Gemma and I have just returned from a round the world tour for a global project. This gave us a lot of opportunities to use, analyse and discuss the pros and cons of the in-flight entertainment systems of the different airlines we travelled on (what else are two user experience researchers to do on a flight?).
Here are some of our thoughts:
You know the feeling, you’ve bought something and it comes in that dreaded clamshell packaging. The one that feels as though it has been superglued closed and is impossible to open.
I've always loved doodling in the corner of notes and drawing out ideas. Now I have a name for it and a legitimate reason to do it:
Imagine a manual you actually want to read, or better yet, play with!
Have a look at this manual for the Samsung Tocco which was created by Vitamins Design.
Although, hopefully users don't need to use the manual to learn how to make a phone call.
As a devoted reader of the PostSecret blog I was sad to see the PostSecret iPhone app removed from the App store at the start of January. Although I never used the app (I don’t have an iPhone) I always read the ‘Best from the App’ section of the blog (where some of the app secrets get posted on the website) and was looking forward to the release of the Android app so I could try it out.
The idea of the PostSecret app was similar to that of the blog, where users share secrets via handmade postcards. However, instead of creating a postcard, the app users could take a photo and add words to create a secret, which they could anonymously post and others could comment on.
A usability related secret from last Sunday's PostSecret
An interesting Ted talk (TedxO'Porto) by Sandra Fisher-Martin about keeping documents simple and easy to understand. If you've got time watch the video (it's 15 minutes long and in Portuguese with English subtitles).
Her aim is to simplify the language used in contracts and other official documents so that they are easy to understand by everyone, rather than only by experts. The main message of the talk is to ''write for your grandmother'' by following these 3 rules:
The idea of having a particular audience in mind when writing is a useful practice and helps you to focus your writing. Legal and business documents tend to focus on getting very exact and precise points across to defend a position or state a claim upon which a lot depends. However, this often comes at the cost of clear, concise language - making these documents appear less "human".
However, Sandra clearly believes that the two aren't mutually exclusive, and we'd agree with her. For example, when we write our reports we strive to make sure that they speak our clients' language and are as usable as the practices that we preach. We feel that we've failed if a report isn't easily understood by our clients. There's no reason that other businesses shouldn't adopt this exact same belief.
Gelupo describe themselves as ‘the finest artisan gelato experience this side of the alps’ and I definitely agree. I love Gelupo! Since it open last June I’ve been through at least 9 loyalty cards and I go there so often that my friends describe it as my local pub.
The ice cream is delicious and the sorbets are so good that you can just count them as part of the normal ice cream selection (rather than the boring low calorie relatives) but it’s not just the ice cream that is good. The whole experience of eating at Gelupo is great.
After a few months of using my Sony Ericsson XPERIA Android phone (which I haven’t been at all impressed with- but that’s another blog entirely) I heard about a stop motion app. I love making stop motion clips and normally just use my camera, a tripod and a simple video editing program. Although this is straightforward enough, the idea of being able to make quick little videos straight from my phone sounded great. So, I downloaded the free version of the app (Stop-Motion Lite) and went about making a little lunch time stop motion video:
Continue reading "Android stop-motion video (all in a lunch time)" »
After a hard week of testing Mark and I decided to get
something to eat at Inamo.
Inamo is a restaurant where “the control of the dining experience” is placed in
the diners’ hands. Instead of customers being given a traditional paper menu
and ordering with a waiter or waitress, they use an “interactive ordering
system” to browse and select what they want to eat.
On Friday the 28th of May, at 8am, the iPad was finally available to buy in the UK. On Thursday evening I went to the Apple Store to see who was already in the queue and to find out why they were so excited about getting an iPad. There weren't that many people waiting but when I returned on Friday morning the queue had turned the corner of Regent Street and hundreds of people were waiting, eager to buy an iPad.
Watch the video below to see what people thought of the iPad shopping experience and why they couldn't wait to get their hands on the iPad.
(Watch this space for part 2 of this blog, where we'll be reviewing our very own iPad!)
