F(ourth) floor is 4th floor in Korea No 13th floor (photo credit: eggrollstan) The 4th floor in Korea has the same status as the 13th floor does in the US. The pronunciation for “4” is “sa” which is the same as the Chinese character for “death”, hence the “F” (for Fourth) instead of “4” in…
Tag: usability
IDEO Method Cards widget
IDEO’s excellent Method Cards for human-centered design are available as a widget for Mac OS X users. (Saves you $50) Available as a download in the right column of the news page. Really easy to miss. Incidentally, Fast Company has an article on IDEO Method Cards Turn, Um, 7! Happy birthday Method Cards!
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…
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…
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…
Intuitive: definition
In his thoughtful article, Intuition, pleasure, and gestures, Jonathan Korman of Cooper crafts the most elegant definition of the word “intuitive” I have ever come across: Intuitive: Easy to explain, powerful in its implications, impossible to forget.
Buying a Microwave and the Conspiracy of Design
[A]lthough poor design is never excusable, when people are in a relaxed situation, the pleasant, pleasurable aspects of the design will make them more tolerant of difficulties and problems in the interface.
It’s so easy… a child can use it
In this case a baby and an iPhone – I am sure this video has made its rounds, but in case you haven’t seen a baby "getting" the iPhone’s intuitive interface. This is especially relevant for me now that the company I work for is in the business of developing mobile phone interfaces.