(Comments added for week ending Sun 18 Aug 2002) | View Other Weeks
| last updated:09 Sep 2002 06: 30 Webword time, or 09 Sep 2002 11:30 UK time |
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| Webword Statistics - Recent Comments (Comments added for week ending Sun 18 Aug 2002) | View Other Weeks |
| Making Mistakes Well | Thu 15 Aug |
| (New Architect) Contingency design is design for when things go wrong. Its error messaging, graphic design, instructive text, information architecture, and customer service that helps visitors when a problem occurs. Yet no matter how much testing and quality assurance has gone into a Web site, customers will encounter problems. And, Web sites consistently fail their customers at crisis points. |
| Fri 16 Aug 02:25 | Kung Pao | Man, those hype machines 37Signals really know how to squeeze every last drop out of one idea, don't they? They're conducting workshops on contingency design, writing articles on it, publishing whitepapers, and even writing a book. This article is just a carbon copy of their whitepaper. The difference is that they got paid for this article. Nuts! As Ron Zeno often says, this is high on propoganda, low on quality. Sounds an awful lot like some management gurus who coin a term and beat it to death. Do they know anything else? I think they're overrated. On one of their sites, clicking on a thumbnail opens up the image in a new window. Click on another image, and the stupid thing opens in the SAME window as the previous image. What if I want to see two images? Usability my big fanny. And Scott Upton, I feel for you buddy... receding into the shadows while your partners hog all the glory. |
| Fri 16 Aug 11:41 | Ron Zeno | Actually, I rated the article as: Information quality: High Propaganda quality: Medium Propaganda level: Medium The information the author gives about 'contingency design' is very good. He doesn't overly promote himself or his company. Yes, much of the article reads like something from the dot-bomb years, but he does a good job supporting his position. those hype machines 37Signals really know how to squeeze every last drop out of one idea Being good at one thing isn't necessarily bad - it's often the mark of success. And Scott Upton, I feel for you buddy... receding into the shadows while your partners hog all the glory. One of the interesting things about 37signals is how they do not promote their individual partners. I've been unable to even find a list of them on their site... So why all the hostility, 'Kung Pao'? |
| Fri 16 Aug 11:53 | John S. Rhodes | My $0.02 37signals is doing exactly the right thing, at least in terms of branding. They have created a new category of usability and they own the market in this category. They are smart and determined; I've enjoyed every interaction I have had with them. I've said many times that usability needs an injection of marketing. They have done it. To that I say...bravo! So, Kung Pao, please feed us. Tell us more. It is important for me to know why you are so hostile. I'm not upset by your hostility, I'm just curious about it and if you can justify it. (Thanks in advance!) |
| Fri 16 Aug 17:23 | Lydia | I love their 37 Better FedEx. I like deconstruction that makes you think in new ways. |
| Fri 16 Aug 17:39 | Jack Schonchin | Wait one minute bub. If Kung Pao was hostile in that post, then I must be a regular Ray Milland*. Kung may be a little wound up, but who hasn't - for example - expressed the same depth of emotion when talking about Filbert**? *Google search for 'hostile' and 'celebrities' turned up Ray Milland on the first link, a page featuring his filmography. Oh Google, you're better than that. Don't disappoint us again. **If you need clarification, you should read more WebWord. |
| Fri 16 Aug 23:10 | John S. Rhodes | People get upset...but they express the details. They often explain why they are upset. There is logic. There are anecdotes. That is all I am asking for here. I don't mind hostility; it can be very useful. |
| Sun 18 Aug 23:44 | Mathew | I often wonder how much of this kind of hostility is poorly disguised jealousy. If you have problems with the content, refute it properly, give detail, make your own point. I found the contingency white paper to be quite useful as a selling tool around the office, and it was free. Can't complain about that. If they make money of it themselves, more power to them. |
| Why Doc Searls Doesn't Sell Any Books | Sun 18 Aug |
| (Jakob Nielsen, 6-Aug-2000) In the long term, Amazon is going to lose its current special status and will have to compete on an equal footing with other sites. Reputation managers will eliminate the marketing advantage Amazon enjoys from its brand. Web wallets will eliminate the usability advantage Amazon enjoys from one-click shopping. |
| Sun 18 Aug 23:30 | MadMan | Just when you thought you were getting away from him, Uncle Jakob™ makes a triumphant return to Webword. There's no stopping him. Maybe Mac should start a 'Uncle Jakob™ predictions that haven't come true' page. |
| WebWord Comment | Sun 18 Aug |
| Im looking for some help. Im working on a project that requires us to use a lot of automated email messages. For example, you enter something on a web page and then the system running behind the scenes of the web site fires off an email you you. I cant seem to find much on the usability of email, particularly automatically generated plain text email messages (e.g., like what eBay and Amazon send out). Suggestions? |
| Sun 18 Aug 23:28 | MadMan | Perhaps if you told me a bit more about what the system is supposed to do, I might be able to help more. If you ask a question like 'usability of email', I'd respond with an equally generic 'make sure it contains all the info the user would need.' |
| WebWord Comment | Thu 15 Aug |
| This is waaaaay offtopic, but that isnt going to stop me. Lets take this opportunity to post some of favorite movie quotes. We all have our favorites, so anyone can play along. If you tie your quote(s) to usability you earn extra points. |
| Thu 15 Aug 06:41 | John S. Rhodes | I ain't got time to bleed. - Predator, 1987 PC Load Letter? What the f*** does that mean? - Office Space, 1999 |
| Thu 15 Aug 08:18 | Mac | We're gonna need a bigger boat. Jaws - Late changes to the user requirements. Picture a girl who took a nose dive from the ugly tree and hit every branch on the way down. Saving Private Ryan - Every other project I am involved in. Is that all you do Mr. Potts, invent things? Chitty Chitty Bang Bang - Better than 'is that all you do, watch people use the internet?' Jakob: I'll be a lap dog of Satan. From Dusk Till Dawn Gosh, I'm doing it. I'm repeating the darn computer! Galaxy Quest Computer: Auto-destruct in 15 minutes. There will be no further audio warnings. Star Trek - First Contact - who came up with the user analysis for that software? Let me tell you about this guy I know. Jack. Bad seed. Mean. Hurt people Batman Bill Gates: There may be a few... similarities. Pirates of Silicon Valley My dad always said that there's 24 usable hours in every day. Empire Records Brian: Excuse me. Are you the Judean People's Front? Reg: Fuck off! We're the People's Front of Judea Life Of Brian - Never call a designer a graphics person What I want to know is how we're going to stay alive this winter. Dr Zhivago - After the dotcom crash. Boy: Fagin, this sausage is moldy! Fagin: Shut up and drink your gin. Oliver! - Some users don't know they're born Hey they forgot to wind the sundial. Rebel Without A Cause Well, thats my lunchtime gone. |
| Thu 15 Aug 10:15 | Joshua Kaufman | [Skroob, Helmet, and Sanders reach the cancellation button] Dark Helmet: Out of order? FUCK! Even in the future, nothing works! Spaceballs, 1987 |
| Thu 15 Aug 11:12 | Ron Zeno | Brian Look. You've got it all wrong. You don't Need to follow me. You don't Need to follow anybody. You've got to think for yourselves. You're all individuals. Crowd YES! WE'RE ALL INDIVIDUALS! Brian You're all different. Crowd YES. WE ARE ALL DIFFERENT. Folowr5 I'm not. |
| Thu 15 Aug 11:44 | Frank Lynch | John, here's one on nomenclature - - Vizzini: HE DIDN'T FALL? INCONCEIVABLE! Inigo Montoya: You keep using that word. I do not think it means what you think it means. The Princess Bride |
| Thu 15 Aug 12:49 | Adam Kalsey | Well, it's not usability, but how about general software managment? On planning: If you don't know where you're going, you're unlikely to end up there. Forest Gump On being specific with requests: Richard Vernon: What was that ruckus? Andrew Clark: Uh, what ruckus? Richard Vernon: I was just in my office and I heard a ruckus. Brian Johnson: Could you describe the ruckus, sir? The Breakfast Club On project managment: This is ridiculous. It's crazy. I feel like I'm babysitting, except I'm not getting paid. The Goonies |
| Thu 15 Aug 13:42 | Jack Schonchin | Hmmm, I'll have to start using movie quotes in web presentations. I'd like to see this become a permanent web page, always taking submissions. 'I like to look for things no one else catches.' -Amelie commenting on movies in Le Fabuleux destin d'Amélie Poulain 'This job would be great if it wasn't for the fucking customers.' -Randal's view of customer service in Clerks Customer: 'Cute cat. What's its name?' Randal: 'Annoying customer.' *Customer leaves in a huff* Dante: Can you imagine being halfway decent to the customers at least some of the time? -Clerks 'And the Lord spoke, saying, 'First shalt thou take out the Holy Pin. Then, shalt thou count to three, no more, no less. Three shalt be the number thou shalt count, and the number of the counting shalt be three. Four shalt thou not count, neither count thou two, excepting that thou then proceed to three. Five is right out! Once the number three, being the third number be reached, then lobbest thou thy Holy Hand Grenade of Antioch towards thou foe, who, being naughty in my sight, shall snuff it.'' -Operating instructions from a monk in Monty Python and the Holy Grail Lt. Saavik: 'Humor. It is a difficult concept. It is not logical.' Admr. James T. Kirk: 'We learn by doing.' -Star Trek 2: The Wrath of Kahn Admr. James T. Kirk: 'You're about to remind me that logic alone dictates your actions?' Capt. Spock: 'I would not remind you of that which you know so well.' -Star Trek 2: The Wrath of Kahn 'Even with all this accumulated knowledge, when will these dummies learn to use a doorknob?' Lex Luthor commenting on Zod's tendency to break open buildings rather than use doors, in Superman II. Buckaroo Banzai: 'It flies like a truck.' John Parker: 'Good. What is a truck?' -Learning to fly a thermal pod in The Adventures of Buckaroo Banzai Across the 8th Dimension |
| Thu 15 Aug 14:20 | JB | Gone with the wind 'Frankly, my dear, I don't give a damn!' - my response to those people that refuse to listen to user experience arguments for not doing certain things a certain way. |
| Thu 15 Aug 15:36 | Lydia | I love that Princess Bride quote, too. Why I get crap jobs: 'Well this whole thing is just who knows who and over here you have favoritism.' Raising Arizona What happens when all else fails: 'This is my BOOM STICK!' Bruce Campbell vs. Army of Darkness Most days: 'I feel like I'm taking CRAZY pills!' Zoolander My response to last minute changes: 'Fuck you, replacement friend!' Saving Silverman (I only watched it for Jack Black) One of those 'plan coming together' moments: 'And All of a Sudden Someone Says 'Plate' or 'Shrimp' or 'Plate of Shrimp.'' Repo Man Making concessions: 'Okay, but I get to be on top' Big Ethics getting in the way of paycheck: 'No reward is worth this!' Star Wars |
| Thu 15 Aug 15:54 | Darin | Corporations trying to take over the Web: 'The Matrix (AOL) is the world that has been pulled over your eyes to blind you from the truth.' - The Matrix On having to remember hundreds of username/password combos: Woodstock: What's the password? Ace Ventura: New England clam chowder. Woodstock: Is that the red or the white? Ace Ventura: Ah, I can never remember that. White. [Door opens] Ace Ventura: Yes! - Ace Ventura, Pet Detective |
| Thu 15 Aug 21:38 | Matt | On writing technical documents: Minister of Finance: Here is the Treasury Department's report, sir. I hope you'll find it clear. Rufus T. Firefly (Groucho): Clear? Huh! Why a four-year-old child could understand this report! [to Bob Roland (Zeppo)] Rufus T. Firefly: Run out and find me a four-year-old child, I can't make head or tail of it. Duck Soup |
| Fri 16 Aug 00:35 | MH | 'I would never let a woman kick my ass. If she tried anything, I'd be like, 'Hey, you get your bitch ass back in the kitchen and make me some pie!'' --Eric Cartman, South Park 'No, you suck.' --mean people 'If meat's bad for you, then why is it food?' --Butt-Head 'I always get the feeling that when lesbians look at me, they're thinking, 'That's why I'm not a heterosexual.'' --George Costanza, Seinfeld |
