Uncommon Sense Archives
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January 4, 2009
People are going to say bad/mean things about you whether you like it or not. It’s a fact of life. It’s also something that prevents many businesses from participating in online communities and other websites that offer user generated content.
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December 31, 2008
Some of my favorite tweets and twitterers of 2008. Thanks for your insightful and witty tweets! Hope to see more in 2009.
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December 24, 2008
In 2009, businesses will live and die by the level of customer service—designing memorable and positive user experiences—that they are able to provide. Here are five tactics to help guarantee that you and your business are providing the best possible customer experience (online or off) in the coming year…
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December 20, 2008
Sure, graphic designers can get a lot of credit and attention – like the lead singer of a rock band. But without a strong supporting cast helping to define and execute the design, that graphic designer is singing a capella.
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December 12, 2008
Accomplishment of something simple is surely more favorable than failure to complete a task due to its lack of definition and complexity. Keeping something simple (especially when working with multiple stakeholders) is actually not easy at all.
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December 9, 2008
Blackbird provides African Americans with a custom web browsing experience based on their specific needs and interests. Let’s keep race relations out of the browser development business.
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December 7, 2008
I was asked recently at work to provide some information about best practices for creating and maintaining public social networking profiles (namely LinkedIn and Facebook). Here’s what I came up with…
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November 15, 2008
Yes, the g-speak spatial operating environment is stunning, but save the drama for your mama.
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October 8, 2008
When people say, “I can’t do that,” what they often mean is, “I won’t.” Read on for a few simple questions to realign others (and your) expectations of what can’t be done.
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October 3, 2008
Among those of us who use social media, the vast majority—93%—expect companies to have a social media presence. Does your business have a social media strategy yet?
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September 23, 2008
I just wanted to throw up a quick post (plug) about a new blog that I’ve been contributing to: Dad-o-Matic. If you’re a parent (especially a dad), or planning on becoming one, please drop by and give us a read.
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September 21, 2008
Communication problems are common, especially in the enterprise. I guarantee, by using a few social media applications and technologies, your organization can have one less meeting and begin working more efficiently.
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September 13, 2008
Collaboration is great… to a point. Too much collaboration can be detrimental to the success of a project.
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September 7, 2008
Here are five tips to help ensure that you are involved (and stay involved) in a healthy client relationship.
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August 26, 2008
Like software, humans also have user interfaces. What messages are you trying to send through your own personal user interface?
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August 22, 2008
As social media takes hold and anyone with an Internet connection is given a voice (or a megaphone), it is essential that businesses rethink their marketing strategies.
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August 14, 2008
Are you a narcissistic attention whore? Do you have an innate desire to annoy friends, family and perfect strangers? Then you should be lifecasting!
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August 10, 2008
To ensure the optimal user experience on your website or corporate intranet, it is important to understand how to outrun the crap avalanche. The following steps will help make sure things stay neat and tidy.
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August 5, 2008
In our gadget-obsessed age of disposable consumption and materialism, I notice more and more people identifying their own self-worth through things. This has all lead me to consider what really matters. What external things really define me as a person?
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June 30, 2008
I’m coming clean. I’ve been with someone else. It’s grown from a lurid fascination to an obsession. I have even recruited my friends to join in the fun. I disgust myself.
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May 27, 2008
As a consumer, whom are you more likely to trust—someone you’ve never met who is likely getting compensated for his or her product endorsement, or a peer who shares your tastes and interests, is genuinely excited about the product and isn’t getting paid to have an opinion.
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May 16, 2008
An IA Graveyard is a collection of content that, for some reason, would not fit into the existing architecture of a website, often resulting in confusion and a lack of findability for the end user. Avoid sending content to the dead zone at all costs!
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May 4, 2008
Every day, millions of people are going online and creating content. Do you know what your customers are broadcasting online about their experiences with your brand and your products? Learn how to just listen or engage your critics and fans alike in the social media landscape.
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April 15, 2008
As websites evolved over time, a set of accepted user interface, content and programming standards were established by the architects of Web 1.0. In 125 years, people will still use the Internet as a tool to communicate and share information, but the World Wide Web of the not-so-distant future will bare little resemblance to today’s experience.
