UN Survey Results: All the Other Things You said

We asked you for other comments about the UsabilityNews service and this is what we got:
• It's rather ugly to load because all the images load at different speeds.
• When I first started using it I had some difficulty navigating around but it's easy now.
• I find UsabilityNews a valuable resource, and access it frequently as I know I can rely on the site for the latest news, research information, conferences etc.
• I think the overall design layout and function of the site is excellent. A good job to all involved in the site. I hope it can continue to provide Usability news to a hopefully increasing audience for years to come
• I would like to get Headlines on AvantGo.
• I think it's a great idea to enhance accessibility by asking directly to the users.
• Please do NOT add any messaging or discussion forums, the HF/ HCI community is already bogged down with them.
• Some articles about the state of the art in specific areas of HCI or HF would be useful (ie accessibility, visualisation, error analysis, navigation).
• I think UsabilityNews is one of the best resources for usability info. Keep up the good work!
• Now that I'm aware of it, I'll consider giving it a read
• I have never been there, but I'll go check it out now.
• You guys do nice work.
• Much of the headline material seems like a sensationalization of a short commentary on a source article. Simply linking the source articles under categories or with a short blog-like leader seems more appropriate than clicking through to a 2-paragraph commentary that often does not support the headline statement adequately only to have to go on to the real article.
• Fixed page widths are irritating.
• Search seems to work very well and the summaries are very informative.
• What is a "fortnight"?
• Text links on bottom of some pages broken.
• I suspect that most of us American's don't know what a fortnight is :-) It's been a useful tool for article references.
• rather than using the term "sister" in 'UsabilityNews.com is the sister site to the British HCI Group', try the term 'sibling'
• I don't visit the site regularly. I check the newsletter whether there are any interesting additions. I usually find something that catches my attention.
• My major accessibility complaint is the small font, particularly in the right column. It is unnecessarily hard to read. I know I can adjust the font size on my browser, but I don't think I should have to.
• Sometimes we are so busy we don't even have time to read this kind of publication...although I consider it to be very important...
• Valuable service. Please don't disappear.
• very good content, always up-to-date, easy to find your way around, unfortunately a bit boring and uninspiring to look at.
• Keep up the great work!

The UNAP survey on accessibility resulted in 151 responses from all over the world. The majority of responses were from the UK (45%), America (26%) and Europe (18%). Other responses were received from Canada, Asia, Australia as well as Finland, Egypt and China. Read more about these accessibility findings in UN story: Accessible Update to UN creeps In.

If you haven't had your say and want to give feedback, please use the 'contact' links on the site at any time.

Internet access is 'a fundamental right'
Source: BBC, 12 March 2010
 
Almost four in five people around the world believe that access to the internet is a fundamental right, a poll for the BBC World Service suggests.

The Net generation, Unplugged
Source: The Economist, 11 March 2010
 
Is it really helpful to talk about a new generation of "digital natives" who have grown up with the internet?

Rewriting the Human-Computer interaction Handbook
Source: CIOL, 10 March 2010
 
Indrani Medhi of Microsoft Research India has developed text-free user interfaces (UIs) to allow any illiterate or semi-literate person on first contact with a computer, to proceed with minimal or no assistance.

Lip reading Mobile promises End to noisy phone calls
Source: BBC, 9 March 2010
 
A prototype device shown off at CeBIT could allow people to conduct silent phone conversations.

Games User Researchers band together
Source: UN, 8 March 2010
 
The number of UX professionals in gaming has reached critical mass.

Quince Pro enables privately-held UX Design Libraries
Source: Infragistics, 6 March 2010
 
Infragistics has launched Quince Pro, a private, secure and organized way to collaborate, communicate and cultivate private UX design libraries to ensure consistent user experiences across teams, departments and companies.

Announcing a new issue of the Journal of Usability Studies
Source: UPA, 5 March 2010
 
UPA is happy to announce the publication of the second issue of volume 5, the Journal of Usability Studies.

Impatient versus Bored
Source: Gerry McGovern, 4 March 2010
 
Customers are much more likely to get impatient with your website than they are to be bored with it.

Futures Thinking: Writing Scenarios
Source: Fast Company, 3 March 2010
 
A valuable skill for UX folks (that's 'how to write scenarios', not 'scenarios in which one writes').

How to Conduct a Usability Review
Source: UsefulUsability, 2 March 2010
 
Never hurts to be reminded.