At this year’s Information Architecture Summit, I presented a poster.The poster presents:

• Our Scenario
• Lessons Learned
• Refinements to the Method

Feedback welcome! (comments are open)

I just finished reading Joe Lamantia’s excellent post Designing Post-Humanity: Everyware in the Far Future. I don’t have anything brilliant to add – just pointers to other stories that explore similar issues.

The most thoroughly realized examples of trans-human/post-human futurism are Masamune Shirow’s Appleseed and Ghost in the Shell. Cyberpunk forerunners like William Gibson relied on the reader’s imagination to fill in the gaps. Shirow’s manga explores every gritty detail. Both stories deal with the social and legal issues of trans-humanism through crime-fighting female protagonists (it’s Japanese – ’nuff said). You can read them as manga or watch TV shows and movies. Continue reading »

I started using Delicious again after a one-year hiatus. I am impressed with the new interface. At first, I though they just reskinned the old design – lipstick on a pig, if we are still allowed to use that phrase. After using it for a week, I see that they have made a number of subtle but crucial changes to the user interface.

Today, I am writing about the tagging interface, which is my favorite of these changes. I really like the new interface. I offer some tips on using it effectively, and some recommendations to the design team on further improvements. Continue reading »

One of the unavoidable features of modern professional life is a never-ending stream of email. Over the years I have come up with a few tricks that really help me stay at email nirvana: “inbox zero.” People around here tease me about it, but I have a very tidy inbox. I thought I would share some techniques (tricks) I have found useful. Continue reading »

This is a continuation of my notes from Day 2 of MX East.

Brendon Shauer of Adaptive Path gave a talk on the Long Wow, planning and staging a great sustained experience. (It sounds like a sexual self-help talk, but wasn’t). His major points were clear and resonated well. However, saying these things and doing them are two different issues.

• Manage the platform for delivery
• Create and evolve a repeatable process
• Tackle a wide area of customer needs, especially in areas with metrics, like UX
• Organize and plan the pipeline of improvements/changes

Brendan also gave some general UX advice…

• Stop trying to do everything
• Connect with something distinct
• Consciously plan and manage strategy

The closing keynote speaker was Scott Berkun on the Myths of Innovation. I really enjoyed his talk, but I didn’t take any notes. The only thing I wrote was “buy the book”. I guess I should do that.