| Fri 16 Aug 02:02 | Lyle Kantrovich | Why usability folks are 'special': 'We're On A Mission From God.' -- Elwood, Blues Brothers Creative recruiting of test participants: JAKE: How much for the little girl? The women, how much for the women? RESTAURANT PATRON: What? JAKE: Your women, I want to buy your women. The little girl, your daughters. Sell them to me. Sell me your childrens! -- Blues Brothers A developer explaining why their current design sucks 'I ran out of gas! I had a flat tire! I didn't have enough money for cab fare! My tux didn't come back from the cleaners! An old friend came in from out of town! Someone stole my car! There was an earthquake! A terrible flood! Locusts! IT WASN'T MY FAULT, I SWEAR TO GOD!' -- Jake, Blues Brothers An expert review conversation where the reviewer gets dazzled by technology: ELWOOD: You don't like it? JAKE: No I don't like it. (Elwood floors it and jumps over an open drawbridge) JAKE: Of course it's got a lot of pickup. ELWOOD: It's got a cop motor, a 440 cubic inch plant, it's got cop tires, cop suspensions, cop shocks. It's a model made before catalytic converters so it'll run good on regular gas. What do you say, is it the new Blues Mobile or what? (Jake after lighting a cigarette) JAKE: Fix the cigarette lighter. -- Blues Brothers When trying to bring up something 'live' from the network during a big presentation: Our lady of blessed acceleration don't fail me now. -- Elwood, Blues Brothers Talking to 'motorhead' developers Jake: What the hell do you want me to do motorhead? Elwood: Well try not to be so negative all the time, why don't you offer some constructive criticism. You think constantly looping animations are annoying? Elwood: Well, it ain't much, but it's home. Jake: How often does the train go by? Elwood: So often you won't even notice it. But you told me the UI looked 'pretty good'... What was I gonna do? Take away your only hope? Take away the very thing that kept you going in there? I took the liberty of bullshitting you. -- Elwood, Blues Brothers Presenting usability testing results This is supposed to be a happy occasion. Let's not bicker and argue about who killed who. -- King of Swamp Castle, Monty Python and the Holy Grail Why it's good to iterate designs When I first came here, this was all swamp. Everyone said I was daft to build a castle on a swamp, but I built in all the same, just to show them. It sank into the swamp. So I built a second one. And that one sank into the swamp. So I built a third. That burned down, fell over, and then sank into the swamp. But the fourth one stayed up. And that's what you're going to get, Son, the strongest castle in all of England. -- King of Swamp Castle, Monty Python and the Holy Grail One good project leads to another Dingo: You must spank her well, and after you are done with her, you may deal with her as you like... and then... spank me! All: And me! And me too! And me! Dingo: Yes! Yes, you must give us all a good spanking! -- Monty Python and the Holy Grail |
| Fri 16 Aug 02:48 | Iain Jacobs | Give a man enough online help and he'll hang himself |
| Fri 16 Aug 03:27 | Daniel | Airplane Person 1: 'Surely you can't be serious' Plane Doc: 'I am serious ... and stop calling me Shirley' Anything from a Zucker, Zucker, Abrahams film is a big winner IMHO. Top Secret, Airplane etc etc |
| Fri 16 Aug 11:13 | Ben Hunt | (From Labyrinth) ROCKFACE: DON'T GO ON. ROCKFACE: GO BACK WHILE YOU STILL CAN. ROCKFACE: THIS IS NOT THE WAY. ROCKFACE: TAKE HEED, AND GO NO FURTHER. ROCKFACE: BEWARE! ROCKFACE: BEWARE! ROCKFACE: SOON IT WILL BE TOO LATE. (Labyrinth - On navigation) HOGGLE: YOUR MAJESTY! WHAT A NICE SURPRISE! JARETH: HELLO, HEDGEWART. SARAH: HOGWART. HOGGLE: HOGGLE. JARETH: HOGGLE, ARE YOU HELPING THIS GIRL? HOGGLE: H-H-HELPING?.. IN WHAT SENSE? JARETH: IN THE SENSE OF LEADING HER TOWARDS THE CASTLE. HOGGLE: I WAS TAKING HER BACK TO THE BEGINNING. SARAH: WHAT? HOGGLE: I TOLD HER I WOULD HELP HER. A LITTLE TRICKERY ON MY PART... (Labyrinth - on navigation) SARAH: OH, NO. SARAH: SOMEONE HAS BEEN CHANGING MY MARKS. SARAH: WHAT A HORRIBLE PLACE! IT'S NOT FAIR! JIM: THAT'S RIGHT. IT'S NOT FAIR. GUARDS: HA HA HA HA! JIM: THAT'S ONLY HALF OF IT. SARAH: THIS WAS A DEAD END A MINUTE AGO. TIM: NO, THAT'S THE DEAD END BEHIND YOU. GUARDS: HA HA HA! HA HA HA! SARAH: IT KEEPS CHANGING! SARAH: WHAT AM I SUPPOSED TO DO? JIM: TRY ONE OF THESE DOORS. TIM: ONE OF THEM LEADS TO THE CASTLE, TIM: AND THE OTHER ONE LEADS TO-- RALPH: BA BA BA BUM! TIM: CERTAIN DEATH! GUARDS: OOH! OOH! SARAH: WHICH ONE IS WHICH? JIM: WE CAN'T TELL YOU. SARAH: WHY NOT? JIM: UH... I, UH... JIM: WE DON'T KNOW. |
| Fri 16 Aug 13:02 | Chris Sterritt | My three favorite movie quotes, all of which have some usability applications, if you know the context of the movie: From 'Some Like it Hot': 'Nobody's perfect' From 'The Great Race': 'Push the button, Max!' From 'Labyrinth': Sarah: 'That's NOT FAIR!' King of the Goblins: 'I wonder what your standard of comparison is!' |
| Fri 16 Aug 23:33 | MICK | Randal: You can't rent here anymore! Jay: YEAH! |
| Sat 17 Aug 21:00 | Pinkmenace | From Time Bandits: EVIL: When I have the map, I will be free, and the world will be different, because I have understanding. ROBERT: Understanding of what, master? EVIL: Digital watches. And soon I will have understanding of videocassette recorders and car telephones. And when I have understanding of them, I shall have understanding of computers. And when I have understanding of computers, I shall be the Supreme Being! |
| Sun 18 Aug 19:10 | Dave N | 'Where'd who go?' - Top Gun On website conversion rates |
| Examining Paid Content's Future | Thu 15 Aug |
| (Steve Outing) Just as subscription/payments pages are a barrier to users, so too can user registration be a barrier. As the user-registration trend grows, it will behoove the news industry to come up with a common or shared registration system that would enable a once-registered user to be recognized at any news site. Also, my earlier advice about making sure that premium paid content is still included in general and news Web search engines also applies to content that requires user registration. Make sure that your content is not made inaccessible. |
| Fri 16 Aug 14:01 | Jack Schonchin | Shared registration system? I figured the porn industry would already have created something like this. They lead the way, right? John, you would know, do they have such a system? There is nothing more dreary than working on a sunny Friday afternoon when half your coworkers are on vacation and no one is discussing anything on WebWord. |
| Fri 16 Aug 14:23 | John S. Rhodes | We could discuss how the porn industry leads the way... The dirty secret that drives new technology: it's porn |
| Sun 18 Aug 07:35 | Frank Lynch | A shared subscription/registration database seems fraught with opportunities for abuse, and I'd rather not... There are some good aspects to the 'slow' process of registration which chouldn't be forgotten. One, it makes the user think twice about the exchange of time & info for content. ('Do I really think I'll use this?') The washington post now wants you to register (I think I'll pass), as well as nando. Second, if someone bothers to register, they are a step closer to being willing to pay - - they've already agreed to part of the exchange. Third, when a site creates its own registration process, they have the opportunity for a customer interaction that will closely fit their brand. How soft and reassuring? How, and where, to express privacy policies? What to ask in the process? |
| Sun 18 Aug 09:34 | Sachin nair | I guess Microsoft has already lead the way regarding the shared registration system using their passport system. Though a shared system does have its quirks & fancies, in the larger interest of things i guess it does really be a boon to have it! The bugs could be gleaned out of the system over time. MAybe the OpenSource community should take a step forward regarding this feature!! |
| WebWord Comment | Thu 15 Aug |
| Oh boy, I have another idea! Imagine a web site that ONLY ever posted comments based on other comments. Wrap your head around that. Start with only one posting. Then, every other posting is taken from the comments that people write. You can kind of see how this has worked with WebWord. I post something, people comment on it, then I grab something interesting and I post it on the home page. Full circle. Every posting serves to feed more comments and therefore more postings. Very recursive, very cool. One giant, monster, amazing, amorphous posting with a history going back to the seed posting. Thats a fine name: Seed Blog. If someone builds it, I will help. In fact, Seed Blog could be a multi-author blog. Votes for best comments would be considered for front page publishing, and so forth. Someone needs to create Seed Blog! I claim no rights to the idea. Take it and run! |
| Thu 15 Aug 20:46 | Morris Cox | Let me know how to do it and I would be willing to go for it. I can even do the domain for it for no charge. www.seedblog.com is available. I've been meaning to start a blog, but got sidelined the last time I started. What do I need for this? |
| Thu 15 Aug 21:09 | John S. Rhodes | Morris, I think all you need is to do is get the domain name, get hosting, set up some blog software, and make your first post. As long as you have some comments, things should start to grow. You might want to pick a starting topic, but you could probably start with something generic. I'd be happy to flow some traffic there to get things going. What do others think? Any specific ideas to throw at Morris? Any software recommendations, hosting recommendations, or other advice? (By the way, I checked out seedblog.com too and saw that it was not registered. I was hoping that some person would be curious about it.) |
| Thu 15 Aug 21:15 | John S. Rhodes | Oh, I just thought of two more things. You might need to think about setting up a registration system and comment voting system. Of course, you could start very simple, without the registration and voting; you could just be the site dictator. You could choose what would get posted to the front page. No need for voting or registration in that case. |
| Thu 15 Aug 21:59 | TimW | If some folks want to chip in with a few more usability suggestions, I can hack something up pretty quickly... I have modular user registration code and forum code that could fit the bill... (and some extra bandwidth) |
| Thu 15 Aug 22:11 | MikeC | I think this sort of blog would require something more than your average blogging software. Most systems don't allow comments themselves to have comments, let alone that second level of comments to have even more comments - and then repeat without bound. A plain old blog would allow 1 level of comments and then require someones attention to move a specific comment to the top level which only then would allow subsequent comments. I feel that would be too time consuming. (John, your solution works fine within this small system where your posts are organized and there is only 1 level of comments to sift through) But that brings up another question: Where would a user start? How would they navigate this possibly immense tree? After a while it seems a single starting 'trunk' (the first post) would fall over with the weight of all those 'leaves' (comments). Or perhaps I'm being too metaphoric. |
| Thu 15 Aug 22:43 | TimW | perhaps some type of forum software, where users would comment and trusted user would vote on the next comment to make the front page. From there, have the server take the next highest rated comment and make it the new post on the front page... I think the problems come in with who and how folks become trusted users, and what happens with slow traffic.. (ie no trusted users are voting, or no quality comments to add to the front page) |
| Thu 15 Aug 22:58 | Jack Schonchin | Rather than the seed metaphor, this seems like a form of free association. Register freeass.com. It will be all the rage. Oh damn, already registered for some website about felines. |
| Thu 15 Aug 23:12 | John S. Rhodes | I think this sort of blog would require something more than your average blogging software. Most systems don't allow comments themselves to have comments, let alone that second level of comments to have even more comments - and then repeat without bound. Actually, I don't think this will be a problem. The voting system is merely meant to prompt people to put the best comments on the home page...to encourage even more comments. Let's try this again. The first level is a posting on the home page. The second level is a page like the one you are reading right now. It is a bunch of comments. People that are registered and logged in can then somehow vote on their favorite posting of the day (maybe only one vote per 24 hours). Then, a moderator or moderators sift through the top 2-3 voted on comments. Those comments are then lifted out of the second level on to the home page and the process begins again the next day. Seed Blog grows and evolves entirely based on the postings of the day, the comments, and the votes. The best comments survive (evolution my friend!) and bubble to the home page for a new round of comments. Yummy! |
