I’m getting a new phone today, the MPX200. I posted some questions on Mobile Gadget News about it. We’ll see how much these folks can help me get and running with my new SmartPhone. I’m excited about it!
On a related topic, I’ll try talking a lot about my phone over the next few weeks. Right now I am spending a lot of time working with small interfaces and mobile devices. My MPX200 will be a good “lightning rod” for discussions around small interfaces, smart devices, and mobile technology. If you are interested in these topics, or you have something good to share, let me know! john AT webword DOT com
“The Asia Pacific Computer-Human Interaction (APCHI) 2004 conference is the sixth biennial gathering of computer-human interaction experts and the first time the event has come to New Zealand.”
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Visit the APCHI 2004 web site…
(Thanks for the submission Daniel Szuc!)
The Age — “I once worked for a company that banned meetings during business hours in an attempt to improve productivity. This was alluring at first, but we soon found that sitting down in person with members of your group really is the most effective way to accomplish many tasks.”
Have you ever had a meeting about meetings? I have.
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“The debate rages. “Formal usability testing costs too much,” says one side. “We need methodological rigor,” maintains the other. “You can find the important problems with just five users,” insists the first. “Such a small number doesn’t give us reliable results,” counters the second.And never the twain shall meet.Or will they? In this Whiteboard, Jeff Sauro explores the issues and gives us some ideas for maintaining the statistical validity of our usability testing as we reduce its costs.”
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Note: If you don’t have an ACM membership, click here for a free (PDF) version! (It is the pre-print version, not that it really matters. It’ll give you what you need, probably.)
Jeff Sauro — “Adding confidence intervals to completion rates in usability tests will temper both excessive skepticism and overstated usability findings. Confidence intervals make testing more efficient by quickly revealing unusable tasks with very small samples. Examples are detailed and downloadable calculators are available.”
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“I spell well, but I type badly.”
I cancelled an order for a cell phone through Buy.com and instead I ordered it through Amazon. I’ve had pretty good experiences with Amazon so I didn’t expect any issues.
Amazon promised 2-day delivery and I even paid extra for it. However, it has been delayed for 2 days already. It should be shipping tomorrow, but I don’t have my hopes up. Getting this phone online (MPX200) has been a nightmare thus far.
In any event, that is not the point of this posting. The point is that Amazon sent me two emails of very low value. In fact, they frustrated me very much.
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A List Apart — “Using JavaScript and PHP, we can generate accessible image-headings using any font we like. And we don’t have to change the structure of our HTML or CSS at all.”
I missed this article a few weeks ago, or I just ignored it as techno mumbo jumbo. However, when I saw the demo, I understood the implications. Coolio!
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I’m on a committee to clean up Binghamton, NY. The area is hosting the 2004 Empire State Games and we want the place to look good. Below is a note that I sent to the committee detailing some ideas on fighting graffiti.
Based on research, and some
of my own ideas, here is the list of things
interesting we can do:
(Read more…)
Some folks are talking about micropayments again, and some micropayment companies such as PepperCoin are gearing up for full battle. In a recent article, PepperCoin announced that they are going to allow people to use their credit cards to carry out tiny ($0.20 – $0.25) transactions.
Clay Shirky wrote a good article on why micropayments won’t work. In large part I think his argument is a usability argument. “The mental transaction cost is too high.” That is, it just isn’t worth the effort to pay, and you can probably find what you want some other place for free.
Maybe yes, and maybe no. Clay’s article is good, but I do feel that there is some wiggle room. For compelling content or for unique applications (e.g., games), micropayments could make sense. I’d pay $0.25 for some things, but not much more, especially if I was getting something unknown (e.g., a game without a free preview).
Visa, Mastercard and American Express are not in the micropayments game. WHY? Can someone explain this to me? isn’t this a very clear business opportunity for them?
“Using the Web services-based Microsoft Information Bridge Framework bundle, end users will be able to more easily create and track customer letters, escalate cases and retrieve customer-related data without having to leave the Office application.”
1. What is the Microsoft Information Bridge Framework?
2. Do you really want to do CRM from Microsoft Office?
3. Will Open Office follow along with this and offer CRM?
4. Daniel Szuc asks: “What are the factors that ensure a successful customer relationship. Its certainly not just the software. Right?”
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“Internet-related businesses are heavily controlled, both as to content and functionality. Enterprises using websites for profit must submit to a plethora of further controls. All this is not for the faint-hearted. The biggest issue is often the lack of certainty surrounding whether one’s business is wholly compliant at any given moment.”
Good, quick overview of the topic. I’m somewhat familiar with doing business with folks from China, but not doing business in China. That is, I have a good idea how to get things done from here (United States) but I couldn’t easily get things done if I was literally in China.
However…
For usability in Asia, particularly Hong Kong, I know what I would do. I would contact my friend Daniel Szuc of Apogee. He lives right in Hong Kong and he definitely understands usability. He is sincere, enthusiastic, and creative, and that is why I enjoy interacting with him.
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