Insights curated by Experientia, the UX research and design consultancy
Insights curated by Experientia, the UX research and design consultancy
Dirk Knemeyer is a UX thought leader, an entrepreneur, a game designer, and a former UXmatters columnist. Recently, Pabini Gabriel-Petit had the opportunity to interview Dirk about his experiences as a UX professional and entrepreneur, as well as his reflections on the state of democracy…
Cultural anthropologist Natasha Schüll bridged the gap between human interaction and machine workings in her research on gambling. Her current research focuses on the design and use of self-tracking devices – such as when individuals use digital software to record and graphically visualize personal data…
If Erika Hall, co-founder of Mule Design, could achieve one thing with her time here on earth, Ishemight be content if that one thing could be burning to the ground the practice of running focus groups in place of actual user research. “A focus group…
A Simple Introduction to the Practice of Ethnography and Guide to Ethnographic Fieldnotes By Brian A. Hoey, Ph.D., Associate Professor of Anthropology, Marshall University Marshall University Digital Scholar (June 2014): 1-10 Abstract In this article, I will provide a simple introduction to the practice of…
The team at IDEO.org launched Design Kit — a “refresh†of its HCD Connect platform launched in 2011. It is a step-by-step guide to the elements of human-centered design, specifically adapted for NGOs and social enterprises working with low-income communities around the globe. The kit…
Dan Perkel of IDEO Labs shares how he and his colleagues use digital methods and tools to enhance the research process in five distinct activities: – Exploring the terrain and seeking quick inspiration – Recruiting research participants – Obtaining deep insights into people’s lives and…
The most interesting things happening in financial services are not happening in financial services, writes Rich Berkman, Associate Partner of IBM Interactive Experience, in UX Magazine. The most useful and powerful cross-channel, digital tools rolled out in recent years were not introduced by banks, he…
Our memory is dissipating. Hard drives only last five years, a webpage is forever changing and there’s no machine left that can read 15-year old floppy disks. Digital data is vulnerable. Yet entire libraries are shredded and lost to budget cuts, because we assume everything…
It’s that time of year again, when ethnography professionals come together to exchange knowledge, discuss ideas, and share experiences about the practice of ethnography in the business world. EPIC 2014 kicked off yesterday (Sept 7th) in New York, with a focus on relationships, and particular…
Billions of dollars are spent on experts who claim they can forecast what’s around the corner, in business, finance and economics. Most of them get it wrong. Now a groundbreaking study has unlocked the secret: it IS possible to predict the future – and a…
It is true that our ability to collect, analyse and interpret data about the world has advanced to an astonishing degree in recent years, writes Rick Robinson, Executive Architect at IBM specialising in emerging technologies and Smarter Cities, in his blog “Urban Technologist”. However, he…
Behavioral regulation is afoot in Europe and is drawing the interest of a growing number of OECD countries. Professor Alberto Alemanno has just posted a brief overview of what happened over the last few months: In late June, TEN – The European Nudge Network was…
UX strategy isn’t the blueprint, canvas, or definition you use. UX strategy is about the conversations you have and the alignment you achieve, writes Austin Govella, Experience Director with Avanade. As you start hacking your own approach to UX strategy, it’s good to remember two…
The 2014 edition of EPIC, the premier international gathering on the current and future practice of ethnography in the business world, will take place in New York next week. The draft proceedings have just been posted. Here is the table of contents: Papers 1: Ethnographic…
Ethnographic Fieldwork and Digital Culture – A Beginner’s Guide By Piia Varis Routledge February 2015 Abstract Ethnography, as a holistic approach to societies and cultures, can make a substantial contribution to the study of present-day online environments and our digital culture(s). However, the process of…
Digitized Lives: Culture, Power, and Social Change in the Internet Era By T.V. Reed Routledge June 2014 Abstract In a remarkably short period of time the Internet and associated digital communication technologies have deeply changed the way millions of people around the globe live their…
Feeding back about eco-feedback: How do consumers use and respond to energy monitors? Kathryn Buchanan (a), Riccardo Russo (a) and Ben Anderson (b) a Department of Psychology, University of Essex, Wivenhoe Park, Colchester CO4 3SQ, UK b Engineering and the Environment, University of Southampton, UK…
Common Knowledge? An Ethnography of Wikipedia By Dariusz Jemielniak Stanford University Press 2014, 312 pages Abstract With an emphasis on peer–produced content and collaboration, Wikipedia exemplifies a departure from traditional management and organizational models. This iconic “project” has been variously characterized as a hive mind…
A canvassing of 2,558 experts and technology builders about where we will stand by the year 2025 finds striking patterns in their predictions, reports the Pew Research Center’s Internet Project. In their responses, these experts foresee an ambient information environment where accessing the Internet will…
Switching to LED bulbs in your home is still a bit expensive, but makes a lot of economic sense – as you quickly earn your money back through a MUCH lowered electricity bill. Yet it is quite a challenge for most people. I just successfully…