| Fri 16 Aug 06:45 | Lyle | 'Most systems don't allow comments themselves to have comments, let alone that second level of comments to have even more comments - and then repeat without bound.' Conversant can do exactly this, and it can do it very well. It is all ready and waiting in the default site without any customisation or fiddling around. Hosted Conversant sites are available through Macrobyte, the developer. It is possible to try out the service for free, with no ads, for an unlimited time, and if it takes off, flip a switch and go over to a hosted version, or put it on your own servers. Conversant doesn't have collective voting of posts, but I believe the whole system is written based on plug-ins, and pretty much any features can be added by writing the plug-in. It has been known for Macrobyte's clients to sponser writing a plug-in that then becomes available to the rest of the user base. No, I don't work for the company, I'm just a very happy user. |
| Fri 16 Aug 19:24 | john | I dunno. Kinda sounds like a different take on Metafilter. But you GO, booooiiiy... |
| Fri 16 Aug 20:05 | Morris Cox | It would cost us $499 a year to use Conversant on a server. Not worth the cost. If we do decide to use it and go for a lower version, I detest ads. I wonder if we could get someone to code it, maybe put it on sourceforge.net as a project. As for bandwidth, I get 10GB a month data transfer available over any domains that I have. |
| Fri 16 Aug 23:13 | John S. Rhodes | Not like Metafilter. The difference is that all content on Seed Blog would come from comments in the depths of other postings. It feeds itself. It would not depend on submissions from the outside, although the outside might influence things. Everything would be related to what came before. A common thread would always be there. |
| Sat 17 Aug 04:49 | Lyle | The hosted versions of Conversant are not lower versions in any way. The only difference is that they are hosted. Also, there no ads on any of the Conversant sites, and even the free sites are totally ad free. |
| Sat 17 Aug 10:36 | Morris Cox | I apologize for not checking into it closer. However, I was hoping to have this thing on its own domain, not hosted on someone else's site, though we could do a redirect. I did http://www.free-conversant.com/seed_blog/ and set it up as a News Page / Weblog. I went ahead and added John. sourceforge.net needs to improve their search function. I did a search for blog and saw some possibilities. If there isn't something there that is useful, we can start a project to create what we need. |
| Sat 17 Aug 11:36 | John S. Rhodes | Morris, I'm not sure what you mean by you 'added John' -- could you explain? If you set up a username and password for me, fire it off to me and I'll sign in. Otherwise, I'll regsister. Just let me know. Thanks! |
| Sat 17 Aug 12:00 | Morris Cox | The site let me type in a name and email address and it sends an email to that person, letting them know and inviting them. I can add a new member and give them a password, but when I first set it up, it only had the invite function, not the add member with password function. It didn't prompt me for a password, though I just found out it assigned one. I'm going to reset the password and send it to you. I'm also making you a manager. |
| Two wrongs make a Nielsen | Thu 15 Aug |
| (NUblog) Inaccessible PDFs and amateur, inaccessible CDs and tapes are no way to distribute a report on accessibility. NNGroup has the money to do it right – and it isn’t too late, either. |
| Thu 15 Aug 07:10 | Kung Pao | Two comments: 1) This is really old - March 2002 2) The idiot who designed this site broke my browser function. By using accesskey, he mapped my Alt-F to some link to his personal site. Dammit, Alt-F is the File menu on my browser. Don't fuck with that, Mr. Designer. It annoyed the living daylights out of me. I close my windows by Alt-F + C. |
| Thu 15 Aug 08:38 | Chris Harr | Alt + F4 is even shorter way to close windows and I haven't run into any problems using it. Hope that may help you. |
| Thu 15 Aug 09:19 | John S. Rhodes | Old? Sure. I think I even posted it before. |
| Thu 15 Aug 10:57 | Mac | Uncle Filbert has had touble of this sort before: 'Has anyone extracted the useful information from the gizmos and gadgets and produced a convenient text version of this document? I don't see the sense in mailing floppies around the world, and having to dig up a Mac and run a proprietary program, to read a simple report on a topic of interest.' 11 Apr 1988 John Gilmore |
| Thu 15 Aug 11:14 | Kung Pao | That wasn't the point, Chris. Breaking a menu shortcut in my browser is just as bad as breaking my back button. Suppose I want to save the page to my hard disk. I have to go to the File menu, don't I? I like my keyboard shortcut. When someone breaks that, it annoys me. Breaking browser functions is bad design, whether it be the back button or any other menu. |
| Thu 15 Aug 14:00 | Jack Schonchin | I was annoyed that the accessibility report PDF didn't link to the audio files. Granted, the sound files are a separate download, but it wouldn't be a big deal for the PDF to link to them. The audio icons in the PDF are just that, only icons. I expected them to be clickable, not to be forced to separately load and play the files on my own. |
| Thu 15 Aug 15:12 | Lydia | March 2002 is really old? |
| Thu 15 Aug 17:10 | Jack Schonchin | March 2002 is ancient! It's 4700 in China and 5763 if your Jewish Chinese. |
| Thu 15 Aug 19:27 | Jack Schonchin | I hang my head in apostrophe shame. 'Jewish Chinese' could be said better too. |
| Thu 15 Aug 20:07 | John S. Rhodes | Jack, was 'your' a pargh? You should confess if that is the case. We want to push the pargh meme. |
| Fri 16 Aug 17:47 | Jack Schonchin | I skimmed through that thread when it started and I didn't get the reference and I didn't want to devote any brain cells toward paying enough attention to figure it out. Worse, I didn't invent that piece of slang, so I have no financial interest in seeing it continue. Create a 'Viewer's Guide' with succinct explanations of all of WebWord's idiosyncrasies. |
| Mind your phraseology! | Thu 15 Aug |
| (Digital Web) The ultimate in controlled vocabularies is a thesaurus. You may remember using the thesaurus in grade school. It was a way to make yourself look smarter. |
| Thu 15 Aug 07:14 | Kung Pao | Mr. Kung remembers how Ms Wodtke not so long ago was asking on the sigia-l list what the difference between a thesaurus and a controlled vocabulary was. It seems that she has since learnt it. There are SO many books coming out. Will all of them succeed? Are many of them even *needed*? And how many goddam books on blogging do we need? Why are book publishers sinking so much money into them? All you need to know is available in a few google searches for free. Greed, I guess. |
| Thu 15 Aug 12:01 | JB | ..... and many CEO's can't use a search engine. |
| Thu 15 Aug 14:10 | Jack Schonchin | Use a thesaurus to seem smart? That would lead to word usage that 'seems out of place,' or is just plain wrong because the author didn't know how his word differed in meaning from the source word he looked up. I use a thesaurus to identify a word that is on the tip of my tongue. |
| Fri 16 Aug 17:19 | Lydia | I'm not saying this to be snide, I'm genuinely curious what Mr. Kung means about Christina? What is wrong with learning a craft, then doing it, and even writing about it? Or are you speaking of a lack of experience? Is there a feeling among the veterans in the usability community (assuming you are one, Mr. K) that the newcomers are getting too much, too soon, too easily? |
| WebWord Comment | Tue 13 Aug |
| - Someone actually wrote this to me in an email: I am a dyed in the wool, red under the bed, card carrying Socialist. That was very cool; one of the most interesting things I have ever experienced. Until yesterday, I thought that you could only read about Socialists not talk to them. Im somewhat serious about this. I am pleased to say that I now know a real Socialist. I will need some time to wrap my brain around this. |
| Tue 13 Aug 08:05 | Mac | Confession: I'm Spartacus, and so's my wife. |
| Tue 13 Aug 08:08 | Richard Lehoux | Well, if you know any europeen, you already haved talked to the equivalent of an american socialist... Bush would be a right extremist in those country. Did you know France once elected a jew president ( Léon Blum)? And some dare say they are more anti-semitism then USA. |
| Tue 13 Aug 10:29 | Ryan | Are you forgetting Hilary Rodham Clinton? |
| Tue 13 Aug 19:23 | Jack Schonchin | Mac, is that you in my bathroom? OMG, terrorists could be sending covert messages via fudged e-mail addresses on web forums. |
| Tue 13 Aug 19:42 | Jack Schonchin | FYI, I do not intend any relationship between those two comments. Sometimes I write things as they occur to me. |
| Wed 14 Aug 08:24 | Anonymous | Just about any social scientist on a US university campus is a socialist - what's the big deal? I'm surprised you find it surprising that you know one. |
| Wed 14 Aug 08:51 | Mac | [StartPoliticsMode] In this context Socialist means someone who belives that there is a better way than Capitalism to run society based on Human Need rather than the Need For Profit. We are talking about a Revolutionary Socialist who left college a long long time ago and still hasn't grown out of his 'adolescent ideals'. This involves doing things rather than talking about them. The Labour Party in Britain have been calling themselves Socialists since their formation until very recently. They weren't what I call Socialist because they belive that they can reform the system. [EndPoliticsMode] |
| Wed 14 Aug 09:20 | John S. Rhodes | 'Just about any social scientist on a US university campus is a socialist - what's the big deal? I'm surprised you find it surprising that you know one.' 1. I'm not sure if I agree. Please provide some empirical evidence. 2. I was surprised because...I was surprised. The email was an unexpected and interesting surprise. In my mind I picture people thinking and acting a certain way. The author of the email wrote me something that caught me off guard. 3. Virtually all people that I know are Capitalists. |
| Wed 14 Aug 16:03 | Chris Haveard | It's important to keep political balance in a 'free' state. Socialism and Capitalism have their place in America. We must remain a global trade heavyweight as well as take care of our own. The key is finding the middle ground. |
| Fri 16 Aug 15:35 | Susan M | We're all over the place. Yes, socialists, a.k.a. those legal alien neighbourly Canadians. No, not all of us. But, yes, we are getting used to being overlooked. Besides, thanks to the American influence, Canada is no longer as socialist as it used to be (and probably would like to be). |
| WebWord Posting 681 | Thu 15 Aug |
| Certifications only assure minimal competence. My sailing certification only means I should be able to bring the boat and crew back in one piece. It doesnt guarantee youre a good sailor... |
| Thu 15 Aug 22:42 | Ron Zeno | Good comments, George. They mirror comments on 'the discussion list that cannot be named' that ultimately led to the UPA halting their investigation. However, given the state of usability today, certifying some minimal level of compentence would be a major step forward... |
| Fri 16 Aug 12:14 | George Olsen | I think we need to think about what's the real goal when certification comes up -- in my experience, it's generally been professional respect. This has been true of graphic designers who felt threatened when DTP arose, DTPers who in turn complained about all those people who didn't know what the proper shortcut keys in Quark were, software engineers who complained about 'just do it' programmers, etc. In each case, certification was being promoted as a magic bullet that will somehow result in us being viewed as professional worthy of respect, get us higher salaries, help us beat out the riff-raff for jobs. However, this overlooks the fact that barbers, nail stylists and exterminators are all certified and that hasn't caused them to be viewed as 'professionals.' What we do is craft -- a mixture of science and art. And like other craft fields -- such as graphic design, software engineering, etc. -- it means your portfolio is always going to be more important than formal degrees or certification. If we want respect we've got to earn it. In the trenches. By providing real value. To those who hire us. |
| Experts versus Novices | Thu 15 Aug |
| It is sometimes believed that there are great gulfs in error rates between experts and novices. For tasks such as brain surgery, this is probably the case. At the same time, in many other activities, while experts have lower error rates than novices, differences tend to be less than an order of magnitude. |
| Fri 16 Aug 07:09 | (the other) JS | The situation: You need a tree cut down. Tree service A has 25 years in business and charges $400. Service B has 5 years and charges $300. Question #1: Who gets your money? New Situation: The tree is now leaning against your house. Same players. Question #2: In which situations does knowledge come into play, and what process do people go through in determining they are willing to pay extra for it? |
