WebWord

Third place and $100 went to Ann Marie Taylor of Camden, South Carolina who found the following warning on a digital thermometer that can be used to take a person’s temperature several different ways: “Once used rectally, the thermometer should not be used orally.”
What are some good examples of warning labels?
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“PointSmart, developed by Infogrip of Ventura, Calif., with assistance from the University at Buffalo Rehabilitation Engineering Research Center on Technology Transfer (T2RERC), helps stabilize erratic mouse movements by allowing users to adjust the sensitivity of those movements beyond standard speed and acceleration adjustments found on most personal computers.”
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New York Times — “The study also marks the debut of a novel questionnaire that probes the subtle, moment-to-moment emotions that constitute an ordinary day. In the new approach, called the Day Reconstruction Method, people keep a diary of everything they did during the day, from reading the paper in the morning to arguing with […]

Steve Portigal — “As a Customer Research consultant, I am fascinated by the “stuff” of a culture – the products, companies, consumers, media, and advertising that reveal so much about that culture. These grocery products don’t tell everything about the countries they come from, but by surprising and amusing us they suggest where we might […]

I’ve learned a lot from WebWord readers over the years. What I enjoy
most is doing searches on Google and finding great information on WebWord. For example, today I was looking for information (data or standards) on how to best format URLs in email messages and newsletters.
I found these references:
Hyperlinks in Email
Jakob Bruhns Email
Simple Steps for […]

“And after the year-long study was over the best results had been realized, naturally, by the subjects who stuck closest to their assigned system.”
The key is having a plan and then having tenacity. It is hard to put together a plan, and it is even harder to carry out the plan. In the case of […]

“As a former editor of a teen magazine, I read about 1,600 letters and e-mails from teen girls each month. The magazine is read by millions of girls, the bulk of them ages 12 to 18. These girls held back nothing: The magazine was their confessor, confidant and adviser.”
This is a wonderful article that has […]

GUUUI — “It seems to be an inescapable fact that users are highly goal-driven and tend to ignore navigation tools. Instead, they focus on the centre area, and hit the back button if they can’t find anything that will take them further.”
Good article.
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As a usability specialist with a consulting practice, I often have debates with people (including clients) about users. Not surprisingly some developers really can’t stand users. It can be tough to have empathy. It can be tough to understand other people, and put yourself in their shoes, especially when you are bright, creative, and educated. […]

“A review of 10 separate studies of weight-loss programs showed there was very little hard data to support any commercial or nonprofit diet approach, the researchers found. Only Weight Watchers had scientific research to back up its simple approach of keeping a food diary and focusing on low-calorie foods, especially vegetables and whole grains, they […]

A few days ago, I interviewed Matthew Oliphant of Business Logs. At the same time, Matthew interviewed me. I talk about the history of WebWord, the creation of Oristus, blogs, usability, podcasting, and more.
Read the interview…

“The hospital’s parent, Kaleida Health System, is among an expanding number of hospital systems adopting “enhanced intensive care” technology — known as eICU — that allows critical care doctors and nurses to monitor dozens of patients at different hospitals simultaneously, much as an air traffic controller keeps track of several planes.”
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