My next job
We have always read books to our kids at bedtime, but they are finally old enough to appreciate (and be quiet enough!) for the public library. We are so lucky to have a wonderful town library walking distance from our house. The whole second floor is a children’s section, and the boys seem to enjoy it. They love getting to pick books out themselves, and we all appreciate the variety of reading material. As a result of our library adventures, we have read some fun new books in the past few weeks, including one called Oh, Ducky!: A Chocolate Calamity by David Slomin. It is cute, and...
Read MoreArt, science, & pasta
Today I came across a really appetizing interesting site, which is an excerpt from a book called Pasta by Design, by George L. Legendre. What is so wonderful about it – to me at least – is that it brings together the math which produces the curves in the pasta, the technical reproduction of the pasta shape (which looks like a stipple contour drawing!), and then photographs, a brief origin / history of the shape, and even recommendations on how to eat it! You can browse the interactive site on the New York Times website. And a shout-out to one of my favorite bloggers Nathan Yau at...
Read MoreSmiling city
This week I was talking to one of the Principals at ZS, helping him to prepare for a client engagement. His consulting team is putting together a proposal regarding the use of iPads for sales enablement. They are preparing to do ride-alongs with local pharmaceutical reps, and they wanted my help to help them prepare. I’m hoping I might get to join in, both for the ride-along and for the analysis of the customer’s requirements. If so I will definitely write a post about my experience, as it’s been ages since I did any field research of my own, and I’ve never...
Read MoreVisible joy in 7 minutes
Gamification is a hot topic on SAP’s internal social media channels these days. You have to wonder why enterprise software developers are talking about gaming. Or, if you’ve ever used enterprise software, maybe you know why – it has to be better than talking about SAP R/3! A couple of years ago I wrote about the idea of Project Delight, and in follow up posts, I questioned whether it is possible to experience delightful engagement while working with mandatory enterprise applications. I agree with trending discussions (both inside of SAP and elsewhere) that make the...
Read MoreMore on the iPod Touch
My two-and-a-half year old son Auden gets his share of screen time, because in addition to some time on the computer and with my iPod, he also plays Cars and Thomas the Train games on his Leapster. However, the Leapster’s entry-level games are still somewhat frustrating for him, in part because the available combination of keys, touch screen, and the pen is still a little too complex. Many times he just touches the screen with his fingers, even when the application calls for use of the little attached pointing device. Furthermore, because of the low screen resolution, the visual...
Read MoreNavigating by touch
For Christmas this year I received an iPod Touch. It’s a luxury item for sure, as I already have an iPod that works just fine. One of the big reasons I wanted one was that I felt that I was missing the boat in terms of how navigation and interaction design are evolving in light of the available technologies … not to mention the implications of being mobile with those capabilities. Although, had I known that the iPad release was just around the corner, I might of held out a little bit longer! My oldest son Auden is two and a half now, and he is a bright, curious little kid....
Read MoreDelightful steps
At work I often wonder … if you’re in the business of making something utilitarian, can you really make things elegant, compelling, or delightful to enterprise users? I called the hypothetical effort Project Delight. Maybe I’ve overly naive and optimistic, but I think it’s possible. And the next time someone doubts me, I’m going to show them this video: [youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2lXh2n0aPyw] In fact, I like this so much that I may show it at the beginning of every participatory design workshop!
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