TIME
7:12 PM
Usability Heuristics by Jakob Nielsen
A quick insight on Jakob Nielsen's 10 Usability Heuristics for Interface Design.
[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hWc0Fd2AS3s]
Friday, November 11, 2011
Thursday, November 10, 2011
TIME
8:18 AM
This is how Nokia Lumia 800 was born!
NokiaConversations has released the 'behind the scenes at Nokia's London design studio' video documentary, starring Stefan Pannenbecker, VP of Industrial Design at Nokia, Chris Linnett, Head of Lumia UX design and Kate Freebairn, Creative Director for Lumia UX design.
The video portrays the story behind the creation of Nokia's first Windows Phone and their tight collaboration with various teams at Microsoft.
[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QvnDunLJSPE]
Wednesday, November 9, 2011
TIME
10:04 PM
Monday, November 7, 2011
TIME
1:18 PM
Common abbreviations used while chatting/texting
- 4EVR - Forever
- AAAAA - American Association Against Acronym Abuse
- ADR - Address
- AFAIC - As Far As I'm Concerned
- AFAIK - As Far As I Know
- AFAYC - As Far As You're Concerned
- AFK - Away From Keyboard
- AISI - As I See It
- AKA - Also Known As
- ALOL - Actually Laughing Out Loud
- AML - All My Love
- ANFSCD - And Now For Something Completely Different
- ASAP - As Soon As Possible
- ASL - Age/Sex/Location
- ASLMH - Age/Sex/Location/Music/Hobbies
- ATM - At The Moment
- AWOL - Absent Without Leave
- B/C - Because
- B4 - Before
- BAK - Back At Keyboard
- BBFN - Bye Bye For Now
- BBL - Be Back Later
- BBS - Be Back Soon
- BBSL - Be Back Sooner or Later
- BCNU - Be Seeing You
- BCOZ - Because
- BEOS - Nudge
- BFN - Bye For Now
- BKA - Better Known As
- BRB - Be Right Back
- BRT - Be Right There
- BTW - By The Way
- BUAYA - To Sweet Talk You
- CFV - Call For Vote
- CU - See You (good bye)
- CUL - See You Later
- CUL8ER - See You Later
- CY - Calm Yourself
- CYA - Cover Your A__
- DH - Dear Hubby (Husband)
- DL - Download
- DMI - Don't Mention It
- DOD - We could tell you but then we'd have to kill you!
- DUCT - Did You See That?
- DYOFDW - Do Your Own F___ing Dirty Work
- EG - Evil Grin
- EL - Evil Laugh
- F2F - Face to Face
- FAQ - Frequently Asked Questions
- FAQL - Frequently Asked Questions List
- FAWC - For Anyone Who Cares
- FFK - Fong Fei Kei - To Stand You Up
- FOAF - Friend Of A Friend
- FTASB - Faster Than A Speeding Bullet
- FTF - Face To Face
- FTL - Faster Than Light
- FUBAR - F_____d Up Beyond All Recognition
- FWIW - For What It's Worth
- FYA - For Your Amusement/Action/Approval
- FYI - For Your Information
- GA - Go Ahead
- GALGAL - Give A Little Get A Little
- GBH - Great Big Hug
- GD&R - Grinning, Ducking and Running (usually after snide remark)
- GG - Good Game
- GGN - Gotta Go Now
- GL - Good Luck
- GMTA - Great Minds Think Alike
- GR8 - Great
- HIH - Hope It Helps
- HILIACACLO - Help I Lapsed Into A Coma And Can't Log Off
- HTH - Hope This Helps
- HUGZ - Hugs
- IAE - In Any Event
- IANAL - I Am Not A Lawyer
- IAT - I am Tired
- IC - I See
- ICBW - I Could Be Wrong
- IDK - I Don't Know
- IGTP - I Get The Point
- IHNO - I Have No Opinion
- IHTFP - I Have Truly Found Paradise (I Hate This F_____n Place)
- IIR - If I Recall
- IIRC - If I Recall Correctly
- IM - Instant Message
- IMAO - In My Arrogant Opinion
- IMHO - In My Humble Opinion
- IMNSHO - In My Not-So-Humble Opinion
- IMO - In My Opinion
- INPO - In No Particular Order
- IOW - In Other Words
- IRL - In Real Life
- IYKWIM - If You Know What I Mean
- IYKWIMAITYD - If You Know What I Mean And I Think You Do
- JK (or J/K) - Just Kidding
- JM2C - Just My 2 Cents
- JT - Just Teasing
- K - Okay
- KBD - Keyboard
- KEWL - Cool
- KOK - Knock
- KOTC - Kiss On The Cheek
- KOTL - Kiss On The Lips
- L8R - Later
- LMAO - Laughing My A__ Off
- LOL - Laughing Out Loud
- LOLA - Laugh Out Loud Again
- LOOL - Laughing Outragously Out Loud
- LWR - Launch When Ready
- LYLAS - Love You Like a Sister
- MOMPL - One Moment Please
- MOO - Multi-user Dungeon Object-Oriented
- MOTAS - Member Of The Appropriate Sex
- MOTOS - Member Of The Opposite Sex
- MOTSS - Member Of The Same Sex
- MSG - Message
- MTBF - Mean Time Between Failure
- MTFBWY - May The Force Be With You
- MUAK - Smooch
- MUD - Multiple User Dungeon
- MUSH - Multi User Shared Hallucination
- N/A - Not Acceptable
- N1 - Nice One
- NDA - Non-Disclosure Agreement
- NM - Nevermind
- NP - No Problem
- NRN - No Reply Necessary
- NTK - Nice To Know
- OB- - Obligatory (as a prefix)
- OBJOKE - Obligatory Joke
- OIC - Oh, I See!
- OK - All Correct (I Approve)
- OMG - Oh My God
- ONNA - Oh No, Not Again
- ONNTA - Oh No, Not This Again
- OOI - Out Of Interest
- OS - Operating System
- OTOH - On The Other Hand
- OTOOH - On The Other Other Hand
- OUSU - Oh, You Shut Up
- PD - Public Domain
- PFA - Please Find Attached
- PDA - Public Display of Affection
- PIAK - Slap In The Face
- PITA - Pain In The A__
- PLS - Please
- PM - Personal Message
- PMFJI - Pardon Me For Jumping In
- PMIGBOM - Put Mind In Gear Before Opening Mouth
- PMJI - Pardon My Jumping In
- POV - Point of View
- PPL - People
- PS - Post Script
- QL - Quit Laughing!
- QS - Quit Scrolling
- QT - Cutie
- RBAY - Right Back At Ya
- RE - Regards or Hello Again
- RFC - Request For Comments
- RFD - Request For Discussion
- RFI - Request For Information
- RIT - Alrighty
- RL - Real Life
- ROFL - Rolling On Floor Laughing
- ROFLASTC - Rolling On Floor Laughing And Scaring The Cat
- ROFLGO - Rolling On Floor Laughing Guts Out
- ROFLMAO - Rolling On Floor Laughing My A__ Off!
- ROFLOL - Rolling On Floor Laughing Out Loud
- ROTFL - Rolling On The Floor Laughing
- ROTFLABIC - Rolling On The Floor Laughing And Biting Into Carpet
- ROTFLOL - Rolling On The Floor Laughing Out Loud
- RTFAQ - Read The FAQ
- RTFM - Read The F___ing Manual
- RX - Regards (Regs)
- SCNR - Sorry Couldn't Resist
- SED - Said Enough Darling
- SF - Science Fiction
- SFETE - Smiling From Ear To Ear
- SMAIM - Send Me An Instant Message
- SME - Subject Matter Expert
- SNAFU - Situation Normal, All F___ed Up
- SNAILMAIL - Postal Mail Service
- SO - Significant Other (e.g., spouse, boy/girlfriend)
- SOHF - Sense Of Humor Failure
- SPAM - Stupid Persons' Advertisement
- SSEWBA - Someday Soon, Everything Will Be Acronyms
- SU - Shut Up
- SWAG - Scientific Wild A__ Guess
- SWALK - Sealed With A Loving Kiss
- TAS - Taking A Shower
- TFDS - That's For Darn Sure
- THANX - Thanks
- THX - Thanks
- TIA - Thanks In Advance
- TIC - Tongue In Cheek
- TNC - Tongue In Cheek
- TNX - Thanks
- TPTB - The Powers That Be
- TSR - Terminal and Stay Resindent
- TTFN - Ta Ta For Now
- TTYL - Talk To You Later
- TVM - Thanks Very Much
- TWIMC - To Whom It May Concern
- TY - Thank You
- TYVM - Thank You Very Much
- U - You
- U2 - You Too?
