Categorydesign

Technophobic seniors: include them or boot them out?

T

Was just sent this link to an article about a phone designed for baby boomers. I read the article and the intention seems very noble – designing a phone for technophobes (and possibly the infirm?) – the whole experience of using the phone seems to have been considered with full support from an online interface as well as a call centre. Sounds excellent. Instead of icons or menus, the...

It ain’t just about usability

I

These days I work in a User Research department. Ah, user research, I hear you say, that’s about usability! Well, yes, but that isn’t all it is. Here is a post from Leisa at Disambiguity in which she illustrates very clearly the way I see things. Creating something that people will use is a little more involved than worrying about whether or not they can use it. Creating a compelling...

jaxtr! huh?

j

Doing what I do people often send me links to things and invitations to ‘try stuff out’. In this instance my ‘industry insider’ Dr Beton (to his friends) invited me to sign up to jaxtr. I am sorry to say jaxtr – I don’t really get it. I signed up. I sent out a couple of invites but then had a look round. I can’t even see the contact details of the person...

User research? Nah!

U

I often feel that I am in a constant battle to persuade people that User Research is a good thing. There is this resistance. Why spend all that money when we can just make it and see if it works? How about this? You are lucky enough to have won a pot of cash and you decide you want to build yourself the perfect house. You go to the architect. “Not to worry” – says the architect...

Recipe for Innovation

R

I attended the NMK Beers and Innovation event last night. There was some quite lively debate, a few interesting bits and pieces and an opportunity for some thought. The headline was “Do agencies innovate” but most of the discussion was around what makes it hard to innovate. There were various thoughts; here are mine. Ingredients: Knowledge – in order to innovate one needs...

Design in a Global Village

D

The Voice and I have just returned from a little over 2 weeks in India. We had a great time. What struck me – again – is how much we like to think that with the ubiquitousness of the Internet we can design for a global market. Can we though? My own mental model of what is and isn’t allowed in a bank doesn’t stretch to a Kirpan but then I hadn’t ever been to India...

Worse than self-referential design is design for your mum

W

I have often sat in design workshops and user research debriefs with groups of people who can’t help but bring their mother in the equation. Pot kettle and black I hear you say (I quote mine repeatedly) and go as far as having a category for her on this very blog. Below is a picture of a phone from fitage.com. Do you like it? Do you think the 60+ person in your life would like it? I have...

Whales and usability consultants

W

We were watching Planet Earth last night (brilliant TV) and they were showing a sequence with a humpback whale mother and calf. The mother was supporting the calf close to the surface so that it could breath. “Imagine being born into an atmosphere* that you can’t breath!” – I said. “If it were up to usability consultants there would be no whales!” – came...

About Author

Ivanka

Ivanka Majic works in technology. She was Head of Design for Ubuntu, service managed Digital Marketplace through to beta, was acting director of digital for the Labour Party. She lives and works in Brighton where she works with the council’s digital first team, does a bit of teaching at Sussex University, and works with her husband on projects like restaurantsbrighton.co.uk and the BRAVOs. She has also started a podcast with her friend Michael which you can listen to at grandpodcast.com.

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