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April 11, 2008
I’ve been on both ends of a Rick Roll; I was even Rick Roll’d live in front of a few dozen people by my thoughtful and charming user experience team. The video below takes the art form to a new level by including Muppets. And, as we all know… Muppets make everything better, except Dickens’ A Christmas Carol.
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April 7, 2008
I am chained to my Outlook calendar at work—many of you can relate; I have also been using Google Calendar since it was released to keep track of personal appointments, tasks and deadlines. The problem, of course, was that these two calendars had communication issues… until now.
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March 25, 2008
A couple weeks ago, I noticed Google experimenting with a new user interface pattern in their search results: another search input field. The search within a search raises some questions from both usability and marketing points of view. Is this unexpected UI pattern beneficial for end-users; does it help users more easily discover what they’re looking for; and what will be the effect on content owners whose sites Google is searching?
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March 22, 2008
In less than 24 hours of Twitter usage I’m following 18 people and 12 are following me. I’ve posted a few tweets… I have to admit, it is somewhat addictive
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March 14, 2008
Jeremiah Owyang, Senior Analyst at Forrester Research shares his thoughts on best practices for businesses entering the social media and social networking arena. “The power is in the hands of the community.”
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March 11, 2008
Wired magazine’s feature about the founders of 37 Signals has caused a minor skirmish in the user experience community, and I’m choosing sides.
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February 28, 2008
Today, LinkedIn publicly revealed a new user interface that attempts to improve on the poor UX many of us have experienced with the website in the past. A lot of what LinkedIn has changed resembles other social networking/social media UI designs; do the enhancements work for the online community of business professionals?
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February 24, 2008
Yes, I forgot my baggy. Does the baggy make my fellow travelers and me safer? Can someone please explain why my toothpaste, hair gunk and shaving cream are more secure within the baggy?
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February 22, 2008
Yes, attention is king; the hard part is capturing and maintaining people’s attention. MTV has fried most of our synapses to the point that we can’t focus on anything for more than three seconds.
Are you paying attention? More importantly… is your audience?
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February 19, 2008
When designing a user interface, be aware that seemingly innocuous UI decisions can cause confusion.
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February 14, 2008
Every now and then I find myself randomly showing up and hanging out on the Why Use Twitter page like it’s an ex-girlfriend’s apartment. For those who do use Twitter – Do you see the value? Can you explain it to me? Should I take the plunge?
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February 4, 2008
Evidently, it’s my turn to reveal eight titillating tidbits of personal information about myself - thanks Rob. If you’re having trouble sleeping, this may help…
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January 26, 2008
Are user generated content websites like Facebook and MySpace taking advantage of their users? The aforementioned websites are valued at billions of dollars (estimates range from $15 to $65 billion for MySpace alone), but without the users who create all of the content on the sites, aren’t the businesses effectively worthless?
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January 22, 2008
Recently, I came across a blog post entitled, “The Four Laws of Simplicity, and How to Apply Them to Life.” Interestingly, the “Four Laws” related to the process that I follow during a project Discovery Phase.
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January 18, 2008
Websites like Facebook, MySpace, YouTube, Flickr, etc. are increasingly attracting marketers looking to get their product in front of millions of web users. There are at least three questions that should be asked of any business that wants to enter the social fray…
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January 13, 2008
As the amount of consumer choices for shopping, entertainment, information and education grow, the businesses that will ultimately come out on top will understand the importance of creating a positive user experience for their customers. Those that don’t see the value in pleasing their customers will eventually find that they don’t have any customers left to please.
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January 1, 2008
We all do it—turn the blind eye to something we know in our hearts is wrong. Avoiding potential conflict, whether physical or psychological, seems the modus operandi for most people these days. While this conflict avoidant behavior is understandable, it is tearing at the fabric of society.
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December 26, 2007
As 2007 comes to a close, let’s take a look back at some online trends that I would rather not see again in 2008. Realistically, many of these trends will persist, but a guy can dream, can’t he?
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December 22, 2007
Rhode Island School of Design, a.k.a. Riz-Dee, has appointed John Maeda as its new president. He is one of the preeminent thinkers in the design/technology community and an ideal selection to lead the design school.
