I want to put down something I've learned through years of driving one or two new cars weekly. Is is this: less really is more. It's easy to make a good expensive car; the trick is making a good affordable one.
31 December 2001
21 December 2001
Why High-Tech Firms Can’t Afford to Ignore Patents," Knowledge @ Warton, Dec 2001- Jan 2002
An article I wish I had read before the company lawyer came asking about patentable inventions.
An article I wish I had read before the company lawyer came asking about patentable inventions.
19 December 2001
Janice Crotty Fraser, "Groundwork for Project Success," webtechniques, Jan 2002
Upfront steps to help make web projects a success.
Upfront steps to help make web projects a success.
Dan Bricklin, "Thoughts about the Segway HT: Why it's not just a scooter," Bricklin.com, 17 Dec 2001
You should look closely at disruptive technologies, and not just dismiss them out of hand.
Dan Bricklin, the creator of spreadsheets, points out the disruptive possibilities of the Segway. Well done with great links to Segway comics on Salon.
You should look closely at disruptive technologies, and not just dismiss them out of hand.
Dan Bricklin, the creator of spreadsheets, points out the disruptive possibilities of the Segway. Well done with great links to Segway comics on Salon.
15 December 2001
Jeffrey Zeldman,"Why Don't You Code For Netscape," A List Apart, 7 Dec 2001
The method outlined in the NYPL Style Guide (valid XHTML, tables for basic layout, CSS for all else) works in any browser, though the design may be ever–so–slightly degraded in 4.0 and older browsers. I often follow this method in designing projects for clients, and recommend it in my consulting practice as a means of bringing document structure and forward–compatibility to large–scale content sites.
The method outlined in the NYPL Style Guide (valid XHTML, tables for basic layout, CSS for all else) works in any browser, though the design may be ever–so–slightly degraded in 4.0 and older browsers. I often follow this method in designing projects for clients, and recommend it in my consulting practice as a means of bringing document structure and forward–compatibility to large–scale content sites.
Adam Greenfield, "The Bathing Ape Has No Clothes," A List Apart, 7 Dec 2001
...I believe that success in design strongly implies a satisfying the requirements of a user. This is what distinguishes it from art or self-expression...
...I believe that success in design strongly implies a satisfying the requirements of a user. This is what distinguishes it from art or self-expression...
13 December 2001
"Microsoft Inductive User Interface Guidelines," MSDN, 9 Feb 2001
This 18 page doc gives good ideas on making better task based user interfaces. The four basic steps are outlined as:
1. Focus each screen on a single task.
2. State the task.
3. Make the screen's contents suit the task.
4. Offer links to secondary tasks.
I think the suggestion of getting writers involved in the early stages of design to name the screens can make a big difference in software. I just the way word people think. They have a lot to offer development and marketing teams.
This 18 page doc gives good ideas on making better task based user interfaces. The four basic steps are outlined as:
1. Focus each screen on a single task.
2. State the task.
3. Make the screen's contents suit the task.
4. Offer links to secondary tasks.
I think the suggestion of getting writers involved in the early stages of design to name the screens can make a big difference in software. I just the way word people think. They have a lot to offer development and marketing teams.
Noel Franus, "Fulfilling the Promise: Borrowing from 'Usability' for Better Customer Relationships," MarketingProfs.com, Dec 2001
All too often... marketing professionals fixate on selling the promise of a product, and skip out on fulfilling that promise. The delivery of a promise is best left to the product designers, the distribution folks, and the customer service people, right? Perhaps so, but if you're ignoring your customers after you've crafted your pitch, you're missing out on a chance to create a more precise, intimate and alluring pitch to your existing customers - and to convert them from single-shot statistics into long-term relationships.
All too often... marketing professionals fixate on selling the promise of a product, and skip out on fulfilling that promise. The delivery of a promise is best left to the product designers, the distribution folks, and the customer service people, right? Perhaps so, but if you're ignoring your customers after you've crafted your pitch, you're missing out on a chance to create a more precise, intimate and alluring pitch to your existing customers - and to convert them from single-shot statistics into long-term relationships.
Carbon IQ's User centered design methods, posted 26 Nov 2001
A nine page .pdf outlining methods for inquiry, participatory design, profiling, testing and inspection. Each method is rated by cost, time, resources, and expertise required as well as the quality of data it produces. I thought it was a great summary. I agree with the quality of data ratings. - Grant
A nine page .pdf outlining methods for inquiry, participatory design, profiling, testing and inspection. Each method is rated by cost, time, resources, and expertise required as well as the quality of data it produces. I thought it was a great summary. I agree with the quality of data ratings. - Grant
Michael Schrage, Make No Mistake?, Fortune, 24 Dec 2001 (via Tomalak's Realm)
An ounce of prevention isn't always worth a pound of cure. Fixing your mistakes may prove a better business investment than preventing them. After all, it's customer perception--not Deming-trained statisticians--that ultimately determines product and service quality.
