Kedron Rhodes: Taming Application UX with a UX Library from Mutually Human Software on Vimeo.

Does your app run on my LG Banter? No? Why not?

Gmail does.

Gmail, one of the most advanced internet applications available runs on my horrible little phone. Sure, it doesn’t have all of the features as the iPhone version or desktop version, but it still works.

I had just left a fabulous tech job in Tampa, FL and transplanted myself to the middle of nowhere Nashville, Michigan. AT&T took one look at my new address, and without hesitation let me out of my iPhone contract. For over a year, I used the limited, scaled back, barebones Gmail app that I could access through my phone’s barely functional browser. I didn’t use one app on my now sleeping iPhone that required a network connection.

Gmail is a great example of building a solution that works across hardware and software stacks. It delivers features based on the limitation of the delivery mechanism – and it lives in the cloud – not in an app.

Don’t get me wrong, apps have their place, and they have a LOT to offer. Apps are also narrow and limiting solutions. They have their own set of design constraints.

Instead of designing something to fill space, lets design something that fits the needs of the consumer. Consumers aren’t looking for space to be filled, they looking for solutions.

I’d love to hear your arguments for building an iPhone or Android app as apposed to building a Web app. I’m convinced they both have their place, but what do you think?

Fun reading:
Mobile First – Luke Wroblewski
The Web Is Dead. Long Live the Internet – Wired

I’ve enjoyed the attention that beauty has received in the interface design community over the past few years. There has been a push to raise the level of elegance, which makes for a much more enjoyable user experience.

One note of caution though: Beautiful doesn’t mean usable.

In the pursuit of making things beautiful, some interface designers sacrifice usability for ascetics. At first glance, the interface looks smooth, slick and inviting – and before we know it, the user has moved onto something different because they can’t figure out where to go or what to choose.

The tension between utility and esthetics is healthy. As visual communicators and interface/interaction designers, it’s important to keep that tension alive and in focus – our users will reward us for it.

The focus on making things easier in User Interface Design (UID) is acute and sometimes blinding. Acute in the fact that it’s our job to take an application and make it easy to use, and blinding in that we sometimes make it too easy for users to overlook a necessary function of the project.

A critical element in UID is controlling the pace and flow of the interface. In some cases that means lining things up for the user to get from point A to point B on the easiest path. In other cases it means slowing the user down, so they are forced to engage with the interface in a manner that requires a bit more thought.

When to complicate it a bit:

• When you’re changing a predicted path and you need the user to take notice.
• When you’re asking for something with a specific format.
• When you’re requesting the user to adjust their trajectory.

Most of the time easy is ideal, but good UID is mindful of the pace and what should affect it.

Microformats Book Specification

The book specification is an extension of the hProduct draft schema for Microformats. It should should be subject to, and likewise inherit, the guiding specifications for hProduct schema as it continues to solidify.

Table of Contents

• ISBN-10/ISBN-13/EAN.UCC-13
• Title
• Subtitle
• Contributor name(s) and role(s)
• Publisher/Imprint/Brand Name
• Price
• Product Form (Format/Binding/Packaging)
• Publication Date
• BISAC Subject
• Language
• Series Name and Number Within Series
• Edition Number
• Edition Type and Edition Description
• ONIX Audience Code
• Age Range of Target
• Territorial rights
• Weight and Dimensions
• Page Count, Running Time, Extent
• Textual Description
• Summary or Synopsis
• Cover Thumbnail
• Working Example

<p>ISBN-13: <span class="isbn isbn-10">1585425885</span></p>
<p>ISBN-13: <span class="isbn isbn-13">978-1585425884</span></p>

<p>Title: <span class="title">The Power of Kindness: The Unexpected Benefits of Leading a Compassionate Life</span></p>

<p>Title: <span class="title">The Power of Kindness: <span class="subtitle">The Unexpected Benefits of Leading a Compassionate Life</span></span></p>

<p>Author: <a class="vcard contributor author url"><span class="fn">Piero</span> <span class="n">Ferrucci</span></a></p>

<p>Publisher: <span class="vcard publisher"><span class="fn org">Tarcher</span></span></p>

<p>Price: <span class="price msrp">$13.95</span></p>

<p>[<span class="product-form">Paperback</span>]</p>

<p>Publication Date: <span class="pub-date">October 4, 2007</span></p>

<p>Subject: <span class="subject PHI015000">Philosophy / Mind & Body</span></p>

<p>Language: <span class="lang eng">English</span></p>

<p>Series: <span class="series">The Way of The Buddhist Series</span> Book Number <span class="series-number">7</span></p>

