Insights curated by Experientia, the UX research and design consultancy
Insights curated by Experientia, the UX research and design consultancy
The BBC reports on Janala, a service that is revolutionising the teaching of English in Bangladesh using simple mobile technology. “Janala – it means Window – is a service run by the BBC World Service Trust and funded by the UK’s Department for International Development…
Written by Experientia partner Jan-Christoph Zoels. Interaction10 is over. Four days of presentations, workshops, games, installations stimulated vivid exchanges of ideas and reflections on the changing landscape of interaction design. Hosted in beautiful downtown Savannah by the international Interaction Design Association and Savannah College of…
The growing use of branchless banking channels over the coming years is inevitable in most countries. But it’s far less certain whether large numbers of the unbanked poor will use these alternative channels for financial services beyond payments, such as savings and credit. The World…
Quietly but noticeably over the past year, Americans have rejiggered their lives to elevate experiences over things, reports The New York Times. “Because of the Great Recession, a recent New York Times/CBS News poll has found, nearly half of Americans said they were spending less…
The annotated slides from the talk “Design and Designed Failures: From Observing Failurs To Provoking Them†by Nicolas Nova (Lift Lab) at the Interaction10 conference are now available on Slideshare. “Failures are often overlooked in design research. The talk addressed this issue by describing two…
Josh Quittner of Fortune Magazine reflects on how tables will change magazines, books and newspapers. “In fact, for the past year I’ve been pushing the theory that the Age of Tablets will give print media one last bite at the apple — and publishing companies…
In an interview on the website of Forbes India, the renowned behavioural economist Dan Ariely talks about some of the hidden forces that shape our decisions. “For years, my colleagues and I have been conducting experiments about human irrationality. When we present our results, the…
As the social networking train gathers momentum, some riders are getting off. USA Today reports. “Their reasons run the gamut from being besieged by online “friends” who aren’t really friends to lingering concerns over where their messages and photos might materialize. If there’s a common…
Both Jon Kolko (frog design) and Rob Tannen (Bresslergroup) reflect on their experience at the Interaction10 conference that took place last weekend in Savannah, Georgia. Jon’s thoughtful analysis starts with a reflection on why he thinks the profession of Interaction Design reaching a critical divide.…
Niklas Wolkert & Brad Nunnally round up their reporting on Johnnyy Holland on the Interaction10 conference in Savannah, Georgia – this time focused on the third and final day. This review covers presentations by Jeffery Blais, Cindy Chastain, Gretchen Andersson, Kel Smith and Dan Hill.…
Philips reports that its new Lifeline Cordless Phone System has been designed “to enable the frail and elderly to maintain independence, despite their changing physical needs.” “The Philips Lifeline Cordless Phone System is a cordless home phone with a medical alert communicator. It provides a…
The Institute for Money, Technology and Financial Inclusion (IMTFI) at the University of California, Irvine, headed by Bill Maurer, Professor of Anthropology, aims to foster a community of inquiry and practice on new forms of money and financial technology among the world’s poorest people: those…
For the past four years, Microsoft Research (MSR) has sponsored a symposium on social computing that “brings together academic and industry researchers, developers, writers, and influential commentators in order to open new lines of communication among previously disconnected groups.” The theme of the 2010 symposium,…
Niklas Wolkert & Brad Nunnally provide their second report on Johnnyy Holland on the Interaction10 conference in Savannah, Georgia – this time focused on the second day. “After a night of some great parties, and even better conversation, the second day of Interaction 10 began…
Niklas Wolkert & Brad Nunnally report on Johnnyy Holland on the first day of the Interaction10 conference in Savannah, Georgia. “If one thing had to describe the overall theme of the first day it would be the importance of providing meaning in the work that…
Scott Hill of Alternet looks at how technology facilitates “the human sentient understanding of how to take cruel advantage of human weakness”. “Indeed, humans are exceptional when it comes to using technology to prey upon weaknesses, in themselves, their cultures and their markets. But even…
In Digital Nation: Life on the Virtual Frontier, FRONTLINE presents an in-depth exploration of what it means to be human in a 21st-century digital world. Continuing a line of investigation she began with the 2008 FRONTLINE report Growing Up Online, award-winning producer Rachel Dretzin embarks…
Constantine Valhouli, principal of the Massachusetts based Hammersmith Group, which consults to developers on the marketing and branding of luxury properties, and to city leaders on reviving historical downtowns, just published an overview of the potential for connected devices entitled “The Internet of things: Networked…
On the 4th annual Data Protection day (28th January 2010) the European Commission announced the intention to reform the 1995 European Union (EU) Data Protection Directive 95 “Our privacy faces new challenges: behavioural advertising can use your internet history to better market products; social networking…
Stowe Boyd arguest that the metaphors of computing user experience are holding us back from new ways of structuring our interaction through computers. “the thing that is blocking us from moving forward, to a better user experience centered on social interaction and not physical data,…
User experience is one of the most important success factors of a mobile application, according to Nokia. Therefore the company created a web section that describes the benefits of a good user experience, which also provides links and resources with more detailed material.
