25 February 2009
The latest installment of my UXMatters column – User Dialogues – has been published: Patterns in UX Research.
“One of the key objectives of user research is to identify themes or threads that are common across participants. These patterns help us to turn our data into insights about the underlying forces at work, influencing user behavior. Patterns demonstrate a recurring theme, with data or objects appearing in a predictable manner. Seeing a visual representation of the data is usually enough for us to recognize a pattern. However, it is much harder to see patterns in raw data, so identifying patterns can be a daunting task when we face large volumes of research data. Patterns stand out above the typical noise we’re used to seeing in nature or in raw data.”
Read the full article at: http://www.uxmatters.com/mt/archives/2009/02/patterns-in-ux-research.php and let me know what you think!
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18 February 2009
I’m extremely happy to announce the publication of my first article to the interaction design magazine Johnny Holland. The article, titled “Deconstructing Analysis Techniques” looks at the major techniques we use in design research to move from observation to design insights and solutions. Here’s the introduction:
Analysis is that oft-glossed over, but extremely important step in the research process that sits between observation (data gathering) and our design insights or recommendations. In many respects, analysis is crucial to realizing the value of our research since good analysis can salvage something from bad research, but the converse is not so true. This is where the literature tends to fall a little silent, jumping over the analysis techniques straight to a discussion of how best to document and communicate the findings from analysis. This article seeks to begin to redress that imbalance by breaking down the analysis black box into its major sub-techniques.
Please take a read and let me know what you think.
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17 February 2009
Doc Holds Fourth has been a great avenue for me to publish ideas and thoughts about user experience over the past few years. It was especially useful when, as a director of Red Square, I wanted to maintain a presence that was less about Red Square and more about me.
Clearly, with the move in late 2007 to start up Meld, the need for a distinct and separate outlet has become less and less over time. And it has made even less sense to have a company site and an unconnected blog, maintaining two separate sites. So, to coincide with the redesign of the Meld site we’ve also launched a new blog here, where all new articles will be posted. In addition, we’ll be (as time permits) migrating all of the back catalog of Doc Holds Fourth over to the Meld blog.
If you’re a regular reader of Doc Holds Fourth I’d encourage you to sign up to the feed here at Meld. I hope that the articles you find here in the future will be at least as interesting as the ones you’ve enjoyed over time at Doc Holds Fourth.
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5 February 2009
It was with a certain sense of trepidation, and a great deal of excitement that we announced yesterday the UX Australia conference. The trepidation is only natural – as with any big undertaking. And there are a lot of reasons to be excited. Here are some of the biggies:
- Its being held in Canberra. Usually, UX & Web conferences get held in places like Sydney or Melbourne or Perth. And we wanted to share some of the love with our capital cousins
- The conference is community based, which means we’re calling for proposals for presenters from the community; and we’ll be involving volunteers from the community to review and help select the conference program
- It’s about UX. Not IA, although that will be covered. Not interaction design, although that will be covered as well. Nor is it about information design, usability, accessibility, or user research. No, it’s about all of those things equally, and about how they all play a role in delivering great experiences to people.
The conference venue – Hotel Realm – looks pretty sweet as well. Brand new; five-star; but with plenty of affordable options for inter-state and international travelers. And plenty of restaurants and bars within throwing distance.
We’ll be calling for presentation proposals in a bit over a week, so think of a good topic and get ready to send it in.
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