Mobile Megatrends 2012
Posted: May 13, 2012 Filed under: Mobile | Tags: android, Apple, mobile growth, mobile trends 2012, mobile user experience, tablet, tablet growth, tablet user experience Leave a comment »Keepitusable Shortlisted for 2 Business Awards
Posted: May 10, 2012 Filed under: UX (User Experience) | Tags: 2012, award winning user experience, Business Award, keepitusable, manchester, salford business awards, salford business awards finalists, ux agency Leave a comment »
You may or may not be aware that I run a Manchester UX and Usability Agency called Keepitusable (keepitusable.com). We started the business in late 2010 after lots of people told us we should! So, the business was built very much on our existing reputations as great designers and user researchers. I’m predominantly the lead on anything to do with users, research, psychology, ergonomics. Ricardo has more UX and UI design experience than anyone I know so he leads all our design and prototyping work.
Our magic is the unique mix of our skills and experience plus our equal male/female balance that gives us the ability to see things more completely from the audience’s perspective.
We’re really pleased to have made the final four for 2 Salford business awards; Rising Star and Entrepreneur. It was very competitive and we had to really prove the value of user experience during the interviews. This can be quite tough as any UXer will know! At first it was clear they thought we were developers or graphic designers which is understandable as people always try to make sense of something new by comparing it to what they already know – mental models anyone?
Please keep your fingers and toes crossed for us and hopefully we will win at least one of the awards. The finalists are incredibly diverse so it will be interesting to see who wins!
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Incredibly intuitive file sharing UI
Posted: May 7, 2012 Filed under: UI | Tags: file share, file sharing, synch, synching mobile computer, user interface Leave a comment »Spatially aware devices from Ishac Bertran on Vimeo.
Nice Predictive Text Entry Method by Blackberry
Posted: May 1, 2012 Filed under: Accessibility, Design, Mobile, UI | Tags: Blackberry, hardware, smartphone, text entry, touchscreen, user experience, ux Leave a comment »I started my UX career as a Smartphone Researcher. I remember when we took the plunge to remove the hardware keypad and go full touch. Users complained that they wanted and needed a hard keypad to enter text. They saw T9 as vital to quick text entry – it could be done one handed and even blindly by many users. I admit myself to being able to text without even looking at my phone, it was great for multi-tasking, like shopping whilst texting 
But users can adapt to change very quickly despite their initial reservations and look at everyone now using full touch devices to enter text. How far we’ve come! But, there is still the problem of longer text entry times, needing to use two hands and being more prone to errors. So I’m rather impressed by Blackberry’s approach to improving the touchscreen text entry user experience to be faster and more intuitive. Check it out and see what you think…
5 Reasons Why Tablet Growth Will Soar This Year
Posted: April 20, 2012 Filed under: Mobile, UX (User Experience) | Tags: design for tablets, importance of tablet, mobile growth, tablet growth, tablet popularity, tablet vs mobile Leave a comment »
The above chart clearly shows both mobile and tablet growing over the coming years. However, the growth shown for Tablets is fairly steady. I am largely in disagreement with this. I think the growth of Tablets will be phenomenal over the next 2 years for these reasons:
Reason 1: They’re the lazy man’s computer.
People talk of mobiles as being the lazy man’s computer because you always have your phone on you 24 hours a day and it’s much quicker to quickly search for something than to power up a computer. However, with their small screens, mobiles aren’t the most pleasant way to experience websites, to look at something with friends/colleagues, to view larger amounts of information, to read an e-book, etc.
Reason 2: They’re the portable computer
Yes I know mobiles are portable computers too but once again they lack that larger screen which is necessary for so many things. I was in a coffee shop yesterday and a group of students were sat at the table next to me. One of them had an iPad and was using it to show his friends various things. It became a social experience which would be much more difficult on a small screen. Within the business world, tablets provide a more portable, more impactful means to showcase work to clients.
Reason 3: Statistics are already starting to show phenomenal growth
Tablet sales rose an incredible 60% in the first quarter this year for Verizon Wireless.
Reason 4: They’re the ideal device for children
Children love touching and interacting with things directly so tablets are ideal for engaging them and helping them to learn whilst also having fun. Research by Nielsen found nearly 70 percent of children in households with tablets use them and they are often used outside of the home to keep children entertained on journeys.
Reason 5: They’re cheap!
The price is incredible. Cheaper than the average smartphone and computer. With offers like the one below surely Tablet growth is set to soar!
Google concept augmented reality glasses “Project Glass’
Posted: April 5, 2012 Filed under: UI, UX (User Experience) | Tags: Apple, augmented reality eyewear, augmented reality glasses, Google, Google concept glasses, Project Glass 1 Comment »Augmented reality is already making waves in the mobile app arena but it seems Google are the ones determined to take the eyewear market by storm. It’s something I first looked at years ago whilst at university. Back then it was very much thought of as a useful tool rather than a fun tool (isn’t that always the way with universities?). Information would be overlaid onto real life objects to make them more useful and interactive. For example, when walking down the street, the road you need to take to get to your destination may appear to be a shade of green.
