Review: Alertbox scores 1.7 on the Joy Index

Jakob Nielsen's recent activity is now starting to make sense to me. First we had the 'Flash not so bad' announcement. Then on 24 June we were informed that 90% usability guideline compliance should be reached in 2017. This means there is no need for any new usability guidelines from Jakob, as we just need to wait for designers to implement the ones he has already published.

What will Jakob do next?

With the latest Alertbox article (User Empowerment and the Fun Factor - 7 July 2002), we can see the blueprint for the next five year plan.

'...we must modify the methodology to encompass more awareness of fulfilling, engaging, and fun design elements.'

There we have it. Jakob has decided to embrace the touch feely side of usability, and is starting to redefine himself as the Joy Giver. In this Alertbox article, 'joy' was mentioned 9 times, whilst it has only been mentioned 8 times in all previous Alertbox articles. This 'statistic' illustrates the new direction Jakob is taking. It is a shame that Jakob has not published any reader comments on useit.com since October 2000, as I would love to hear what his readers make of this lurch towards the 'feelgood factor'. Is this an example of the new kind of metric we will get from Jakob?

Associated Link: Alertbox: User Empowerment and the Fun Factor

Rest your Wrists when you're Writing on the go
Source: UN, 25 July 2008
 
Computer Intelligence, Inc. has launched Intelligels(R), a line of wrist rests for laptop computers.

Brits more hooked on mobile tech than Yanks are
Source: RegisterHardware, 24 July 2008
 
According to the latest edition of Carphone Warehouse’s Mobile Life Report, 94 per cent of British youngsters own mobile phones, compared to just 80 per cent of those in the US.

Five ways to Improve online cross- and up-selling
Source: Webcredible, 23 July 2008
 
Increasing cross-selling and up-selling on your website will help sell more items and keep customers coming back.

Say goodbye to the Computer Mouse
Source: BBC, 22 July 2008
 
It's nearly 40 years old but one leading research company says the days of the computer mouse are numbered.

LowBrowse: a web browser for the Visually Impaired
Source: UN, 21 July 2008
 
An innovative new add-on software tool will enable millions of people worldwide with low vision to access previously inaccessible web pages.

Now you can See your Voicemail
Source: UN, 19 July 2008
 
Speech Design's new Visual Voice Mail 'pushes' voice messages directly to mobile handsets, eliminating push-button retrieval.

User-centred research into mobile law enforcement recognised
Source: UN, 18 July 2008
 
C-innovate, a user-centred consultancy based at the Sussex Innovation Centre at the University of Sussex, has won an award for its research into mobile technology and innovation in the public sector.

The Web speaks up
Source: UN, 17 July 2008
 
Textic Limited has just announced the commercial launch of Talklets, a Web 2.0 service that ‘voice enables’ text-based Web content.

All-in-One Devices ride again
Source: Wall St Journal: Market Watch, 16 July 2008
 
Evolutions of all-in-one devices and internet-TV functionality will fuel the nascent home theatre PC market, according to ABI Research.

How to Succeed as a First-Time UX Manager
Source: UXMatters, 15 July 2008
 
Being a manager of UX is no better — and no worse — than being a great designer or user researcher, but the roles are very different.