Tabbed browsing acclimation
I recently completed some usability testing on an e-learning training module. This e-learning is launched in a browser and utilizes on-screen controls within the browser window to handle the navigation...
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Usability Moments
Jared Spool and Robert Hoekman, Jr. were asked recently on the Userability Podcast (Episode #14 – Growing in UX) what they might recommend to the caller as “a course of study to become a user...
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Pushing Dunbar’s Number
As of today, here is what my follower and following count on Twitter looks like: Something definitely happened to my attention once I began following 120-140 people: Monitoring my Twitter feed became...
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Dragon Dice Probability
I just wrapped up Level 4 (or week 4, for you non-gamers out there) of the Game Balance Concepts course that I’ve been taking. This week was all about probability and randomness. Here is one exercise...
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Habanero Haze
Every August, the local pizza shop with national acclaim, Flying Pie Pizzeria, offers something legendary: the Habanero Pizza. Colleague Kevin Selmasska and I journeyed to the Flying Pie to test this...
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Stop Asking Me to Join Facebook!!!
Sigh… I didn’t want to write this post. It is risky. With more than 500 million active users as of July 10, Facebook is one of the most popular websites in the world. In fact, it was second only to...
View ArticleGamification. Really?!?!
I have become quite intrigued with the concept of “gamification” and the potential of a “gamepocalypse.” Lets start with some definitions: Gamification: “The integration of game mechanics or game...
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Triple Habanero!
As you might recall from a previous post, my friend Kevin and I went to Flying Pie Pizzeria to attempt the single Habanero pizza. We went in looking for a challenge, but instead, we found a pizza that...
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Micromax: Another User Research Success
The August 16th – August 29th Bloomberg Businessweek included a technology piece titled “Giving Indians the Phones They Want” (posted online as India’s Mobile Phone Hitmaker). This article profiled a...
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Ambient Adaptation and Storytelling
Recently I’ve had the good fortune of being exposed to a few games that break away from the designs seen in the current crop of “popular” gaming options. Limbo (XboxLive Arcade): Limbo begins with no...
View ArticleGamification is Legit – Time to Learn More
In a previous post I started talking about gamification, sharing some popular definitions and some links to start exploring the concept. Well, the tide of discussion about gamification hasn’t receded:...
View ArticleDesign Lessons from a Zombie Apocalypse
I can’t blame Halloween for the fact that I woke up thinking about zombies. Sure, if there is any day where it is completely legitimate to think about ghouls and ghosts, then today is the day....
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UI15 Notes
div.wp-caption { float: left; } The learning at User Interface 15 was intoxicating. While nothing can take the place of “being there,” I thought you might enjoy looking at my very raw notes from a...
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Visual Thinking FTW
My wife Diane and I were out to dinner with our good friend Jake. All three of us like our tech, with Jake and myself capably wearing the title of “geek” due to our proclivities around things shiny and...
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Boise UX Book Club
We are starting a UX Book Club in Boise! Selecting a book, establishing the date/time/location for the meetup(s), and getting the word out – all without a support structure in place – could be like...
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The Best Games of 2010: Part 1
If you’ve been to my blog before, it should be apparent that I love games. And when I say love, I’m not referring to a shallow, escapist enjoyment sorta love. I have a deep, thoughtful, and in many...
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The Best Games of 2010: Part 2
Today I’m finishing up my discussion of the best games of 2010. Hopefully you didn’t miss the first part of this discussion. In the interest of full disclosure, I must share an important caveat: there...
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Boise UX Book Club – February
We have settled on a date, time, location, and book for the very first meeting of the Boise UX Book Club! When: Friday, February 25th 11:30am – 1:00 pm Where: Brick Oven Bistro The Book: Storytelling...
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Good, Evil, and the Cost-Benefit Analysis of Interaction
Weekends are great. They provide me with the opportunity to end my slumber with a period of “restful alertness” where I can lie still in my bed and just think about things. It is during this time that...
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Can I Haz Social Gaming?
Currently I’m embarking on a fortitude-testing quest: I’m exposing myself to social casual games. Why? Social gaming is now (arguably, of course) the world’s most popular form of gaming. My first...
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