| How to Use FrontPage to Design a Corporate Intranet | Tue 13 Aug |
| Although professional Web programs such as Macromedia DreamWeaver, Adobe GoLive and Quark XPress 5.0 have facilities to produce exciting and creative Web sites, this is not necessary or even desirable in most Intranets. FrontPage is excellent for non-professionals who produce Intranets to provide information rather than sell a product, because FrontPage is easy to learn and makes it easy to update Intranet content. |
| Wed 14 Aug 02:03 | Alan | If crap is good for your Intranet, why not? Punish the in house viewers with sappy templates. How about Geocities for your extranet? Plain laziness drives these notions. Gack. C'mon, can it really be *that* hard to do good design in and out? |
| Wed 14 Aug 06:57 | Richard Lehoux | I don't like the article for the same reasons then the one mentioned by Dogbot. Beside, I would like to point out that Dreamweaver also offer templates but it's easier to implement. Correct me if I'm wrong, but with the Microsoft product, you have to save the template in a special sub-folder of window to be able to use it. With Dreamweaver, it sit just beside the other folder of the site. You can also be very restrictive about the places in a page that can be edited. It's almost as good has a content management server but much cheaper. I know almost nothing about GoLive. Does it have templates? |
| Wed 14 Aug 09:20 | Chris | How do you get across to uninitiated web content editors that the world's leading software maker (!) has created a program that is inefficient with code, has ugly templates, doesn't encourage semantic documents (many users fail even to change the title), that hurts anything other than graphical browsers, and saves files with .htm. Not sure how well it works with style sheets. It's been a while since I looked last at FP, but this still blights a lot of sites I see created with it. |
| Wed 14 Aug 09:24 | John S. Rhodes | FrontPage sucks in so many ways. However, I still use it quite often. I can easily workaround many of the problems and I can live with the rest. Fortunately, I don't need it to run WebWord. I mainly use it for mockups. |
| Wed 14 Aug 12:26 | Mike Boyink | I used FP for an intranet in a 3000 employee company with approximately 30 content providers. It worked well, in my estimation. I designed a custom theme/template set for a better design. It was cheap (actually our parent company had unused licenses we took advantage of). Training was easily found from local providers. It looked and worked alot like the MSOffice applications that people had worked with. Pages looked fine since the corporation was standardized on IE. I setup the IIS index server and had instant usuable search results. Org. changes that affected the organization of the intranet were easily handled using the navigation view/nav bars. I was even able to write VB code to work through all the pages and update them in a particular way. My only real complaint was as content grew the response times while saving a doc became longer and longer. We just threw bigger hardware at it. All this while the parent company spent big $$ for a custom Notes-based intranet application that made it practically impossible to update the structure of the site, wasn't WSYWIG, didn't allow users to easily create tables or forms, produced crappy search results, required custom training to be developed, etc. I'm not saying FP works well for everything, but it's a tool - it has it's place and time for use, and there are places and times where you wouldn't. I also still use it for Wireframe development. |
| Thu 15 Aug 00:47 | Lyle Kantrovich | FP? AAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHH!!! Run away, Run away!!! WSYWIG? ...hmmm not familiar with that one... ...processing... WYSIWYG - What You See Is What You Get WYSINWYG - What You See Is Not What You Get WYSIAYG - What You See Is All You Get WYSIWYM - What You See Is What You Mean YAFIYGI - You asked for it, you got it ...ahh...here it is... WSYWIG - What some yahoo wanted I guess |
| Thu 15 Aug 19:19 | Che Tamahori | Sure, FP is not the greatest HTML editor out there. But it is very easy for Office-savvy users to learn, and cloaks much of the complexity of web-site maintenance. We usually train our (non-CMS using) clients in Dreamweaver, not because it is a better piece of software (though it is), but because our production people are used to building templates in it! Not the best reason, really. For the ininitiated, Dreamweaver is an intimidating piece of software. I've implemented client-maintained sites in FrontPage with very few issues. Building an attractive template in FP is no harder than in DW. Most kinds of page design can be accommodated without hassle, once you get to grips with the software's eccentricities. The code it outputs is mangled, but that's not a huge issue for little Intranet sites, which are unlikely to join the mythical 'semantic web' anytime soon. At the end of the day, it's about getting the job done. In my opinion, allowing users to maintain their intranet site with a tool that they feel comfortable with is 'good user experience' |
| Thu 15 Aug 19:22 | Che Tamahori | Oh -- and Quark XPress as a web development tool? Puh-leeze. |
| Become an HFI-Certified Usability Analyst™ | Tue 13 Aug |
| (Human Factors International) Usability is more and more critical to online success—but most developers have no formal training in it. That’s why your growing knowledge of usability should be a key professional advantage. But how do you demonstrate it to your employer? By becoming an HFI-Certified Usability Analyst. |
| Tue 13 Aug 21:52 | Jack Schonchin | Your teeth become whiter, your smile wider, and your armpits have a fresh minty smell. It's well worth the expense. |
| Tue 13 Aug 22:00 | Ron Zeno | HFI has a list of those they have certified. They have a common set of skills and knowledge. Scary for those who are insecure with their own skills and knowledge. |
| Tue 13 Aug 23:04 | Joshua Kaufman | Jack, why is worth the expense? Are you certified or on the certification track? Come on, give us your sources. |
| Tue 13 Aug 23:06 | Joshua Kaufman | By the way, anyone going to the Indianapolis seminar? I'm thinking about going. |
| Tue 13 Aug 23:17 | John S. Rhodes | Jakob Nielsen is not an HFI-Certified Usability Analyst™. |
| Tue 13 Aug 23:44 | Jack Schonchin | Josh, if a pleasant body odor is not reason enough for you, well, you are not welcome in my home. Don't get anywhere near me! I would honestly be interested in seeing some of their exam questions. Filbert, i before e, except after c. Do you know your a-b-c's? |
| Wed 14 Aug 11:22 | Ron Zeno | Certification Exam Study Aids Sample questions Lots of people on the defensive... |
| Wed 14 Aug 14:36 | Ellen Shay | My question is this - how can a written test determine if someone can actually perform successfully as a usability analyst? At a minimum, wouldn't you want to assess their ability to perform, analyze, and write a report on an actual usability test? There's more to being a usability analyst than what's required to answer multiple-choice and matching items (although they are easier to grade...). PS - I am not a usability analyst. My expertise is instructional design, which has similar processes and knowledge requirements as usability analysis. And I know something about writing tests. |
| Wed 14 Aug 17:01 | Ron Zeno | My expertise is instructional design, which has similar processes and knowledge requirements as usability analysis Or so you have been fooled into believing. Instructional designers have a common set of skills, knowledge, and methodology. Usability analysts only pretend they have something similar. Certification programs are one way to establish some minimal level of knowledge. Perhaps skills and methodology as well, depending on what is tested. There's more to being a usability analyst than what's required to answer multiple-choice and matching items Absolutely. But it's a start, and it certainly has merits over the alternative. What makes a person a usability analyst? Certainly more than a self-proclamation. |
| Wed 14 Aug 23:42 | Lyle Kantrovich | I know two people who are HFI certified - I thought about taking the test when they offered it for free. Could have been a 'free' certification that might impress someone on a resume sometime -- but alas I was too busy that week to take the test. Now it's $500 USD... Some folks from UPA were taking a hard look at certification a while back. I wrote about it in a Boxes and Arrows article I did to cover CHI 2002. I also attended the UPA conference a few weeks ago, but didn't get an update on the certification effort. A quick check of the UPA site reveals that they determined a certification program is 'premature' at this time. See the official certification project site for details. My local UPA chapter met at CHI and Julie Nowicki (from the certification team) came to talk to us about the rationale for a certification -- I actually thought the certification program was a good idea. As someone who regularly tries to evaluate various external consultants, a certification would give me some idea of the person's competence -- more so then if there's no certification available. It would never be the sole criteria for selection of course -- then again, neither is a PHD in Cognitive Psych. Also, keep in mind most people in the biz world have a fuzzy enough idea of what *usability* is -- few know how to tell if someone really knows anything about usable design or usability evaluation. Just as we are not our users when designing, a certification isn't meant to help Usability Engineers evaluate each other. da Croc |
| Thu 15 Aug 17:51 | George Olsen | The real issue is less about who gets to certify as much as who gets to de-certify and on what grounds -- as Tom DeMarco pointed out in discussions about certifying software engineers. http://www.systemsguild.com/GuildSite/TDM/certification.html If lawyers don't get disbarred for sleeping through trials, what makes us think our certifications will have more teeth. I agree that's it a Good Thing for our professions to develop some minimal levels of common knowledge. In some circumstances I think certifications are a good thing, for example, I hold several sailing certifications. But it's important to point out that: 1) Certifications tend to focus on discrete mechanical skills (because they're the easiest test). For example, each level of certification qualified me to take out boats up to a certain size, in certain weather conditions, up to a certain distance from shore because I've shown I can perform an associated specific list of tasks -- there's a literally a checklist associated with each certification level. However, 'creativity' and 'good judgement' are some of our most important skills and those typically get left out of the test. The architect I know tell me that being creative often tends to hurt you on your licensing test, which is really about ensuring you design buildings that won't fall down. 2) Certifications only assure minimal competence. My sailing certification only means I should be able to bring the boat and crew back in one piece. It doesn't guarantee you're a good sailor -- and this is regularly proved on the water. Do I think it's good that we have certification for sailboaters? Certainly. Compared to power-boaters, who typically don't undergo any training, even incompetent sailboater tend to be better prepared. But I'm also realistic about what certification truly means. |
| Diamonds - Are They Really Worth the Cost? | Tue 13 Aug |
| (Slashdot) Ive never even thought about questioning such a time honored tradition, but now Im curious. Have any of you looked at the issues surrounding diamonds and found them wanting? What alternatives have you found and were they acceptable? |
| Wed 14 Aug 09:52 | Richard Lehoux | Realize that this is the real question: Is 'not working and staying at home' worth the cost for your future 'husband'? In other words, figure out what your future 'husband' would want and you are all set. The answer is obvious because 'your life' will be 'his'...what does 'he' want?) Just kidding... If he's really unconfortable with the idea, he shoudn't buy one. But if he's driving an SUV... I read somewhere that during the black plague, it was thought that a diamond would protect you against it, so you would give it to the one you loved. |
| Thu 15 Aug 13:28 | David Wertheimer | Well said re your 'what does she want?' comment. The Metafilter thread on this subject, with all its demeaning self-righteousness, made me sick. Regardless of the factors that led to present-day demand, my new fiancee wanted a beautiful diamond ring, and now she has one. What more is there to consider? |
