I attended my first TEDx two weeks ago. The theme for TEDx WindyCity 2013 was contrast.
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My Session Notes from Chicago Web Conf 2012
Oct 6, ’12
10:28 PM
Badge & Schedule for Chicago Web Conf 2012
Today I attended the second year of the Chicago Web Conf at 1871. These folks threw a great conference and really elevated the whole conference. The folks running the event video recorded the presentations so hopefully they’ll get those up soon. In the meantime I thought I shared some of the rough notes I took with some of the links I was able to round up.
A Startup Lesson for Your Future Self
Sep 17, ’12
9:27 PM
Startups and businesses can have a tendency to move from project to project in reactive way. They often prioritize their projects in two ways. URGENT! and later. This tendency can be thought of as dynamic inconsistency. Which is definitely a problem with many startups. Dynamic inconsistency, is a [behavioral] economics term which describe a situation where a decision maker—which could be a group of people, an organization, or an individual—is not in agreement with themselves in different points of times.
For example, a person who’s long term goal is to be healthy and fit may have set goals for working out three times a week, but in the moment (today’s decisions) they prioritize today’s wants has higher. Which leads to situations such as, “I’m busy today, I’ll work out tomorrow.” Dynamic inconsistency or time inconsistency play a role in procrastination, addiction, weight loss and even saving for the future. The main principle that I want to highlight is that it leads to thinking that today’s time is more valuable then the future’s.
TED Video: The Battle Between Your Present & Future Self
Kindle Fire OmniGraffle Stencil
Apr 12, ’12
10:03 PM
Download Kindle Fire Stencil v1.0
Make sure to download the Droid Font so everything looks accurate.
According to estimates the Kindle Fire has sold around five million units. If you already have an Android app it might be a good time to start thinking about moving it over to the Kindle.
To help you (and myself) start wireframing and prototyping your next Kindle Fire app I created this OmniGraffle stencil. Most of the UI elements I picked are just ones I used when working on apps for the Fire and some I though you might find useful. Please let me know if there are UI elements missing that you think I should add.
Branding in UX: It’s About Messaging & Experience
Mar 22, ’12
2:21 AM
As interactions designers (and/or UX designers) we are accustomed to being a bridge between the business and the user. We’re also the hub between multiple departments. This is why we can have the opportunity to foster the creation of a great brand. We can bring together experience, messaging and visual design to create product the exceeds our customers expectations.
Location-Based Unlock Setting
Mar 11, ’12
4:06 AM
I mocked up a feature that would take advantage of geofencing to allow a user to set up safe locations. When the phone detects that it’s in a safe area it won’t require a pin/passcode to unlock the screen. This way at home and perhaps work you don’t have to fiddle with the unlock screen, but if you lose your phone on the train it will require a passcode to unlock.
Communication Over Process
Feb 29, ’12
11:10 PM
As designers we are generally judged by our ability to output artifacts of our work. Pixel perfect Photoshop files, task-flow models, wireframes, specifications, personas and usability reports. The documents’ goal is to communicate design. But generally designers are tasked to hand over one of these documents before a certain date. The goal should be to communicate what needs to be communicated so other people in our team can do the work they need to do. Sometimes a document will serve this purpose, but many times it’s just a simple conversation, a presentation, a rough sketch, design studio or simply a finger pointing to something on a screen.
Process Flexibility
Jan 8, ’12
2:10 AM
Thinking that process is a silver bullet that can fix everything is sort of like early economic theories that presumed that accurate predictions of markets can be made without incorporating human behavior. You need to factor in the people and the business culture using the process. Many, if not most software businesses are conducted in a waterfall way even though the product they are making may be built using an agile process. The power of agile as well as the meaning of the word implies flexibility, which is why switching an IT department to an agile process alone doesn’t make for a successful software product. For the business to optimize it’s success it needs to listen to the feedback and adapt it’s products, goals and sometimes even budgets.
New Android Devices
Sep 16, ’11
7:43 PM
We got some new toys (testing devices) in the office. The Nexus S and Droid 2. (Pics in full post.)