- UR - Your
- VBG - Very Big Grin
- VBS - Very Big Smile
- VEG - Very Evil Grin
- VSF - Very Sad Face
- W/ - With
- W/B - Write Back
- W/O - without
- WAD - Without A Doubt
- WB - Welcome Back
- WBS - Write Back Soon
- WEG - Wicked Evil Grin
- WISP - Winning Is So Pleasureable
- WNOHGB - Were No One Has Gone Before
- WRT - With Respect To
- WT - Without Thinking
- WTG - Way To Ggo
- WTH - What The Heck
- WTTM - Without Thinking To Much
- WYSIWYG - What You See Is What You Get
- WYWH - Wish You Were Here
- XM - Excuse Me
- XME - Excuuuuse Me
- XO - Hugs, Kisses
- Y - Why
- YMMV - Your Mileage May Vary
- YTTDSFATCCSH - Yours Till The Desert Sands Freeze And The Camels Come Skating Home
- YW - Your Welcome
- YWIA - You're Welcome In Advance
- ZZZ - Sleeping, Bored, Tired
Sunday, November 6, 2011
TIME
3:33 PM
My favorite dinner advisor - Zomato
NCR based, Zomato’s App lets you search menus across 12000 restaurants in India. Spanning 7 cities – Delhi NCR, Mumbai, Bangalore, Kolkata, Pune, Chennai & Hyderabad, Zomato lets you check ratings, reviews and discounts of all restaurants in your city. Zomato on Android is also location aware – it recommends you the best restaurants around your current location.
The app is currently available on iPhone App Store , Android Market and Blackberry App store.
The app is currently available on iPhone App Store , Android Market and Blackberry App store.
TIME
4:15 AM
The 30 Standard Facebook Profile Photo Styles
Over the weekend I took a trip through Facebook to look at the various Facebook profile photos that my friends and their friends had posted. The profile photo is probably the single most important component for personal expression. That’s why studying our profile photos will often reveal what is most important to us. Below is a list of 30 profile photos styles that you’ll find most often when exploring your Facebook friends list.
1. The Modified Cartoon Portrait
These were probably popularized by the classic Obama icon that was circulating prior to the inauguration last year. There were millions of Obama supporters that decided to change their profile photo to the Obama-like design but there continues to be many others that create similar cartoon-like modifications. I’m not sure of the filters in Photoshop that were used to generate these effects but they’re definitely interesting. The most creative individuals come up with their own unique designs.
2. The Reflective Sunglasses
I found at least three friends that had used this shot. The reflective sunglasses shot is a clear shot of the individual who’s profile it is and included in the photo is the reflection of the scene that individual is looking at. The reflection helps to provide some context of where the user had their profile photo taken. It’s an eye-catching shot, and one that countless Facebook users have used for their profile.
3. The Just Married Shot
Typically found right after a couple has been married, this photo will show a husband and wife posing for the camera, or the wife and father. While every couple is different and the pose may change from one couple to another, this photo expresses one of the major stages in our lives. Given the average age of a Facebook user, I’d guess that there are millions of users with the “I’m Married” shot as their profile photo.
4. I’ve Got a Mac, or the Photo Booth Warhol Shot
Right after a person purchases a Mac, one of the first things they explore is the applications and the one which tends to draw their attention most is the application that lets them make funny photos. One of the photos that’s often used is the four-color Andy Warhol photo. It’s one of the biggest time wasters of any Mac owner and many Facebook users are indeed Mac owners.
5. I’m A Photographer Shot
Photographers are proud about their hobby. The most avid photographers will post a photo of themselves with a camera in front of their face. Ironically, this shot breaks all sort of rules about portrait photos including the one which says good portraits include the a full shot of the subject’s face. There are no rules about Facebook photos though so feel free to post anything as your profile picture!
6. I’m a Family Man
The next stage in life after getting married is having children and there is no lack of Facebook users with children. This photo is with the father and his child or children. It emphasizes his dedication to his children and also displays a softer side of the individual. There are plenty of Facebook users with children and that means there are also a lot of family men on the site.
7. The Where’s Waldo Shot
Sometimes we become part of a movement which is much bigger then ourselves. Sometimes it’s a political movement (as mentioned later in this list) and other times its part of a large event. While participating in a large event, some Facebook users will post a photo of themselves buried among the crowd. It’s pretty much impossible to find the person unless you are them and you were at the event and know where you were standing. That’s why I call this one the “Where’s Waldo” shot.
8. Last Name Sign Shot
There are multiple variants of the last name sign shot. Some people post a photo of a celebrity wearing a shirt with their last name (as shown in the photo above). Others will stumble upon a street sign while traveling abroad. Some also post photos of the names of restaurant signs in foreign countries that resemble their last name. Whatever variant of the photo your friend is using, there is a good chance that you’ve seen someone that’s posted a photo like this.
9. I Love My Pet Photo
Whether you are into rabbits, dogs, cats, birds, guinea pigs, or any other domestic pet, if you have a pet, you’ve probably posted a photo of it. My sister currently has a photo of her with her dog, and another one of my friends has posted a picture with their parrot (as shown above). No matter what type of pet users have, the pet is often a big part of our lives which justifies displaying it as our profile photo.
10. I’m On A Boat or Plane
If you haven’t seen it already, you should probably see the “I’m On a Boat” video. While most people haven’t been on a yacht like the one in the “I’m On a Boat” video, many people enjoy the experience of traveling on a unique boat or plane. One of my friends, as pictured above, had a picture of himself sitting on what appears to be a plane for carrying paratroopers. Whether you are traveling by boat or plane, make sure you post the experience to your Facebook profile.
11. This Is Not Me Cartoon Photo
I don’t know why people do this but they’ll post the photo of an obscure cartoon photo. Ultimately I get the idea that the cartoon they are posting should theoretically share similar personality traits but shouldn’t your profile photo be of yourself?
12. The I’m Not Richie Rich Shot
While many of us aspire to be rich, that’s all that it currently is: aspirations. In order to share those aspirations with others we will post photos of the object that we would like to acquire one day. It’s the Facebook equivalent of vision boards. We all have hopes and dreams but displaying objects of our desire doesn’t make it easy for people to find you. Unless of course you have a distinct name or no other people with your name have posted similar objects.
13. The Personal Branding Master
People that are focused on their personal brand will post photos of themselves during moments of authority. Most often this a photo of themselves speaking at an event or just speaking in general to a group of people. I have to say that I currently fall into this category. That’s because I have tons of friends on Facebook that are affiliated with me through my professional life, not through my personal life.
14. The College Poster Photo
Remember how college students have posters of different things all over their door room wall? I know I definitely had a few. Some people will post the various types of shots that you can make with a little bit of alcohol, others will pay homage to their beer addiction. I remember having a photo of an island in some unknown location. There are countless posters out there and Facebook profiles are a great place to post them.
15. I’ve Got a Boyfriend/Girlfriend Photo
Facebook relationships can be an extremely complex thing. One of the things that many new couples do is post a photo of themselves together as a form of a public announcement to solidify the relationship. Let’s be honest though, it’s not just new boyfriends and girlfriends that post the photos. Many husbands an wives do the exact same thing. For this one I decided to pick on those with recently commenced relationships.
16. Change the World Photo
Some Facebook users try to change the world through their Facebook photo. Whether it’s to make a statement about a war that’s taking place somewhere or to speak out against a current policy, the photos make a statement and bring awareness to others that view their profile.
17. Sky Backdrop Headshot
I found numerous friends that had posted of themselves in the midst of some activity with the sky as the backdrop. Let’s be honest, the sky does serve as a nice backdrop. It’s a common occurrence though and coming up with a truly unique Facebook photo can be extremely challenging. The other problem with a sky backdrop is that it gives us no reference of the person’s location for the most part. While not a huge problem, it’s always nice to have some sort of context within a Facebook profile photo.
18. The Tourist Landmark Photo
You would think that people would stop taking photos of themselves directly in front of a famous landmark. Surprisingly they don’t. It’s as if someone in the future will disagree with them when they claim that they’ve actually been somewhere in world. For those moments, these individuals will have their tourist landmark shot as proof of their presence.
19. Personal Paradise
We each have our own vision of a perfect setting. For some it’s sitting on a hammock overlooking a Brazilian beach. Others may prefer to be hiking up Mt. Everest. Whatever your personal paradise is, it is something that is unique to each of us and when you arrive to your personal paradise, the best thing to do is to take a photo as a memory of that experience.
A small percentage of the world is fortunate enough to say that they’ve visited their personal paradise but for those that have, it often serves as their Facebook profile photo.
20. The Joke Photo
Not to be confused with the jokester photo which illustrates an individual who is expressing that humor is one of their greatest personality traits, the joke photo is just that: a joke. There are countless jokes which makes this photo such a unique one. I thought the one that I pictured above was extremely creative when I stumbled across it.
21. In A Mirror Shot
Made popular on MySpace, photographs taken through a mirror have become a standard for Facebook profile photos. There are many versions of this photo but no matter how it’s taken, it is always taken in a mirror. Some of the most popular mirror photo shots are done in an individual’s bathroom because that’s the most common location of a mirror. Mirrors are also often used as a substitute for the next photo in the list: the extended arm shot.
22. The New Toy Shot
Who doesn’t love the new car or motorcycle they just got? Typically after we throw down a lot of cash for an expensive ride, we like to post a photo of ourselves with it. There are also those that still like to pose with their vehicle despite it being new because they spend a lot of time with it. No matter what your reason for doing it is, there are a lot of Facebook users that post a photo of themselves with their new toy.
