Media: uiGarden delivers in English and Chinese

The second issue of the bilingual magazine, uiGarden, is available to read and discuss - in English or Chinese. Follow the link on this page to have a look.

The case studies are already building up into an interesting archive with a mixture of countries of origin: from the Chinese, "Promoting Usability Engineering in China" by Zhengjie Liu and "Products' Usability Testing in China" by Qin Lin, and originating in English: "Fun Systematically" by Alan Dix and "Cultural Considerations and Applicability of Western Usability Guidelines in the Design of Chinese E-commerce Websites" by ISAR User Interface Design Co. Ltd.

There is also a feature from UN translated into Chinese. There are some interesting things growing up on the discussion pages too, though one frustration for both groups must be that we are segregated by language.

One English thread has been asking about the use of a 'colorful and animated' style on a Chinese insurance company website. 'On the home page alone there were seven areas where things were moving - text was flashing, changing color, icons were moving, etc. I didn't know where to look first. As I investigated further, I found that a number of competitor sites were the same, very colorful with lots of movement. Other than the obvious differences in overall appearance, the organization of the site seemed to be pretty much what I'm used to with different products listed along the left side of the page, etc.'

Answers as to why - is it a cultural or generational difference, or just a lack of usability? - are illuminating.

Associated Link: uiGarden

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.

Life in UCD immortalised in fiction: you couldn't make it up
Source: UN, 2 July 2009
 
Sarah Herman's fictitious book on life in a user-centred design company has hit the shelves and The Guardian's book pages...

Interfaces Magazine - Issue 79: The Education Issue
Source: Interaction Group, 1 July 2009
 
The latest issue of Interfaces is now available as a free download from the Interaction Website.

Two new Behavioural research Tools from Noldus
Source: UN, 30 June 2009
 
Tool updates make on-site behavioural data collection easier.

Cell Phones that Listen and Learn
Source: MIT Technology Review, 29 June 2009
 
New software tracks a user's behavior by monitoring everyday sounds.

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’
Source: FT.com, 26 June 2009
 
In a recent survey by Global Graphics, 77 per cent of office workers estimate they lose up to one hour a week because business software is difficult to use.

And what do you do?
Source: Dexo Design, 25 June 2009
 
How do you describe your job role? Here are the results of a recent 'Preferred UX/UI Title' Poll.

Most Doctors cite Usability as critical to Electronic Health Record Adoption
Source: TMCNet, 24 June 2009
 
It's all about 'meaningful use'.

Glossy monitors look good but can hurt
Source: QUT, 23 June 2009
 
A new advisory cites research which suggests high gloss monitors make users sit awkwardly.