Peer to Peer leaps in Popularity

The number of peer-to-peer (P2P) file sharing and file transfer websites has grown by more than 535% in the last 12 months, now totalling nearly 38,000 webpages reports Websense Inc, a company specialising in employee Internet management solutions. At the moment, 30% of products listed on CNET's 'Most Popular' software download list are P2P applications.

According to Nielsen/NetRatings, workplace Web users take advantage of high-speed office connections to access MP3s more frequently than at home. 'Napster may have faded, but new MP3 and video download sites have picked up the slack,' said Andy Meyer, vice president of marketing for Websense Inc, who says that traffic is causing network drain in workplaces.

Meanwhile, another new survey - this time by research firm Jupiter Media Metrix - has found that music fans who use file-sharing services to download free songs spend more on music purchases then other web surfers.

This study contradicts one commissioned last year by the Recording Industry Association of America, which found that a greater percentage of internet users spent less money on music because they could get it for free.

The Jupiter report found that equipment and technology used to burn music CDs – such as broadband connections and rewritable CD drives – has no effect on music spending.

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.