| Thu 15 Aug 15:56 | Lydia | I didn't want a diamond when I got married, but not for any moral issue. They just seem kind of plain to me. I know I am in a small minority w/ this opinion. I wanted a colored gem set into a beautiful (but understated) ring. The size of the gem or the expense on the ring was not the issue, but the design was. Fortunately, he got it spot-on correct. The thoughtfulness of the effort he put in meant so much more to me than having a big rock I could flash at my friends. Everytime someone said 'Wow, that's a rather simple ring, isn't it?' (meaning, I assume, that it was not a big diamond) I would very proudly say, 'Yes!' |
| Idiobots: an apology | Thu 15 Aug |
| (The Register) InfoWorld has taken the precaution of assuming that all of its readers suffer from an extreme version of this affliction: where the short term memory lasts only four or five words. Thats why we need to keep being reminded what a server is … twenty three times an article. |
| Thu 15 Aug 08:16 | Fred Grott | Who reads infoworld? I use to work as a server admin where the only reason you got infoworld was to have it around when boss stopped by.. |
| Thu 15 Aug 12:17 | Ryan | '...in the movie Memento, the Guy Pierce character suffers from a condition in which his short-term memory only lasts around two minutes.' Technically, it was Guy Pierce's long-term memory that lasted only about two minutes. Short-term memory/working memory only holds between (arguably) 4 to 9 'chunks' of information at a time. http://www.humanfactors.com/downloads/sep00.asp |
| Thu 15 Aug 15:40 | Lydia | I liked this quote the best: 'Really. InfoWorld couldn't look more ridiculous if it made editor in chief Mike Vizard arrive at press conferences in a clown car, whose doors fall off as soon as it's parked. ' |
| Accessibility of PDF documents | Thu 15 Aug |
| Adobe must be applauded for their efforts to address accessibility issues, however, because these changes currently only benefit a limited number of users, the best approach is to provide the information contained within PDF documents in an alternative format. Ideally this means providing the same information as a Web page or as a set of Web pages. |
| Thu 15 Aug 13:04 | Mike Boyink | Dang John...'bout scare the &*^&* out of me to see my blog there. Still using it more as a way to save off pointers of personal interest than anything... |
| WebWord Posting 675 | Tue 13 Aug |
| This is one of the best presentations I have ever heard...whether you agree with what he has to say or not. I also think it is a great use of flash and someone should let Jakob know. |
| Tue 13 Aug 21:49 | Jack Schonchin | This circular linking on WebWord is screwing with my mind. As for John's revolution, I suggest a silent revolt. No links to Jakob. No links to articles citing Jakob. No discussing Jakob. Anytime someone posts a comment on WebWord mentioning Jakob we shun that person, never responding to his comments. We shut off all worldly communication with that individual until he's driven mad and quits his job and becomes a chef. Oh, ok. Alternatively, we all respond to the person who mentioned Jakob, but we call that person by the name of 'Filbert.' If that person is already named Filbert, then we call him 'Mary Ann.' We deploy a broad scheme of confusion to make this person so cross and befuddled that he detaches himself from the Internet and becomes a house painter. One by one we rid the world of Jakob's followers. It could work. |
| Tue 13 Aug 21:55 | John S. Rhodes | Unfortunately, Filbert decided to post a comment about He Who Will Not Be Named. That's right folks, Jack is our first Filbert. Need some paint and a paintbrush, Jack, er, I mean Filbert? |
| Tue 13 Aug 21:57 | Jack Schonchin | Aha! My true name is Filbert. You must call me Mary Ann. A dream realized. And I didn't even have to take a vacation to France. Woo hoo! |
| Tue 13 Aug 22:00 | Jack Schonchin | By the way, for the low low price of $4.95 per month you too can receive a daily e-mail explaining the obscure references and inside jokes made in WebWord postings. Isn't it worth it? |
| Tue 13 Aug 22:14 | John S. Rhodes | The usability of postings for folks new to WebWord is really quite terrible. However, for WebWord Posting Gurus™, the usability is extremely high. So, is the usability poor or is it great? You are not allowed to say It Depends!, unless you want us to call you Gertrude. We will also fill your shoes with jelly and your shorts with American cheese. Aside: Yes, I know that American cheese is not actually cheese. It is...something else. That is precisely why we would fill your shorts with it. Enjoy the American cheese rash, if you utter the wrong words! |
| Tue 13 Aug 23:51 | Jack Schonchin | The problem is that if you don't read all of the comments attached to all of the links, you miss out. |
| Wed 14 Aug 02:00 | MadMan | On a more positive note, I'm happy to see that usage of Uncle Jakob™ is increasing. May the rest of the world follow the convention. Now I'm convinced that Jack is trying to increase his comments score through devious, but obvious means. |
| Wed 14 Aug 03:45 | Mac | I suggest we adopt Uncle Filbert, thereby tying Uncle Jakob™ and Filbert together without having to pay royalties to MadMan or Jumpin Jack. If I could get this damned polling software working we could vote on it! |
| Wed 14 Aug 04:24 | Peter Boersma | Four words: Jakob collects Flash applications. I guess that was why Jack wanted someone to tell Uncle Jakob(tm)... |
| Wed 14 Aug 04:45 | Mac | There is definitely a Usability Barrier To Entry to WebWord. But is this a bad thing? In order to contribute to a community like WebWord you have to put some effort into your postings, so a few hurdles could ensure that you *really* want to join in the discussion. I have been pleasantly surprised at the high quality of relevant postings to WebWord despite the lack of a registration process. I think this is mainly due to John's unstinting efforts in keeping it human. So my verdict would be : Usability of WebWord Poor Usability of John Very Good |
| Wed 14 Aug 06:22 | Kung Pao | Maybe we're too bloody boring a bunch to be worth a troll's time. ;) I'd rather have a few enlightened posts than a restriced community spewing mostly crap *cough* MeFi *cough or a bunch of Microsoft haters *cough* SlashCrap *cough*. |
| Wed 14 Aug 07:26 | John S. Rhodes | Actually, one other interesting thing is that I totally allow people to post what they want to post. I don't blather on and on about how I own your post or you own your post or anything else like that. Just post and get over it. Also, and perhaps more importantly, this is not a friendly place to post if you can't handle some abuse. Most people that post crap can't handle the logic and intelligence of the folks here. Oh, and they don't come back because we taunt them and call them names like Gertrude, Mary Ann, and Filbert. That is very painful. |
| Wed 14 Aug 08:52 | Jack Schonchin | Hey Peter, it was JB who wanted to tell Filbert about the Flash, not Mary Ann. |
| Wed 14 Aug 12:24 | JB | Ummm....hello....like ouch. As the original poster, it is nice to get my own thread, but I guess I need to qualify my statement. My reverence to Jakob was in regard to him searching the world for good uses of flash (see his site and you will know what I mean). I meant nothing else. I was not asking for his blessing (i don't nee it - nor does this flash presentation) I guess I was trying to help Jakob in his cause of finding good sues of flash and thus reduce 99% to 98.9%. And I wasn't joking...someone should tell him. Big fat flash files can be really good when users expectations are managed appropriately up front and the content is top notch. Comments/rants? Ps... does this mean I am now famous? |
| Wed 14 Aug 13:44 | JB | reverence should be reference, a small, yet significant pargh! |
| Wed 14 Aug 14:55 | John S. Rhodes | JB: (1) You are definitely famous now. To start with, you are one of top posters on WebWord. You are valuable because of that alone! (2) Regarding the 'ouch' comment you made. I really do not mean offense to you in any way. What you said just touched off a nerve and gave me a good example to talk about. (3) Excellent pargh! I was totally confused. ;-) (4) Big Flash files can indeed be useful, interesting, and fun. As you say, managing user expectations is the key. Speaking of that idea, what has been written on that topic? How much can we learn from the marketing folks on this? How does managing user expectations differ in terms of usability versus marketing? |
| Wed 14 Aug 16:01 | Ron Zeno | At a minimum, we need to start pointing to other Usability Folk Heroes No. We need to encourage people to produce and share quality information, encourage people to think critically about what they see and hear, and discourage people from contributing useless noise just to be heard. Fewer heroes, more critical thinking. Fewer sheep, a stronger community. The soapbox is now open... |
| Wed 14 Aug 16:09 | John S. Rhodes | Ron, there will always be leaders. |
| Wed 14 Aug 16:16 | JB | No offence taken...it is just strange to come to the site expecting a normal day and my post in lights. Just threw my whole daily routine out. |
| Wed 14 Aug 16:24 | JB | Usability is a key component of the user experience. To me managing user expectations is all about communication. Within that, usability ensures that things work the way they should. Together they are they make up managing the users experience – I know this way oversimplifies the subject, but I think captures it in a nutshell. The one person that I thought who used to make this distinction was Mark Hurst... the one of the 'How to manage your email inbox' fame..... he got a lot of coverage about this when it was posted here. Unfortunately he seemed to get side tracked onto something else, or his business went bust (I don't know which) and he stopped talking about it. |
| Wed 14 Aug 21:12 | Ron Zeno | there will always be leaders. And there will always be people ready to take advantage of the poorly educated and the credulous. The trick is knowing the difference between them and true leaders. |
| Wed 14 Aug 23:07 | Lyle Kantrovich | Everybody shun Jack...he mentioned 'He Who Shall Not Be Mentioned!!!' |
| Wed 14 Aug 23:17 | Lyle Kantrovich | I think all you need to do to be a 'guru' is to claim the title. Reminds me of a Frank Zappa Song called Cosmik Debris: The mystery man came over And he said 'I'm outta sight!' He said for a nominal service charge I could reach nirvana tonight If I was ready, willing and able To pay him his regular fee He would drop all the rest of His pressing affairs and devote His attention to me The mystery man got nervous And he fidget around a bit He reached in the pocket of his mystery robe And he whipped out a shaving kit Now I thought it was a razor And a can of foaming goo But he told me right then when the top popped open There was nothin' his box won't do With the oil of Aphrodite, and the dust of the Grand Wazoo He said 'You might not believe this, little fella But it'll cure your asthma too' And I said 'Look here brother Who you jiving with that cosmik debris? Now what kind of a guru are you, anyway? Look here brother, don't waste your time on me' Folk Hero??? Sounds like you're long dead -- although some usability folks I've run into are good at telling some pretty tall tales... :) |
| Wed 14 Aug 23:24 | MadMan | We haven't heard much from Mark Hurst since he laid off most of his company. No press coverage, no participation in Internet fora, not even good experience updates. A birdie said he was planning to write a book on 'bit literacy' (yeah, I'm puzzled too), but that's all I know. Mark, are you there? Give us a shout, my man. I didn't mean to rip apart your last report on email. Really! Please don't sulk because of that. |
| Pardon me for being forward | Fri 09 Aug |
| (Anil Dash) I already saw it. That forward? I got it. Ive gotten it. I do not wish to keep receiving it. I was neither moved nor inspired. It was neither clever nor funny. |
| Mon 12 Aug 03:39 | Mac | Jack, my system is working with such efficiency that your could call youself the Pope and wear a dress, but my system would still pick you out of the herd. |
| Mon 12 Aug 21:23 | Jack Schonchin | Oh please. I bet you're just looking for 'schonchin@.' If I change my address, you're screwed. Bwahahahahaha! |
| Tue 13 Aug 04:49 | Mac | Jack, I have now analysed enough of your posts, that my system can recognise you from phrases, grammar and your excellent use of punctuation. |
| Tue 13 Aug 05:28 | Mac | Oh and Jack, I wont kick your arse as John suggested, but I might set your Butt on fire, so watch out. |
| Tue 13 Aug 12:07 | Jack Schonchin | Can you generate a report about my phrases, grammar, etc. or are you blowing smoke? I'd love to know my literary profile. You may not have known this, but you guessed correct. You simply must visit Lava Beds and watch the sun rise and set from Schonchin Butte. Now figure out the derivation of 'Jack.' |
| Wed 14 Aug 15:36 | Mac | Jack, phrases and grammar? Hey I've got your DNA now. Oh and it's not as simple as Captain Jack, is it? |
