The Mobile Landscape in Japan
Great article that talks not just about the technology, but the motivations and cultural trends of techno-savvy Japanese mobile users.
Nico Nico Douga (smile video) has never had the spontaneous, guy-with-a-webcam, videoblog style that sparked YouTube’s global success. Instead, most videos are taken from other media, uploaded through content partnerships, or are mash-ups and original content created by users (but not usually starring users). What’s interesting is that the video content is less important than how it’s presented. Nico Nico Douga’s creative base shines in its unique commenting system, which is a tool for user creation in its own right.
Using an overlay, comments made on Nico Nico Douga are placed on the video timeline by users and literally race across the screen from right to left as the video plays beneath. This allows users to do useful things like writing subtitles, but also communicate with one another asynchronously and enhance the videos by adding written content that all can see. To someone unaccustomed to this kind of communication it seems chaotic and random, but the comments are actually improving the videos by adding another layer of entertainment and interaction.
Below is an animation created entirely on a mobile phone:
http://www.receiver.vodafone.com/mobile-creation-–-the-japanese-way
Future Ramifications of the iPhone 3.0 / 3GS (and last year’s G1 / Android)
The real-time use of the camera, GPS, and directional compass is poised to provide a whole new set of sensors that can be used to provide additional information or points of upsell in almost every context. I also see a greater onslaught of serious industry-specialized tools coming down the pipe…
Augmented reality is already here for Android devices, witht he iphone soon to follow:
http://thenextweb.com/2009/06/17/amazing-mobile-app-lets-world-through-online-eyes/
Here is a summary of a good posting outlining a few new iphone apps with features that may be game changers in the near future and why.
http://mashable.com/2009/06/08/iphone-30-apps/
Future Ramifications of the iPhone 3.0 / 3GS (and last year’s G1 / Android)
The real-time use of the camera, GPS, and directional compass is poised to provide a whole new set of sensors that can be used to provide additional information or points of upsell in almost every context. I also see a greater onslaught of serious industry-specialized tools coming down the pipe…
Augmented reality is already here for Android devices, witht he iphone soon to follow:
http://thenextweb.com/2009/06/17/amazing-mobile-app-lets-world-through-online-eyes/
Here is a summary of a good posting outlining a few new iphone apps with features that may be game changers in the near future and why.
http://mashable.com/2009/06/08/iphone-30-apps/
Data Visualization of Apple App Store Activity.
Below is a great data visualization of App Store activity from the recent Apple Worldwide Developer’s Conference.
At Apple’s recent WWDC developer conference, 20,000 of the most popular iPhone apps were showcased on a pulsating wall of 30 Cinema Displays. Whenever someone downloaded a particular app, its icon pulsed light outwards creating a mesmerising display.
All the technical background and more pics can be found at AppleInsider
from: http://www.creativereview.co.uk/cr-blog/2009/june/apple-hyperwall
Controller-free Gaming for XBox 360
Interface-free interface! Facial recognition to log in, body position and motion tracking to play. You are the controller. I can see the beginnings of this being simplified games, but the future ramifications are fantastic. Making this work well under various lighting conditions, environments, and clothing choices would be a major challenge as well. The image below is a photo from Gizmodo’s coverage of the presentation.
from:
http://live.gizmodo.com/page/3/
And apparently Sony was ahead of the game on this one with their previously demoed Eye Toy for PlayStation 3:
Can’t wait to see how these develop.
Moblin Netbook OS Optimized for Social Networks
The main dashboard for this netbook OS is centered around productivity and social communications.
Moblin 2.0 Netbook Beta Introduction
from:
http://moblin.org/documentation/moblin-netbook-intro
Make The Logo Bigger
So it’s Friday. This is an oldie but a goodie that will always make me laugh. If you are a designer, then you probably have heard more than once to…
Make the logo bigger.mp3
Make The Logo Bigger (Lyrics)
Make the logo big.
Make the logo bigger.
Make the logo big.
Make the logo bigger.
Chorus
Make the logo as big as you can.
And make the logo bigger.
That logo isn’t big enough.
So, make the logo bigger.
Bigger, bigger, make it big.
Make the logo bigger.
Chorus
Make the logo as big as you can.
