spelling. [B] The key topic or phrase is wrapped in a box. [C]…
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Inventor donates browser prototype to ‘Art with a Heart’
After my exclusive scoop last week created ripples on the internet, the original “Type Goggling Appliance” (one of just three prototypes) has been discovered on a dusty shelf at the rear of the Mataura Muesum. No one knows how it came to be there but suspicions are that it was ‘acquired’ at a dawn…
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Google Chrome invented by beekeeper
The creation of this, and over 20 other art works, was made possible by Click Suite supporting us by donating a day to “Art with a Heart”. Theres more information at www.clicksuite.co.nz Proceeds from this auction are going to Save the Children to support our fundraising efforts as part of the 2008 Vietnam cycle challenge.…
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Seven Deadly Design Sins
Designers who don’t pick up on their users’ confusion to the environment in the interweb may be risking more than a fine – they may be putting their souls at risk of damnation, according to a new zef[a]media list of seven deadly sins for the 21st century. As the seven ancient wonders of the world…
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smatterings
No, this isn’t the name of my latest usability technique, but a ‘smattering’ of news from the frontline here at New Zealand’s toastiest Interaction Design kitchen… Kitchen? Why yes… Provoke’s ever-expanding Design & User Experience team have been camped in the kitchen for several months now – we’ve been putting on the elbow grease, monitoring…
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Blobbing-Up Users
We’ve been going all gooey over ‘blob charts’ – our answer to persona data analysis – a godsend when faced with dozens of interview transcriptions and observations. When analysing users we look at a huge number of facets including: …Gender, Age group, Family situation, Income, Housing, Where living, Occupation, Education, Race/Ethnicity, Nationality, Language skills, Social…
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Good News Zealand
I’m going a little off topic from ‘User Experience in IT’ this week to user experiences of a different sort… It has been an interesting week for New Zealand with a plethora of "good news" stories. Beating is for Eggs First of all the so called "anti-smacking bill" (a far more accurate term would have…
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putting yourself out there
Many of you would have already heard of the threats against popular software industry blogger Kathy Sierra. That is the question…I briefly met Kathy when I organised a UPANZ event in 2006. Like most famous people I’ve met she’s not as ‘loud’ as she appears on-screen or on-stage. She’s petite and quietly spoken, and I…
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Good vs Evil
ponoko My ex work colleague Dave ten Have is making his dream real with new venture Ponoko. Ponoko allows designers to have their own workshop and factory to create products…as well as an online showroom to sell their designs. It’s a great idea, especially for spatial/industrial designers who can create in a 3D space or…
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Narrow Thinking
They’re ripping up the footpath along the Queens Highway on the Kapiti Coast – then laying it down again in pretty much the same place.
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It’s all about me me me…
Meme tagging… Hey – I am ‘it’ and maybe you are next… hold your breath.. Chan has done the damage by tagging me to the ever evolving internet meme. So here goes 5 things you thought you’d never want to know about me… [1] I’m a semi-celebrity flower-power kid When I was much younger my…
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iFlat Earth
Are we throwing ourselves blindly into a yawning flat paradigm with the Apple iPhone? Let us consider a world without pressing your (or someone else’s) buttons… First of all, try kissing a glossy photograph of Bradgelina’s lips (Brad or Angelina, or both, depending on your persuasion). Next, try some real lips – you might want…
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Bring Your Personas to Life!
Most UCD (user centred design) companies now create personas – profiles of representative users – to guide their designs. After all, to do UCD you need to get the ‘U’ in focus right from the start. So you’ve got your persona set all neatly defined and documented, now what? How can you ensure the persona…
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TranzMetro Goes Web2.0
TranzMetro, Wellington’s commuter train service, has undergone several partial make-overs in recent years and the railyards are a living case-study of a confused or fragmented branding department. But, in the spirit of Web2.0, I think they’ve finally hit on a winning formula – and this morning we were greeted with customised railcars, designed by the…
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Buy Kiwi-Designed
In New Zealand a battle of words is raging over a new ‘Buy Kiwi-Made’ campaign. The Greens (who lead the campaign) say that ‘New Zealand manufacturers and workers can be assured that only products actually made in New Zealand will be entitled to carry the New Zealand Made labelling, as specified by legislation.’ But some…
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Passionate People I’ve Worked With
My Fabulous Career Recently I pitched for a website I was born to create. I knew it would be an uphill battle – all our perceived flaws were laid bare, while our strengths were buried – it was like they’d made up their minds already. What a shame. These sorts of companies need to learn…
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Google Trends is Misery
Google Trends is the new hot topic – but apart the fun it gives you (by comparing search terms), in most cases the information it spits out is quite useless. This is because Google can’t read our minds (yet). It doesn’t know the goal of the individual user, and the context of what they’re searching…
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Just “waiting for the real thing?”
Ever had a brilliant idea that could potentially ‘spice-up’ a business, the world wide web, or the planet? Like many creative people my great ideas often stay “just ideas”. They tend to languish and then fade away. Except, in my case they don’t always fade away – a few abandoned concepts have come back to…
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Anesthetising Our Way of Life
According to at least one New Zealander we’re well on the way to sharing a similar fate as the 14th century Easter (or ‘Rapanui’) Islanders. This morning Linda Clark was interviewing Peter Lloyd – a Hawkes Bay senior anesthetist turned climate change expert. He had grave concerns for New Zealand and the planet in the…
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Painting Over History
Another little bit of Wellington history was given a ‘big brush over’ earlier this month. It was a row of old shop-front signs on the corner of Cuba and Ghuznee Streets (which looked as though they originated from the middle of last century). It’s the sort of thing which goes on all the time, but…
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Kooks on Killer Highway
Every weekday I see dozens of people tempting fate on one of New Zealand’s most deadly stretches of highway. TXT driving on the Kapiti CoastThankfully I’m sitting safely on the commuter train which runs parallel to the Queens Highway between Paekakariki and Pukerua Bay. For about five minutes the train is within about 10 metres…
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…but will it fold the washing?
For christmas my eldest daughter was given a Knex construction kit – and a few hours later Ferris was born. Ferris is pretty simple, but inquisitive – its main function being to drive around the floor, bump in to objects, act ‘confused’, persist and eventually get out of tricky situations. Of course “Ferris” – part…
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Man Goes Silly Over Usability
Here’s proof that usability can make you look a little bit silly. My work colleague is in love with these new mega-chunky Phillips headphones, which he bought half price for $40. I tried them on for myself. The sound quality is pretty average – I’d even go as far to say the sound quality isn’t…
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Hurricane Rentokil
A hand drier has just been installed at the Provoke toilets, and it’s creating chaos… …all because of a string of simple usability issues. The source of the issue (arguably) is the paper hand towel dispenser. The towels are the big chunky variety – great for absorbing moisture and muck, but they don’t collapse down…
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Down Traden
Are you paying too much when buying goods on Trade Me? All it takes to find out is a couple of Googles. Last July our juicer became redundant. That is, I was enthusiastically trying to clean out the hard-to-reach festering gungy bits of fruit pulp, and the thing just flew apart (I blame the designers…
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