Nick Finck's Blog

Usability… Or Strategic User Experience?

2009-10-14T17:51:58+00:00

Paul Sherman has posted a great presentation he did at Usability Marathon 2 called Usability…Or Strategic User Experience? If you ever heard me ranting about how usability is but one aspect of UX, this presentation articulates that point far better than I could have. Paul uses his work with Peachtree Accounting as a case study in his talk. An excellent presentation for anyone working within the UX field and especially if part of your job focused on usability. As demonstrated here, Paul Sherman is someone in the UX community that we need to hear more from, more often.

The Fun Theory

2009-10-14T15:42:28+00:00

The folks at Volkswagen have been busy at work creating… well, fun things. They launched a site called Rolighetsteorin, which I believe translates into “The Fun Theory.” The site contains a series of videos where VW engineers try to take the experience of something mundane, well, fun again. These mundane things are often things that are good for you or the environment.

So far the examples are using the stairs instead of escalators, throwing away trash in the trash can, and coming soon recycling bottles. This is all part of a campaign that VW launched which is spreading like wildfire. The interesting part is that not only does WV get some brand exposure through this, they also communicate things that are important to their brand: creativity, the experience, good in the world, and yes, fun. Bravo VW, bravo.

10/GUI

2009-10-12T22:47:46+00:00

10/GUI is a concept developed by Clayton Miller. It is an exploration in rethinking the modern desktop and adapting newer technologies like touchscreens, multitouch, gesture based commands, and more. I really like this concept. I do wonder why he didn’t just allow the keyboard to be displayed directly on the touch interface when requested rather than provide it in addition to the keyboard. I also wonder about the accuracy of the human finger versus the mouse pointer. Graphic designers and 3D animators will attest to the next of a greater level of accuracy when creating creative works than what the traditional finger, or perhaps hand in this case, can offer. Never the less, it is an interesting concept to see. I look forward to seeing it evolve into something commonly used. [via JMK]

Holistic Customer Experience

2009-10-11T02:26:09+00:00

Here are my slides from tonight’s talk I gave at InfoCamp Seattle 2009. This session format was short presentation followed by open discussion with the audience. It was a general high-level overview of customer experience and how it correlates to user experience, customer service, environmental design, product design and more.

With products and services quickly becoming commoditized, price differentiation is no longer a sustainable model. Customers are demanding more from businesses. Businesses that have increased their investment in the customer experience over the past three years report higher customer referral rates and greater customer satisfaction. Customers turn into advocates. Customer experience is the sum of all experiences a customer has with a supplier of goods or services, over the duration of their relationship with that supplier.

Tools for sketching user experiences

2009-10-07T05:18:43+00:00

Jason Robb has published an excellent article on UXBooth called Tools for sketching user experiences in which he covers the various tools he uses in sketching wireframes. He goes into specific detail about the kinds of markers, notebooks and paper he uses and why. Lots of great insite here on tool selection as well as on the process itself.

As an Information Architect I feel sketching is a pretty critical step in developing a solid user experience. Often times I find myself at the whiteboard, other times I am scribbling in my Konigi sketch book or Moleskine, and sometimes I just throw together rough low-fi wireframes in OmniGraffle before building the final detailed wireframes.

7 vital questions to ask your web designer

2009-10-05T16:27:39+00:00

Clients should come to the table with a list of problems their business faces on a high level and look to the expertise of the agency to help suggest solutions that solve those problems. A web agency will operate much more effectively when they are asked to solve problems around an online strategy than they will if they are told what solutions they should be including in their response to an RFP.
— Nick Finck, 7 vital questions to ask your web designer

Not too long ago Michael Estrin mentioned he was writing an article for iMedia and wanted to know what were the 7 vital questions to ask your web designer. He asked me and some other industry experts a series of questions and pulled out the gems here. He quoted me on the topic of setting the online strategy, which I feel is often overlooked or set by those who are not experts in the field especially when you consider how the RFP process works. That said, if you are looking to hire a web design company you might want to read this article to get an idea of what you should be asking about.

Microsoft’s Courier Tablet

2009-09-29T16:22:28+00:00

If you haven’t already heard, rumor has it that Microsoft is developing a courier tablet. Its all just speculation and rumor right now as far as I can tell but it looks like an interested example of how to refine the user experience behind mobile and portable devices to fill a need. I am very curious to find out, if this device ever makes it to market, if the transitions and ease of use will be the same as what we see here in this video. Maybe after a learning curve yes, but there is a lot missing from informing the user how to perform different tasks like switching between camera and web browser, etc.

Content Strategy

2009-09-23T01:32:41+00:00

Following part one of his Planning a Website series on Wireframes and Concept, Michel Brioni is back with part two on the topic of Content Strategy. To quote the beginning of the post here:

This time I’m going to talk about content strategy, one of the most important and neglected aspect of the design process. I decided to create a series about planning a site after I got some positive feedback from the first chapter wireframes and concept, and because Nick Finck said so. And you don’t let down Nick Finck.
— Michel Brioni, Content Strategy

Well, Michel, I am really flattered. I am surprised anyone listens to anything I have to say. That said, I am happy to see such an in-depth look at the forgotten art of content strategy. When content strategy is thought through in the beginning of the website planning phase it pays off ten fold. I have made it a point to include a content strategy and content editing and copywriting phase of every project we produce. The core essence of a website is about delivering information to the user, if you can’t deliver on that expectation then what business do you have creating a website to begin with? Ok, enough babbling from me, go read Michel’s post on Content Strategy!

Konigi Wireframe Stencil v3

2009-09-16T16:16:53+00:00

My good friend Michael Angeles tells me he has updated the Konigi OmniGraffle Wireframe Stencils to version 3. This is a free stencil set designed for use in in OmniGraffle 5.x on Mac OS X. With version 3 of the stencil comes several updates which include modified form and controls elements for color consistency, the addition of sliders, new form icons, tag clouds and lists, a-z lists, IAB advertising units, iphone chrome, web browser chrome. You’ll also see the start of a style guide based on the UI components here, which is being used for the Prototyping Kit we’re developing. Go check it out and download it for free!

Tomorrow’s presentation on User Experience Utopia

2009-09-14T16:02:10+00:00

Just a reminder to my Seattle friends that I will be speaking at Ad Club Seattle tomorrow on the topic of User Experience Utopia: Where Are We and Where Are We Going? The presentation will be held at Quinn’s and starts at 4:00 PM with networking followed by my presentation at 5:00 PM. If you would like to learn more about the event you can do so by visiting the Ad Club Seattle website, you can also purchase a ticket online via their website.