23. The Middle Finger Shot
I have no idea why, but among the younger generations there is always a photo of someone showing their middle finger. The longer the finger is extended, the better. This is the ultimate way of saying “I don’t give a shit what you think.” It most definitely gets the point across although I can’t recommend using this shot if you are looking to attract a lot of new friends.
24. This is My Baby!
Rather than posting a photo of themselves, many Facebook users will post a picture of their children. I understand, you love your child and they are the most important thing in your life. It’s hard to find someone though if you are searching through Facebook and a photo of their child keeps showing up though. Fortunately, if you share many friends in common with that individual though, there is a good chance that you will know that it’s them even though it’s a photo of their child. Who can blame the person if their kid is adorable though!
25. Me As a Baby
For those without a baby of their own, some users like to post a photo of themselves as a baby. While they most likely won’t post the most embarrassing baby photos, these photos tend to get a decent response from friends. I would argue that most people that choose to post their baby photos are female as baby photos are typically perceived as “cute”, something that most guys don’t want to be perceived as. Despite that there are still a few guys that post their baby photos but I’d count them as a rare occurrence.
26. The Jokester Photo
Some people just like playing around and for those individuals there is the jokester photo. When humor is an individual’s strongest personality trait, they’ll often times put a funny photo to cheer up your day. Facebook profile photos can make you laugh and these people will try their hardest to put a smile on your face.
27. Here You Go Shot
Some photographers enjoy the foreground/background dynamic and will take advantage of it by letting the subject offer a gift to the viewer. In the case of the photo above, that gift is a nice cold glass of beer but there are many variants of the “Here You Go” shot.
28. On Vacation Photo
Many people just don’t want to be at work. For those individuals they post pictures of the vacation they just went on or the vacation that they’d like to be on. It’s not a photo of the person but instead a photo of the vacation scene which is very similar to the “personal paradise” photo.
29. Professional Headshot
For those of you who are actors, professional headshots are practically a necessity for maximizing your odds of getting another gig. Professional headshots are useful for getting a job and Facebook is great for increasing your reach. If you are looking to act or model, then setting your picture as a professional headshot is not a bad idea.
30. This is Me Shot
This is by far the most popular Facebook profile photo. It also happens to be a classic portrait photo. The picture is head on and you can see every aspect of their face, from ear to ear and from chin to forehead. You can clearly see who the person is. There is nothing more simple, and nothing more human than the this me shot.
1. The Modified Cartoon Portrait
These were probably popularized by the classic Obama icon that was circulating prior to the inauguration last year. There were millions of Obama supporters that decided to change their profile photo to the Obama-like design but there continues to be many others that create similar cartoon-like modifications. I’m not sure of the filters in Photoshop that were used to generate these effects but they’re definitely interesting. The most creative individuals come up with their own unique designs.
2. The Reflective Sunglasses
I found at least three friends that had used this shot. The reflective sunglasses shot is a clear shot of the individual who’s profile it is and included in the photo is the reflection of the scene that individual is looking at. The reflection helps to provide some context of where the user had their profile photo taken. It’s an eye-catching shot, and one that countless Facebook users have used for their profile.
3. The Just Married Shot
Typically found right after a couple has been married, this photo will show a husband and wife posing for the camera, or the wife and father. While every couple is different and the pose may change from one couple to another, this photo expresses one of the major stages in our lives. Given the average age of a Facebook user, I’d guess that there are millions of users with the “I’m Married” shot as their profile photo.
4. I’ve Got a Mac, or the Photo Booth Warhol Shot
Right after a person purchases a Mac, one of the first things they explore is the applications and the one which tends to draw their attention most is the application that lets them make funny photos. One of the photos that’s often used is the four-color Andy Warhol photo. It’s one of the biggest time wasters of any Mac owner and many Facebook users are indeed Mac owners.
5. I’m A Photographer Shot
Photographers are proud about their hobby. The most avid photographers will post a photo of themselves with a camera in front of their face. Ironically, this shot breaks all sort of rules about portrait photos including the one which says good portraits include the a full shot of the subject’s face. There are no rules about Facebook photos though so feel free to post anything as your profile picture!
6. I’m a Family Man
The next stage in life after getting married is having children and there is no lack of Facebook users with children. This photo is with the father and his child or children. It emphasizes his dedication to his children and also displays a softer side of the individual. There are plenty of Facebook users with children and that means there are also a lot of family men on the site.
7. The Where’s Waldo Shot
Sometimes we become part of a movement which is much bigger then ourselves. Sometimes it’s a political movement (as mentioned later in this list) and other times its part of a large event. While participating in a large event, some Facebook users will post a photo of themselves buried among the crowd. It’s pretty much impossible to find the person unless you are them and you were at the event and know where you were standing. That’s why I call this one the “Where’s Waldo” shot.
8. Last Name Sign Shot
There are multiple variants of the last name sign shot. Some people post a photo of a celebrity wearing a shirt with their last name (as shown in the photo above). Others will stumble upon a street sign while traveling abroad. Some also post photos of the names of restaurant signs in foreign countries that resemble their last name. Whatever variant of the photo your friend is using, there is a good chance that you’ve seen someone that’s posted a photo like this.
9. I Love My Pet Photo
Whether you are into rabbits, dogs, cats, birds, guinea pigs, or any other domestic pet, if you have a pet, you’ve probably posted a photo of it. My sister currently has a photo of her with her dog, and another one of my friends has posted a picture with their parrot (as shown above). No matter what type of pet users have, the pet is often a big part of our lives which justifies displaying it as our profile photo.
10. I’m On A Boat or Plane
If you haven’t seen it already, you should probably see the “I’m On a Boat” video. While most people haven’t been on a yacht like the one in the “I’m On a Boat” video, many people enjoy the experience of traveling on a unique boat or plane. One of my friends, as pictured above, had a picture of himself sitting on what appears to be a plane for carrying paratroopers. Whether you are traveling by boat or plane, make sure you post the experience to your Facebook profile.
11. This Is Not Me Cartoon Photo
I don’t know why people do this but they’ll post the photo of an obscure cartoon photo. Ultimately I get the idea that the cartoon they are posting should theoretically share similar personality traits but shouldn’t your profile photo be of yourself?
12. The I’m Not Richie Rich Shot
While many of us aspire to be rich, that’s all that it currently is: aspirations. In order to share those aspirations with others we will post photos of the object that we would like to acquire one day. It’s the Facebook equivalent of vision boards. We all have hopes and dreams but displaying objects of our desire doesn’t make it easy for people to find you. Unless of course you have a distinct name or no other people with your name have posted similar objects.
13. The Personal Branding Master
People that are focused on their personal brand will post photos of themselves during moments of authority. Most often this a photo of themselves speaking at an event or just speaking in general to a group of people. I have to say that I currently fall into this category. That’s because I have tons of friends on Facebook that are affiliated with me through my professional life, not through my personal life.
14. The College Poster Photo
Remember how college students have posters of different things all over their door room wall? I know I definitely had a few. Some people will post the various types of shots that you can make with a little bit of alcohol, others will pay homage to their beer addiction. I remember having a photo of an island in some unknown location. There are countless posters out there and Facebook profiles are a great place to post them.
15. I’ve Got a Boyfriend/Girlfriend Photo
Facebook relationships can be an extremely complex thing. One of the things that many new couples do is post a photo of themselves together as a form of a public announcement to solidify the relationship. Let’s be honest though, it’s not just new boyfriends and girlfriends that post the photos. Many husbands an wives do the exact same thing. For this one I decided to pick on those with recently commenced relationships.
16. Change the World Photo
Some Facebook users try to change the world through their Facebook photo. Whether it’s to make a statement about a war that’s taking place somewhere or to speak out against a current policy, the photos make a statement and bring awareness to others that view their profile.
17. Sky Backdrop Headshot
I found numerous friends that had posted of themselves in the midst of some activity with the sky as the backdrop. Let’s be honest, the sky does serve as a nice backdrop. It’s a common occurrence though and coming up with a truly unique Facebook photo can be extremely challenging. The other problem with a sky backdrop is that it gives us no reference of the person’s location for the most part. While not a huge problem, it’s always nice to have some sort of context within a Facebook profile photo.
18. The Tourist Landmark Photo
You would think that people would stop taking photos of themselves directly in front of a famous landmark. Surprisingly they don’t. It’s as if someone in the future will disagree with them when they claim that they’ve actually been somewhere in world. For those moments, these individuals will have their tourist landmark shot as proof of their presence.
19. Personal Paradise
We each have our own vision of a perfect setting. For some it’s sitting on a hammock overlooking a Brazilian beach. Others may prefer to be hiking up Mt. Everest. Whatever your personal paradise is, it is something that is unique to each of us and when you arrive to your personal paradise, the best thing to do is to take a photo as a memory of that experience.
A small percentage of the world is fortunate enough to say that they’ve visited their personal paradise but for those that have, it often serves as their Facebook profile photo.