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December 15, 2007
For the second installment of the two-part series, I’ve analyzed the websites of the three leading Republican presidential candidates to determine who is winning the user experience vote.
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December 12, 2007
In the first installment of a two-part series, I’ve analyzed the websites of the three leading Democratic presidential candidates to determine who is winning the user experience vote.
One candidate holds a clear advantage.
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December 1, 2007
By applying some basic information architecture and user experience design principles, even a trip to the Rhode Island Department of Motor Vehicles could be transformed into a pleasant experience.
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November 27, 2007
Try as they might, even the most seasoned user experience and interaction designers must overcome tremendous challenges to create an intuitive and useful web UI for a hand-held device. Face it, typing a URL or your user name and password with your thumbs on a phone keypad is no fun.
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November 24, 2007
There are literally thousands of content management solutions available, from enterprise solutions costing hundreds of thousands of dollars, to free open-source applications.
Over the course of the year, I’ve become fairly intimate with three popular PHP/MySQL based CMS solutions: Drupal, ExpressionEngine and WordPress. In order to make each system’s high-level capabilities and character perfectly clear, I’ve compared each one to a famous assassin.
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November 20, 2007
Today, I came across an interview with esteemed UX consultant, Bruce Tognazzini. One question that was asked was especially interesting; the interviewer asked Tog if any of his original Apple user experience guidelines were still relevant.
Twenty-seven years later, it’s not just relevant; it’s user experience Gospel.
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November 12, 2007
The era of the deep discount big box store is over. Why bother fighting crowds, standing in endless lines and dealing with rude employees at a warehouse store when shopping and research can be done from the comfort of our homes and offices? The businesses that will succeed in the next decade will make personalized customer service and a pleasurable user experience their top priority.
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November 7, 2007
As I pushed my cart and dragged my two children into the self check-out lane of our local grocery store, a realization came over me: Shouldn’t I be compensated in some fashion for performing the role of cashier and bagger? Rather than paying a cashier an hourly wage, the store owner expects me to figure out how to operate the check out and payment system and bag my groceries for free.
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November 5, 2007
To be successful in any business venture, it is essential that the business owners understand their customers’ needs and fulfill those needs while providing value to the customer.
The same concept holds true online.
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November 1, 2007
There has been a lot of speculation over the past several months about the next big thing in user interface design, and many experts are betting that a three-dimensional, immersive user experience is the wave of the future. While some of the examples I have seen are compelling, I’m not entirely convinced that the majority of users are anxious to experience a 3D interface
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October 29, 2007
Lately, it seems as though every client that I work with is asking for a community or social networking aspect to their website project. Marketers are gradually realizing that social media is seizing control of their brand message, and, in turn, they feel that if they enter the fray they can regain the upper hand. Whether or not all of these clients actually understand what social media entails is another question.
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October 27, 2007
As the Director of User Experience at a digital marketing agency, I am tasked with several responsibilities—the most important of which is to make sure that everything designed and developed by the agency is useful and valuable to the client and their target audience. The first step to ensuring a project’s success is the Discovery Phase.
Use these five topics and the related questions as conversation starters, and don’t be afraid to ask “why?”. Gather as much information as possible to get a clear understanding of what the client and their users will need in a website.
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October 24, 2007
Slowly but surely I have been making enhancements to the site and building out the page templates. Most recently, I have completed the blog detail page template which displays a full blog post, the comments area and comment form.
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October 20, 2007
Last week I traveled to Los Angeles to help facilitate and observe the inaugural autograph signing event of LiveAutographs.com. Live Autographs is a startup that promises the experience of a live, face-to-face autograph signing via the twisted tubes of the inter-web...eventually.
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October 13, 2007
Those of you who have visited before can see that Adjustafresh is currently in the midst of a redesign; it’s been a long time coming.
I have outgrown WordPress—I still think that it is a great tool for blogging and even for content management on very small websites. I needed a new content management system that produced clean, semantic code; a CMS that would allow me to easily maintain the entire website, post to the blog more frequently and kill the spam.
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