An ounce of prevention isn't always worth a pound of cure. Fixing your mistakes may prove a better business investment than preventing them. After all, it's customer perception--not Deming-trained statisticians--that ultimately determines product and service quality.
12 December 2001
Stephen H. Wildstrom, "Finally, a Hybrid That Really Works," BusinessWeek Online, 17 Dec 2001
The Treo is a marvel of thoughtful design. At 2.7 inches wide and 4.3 inches long, slightly smaller than standard Palm handhelds, the Treo looks like a big flip-phone. When you open the lid, the Treo turns on with your speed dials displayed. Tap the phone button and an on-screen dial-pad appears. Another tap brings up your phone list...Not only is it small and light but the flip design means you're unlikely to get skin oil or makeup all over the screen. Little details like that make a vast difference in usability.
The Treo is a marvel of thoughtful design. At 2.7 inches wide and 4.3 inches long, slightly smaller than standard Palm handhelds, the Treo looks like a big flip-phone. When you open the lid, the Treo turns on with your speed dials displayed. Tap the phone button and an on-screen dial-pad appears. Another tap brings up your phone list...Not only is it small and light but the flip design means you're unlikely to get skin oil or makeup all over the screen. Little details like that make a vast difference in usability.
11 December 2001
William Matthews, "Dot-gov by design," Federal Computer Week, 10 Dec 2001
After two years of research, Web usability specialists at NCI believe they have developed a prescription for designing Web sites that work. They start by finding out what Web users want and then studying with scientific precision which Web designs make information easiest for users to get.
After two years of research, Web usability specialists at NCI believe they have developed a prescription for designing Web sites that work. They start by finding out what Web users want and then studying with scientific precision which Web designs make information easiest for users to get.
10 December 2001
Karen Holtzblatt, "Data from a few leads to optimum results," incent.com, 30 Nov 2001
People get hung up on numbers because they tend to focus on variations, on people's differences rather than their basic similarities. But focusing on people's differences leads to products designed with infinite customizations. It eventually de-structures a system with ever more customizable and slightly different options, or requires costly upfront customizations at installation.
People get hung up on numbers because they tend to focus on variations, on people's differences rather than their basic similarities. But focusing on people's differences leads to products designed with infinite customizations. It eventually de-structures a system with ever more customizable and slightly different options, or requires costly upfront customizations at installation.
Paul Festa, "Turning on the World Wide Web," News.com, 10 Dec 2001
My bottom line is that you must have a healthy, adequately funded scientific community, because we're solving problems you don't even know you have yet. And the Web is one of the most outstanding examples of that.
My bottom line is that you must have a healthy, adequately funded scientific community, because we're solving problems you don't even know you have yet. And the Web is one of the most outstanding examples of that.
07 December 2001
David Pogue, "Interface Design Is Trickier Than It Seems," The New York Times, 6 Dec 2001
The interface -- the layout of the controls -- determines how easily and effectively you can use the product: which buttons go where, how many layers down you have to burrow to find an important function, and so on.
Here's good interface design: A Palm organizer's Address Book screen has a New button—but the Delete command is hidden in a menu, because you add names much more frequently than you delete them. Here's bad design: Cell phones that make you dive into menus just to turn off the ringer.
The interface -- the layout of the controls -- determines how easily and effectively you can use the product: which buttons go where, how many layers down you have to burrow to find an important function, and so on.
Here's good interface design: A Palm organizer's Address Book screen has a New button—but the Delete command is hidden in a menu, because you add names much more frequently than you delete them. Here's bad design: Cell phones that make you dive into menus just to turn off the ringer.
04 December 2001
"People Who Need People," CIO Magazine, 1 Dec 2001
Companies that have had little tangible business success with their online communities generally rushed to put them on their sites without evaluating whether they were really appropriate for their company, establishing a business goal or objective for them, or realizing that it actually takes effort to get visitors to participate.
Companies that have had little tangible business success with their online communities generally rushed to put them on their sites without evaluating whether they were really appropriate for their company, establishing a business goal or objective for them, or realizing that it actually takes effort to get visitors to participate.
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