May 2006 Issue
Deconstructing the Mobile Web
Published: May 8, 2006
The more I think about it, the more convinced I am that the mobile Web is largely overplayed hype—the clumsy extrapolation of the behavior and use of a basic set of interfaces from one environment to another incompatible one. As a result of this broken mental model of mobile computing, we are not taking advantage of the real potential this technology offers.
The genesis of my thesis began innocently enough today, when I was reading Good Morning Silicon Valley and saw this quotation from Gartner analyst Daren Siddall:
“Most mobile users still see their mobile phones primarily as a communication device, although they're beginning to experiment with using their phones to access Internet content. It will take another step for most users to become comfortable with the idea of buying actual products using their phones.”—Daren Siddall
Siddall is identifying a relatively linear continuum of the evolution of mobile device adoption and use:
Communication Tool 
Web Interface Transactional Device
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Topic: Columns | User Experience (UX)
Developing the Invisible
Published: May 8, 2006
During my years as an interface designer, I’ve worked with lots of different development teams. From big companies to small startups, the interactions between me—the product designer—and developers have been pretty consistent. We work through what interactions and features are possible given our timeframe and resources. We discuss edge cases and clarify how specific interactions should work. We debate product strategy, information architecture, target audience, front-end technologies, and more. We also frequently encounter the same issue: the need to consider what’s not there.
The way we get there is always the same. I work with the product team to balance user goals, business requirements, and technical considerations to create a product design. That design gets vetted, iterated, and ultimately documented.
Because I mostly work with fast-paced Web companies, I frequently
have to create my design documentation under aggressive timelines.
This means there is not a lot of time for creating detailed
design specifications. Nor is there an opportunity for me to
provide templates in HTML and CSS for every part of an application.
So I turn over mockups and workflows—in the form of stories
or task diagrams—to the development team. What I frequently
get back is half of the design.
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Topic: Columns | Visual Design
The Elements of Interaction Design
Published: May 8, 2006
Other design disciplines use raw materials. Communication designers use basic visual elements such as the line. Industrial designers work with simple 3D shapes such as the cube, the sphere, and the cylinder. For interaction designers, who create products and services that can be digital (software) or analog (a karaoke machine) or both (a mobile phone), the design elements are more conceptual. And yet they offer a powerful set of components for interaction designers to bring to bear on their projects.
Motion
In much the same way that inert gases don’t mingle
with other gases, objects that don’t move don’t
interact. An interaction is some sort of communication, and
communication is about movement: our vocal cords vibrating
as we speak, our hands and arms writing or typing as we send
email or instant messages, sound and data moving between two
entities.
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Topic: Interaction Design
Book Review: Paper Prototyping
Published: May 8, 2006
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Carolyn Snyder’s Paper Prototyping: The Fast and Easy Way to Design and Refine User Interfaces provides the only complete guide to paper prototyping. It teaches you everything you need to know to successfully do paper prototyping and offers many practical tips. However, only about a third of the book is actually about doing paper prototyping. The majority of the book’s content comprises a basic reference on usability testing. While some of the information on usability testing describes how to test paper prototypes, most of it is applicable to any type of usability testing. If you’re already an expert in usability testing, you may not find this information as useful, but Snyder has honed her approach to usability testing over her many years of experience as a usability professional and provides a wealth of practical information.
Many pages in the book are devoted
to arguments for justifying paper prototyping and
validating the approach. I find it hard to believe anyone would
need all of that ammunition to justify such a common-sense
approach. The author had me convinced in a very few pages that
paper prototyping is one of the most useful tools available
to UX professionals. Paper prototyping is a simple technique
that lets you quickly communicate your user interface design
ideas, test designs early and economically, and iteratively
refine your designs—even during a usability test.
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Topic: Book Reviews | Communicating Design | Usability
Dogma Free Design at SXSW 2006
Published: May 8, 2006
South by Southwest (SXSW) began as a music festival in 1987 and has grown to include festivals and conferences for the film industry and interactive media. It is a colorful event, held each year in Austin, Texas, and drawing an eclectic crowd. (Need I mention the roller-derby girls handing out flyers outside the main entrance?)
Dogma Free Design
Panelists: Kelly Goto, Joel Grossman, Dirk Knemeyer, and Luke Wroblewski
One of the sessions I attended at SXSW this year was “Dogma Free Design.” I expected a relaxed, informal atmosphere with world-class presenters who were interested in discussing what design really is and was happy with what I heard.
Dirk Knemeyer got everyone’s attention by holding up a large sheet of paper with examples of current dogma such as:
- 99% of Flash is bad.
- Learn Ajax or you’re dead.
Topic: Conference Reviews | SXSW 2006
