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 [...]
Running. A user centred business.
Where can I go for a run around here? Concierge at my hotel in Singapore only needed to be asked this a few times before they found themselves offering directions. …But all too often they’d spot their guests returning by taxi after getting lost in the suburbs. This jogger’s map started out when a staff [...]
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 [...]
Equal opportunities in User Centred Design?
IDEO, The worlds greatest proponent of User Centered Design have released a ‘toolkit’ to promote a human centred approach to social development projects. It’s full of top tips… one of which seems worryingly chauvinistic… If you can’t read the image, it kindly reminds us; “To ensure there is a balanced gender perspective involve female staff [...]
Back in Black
Since being back in New Zealand I’ve heard people reckoning we are a few years behind Europe and the States in terms of the acceptance of UX. I’m back in London for a few weeks, consulting for Flow Interactive, … so if it’s true we kiwis are behind, I’m in an industry crystal ball here. [...]
The oldest trick in the customer experience book
Every Tuesday NZ business strategist Lance Wiggs issues ‘Three ways to improve your business’, Last week at number two is ‘Meet your customers’. This simple advice represents the grass roots of a customer-centric approach to building a great experience for your customers, and competitive advantage for your business. So, if this approach is simple yet [...]
UX Research participants. Harder to pick than a broken nose?
Recruiting the right participants is a numbers game, so I was unsure sure what to expect returning to New Zealand from London. All the insights, opportunities and reality-check moments which emerge from customer research or usability studies can be thrown down the pan if you’re not talking to the right people. If your target sample [...]
Best laid plans. Blueprint for a charity home page
To help the client team moving forward I’ve produced a home page blueprint for the website built during Full Code Press. With web projects requiring information architecture and overall user experience input it’s often as useful to justify the strategy and principles behind recommended approaches as it is to implement them. Rainbow Youth helped us [...]
Full Code Press. 24 hrs to build a great web experience
Next week I’ll be part of an NZ team competing in Sydney against the Aussies to build a website for a charity at CeBIT’09 We’ll have just 24 hours from initial briefing to completion so we’ll cover the full journey from paper through to pixels, against the clock. My role as User Experience guy is [...]
Kiwi teacher’s User Centered Design approach wins over students (and Microsoft)
A geography teacher from an Auckland school is hailed as the ‘most innovative teacher in the world’. Delivering lessons via students mobile phones. Nathan’s approach: Understanding his audience Observing their behavior Building empathy with their needs Harnessing their input …and ultimately innovating learner experiences in an education system stymied by tradition. Here are some cues [...]