Redesigning the World, maybe not

Jul
14
2010

Estimated reading time:  1.5 min.

Butterfly

Lately  there has been a resurgence in the discussion over using design for the greater good. From using design principles at the boardroom table, to solving third world problems with better interaction design.  Who are we really kidding!

While the concepts are very noble and I can see how it can be done. There really needs to be a dose of reality in all this.

The overriding principle is that we can change the world through design. We do this by influencing everything we design.  Such that we are producing high quality products that take into account sustainability, inclusivity and still focus on the business and audiences at hand.

Web Awards that have Meaning

Jun
14
2010

Estimated reading time:  2.1 mins.

Australian Web Awards 2009

Over the years I have found that web awards tend to fall into three types:

  • The mindless handout of awards to favour colleagues.
  • Awards for the prettiest or most unusable but funky hip design.
  • An award that is a true test and representation of the best in the industry.

What I find that you are really  looking for is a web award competition that acts as a yard stick to measure your skills that is judged by your peers in the web industry, not advertising executives.

User Experience is more than Wireframes and Prototypes

Jun
7
2010

Estimated reading time:  3 mins.

User Stories Analysis

There seems to be a bit of a trend at the moment, within developmental circles to just add a  few wireframes and develop a prototype or two, and then you can declare you are across the user experience design process.

The thing is User Experience is a lot more than just a few simple techniques, it’s an entire collaborative design process, in a way it’s not just a single methodology at all.

This lack of being a single methodology may be part of the issue.

Spammers are Getting Tricky

May
23
2010

Estimated reading time:  1.4 min.

If you run a Blog or any publicly facing form on the web then you now take it that spammers are a constant problem.

I have noticed over the years that the quality of the comment spammers has been improving. It is to be expect really, as the tools to combat spammers step up and gets better so the spammers will improve their scripts and tools.  Not that I like it.

Over the years you get to see the general type of spam:

  • Simple link list comment spam.