Post-PC UX: Will Apple or Microsoft Succeed?

6 months ago

“Ultimately, while I respect the direction Microsoft is taking, Apple’s is the better to retain and grow loyalty as the world transitions from one kind of computing to a new model, the final look of which isn’t at all clear at this point. In fact, Windows 8 may actually help Apple considerably in its own mission, by taking risks and conducting experiments with an extremely large user pool from which OS X engineers can learn a lot. As has often been the case, Apple will watch Microsoft’s attempts to forge the future of hybrid computing experiences and take what it needs to jump ahead down the road. Great artists steal, after all.”

Link: Convergence Or Confusion: Comparing Apple’s And Microsoft’s Approaches To Post-PC (techcrunch.com)

Smartphones = the end of boredom

6 months ago

Attribution: http://www.flickr.com/photos/kallao/426941801/

“Smartphones are like cigarettes are like junk food are like chewing your nails or doodling. Right. What do they have in common? Easy. Things we do when we’re bored…Can’t sit idly waiting for the red light? Chew your fingernails until the edges bleed. Commercials got you down? Good you keep a bag of chips handy & a bowl full of M&Ms. Is our conversation too much of me talking & not enough about you? Step outside & have a smoke break in the monotony of our friendship. Does the naked space of your own mind & the world around you send you screaming into oblivion when you walk across campus, across a street even? Pull out your smartphone & check your email again-that car will swerve around you.”

Link: Pivoting around Smartphones & Cigarettes: Evolved to Play in Extra-structural Interludes (via, and more from CNN)

Communicating user intent using IndieUI

7 months ago

“Independent User Interface (Indie UI) is a way for user actions to be communicated to web applications. Indie UI will make it easier for web applications to work in a wide range of contexts – different devices, different assistive technologies (AT), different user needs. For example, if a user wants to scroll down a page, they might use their finger on a touch screen, or click a scroll bar with a mouse, or use a scroll wheel, or say “scroll down” with a voice command. Indie UI will define a way for those different interactions to be translated into a simple event – scroll down. Indie UI will allow web application developers to get these events from different devices without having to recognize how the user performed the action. With Indie UI, AT will have a simple set of events to control web applications, and web application developers will have a uniform way to design applications that work for multiple devices and contexts.”

Link: Indie UI Overview (w3c.org)

Hand-drawn wireframe porn

7 months ago

Follow the link for more.

Link: Inspiring UI Wireframe Sketches (webdesignledger.com)

Smart mobile UX to trigger behaviour change

7 months ago

A short case study that focuses on the critical issue of motivating behaviour change.

“The team started by listing all the reasons drivers would want to rideshare. Based on the list, I sketched what we could show drivers before they posted. I made wireframes of our favorite 5 concepts, and showed them to potential drivers. We learned that drivers were motivated by (1) passenger photos, (2) large numbers of potential passengers, and (3) the money they could earn.”

Link: Crafting a Mobile App: A UX Design Case Study for Startups (jasonshen.com)

Time mobile tech special: social trends, health trends and more

8 months ago

Time Magazine recently published a special on mobile technology.

Google research on multi-screen user behaviour

8 months ago

“In understanding what it means to multi-screen, we discovered two main modes of usage: sequential screening where we move from one device to another to complete a single goal, simultaneous screening where we use multiple devices at the same time.”

“We found that nine out of ten people use multiple screens sequentially and that smartphones are by far the most common starting point for sequential activity. So completing a task like booking a flight online or managing personal finances doesn’t just happen in one sitting on one device. In fact, 98% of sequential screeners move between devices in the same day to complete a task. With simultaneous usage, we found that TV no longer commands our undivided attention, with 77% of viewers watching TV with another device in hand. In many cases people search on their devices, inspired by what they see on TV.“

Link: Navigating the new multi-screen world: Insights show how consumers use different devices together (googlemobileads.blogspot.com, via)

Understanding mobile phones across Africa

8 months ago

A presentation that shows how the mobile world is evolving across the countries of Africa.

Link: Insights into Mobile Telecoms in Africa (slideshare.net)

Mobile form UX that works

9 months ago

Nice set of guidelines for user experience design of mobile forms, including the one below.

“Europcar has a rather long list of pick up countries (139 in total) on their car rental form. Knowing that such a long drop down menu would not work well for mobile devices, they striped down the country list into 40 primary or most popular countries to make the selection easier and quicker. They didn’t just stop there. They took advantage of mobile devices’ built in location based feature to give users an option to allow the device to locate their current location and to find the nearest pick up station. It not only simplifies the form input, but also matches mobile users’ need in terms of how and when they would use the booking form (find the closest station and make a booking there and then).”

Link: Mobile Form Design Strategies (uxbooth.com)

Landscape / portrait: adapting device UI for orientation

9 months ago

“[An Extended] interface adjusts to the screen’s size, adding or subtracting layout components according to the dimensions of the chosen orientation. For example, IMDb for the iPad uses the wider screen in landscape mode to add a filmography on the left. This list is also accessible in portrait mode by clicking the “All filmography” button in the middle-right of the screen.”

Link: Designing For Device Orientation: From Portrait To Landscape (smashingmagazine.com)

CUE: a troublesome in-car touchscreen

9 months ago

“CUE is not as transparent in its usage as, for example, the iPhone. We are used to certain buttons that are located on the dash – sliders and dials that we expect in places that we can quickly memorize. In the end, you want to be able to reach for such a button without taking your eyes off the road. There are no such buttons on the XTS dash. Instead, there are some capacitive touch buttons for basic climate controls, audio volume and seat heating/cooling. Since the buttons are activated by touch, they feel the same.”

Link: Touch in Cars Is Still Too Complicated (conveivablytech.com, via)

Adaptive tactile touchscreen buttons

9 months ago

Tactus is developing a technology that allows physical buttons to rise out of touch-screens.

Link: Tactus Technology Introduction (vimeo.com)

Mobility ≠ Mobile

9 months ago

“Mobility trumps mobile. The difference between mobility and mobile is like the difference between hardware and software. Mobile is linked to devices – it is always one thing, wherever it is. But mobility changes with context: cultures incorporate mobile technologies differently. For example, in Africa, SMS technology helps farmers pay bills electronically. In America, it helps teenagers keep up with their friends – an average of 60 times a day. Mobile itself is the nuts, bolts, and infrastructure, while mobility is the context which determines if it all works together or doesn’t.”

Link: The Future Isn’t About Mobile; It’s About Mobility (hbr.org)

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