Monday, December 24, 2012
Merry Linkfest!
Enjoy!
Sunday, July 13, 2008
Ethnography, Contextual Interviewing, and Participant Observation: Desiging Technology-Supported Interactions and Experiences in Ubiquitous Spaces
Ethnography and contextual interviewing strategies are important components in designing usable, useful products, services, interactions, and interfaces. It is apparent to me that many companies do not spend enough time on this component. Too many people must endure negative, even annoying technology-supported "user experiences" as they go about their daily lives.
Hopefully, these negative user experiences were not designed intentionally!
So how do we stamp out these problems?
I came across a very informative video that I'd recommend viewing for those of you who have an interest in user-centered design, user-driven design, usability, or user-experience design. The video provides specific examples of how to conduct user-centered interviews and ethnographic observation, highlights the importance of connecting with the user/customer/client, and includes a discussion about participant observation.
The video was created by Gabriel Biller and Kristy Scovel, graduate students from IIT, the Illinois Institute of Technology. They focused their video on a no-tech product - jeans, to highlight their key points.
The thirty minutes spent viewing the video will be well-spent.
Getting People to Talk: An Ethnography & Interviewing Primer from Gabe & Kristy on Vimeo.
I learned about participant observation techniques when I was involved in social science field research years ago, and similar techniques when I was learning about conducting home visits and observations when I was a graduate school psychology student, and more recently, in my HCI-related courses.
There is much to be said about the power of observation.
I would be interested in hearing from anyone who has been involved with ethnographic research and contextual interviewing related to off-the-desktop applications and technologies.
Friday, February 8, 2008
Usability Link: Microsoft Design Center - Mobility (via Putting People First)
Take a look at the Microsoft Design Center's Mobility usability website.
I am impressed. I found the link via Putting People First.
Microsoft Design Center: Mobility
http://www.microsoft.com/design/work/Detail.aspx?key=mobility
Sunday, September 9, 2007
Trends: New interfaces and new interactions for computing and technology: Link to an article from The Economist
If you are interested in emerging technologies, ubiquitous computing, interface/interaction design, and topics related to usability and user-centered design, a recent article in the Technology Quarterly of The Economist, "The Trouble with Computers" provides a good overview of problems and solutions. The article quotes experts such as Adam Greenfield, the author of "Everyware: The dawning age of ubiquitous computing".
My favorite quotes from the article:
"Its an interface designed by engineers for engineers" - Adam Greenfield, on the Nokia 6680 mobile phone.
"...computer programmers and engineers....are often guilty of designing complicated systems packed with too many features...There's a point where humanity just can't handle it." -Steven Kyffin, senior researcher at Philips.
"Ease of use is one area where technology firms can differentiate themselves and gain competitive advantage" --The Economist
"Making computers simpler to use will require more than novel input devices. Smarter software is needed, too." --The Economist
The article goes on to discuss touch screens, gesture-aware interfaces, and context-aware devices and applications.