| Wed 14 Aug 21:04 | Jack Schonchin | Oh, but it is that simple. I'm a simple country bumpkin. |
| The Road to Hell | Tue 13 Aug |
| To establish your own level of discomfort with bending the truth, read the following chart: 12 Steps on the Graphic Designers Road to Hell. I personally have taken a number of them. |
| Wed 14 Aug 04:20 | Mac | ...Is Paved With PayCheques. OK, Who is going to come up with the 'Usability Road To Hell'. I am much too cynical to do it, and would go way too far. (I'm still in disgrace because Ann Light had to 'edit' something I sent to usabilitynews.com because it could be construed as a personal attack on Uncle Filbert!) I would suggest that we make it 7 steps rather than 12 for the obvious reasons, or should it be 7+-2 ? |
| Wed 14 Aug 13:10 | Mike Boyink | Sure gotta watch out for those killer flippin' SUV's. I read about them in the paper all the time; 'Joe was driving down the road when suddenly the SUV went out of control, rolling over in the ditch and killing Joe'. Our local paper even ran a story titled 'SUV Kills Seven'. Those things sure have a mind of their own. Or so the media would have us believe. |
| WebWord Comment | Tue 13 Aug |
| Usability Lab Rentals and Recruiting - Nice! |
| Wed 14 Aug 03:54 | Mac | This comment is not directly related to this item. The way that John uses Nice and Great remindes me a lot of Louis Balfour. Are they related? I think we should be told. |
| Wed 14 Aug 07:18 | John S. Rhodes | Mac, I'm clueless about Louis Balfour. That's right, I've never heard of him. |
| Wed 14 Aug 09:00 | Mac | Us Britishers will get it. That's all you need to know. tee hee hee Oh and don't ask me who Ted and Ralph remind me of. |
| WebWord Comment | Tue 13 Aug |
| Jack sent me a link to Lawrence Lessig speaking at OSCON (I think). The load time is killer since it is 8MB of Flash. Yum! Nevertheless, it is an interesting experience. I enjoyed seeing Lessigs presentation and hearing his voice. Please note that if you visit the presentation and then wait for it to load, it might just start playing. It did for me and it was very loud on my machine. Youve been warned. |
| Tue 13 Aug 07:39 | Mac | I have no sound at work as they have crippled all our Pc's in case we are listening to something other than the Big Brother messages coming over the tannoy, so here is my take on the form of presentation. Size isn't a problem at work because they're FatBanders. The Presentation made sense without sound, but wasn't any more effective than a Power-Pointless version. (Although I have recently read The Future Of Ideas, so I'm not a good example) I will try the sound version when I get home and see what difference it makes. Any my favourite quote was every act's a copy |
| Tue 13 Aug 09:50 | Jack Schonchin | For the first time my mother understands how Congress is stifling innovation and restricting our culture. She now understands it's not a piracy issue. If she gets it, there is hope. Lawrence Lessig is a constitutional law professor at Stanford. He's the author of 'The Future of Ideas: The Fate of the Commons in a Connected World' The Dinosaurs are taking over We must engage in copyright debate Any guess at the run time on the Flash presentation? 15 minutes? 25 minutes? |
| Tue 13 Aug 12:45 | leonard | The actual audio running time is 31'40 - it's long. Hmm, hopefully the audio isn't really that bad, I haven't heard too many people complain about it. Apparently this is straight from O'Reilly, although one has to imagine that they must have better soundboard quality than what I got to work with. Also, the Flash has a 'Continue' button. AFAIK, it shouldn't play before you click it, but again, YMMV. :) Thanks for helping spread this thing around. We definitely want as many people as we can get to hear this. |
| Tue 13 Aug 20:07 | JB | This is one of the best presentations I have ever heard...whether you agree with what he has to say or not. I also think it is a great use of flash and someone should let Jakob know. |
| Tue 13 Aug 21:55 | Jack Schonchin | What are you still doing here? The party has moved next door. |
| Wed 14 Aug 07:28 | Jack Schonchin | I agree with John, that we shouldn't become slaves to the announcements of 'gurus'. It is important to evaluate WHAT is being said, and the accompanying evidence, rather than WHO says it. This is the value of science: a method of evaluating ideas based on evidence rather than superstition or bias. Personally speaking, I think Jacob has become less relevant with time. 5 years ago he had an important voice, backed up with fresh research. These days he seems to be lying back on his laurels and trading on former glory. Personally, as far as 'gurus' are concerned, I find Don Norman a much more interesting and convincing character. He is developing his ideas/interests/arguments and highlighting new research (his upcoming book on emotion and design). Norman also seems to have a broader appreciation of what makes products successful. Just my 2pence worth, Sherlock |
| Blogging for Dollars: Giving Rise to the Professional Blogger | Tue 13 Aug |
| By paying great bloggers to produce Weblogs, we remove economic constraints and enable them to devote their energies full-time to producing compelling content and creating outstanding Weblogs. |
| Wed 14 Aug 00:08 | Jack Schonchin | That's an interesting premise: there is economic value in hiring a full-time blogger. A good blog isn't just the links the blogger finds. It is the personal content the blogger adds to the mix. When you pay a blogger, you are paying for a personality. It's like a radio personality. If you have Rush Limbaugh under contract, you don't let him go because he can leave and do his thing with your competitor in a heart beat. That truth tends to shoot salaries to astronomical heights. We'd have blog bidding wars. |
| Wed 14 Aug 06:13 | MadMan | In a time long ago, we used to call these people 'writers' and 'columnists'. I guess they don't use those titles any more. |
| Re: Summary: Usability issues in computer games | Tue 13 Aug |
| (CHI-WEB) Computer game design guru Chris Crawford points out that Version 3 of most games will quickly crush anyone who hasnt played Versions 1 and 2. Why? Because hard-core gamers want bigger and bigger challenges, so each version gets more and more difficult. |
| Tue 13 Aug 10:03 | Jack Schonchin | 1) I don't post to CHI-WEB because addresses are publicly posted to the web where harvesters can grab them. The archives should be tucked behind a login screen. 2) The dragon quote is funny, but it perpetuates the stereotype. How so? The dragon comment is now being read by people outside of CHI-WEB, can be picked up by Google, etc. Usability folk shouldn't make such jokes. 3) Guru? All it takes is calling yourself a guru. Get one journalist to refer to you as a guru in an article. Link to the article on your web site bio with 'guru' in the link name. Future journalists will see the guru tag and it will propagate like there's no tomorrow. |
| Tue 13 Aug 11:03 | George Olsen | Actually I called Chris a guru because he's got a 20-year history of seminal thinking [ http://www.erasmatazz.com/Library.html ], starting with his 'The Art of Computer Game Design,' which has been recognized as a classic in the field. The dragon joke is a (slight) exaggeration of actual responses I heard in follow-up discussion on this topic. If the shoe fits... |
| Tue 13 Aug 12:47 | John S. Rhodes | Usability folk shouldn't make such jokes. Usability is not funny. Never laugh. Never crack a smile. |
| Tue 13 Aug 14:23 | George Olsen | Ve have vays of preventing you from smiling... Actually, I misspoke earlier due to caffine deficiency. My joke was based on responses to _previous_ CHI-Web discussions about computer games and usability. |
| Tue 13 Aug 14:45 | Lydia | I didn't see anything wrong with the joke, as I can really imagine people saying that! The nice thing about Usability and HCI is that the people who do it for a living are generally pretty passionate about it. To outsiders, we look like freaks for getting so worked up about how that damned Pepsi machine isn't usable because the readout of how many coins you have put in so far is covered so that only someone who is four feet tall would be able to read it. Ahem. Anyway, you know what I mean. |
| Tue 13 Aug 14:54 | Jack Schonchin | The usability and HCI community do not drink Pepsi. We drink tea. And our arms are scarred from the burns. |
| Tue 13 Aug 16:18 | Matt Round | In the pub the other day I found myself looking at a cigar vending machine and thinking how it had really poor usability, as instead of simply putting buttons alongside each type of cigar it forces the user to read a small number then type it into a keypad. I almost criticised it out loud, then came to my senses and got back to my drink. |
| Tue 13 Aug 17:22 | MadMan | Thank goodness. At least Matt's like me too. I thought I was the only freak who did that. I occasionally carry my digicam with me to take photos of poor product design. Does that confirm me as a freak? |
| Tue 13 Aug 17:34 | Lydia | I have actually used critiques of poorly designed electronic machines as a way to break the ice with people in public. IMHO, I think that qualifies me for freakdom more than photography. The funny thing is, it usually works! |
| Tue 13 Aug 18:04 | George Olsen | Maybe, it's freakdom, but as Lydia notes, it's also a way of building up a good library of images for user-centered communication (which unfortunately, UCD professionals all too often seem strangely adverse to). Half the struggle is getting people to understand that the sort of things they wouldn't (OK, shouldn't, but often do...) tolerate in their physical-world products, customer service, etc. are same sorts of kinds of problems they'd want avoid in their digital products and services. Analogies help, but having real-world examples obviously are good for making it 'real' to people. 'Course I'd never notice the Pepsi machine problems since Peet's Sulawesi-Kalosi is my drug of choice. |
| Tue 13 Aug 19:21 | MadMan | George gets me thinking. We seem to tolerate a mediocrity in the products we use regularly. Worse, our frustration doesn't reach product designers because we rarely complain to the company that makes it. Take the, er, cigar machine Matt talked about (though I've never seen one.) Matt was a little pissed off about the lack of buttons that would've been easier. So he swears a bit, but uses the machine anyway, and walks off. Unfortunately, this feedback never goes to the people who made the blasted machine. Matt is probably not the only one who found it hard to use, but it's too minor an issue for Matt or anyone else to send a mail to the company complaining about it. How do the product designers find these problems? And if they don't, how do they improve? Put 10 people in a usability test and they'll happily press two numbers in, not reporting any problems. Make them do it every day every couple of hours, and they might say it frustrates them. But does your average usability test measure that? How many such tests measure the effects of continuous long-term use of a product? As I was typing this, I thought of something that some of you may find interesting. There's this upscale Thai restaurant near my place. I'm friends with many people there including the chef. Today, the manager asked for some suggestions on how to make Thai food more popular so that more people would visit their restaurant. I rattled off a whole bunch of ideas (not important here.) And then something else struck me. I looked at the menu itself. And I saw that the dishes were listed with their Thai names (with explanations in smaller type below). While I don't have a problem with it (I cook a lot of thai food and I know what they mean), I realised that it created a barrier for marketing. Word of mouth is very important for a restaurant's business. And I realised that if people can't pronounce or remember the thai names, they're not likely to tell their friends to try it either. So I told the manager that people would have problems recalling the name which would cause two problems: a) They wouldn't be able to recommend dishes to their friends, which would hurt business b) They wouldn't remember the name of the wonderful dish they had the previous time, which would make it hard for them to order it again. They'd have to say something like 'chicken in a red sauce with red pepper, with mint on the side.' Not surprisingly, the manager confirmed it. He said that he often had to figure out dishes by asking patrons questions about shape, taste, colour, smell, etc. This may seem like a marketing issue, but I maintain that it was important. The problem? Not many people would point it out. The restaurant guys didn't even think that it was an issue, since they provided English explanations on their menu. Only when I told them about it did they go 'aah'. And there ends my rambling for the day. |
