Let’s see what we can see - Michael Migurski
Michael’s presentation showed “how information visualization is making it possible to comprehend a live, vast, and deep connected web of data, with a special focus on interactive and geographic work”.
• Examples of how we can take large amounts of data and display it in interesting ways
• In showing data in this way we are telling stories both actively and passively
• Construction of data is an active process and you can choose the data and how it talks back to you.
• Technical problems and solutions are becoming intertwined with the needs of the people.
• This method helps to apply scale and meaning to a problem.
• Michael notes that data is the public good and cites an example of a data map of crime in Chicago.
• See below for a snapshot of top #wdx users by tweet count from Web Directions http://archivist.visitmix.com/4b0cf001/1/User (see below - @deborahroberts)
To see more information on Michael Migurski go to http://mike.teczno.com or follow him on Twitter at www.twitter.com/migurski
Juliette Melton – user experiences at a distance
Juliette’s presentation focuses and discusses how web professionals can improve and understand how their website is being used and learn about user experiences. As noted in the program, this workshop “will show you how to build an effective user experience research program from scratch and how to keep it going over time”.
Areas discusses were:
• Understanding remote user experience research methods.
• Nuances of body language understanding user needs and preferences.
• Discussing how remote research is studying behaviours of participants who are not in the room with you.
• Check and don’t make assumptions
• Identifying the participants and understanding cultural nuances and when to find this out in the research process.
• Understanding the role of the moderator and how to you deal with reluctant participants
• Dealing with tech failure for remote research – don’t scream or stomp feet!!!
To see more information on Juliette Melton go to http://juliemelton.com/ or follow her on Twitter at http://twitter.com/j
Lisa Herrod – The Age of Awareness
This presentation by Lisa Herrod discusses how, with an awareness of Inclusive Design we can all develop websites and systems that are useable and effective to a diverse range of users, and not just those with disabilities.
• When looking to ensure inclusive design in a project – compliance with guidelines only one element of the process.
• Wider community awareness of accessability needs to be considered.
• Inclusive design barriers – budget a large concern, don’t know how
• Individuals have the power to effect social change!
• Budgets and knowledge – these are noted as two of the main barriers to inclusive design practice.
• Inclusive design – look outward – discover and question what are other industries doing – can they inspire you on your design journey?
• Be the change you seek!
To see more information on Lisa Herrod go to http://scenariogirl.com/ or follow her on Twitter at http://twitter.com/j
Shane Morris – 101 things I should have learned at Interaction Design School
Shane Morris talks about his 20 years as an interaction designer — reflecting on what he has learned and the things he would like to have learned along the way.
• Recommended reading - 101 things I learned in Architecture school – Matthew Frederick
• Interaction Design means to turn something functional into an experience
• We can design experiences and put in place tools and components to allow our users to build an experience around the artefact
• “Functionality is the enemy of useability” - Shane Morris
• the level of detail in your mock-ups should reflect the level of confidence in your design.
• Approach vs technique
• Data gets turned into information then into knowledge (application of information) then is transferred into wisdom
• Like buildings applications can break at the joins
• One-metric-shit-load of money – Great way to sum up it cost a lot!
• Design it with models (and not of the female variety)
• Design the façade that conceals what is really going on in the background.
To see more information on Shane Morris go to www.ixd101.com
Matt Balara – Flogging design – best practices in online shop design
• Types of online shoppers
o Browsers - Come and have a look around and if you are lucky they will buy at the end - first impression counts on your eCommerce site – dress to impress – give you a range and number of products and interests
o First impression counts on your eCommerce site – dress to impress - not just look good - look suitable @MattBalara #wdx
• Help them navigate as much as you can “Toys R Us” interesting example
• eCommerce convince people to buy things as well as help them to find out what they want
o Quester – knows exactly what they want – Amazon example – good filtering
o Out of the box solutions don’t always work well for very specific searches
• There is such as thing as too much information!
• Socialite www.j.mp/doz7m
• www.zappos.com short urls = sharing freedom, tell a friend option = put the details
• share = broadcast your taste
• bookmark and share
o The blow in user
o Minds work well imagining things with enough input
o Use great imagery with detail – give the buyer a feeling of what your product is
• Biggest disaster in eCommerce – give them the feeling of lots of people wanting to serve them
• eCommerce forms – less is more – make it easy for the customer to purchase your product
• What users really want – web design forms by luke wroblewski
• Dark patterns wiki
• www.mattbalara.com