And make the logo bigger.
Yelling
Don’t try to be the brave guy!
We don’t have a job for you!
You know what you’ve got to do!
You gotta stick to the process!
Make the damn logo as big as you can!
Chorus
Make the logo as big as you can.
And make the logo bigger.
I don’t want to tell you how to do your job.
But, could you make the logo bigger?
Bigger, bigger, make it big.
Make the logo bigger.
Chorus
Make the logo as big as you can.
And make the logo bigger.
Lyrics courtesy of:
http://www.creativetechs.com/iq/make_the_logo_bigger_the_song.html
Several iPhone to do apps compared
So I’m a big fan of to-do lists - enough to put “research and review to-do lists” on my to-do list. I was looking for one for the iphone, so I read some reviews and spent some time using each. Here is my take on the following free iphone apps from an interaction and usability point of view.
Bottom line? Jott wins on features, Zenbe wins with their easier to use interface.
I’m still using both for now to see which one wins after extended use.
Jott
http://jott.com
So this app is more for note taking, but also operates nicely
as a to-do list. What makes Jott different is that it has a voice
recorder, which records locally, then uploads to the online service for
transcription. The transcription then appears in your list as text,
and can also be played back as audio. I really like the speed and
convenience of entering things while walking down the street. The paid
version of Jott will create calendar entries and send emails.
- voice recording and transcription
- automatic syncing
- good online app, web version, and mini desktop app available (Adobe Air framework)
- customizable bottom icon set for quick access to lists (limit 4 visible at once)
- sorted by date entered, or a simple “priority!” flag, no other options.
- can move items from list to list on both iphone and web
- sharing with others, and integration with 3rd party email and calendar programs (paid upgrade)
Issues:
- Since this is a slightly different animal, it is somewhat unfair to
compare the features to dedicated to-do lists, but I will anyway since
that’s how I use it. I miss the ability to reorder things.
- This is more of a bug, but recorded items will randomly stay in the pending state only on the phone, but appear transcribed online (using
2G iphone firmware 2.1).
- The web version is feature rich, but a little clunky when editing or moving items.
- On the iphone, you mark items complete by very deliberately swiping your finger, which animates a strikethrough of the text. I found this hard to do while walking down the street, the slight angle of my swipe would scroll the page instead. A simple checkbox is easier to use.
- Completed items stay in their original order, adding visual noise when scanning the list. You can ‘clean up’ all items at once or delete each one individually, but this becomes repetitive. The web version allows sorting by ‘done’ all at once.
Zenbe Lists
http://lists.zenbe.com/
Zenbe is an email aggregator, but also has a nice, free simple iphone to-do list app. The to-do application is really elegant to use and the web version is the best I’ve used so far. It also supports sharing with others. That is a feature I have not tested.
- auto sync on launch with manual sync button
- drag n’ drop reordering within lists on the iphone and across all lists on the web version
- sharing lists with others
- due dates
Issues
- You can only move items from list to list on the web version. I’ve found myself accidentally entering a bunch of items in the wrong list and then unable to put them into the right place until I got to the computer.
EasyTask
http://www.easytaskmanager.net/
Summary:
- Getting Things Done format, with project and context views
- nice dashboard with today’s tasks, next 7 days, etc.
- online sync (manual), but the web version seems mainly for viewing, not task entry
- saves completed items, but does not support reuse or undo if accidentally marked complete
- Tasks ordered by date, no other sort options
- can move items from list to list on phone only
Issues:
- When you drill into a project and add a new task, the form is blank, forcing you to re-select the project instead of defaulting to the one you just selected.
- Being GTD oriented, it helps if you follow a strict David Allen methodology. Although I like the ‘tagging’ aspect of GTD theory, I am not so strict with my categorization and date sequencing, so I find the extra steps of selecting a project, context, and due date, a bit more cumbersome. This app is most useful if you enter due dates for everything, a step I often disregard for items that are dependent upon previous steps.
- When entering tasks, there is an enter key on the keypad which is useless since it doesn’t support multiple lines of text. It’d be nice if that enter key said ’save’ or ‘done’.
DoBot
http://dobot.us/
- Nice and simple.