20. The Joke Photo
Not to be confused with the jokester photo which illustrates an individual who is expressing that humor is one of their greatest personality traits, the joke photo is just that: a joke. There are countless jokes which makes this photo such a unique one. I thought the one that I pictured above was extremely creative when I stumbled across it.
21. In A Mirror Shot
Made popular on MySpace, photographs taken through a mirror have become a standard for Facebook profile photos. There are many versions of this photo but no matter how it’s taken, it is always taken in a mirror. Some of the most popular mirror photo shots are done in an individual’s bathroom because that’s the most common location of a mirror. Mirrors are also often used as a substitute for the next photo in the list: the extended arm shot.
22. The New Toy Shot
Who doesn’t love the new car or motorcycle they just got? Typically after we throw down a lot of cash for an expensive ride, we like to post a photo of ourselves with it. There are also those that still like to pose with their vehicle despite it being new because they spend a lot of time with it. No matter what your reason for doing it is, there are a lot of Facebook users that post a photo of themselves with their new toy.
23. The Middle Finger Shot
I have no idea why, but among the younger generations there is always a photo of someone showing their middle finger. The longer the finger is extended, the better. This is the ultimate way of saying “I don’t give a shit what you think.” It most definitely gets the point across although I can’t recommend using this shot if you are looking to attract a lot of new friends.
24. This is My Baby!
Rather than posting a photo of themselves, many Facebook users will post a picture of their children. I understand, you love your child and they are the most important thing in your life. It’s hard to find someone though if you are searching through Facebook and a photo of their child keeps showing up though. Fortunately, if you share many friends in common with that individual though, there is a good chance that you will know that it’s them even though it’s a photo of their child. Who can blame the person if their kid is adorable though!
25. Me As a Baby
For those without a baby of their own, some users like to post a photo of themselves as a baby. While they most likely won’t post the most embarrassing baby photos, these photos tend to get a decent response from friends. I would argue that most people that choose to post their baby photos are female as baby photos are typically perceived as “cute”, something that most guys don’t want to be perceived as. Despite that there are still a few guys that post their baby photos but I’d count them as a rare occurrence.
26. The Jokester Photo
Some people just like playing around and for those individuals there is the jokester photo. When humor is an individual’s strongest personality trait, they’ll often times put a funny photo to cheer up your day. Facebook profile photos can make you laugh and these people will try their hardest to put a smile on your face.
27. Here You Go Shot
Some photographers enjoy the foreground/background dynamic and will take advantage of it by letting the subject offer a gift to the viewer. In the case of the photo above, that gift is a nice cold glass of beer but there are many variants of the “Here You Go” shot.
28. On Vacation Photo
Many people just don’t want to be at work. For those individuals they post pictures of the vacation they just went on or the vacation that they’d like to be on. It’s not a photo of the person but instead a photo of the vacation scene which is very similar to the “personal paradise” photo.
29. Professional Headshot
For those of you who are actors, professional headshots are practically a necessity for maximizing your odds of getting another gig. Professional headshots are useful for getting a job and Facebook is great for increasing your reach. If you are looking to act or model, then setting your picture as a professional headshot is not a bad idea.
30. This is Me Shot
This is by far the most popular Facebook profile photo. It also happens to be a classic portrait photo. The picture is head on and you can see every aspect of their face, from ear to ear and from chin to forehead. You can clearly see who the person is. There is nothing more simple, and nothing more human than the this me shot.
TIME
1:24 AM
What may happen in next 100 yrs
While going thru some old stuff from college, I met with an old article, rather a scripture which was written & published in 1900 by John Elfren Watkins Jr. on how our world would look in 100 yrs from then.
Surprisingly, much of it has actually happened.
On a second thought, who is a greater visionary ???
Saturday, November 5, 2011
TIME
10:36 AM
12 Great Thoughts by Chanakya
1) "Learn from the mistakes of others... you can't live long enough to make them all yourselves!!"
2) "A person should not be too honest. Straight trees are cut first and Honest people are screwed first."
3) "Even if a snake is not poisonous, it should pretend to be venomous."
4) "There is some self-interest behind every friendship. There is no friendship without self-interests. This is a bitter truth."
5) "Before you start some work, always ask yourself three questions - Why am I doing it, What the results might be and Will I be successful. Only when you think deeply and find satisfactory answers to these questions, go ahead."
6) "As soon as the fear approaches near, attack and destroy it."
7) "The world's biggest power is the youth and beauty of a woman."
8) "Once you start a working on something, don't be afraid of failure and don't abandon it. People who work sincerely are the happiest."
9) "The fragrance of flowers spreads only in the direction of the wind. But the goodness of a person spreads in all direction."
10) "God is not present in idols. Your feelings are your god. The soul is your temple."
11) "Never make friends with people who are above or below you in status. Such friendships will never give you any happiness."
12) "Education is the best friend. An educated person is respected everywhere. Education beats the beauty and the youth."
TIME
10:20 AM
31 Most Interesting Features of Android Ice Cream Sandwich (4.0)
Last week in Hong Kong, Google and Samsung unveiled Google's new flagship Android device, the Nexus Prime, a 4.65" Super AMOLED-toting, 1.2GHz LTE and HSPA+ smartphone. However nice the hardware of the new device is, it is second to the fact that it is the first device to run Ice Cream Sandwich (ICS), the newest build of Android that unifies tablets and smartphones under a single OS for the first time.
"People like Android, they need Android…but they didn't LOVE Android," said Google's Matias Duarte in today's presentation. To remedy this, Google has not only introduced new and practical functions to ICS, but gave it a slicker look, faster responsiveness, and some extremely impressive bells and whistles.
Here are 30 of the most interesting new features:
1. "Roboto," Android's own font
2. Even more live wallpapers
3. Newly-designed lock screen
4. Disappearing homescreen command buttons
5. Tabbed apps/widgets drawer similar to Honeycomb
6. Resizeable homescreen widgets
7. Redesigned foldering capabilities
8. Hardware accelerated 2D drawing
9. Wi-Fi Direct support
10. "Favorites Tray" at the bottom of the screen that travels across the different homescreens
11. Native Screen grab capability (Press Power+Volume Down)
12. Improved notification bar, customizable notifications
13. New Music player notification in tray controls player
14. Improved keyboard
15. Improved typing error correction
16. In-line spell check and suggestion mode
17. Cut/Copy/Paste similar to Honeycomb, but with animated dragging and dropping
18. Speech for text entry has been improved with no delay
19. "Face Unlock" facial recognition for unlock screen (Did not work in demo)
20. New Browser (Includes new tab management feature. "request desktop site" feature, syncs to chrome, save pages for offline reading)
21. New Gmail (New action bar with compose, search, labels, refresh; offline search by default that searches the last 30 days of email)
22. New Calendar with pinch-to-zoom
23. Updated all of the native Google apps: YouTube, Maps, Google+, Google Music
24. Mobile data usage metrics in system controls, allows users to self-limit their mobile data consumption, and track data usage down to individual app level
25. All-new camera app with slider zoom, facial detection, "zero shutter lag" speed, launchable from home screen
26. Photo editing tools in "edit" menu in the camera
27. Native panoramic camera shot, similar to Sony's "Sweep" panorama
28. 1080p video capture, continuous focus, includes the ability to zoom while recording
29. Incredible new Time Lapse photography feature
30. New tile-based "People app" interface for contacts, very similar to Windows Phone
31. "Android Beam" NFC-based content sharing with multiple ICS phones (Web Addresses, contacts, maps, YouTube videos, app sharing)
TIME
10:07 AM
The Role Of Design In The Kingdom Of Content
While reading an interesting article written by Jason Gross on 'The Role Of Design In The Kingdom Of Content', I was intrigued by the kind of examples he mentions about the importance of design when world is still craving for content.
Excerpt from article : "The role of a UX designer is not always to make everyone feel all warm and fuzzy inside. A rich Web experience could include the emotion of happiness, humor, discontent, sadness, anger or enlightenment. A well-designed website enables us to attribute our emotion to its source and connect us to that environment through a range of senses. A UX designer should understand why and how to utilize the principles and techniques they have learned to support the website’s precious content."
Read full article here.
Thursday, November 3, 2011
TIME
11:43 AM
“Do a Barrel Roll” on Google, and You Won’t Be Disappointed
“Do a barrel roll” has become a trending topic on Twitter and elsewhere, thanks to an easter egg on Google Search.
Type the phrase in Google, and the screen will tumble around (it’s a barrel roll, after all). The same thing happens if you search for “Z or R twice.” Because it was built in HTML5, it doesn’t work on all browsers. Firefox and Chrome seem to support it best.
Both phrases are references to Star Fox 64, the classic 1997 Nintendo game that sucked up a giant chunk of my life when I was a kid. Peppy, the game’s veteran space pilot rabbit, tells hero Fox McCloud to “do a barrel roll” (a feat accomplished by pressing “Z” or “R” twice) multiple times throughout the game. The phrase spawned an Internet meme that has stood the test of time.
I have no clue how long the Google easter egg has been around, but I love it. It’s yet another testament to Google’s quirkiness and nerdy demeanor.
