Audience Experience

Tumbler is so sweet.  Although, maybe it should've noticed that I've used it maybe 10 times in the past year, and that most of those times were 11 months ago? See their happy birthday cupcake here: http://tammyrosey.tumblr.com/post/69718826417/creative-tinkering-turned-1-today-so-sweet-to And my snarky comment here (so you don't have to waste a click!) "Creative Tinkering turned 1 today!" So sweet to get an automated message, at least someone is paying attention to my account.  Even if it isn’t me. (Don’t they have an algorithm for user dropoff?)  Meanwhile, Blogger didn’t even send an emoticon!! :P Do you hear that, Blogger?

I recently had an interaction with a company called  Turn To Tech , who are offering to train people and then postponing payment until after you've gotten a job. Standard, right? Except their pitch is heavy on the sales and less on the info.  I filled out a simple, online form and their first email response was: "Are you available to come in to discuss the course?  The class is a pay after you receive a job type of course, however it will require some pre-work assessment , etc.  That can be gone over with you when you come in.  " Of course? Standard grammar not required. "A-Pay-After-You-Receive-A-Job-Type" of course.  Of course, you could call it an "Income Based Payment". I had to ask 3 more times how much the class would be before and after. "It is $6,000 before the course is complete if you do not want to approach the pay after you receive a job, which is $9,000."  This makes the government look good. Get me back my 6.7% rate...

Dear U.S. Department of Student Loans, Since you offered me financial advice through a "noreply@" email, I want to make sure that my response gets to you in a timely fashion. The actual subject line of the email was: " Repay your federal student loan based on your income " So what if someone's income is Zero? I think that's where I was going with my title here.  The first payment will be zero (but does it count as a "payment", and does that count as "money"?) And for those of us who are English Majors, "your initial payment could be __ per month" is a clear redundancy anyway.  (Not that you were paying attention.) "When you make payments based on your income, your loan is paid off over a longer period of time than the standard plan. While this reduces your monthly payment amount, it also increases the total amount you pay overall." Again, thanks Federal Government for making things easy!! Can you maybe e...

So if you are one of the estimated 40,000 people who made it to NaNoWriMo 's challenge by actually making it to 50,000 words, then CONGRATULATIONS!! On the Winner's Goodie page, there are a series of promo code that you can enter on various sites.  For Kobo, there are 10 titles which you can get for free by entering a text promo code. One problem.  After selecting the purchase button, (and getting signed in) you are taken to a page which shows your Billing Address and "Payment Info" Where do you enter the Promo Code? It looks like there are ONLY 3 options, Gift Card, Credit Card or Paypal. There is a "Continue" button at the bottom (not shown) which will offer an error message if you try the following: Entering the Promo Code under "Gift Card" Skipping Billing Info (even though it doesn't seem to be required) Leaving the "Credit Card Info" check but Blank ONLY if you click Paypal AND fill in your addres...

Obama urges people to keep trying to get Healthcare coverage, (even offline!) because the UX problems of the Healthcare.gov have been the biggest headline so far!  When the top level Commander In Chief has to address the issue of Bad UX, you know it's time to pay attention. And as the best reporter of our day, Andy Borowitz has written about the Government Shut Down as furthering the agenda of those who make your life annoying .   He also explores the issue of people who may have waited their entire lives to get healthcare, but get frustrated when faced with a slow website. Public rumblings have been going on since everything went live.  But, even prior, there was a report on WSJ about a certain lack of testing.  See below for the tip of the iceberg, as of 9/26/13: Many of the community groups that will sign up New Yorkers up for health insurance beginning Tuesday are uneasy they haven't tested the online portal that governs the system. "That's the one th...

How nature adapts to human design. A merciful human removed the dagger.  The tree would've absorbed it. Like the Baby Graves inside trees on the Indonesian Island of Tana Toraja.