- Supports, dates, priority, and big notes
- Sorting options
- Ability to hide old task for later reuse (essential for grocery lists)
Issues:
There is an interaction disconnect here - the ‘done’ trigger button should always be in the same location, however it is in the upper right for entering notes, dates, priority, and saving the whole task, but is
inexplicably in the bottom right of the keypad when you are entering the task title. It requires 2 steps - on opposite sides of the screen. I still find myself constantly tapping the blue, but slightly grey-out ’save’button several times before correctly typing ‘done’.
FYI, I sent an email letting them know about this and they responded saying this would be addressed in the next version.
To Do
from AustinBull Software - Demo: http://www.austinbull.com/
Thank you for the demo. You just saved me money. I have not used this app, but from the demo, it looks like an interaction nightmare. This app does not follow any of the typical iphone conventions or style, nor simple Fitt’s Law proximity heuristics. It isn’t internally consistent either; click the title text (?) to save in one place and a button in a different place… And it assumes you will always want to add notes to a task, adding the extra step. Yikes.
And at the time of this post, Toodledo, Nozbe, and Remember The Milk only had a web app, so they were not considered.
Update 2008-03-26
—————————————————-
So Jott has gone to a paid-only service. Turns out Zenbe has proven itself to be the easiest to use across several computers and the iphone. The symbiotic relationship has proven itself extremely valuable.
The “whole” expierience - twittering for business 101
Twitter, and other third-party communication channels are increasingly being used by brands and businesses to help connect with customers in a purely opt in, semi-personal way. This can be done in a good way, and a horribly bad way. To give you some guidance, Chris Brogan has set up a list of things to keep in mind…
My faves:
- Ask questions. Twitter is GREAT for getting opinions.
- Follow interesting people. If you find someone who tweets interesting things, see who she follows, and follow her.
- Tweet about other people’s stuff. Again, doesn’t directly impact your business, but makes us feel like you’re not “that guy.”
- When you DO talk about your stuff, make it useful. Give advice, blog posts, pictures, etc.
- Share the human side of your company. If you’re bothering to tweet, it means you believe social media has value for human connections. Point us to pictures and other human things.
- You don’t have to read every tweet.
- You don’t have to reply to every @ tweet directed to you (try to reply to some, but don’t feel guilty).
- Use services like Twitter Search to make sure you see if someone’s talking about you. Try to participate where it makes sense.
- Commenting on others’ tweets, and retweeting what others have posted is a great way to build community.
http://www.chrisbrogan.com/50-ideas-on-using-twitter-for-business
Electronic Voting Machine UI leads to voter fraud
Eight Clay County, Kentucky election officials were charged last week with conspiring to alter ballots cast on electronic voting machines in several recent elections. …
The Kentucky officials are accused of taking advantage of a somewhat confusing aspect of the way the iVotronic interface was implemented. In particular, the behavior (as described in the indictment) of the version of the iVotronic used in Clay County apparently differs a bit from the behavior described in ES&S’s standard instruction sheet for voters [pdf - see page 2]. A flash-based iVotronic demo available from ES&S here shows the same procedure, with the VOTE button as the last step. But evidently there’s another version of the iVotronic interface in which pressing the VOTE button is only the second to last step. So the iVotronic VOTE button doesn’t necessarily work the way a voter who read the standard instructions might expect it to.
The indictment describes a conspiracy to exploit this ambiguity in the iVotronic user interface by having pollworkers systematically (and incorrectly) tell voters that pressing the VOTE button is the last step. When a misled voter would leave the machine with the extra “confirm vote” screen still displayed, a pollworker would quietly “correct” the not-yet-finalized ballot before casting it.
from:
http://www.crypto.com/blog/vote_fraud_in_kentucky/
It remains to be seen if there was intentional wrongdoing, but looking at the demos I see quite a few disconnects between the hardware and software affordances. That is of course, if the demo is accurate to the actual device. The takeaway is that one should use standard conventions used in modern touch kiosk systems where green means go/ok/enter, is at the bottom right of the page, and the interaction stays within the one mode (e.g. touch on the screen).
Notice the RED button, the YELLOW navigation arrows, and the GREEN buttons on the outer frame.