Tuesday, November 1, 2011
TIME
9:02 PM
Kinect + Augmented Projectors + Microsoft Research = A roomfull of awesomeness !
Microsoft's research division has created augmented projectors, a new technology which use data from up to four Kinects to let you interact with a 3D model of any room you're in. At its simplest, the projector shines an image which you can interact with by casting shadows, but the other applications are both more complex and more interesting.
The Kinect sensors within the room can define the space digitally, and then use the projector like a magic flashlight to expose and interact with the digital facsimile of the real room. Objects can be placed on walls, hanged in empty space, and electronic versions of real objects can be cloned and moved within the virtual reality.
Compare this to the bulky and expensive original Microsoft Surface and the augmented projectors could bring similar types of interaction to any room in your house in a fraction of the size. While the resolution isn't very high and holding a projector seems jittery, it's still one step towards Microsoft's vision of the future.
[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=frGEzlrhve0]
TIME
7:56 PM
Toyota’s “Window to the World” Augmented Reality Concept
The new system from the Japanese automobile manufacturer’s European Research division was developed with the Copenhagen Institute of Interaction Design and turns windows into interactive screens designed for education and play.
As shown in the video, with “Window to the World,” backseat passengers will be able to draw objects that will then integrate with the outside world, estimate distance to outside objects, zoom in on objects, translate written language on signs, and learn more about outside objects by selecting them.
Toyota also says the technology can be applied to sunroofs and, at night, constellations and their information can be studied with the night sky as the backdrop.
When kids are bored on the drive, parents can once again tell children “Look out from the window for a while.”
[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dl9eqdZpvJU]
Monday, October 31, 2011
TIME
8:21 AM
Kinect makes presentations more presentable & self-organized
Haruki Maeda from Meiji University shows his presentation software that can sense where you stand and orders the text into the visible space around you. Transitions are handled with gestures and you can even pinch-to-zoom live on stage. The modest Mr. Maeda says all it took was some C#, the Kinect SDK and an Excel spreadsheet to get this beauty working.
[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8oGapt-cqvk]
TIME
2:01 AM
A sister's eulogy for Steve Jobs
I grew up as an only child, with a single mother. Because we were poor and because I knew my father had emigrated from Syria, I imagined he looked like Omar Sharif. I hoped he would be rich and kind and would come into our lives (and our not yet furnished apartment) and help us. Later, after I'd met my father, I tried to believe he'd changed his number and left no forwarding address because he was an idealistic revolutionary, plotting a new world for the Arab people.
Even as a feminist, my whole life I'd been waiting for a man to love, who could love me. For decades, I'd thought that man would be my father. When I was 25, I met that man and he was my brother.
By then, I lived in New York, where I was trying to write my first novel. I had a job at a small magazine in an office the size of a closet, with three other aspiring writers. When one day a lawyer called me - me, the middle-class girl from California who hassled the boss to buy us health insurance - and said his client was rich and famous and was my long-lost brother, the young editors went wild.
This was 1985 and we worked at a cutting-edge literary magazine, but I'd fallen into the plot of a Dickens novel and really, we all loved those best. The lawyer refused to tell me my brother's name and my colleagues started a betting pool. The leading candidate: John Travolta. I secretly hoped for a literary descendant of Henry James - someone more talented than I, someone brilliant without even trying.
When I met Steve, he was a guy my age in jeans, Arab - or Jewish-looking and handsomer than Omar Sharif.
We took a long walk - something, it happened, that we both liked to do. I don't remember much of what we said that first day, only that he felt like someone I'd pick to be a friend. He explained that he worked in computers.
I didn't know much about computers. I still worked on a manual Olivetti typewriter.
I told Steve I'd recently considered my first purchase of a computer: something called the Cromemco.
Steve told me it was a good thing I'd waited. He said he was making something that was going to be insanely beautiful.
I want to tell you a few things I learned from Steve, during three distinct periods, over the 27 years I knew him. They're not periods of years, but of states of being. His full life. His illness. His dying.
Steve worked at what he loved. He worked really hard. Every day.
That's incredibly simple, but true.
He was the opposite of absent-minded.
He was never embarrassed about working hard, even if the results were failures. If someone as smart as Steve wasn't ashamed to admit trying, maybe I didn't have to be.
When he got kicked out of Apple, things were painful. He told me about a dinner at which 500 Silicon Valley leaders met the then-sitting president. Steve hadn't been invited.
He was hurt but he still went to work at Next. Every single day.
Novelty was not Steve's highest value. Beauty was.
For an innovator, Steve was remarkably loyal. If he loved a shirt, he'd order 10 or 100 of them.
In the Palo Alto house, there are probably enough black cotton turtlenecks for everyone in this church.
He didn't favor trends or gimmicks. He liked people his own age.
His philosophy of aesthetics reminds me of a quote that went something like this: "Fashion is what seems beautiful now but looks ugly later; art can be ugly at first but it becomes beautiful later."
Steve always aspired to make beautiful later.
He was willing to be misunderstood.
Uninvited to the ball, he drove the third or fourth iteration of his same black sports car to Next, where he and his team were quietly inventing the platform on which Tim Berners-Lee would write the program for the World Wide Web.
Steve was like a girl in the amount of time he spent talking about love. Love was his supreme virtue, his god of gods. He tracked and worried about the romantic lives of the people working with him.
Whenever he saw a man he thought a woman might find dashing, he called out, "Hey are you single? Do you wanna come to dinner with my sister?"
I remember when he phoned the day he met Laurene. "There's this beautiful woman and she's really smart and she has this dog and I'm going to marry her."
When Reed was born, he began gushing and never stopped. He was a physical dad, with each of his children. He fretted over Lisa's boyfriends and Erin's travel and skirt lengths and
Eve's safety around the horses she adored.
None of us who attended Reed's graduation party will ever forget the scene of Reed and Steve slow dancing.
His abiding love for Laurene sustained him. He believed that love happened all the time, everywhere. In that most important way, Steve was never ironic, never cynical, never pessimistic. I try to learn from that, still.
Steve had been successful at a young age, and he felt that had isolated him. Most of the choices he made from the time I knew him were designed to dissolve the walls around him. A middle-class boy from Los Altos, he fell in love with a middle-class girl from New Jersey. It was important to both of them to raise Lisa, Reed, Erin and Eve as grounded, normal children.
Their house didn't intimidate with art or polish; in fact, for many of the first years I knew Steve and Lo together, dinner was served on the grass, and sometimes consisted of just one vegetable. Lots of that one vegetable. But one. Broccoli. In season. Simply prepared. With just the right, recently snipped, herb.
Even as a young millionaire, Steve always picked me up at the airport. He'd be standing there in his jeans.
When a family member called him at work, his secretary Linetta answered, "Your dad's in a meeting. Would you like me to interrupt him?"
When Reed insisted on dressing up as a witch every Halloween, Steve, Laurene, Erin and Eve all went wiccan.
They once embarked on a kitchen remodel; it took years. They cooked on a hotplate in the garage. The Pixar building, under construction during the same period, finished in half the time. And that was it for the Palo Alto house. The bathrooms stayed old. But - and this was a crucial distinction - it had been a great house to start with; Steve saw to that.
This is not to say that he didn't enjoy his success: he enjoyed his success a lot, just minus a few zeros. He told me how much he loved going to the Palo Alto bike store and gleefully realizing he could afford to buy the best bike there.
And he did.
Steve was humble. Steve liked to keep learning.
Once, he told me if he'd grown up differently, he might have become a mathematician. He spoke reverently about colleges and loved walking around the Stanford campus. In the last year of his life, he studied a book of paintings by Mark Rothko, an artist he hadn't known about before, thinking of what could inspire people on the walls of a future Apple campus.
Steve cultivated whimsy. What other C.E.O. knows the history of English and Chinese tea roses and has a favorite David Austin rose?
He had surprises tucked in all his pockets. I'll venture that Laurene will discover treats - songs he loved, a poem he cut out and put in a drawer - even after 20 years of an exceptionally close marriage. I spoke to him every other day or so, but when I opened The New York Times and saw a feature on the company's patents, I was still surprised and delighted to see a sketch for a perfect staircase.
With his four children, with his wife, with all of us, Steve had a lot of fun.
He treasured happiness.
Then, Steve became ill and we watched his life compress into a smaller circle. Once, he'd loved walking through Paris. He'd discovered a small handmade soba shop in Kyoto. He downhill skied gracefully. He cross-country skied clumsily. No more.
Eventually, even ordinary pleasures, like a good peach, no longer appealed to him.
Yet, what amazed me, and what I learned from his illness, was how much was still left after so much had been taken away.
I remember my brother learning to walk again, with a chair. After his liver transplant, once a day he would get up on legs that seemed too thin to bear him, arms pitched to the chair back.
He'd push that chair down the Memphis hospital corridor towards the nursing station and then he'd sit down on the chair, rest, turn around and walk back again. He counted his steps and, each day, pressed a little farther.
Laurene got down on her knees and looked into his eyes.