Ever since Fung Wah and Lucky Star Buses have been shut down in Spring of 2013, I have been heartbroken. For $15, or thereabouts, one could travel from Chinatown to Chinatown (NYC>Boston, NYC>Philly, NYC>Washington D.C., NYC> Baltimore and back!)  all along the East Coast. But the government stepped in with their funny regulations and shut them down.  Here's some Spring coverage & history from NBC . Some August update from Bloomberg , the government wants to make sure the operators are "sincere" in their commitment to safety.  Hmm. If you go online and find  http://www.luckystarbus.com/   you'll find a Ghost Site.  An interface that looks like you could still order a ticket, but there is a funny message if you scroll down: "Per the order of USDOT, Lucky Star Bus has temporary ceased operations. All affected e-ticket customers will be receiving a refund automatically. Thanks!" Oddly enough, if you hit the "Espanol" versi...

I was an extra on the shoot in downtown Manhattan. Right near Zucotti Park. Sagmeister is known for his design firm and his amazing TED talks on his artistry & design creations. When fear arises, try to overcome it. Stephen Sagmeister

Target Corporation has long been known for its highly "targeted" marketing research and highly successful techniques.  As cited in this New York Times Article, " How Companies Learn Your Secrets ", they can predict if a woman is going to have a baby by the shift in her purchasing habits.  Even before her (or THE) father knows. It is done through a series of purchasing trends and analyses of numbers, to develop an algorithm that The System can implement to offer future coupons and incentives which will increase customer loyalty. I am here to argue that the same intense focus can be used to prevent bad UX, not only within a computer interface, but also within the context of the larger relationship of a customer and a business. I have received a few emails recently, generated automatically and from a do-not-reply email.  The last message frustrated me to the point where I considered writing back.  For a split second.  Once upon a time, if you got a letter and ...

If you are trying to explain the concept of "Affordances", you can do no better than to encourage people to play the game "The Room" on the iPad. As this article in UX Magazine reveals, the game is all about providing visual cue to the player as to how certain elements work. To take it a step further, the article explores how the game was created iteratively.  Even if every knob, texture and irregularity were perfectly designed, the user must also engage with the interface (separate thing!) successfully. What the article does not cover is the larger benefits of doing anything repeatedly, with different users/audience members, etc.  Personally, I saw this process in theater as a Production Stage Manager. You can talk about an idea as much as you want.  The WORK doesn't happen until you DO IT!  Figure out what is wrong and what is right.  Get it "up on its feet", and especially in front of an audience.  Check in with the audience and see what the...

This is a bit of a response to an article in UX Mag , defining UX (yet again), as if they were coming from the all knowing voice of . . . Laura Dern??  "5 UX Lessons from Laura Dern" I am all about controversy, or taking unusual approaches, or using your favorite nerd-hobby to argue for  your professional approach. But, I would argue that there should be something called Relevance. The above article is well written, with lots of excellent references and good arguments. But it misses something crucial.  How is she (really?) associated with users again?  Has she chosen her roles based on a fundamental need to defend the user or to counter all the absurdity in the business world?  No, it seems not. It seems as if this writer has taken note of some good moments and complied, (gasp) something as revolutionary as a 5 element list. Don't get me wrong, she's an excellent actress.  Maybe even brilliant, as some of my friends who have seen the series "Enlighte...

I just got an email request to do a survey from a FAVORITE museum.  They sent me an email, addressed me as "Dear Friend". What could go wrong? They said it would take 15 minutes.  (Which is a LOT.  A lot for anyone.  Anything more than 5 minutes is a lot.)  It took longer than 15 minutes.  I lost track when the Progress Bar hadn't moved beyond the half way point after I answered a lot of questions. I left the tab open all day.  Checked in, did a few more answers every now and then.  Not even sure if it mattered after 5 hours.  When I got to the "Just a few quick demographic questions"  (again, not past the halfway mark on the Progress Bar). What got to me was the BAD design of the survey.  In terms of actions and GOMS (Goals, Operators, Methods and Selections) which is essentially a way to measure how long it takes to go from a mouse to a keyboard.  If you add it up, it matters.  Especially if you have a survey wit...

