[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=anYvTSnXWbk]
The developers of T9, also called predictive text, has developed a new way to input text on any touch screens using more of a gestrual approach. They call it Swype or Z1. The video starts getting interestion about 2 minutes in. Worth watching!
Hey y’all ! I’m having a bit of trouble uploading non-Youtube videos and pictures on the blog. Could someone post some instructions please on how it could be done please? Thanks!
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y1rZqw5bXb4&e]
Have fun with post-its.
In continuation to Stina’s message, I’d like to add that I’ve been checking the blog on a daily basis too. I’m still struggling with how to post images, having just learnt the art of the Video. Thanks Stina! Jannes is here in Seattle now so I feel a bit closer to being ‘home’ at Umea. Spoken to Vito, Annika and Stina often on skype too! I miss the rest of my classmates and those I will be with in the future! Excited to share all our stories and experiences.
Working at Teague has been most fun and intense. The work has been incredibly challenging and I’ve learned heaps and very quickly! I’ve had a chance to really tighten the loose ends I found I had in my professional skills and I would definitely recommend this strategy to everyone in the future. Look out for visa battles though!
Here at Teague, I’ve been thrown right in the deep end. Am buried deep in experience prototyping projects and the more ‘normal’ scenarios for pitches to clients.I’m missing the atmosphere of our studios very much and the sheer desire to innovate without the fear of the Almighty Client. These are some videos I’ve enjoyed recently that echo just this sentiment – I hope you will like them.
Missing you all! Keep this blog alive! Cheers!
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[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xwqPYeTSYng]
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Go_VtqtxCHY]
Picture is of an invitation I got to a summer outing with my workmates to the race tracks. Rock on!
Studying at UmeÃ¥ Institute of Design was truly an awesome experience (espessially getting to know some amazing people, like Helle :) and everyone else) and so is working. And they pay you for it! Feels weird but I’m getting use to it.
Just wanted to write and encourage everyone, new and old to this website, to post on this blog. Last semester Mikko was the hero in keeping this blog alive and interesting but this year I think we should all give him a hand. I don’t know how many visit this blog at a regular basis but I check it at least once a day. I’m very curious about what kind of work you are up to and also links to weird and cool things that inspire you. I’ll try to post about things I hear about here so you can see what is inspiring me at the moment and about things I learn about being an interaction designer. I would also like to take this opportunity to thank Camille for creating and managing this blog. It rocks!
A very interesting article written by Clive Thompson in The New Your Times about an online phenomena social scientists call “ambient awareness.†It is also sometimes called “microbloggingâ€Â: posting frequent tiny updates on what you’re doing. Examples of this is Twitter and Facebook status updates. Clive writes “The paradox of ambient awareness is that each little update  each individual bit of social information  is insignificant on its own, even supremely mundane. But taken together, over time, the little snippets coalesce into a surprisingly sophisticated portrait of your friends’ and family members’ lives, like thousands of dots making a pointillist painting. This is also why it can be extremely hard to understand the phenomenon until you’ve experienced it.”
I have started using Twitter and I love it. I can write down questions, mini observations, links to cool things and also things I’m doing as well as get the same from my contacts (which are at present fairly limited, I must admit). 140 characters are the limit and it forces me to be concise which is sometimes a challenge. It is kind of the Pecha Kucha of blogging. If you sign up, come and find me (stinajonsson).
google launched another product yesterday. and this time its the tried and tested product “WEB BROWSER” google chrome is the name, easy to use, simple, fast, stable and secure are the features of the game :-).
so with the introduction of another opensource browser, its good to revisit some opinions and ideas.
a. is it ONLY about browsing experience, not for user behaviour analysis and hidden agenda !
b. minimalistic layout is that the best approach for rich interaction !
c. is google going to be the next Microsoft.
d. do you like the idea of an Operating system for your computer from google.
experience chrome the g way. also enjoy the nice comics explaing about chorme.
excerpt from their website
NEW MEDIA MEETING invites to a dialogue between a wide range of artists, media activists and academics working within the realms of digital art and culture. With a focus on current trends, research and technologies, the festival encourages interdisciplinary discussion and participation.