"You can do this, Steve," she said. His eyes widened. His lips pressed into each other.
He tried. He always, always tried, and always with love at the core of that effort. He was an intensely emotional man.
I realized during that terrifying time that Steve was not enduring the pain for himself. He set destinations: his son Reed's graduation from high school, his daughter Erin's trip to Kyoto, the launching of a boat he was building on which he planned to take his family around the world and where he hoped he and Laurene would someday retire.
Even ill, his taste, his discrimination and his judgment held. He went through 67 nurses before finding kindred spirits and then he completely trusted the three who stayed with him to the end. Tracy. Arturo. Elham.
One time when Steve had contracted a tenacious pneumonia his doctor forbid everything - even ice. We were in a standard I.C.U. unit. Steve, who generally disliked cutting in line or dropping his own name, confessed that this once, he'd like to be treated a little specially.
I told him: Steve, this is special treatment.
He leaned over to me, and said: "I want it to be a little more special."
Intubated, when he couldn't talk, he asked for a notepad. He sketched devices to hold an iPad in a hospital bed. He designed new fluid monitors and x-ray equipment. He redrew that not-quite-special-enough hospital unit. And every time his wife walked into the room, I watched his smile remake itself on his face.
For the really big, big things, you have to trust me, he wrote on his sketchpad. He looked up. You have to.
By that, he meant that we should disobey the doctors and give him a piece of ice.
None of us knows for certain how long we'll be here. On Steve's better days, even in the last year, he embarked upon projects and elicited promises from his friends at Apple to finish them. Some boat builders in the Netherlands have a gorgeous stainless steel hull ready to be covered with the finishing wood. His three daughters remain unmarried, his two youngest still girls, and he'd wanted to walk them down the aisle as he'd walked me the day of my wedding.
We all - in the end - die in medias res. In the middle of a story. Of many stories.
I suppose it's not quite accurate to call the death of someone who lived with cancer for years unexpected, but Steve's death was unexpected for us.
What I learned from my brother's death was that character is essential: What he was, was how he died.
Tuesday morning, he called me to ask me to hurry up to Palo Alto. His tone was affectionate, dear, loving, but like someone whose luggage was already strapped onto the vehicle, who was already on the beginning of his journey, even as he was sorry, truly deeply sorry, to be leaving us.
He started his farewell and I stopped him. I said, "Wait. I'm coming. I'm in a taxi to the airport. I'll be there."
"I'm telling you now because I'm afraid you won't make it on time, honey."
When I arrived, he and his Laurene were joking together like partners who'd lived and worked together every day of their lives. He looked into his children's eyes as if he couldn't unlock his gaze.
Until about 2 in the afternoon, his wife could rouse him, to talk to his friends from Apple.
Then, after awhile, it was clear that he would no longer wake to us.
His breathing changed. It became severe, deliberate, purposeful. I could feel him counting his steps again, pushing farther than before.
This is what I learned: he was working at this, too. Death didn't happen to Steve, he achieved it.
He told me, when he was saying goodbye and telling me he was sorry, so sorry we wouldn't be able to be old together as we'd always planned, that he was going to a better place.
Dr. Fischer gave him a 50/50 chance of making it through the night.
He made it through the night, Laurene next to him on the bed sometimes jerked up when there was a longer pause between his breaths. She and I looked at each other, then he would heave a deep breath and begin again.
This had to be done. Even now, he had a stern, still handsome profile, the profile of an absolutist, a romantic. His breath indicated an arduous journey, some steep path, altitude.
He seemed to be climbing.
But with that will, that work ethic, that strength, there was also sweet Steve's capacity for wonderment, the artist's belief in the ideal, the still more beautiful later.
Steve's final words, hours earlier, were monosyllables, repeated three times.
Before embarking, he'd looked at his sister Patty, then for a long time at his children, then at his life's partner, Laurene, and then over their shoulders past them.
Steve's final words were: OH WOW. OH WOW. OH WOW.
Sunday, October 30, 2011
TIME
2:29 AM
What makes a good UX Designer
I have always had this post at the back of my mind and often check myself against the qualities I have listed here. Of course I fail in some of them, but if you can aim to succeed with just a few of these qualities, your design work will get there too. At the moment I am working on a particularly tough project. The type that consumes your – energy levels, time, and concentration on any other task is difficult. Without being surrounded by good people it would be unbearable. So if you hire people, or are looking to join a team, try and find out these qualities exist in the people you are working with.
Some personal qualities to try and gain or maintain within a team and elements to consider when working as a unit;
Persistence
Commitment to a project needs to go beyond just time allocated to it. It needs to be exhibited as a character trait. To not give up, maintain momentum and motivation and keep on moving towards the overall goal is a core trait for a UX person to show. Inevitably this may result in annoying a few colleagues as you will not leave them alone until specific tasks are finished or you get an answer to a particularly important problem. Using a bit of charm will go a long way to ensure you can get progress.
Passion
There needs to be an underlying desire to ensure that the project succeeds and a genuine care about seeing it fulfill it’s initial promise. Having passion means going the extra mile, but also enjoying the elements of the work once it has started. Being interested beyond the bounds of a project but also spending the time to go beyond the normal delivery will affect other team members and soon create a positive working environment. Having passionate people on a team makes an enormous difference to the success of delivering a product or service.
Positivity
It is very easy to become dejected due to research findings or user studies that have shown results that were either not expected or detrimental to a project. Having the ability to look for the good, from a bad situation will pay off. A positive attitude to the work, difficult colleagues, stakeholders or customers, inevitably results in a better atmosphere, working environment and an increased potential for more work in the future.
Patience
UX work typically has the ability to impact on everybody inside an organization and certainly the customers or users who will interact with what is produced. The repercussions on some of the decisions made, affects different decision makers at all levels in a company hierarchy. Be aware that some changes will take years to see come to fruition and the plans that are laid out are likely to be the foundations – that you may never witness being executed. Therefore being particularly patient with people is a necessary part regarding change management. With UX work, your users will test you as you are testing them! Learn to control anything you may say in response to seemingly stupid comments or actions. Again it will serve you well in terms of collating valuable design research.
Progress
Be aware that on a project UX work has very different tasks that have outcomes with different time requirements. The pace of a project cannot dictate the pace of research and so compromises need to be met, either on budgetary expenditure or time spent. The important thing to be aware of is that incremental progress is a desired outcome for large scale ux projects – particularly on live products. Changes made need to be done in an orderly, considered manner so as not to disenfranchise or confuse customers. On new products, change can be made quickly, but be aware that the grand plan will be phased and broken down into critical elements first, the ‘nice-to-haves’ coming later.
Stamina
Some projects will last months and at times will require focus to ensure that the quality is not affected as issues occur and problems arise. The importance of giving the team a break in high-intensity work is very important but not quitting is really important. The ability to finish the work started is important to UX work, why research something if it is not followed through? To exhibit stamina, means that the necessary long hours and unusual times to conduct field research will be needed to offer a product that is well designed.
Humour
This is something you must have to get you through elements of UX work that are difficult. User testing in odd locations, the ability to convince a board member using charm and an outlook that can deflect hostility by using humour, is essential to a career in this field. UX people tend to be socially competent because they primarily deal with people to get products designed effectively. Having a sense of humour will allow events that may derail a project to not have a detrimental effect on the outcome. Sometimes you may simply have to laugh to keep sane and the ability to show this, effects team morale and positivity.
Embodiment
UX work is all about empathy for the user and designing for their needs whilst also aligning the business requirements in combination. To design with empathy requires somebody to have that as an attribute in their personality. To be concerned about user’s experiences means you cannot just pay it lip service. If a comment by a user is ignored and not represented in the final design, your attitude to their plight will be revealed.
As a UX person it is your responsibility to be the voice of the user and make sure it is heard as a product develops. Evangelize the needs and wants to those that are building the solution. But also consider the realities of what must work for the business and the inevitability of compromise. Diplomacy and politics are a necessity here but with all the factors being present above – you will be well equipped to tackle the hardest UX challenges.
TIME
2:11 AM
Olly : The web connected, smelly robot
What if there were a way to add smells to the things you see every single day on the internet?
To some, just the thought of that there scenario would induce nausea. To others -- primarily those who spend their days Googling various rose gardens around the globe -- it just might be the extra dimension to surfing that they've been waiting for.
If you happen to find yourself tucked into that second camp, we'd like to introduce you to Olly, the web-connected robot that's capable of emitting smells based on inputs from the 'net. The critter was dreamed up by Tim Pryde and the folks surrounding the Don-8r (Foundry, if you're curious), and while there's currently no way to purchase one, instructions are forthcoming to produce your own with a 3D printer.
In fact, it's recommended that users build a few, stack 'em up and connect different inputs (Twitter, Instagram, your mum's vegetarian cooking blog) to each one. It's the perfect cacophony... or the perfect disaster, depending on your browsing habits.
Visit Olly's official website for more details.
