WebWord

“…when it comes to man versus machine, man has to win. After all, we’re the top of the food chain, baby.”

Read the rant on usability…

The Age (Gerry Gaffney) — “When products are not differentiated primarily by features and prices are already competitive, factors such as ease-of-use and emotional response can provide a real edge. The Apple iPod is often cited as an example; a little gadget that combines relative ease of use with a strong emotional response. This helps separate the iPod from the swathe of other portable players that are comparable in terms of features and price.”

Read the article…

BBC — “If everyone with a son or daughter (or grandson or granddaughter) working for a web designer put a note in their birthday card to say “and why don’t you think about old people like me when you’re designing your software”, then it might just make them think again when they build a site with tiny fonts, miniscule icons and no accessibility aids.”

Usability awards don’t mean we’re done…

“World Usability Day was created to help everyone know more about the ways to help create a better user experience of our world.”

November 3, 2005

(Sponsored, in part, by our friends at Apogee!)

“I kind of thought this was an easy to use computer?”

Read the posting…

Robert X. Cringely — “My point here is that we’re entering another period of Internet exuberance. Yes, a lot has changed since 1999, but it’s amazing how many of the ideas being pushed are the SAME ideas, just empowered now by dark fiber, cheap broadband, and six years of Moore’s Law. And this time I think it will actually work and the Internet will change even more than it has the ways we live and work. But it isn’t going to come easy and it isn’t going to come cheap.”

I normally like what Cringely has to say. I also generally agree with him. However, in this case, he is dead nuts wrong. He’s sounding the alarm under the assumption that users are going to suddenly start using all of the space that is theoretically available. In short, his thinking is flawed and he is full of bunk.

Read how it is Hard to Make a Buck When You Are Storing Everyone’s Stuff for Free…

“We believe everything should be free! This site will keep track of websites and tools that share this philosophy and look at freeware in other aspects of life — ie. saving money, living cheaply, making things yourself, and self learning.”

Visit Oolsi …

“The methods have been drawn not just from the worlds of creative problem solving and innovation, but also from other worlds such as organisational change, strategic planning, psychotherapy, the new sciences and the creative arts. The methods are listed below. Each is linked to a description, and in some cases you will find full instructions for using the method to generate ideas.”

Visit the Idea Generation Methods web site…

Channel 9 — “Andy Edmonds, lead program manager, and Erik Selberg are two of the geeks who work on making MSN Search better. They talk about how the engine works, and what they’re doing to beat the competition. Watch me give them a bit of heck about being behind the other major engines.”

Learn more about MSN search…

“Early nerve damage caused by repetitive motion on the job can cause “sick worker” syndrome, a fatigue or depression that can be mistaken for poor work performance, according to a study published in this month’s Journal of Neuroimmunology. ”

(RSI = repetitive stress injury)

Read the article…

No updates for a week. Big event. No internet access. (Shocking, but true.)

“OK, now I am on record as saying that Skype has cheaper calling plans than the Gizmo Project. But what about the user experience? Or, as we geeks call it, the UI? (User Interface). On this count, any objective observer would have to say that the Gizmo Project rules.”

Read the posting…