Vox Digitas By Jamie Bartlett, Carl Miller, David Weir, Jeremy Reffin, Simon Wibberley Report, 24 August 2014 ISBN 978-1-909037-63-2 Free download Over the last decade European citizens have gained a digital voice. Close to 350 million people in Europe currently use social networking sites, with…
The toolkit for service design is an introduction to the methodology of service design. With a simple step-by-step plan it offers you a practical do-it-yourself guide. The kit contains workshop templates, posters, a manual and technique cards, some of which can also be downloaded. It…
E-Government for the post-2015 era: the usage perspective is the title of the 7th chapter of the recent report “United Nations E-Government Survey 2014 – E-Government for the Future We Want“. The chapter outlines the current situation of e-government usage, particularly the efforts made by…
“As researchers focusing on Facebook’s advertising, we led research trips with a cross-functional team of product managers, marketers, and engineers to Indonesia, Turkey, and South Africa to develop a solid understanding of cultural differences across these countries. […] Forming a richer understanding of how businesses…
Today, music is as emotionally relevant as ever – and consumers have a myriad of ways to experience it, from streaming and downloading to live concerts and more. Thanks to social media, fans also have unprecedented access to their favorite artists. Given these changes in…
As healthcare shifts from the hospital to the home, design research must also morph to keep up, writes Shana Leonard. Who is the typical user of your medical product and what is the use environment? These used to be easy questions for medical device companies…
Wells Fargo, the world’s most valuable bank, learned to innovate around the customer. In 1999, Steve Ellis, who runs the bank’s wholesale services group, went to a conference where Scott McNealy of Sun Microsystems described a completely new era of digital banking that would unfold…
Carolyn Rose explains how ethnography can be used to improve food safety: If done correctly, ethnography leads to a holistic and unbiased understanding of current practices and the motivations that drive them. Looking specifically to learn the existing challenges, workarounds, deviations and drivers within an…
In his review of the recent books by Alice E. Marwick and danah boyd, Ted Striphas focuses on how they guide us in understanding how the internet is affecting our language as it expresses our social experience. “There has been a lot of speculation about…
Yesterday, the White House formally launched the U.S. Digital Service. “The Digital Service will be a small team made up of our country’s brightest digital talent that will work with agencies to remove barriers to exceptional service delivery and help remake the digital experience that…
UX teams are responsible for creating desirable experiences for users. Yet many organizations fail to include users in the development process. Without customer input, organizations risk creating interfaces that fail, writes Hoa Loranger of the Nielsen Norman Group. “User experience cannot exist without users. Creating…
Soleio Cuervo, design lead at Dropbox, spends his time thinking of new ways for products to understand our needs and wants in real time. After years of firsthand work and observation, Cuervo has seen four ingredients emerge that power personalized products. At First Round’s recent…
Downloading an app won’t get you to change your habits. Vivian Giang writes on the science of what will. “There are three kinds of behavioral changes, according to Arun Sundararajan, a professor at NYU’s Stern School of Business whose research program focuses on how information…
Nowadays, people can keep negative thoughts at bay with a frenzy of activity. Kate Murphy writes on the consequences in the Sunday Review section of the New York Times. “You can’t solve or let go of problems if you don’t allow yourself time to think…
Alex Preston explores the personal, psychological and cultural impact of the end of privacy in today’s Observer: Here lies our greatest risk, one insufficiently appreciated by those who so blithely accept the tentacles of corporation, press and state insinuating their way into the private sphere.…
“The human factors activities that deliver safety and effectiveness [in medical devices] do not necessarily deliver a good user experience or, ultimately, a good product,” argues Martin Bontoft in MDDI. In fact, he writes, “some industry experts have observed unintended consequences of regulating human factors…
The ongoing debate about Europe’s so-called ‘right to be forgotten‘ ruling on search engines has shone a light onto a key pressure point between technology and society. Simply put the ability of digital technology to remember clashes with the human societal need to forgive and…
Applying insights from behavioral economics to policy design Brigitte C. Madrian NBER Working paper July 2014 The premise of this article is that an understanding of psychology and other social science disciplines can inform the effectiveness of the economic tools traditionally deployed in carrying out…
Mark Carrigan, sociologist, academic technologist and research assistant at the Centre for Social Ontology, is intellectually drawn to the Quantified Self because “it’s a fascinating example of the intensification of reflexivity in contemporary society”. Most interesting in his reflective blog post is his attempt at…
Noah Feehan of the New York Times Research & Development group explores the concept of social wearables: objects that explicitly leverage their visibility or invisibility to create social affordances. “Wearables that engage with the world around me, and particularly with the people around me, are…