UI Blogs

http://goodexperience.com/blog/
http://www.boxesandarrows.com/
http://uxmatters.com/
http://www.iqcontent.com/blog/
http://www.adaptivepath.com/blog/
http://speedbird.wordpress.com/

EmotoMeterModulator

Something silly and fun and completely unusable, for labor day.

Adaptive Design

This week I have been musing about Adaptive Design, and why you don't see more of it.

By Adaptive Design, I mean software and websites that respond and mutate to reflect user behavior over time. An example most people are probably familiar with is Microsoft Word's ability to recognize your most common spelling/typing mistakes and auto-correct them.

Simply put, I want more. I want my software to recognize the tools I use most and put them in the forefront. I want features I never use to be hidden. I want Facebook to realize I am actually single and not present dating ads to me. And I want a pony.

I think the reason adaptive design is not seen more often is that it is not a feature that can easily be put on a list as a bullet pount and checked off; it is not easily visualized, and often, it is difficult to program. Nonetheless, I think applications and websites that are designed to delight and capture users interest over time will have to integrate adaptive design principles.

Service Design

I've been thinking a lot lately about the concept of Service Design, which to me is the oft ignored meta-uber-parent to User Interface Design. Whereas UI concerns itself with the software, the user flows, the application and web presence of a product, Service Design takes into account the larger picture of customer service, brick and mortar design, shipping, email and technical support. Without well designed and intergrated Service Design, the best UI Design in the world, or graphic or industrial design for that matter, is for naught.

Here is a personal example ... last year, I bought a brand new shiny MacBook Pro; a gorgeous example of industrial design at it's finest. Two months later, it broke (the backlight on the screen went out). I called tech support, they told me to take it to the Apple Store. I went to the Apple Store, expecting them to fix it, they told me they were going to send it off to Texas for repairs. And then they gave me some snotty attitude on top of holding my vital work tool hostage for two weeks. Did they offer to backup my hard drive and offer me my data in the meantime? Nope. Did I get a loaner computer, like when I get my car serviced? Nope. By contrast, when my lowly Dell broke, a service repair man came out to my house to fix it the next day, even though I live in the outer suburbs of Nowhere.

I read an interesting article in the New York Times this weekend about how Netflix hopes to compete now that the behemoth Blockbuster has entered into direct competition with them. Netflix does not have a particularly intricate or hard to reproduce business model or website, so they are competing on the basis of service. They have set up a 24/7 call center, to ha ve a real human handle all tech support issues. And they set it up in Oregon, because people there are friendly and nice (the sub-text being in Los Gatos, CA where Netflix is headquartered, people are less than nice).

I see Service Design as an emerging discipline, one that I hope will grow over the next few years. The great challenge, of course, is for companies to integrate the separate branches and business units involved in the full circle of service, rather than the silo'ed initiative approach or focus on one core competency that is most often the norm.

I have found one company that focuses purely on Service Design consulting, LIVE WORK, based in the UK, but I hope to see many more in the future.

Interface Amusements: Part 2

UI Humor: Yes, it does exist.

Eight Ways to Drive a Designer Mad

UI Comics: OK/Cancel
I love these guys, probably because they are at Yahoo!, and I worked there, and I get immense schadenfreude from their strip every single time.

Data Visualization Examples

GRRRREAT list of modern data visualization examples - excellent inspiration here:

http://www.smashingmagazine.com/2007/08/02/data-visualization-modern-approaches/

Down with the Fold

I am starting to see a rising tide of info out there to debunk the myth that users don't look below the "fold." Yea!

I am going to start collecting links for the next time I have to argue this point with a stubborn client. Not YOU, of course, the OTHER clients ;).

AOL designs for below the fold:
http://www.boxesandarrows.com/view/blasting-the-myth-of

Some stats:
http://blog.clicktale.com/?p=19

A flickrstream, for fun:
http://www.flickr.com/search/?q=thereisnofold&w=all&s=int

And the most popular "foldless" page out there:
http://www.tmz.com