NEW MEDIA MEETING visualizes the current state of arts and media during 2 days and 2 nights. The days are crammed with inspiring lectures, seminars, workshops and talks. The nights are a celebration of performing arts with VJing, DJing, installations, performances, showcases and hands on DIYing. NMM presents an extraordinary assembly of international artists, media workers and a broad public attendance, all in a dynamic and intimate atmosphere.
This event usually hosts interesting talks and presentations. This year’s line up looks quite good:
Adrian Bowyer from RepRap
Andrew Vande Moere, the author of the very nice www.infosthetics.com weblog
Kristina Törnblom from K3 Malmö’s classes in Fashion, body and technology
And many more artists, designers, DJs and VJs.
The Business to Buttons conference hosted at Malmö University last June offers a great selection of presentations online, both in PDF and video. Be sure to check Daniel Fällman’s presentation from UID.
Worth reading.
Digital Designers Rediscover Their Hands
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/08/17/technology/17ping.html
Hi all,
Tom Igoe, professor at ITP in New York, published an online version of his talk presented at Sketching08 this year. It’s a very interesting review of common themes and projects that recur over time in his Physical Computing classes. Have a look and check the ones you did or thought of doing before. I can remember a few for myself :-) Sometimes it’s fun and very valuable to reinvent the wheel.
http://www.tigoe.net/blog/category/physical%20computing/176/
What is the Student Design Competition?
The competition is aimed at meeting three goals:
-Provide an opportunity for students from a variety of design backgrounds (HCI, industrial design, product design, visual design, etc.) to participate in CHI and demonstrate their problem solving and design skills in an international competition against their peers.
-Provide CHI attendees with refreshing perspectives on how design teams from different disciplines and different parts of the world approach a common design problem.
-Provide CHI attendees with a chance to meet future professionals in our area, and provide competition participants with an opportunity to network with experienced HCI and Design professionals.
The Design Problem
A predominant cultural shift is underway, as societies begin to embrace the real-world implications of sustainable design. This shift has been described in a number of ways, including “slow design” or “act local, think global”; each description attempts to capture the nature of living a life that brings raw materials and production closer in proximity to their origins. By utilizing resources that are locally produced, and by disposing of these resources in a way that supports the local environment, a regional value system can be established that affords sustainable practices and that financially supports the local culture.
Design an object, interface, system, or service intended to support the idea of utilizing or consuming local resources rather than global resources, in a sustainable and environmentally efficient manner. Use methods of ethnography and contextual research to understand the problem space, and develop user-centered design solutions to support, assist, enhance or otherwise benefit your target audience. Your solution could address the methods of production or transportation of local resources, or could focus on the consumptive and disposal processes; whatever the focus, however, the solution must clearly illustrate positive value to both local stakeholders and to the local environment in your respective region.
To enter the competition, student teams may present either a concept (a clear, detailed design specification that can be taken to prototype), or a fully realized prototype. Either way, teams must clearly illustrate their design decisions and demonstrate the user centered design processes that have been followed. Additionally, as this problem has a broad cultural and social focus, “system design thinking” is encouraged.
Quick Facts
Submission: 7 January 2009 (5:00pm PST)
Notification: 30 January 2009
Camera Ready: 4 February 2009
Submission Format: Camera-ready unanonymized 6 page extended abstract in Extended Abstracts format and proof of all team members’ student status.
At the Conference: Up to 12 accepted design competition submissions will give posters at the conference; 4 of these teams will also give a presentation.
Archives: Extended abstracts; DVD and ACM Digital Library
Frequently Asked Questions: wickedproblems.com/chi09sdc.html
Read all the details: http://chi2009.org/Authors/CallForPapers/StudentDesignCompetition.html
Here is a link that present 10 recent developments in the field of user experience design. Most techniques may seem very futuristic, but some of them are already reality. And in fact, they are extremely impressive. (Thanks, Erik Crimmin)
OMG. This is truly amazing! Be prepared to be inspired.
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gLLzV5qeKyk]
You can try it at http://labs.live.com/photosynth/whatis/