Lately, I've noticed people thanking, begging and just being generally annoying about "Likes" specifically on Facebook. Case Study #1: A singer reaches 25K likes on Facebook.  To reward the followers, a 7 Question Quiz is posted and two (only 2?? Out of 25,000) lucky winners will get a prize.  Maybe a private message or answering a question.  Something that could maybe go out to 25 (!) fans? This actually is less of a "reward" to the fans than a difficult and discouraging assignment.  Side note: the answers are NOT posted on the internet.   Included are questions about previous band members and current band history.  The singer does not maintain his current band site, nor does he link to performers he has played with in the past. The questions may be appropriate to a time/topic involving obscure trivia about the current band.  Maybe immediately prior to an upcoming show.  No mention is made of posting the answers.  Oh, and it should b...

The creepiest and most heartbreaking thing I've seen on "the Facebook" yet.  An insurance company is trolling for "Likes" by offering some money to a lucky winner who happens to be in debt.  Sounds good, right?  Soliciting ideas may unleash creativity during the campaign as well. Here's the page. Here's what they did wrong: 1. They lead with the headline:"WE'RE IN DEEP." So, Mass Mutual, are you REALLY trying to say that you identify with all the souls out there who are in "Deep Shit"?  (Because that's one way it could be interpreted)   As one of the millions who have crushing student loans, I'd be very interested in the "we" part of this statement.  How exactly are they involved-AT ALL? Somehow, unless they were bailed out in the last Financial Crisis, I cannot relate.   2.$1 Trillion Dollars, huh?  Then why are you offering only $20,000.  Oh-wait, they "might reward" you with...

Simple. Music. Vocal line. Sung Language (usually not English). Subtitles/Supratitles (usually a choice of several, in addition to the one sung) Amazing sets. Amazing lighting. Props. Costumes. Unusual Instrumentation. Multiple Actors/Actresses/Singers/Supernumeraries. They unfold over time in a dynamic fashion. The opposite of catchy pop music. The strict linear narrative is messed with for the sake of art and beauty. Intermission involves people-watching to match the costumes onstage. An unusual take on perhaps a well known story. Sitting in a darkened room with thousands of others who are seeing/hearing exactly the same thing that you are.  Not a million different things, like on the train to work.  Or the phenomenon of Sunday night tv/Monday morning watercooler. All the above things thrown together into one experience.  You can learn the score ahead of time, you can watch video after.  But the moment of being an audience member ...

If you are an author, especially one who needs to say your book title over and over, please say it out loud first. "Ike and Dick; A Portrait of a Strange Political Marriage"   It is written by Jeffrey Frank , who is a well rounded and experienced journalist and writer.  Former Senior Editor of the New Yorker !!  Had nobody asked him what book he was writing at a cocktail party? I'm very supportive of overlooked perspectives on history.  And since most of the publicity will be seen/read and not heard, maybe letters can still outrank phonemes in terms of title choice. Beware if the pronunciation of your title begins, "I can . . ."  It can easily turn into an unintentional joke. Seriously, in terms of larger marketing, publicity and word of mouth, a title which can potentially embarrass the speaker is NOT going to do well. "What book are you reading?" "Ike and . . oh, never mind"

College is intimidating, especially if you are a teenager.  Not just the amount of intellectual hard work, but in navigating all the ins and outs of the bureaucracy which can determine whether or not you graduate with crippling debt, or whether you graduate at all. The idea of "Help" and "Mentorship" needs to be formally institutionalized, to support those who need grants and scholarships the most.  The top 1% already know how to navigate the economic system for all advantages; the rest of us need support and access to these same strategies.  The designers of these processes themselves need to focus on helping out the neediest early on.  College has turned into a "survival of the fittest", in terms of economic and social help, NOT academics. College completion rates are stagnant, according to this NYTimes article .  "Need-blind" admissions and increasing grants are wonderful, but the system breaks down on a deeper level.  High schoolers are...

