understanding humans
One day I’d really like to design interaction for non-desktop interaction. Here’s a good article that talks a little about ubiquitous design.
Meanwhile, happy wedding anniversary to me :) (and Mick)
do you read OK/Cancel yet? I love how they can say things that I’ve been thinking and could rant about for post after post, using humour and a 3 frame cartoon.
I *love* their most recent cartoon. It illustrates beautifully the problem that we who work in design (be it visual, experience, information, interaction) have to deal with all the time. The fact that *everyone* thinks that their ‘opinion’ counts.
I’m a fan of plain English, making things as non-technical as possible. But sometimes I can see how making things sound v. complicated and difficult would make one’s life much more simple. Either that, or becoming a developer!
If you were in Sydney a few years ago, you might remember the best ever example of industrial action that I’ve ever seen. Rather than pulling another last-minute bus strike in peak hour and leaving people stranded in the morning unable to get to work, the bus drivers decided to run the buses – for free. Their industrial action was to refuse to collect fares. What a great way to get the right kind of attention – from the public AND from their bosses.
I’ve never understood why industrial action so often involves pissing off the people you want to support you – by striking, or holding protest marches through the city at 5pm.
I’m not really sure whether the bus drivers got what they wanted, but I do know that for quite a while, every one in Sydney was totally backing the bus drivers. They were the most popular guys in town. I bet their work was pleasant for those few weeks.
I was reminded of those days of free bus rides this morning, when I scored another free bus ride. This one was much less pleasant though, because the bus driver did NOT take the opportunity to create a positive user experience.
Continue reading “Good experiences on a bus (another instructional analogy)”