Ethnographer Tricia Wang wrote an excellent and long comment on why Google is having troubles in China: While unfortunate that Google.CN may be shutting down, my ethnographic work in China revealed five things that aren’t being told in the current story: Many Chinese internet users…
Nick Marsh of EMC Conchango reflects on the conundrum of ‘front book’ vs ‘back book’ pricing, and the implications for service design. “This is a great example for illustrating the differences between designing for service-centric organisations as compared to designing for product-centric organisations, and it…
One of the projects funded by the Danish programme for user-driven innovation (English summary) is DESINOVA (see also this earlier post). DESINOVA’s purpose is to enhance innovation among service and trading companies using the methods of user-driven innovation and service design. DESINOVA develops competences for…
Arup Australasia has published a three-part technical overview on its research blog of its ‘urban sensing via mobile phones’ project. The research project, in collaboration with the UTS Centre for Real-Time Information Networks, explores technical approaches to sensing the presence of mobile phones in transit…
Western companies are struggling to bridge the growing gap created by the evolution of a cyberspace with Chinese characteristics. Kathrin Hille explains some of the cultural (and political) differences in today’s Financial Times. “[Chinese people] tend to roam the web like a huge playground, whereas…
Mobile health is emerging at the intersection of dynamic changes in mobility patterns, health care delivery, and new mobile technologies and networks. New technologies and the services they enable will be just one piece of a larger strategy for engaging consumers anywhere, anytime. Ultimately, mobile…
The Danish Centre for Design Research (DCDR) is an umbrella organisation under the Danish Ministry of Culture for the design research that takes place at the Aarhus School of Architecture, The Danish Design School, Designskolen Kolding, and the Royal Danish Academy of Fine Arts, School…
Skype commissioned the Institute for the Future to research and start a conversation about the future of real-time video communication and what will it feel like to live and work in a world where real-time video is ubiquitous. The newly-released report was designed as a…
The average young American now spends practically every waking minute — except for the time in school — using a smart phone, computer, television or other electronic device, according to a new study from the Kaiser Family Foundation. Those ages 8 to 18 spend more…
In recognition of the importance that good design and user experience plays in creating successful products and services, Forum Nokia has renewed and extended it support available for those looking to improve the quality of their mobile applications. Central to this effort has been the…
Interesting Google Blog article on how user research dramatically improved driving directions on Google Maps India. The research was based on the fact that street names are not commonly known in India and the typical wayfinding strategy is to ask someone on the street. Now…
Pervasive Information Architecture – Designing information space in ubiquitous ecologies is a book being written by Andrea Resmini and Luca Rosati for Morgan Kaufmann-Elsevier which promotes a holistic approach to information architecture and user experience. “Information is going everywhere, bleeding out of we thought…
The World Economic Forum today released its study on Scaling Opportunity: Information and Communications Technology for Social Inclusion, an analysis of how ICT is evolving to address the social and economic needs of the poor. The study notes that, as 4 billion people have access…
Ethnographer danah boyd, a Microsoft researcher, argues that Facebook’s Mark Zuckerberg is wrong saying that ‘the age of privacy is over’. “Privacy isn’t a technological binary that you turn off and on. Privacy is about having control of a situation. It’s about controlling what information…
Whether it’s checking market prices of crops, transferring money or simply making a call, mobile phones are transforming Africa. But, asks The Guardian, could this new technology end up bypassing the poorest? The problem apparently lies in the taxes levied by national governments that can…
Good, the collaborative magazine, has published its “Slow Issue” with perspectives on a smarter, better and slower future: “At its simplest, slow stands for a focus on quality, authenticity, and longevity rather than a mindless adherence to the faster and cheaper ethos. This issue is…
The latest Intel Technology Journal (Volume 13, Issue 30 reports the research and development activities of the Intel Digital Health Group and its colleagues. One article, entitled “From people to prototypes and products: ethnographic liquidity and the Intel Global Aging Experience study“, documents how a…
Can design change behavior? Although at times it can seem difficult to change just one person’s behavior, Professor Banny Banerjee, director of the Stanford Design Program says it is possible for design to induce large numbers of people to change their lifestyle, including deeply ingrained…
Ten years ago we thought wireless was another word for radio, Peter Mandelson’s career was over – and only birds tweeted. So what will life be like a decade from now? The Independent newspaper provides a glimpse. 2020 vision: Our team of futurologists peers into…