| Tue 13 Aug 19:30 | Jack Schonchin | MadMan has succinctly summarized the entire field of usability. When people ask me what I do for a living, I will now say, 'I get paid to make people say 'aah.'' I'll be careful to only say that to women, and never in the presence of my wife. |
| Tue 13 Aug 19:53 | George Olsen | Madman shows how user experience meets customer experience meets brand experience. Ideally, Marketing is our ally. After all, Procter & Gambles famous definition of marketing was solving people's people for a profit. Marketing obviously has wider concerns (of the 4Ps, we only deal with the product itself, not it's pricing, placement or promotion) so we're not always going to be on the same wavelength. And the more practical problem is that marketing/branding folks aren't used to having control over the direct experience with the product, so their thinking is geared around indirect messaging. (There's another problem in that Marketing is often a catch-all department that collects people without any training or expertise in it, but that's another post...) Incidently, this points out one of the really interesting twists with digital products (sites, software, etc.). They're products that behave much more like services -- and in services the experience of using the service can be just as important as the value of the service itself. Given two services of otherwise equal value and price, the one with better customer service usually wins. And good service can sometimes conquer value. For example, because I've got premium flier status with American I'll usually try to fly them because I know I'll get priority check-in, priority boarding and often better seats. It's worth having to pay a little more if necessary or sometimes having a less convenient route. Is that the intent of America's premium flier program -- you betcha. |
| Wed 14 Aug 04:52 | Mac | I must say that one of the funniest things I ever saw was a group of HCI people at a conference discussing the pros and cons of a lift (or elevator for colonials) interface. They spent almost 20 minutes going up and down in the lift discussing the pros and cons of the design. It started to get a bit silly when someone suggested they buy some tools and start rewiring the lift to work differently. * Disclaimer: While I was in the lift at the beginning, I left after 10 minutes. Althought that was mainly because I wanted to analyse the flushing mechanims in the bogs (or John for colonials) |
| Small Initiatives - Issue 2 | Sat 10 Aug |
| Some print designers say the Web is simply a homogeneous, small-canvas, low-resolution playground for database administrators and Perl jockeys. Others hate the idea of designing for the least common denominator of browser capabilities, operating environments and portable device interfaces. Still others say the Web usability movement forces harsh standards that kill creativity. |
| Mon 12 Aug 04:22 | Mac | Or a print-out of a web page in your portfolio doesn't look as nice as some 'proper' artwork. Paper always wind out over web when it comes to career enhancement. Look at the number of webby people who just have to write paper books to get their message across (and perhaps their egos boosted). |
| Mon 12 Aug 16:27 | Jay Small | I'm not sure I agree completely, at least not based on some definitions of 'career enhancement.' I would wager the average salary of interactive designers is still higher than the average of print designers, even after the collapse of the Internet economy. That has little to do with who's more creative, intelligent or resourceful, by the way. Both print and interactive designers can be winners on all those counts. It's more a consequence of the difference in the amount of sheer technical knowledge required to master the tools of each trade. |
| Tue 13 Aug 04:55 | Mac | I know of one person who used to came to 'interactive media' from a print background. Seven years later he has gone back to print, partly because of the job market, and partly because he feels his work is more appreciated when it appears on 'real media'. |
| Wed 14 Aug 02:15 | Alan | Gee, large sweeping statements based upon.... umm, what? 'Look at the number of webby people who just have to write paper books to get their message across' Might look at the much larger number of 'webby' people NOT generating print via blogs - sure 98% are drivel about taking theie cats to the vet or what, but there are plenty of folks (and journals) relying on bits not atoms for publishing. Avoid false dichotomies- it is not 'print' OR 'web' as better, both can be appropriate. Personally, I like the challenge of working within a limited medium- it makes one rise to a high level of creativity and to test the boundaries. |
| WebWord Posting 676 | Tue 13 Aug |
| How many such tests measure the effects of continuous long-term use of a product? |
| Tue 13 Aug 22:12 | Jack Schonchin | I've conducted longitudinal usability testing. I found that after one hour the subjects would begin to nod off (fall asleep). Utilizing these test results we added non-threatening Batman-style attention-getting pop-up graphics to our web site, accompanied by randomly timed 'alert sounds' such as a woman screaming, a baby crying, a bullwhip cracking, and so forth. If you conduct such a test yourself, I suggest investing in neck braces, to prevent whiplash following each alert sound. |
| Tue 13 Aug 22:19 | John S. Rhodes | Jack, have you tested over multiple sessions? We have. For example, we tested people a total of five times over two weeks. When I say 'longitudinal' I guess I literally mean that testing happens over many days, if not weeks. p.s. Nice Pow! |
| Tue 13 Aug 22:27 | Anonymous | This study is a part of a much larger study that I worked on looking at the usage of the entire word processor. Very expensive in both cost and time. 101 participants (who sent us back their data) working up to a month with the word processor. Vast amounts of data... |
| Tue 13 Aug 23:35 | Jack Schonchin | By 'multiple sessions' do you mean allowing the user to leave the chair and return later? Why on earth would you allow that? It is only in a state of delirium that the user expresses true passion about a web site - his likes and dislikes. Sure there's babbling and frothing at the mouth, but you listen through that to learn what really matters to the user. I'm sorry, we should now discuss the serious study that Mr. Anonymous has shared with us through his hypertext link. |
| Wed 14 Aug 00:10 | Ron Zeno | Doh! Mr. Anonymous is me. How did that happen? I'd like to hear more from John on specifics of longitudinal studies he has done. The larger one I worked on at WordPerfect was primarily designed to find how frequently each feature was being used, by whom, and in conjunction with what other features. I recall a paper studying spreadsheet useage over six months or so, analyzing what features people learned and how proficient they became. It is one of the first published papers demonstrating people's satisficing behavior. |
| Wanted: Web geeks for the disabled | Tue 13 Aug |
| (CNET) Organizers of a unique technology rally are looking for computer programmers and designers to build Web sites useful to people with disabilities. The first Accessibility Internet Rally (AIR) California will be held on Sept. 21 at a San Francisco high school, and coordinators hope to make it an annual event. |
| Tue 13 Aug 07:24 | Mac | Great idea, I would love to get involved... Due to the popularity of this program, we will only be accepting applications from Web design teams and non-profits from the San Francisco Bay Area. But not very accessible..... ho hum I notice that there is no mention of including Usability people in the teams? Is this a recognition of the fact that in a time pressure situation Usability goes out the window? |
| Tue 13 Aug 23:48 | Jack Schonchin | If you look at the AIR web site, you'll notice Filbert is 'this year's national chair.' Better than a teapot, I guess. I would link to the AIR site, but that would make me Mary Ann. I pity da fool who is reading this comment out-of-context of the rest of the site, months later. |
| Usability requirements workshop in London | Mon 12 Aug |
| A workshop How to Specify Usability Requirements? will be held on 2 September, 10:30 - 17:30, as part of the EUPA 2002 conference (http://www.hci2002.org) in London. It will review different approaches to specifying usability requirements that are practical, testable and effective. Participants will be invited to offer their experiences and views, and will work on case study examples to show how usability requirements can meet different needs. |
| Mon 12 Aug 10:06 | Mac | From Article: While all these approaches address the need for the system to support user tasks, they do not help define the creation of a system that users will enjoy or find engaging [StartOfRant...]Why do we spend so much time talking about ineffective solutions to superficial problems, while ignoring the real problem: We need to DESIGN and take some RESPONSIBILITY for what we produce rather than promoting processes and procedures that pass the buck onto someone else.[...EndOfRant] |
| Mon 12 Aug 16:10 | Ron Zeno | I'd agree with Mac, except that this is a workshop, which is the appropriate venue to take on such issues. However, there certainly is a lack of responsibility in design, and many of these workshops assume otherwise. |
| Tue 13 Aug 03:18 | MadMan | Mac, could you elaborate on your rant? I'm very interested. Who's passing the buck? Some practitioners or the community as a whole? |
| Tue 13 Aug 04:38 | Mac | MadMan, here is my expansion of my rant: In my experience, many Usability Practitioners pass the buck by treating the 'users' as little more than lab rats. They seem to need to reduce everthing down to crude metrics, that are then stuck into a PowerPoint-less that is presented to the senior management in an attempt to 'sell' usability to the business. If you were to say to the grown-ups: 'I saw a beautiful house made of rosy brick, with geraniums in the windows and doves on the roof,' they would not be able to get any idea of that house at all. You would have to say to them: 'I saw a house that cost $ 20,000.' Then they would exclaim: 'Oh, what a pretty house that is!' The Little Prince I work in a large Financial Services Company where they have set up a Usability Lab, with the two way mirrors, vidoes and mock environments. I have boycotted this facility for the past two years because it was being used to take control away from the development teams and put it in the hands of the 'Murketeers'. The apps that I have worked on without the 'support' of the usability lab, have been proven to be more usable, successful, efficient and profitable than anything that's gone through the labs, because we have taken responsibility to ensure that our app works for users rather than abdicating responsibility to the people in white coats. These days, Usability seems to be putting most of its effort into explaining why it hasn't made much of a difference, and of the wonderful things it could do, if only the 'business' were to take it seriously. The Usability Community is allowing the marketing men to own the usability agenda. These are the people who left their big companies to start dot.coms five years ago. Now they have come back to the Corporations in a new role where they can 'help' usability to be accepted in the corporate world. They have given up on the 'Built in and they will come' idea, and instead promote things like 'The researchers discovered that, on average, for every 1 percent increase in the customer experience quality, there was a 1.66 percent increase in traffic to the site and a 0.84 percent increase in revenues.' and from the same source: Many Marketers are now the new 'owners' of the user experience. Successful and profitable experiences will result from managers who have mastered the medium, who understand the impact that usability has on the bottom line, and who can communicate this to their development teams. Build For Use: Driving Profitability Through the User Experience I belive that Usability can only redeem itself by making common cause with the users and the developers. This group would then be able to 'own the user experience' and drive change and improvement from below, rather than waiting for the 'higher-ups' to hand down their pronouncements. And I don't only blame the Usability people for this. Until us programmers stop criticising Usability people and try to work with them then we are just as responsible for this sorry state of affairs. Oh and here's a Pharg in adavnce. |
| Tue 13 Aug 12:41 | Ron Zeno | Go Mac! I certainly empathize, but my experiences are quite different... The Usability Community is allowing the marketing men to own the usability agenda. My take: Companies are hiring usability people to be subservient to marketing, and/or firing those who will not. I don't tolerate it myself, but there are many who are more than willing to compromise themselves, and many more besides who just don't know better. The vast majority is in the latter category - they know no different. Until us programmers stop criticising Usability people and try to work with them then we are just as responsible for this sorry state of affairs. Absolutely! Suggestions please on what to do about it (from all)! |