Not shown here, but there is a lengthy onscreen instruction page, two voting pages with standard checkboxes to place your votes, the confirm screen.
During the ‘final’ voting stage there is a flashing RED button on top of the frame and outside of the interface, a flashing GREEN button on screen, and then another GREEN button on the bottom of the frame.
The RED vote button looks like an indicator light (”alarm activated!”), and is not part of the touch screen experience. The greeen ‘vote’ button is getting close, but is above the items I am supposed to read and confirm. Then there is the green outer frame button on the bottom, but no idea what that does.
<sigh> I think it’s time to take this one back into the shop for a look-see…
Opera Fingertouch proposes a solution for the ‘fat finger’
This is an interesting solution to the problems of small form elements and pages with lists of text links. Instead of clicking to select or accidentally clicking a link when trying to zoom or pan, clicking zooms into the specific area controls, making them larger targets. Currently, it adds an extra click even if you DID hit the right thing and could get confusing with device-specific controls which attempt to accomplish the same. But add a little more evolution - as in finger-hover detection - this fish might walk on land.
The video demo below.
Augmented Reality
Looks like this technology is moving beyond proof of concepts and into the advertising world. Very cool stuff. And of course the applications for everyone’s pocket viewport (i.e. mobile phone) are endless.
An ad (and instructions) from GE:
http://ge.ecomagination.com/smartgrid/#/augmented_reality
On a mobile:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EL2ByYozGOI
And a news feature on the technology:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZKw_Mp5YkaE
The Nokia Ovi Store is official
Hazaah! So the project I’ve been working on for quite some time has gone public at the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona - and so far is getting some pretty good buzz. Reaching this point makes the months of synthesizing complicated requirements, tight deadlines, and multiple visions into one experience all seem worth it. My completely biased hope is that when people compare it to the Apple App Store - as they will - they take into account that the App store is only for one type of content (applications) and only works on one device (as UX is concerned). The Ovi Store serves up everything from games to music videos, creating a “many to many to many” relationship that exponentially complicates the process of creating a coherent interface. In addition, we had to consider designing for an enormous range of languages, devices, screen resolutions, input methods, legacy systems, and carrier specifics. None of this could have been done without the collaboration from some stellar and very open-minded technical folks.
The Nokia press release:
http://conversations.nokia.com/wp-content/uploads/ovi-store-landscape.jpg
Other people’s takes:
http://www.littlespringsdesign.com/blog/blog/2009/02/19/ovi-store-raises-bar-a-lot/
http://www.techcrunch.com/2009/02/16/nokia-unveils-ovi-store-application-sales-to-debut-in-may/
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/02/16/AR2009021600631.html
http://www.engadget.com/2009/02/16/nokia-ovi-store-unveiled-launches-in-may/
http://www.ubergizmo.com/15/archives/2009/02/ovi-store.html
http://reviews.cnet.com/8301-13970_7-10164838-78.html
The $300 Million Button
A short article explaining the virtues of usability testing. Forcing new users to register to complete a purchase resulted in an astounding abandonment rate. Great quote: “I’m not here to enter into a relationship. I just want to buy something.”. From the article:
The designers fixed the problem simply. They took away the Register button. In its place, they put a Continue button with a simple message: “You do not need to create an account to make purchases on our site. Simply click Continue to proceed to checkout. To make your future purchases even faster, you can create an account during checkout.”
The results: The number of customers purchasing went up by 45%. The extra purchases resulted in an extra $15 million the first month. For the first year, the site saw an additional $300,000,000.
repost from:
http://www.uie.com/articles/three_hund_million_button
5 Best Data Visualization Projects of the Year
Data visualization continues to grow online and in the real world. It
exists as masterful art pieces and amazingly useful analysis tools. In
both cases though it brings data — which is oftentimes cryptic — to
the masses and shows that data is more than a bucket of numbers. Data
is interesting. As we collect more and more data about ourselves and
our surroundings, the data and the visualization will only get more interesting. On that note, I give you FlowingData’s picks for the top 5
data visualization projects of 2008. Visualizations were judged based
on the use of data, aesthetics, overall effect on the visualization
arena, and how well they told a story.
http://flowingdata.com/2008/12/19/5-best-data-visualization-projects-of-the-year/
