Challis Hodge’s UXblog

Great article offering a basic overview of the “Usability Engineer” Thanks Beth. Full article here.Happy Holidays! We’re back in January 2001

This paper by George M. Donahue, Dr. Susan Weinschenk and Julie Nowicki demonstrates a good approach to doing your own cost-benefit analysis. Read the article in “Compuware’s InTelligence reading room” or download the full report here (PDF).

Unorthodox Usability 20 (or so) ways to ensure no one will use your software
Some interesting views on usability in this presentation by Ariel Faigon. One of my favorites is “the great american screwllbar”! It’s a big download–all on one page. Thanks WebWord!

Usability Studies at Microsoft
Good overview of the basic usability test session. At HH we rarely use this most basic of methods for usability testing, instead electing to use hybridized techniques which combine electronic facilitation, co-discovery, etc. with the traditional time-on-task and error tracking.

Extreme Programing is extreme but in an unexpected way. Extreme Programing is a “deliberate and disciplined” approach to software development. Some of the characteristics are:

• XP stresses customer satisfaction
• XP is designed to deliver the software the customer needs when it is needed
• XP empowers developers to confidently respond to changing customer requirements
• The XP methodology emphasizes team work
• Managers, customers, and developers are all part of a team dedicated to delivering quality software
• Programmers communicate with their customers and fellow programmers
• XP programmers get feedback by testing their software starting on day one
• XP programmers are able to respond to changing requirements and technology

Extreme Programming is really worth checking out. It seems to address many important client and user needs. One of the things that struck me and others at HH was the way it seems to dovetail so well into our user-centered design process. “XP is different. It is a lot like a jig saw puzzle. There are many small pieces. Individually the pieces make no sense, but when combined together a complete picture can be seen.” Check out ExtremeProgramming.org here.

Researchers at the University of California, Berkeley, are aiming to create biologically inspired “roboflies” — tiny, inexpensive, quick-moving robots they can send into space for planetary exploration. Imagine swarms of inexpensive robots seeking out life in other galaxies. The concept is simple really, just as schooling fish and flocking birds have evolved to take advantage of the increased odds of survival so too would the robots. Of course there are the usual military applications as well. Check the Roboflies out here.

While this 233MHz hands-free computer isn’t quite ready for your holiday shopping list, the prototype IBM Wearable PC — a ThinkPad 560X shrunk to the footprint of a PalmPilot, complete with 340 MB of storage and 64 MB of EDO RAM — is powerful enough to run IBM’s ViaVoice speech software and light enough to clip to your belt. More here.

Excellent definition of wearbale computing by Steve Mann taken from the Keynote Address for The First International Conference on Wearable Computing “WEARABLE COMPUTING as means for PERSONAL EMPOWERMENT”

With the number of IM users expected to hit 200 million this year and major corporations such as Cisco beginning to adapt the software as a communications standard, the market�s ripe for expansion. International Data Corp. projects that corporate use will increase by 140%, leaping from 5.5 million users to 180 million in 2004. By that time, IDC estimates the number of messages sent will approach 2 trillion annually. This is an exciting space to watch. The folks at ActiveBuddy are looking to enhance the basic IM with notification and other services. Fact is it already exists through companies like Spyonit.com. BTW. Spyonit.com can notify you via e-mail, im, etc. when UXblog is updated!

Looks like we’re finally going to see some Bluetooth-enabled products hit the shelf during the first half of 2001. Intel will sell a shrink-wrapped Bluetooth USB Adapter. It looks like a flat, blue thumb and plugs into the USB port on a laptop or desktop machine. More here.

A good Bluetooth Primer and discussion on personal area networks here.