TIME
12:05 AM
Saturday, October 29, 2011
TIME
11:18 AM
User Experience for Developers
UX shouldn't be the purview solely of UX specialists; a well-rounded developer can become a UX professional, too. The "T-shaped" professional, who has both the breadth of skills (the horizontal stroke in the "T") and the depth of a particular discipline (the vertical stroke), is a much more valuable team member than one who has but one skill and focus.
But how can a developer start learning about UX without formal education in UX concepts? I am an engineer by training but have transitioned into UX and product design, so I hope other developers can benefit from what I have learned.
"Read, read, read." - William Faulkner
There are so many great UX books out there nowadays. Here are a few that I would recommend for the developer who's serious about UX:
- Don't Make Me Think by Steve Krug is a must. It's such a quick read that I finished it on a four-hour plane ride. I recommend having a copy of this book handy to share with people who don't understand or see the importance of good design.
- Designing the Obvious by Robert Hoekman, Jr.
- Sketching User Experiences by Bill Buxton.
A good place to start is with sites like UX Magazine—but if you're reading this, you've already figured that out. As well, Jakob Nielsen's website, useit.com has results of some very helpful research and studies.
"Good artists copy, great artists steal." - Pablo Picasso
It's impossible to talk about great UX without someone bringing up Apple, but even Apple doesn't come up with their brilliant ideas in an ivory tower. If anything, they have a history of freely borrowing great ideas, wherever they may come from. Both the mouse and the WIMP (Windows, Icons, Menu, Pointing) device came from the Xerox Star workstation at Xerox PARC.
Good ideas and examples come from everywhere, and it's up to us to know where to look.
I keep my eye on a few types of websites:
- Pattern libraries like Pattern Tap, and the Yahoo! Design Pattern Library are great if resources on specific design patterns.
- For inspiration and ideas, I turn to Smashing Magazine, which has great content geared towards web developers and designers.
- Dribbble, which is a community for designers to showcase snapshots of their work.
- Forrst, a community for developers and designers.
"Don't tell people how to do things, tell them what to do and let them surprise you with their results" - General George Patton
Don't settle for the specs. If you are just handed a list of features to implement, don't take them at face value. Get to the why. What problem are they trying to solve? It may be that the features and requirements listed aren't the best way to go about solving the problem. How do these features help accomplish the user's goals easier or faster?
"I have not failed. I've just found 10,000 ways that won't work." - Thomas A. Edison
You may think that once you've found a good design pattern, that task is done. However, I find that if I come up with a few different ways to solve a problem, I often find a better solution or I find justification of why the first approach was better. It's also important to prototype. It's hard to imagine if an experience is going to be great or compelling without having actually using it. Don't be afraid to develop different approaches and throw away the ones that don't work.
"Get outside the building" - Steve Blank
When was the last time you actually interacted with a customer face-to-face or on the phone? Sometimes at large organizations there are positions that deal exclusively with that. They are supposed to interact with the customers and "translate" what they want into functional specifications or user requirements. But sometimes you just need to cut the middleman and talk directly to the source. That way, you feel their pain and nothing gets lost in the translation. If you never talk to the customer or the user, then everything is just an assumption or a guess. You are essentially developing and designing in the dark.
"Usability testing is the killing field of cherished notions." - David Orr
Once I have a working iteration, it is time to test it in the wild. I often have someone who's not tech savvy try out things. I frequently find that what I thought was crystal clear is in fact not at all. Watching someone trying to use your application is a quick and easy way to get feedback.
There are also applications and services for usability testing.
- Silverback is a downloadable app that records screens and the users' faces while they test out an application. Watching someone going through your site with a confused look is priceless when trying to convince management that the site has issues.
- Usertesting.com lets you buy usability testers on demand. You select your target demographic and how many testers you want, and provide a script. The site sends back a video of users going through your site, complete with users' commentaries as they go through the process.
- UsabilityHub provides some simple tools to do quick testing for first impressions, flow, and more.
I believe that great UX is important and if your career is creating software, then UX is a part of that. Familiarity with the discipline can make you more customer-focused and improve your product. Deliberate thought and focus on UX can lead to some great products and is not hard.
It is a matter of educating oneself, getting inspired, validating ideas, talking to users, and doing usability testing. There's no one thing you can do, but a whole host of things that add to the overall experience and ultimately produces a great user experience.
I'd like to end with a favorite quote that applies when thinking about designing interfaces.
"A well designed and humane interface does not need to be split into beginner and expert subsystems." - Jef Raskin
TIME
10:52 AM
Your pants could be your PC & your shirt could be your personal assistant
Transistors of all shapes and sizes form the foundation of just about every electronic gadget under the sun, and similarly, cotton clothing is a key component of a well-rounded wardrobe. It was only a matter of time before these two got together to form a fashion-forward future, and an international team of scientists have accomplished the trick by creating a transistor using fibers of cotton.
Now, this isn't the first organic transistor, but cotton's plentiful, cheap, lightweight and sustainable nature make it a great choice for use as a substrate in carbon-based transistors. To get the fluffy white stuff ready to amplify and switch electric signals, it was conformally coated (to cover all the fiber's irregularities) with gold nanoparticles, semiconductive and conductive polymers in a super thin layer to preserve its wearability flexibility. The result was an active transistor that can be used in integrated circuits sewn into your shirt, socks, or even pantaloons, if you like.
The future of fashion is right around the corner, folks, and in that future your pants are the PC.
Read the full study, co-authored by Cornell fiber scientist Juan Hinestroza, at Cornell's Website.
TIME
12:49 AM
Microsoft Patents Manipulation Of 3D Virtual Objects, Throwing Gestures
Another batch of Microsoft patent applications have trickled into public view, and these ones may be even cooler than the last bunch. They describe “flinging gestures,” interaction with 3D virtual objects, and even throw it back a bit to describe a new email view format.
There are about 4 different varieties of patents that have been filed by Microsoft :
Grasp Simulation of a Virtual Object
Applied for back in April of 2010, this patent application outlines something strikingly similar to some of the technology we saw in Microsoft’s video portraying their version of the future. It describes user input on a 2D surface, which is then simulated as direct contact with a virtual 3D object. Said virtual 3D object is meant to move or be manipulated based on the user’s physical input.
In the video, users were able to input gestures without ever touching the device, as shown when the traveling businesswoman draws a heart into thin air, which is then translated onto the screen and relayed back to her kitchen wall. Perhaps this patent is a bridge between what we have now and Microsoft’s envisioned future, but either way I hope this one makes it to reality.
Changing Power Mode Based On Sensors In A Device
The next patent application on the list was filed for much more recently — in July of this year — and is basically meant to make it easier for us to turn on handheld computing devices. You know, since pushing a button is too strenuous. The patent outlines a way to power on a device, whether it be a mobile phone or a tablet (or any computing device you can hold, really), by holding said device in portrait orientation.
The patent discusses certain specifications that must be met in order for the function to work, like the degree at which the device must be held, or the amount of time the device must be held that way before it powers on. We’re glad to see it, too, as it would be totally annoying for a tablet to turn on each time it was in portrait orientation. The patent also covers a device that can perform this magical portrait boot action, along with the method by which one would do so. Way to cover your bases, Microsoft.
Email Views
This April 2010 patent application is a bit old-school, or at least it feels that way compared to a day full of both lofty and modest future predictions. But it may make my least favorite mode of communication — and MG’s least favorite thing ever — just a bit more bearable.
The patent describes a way of formatting your email view into different categories, rather than a list of names and subjects. The system would interpret the content of emails, and filter them into certain categories, like from friends, from family, videos and images, documents, invitations, and missed IMs. From there, the user has multiple interface options through which they can view their inbox in varying layouts.
The technology described is in no way revolutionary — Google’s been combing your email content to target ads for years, and their Priority Inbox is pretty similar, too — but it may add a little “delight” to the email experience, which is something Microsoft seems to aim for.
Throwing Gestures For Mobile Devices
Don’t let the title of this patent application fool you — there will be no phone throwing over at Microsoft, or anywhere else hopefully. Applied for in July, the “Throwing Gestures” patent describes a way of jerking your phone around to perform certain actions, including switching from one image to the next and closing applications. Like the “Changing Power Modes Based On Sensors In A Device” patent, Microsoft has also included a device which would use this technology.
Unfortunately, Microsoft didn’t include any images of the actual flinging motion in its patent application, so that’ll have to be one for our imaginations to figure out. I imagine people walking down the street waving their phones around like they’re throwing frisbies, but I guess that’s no stranger than the masses of people now having conversations with their brand new iPhones.
[via Microsoft-News]
Friday, October 28, 2011
TIME
11:33 AM
Lost your Facebook password ? Ask your “Trusted Friends” for a little help
Facebook is releasing a new method for accessing your account when you lose your password: a little help from “trusted friends.”
The social network says it is testing a new tool in the coming weeks that will let you designate three to five friends you trust. If you forget your password or can’t access your email, Facebook will send your friends a code that they can pass along to you.
We’ve probably all been there: You forget your password and have to go through the “Forget your password?” process of waiting for a new one to arrive by email. Or, if we use Facebook’s comparison, you lock yourself out of your house — and now can go to a friend who has a spare key. Your spare key for Facebook is the code.
