Choosing when to "go it alone" versus involving others is something I still struggle with. However, a deceptively simple system helps me choose. Understand what outcome I want. Consider who else to involve (if anyone). Choose a method.
Category: process
We are eating the software creation process
I think a transformation is happening in digital product creation: We ux/product designers are eating the software creation process. It's a good development and your team should take advantage of it. Marc said...
Foundations for better restaurant sites
Part 8 of 8 in the series Deliverables.
To design better restaurant sites I interviewed six persons. From the discussions I got eight insights. Among them are that sites are used by newbies and regulars, that reviews are super valuable, that we want to imagine the restaurant visit before it happens, and more. The insights can help when building new sites/apps or evaluating existing ones. 8 things the site needs to enable
They re-imagined First Great Western
I was recently asked to give an example of where I get my inspiration. I immediately though about the transformation of the British train operating company First Great Western into Great Western Railway (GWR). Hard work that was well managed and gave great results.
What I experienced at SVT
I worked for three years as an Interaction Designer at SVT, the Swedish public service TV broadcaster. While helping to build some great video services (and games) I developed my ability to think strategically, learned to appreciate Scrum and met hundreds of persons to validate interaction concepts. Strategist, inclusion, Scrum and more.
androidpit.com – a quick heuristic evaluation
A “heuristic evaluation” is a review of an interface based on best practices and academic research. This valuation found some major problems with the androidpit.com site on my Android phone. Transcript and all problems I found.
Groups are hard to change. That’s ok.
A concept should always solve specific problems or create a clearly defined new opportunity. There is always more then one solution to any concept task so chose a solution that can be created within the boundaries of your available resources. "It's ok, just chose an other concept."
Experience creationism
I am not divine. I can not design experiences. But you can expect me to enable experiences. I will help you.
9 keys to getting great work from me
I like making money. But there are much better ways of getting me to do stuff then to pay me. Understand, Prove, Changed minds and more.
Plazas and digital places
I recently found the video The Social Life of Small Urban Spaces (1988) by William H. Whyte that I just have to share. The hour long movie is about what makes a successful plaza but I can see clear parallells with how we can create successful digital artefacts. A list that gives me chills!
Summary & Comparison
Part 5 of 5 in the series 4 ways I meet "users".
As the final part of my short series about participatory design I have created a comparison table to help you chose the best method for the current phase of your project. A table of pro's and con's.
Long-distance relationships
Part 4 of 5 in the series 4 ways I meet "users".
A longitudinal study with up to 100 participants has the potential to combine the best of quantitative and qualitative metjods. A bonus: no need to constantly find new "test subjects". "Is the service valuable over time?"
Guided explorations
Part 3 of 5 in the series 4 ways I meet "users".
In a guided exploration I let a person immerse themselves in a system. I ask them to accomplish tasks that touch on points in the artefact that we want to validate. During the hour-long session I can find a lot of pain points in the artefact I help design. I can validate full use cases.
Interviews
Part 2 of 5 in the series 4 ways I meet "users".
Interviews help me understand the life and desire of those that will use the artefacts that I help design. "How do persons decide/negotiate which channel to watch?"
Quick usability tests
Part 1 of 5 in the series 4 ways I meet "users".
In this first part of a short series on participatory design methods I write about usability tests. The tests help me prove if my solutions for important details in my artefacts work or if I have to "go back to the drawing board". There are an enormous amount of persons who know more then I do about the things I design.
Interactive prototypes are great!
Part 4 of 8 in the series Deliverables.
Prototypes are good for a lot of things: usability studies, testing ideas and as an internal communication tool. For a guideline project I helped create an iOS app prototype. The process was fun and gave us many insights.
90 productive minutes
In the span of 90 minutes I changed my mind on several key aspects, scrapped two prototypes and got lots of new ideas. All thanks to my colleagues!
A creative UX workshop
Part 3 of 8 in the series Deliverables.
I wanted to introduce my colleagues to the user experience parts of a new project we are working on so I invited them to a paper mockup session. The team created a lot of cool, fun and useful interaction ideas and my colleagues also started thinking a lot about the details in the product that we are creating. The workshop was a great success.
Paper Prototyping in User Experience Design
Part 2 of 8 in the series Deliverables.
On barnkanalen.se we have a few very popular coloring books. In May 2013 we where tasked with enhancing the functionality of the painting book. I used Paper Prototyping as my main tool to define the interactions in the admin interface before it was developed.
Understanding farm tourism
Part 1 of 8 in the series Deliverables.
In the video I discuss how I and my sister Åsa took a theoretical approach to understanding farm tourism. We gained three insight that informed our communication strategy and also influenced the actual product – a vacation apartment on our family farm Smultronboda. "I say "hhhmmm" a lot less towards the end ;)."