Media: EE Times explores Experience Design from the Engineer's Perspective

"New design rules: Yield to consumer" is an engineer-centred article, by Brian Fuller, that looks at the impact of starting with the consumer and satisfying their requirements - a move from killer app to killer experience.

'The problem is that an experience is an innately emotional reaction — and emotional reactions often beget irrational desires, such as, "I want this faster, cheaper and cuter, today."'

Before everyone gets indignant, read on. He looks at the ramifications of this shift:

'In the old days, a tiered system of gatekeepers protected designers from the sometimes-fickle demands of the consumer; now those barriers are gone. ...In this new world, stubborn forces are butting up against one another other. Leakage current, for example, rises tenfold every 1.6 years, yet the consumer expects annual improvements in battery life and performance. Materials and clever techniques are being brought to bear on the problem, but no one agrees on an approach — and if there's no agreement, then the myriad point solutions are by nature expensive.'

Associated Link: EE Times: New design rules: Yield to consumer

All change at the top for System Concepts
Source: System Concepts Ltd, 3 July 2009
 
Leslie Fountain has been promoted to joint Managing Director of leading usability consultancy System Concepts.

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Interfaces Magazine - Issue 79: The Education Issue
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The latest issue of Interfaces is now available as a free download from the Interaction Website.

Two new Behavioural research Tools from Noldus
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Tool updates make on-site behavioural data collection easier.

Cell Phones that Listen and Learn
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Top Six Don’ts for Usability Testing
Source: FutureNow Inc., 27 June 2009
 
Six tips for creating quality usability tests to ensure useful feedback from testers.

Usability: ‘Lovely software. But I can’t work it’
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Most Doctors cite Usability as critical to Electronic Health Record Adoption
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It's all about 'meaningful use'.

Glossy monitors look good but can hurt
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A new advisory cites research which suggests high gloss monitors make users sit awkwardly.