Category Archives: ux
Do computers cause dead parrots?
At a train station a few weeks ago I hit a wall of bureaucracy that enraged me beyond my usual breaking point. I had booked a ticket on the web, and at the collection machines, I was issued only half … Continue reading
Posted in customer experience, software, technology, ux
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Hands on! My experiences usability testing a printed booklet
At UX London this year Jon Kolko talked about using our UX skills to solve problems beyond the commercial, digital world. I think he’s tapping into a common desire in our industry to work outside of our typical domain. I got … Continue reading
Posted in usability, ux
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Apple’s Keynote… needs more testing?
At the end of last week, Steve Jobs (RIP) made me look like an idiot. In front of a large group of people. OK, I’m exaggerating (I knew a bunch of them personally!), but Steve had a close hand in Keynote’s … Continue reading
Posted in design, software, ux
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Apps…. extinction ahead?
A couple of weeks ago I had the good fortune to attend the first designpush - working with some designers and some developer folks from chrome+mozilla. Our chosen topic was the emerging standard for webintents (follow that link for a better summary … Continue reading
Posted in design, software, technology, ux
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I just *underpaid* my tax because of a poor interface
What if thousands of people were underpaying their tax by accident, and getting fined for it later? I can’t be the only one. Paying your tax as a self-employed person is never fun. Some years ago I switched to a … Continue reading
Posted in design, ux
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The delicate balance between design and build
There are some projects where significant design input is not required in the early stages. Perhaps the project is at such an early stage that you don’t even know whether the idea will fly. Perhaps you’re trying to save money and … Continue reading
Posted in design, software, ux
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Thoughts before buying the new Kindle
As I’m pretty close to getting one of these (I’ll admit that the new pricing pushed me over the edge), I thought I’d make some notes about the experience of reading books, and review after a few months of getting … Continue reading
Posted in art, culture, ergonomics, hardware, media, productivity, ux
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When sitting around waiting produces better UX
Recently, I’ve been conducting some research for a medium-sized organisation that asked me to help them develop the next phase of their website. As I sat waiting for a meeting in reception, I got to overhear some of the phonecalls … Continue reading
Posted in design, software, ux
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When Social Proof Is Unfair
I just received an email from 38 degrees asking me to vote on which action the government should take to mitigate the effects of deep cuts to public services (see screenshot). Fair enough… it strikes me as pretty odd … Continue reading
Posted in culture, politics, psychology, ux
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Remove unnecessary form elements: TFL Cycle Hire Registration
Very strange. I was trying to register for the London Cycle Hire access scheme, and obviously, I’d rather not have to renew my account every time I use it. The registration form presented me with the auto-renew option, but … Continue reading
Posted in ux
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