Another project involved being able to see what an item of clothing would look like on you by simply holding up a card to a mirror. An image of the item was then superimposed onto the body via the mirror. It looked pretty rubbish at the time to be honest but that was many years ago now and I know this technology is still being tested. I’m betting this would appeal to males in particular – anything to avoid the changing room hey guys!
The concept glasses video by Google is quite different to this. The information appears to be much more distracting, requiring attention and user focus. I can’t imagine being able to walk down the street and successfully read a text message without tripping over something. My point is that although this is very much a concept, there is a great deal of user interaction, human factors and ergonomics issues that will need to play a major role within the design to ensure the glasses are not just fun and useful but also safe. Google have announced public tests of the glasses are commencing.
The big question is what are Apple going to do?
I hope we don’t have to wait too long as this is technology I need want right now!
New technology enables paraplegics to stand
Posted: April 5, 2012 Filed under: Accessibility, Usability | Tags: accessibility, assistive technology, disability, paraplegics, wheelchair Leave a comment »A radical new design of the traditional wheelchair by Tek RMD, now enables paraplegics to stand and move. This is a big step in decreasing the barriers that paraplegics face. Just being able to stand once again and to move in a standing posture must feel incredibly liberating. I also believe this kind of technology is a big step in helping able-bodied people overcome prejudice and see the person on their level. Watch the video, it’s amazing.
Using kittens to explain the power of Scarcity
Posted: April 4, 2012 Filed under: Design, Psychology, UI, UX (User Experience), Web | Tags: influence, interface design, kittens, manchester, persuasion, principle of scarcity, scarcity, sell more using scarcity, user experience design Leave a comment »(True story)
There are 4 kittens in a pet shop…
3 tabby kittens
and 1 black and white kitten
Fact: Tabby kittens are adopted much more quickly than black and white kittens.
So, which kitten do you think will sell first?
Answer: The black and white one
Why?
The principle of Scarcity
What is the principle of Scarcity?
When something is scarce or rare, people see it as more highly valued and more desirable. This is why shops often have sales and why antiques have such a high value. Scarcity is closely related to the fear of loss – people fear losing what they have and also what they don’t yet have. They will act in sometimes non-sensical ways to avoid this loss (shopaholics and hoarders are good examples).
How do I know the black and white kitten really will be sold first?
Because these kittens have been advertised on the residents board where I live and everyone wants the black and white one.
How to sell more by using scarcity in your website design
- Limited numbers of a product left? Make this information clear in the interface.
- Show an end date or time for an offer.
- Offer something free with the product but limit it’s availability.
I’m in the news…
Posted: March 4, 2012 Filed under: Design, UI, UX (User Experience) | Tags: #salfordunicarnival, graduates, graphic design, islington mill, keepitusable, manchester, salford university, salford university carnival, students, Usability, user experience agency, ux agency Leave a comment »
I’ve been featured on Creative Boom talking about the amazing Salford University Carnival held at Islington Mill this week. We had a great time! Below is an extract of the article and if you want to read more just head on over to Creative Boom.
Over a hundred Salford University graphic design students showcased their amazing work at Islington Mill yesterday in a fun carnival themed event organised in conjunction with Designers Northern Alliance.
Representatives from key Manchester and Salford agencies attended the event to inspire and look for the next generation of fresh talent. Keepitusable, Magnetic North, Design by Day, Eskimo Creative, and Code ComputerLove were just some of the industry experts to attend the event.
Lisa Duddington, co-founder of Keepitusable Salford’s first user experience design agency whose clients include the BBC, saw the event as a valuable opportunity to connect with and inspire the next generation of designers.
“It’s so exciting to be part of this event! We know how difficult it can be when you’re first starting your career, so we’re eager to help students and graduates to gain the valuable experience and knowledge they need to succeed in what is an incredibly competitive industry.
We have a fantastic relationship with Salford University and are proud to be able to offer both their students and graduates incredible opportunities to gain industry experience.”
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The Clever Little Bag
Posted: February 26, 2012 Filed under: Design, UX (User Experience) | Tags: clever little bag, ergonomics, good design, great user experience, puma, user centred design 1 Comment »I just love the amazing design of this new style shoebox by Puma. Most of my shoeboxes are really dull, boring and seriously oversized for the contents. Not only does this new design function well and look cool, it’s easier for the customer to carry and might I add hurts less (doesn’t it hurt when that sharp corner of the box in the carrier bag hits your leg whilst you’re walking?). It’s also economical and saves on packaging so is very eco-friendly and no doubt will save Puma a vast amount of money to produce.
Wouldn’t it be amazing if all companies put this much thought and love into their designs? I’m almost tempted to buy a pair of Pumas now (you see how this works? when you build great user experiences, people will be attracted to your business, it’s a bit like karma, it pays to care about your users)