Why is it that there are more boys/men in the growing fields of Science/Technology/Engineering/Math fields than women?  I know lots of cool (feminine) women who grow into self-confident, self-realized uber-nerds that most of us (men or women) only aspire to be in our wildest dreams.  It's a cool life, and frankly should be featured on more reality-shows and celebrity award statuettes. My personal experience is that of commonly being the only woman in a room full of developers.  Sometimes there are issues with it, sometimes not.  I'm sure there's a lot I miss and a lot I imagine.  Some of it has to do with the social ties that encourage team-building in the software development environment.  If you are good enough to bring value to the team, you are a welcome addition. As an additional caveat, a UX person sometimes comes in as an unwelcome interloper.  Someone who is asking for an extra step, and creating more work for the group.  If it's in ...

NPR Headlines "All Things Considered" has Tech on their minds lately. Great government doublespeak of the day: This plan is "predecisional". The government is estimating that the need is about 30k to 40k people. And as a country, there are maybe 1000, total.  I don't know what qualifications they are talking about, or training or job duties.  They just need to hire a bunch of people that don't exist for threats they are not sure about to keep America "safe" in a future that nobody can predict. Immediately after, NPR turns to Apple falling behind in the world market.  Cellphones are the actual wave of the future.  Of the entire world.  (Not just nerdy Americans in Brooklyn.  And wannabes.) The Chinese market is growing.  India. Africa.  The numbers will be going after innovation.  The quickest, easiest smartphones that can deliver quick bits and bites (and bytes) of info.  The device has got to be inexpensive, smooth and work...

Today is the bicentennial of the publication of "Pride & Prejudice" ("It is a truth universally acknowledged that a single man in possession of a good fortune must be in want of a wife." Keep reading it here ) A somewhat anti-feminist, yet seemingly all too true, maxim, written by a woman who would die 4 years later at the age of 41. Unmarried. Her writing is funny and ironic and packed with sarcasm. She's popular today (with everyone including Zombies ) because of this tone. Her community has rallies around her for 200 years, despite (or because of) her voice being silenced so young. Today is also "Community Manager Appreciation Day", so what are we to make of this precedent? Create good work at the beginning, then back off and let the fans take over? iMedia has 4 Ways to evaluate your CM Strategy My quick & dirty summary A) "Engagement, not followers". The goal is what you are doing, not the numbers. B) Conversat...

This landed in my email box the other day, from a company I am always rooting for. They put on  excellent conferences and help me to keep my ideals high. Quoting from Mark Hurst's (1/15/13) blog post at Creative Good : "For years I've been fascinated by the work of Natasha Dow Schüll, an MIT professor who has studied Las Vegas gambling for many years. She gave a great talk at Gel a few years back . . . The question is unavoidable: if UX methods are effective in projects with a wide range of outcomes, which do you want to spend out your career on? Those that benefit the customer in the long term, or those that are in the long run harmful? And don't think the slot machine example is foreign to online business. Social-gaming company Zynga has been trying to enter the online gambling market. The company has always paid close attention to user behavior, and now they seek to maximize the profits from such a skill." However, the job market does not seem to ag...

Sometimes, ideas from Graphic Art of the 1950's resurface as modern science, without considering the time difference between then and now.  The idea is to get the brand into the mind of the consumer.  The more they recognize it, the likelier they are to pick it up off the grocery shelves. Fast Company has some ideas about the field of Neuromarketing . And why professionals need to jump on it. It starts by discussing how SEO is about "Search Engine Optimization", but it should be about "Social Engagement Optimization".  Which becomes problematic when you read more of the argument as it devolves from "quality content" to the conclusion about simplifying everything and appealing to emotion.  Rather than something frivolous, like reason.  There is some "fuzzy science" about definitions: " neuromarketing is a science that’s based on the fact that 95% of all thoughts, emotions, and learning occur before we are ever aware of it" ...