| Tue 13 Aug 15:30 | Mac | Ron, but there are many who are more than willing to compromise themselves I think we have the same view on this, but I would like to make it clear that I do not blame people for compromising themselves. When you need to pay the bills, you will do a lot of things that may be distasteful. I agree that the problem is the lack of alternatives, and rather than wait for someone else to come along and sort it out for us, we should be coming up with the alternatives ourselves. So I would like to join you in your call for suggestions for a way forward. |
| Are usability analysts promising too much? | Mon 12 Aug |
| (ZDNet Australia) Neither Jakob Nielsen’s or Dr Shiffman’s techniques, by their very nature, are a substitute for rigorous functional testing because they have been developed to provide insight into broad user needs and user behaviour. They can measure the effectiveness with which a website or piece of software fails to support those needs, in terms of the broader conceptual model, information architecture, feedback and error messaging and so on – but that is all. |
| Mon 12 Aug 11:43 | Jeff Lash | The above link is broken; the correct URL should be: http://www.zdnet.com.au/builder/program/development/story/0,2000035066,20267255,00.htm |
| Mon 12 Aug 12:12 | MadMan | This is the second time the URL has been buggered. Whatcha doin', John? |
| Mon 12 Aug 12:12 | John S. Rhodes | Thanks Jeff. This is now fixed. |
| Mon 12 Aug 12:14 | John S. Rhodes | MadMan, I swear I am doing everthing the same. Before I post, I always do a preview. I really, really, really hope that Movable Type isn't going belly up. |
| Mon 12 Aug 12:34 | JB | Good article. I think, from a business perspective the answer is yes. However it depends on the company in questions. I have heard many usability firms promise the world with little or no accountability for their actions. I have also heard a smaller but growing number recognize that the average manger is becoming more aware of usability and its benefits and pitfalls - and thus offer a far more pragmatic and realistic solution and service....which I think is are the right steps in the right direction. One final note, this author is no different to the previous author he talks about...he is promoting his business as well. |
| Mon 12 Aug 13:16 | Ron Zeno | This article is far better than the two he references. He gives Dr. Shiffman way too much credit - going out of his way to be politically correct, perhaps? Many usability professionals frequently label these reasons, “technical” and dismiss them as mere “bugs”. Is it just me, or is this abrupt transition toward the end of the article confusing? Looks like some very bad editing. Can anyone figure out what he is referring to when he says 'reasons'? |
| Mon 12 Aug 14:57 | JB | Actually I don't think he is being PC, but more supporting the local guy. |
| Tue 13 Aug 08:25 | Richard Lehoux | I not sure if Ron Zeno is referring to this, but why, at the end, the article is talking about Quality Assurance? Usability professionnal ( maybe ) can promise a usable interface on a properly functionning web site. They should not have to do bug reporting. Do we ask ergonomist to test for the solidity of a chair, even if everyone agree that it won't be confortable if it's broken? |
| Tue 13 Aug 12:22 | Ron Zeno | Yes, as Richard points out, the transition I mention is where the author starts discussing QA issues. After contacting the author, I still don't understand the leap to QA, or how it relates to anything other than the author's own business. |
| Customer Experience Meets Online Marketing at Brand Central Station | Thu 08 Aug |
| (Boxes and Arrows) Think about the last time you praised a company to a friend or associate. You probably used words like, “professional,” “easy to work with,” “capable,” and “on the ball.” Wouldn’t we like all the firms we do business with to have those attributes? Are people who visit your website left with the impression that your firm is on the ball? |
| Tue 13 Aug 08:59 | Mac | For MadMan: Brand on the Run Mr Brandy Man Brand's Lullaby Star Spangled Brander Stand By Your Brand All The Young Brands Brandemian Rhapsody |
| 2002 Winners of the 5K Contest | Thu 08 Aug |
| The contest rewards function, aesthetics, creativity, originality and, of course, hardcore web skills. All HTML, script, image, style, and any other associated files must collectively total less than 5 kilobytes in size and be entirely self-contained (employing no server-side processing). Enjoy. |
| Tue 13 Aug 05:17 | Mac | Hey, I really like this. I like the '2001' black slab. I spent 2 minutes chasing some lens flare, and a bit longer chasing a smude on my screen. Some of the spheres seem to be lit from the wrong direction? Now if you could get the spheres to represent WebWord comment threads, and the landscape to represnt time, then I would like to use this as a WebWord navigation tool. Have you seen MusicVR - Tres Lunas by Mike Oldfield? |
| Communicate the ROI for Design | Thu 08 Aug |
| (Adaptive Path) Practicing designers often get caught in the trap of thinking that design is the solution. What they need to realize is that, to a businessperson, design is a solution. |
| Tue 13 Aug 03:18 | Ari Bancale | Whenever I want to see results from seemingly UNMEASURABLE components or factors that of an entity (whether an organization or an individual or even a project), I adopt and adapt Karl-Erik Sveiby's Intangible Assets Monitor. Check it out. http://www.sveiby.com/articles/CompanyMonitor.html You can MONITOR the trends and see if a specific change in design or in a process had any distinct effect on the trends. This way, the VALUE is observable. I'll try to integrate my notes on how I adapted the monitor for change & design projects. |
| TinyURL | Tue 28 May |
| (via Boing Boing) Are you sick of posting URLs in emails only to have it break when sent causing the recipient to have to cut and paste it back together? |
| Mon 12 Aug 17:23 | Eric | Also check out http://notlong.com It includes a comparison of several of these services. |
| WebWord Comment | Sat 10 Aug |
| What is the best example of bottom up design you can think of? What is the best example of top down design you can think of? Now here is the real question: Is bottom up design the polar opposite of top down design? Why or why not? |
| Mon 12 Aug 04:10 | Mac | I don't know if it's as simple as bottom up or top down. I find that I design in both directions at once, but I couldn't say which was more important at any given point. I think the question of up/down design can get confused with up/down management structures. I think I could safely say that on paper most organisations have a top-down structure, but if you look under the procedures at what is actually hapenning then you would propably see a much more mixed picture where the flows are up/down, side to side, and off the planet. |
| Mon 12 Aug 16:06 | JB | I think that in its purest terms they are polar opposites...but hat is in the way in which design is managed. I think in a complex world where there is a free range of ideas, thoughts and intellect you end up falling back on design being up or down being more a reflection of management structure - this is directly to Mac’s point as well as your John. Ants etc are in a more simplified world - they are complex structures - but each ant is programmed to do a certain thing and they probably don't even know where they fit in the big picture. Human's when involved in the design process are always affected by consumer wants and needs – or profit. |
| 21st Century Technology Wars: Apple Vs. Microsoft | Sat 10 Aug |
| Judging from the way in which both companies often behave with respect to their customers, some analysts believe it is not a question of which company will win and which will lose. The real question is which of the two accident-prone companies will shoot itself in the foot fewer times. |
| Mon 12 Aug 14:18 | Lydia | Jack, that is a very timely comment about laptops. My desktop finally gave up the ghost recently and I've been using my laptop exclusively, and I've been much happier. It takes up a lot less space, when I'm on the road I don't have to synch up, and so on. With laptops getting so much more powerful and compact these days, they are a viable choice for people who don't need precise color control. I don't think I will go back to a desktop unit anytime soon, despite how compact the new iMac is. |
| If I Hear One More Word About .NET... | Fri 09 Aug |
| (News Factor) Call it the public relations faux pas of the century. It amazes me that a company could spend millions hyping a product for two years without generating enough interest among its customer base to spur them to find out what it does. |
| Mon 12 Aug 04:03 | Mac | Maybe this will help clarify the point I'm trying to make: From InfoWorld - Putting people first for a change (Jon Udell 9 Aug 2002) The gone-but-not-forgotten Hailstorm initiative was an effort to put people at the center of the software universe. When the socially inept masters of that universe try to restate their case, they utter awkward phrases like 'first-class data objects.' Luckily, developers all around the Internet know what that's supposed to mean, and have been busily making a trail of clues for Microsoft to follow: ad hoc peer-to-peer networking, instant messaging, presence, Weblogs, and publish/subscribe notification. |
| Mon 12 Aug 07:52 | mcw | Bck in the mid 1980's IBM was at the top of the computing heap. They attempted to create 'architectures' and market the concept to their customers - - which at that time were large mainframe users. Lots of presentations and expanations about how good it was going to be. The only problem was that no products emerged that implemented the 'architecture' in a meaningful manner. dotNET smells like an architecture with no real products that customers will find compelling. If you can't state the purpose and advantages of the product or service in a fairly short and clear manner, it may be that there is insufficient clarity and understanding on the part of the provider as to what they are doing. I've yet to have a clear and understandable explanation of what dotNET is and why it's good for my company. The Microsoft salespeople I deal with can't articulate it and seem to know that they are in deep water here. Remember, the sales force didn't invent dotNET. They need to have it explained to them, before they can bring it to the customers. It's been months since dot NET was announced and the Microsoft sales force hasn't shown that they understand dotNET well enough to convey the message. It doesn't bode well for Microsoft. |
| Mon 12 Aug 10:39 | Anonymous | Now here is the real question: Is bottom up design the polar opposite of top down design? Why or why not? |
| Mon 12 Aug 10:55 | John S. Rhodes | Now here is the real question: Is bottom up design the polar opposite of top down design? Why or why not? Huh? If you are going to drop crap here, at least be clever or funny. Don't get me wrong. Now and then I really like to see stupid postings on WebWord. However, I like them because they are crafty. Be slick and interesting with your spam posting -- 'spastings' -- or don't bother us!! |
| Design of Signage Systems | Mon 12 Aug |
| Exchange, Interact, Participate on issues regarding the Design of Signage Systems |
| Mon 12 Aug 08:42 | Mac | I find it interesting that a lot of icons/graphics don't work unless you put a written description underneath them. Then just because we 'learn' what they mean, people think that a graphic is better than a written sign! Umbrellas Sold Out Accessible Interface Road signs baffle British drivers From the BBC (April 2001) People though it signified foot-and-mouth disease Some drivers also thought the sign for a migratory toad indicates a French restaurant in the vicinity. |
| Mon 12 Aug 09:41 | Jack Schonchin | First gripes: 1. Arrow icons (and other icons too) are clickable, I do not know where they go because there are no text labels. 2. This site has 'click here' links, and you can't even click the 'click here' labels. You click the triangles next to them. 3. Color coding is used on the site for no apparent reason (to me). Pink. Blue. Green. What?!? 4. Followed links become light gray. I understand now! Because I've been to a page, I'll never want to return, so give that link such poor contrast it's difficult to read. I was so annoyed with the visual design that I didn't look to find out what the site was about. Upon returning to the front page, I couldn't find an 'about' page that described the site's purpose in detail. I give up. This was a trick, right? You guys just wanted to frustrate me this morning? See how ol' Jack would respond, eh? |
| Mon 12 Aug 09:47 | Jack Schonchin | This thing makes me want to buy an I am confused t-shirt. Wonderful signage on the shirt. |