CARMA (Carbon Monitoring for Action) is a project by the Center for Global Development that I was peripherally involved in at my old firm, Forum One Communications. It recently came online and tracks the CO2 output of carbon emitting sources around the world. (Carbon dioxide being one of the causes global warming) It attempts to…
Month: December 2007
The Satisfying Touch UI Experience
It’s a little embarrassing, but I get a lot of my insights from watching TED presentations. Blame it on the combination of my 2 hour commute, iPod Nano and TED providing video podcasts. In a fascinating presentation by neurologist Vilayanur Ramachandran, he talks about how the brain works with sensory input. What stuck with me…
What Do You Want to Be, Touch UI?
Lately I’ve been thinking a lot about touch-based user interfaces for mobile phone for a project I’ve been involved in. Louis Kahn, one of the most influential architects of our time, and subject of an amazing documentary film, once said: “What do you want Brick?” He was alluding to the fact that each material has…
Better Personas: Data Driven Design Research
Todd Warfel has an inspiring presentation on persona creation. Go to the presentation on slideshare and view it full screen. In case you are wondering what those geen and blue lines are on his personas, here’s the answer. Another of Todd’s persentations I enjoyed was, Goal Oriented Data Driven Design which incorporates parts of Barry…
When a Display Becomes Architectural
The video wall inside the IAC building, Frank Gehry’s New York City landmark is huge. At this scale is ceases to be a “display” screen and comes into the realm of the architectural, where it starts to define the character of the space. This is very high on the list of places to visit next…
Messy Desktop Interface
You don’t see too many new interface designs for organizing “stuff” on your PC. Bumptop (see TED video) one is interesting and amusing because it accommodates “messiness” better than any other interface out there. I love designer Bruce Mau’s An Incomplete Manifesto for Growth that articulates the way that creative people work. #25 in a…
Progressive Disclosure
Progressive disclosure is quickly becoming a staple in my user experience vocabulary. It’s one of those impressive words that causes people to say “ooh!”. It has an authority about it that seems to squash the ever-recurring user experience dilemma: how to fit complex functionality into limited screen real-estate. This is how Jakob Nielsen describes it…
One Afternoon at the Getty Center
The Getty Center, Los Angeles (Richard Meier) I’ve spent a lot of time in Los Angeles in the past few months consulting for a client there. In a short-but-sweet time off, I did get to visit the Getty Center, a huge $1.2 billiion complex overlooking LA, designed by Richard Meier, which was literally walking distance…