Answers
And here are the answers to the new year quiz.
Smog
This is an anagram of GOMS or Goals, Operators, Methods and Selection rules. As it gives a quantifiable measure of HCI it’s popular among academics and the more engineering-led areas of HCI. Rarely spotted in London design agencies.
Quiz
As it’s not only the last Friday of the month but also of the year, I thought a quiz on Human-Computer interaction would be fun. Because of Bing and that other search engine whose name temporarily eludes me, the answers to questions can too easily be researched. Instead I will give you five anagrams of common HCI terms and famous names to be rearranged.
No quiz is complete without a prize so the winner will receive a link so that they can buy themselves a brand new Porsche 911. That’s right, I will send the winner a link so they can buy themselves a new car with their own money, shaving almost seconds off having to search for the link themselves. In fact, as it’s the season of goodwill, if anybody posts the correct answers I will then post this shiny new URL so everybody can use it.
So here they are, answers on a virtual postcard in the comments section below:
Smog;
Flat Wits;
Big Mucous Input Quoit;
Banjo Eel Skin;
Bandsmen Herein.
Good luck and Happy New Year!
Read: QuizInternet and TV Convergence
The next few years will see a fundamental change to how you watch telly (sorry, consume media) and if it’s done well you won’t even notice. The convergence of the Internet and TV is drawing near.
Read: Internet and TV ConvergenceGames are all around you, include you
Computer videogames are BIG, and destined to get bigger and BIGGER. It’s not just the number of players playing them, but the time spent on each session, each week, each year etc, the money involved, the technology, the storylines, just about everything.
Read: Games are all around you, include youIs it Good to Talk?
With rumours of intelligent voice recognition on the iPhone leaping from the Web, is talking to yourself about to take off in a big way?
Read: Is it Good to Talk?Truff’s Law
I’ve recently enjoyed being part of the longest and most interesting email thread of my 15 years or so on t’Interweb.
Read: Truff’s LawA Real User Journey for a User’s Journey
As an Information Architect or User Experience practitioner we create personas and user journeys to help us understand people’s needs in order to create better products.
Read: A Real User Journey for a User’s JourneyInteraction Design in First Life
Computer systems and websites often mimic real world interactions and metaphors to enable us to quickly understand and navigate the virtual environment. However, when we look around us we often see signs, designs and object with questionable interactions.
Read: Interaction Design in First LifeMobile Phones and Driving
In 2003 it became an offence in the UK to use a handheld phone while driving. It is widely believed that the use of handheld phones is substantially more dangerous than the use of hands-free phones and that this was a sensible precaution. This belief is, however, bollocks.
Read: Mobile Phones and Driving“Bleems”
Indicator bars. From downloading files to power and reception indicators on our phones, they’re everywhere.
Read: “Bleems”There’s an App for that. But should there be?
To create an app, or use browser-based delivery, that is the question.
Read: There’s an App for that. But should there be?iPhone to Blackberry Switch
This month’s article is a little different. My friend, and fellow HCI colleague, switched from iPhone to Blackberry recently so I asked if she would tell us about it. Below is the full unabridged reply. It is posted anonymously to prevent any unpleasantness at work and please note that they are not the opinions of ixd studio.
Read: iPhone to Blackberry SwitchHolding Attention
On a visit to the Saatchi Gallery recently some work caught my attention and, more importantly, held it for some time. It was the final gallery and I had reached the stage of glancing at a picture and forming short appraisals in my mind and moving quickly to the next one, “like it”, “very green”, “reminds me of sausages” etc.
Read: Holding AttentionNew Year’s Resolution
I resolve to never say “There was no choice” when either making or explaining a decision or action.
I’ve heard this a lot recently especially from politicians and I just don’t buy it. There is always choice – you might not like the choices and they might be worse than the obvious paths but as soon as you abdicate responsibility for your actions you become just a passenger rather than a protagonist.
Happy New Year (should you choose to celebrate such events!)
Read: New Year’s ResolutionThe Birth of TV User Experience
As the nature and capability of our devices change, how do we ensure we deliver a seamless experience?
Read: The Birth of TV User ExperienceAll Users Lie
Have you ever seen House M.D.? Hugh Laurie, of Blackadder fame, is a brilliant (and obnoxious) diagnostician who believes that “All patients lie.” They lie about how bad they actually feel, about where they were when they first felt sick and about their own bad habits. The same can be said of users. We often ask people about their favourite sites, which ones they visit most often and which sites they trust. Strangely, considering the income they generate, nobody ever cites porn or gambling sites as examples. All users lie.
Read: All Users LieWhat is ‘User Experience’?
Many businesses are now convinced and understand the importance and the value of good user experience. They’ve seen for themselves that an investment in designing satisfying, engaging and fulfilling user experiences is time, effort and money well spent. The rewards are a demonstrable impact not only on the ROI but on developing a branding bond between users and a product, service or organisation.
Read: What is ‘User Experience’?8 Things Every UI Designer Should Know
When it comes to discovering usability issues in any system or interface, designers make use of Heuristics. Put simply, Heuristics are rules of thumb, borne out of expert judgement and common sense. They can be used to both identify problems in existing systems, as well as provide general guidelines in system design.
Read: 8 Things Every UI Designer Should KnowInformation Architecture 101
Information Architecture (often abbreviated to ‘IA’) is the groundwork of a site’s design. All the site’s elements, be they navigation, interface design, forms, functionality, etc, are then built according to this founding basis. It is the principal part of the design phase and should never be considered optional or superfluous.
Read: Information Architecture 101Grumpy Old Man’s Guide to the iPad
So the iPad has been around quite a while now, in tech-time anyway, so it’s my turn to make a few points about it which will contrast with my colleague David’s article, The iPad: More Than Just a Big iPhone.
Read: Grumpy Old Man’s Guide to the iPad