Media: Yahoo looks at Future of Wireless Internet in US

"Wireless Web Sites Getting Useful, Not There Yet" by Ben Berkowitz is an overview of where wireless internet is going in the US. The piece looks at the Catch 22 of production: you need demand to stimulate cautious manufacturers, but only a good product on the streets will create demand.

It touches on usability, citing Jakob Nielsen's opinion of the wireless market:

'Nielsen said two things are necessary before wireless catches on as a significant business platform - advances in the design of the hardware and advances in content.'

He is quoted as saying that, as yet, wireless doesn't work for anything where you have a substantial amount of information, though the hardware advances are coming now. The only place he claimed to be pessimistic is purely on the quality of the initial services, predicting that in the first year: 'it's going to be misery, it's going to be clunky'.

Associated Link: Yahoo: Wireless Web Sites Getting Useful, Not There Yet

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
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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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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.

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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.