Government Figures for Consumer Durables show Half British Households now own PCs

Results of the 2002 General Household Survey (GHS), released this month, show that between 1998 and 2002 the percentage of households with home media items, such as a CD player and a video recorder, increased substantially:
* home computer – 34 to 54%;
* CD player – 69 to 83%;
* video recorder – 85 to 89%.

In 2002, almost a third of households (32%) had a DVD player. This was the first time the GHS has asked a question about ownership of DVD players.

In 2002, as in previous years, lone-parent families were less likely than other families with dependent children to have access to more recent consumer durables such as home computers (56% compared with 80%), the Internet (36% compared with 68%) and mobile phones (83% compared with 91%).

There has been a steady increase in the ownership of consumer durables since the early 1970s. In 2002 most homes had a television (99% of households), telephone (99% of households), washing machine (93%) and a freezer (95%). The percentage of households with access to a dishwasher, tumble drier and microwave continued to rise.

Poor Shopping Basket Usability will hinder Christmas Rush
Source: UN, 20 November 2008
 
A new study from eDigitalResearch identifies customer service and online shopping basket usability as the two key areas where online retailers need to improve.

Future Phones to Read Your Voice, Gestures
Source: Wired, 19 November 2008
 
Five years from now, it is likely that the mobile phone you will be holding will be a smooth, sleek brick — a piece of metal and plastic with a few grooves in it and little more.

Why Digital Research is important in tough Financial Times
Source: Financial Times, 18 November 2008
 
With the banking sector moving towards consolidation, it is crucial that customers are understood, reacted to and rewarded for their loyalty.

Get Ready for 'Ergobamanomics'
Source: AssemblyBlog via ergonomics in the news , 17 November 2008
 
Is President Elect, Barack Obama, a secret ergonomics and usability enthusiast?

The Most Dreaded Keyword Phrase
Source: SearchEngineLand, 15 November 2008
 
In website usability, one of the hardest obstacles to overcome is the mentality of “This is what I would do.”

User Experience Standards Missing from Web 2.0 Designs
Source: UN, 14 November 2008
 
Usability professionals should be more involved with the development of Web 2.0 tools.

New technology showcased at World Usability Day
Source: User Vision, 13 November 2008
 
Today is World Usability Day!

Review: 16 User Interface Prototyping Tools
Source: Dexo Design, 12 November 2008
 
People constantly ask me what the best prototyping or mockup tool is, so I decided to do a review of all the tools I’m aware of.

Radio 4's PM show announces Winner of 'Show Us a Better Way'
Source: BBC, 11 November 2008
 
Ever been frustrated that you can't find out something that ought to be easy to find? Ever been baffled by league tables or 'performance indicators'?

Cisco Systems extends Product Usability Research
Source: Catalyst Resources, 10 November 2008
 
Cisco is conducting extensive usability research with Catalyst Resources, into complex new technologies.