Getting a Grip. Prodesign Magazine showcases my approach to UX
This month I’m featured in Prodesign mag. The article harks back to my days designing surfboards and the moment I became ‘hooked on usability’ during a project for Sony Playstation. Read the Prodesign article ‘Getting a grip’ here as a PDF. It turns out this is the last issue of this magazine after 16 years. [...]
User Experience takes hold in NZ
These two snippets make me wonder if a customer focused approach to business and design has truly taken hold here. One’s about Banks, the other Camper-vans. Banks were some of the first companies in NZ to make a significant investment in usability and customer research, with leading banks improving their online and offline products and [...]
Swipe this way
You know you’ve overlooked basic design research when your customer can improve your product in a few seconds using a pen and some tape. This is the case with these three payment terminals. The design usually includes a discreet symbol to indicate which way the card should go through the slot, an interaction that occurs [...]
Tune in to customer behaviour, or you’re buggered
With technology and the way we consume all types of media advancing at a blinding pace, following changes in behaviours, motivations and expectations of customers plays a critical part in informing and providing a great user experience. It’s nice to think we kiwis are up to date when it comes to technology and that our [...]
Skype takes the hassle out of remote usability
Remote research brings cultural relevance to usability findings, providing the kinds of insights which can only be gained by being there…virtually at least. I recently ran some remote website usability sessions for a Kiwi startup whose main customer is in the U.S.A. … sure, ‘isolation breeds innovation’ and all that, but when your customers are [...]
User Centred Design, for the long haul.
During a 9 month project with IDEO, Air New Zealand took a user centred approach to improve seating design for their long haul services. They built full scale prototypes of cabin interiors to carry out design research, evaluating seating and service concepts with real passengers. The project began in 2007 with a goal of understanding [...]
The tip of the User Experience iceberg
Some websites provide more of an experience than others, but the number of web agencies and even individuals who offer User Experience in their list of ‘services’ indicates there’s a chunk of lip-service being paid to what has become an almost industry-specific buzzword. Although many techniques and approaches to UX have been honed and made [...]
Air New Zealand listens to customers. Or do they?
A UK based Air New Zealand campaign highlights the attitude and friendliness of cabin crew as something uniquely kiwi. The idea for the campaign was apparently inspired by a passenger’s tweet; … but given that the tweeter is a London-based digital marketing consultant who’s own website has a page of “10 reasons why you should [...]
UX in the physical world
My latest project allows me to work on some interactions with a different kind of digital – gripping fingers and thumbs, … it’s taking me back to my surfboard building days. It’s with a kiwi company developing a new type of mouse. I’m using UX methods to help refine the design, starting off with some [...]
Making the most of Optimal Treejack
If you want to find out how well your website navigation structure works for your customers, Treejack is a great tool for the job. If you want to know why certain parts performed poorly, and what to do about it, you’ll need to get inside the head of your customer. The tools for this are [...]