<p>Edition Number: <span class="edition-number">3</span></p>

<p>Edition Type: <span class="edition-type lte">Large Print</span></p>

<p>Primary Audience: <span class="audience general">General</span></p>

<p>Age range: <span class="age">18+</span></p>

<p>Territorial rights: <span class="rights world">Whole World</span></p>

<p>Size: <span class="dimensions"><span class="width">6</span> x <span class="length">8</span> x <span class="depth">0.9</span> in.</span> <span class="dimensions">152 x 203 x 22 mm.</span></p>
<p>Weight: <span class="weight us">1.09 lb</span> | <span class="weight metric">494 gms</span></p>

<p>Page Count: <span class="page-count">368</span></div>
<p>Run Time: <span class="run-time">01:05:05</span></p>

<div class="description">	
	<p>Piero Ferrucci warns against the dangers of "global cooling." As the pace of living grows faster and the impact of new technologies more insistent, communications become hurried and impersonal. The drive for profit overrides the heart. Warmth and genuine presence fade.</p>
 
	<p>The Power of Kindness is a stirring examination of a simple but profound concept. Piero Ferrucci, one of the world's most respected transpersonal psychologists, explores the many surprising facets of kindness and argues that it is this trait that will not only lead to our own individual happiness and the happiness of those around us, but will guide us in a world that has become cold, anxious, difficult, and frightening.</p>
 
	<p>In eighteen interlocking chapters, Dr. Ferrucci reveals that the kindest people are the most likely to thrive, to enable others to thrive, and to slowly but steadily turn our world away from violence, self-centeredness, and narcissism-and toward love. Writing with a rare combination of sensitivity and intellectual depth, Dr. Ferrucci shows that, ultimately, kindness is not a luxury in our world but rather a necessity for us all.</p>
</div>

<p class="summary">Citing a global phenomenon of impersonal human relations and materialism, a respected transpersonal psychologist argues that individual happiness can occur only through acts of kindness, in a resource that explores eighteen expressions of kindness while demonstrating how kind people are the most likely to survive and thrive in a hostile world. By the author of What We May Be. Reprint. 50,000 first printing.</p>

<img src="../images/978-1585425884.jpg" alt="The Power of Kindness: The Unexpected Benefits of Leading a Compassionate Life" class="cover thumb" />

Working Example

<div class="product hproduct book">
  <img src="../images/978-1585425884.jpg" alt="The Power of Kindness: The Unexpected Benefits of Leading a Compassionate Life" class="cover thumb" />
  <p>Title: <span class="title">The Power of Kindness: <span class="subtitle">The Unexpected Benefits of Leading a Compassionate Life</span></span> [<span class="product-form">Paperback</span>]</p>
  <p>Author: <a class="vcard contributor author url"><span class="fn">Piero</span> <span class="n">Ferrucci</span></a></p>
  <p>List Price:<span class="price msrp">$16.99</span></p>
  <p class="summary">Citing a global phenomenon of impersonal human relations and materialism, a respected transpersonal psychologist argues that individual happiness can occur only through acts of kindness, in a resource that explores eighteen expressions of kindness while demonstrating how kind people are the most likely to survive and thrive in a hostile world. By the author of What We May Be. Reprint. 50,000 first printing.</p>
  <div class="description">	
    <p>Piero Ferrucci warns against the dangers of "global cooling." As the pace of living grows faster and the impact of new technologies more insistent, communications become hurried and impersonal. The drive for profit overrides the heart. Warmth and genuine presence fade.</p>
    <p>The Power of Kindness is a stirring examination of a simple but profound concept. Piero Ferrucci, one of the world's most respected transpersonal psychologists, explores the many surprising facets of kindness and argues that it is this trait that will not only lead to our own individual happiness and the happiness of those around us, but will guide us in a world that has become cold, anxious, difficult, and frightening.</p>
    <p>In eighteen interlocking chapters, Dr. Ferrucci reveals that the kindest people are the most likely to thrive, to enable others to thrive, and to slowly but steadily turn our world away from violence, self-centeredness, and narcissism-and toward love. Writing with a rare combination of sensitivity and intellectual depth, Dr. Ferrucci shows that, ultimately, kindness is not a luxury in our world but rather a necessity for us all.</p>
  </div>
  <p>Publisher: <span class="vcard publisher"><span class="fn org">Tarcher</span></span></p>
  <p>Price: <span class="price msrp">$13.95</span></p>
  <p>Publication Date: <span class="pub-date">October 4, 2007</span></p>
  <p>Subject: <span class="subject PHI015000">Philosophy: Mind and Body</span></p>
  <p>Language: <span class="lang eng">English</span></p>
  <p>ISBN-13: <span class="isbn isbn-10">1585425885</span></p>
  <p>ISBN-13: <span class="isbn isbn-13">978-1585425884</span></p>
  <p>Series: <span class="series">The Way of The Buddhist Series</span> Book Number <span class="series-number">7</span></p>
  <p>Edition Number: <span class="edition-number">3</span></p>
  <p>Edition Type: <span class="edition-type lte">Large Print</span></p>
  <p>Primary Audience: <span class="audience general">General</span></p>
  <p>Age range: <span class="age">18+</span></p>
  <p>Territorial rights: <span class="rights world">Whole World</span></p>
  <p>Size: <span class="dimensions"><span class="width">6</span> x <span class="length">8</span> x <span class="depth">0.9</span> in.</span> <span class="dimensions">152 x 203 x 22 mm.</span></p>
  <p>Weight: <span class="weight us">1.09 lb</span> | <span class="weight metric">494 gms</span></p>
  <p>Page Count: <span class="page-count">304</span></p>
</div>

