Posted by admin on Feb 3, 2010 in
usability 
on my drive into work this morning i listened to NPR……
which of course tells me about this suicide bomber and that as well as the newest and latest issues with interrogation…it had me thinking what do usability engineers and interrogators have in common?
the art of developing a question right?
“The objective of any interrogation is to obtain the maximum amount of usable information possible in the least amount of time.” globalsecurity.org
i know professionally a usability engineer may not want to be grouped into the same category as an interrogator but let us take a minute to break this theory out….
an interrogator is trained in: human psychology and the art of question creation and asking
a usability engineer is trained in: human psychology the art of question creation and asking
i don’t know this but i don’t think an interrogator is trained in the art of brutal intimidation but i could be wrong and this of course would be the glaring difference between the two disciplines….
it is an interesting topic and an interesting debate
i am curious to what people may say….
i add this link to an article put out by boxes and arrows which is about the quick and dirty usability test. when you read this article it becomes clear that the process and the method between interrogation and user testing are VERY VERY different but what i am comparing is the art of creating the question could these two professionals actually help each other define the art of questioning?
Tags: usability
Posted by admin on Jan 29, 2010 in
marketing,
usability “brands can forge meaningful connections with customers by allowing them to be creative, personalize their brand experience, and share with o
thers” Bob Gilbreath
I really enjoyed this post about Dunkin Donuts
I have lots of feeling about Dunkin Donuts since they have been on the radar for marketing and branding since the 80’s…..perhaps there marketing campaign is what drove me towards usability…..(another topic for another day)
for Bob Gilbreath’s chit chat about this marketing campaign…….
Dunkin Donuts – Marketing with Meaning
Tags: marketing
Posted by admin on Jan 28, 2010 in
usability Ben Woods posted this presentation on Slide Share
it is great simple explanation on why usability testing is important
please take a minute and check it out….if you have not been sold on why or how to conduct a usability test perhaps this will help
Tags: usability
today i am on the hunt of all things taxonomy
i have built taxonomies before. i have built highly structured ones and i have built ones that go with the business model of the organization and i feel that each are relevant for there own purpose.
came across an interesting article the other day in KM World: Folksonomy folktales
i have had several debates with myself on this very subject, txonomy and folksonomy
in the library world many librarians thing folksonomy is dead, just another way to categorize that obviously is not as good as the library of congress subject headings….but the little librarian in me does not agree
let me step back a minute and not totally recite my resume but give a bit of background info…..currently i am a usability engineer with a very long standing record of working in libraries (primarily digital libraries) i am a visual artist with a very strong opinion on how things work and if they don’t work well then i will make it clear as to how it could work better
i have been like this since i was a kid so it was natural to go into user interface design so here i am a user interface designer reading KM world and designing taxonomies.
so here i am designing a taxonomy for a content rich site that is so so super specialized that i am not sure there is any other way of doing this then creating a customized unstructured taxonomy and using folksonomy to help with the search engine optimization
i leave you all with no visuals today…..but i do ask for opinions
Tags: information architecture, knowledge management, usability
Posted by admin on Jan 28, 2010 in
usability
the fishbone diagram was design in 1960 (because all good things came out of the 60’s right?) by Dr. Kaoru Ishikawa. The purpose of the diagram is to analyze the effects and what causes these effects.
in basic terms it is a diagram of cause and effect
which for any usability engineer this is wonderful very very wonderful
usually when we go about addressing an issue we need to ask a series of questions and than ask even more questions once we have gotten to an answer but for the most part we need to answer these basic questions:
- Need to study a problem/issue to determine the root cause?
- Want to study all the possible reasons why a process is beginning to have difficulties, problems, or breakdowns?
- Need to identify areas for data collection?
- Want to study why a process is not performing properly or producing the desired results?
(http://quality.enr.state.nc.us/tools/fishbone.htm)
i have come across a tool that will allow you to create a fishbone diagram on-line and http://classtools.net/education-games-php/fishbone/
anyways before i go off track here there are major categories that are typically used to label each bone of a fishbone diagram these are suggested but not required:
so lets start creating diagrams to help bebe figure out how to get coffee without crying
oh last but not least and a subject that will require its own post is the question why
DO NOT forget to ask why at least five times to fully understand what the probelm is…..
for example:
why is the chicken not laying eggs?
because she is too busy
why is the chicken too busy?
because she needs to make a nest
why does she want to build a nest?
because she wants to have chicks
why does she want to have chicks?
because she is a chicken
what did we learn from this a chicken will lay an egg but like all chickens in her own time
Tags: diagrams, usability
Posted by admin on Jan 27, 2010 in
usability the more the merrier right?
odd how one can equate success by how many monitors are up and running. my dream (well one of my dreams) is to be surrounded by monitors….creating a totally sci-fi experience
so my work station does not look like this yet but…….i have three monitors and two video cards…..tomorrow my fingers crossed i will have four monitors
why would anyone need three or even more monitors believe it or not i actually get more work done
i am in the process of implementing cds-invenio
i have two servers going…one as a test and the other soon (fingers crossed) to go live but like with any CMS or DAM it requires a certain amount of customizing in order to make the interface usable for the target audience. with three windows open i am trying to create a cataloging module that can be utilized by two different work flows……
here is an abstract thought for you
how many libraries catalog:
a.) an actual tangible object and
b.) where that object’s photo came from…..
museum libraries are notorious for having this be an issue which is why creating a cataloging module that can make two different set of work flows work is essential (at least for my happiness) that means to make me happy and everyone who has to use the customized modules happy i need lots of monitors!
until next time
Posted by admin on Jan 27, 2010 in
usability okay so i was on the quest for open source eye tracking software that mimics morae……
and i have to say i did not have great success without going through and renaming my first born to some sort of coding langauge….but i di come across a wonderful alternative
SMI – Begaze
Tags: eye tracking, usability
Posted by admin on Jan 27, 2010 in
usability so i have been on the quest…..not a real long one but none the less a quest to find an open source eye tracking capture and analysis software that is comparable to morae
for those of you who are new…”morae is an innovative software-based solution for usability testing that enhances data collection and speeds up analysis.”
(retrieved on feb 15 from techsmith)
why one may ask?
i actually want to do a usability test on an open source eye tracking software…..why because i think that would be fun
Tags: eye tracking, usability
Posted by admin on Jan 27, 2010 in
usability what happened to square monitors?
i know it is all about moving forward right?
but i maintain and develop websites for a target audience that more than likely is still working with CRT monitors from 1980……so is it wise for me to work on a monitor that is wide? should i do all my design work on a monitor that mimics that of the target audience? i would be curious to hear other web designers opinions on this matter……
aside from that i am busy learning more about python than i care to and more about database structure than i wanted to.
i have started dreaming in code (which i am not sure is a good thing) and i have also started drawing mental diagrams of how things work within my house……..
so the kitchen is a facet that has several nodes right? the oven node, the sink node….you get the picture
it’s sort of like my quest to create a usability study on the layout and function of a starbucks…..one would think that the cash register would be in an area that makes sense…i wonder if the designer is left handed?
Tags: monitors
on my drive into work this morning i listened to NPR……
