SensoryMetrics

The 5th annual World Usability Day is coming up on November 12th. This is where people raise money to rid the planet of usability once and for all!

Ok not really.

It’s meant to showcase usability research and draw attention to design issues such as sustainability. What it usually becomes though is a scattering of intellectuals “preaching to the converted”. At its worse, it’s a platform for the “usability industry” to justify their existence.

It is perhaps ironic that the WUD web site is in itself barely usable. Navigation of planned events is scattered across map views, country views and other non-sensical paradigms. Nothing stands out and everything sticks out!

In of itself, usability is a good thing. But more often than not usability professionals take “ease of use” out of the business context which results into a weaker whole-product experience. But then, I’ve ranted about this before!

As most of you know, Jobe Roberts (Sensorymetrics co-founder and eclectic web-genius) was raised in a travelling circus during the great depression. He helped his family survive by perfecting his unicycle showmanship. Unicycle frenzy ensued.

Honda has now jumped on the unicycle bandwagon. The UX3 is a personal mobility device that claims 360 degree motion. Its battery will provide for 1 hour of one-wheeled fun.

So what do you think – will Honda’s UX3 be the iPod or the Zune of the electric unicycle market?? What would Segway do??

Nothing should really surprise us when it comes to Twitter. Fabulous kiddie-host / porn-theatre-patron Pee-Wee Herman began tweeting yesterday. 4 tweets thus far, 20,621 followers!

All this to promote his new live stage show premiering November 8th in Hollywood.

It’s all just a wonderful game, isn’t it?

Milton street is a lovely historic New York neighbourhood. I remember walking down there 15 years ago. Suddenly, strange real estates signs are popping up. Fake signs. Jules Cobb Real Estate points to ABC’s new show Cougar Town, starring head cat, Courteney Cox. I’m not really sure about the marketing savvy here. Or how the real estate industry is reacting. Are property prices affected by a concentration of lustful MILFs? Up? or Down?

via New York Shitty

User Experience is reaching the wonder wilds of New York City artists!

via Animal New York

Our Who hijacked “User Experience” post from last week generated some interesting comments from the User Experience professionals group on LinkedIn. Here’s a sample:

From: Matthieu Mingasson, Head of User Experience Department at Ogilvy Interactive

There is indeed an overlaping between User Experience Design and Marketing: it is called Experience Planning. Data analysis, benchmarking and user researches have to be done when a project starts. Marketing specialists are obviously in good position to do it. I don’t see it as a problem but just as a real subject shared by different professional profiles.
As you know, UXD is larger than strategic. It’s also tactic. For instance, Interaction Design, as a part of UXD, is needed to implement solid design. This part cannot be hijacked by marketing professionals. It’s way too far from their expertise and abilities.

From: Carl Turner, MBA candidate at Jenkins Graduate School of Management – NC State University

Marketers learn upfront analysis as “voice of the customer” and “lead user analysis.” It would benefit UX designers to find out what marketers are learning about upfront analysis, since they’re doing a lot of the same things if they’re practicing user centered design.

From: Matt Dickson, eCommerce Marketing Consultant at Aviva Australia

…it is all about working collaboratively – marketing teams have access to and should be considering the 7p’s – one of which “Physical Evidence” relates to the online experience. Marketers need to look at the broader customer experience too, so they may well have ideas about how the online experience needs to interact with the offline experience of a company.

They should also hold the customer view and understand the customer, and know how existing company processes, online and offline, need to integrate to create the best overall customer experience.

We’re not hijacking the process as I see it, simply contributing what we know to ensure a holistic approach is taken.

Testing new pages on a live site is a dangerous game! SM friend Scott Annan, of Network Hippo fame, stumbled upon this while trying to navigate the “unnavigatable” NRC web site (Canada’s research agency). The page was taken down soon after being featured in StartupOttawa.

A hoax? Disgrunted code hack?? New government policy on technology???

Better ask Program Leader Brianne Maxwell. Give her a call. Bring bananas!

As reported in CIO Magazine, CareerBuilder surveyed 2,600 hiring managers.

45% use social nets for checking candidates out.

That jumps to 63% for the IT industry.

35% of them find “inappropriate material” that leads to pass on a candidate.

Of those, 53% posted inappropriate photographs or discussions.

44% boasted of drinking and drug use.

35% bad-mouthed previous employers.

Outside of the social net realm, 14% of managers discredited candidates for their use of emoticons in correspondence. wtf

It’s not all gloomy though. 18% of managers said candidates’ social profiles helped them get the job! Reasons cited were: appearance of a good social fit; support for their stated qualifications; and a showcase of their creativity.

So if Facebook is the reason you’re unemployed and sleeping on a friend’s couch, these dandy SoNet Pillows might be just for you! Available at etsy for about $20.

ok – I promise to ease up on crochet puns! Yarn Bombing has become a phenomenon in the deeply secretive underworld of rebel knitters. Spun out in 2005 in Vancouver by designers Mandy Moore and Leanne Prain, the site weaves wimsical urban images of “knit graffiti.” Counter-culture couture! Double-knit bravado!

A post last month featured a parking meter wooly in east Vancouver.

Every successful blog finds its niche and sometimes a book deal! Congratulations to Mandy & Leanne – their book Yarn Bombing is being launched tomorrow!