What struck me most about his presentation was his ability to talk about Web design and user experience in a narrative. The narrative involved the relationship a user has with a site, and how the site aught to seduce the user – which is not the point I’m trying to make though.

The real beauty, in my opinion, about his story was that he was able to tap into the wealth of knowledge, experience and insight that he’s gained over the years, and package it in such a non-technical presentation.

That kind of knowledge only comes with a deep understanding of your craft. It surfaces in the subtleties of conversation, in the details of your work, and in the quality you’re able to deliver.

His talk fueled the desire to continue to own my craft. To know it inside and out.

Further Reading

• Andy Budd: Blogography
• Andy Budd: Founder at Clearleft
• An Event Apart
• An Event Apart: San Francisco 2009

Update
Andy’s talk on Seductive Design

Andy Budd – Seductive Design from Build on Vimeo.

Andy Budd speaking on Seductive Design at Build — http://buildconference.com.

Context was there before the chicken or the egg

There is an inherent set of influences on context that must be considered, and those are the ones that the user brings to the experience. The user establishes, albeit hard to accurately measure, the initial context in which your site/app/content is interpreted through. They have a unique background, geographical region, life experience, and world view that shapes the way they move about your work.

Understanding, thoroughly, your own message goes a long way in effectively bridging the initial gap that inherently exists, but that’s not enough. We must also be sensitive to the cultural, social, and individual influence, each user brings to the experience. ¹

Context starts before your content is loaded

One of the major assumptions we tend to make about context is the media device our content is going to be rendered on. Understanding the device aught to drastically influence the way we design the user experience.

Be mindful that the user may not have much of a choice in the technology your content is delivered on. If you’re building an application that helps farmers regulate or monitor their water use, then you have to consider that many rural areas don’t have broadband, and may not have internet access apart from their cell phones. If you’re working with a non-profit that provides resources for those with disabilities, you must consider screen readers, brail machines, and large font displays. On that note, if you’re working with anyone in the education and government sectors you need to pay attention to 508 accessibility laws. ²

Context has history

When we present content it’s important to understand where the user has been. In some cases, this can have an immediate affect on the types of content we deliver. For example, if someone enters your site via Google, and they land on part 3 of a 3 part series on “The Political Climate on Social Networks” it would be extremely beneficial to the user to be made aware of that, as well as direct them to what they’ve missed.

Understanding their history can also be used to help float useful and meaningful content to the surface of your site as the user moves about. For example, if you know your user has been shopping for children’s books for the past few clicks, it may be helpful to surface a book to a featured section of the site that just won an award in children’s literature.

Context a future

Understanding where a user is headed is crucial to delivering a meaningful user experience. If you know a user is going to end up in a registration process, or a checkout process, or some sort of “next step”, we can affectively guide them in that direction, and inform them along the way. ³

Context matters

Understanding context helps us close the loop in a users experience. Being mindful of this helps build trust and loyalty, as well as differentiates a quality experience from an average one.

1. It should go without saying that your message needs to be culturally, socially, and individually relevant based on your target audience. The more specific you can be, the more gracefully you can communicate.

2. I’ve worked in university and government life for over 10 years, dealing exclusively with the Web, and I’m convinced we all need to pay attention to 508, whether we’re mandated by Congress or not. IMHO.

3. I recently bought a pair of boots from the “world’s leading provider of apparel and accessories for the country/western lifestyle” and was annoyed that nowhere in the purchasing process was I made aware of how to take care of these boots. Even after they showed up at my door there was still no care instructions.