There are LOTS of definitions of "User Experience" as a field. And then also, LOTS of definitions in terms of expectations of what the job should entail.  Most companies don't have a "mature vision" of what to expect, or how to integrate the UX person into their larger product cycle. I was trained to look at the overall picture, always get input from the end-user and to keep in mind the business requirements.  Also, from the business POV, to keep in mind the ENTIRE Customer Experience within the overall process.  The customer clicks a buy button online, but every interaction with the brand prior to that is a huge influence.  The abandonment rate does not exist only online. When you hear about "growing job opportunities" within the UX field, most are for short term contracts described below. Note to the beginning UX'er: BEWARE!! Quoting from an email on a (closed) UX professionals listserv: "Sadly, the majority of companies here stil...

There is a professional User Experience email group, and every so often, someone posts a cautionary tale.  It is usually a story of the significance of usability, as reported in a failure to act on recommendations.  I am quoting it, but leaving out the author's name, unless I have her permission.  Company names are always best left out as well, non-disclosure being what it is.   The story itself is common enough that most UX people I know have at least one experience like this in their past.   This is included here for those of you who might be working on a product OF ANY KIND and who ignore the UX people and/or initial warning signs that things are "clunky".   I have seen this over and over again in the Usability Field.  A MAJOR disconnect between the companies who create product and their actual market.  There's a push to add "UX" to everyone's job title, UX Developer, UX Designer, UX Architect.  The actual UX piece of it-talking to ...

How many UX people does it take to screw in a lightbulb? If you really want to understand the subtle humor (and accurately quoted approaches) of the User Experience field . . . go to Quora. (Full link below, just in case it isn't obvious enough) http://www.quora.com/How-many-UX-experts-does-it-take-to-screw-in-a-light-bulb Best answer: It depends.   Or, "None.  That's a development/engineering problem."  by Jared Spool, who is one of the most entertaining (and quality) presenter I've ever seen in this field. Usability expands to include larger patterns of psychology and human behavior, which is then (ideally) incorporated into an actual thing.  Process, hardware, software-whatever thing thing that can produce more productivity.  A higher-level analysis of stuff.  Some companies and brands (and people) just don't get it. And sometimes, it's hard to argue for it.  It turns into absurdist theater.  Like this thread.

Some people really get off on the finite details of grammar and design. The people at Slate thought that declaring war on 2 spaces after a period was exciting enough to post an article about.  And then re-posted it 2 years later.  To mark the anniversary.  Old typesetter rule which carries over into modern technology, but doesn't matter enough to merit debate.  Always err on the side of ease of readability. I read it . You don't have to.  (Dullsville!!!)  And nowhere is there an actual coherent argument for why you should never ever do it.  As a User Experience professional, you should always choose what is easiest to read and what is easiest to implement.  If it's ingrained in your brain by now, don't stress over it.  Even if it were to become a war between the One Spacers and the Two Spacers, we can all think of more important things to fight over. Like the use of the word "ain't".  It is not used formally, but is considered "ac...

As a User Experience Strategist, I am amazed at how some websites don't invest in their greatest assets.  If you are an ebook marketer, why not expose your repeat customers to your wide selection of titles?  Kobo, please give me a reason to give you my money!! Full Customer Profile & Experience: I love being surrounded by the books I have purchased.  Not that I have read all of those I own, not by any stretch.  And frankly I create a whole new pile of books TO READ everytime I tidy up and rearrange them.  That is what it means to have a physical artifact. When I am on my computer, I vary my time between work, surfing reading and allow my mind to go wherever it wants (as long as I'm not under deadline).   If I purchase an ebook, I can only read it on my laptop or my iPhone.  I refuse to purchase yet another device, when I should just read one of these paper artifacts. While doing research, there was a book that was only available on kobobook...