I'll be speaking at the 2010 IA Summit in Phoenix, AZ on Saturday, April 10 as part of the Making and Refining Experience track. My topic is The Mobile Question: Lessons in Design and Strategy for Your Mobile Experience. Hope to see you there!
Starting in 2005 when returning from SXSWi a coworker and I would put together a trends presentation talking about up-and-coming technologies, patterns, websites, etc… and 2008 is no different. The presentations keep getting longer and longer, as innovation keeps building on the previous year, moving faster and faster. This year my co-presenter was Dustin Askins of Travelocity, and we gave the presentation internally to our UX groups, and just this week at the Dallas UPA Chapter.
As a Designer, I sometimes need to evaluate different technologies and platforms from a Designer’s perspective. Why is it important to get a Designer’s view? As Designers we can quickly be boxed in with inflexible UI layers, unusable sets of standard patterns, and the inability to create a great experience. By reviewing and testing, we can determine the pros and cons of a given technology solution. In honor of Eclipsecon 2008 ;-) I’ve put together a presentation on a popular application platform – the Eclipse RCP.
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If you’re an Interaction Designer, I’m sure you’ve noticed a new design pattern in the past year – one that doesn’t really seem to have a proper name yet. In fact, you’re probably already incorporating this pattern into your designs. It seems like almost every major redesign is leveraging this pattern to help hide complexity: Amazon, Linkedin, TripAdvisor – and sites like Target, Google, and Yahoo have been using it for awhile. It’s a design pattern I’m calling “Revealing Interfaces”.
Awhile back (also known as 2 months ago) Stephen posted about his bookstack. What he was reading, referencing and scanning. He tagged me to share my bookstack, and I was embarrassed with my lack of current books. But, with Christmas here, I actually have a couple of non-digital things in my bookstack.
I’ll be speaking to the Refresh Dallas group about the Mobile Web this Thursday (10/11) at IMC2. Over the past year I’ve been lucky enough to be involved with a couple different mobile projects, and in the process have learned a great deal about the mobile space. I’ve had to evangelize XHTML-MP, figure out how to test on mobile devices, and give overviews of mobile technology to an assortment of internal teams. So I figured it was time to share the wealth. My goal with this presentation is to help other designers and developers move to the small screen, and create a great mobile experience.
Yesterday I got to hear John Maeda speak at Sabre as part of the Wundermind series of speakers. I’ve read John’s book (The Laws of Simplicity), and really enjoyed it. He gave a great presentation – it’s rare to hear someone who really gets both technology and design (and he’s met Paul Rand!).
So when is simple, too simple? A great quote near the beginning of John’s book reads: “Imagine a world in which software companies simplified their programs every year by shipping with 10% fewer features at 10% higher cost due to the expense of simplification.” Maeda uses the iPod as an example of a product that has succeeded with this model. I also see this in the iPhone. As a new iPhone owner, I’ve been able to discover some great ways Apple’s removed features, without diminishing the experience, and simplified the iPhone UI.
When creating an online desktop experience, as Designers we want to choose the most interactive medium possible – then weigh that with the audience we’re designing for and make a decision. XHTML/AJAX? Adobe AIR? MS Silverlight? With each of these options we can create a highly interactive experience, with real-time interactions, large graphics, sound, and even 3D in some cases. And it’s something we’ve grown accustom to with better computers, better browsers, and more bandwidth.
But when Designing for mobile, we’re kind of partying like it’s 1999. With browser fragmentation, low speeds, and low adoption of mobile data – what interactions should you be designing for mobile devices?
