I came across this video while reading a question on the UXExchange. If you’ve never done usability testing for your product, I highly recommend watching it. This is a model example of “think out loud” usability testing of the Wizzgo website.

The goal in usability testing, if you’re not familiar with it, is to have a person perform some scenario while you watch. In the example above, they’re clearly asking the participant to try and find pricing on their site. You want them to “think out loud,” so you can gain insight as to what they’re thinking, and what they’re expecting. When doing many of these tests, you can start to draw correlations in the expectations of your audience. You can then cater your product’s functionality to meet them.

It’s always important to record these sessions. You want to be able to review them for things you missed. You also what to be able to review yourself, and see how your presence, or your assistance influenced the participant. They are likely using Morae, or some other similar software to record the test. I, myself, have done something similar on the cheap using Camtasia Studio, an Axis network camera, and VNC.

Saw this one engadget this morning. You can read the original news article here. Most “geeks” are seeing this game as an epic fail, but I think it’s kind of inventive.

All jokes aside, it’s kind of an interesting user experience their creating. Where before you had an inanimate doll, you know have a full blown computer powered brain. With the accelerometers, it could detect if you’re holding your baby wrong, if you’re trying to sooth your baby, etc. I like the use of the speaker in the remote too. Now, you’re giving audible feedback. It would be cool if they could get putting in a bottle in it’s mouth to trigger one of the remotes buttons, so you know when it’s being fed.

For little girls/boys who like to play mother/father, I think the remote interface has some great potential. I think where it might fail, is in the game portion itself. If the game is task oriented, I don’t think it would be as enjoyable as if it was just open ended, and continued to interact with the doll as the child plays in the same room as the Wii. It will be interesting to see the experience this product creates.

Here’s a new study that’s being worked on, the idea of using muscle gestures to interface with computers. This is clearly a case of research driving plausibility. But, I like the fact that they’re using use case scenarios to display functionality. Just think, in a few years, this could all be sewn right into a shirt or jacket, that interfaces with your phone, car, whatever. Pretty exciting stuff.

Still, this does add a layer of discontinuity. There are arbitrary correlations between touching your pinkie, and skipping a song track. Or, making a fist to open a car door. I see a lot of parallels being formed here, that relate to Donal Norman’s issues with telephone systems.

Some students at Carnagie Mellon University are creating a Dungeon’s & Dragons game using Microsoft Surface as a school project. You can watch the video above.

I got really excited at the beginning of the video, because they were allowing real character statuettes to interface with a map. Later in the video, they seem to drop the ball on leveraging Surface’s capabilities. For instance, why not allow players to roll actual dice since the surface table could read them.

Regardless of this implementation, I think this is a very exciting use of the surface table. If the price of the device were ever to drop, I could see the whole HeroClix community getting VERY excited over this technology.

I came across this new hand held remote interface for computer based TVs this morning on engadget. It’s called GlideTV Navigator, and looks like it’s designed to be an aesthetically pleasing remote you’d want to leave on your coffee table.

Unfortunately, it looks like the aesthetics stopped with the industrial design of the device, because it’s my opinion that the software UI looks awful. It looks like a hodgepodge strangely aligned, inconsistently styled, and in some cases unlabeled buttons. Hopefully, all will be explained if I ever get an opportunity to sample the device.

The device itself also reeks a little bit of over design. For instance, there are eight buttons surrounding the trackpad, none of them labeled. Four are arrow buttons, and I think most could figure out which they are. But, the four other buttons are for Escape/Back/Function/and Enter. Your guess is as good as mine as to which is which. Also, the rounded bottom of the device may prove to be difficult. As you try to thumb around the device, I would imagine that it would “rock” in your hand as you attempt to hit the Glide/Power/Search/Playback/and Volume buttons. Those with smaller hands, or short thumbs might find this a two handed remote.

Of course, I haven’t used the device yet. These observations are all off the top of my head. It’ll be interesting to see how the market receives this.

10/GUI from C. Miller on Vimeo.

Here’s a new interface being designed by 10/GUI that is trying to rethink multi-touch interaction with a computer. I would agree that there needs to be a fundamental change in the way that we perceive the desktop space. I’m not sure I like this new approach. I’d be interested in the results from user test.

Still, worth a look.

A little while ago I posted a video I found about CRYSTAL, well here’s a new one of the debut of Microsoft’s Courier Tablet. Again, awesome concept.

Notice the delivery. They’re using a personable story we can all identify with, and using the person’s goals to show off potential features. It’s obvious Microsoft is embracing User Centered Design (UCD) with both arms and giving it a warm hug.

I hope they continue to massage this project. It clearly has potential.

Whenever I start designing interfaces, I do it with paper and pencil. There’s something about stepping away from the computer that frees up my mind, and allows me to experiment more. Also, I find drawing a lot quicker than even my best skills in Photoshop at mocking up interfaces.

When designing applications for the HTC G1, I like to have a template from which to work from. It saves a lot of time not having to redraw the device over and over as I create each screen. I thought that my template might help many of you, so I’m including it in this post.

Download (g1_template.psd)

This is a great video of a new interface for homes called, Control of Remotely Interacted Systems using Touch-based Actions in Living spaces (CRISTAL).

In the demo they’re using an overhead projector, but I could just as easily see this working well with Microsoft Surface. Regardless, it’s an amazing idea of interacting with objects by mapping their interfaces directly.

I really like these ideas. This type of design is not limited by hardware, or engineering. They’re merely experimenting with possibilities, and seeing how far they can take an interaction.

Some things they could add to this would be:

• A kitchen camera, so you can see that you’re water is over boiling while watch the game in the other room. Then turn down the stove.
• The time remaining on the microwave letting you know that you’re reheated breakfast burrito is done, and you missed the audio feedback. Or, add a minute to the counter.
• A way for adjusting your heat/air conditioning
• Outdoor cam, for who’s knocking at the door, with intercom interface.

Learn more »

One of the design principles Donald Norman covered in his book, was mapping. Mapping, being the creation of interfaces that directly relate to their physical locations.

For instance, placing knobs on a stove that directly relate to the layout of the burners. In the book, Donald had created a wall mounted room map, with light switches that directly correlated to the location of the lights you’re turning on.

In Bowie, Maryland, I walked by this sign at the Bowie Blacksox public baseball fields. It’s a great example of mapping. The fields are laid out like a four leaf clover, and the sign maps you to the field you’re looking for. The only way this sign could be more direct, is if it was parallel to the ground, instead of perpendicular.