Two interesting articles about mobile phones from the always-must-read Economist. The first, interestingly, predicts divergence rather than convergence and uses cars as the developmental analogue. I’m not convinced by the divergence argument here – unlike cars, mobile phones are general computing platforms than can adapt (or be adapted) to user habits in a way that [...]
Some guidelines for the design of handheld games.
“There are two major things you have to keep in mind concerning the interface and user-experience, first one is that most players will be picking up your game in short breaks. They need to be able to quickly start it, and quickly put it away without losing “everything”. [...]
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Posted 06 November 2006
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Also tagged: cellphone, complexity, design, game, games, gaming, handheld, interruption, mobile, mobility, ui, userexperience, userinterface, userneeds, ux
As the mobile technology space explodes, everyone’s always asking: how do we imagine the products of the future?
“There are many more examples of such products from the non-digital world—think of the clothing and movie industries. It’s hard to imagine UCD techniques would have uncovered a latent desire for newsprint-look dresses or subservient chickens. These were [...]
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Posted 12 October 2006
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Also tagged: future, imagining, interactiondesign, ixd, mobile, technology, ucd, userexperience, userinterface, userneeds, users
“‘Connecting people. Disconnecting people. Reconnecting people.’ analyses how people cope with being in touch 24/7 and how personal time and space are defined in a context where availability is always expected. It starts off with a description of the existing behaviors, personal strategies and complaints, to conclude with a proposal for alternative solutions oriented to [...]
An interesting interview with the Head of Brand Visual and Sensorial Experiences (nice one!) at Nokia.
“Even today my work is still very much involved in understanding and recognising trends and the way people or societies are changing. One of the important things is to realise the difference between ‘long-term’ societal trends and ‘short-term’ lifestyle trends, [...]
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Posted 08 June 2006
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Also tagged: ethnography, experiencedesign, fashion, industrialdesign, interactiondesign, interview, mobile, mobility, nokia, personalization, userexperience, ux
“If you are old fashioned enough to call these devices “phones,” Nokia people will politely correct you. They are multimedia computers, which offer features and picture quality to rival digital cameras or camcorders, and music quality to challenge an iPod. And because they can connect to the Internet you can check e-mail, download songs, or [...]
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Posted 24 May 2006
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Also tagged: convergence, design, handheld, miniaturization, mobile, mobility, music, nokia, pervasive, ubicomp, userexperience, ux
“We have captured communication, proximity, location, and activity information from 100 subjects at MIT over the course of the 2004-2005 academic year. This data represents over 350,000 hours (~40 years) of continuous data on human behavior. Such rich data on complex social systems have implications for a variety of fields. The research questions we are [...]
From the first chapter of Mobile Interaction Design, by Matt Jones.
“Perhaps, though, the real issue is not whether mobile devices should focus mainly on communication or information processing. There is a broader concern – should one device try to do everything for a user or should there be specialized tools, each carefully crafted to support [...]
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Posted 13 April 2006
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Also tagged: book, controller, design, emotion, ethnography, handheld, hci, input, interactiondesign, interruption, ixd, mobile, mobility, navigation, palm, pda, pervasive, phones
Podcast of a discussion panel from SXSW ‘06.
“A library of music that might have once filled an entire room can now be stored on an MP3 player smaller than a deck of playing cards. New chip technologies and improved memory capabilities are enabling music players and a host of gadgets to decrease in size while [...]
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Posted 10 April 2006
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Also tagged: conference, convergence, design, everyware, miniaturization, mobile, mobility, pervasive, presentation, society, trends, ubicomp, userexperience, ux
John Siracusa takes an illustrative look at the (lack of) evolution of handheld game controllers.
“But let’s take a step back. These are handheld game machines. You hold them in your hand. How many years will it take before someone realizes that sharp-edged rectangular solids are not ideal for gripping? Again, I recognize the constraints here. [...]
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Posted 26 March 2006
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Also tagged: controller, design, gaming, handheld, hci, input, interactiondesign, ixd, mobile, mobility, review, ui, usability, userexperience, ux
A PhD thesis exploring the mobile device design considerations for the active lifestyle.
“Actively Mobile integrates traditional training tools with new mobile services, and enables voice communication with control. Because it is designed specifically for running, it is easy to use and supports the mindset of the runner in motion. Through a small device worn on [...]
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Posted 24 March 2006
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Also tagged: active, cell, design, exercise, handheld, interactiondesign, ixd, location, mobile, mobility, navigation, pervasive, phones, research, ubicomp, ui, usability, userexperience, ux
Published by Gabriel White.