The new system doesn’t actually seem more efficient than the usual route if you’ve simply forgotten your password, but if for instance your account has been hacked and you’ve been locked out of your email, this is a new solution. It adds a new layer of security (the feature was announced for National Cybersecurity Awareness Month), too, since your friends can verify your identity more easily than any automated email.
Security firm Sophos points out, though, that a hacker could also remove or change your trusted friends settings and render the feature useless.
To set up Trusted Friends, go to your Security Settings Page (Account > Account Settings > Security), and click on the Trusted Friends section. From there, you can scroll through your friends and choose up to five. (You may not have access to this just yet — this section doesn’t appear in my settings.)
TIME
4:17 AM
20 Things I Learnt About Browsers & the Web
Although created about 1 year ago, it still remains an insightful resources to start learning about some of the most commonly used terms in the internet (or rather technology) space - The Web.
For geeks its all HTML5 & CSS3 and for a common man, who doesnt really care about the underlying technology on which this website is running or responding, its A MUST READ !
A team from Google has come up with some awesome graphics and super easy text to help understand the basics of 20 most popular things about the web & browsers.
Click here to see it in action.
Thursday, October 27, 2011
TIME
9:51 PM
Microsoft's Productivity Future Vision [Video]
It was just yesterday when I posted a video on Microsoft's Vision of 2020 and today, they have (officially) come up with a new vision of future. Taking forward the 'Metro UI' to a whole new set of possibilities and hardware integration, I am totally impressed and really excited to see this happening to me. Starting from the cab's glass door - acting as an augmented reality device to guide you through the tour and foldable displays and an interactive table (with a display) and what not.
Enjoy the video below to see it all in action.
[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a6cNdhOKwi0]
Wednesday, October 26, 2011
TIME
10:45 PM
TIME
10:38 PM
Microsoft's Vision of 2020
[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cZanf5FkkkA]
TIME
10:10 PM
Nokia Kinetic Concept Device
[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XuL4uaXvDsQ]
Saturday, October 15, 2011
TIME
11:55 PM
An interview with Siri on iPhone 4S
[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8BLzMCiR0G4]
TIME
6:39 AM
More on Accessibility Features in iOS 5
VoiceOver is not the only child in Apple’s accessibility family. New features for low-vision, hearing impaired and now also for motor disabilities.
Low Vision
Continuing with the family metaphor, low vision is probably not the favorite child of Apple. But some new features is added.
Zoom From Start
It is now possible to set-up the device without a computer or sighted assistance. Just do the regular 3 finger tap twice and a little dialog asks if you want to use Zoom or not.
Read Selected
You can now enable a preference to allow read selected text.
This works pretty much like on the Mac. When you have selected the text you want read for you a pop-up with the option ”Read” will appear. When you press it the a voice will read it with a pace of 30%.
Reader
This feature has been on the mac for a while and is great for elderly and low vision also for mentally challenged people.
What it does is, in Safari you now see a little button next to the reload button that says ”Reader”. Now when you tap it Safari strips out all other content except for the article. Which means no navigation, no ads, just the good part.
Camera
Besides making it a very fast and easy way to open the Camera app, with pressing home button 2 times on lock screen and tap the now appearing camera icon.
Pinching in and out on the screen will now zoom in/out very fast and easy. And to help you even further you can activate a grid to help you align the camera for the money shot.
You don’t even need to find the on-screen button to take a picture, you can now use the volume up button on your device or with a headset with that button.
If you still cant find the person you are trying to capture, just turn on VoiceOver and it speaks where and how many faces in the shot.
Mirror Screen
If you have a device with the ”A5” chip in it (iPad 2, iPhone 4S) you can mirror the screen wirelessly to an Apple TV in 1080P Full HD.
But don’t worry too much if you don’t have one of those fancy devices, be cause you can still use Apple’s 30-pin-connector to HDMI cable and do the same thing, and supposedly you can also use any 3rd party cable since Apple has opened up that to developers (NOTE: this has not been tested).
Even FaceTime works great for this.
Hard of Hearing
A lot of great new features for deaf and people hard of hearing.
Hearing Aid Mode
On iPhones you can now activate something called hearing aid mode. This will help if you have problem with too much static noise from the phone. So what it does is putting less power to the antenna which will decrease some signal reception, especially 2G/Edge, but also reduce irritating electrical noise.
Stereo Balance
You have had the ability to use mono sound, but what if you still have some hearing on one ear?
Now you can adjust the amount of sound that goes to which ear to get the perfect balance for you.
Custom Ring Indications
This is a really cool feature that makes it easier to see when and who is calling or sending a message.
You can now set individual vibrations to each contact! Why stop there you can also enable the LED flashlight on the back to make signals on incoming calls.
Motor Skills
So this is Apple accessibility’s new born. They now enable people with certain motor disabilities to access the world of iOS.
New Assistive Technologies
Apple says they now made it possible for more assistive technology to connect with iOS devices. As of now I don’t know which new AT or what kind but as long as it there, I am happy.
You can also set the default way to output incoming calls, to regular, speaker or headset.
Assistive Touch
This new feature is extremely impressive. It lets you record a couple of gestures and with an easy menu, access them with with a single tap.
You can have a menu, with access to many shortcuts and other helpful commands, floating on top of the screen at all time. Or have Assistive Touch on or off by pressing Home button 3 times, if enabled in the settings.
TIME
6:03 AM
iOS 5 : Accessibility features
iOS 5 introduces a wealth of new features that can be used to aid people with visual, aural, and mobility impairments. You’ll find these options on the Accessibility setting screen under Settings -> General -> Accessibility.
VoiceOver
VoiceOver is a system that allows people with visual impairments to navigate the touchscreen of an iOS device. Switch it on and your iOS device speaks to you, telling you what’s under your fingers as you touch areas of the device. As before, VoiceOver requires that you use gestures in a different way than you would with the feature switched off. For example, to activate an item, you double-tap it. To scroll a page, you flick with three fingers.
The VoiceOver screen includes multiple functions. The first, Speak Hints, is an On/Off option. When on, VoiceOver will provide some additional detail on how to use a button or feature you’ve selected. The slider below the Speak Hints entry allows you to adjust the speaking rate of the VoiceOver voice.
The next area includes feedback options. The Typing Feedback screen, which you access by tapping the Typing Feedback button on the VoiceOver screen, is where you determine how the device indicates what you’ve typed. You can choose to have the typed characters, words, or words and characters spoken to you when you’re using either or both a software and hardware keyboard. Below this item are three On/Off options—Use Phonetics, Use Pitch Change, and Use Compact Voice (the last of which is new with iOS 5). Each determines the character of the spoken voice.
The Braille command includes a new option. In addition to support for Contracted Braille and the Status Cell option, there’s now support for eight-dot Braille devices.
The Rotor command (called Web Rotor in the previous version of iOS) includes a greater number of functions that you can control with the Rotor gesture. For example, you can now adjust speech rate, volume, hints, and vertical navigation. New spoken languages are now available from within the Language Rotor list—Irish English and South African English, for example. You can also now choose different feedback when navigating images with VoiceOver—Always, With Descriptions, and Never. Finally—also new with iOS 5—is the option to speak notifications as they’re received.
Zoom
The Zoom feature is unchanged from the previous version of iOS. Enable it and you can zoom the screen by double-tapping with three fingers. To zoom out, use this same gesture. To move around a zoomed screen, drag three fingers.
Large Text
This is another unchanged feature. From the Large Text screen, you can choose a larger text size for Calendar, Contacts, Mail, Messages, and Notes ranging from 20-point to 56-point text.
White on Black
Similar to OS X’s White On Black feature within the Universal Access system preference, you use the White On Black option to invert the iOS device’s screen colors, making it easier for someone with visual impairments to see.
Speak Selection
Within the Accessibility section you’ll find a new Speak Selection option, which you can switch on or off. When switched on, you can select on-screen text via the usual method and then tap a Speak button to hear the text spoken.
Speak Auto-Text
Another previously available feature, Speak Auto-Text speaks any autocorrected and autocapitalized text when it’s switched on. This is helpful not only to people who have visual impairments, but also to those who don’t pay strict enough attention to a device’s desire to substitute words when it detects alleged mistakes.
Hearing Aid Mode
Another new feature with iOS 5—at least if you have an iPhone 4 or 4S—Hearing Aid Mode makes iOS devices more compatible with hearing aids.
Custom Vibrations
If you can’t read your iPhone’s screen, it’s very difficult to use caller ID on a muted phone. The new Custom Vibration feature—which, like Hearing Aid Mode, is only available on the iPhone 4 and 4S—allows you to assign a unique vibration pattern to a contact. This way, when your iPhone vibrates in a pattern similar to the opening bars of Beethoven’s Fifth Symphony (termed the Symphony pattern), you know it’s Ludwig calling.
In addition to the five included vibration patterns, you can create your own. Just choose to edit a contact within the Phone app and then tap the Vibration entry. In the Vibration screen that appears, select Create New Vibration. In the New Vibration screen, tap out the rhythm to “Shave and a Haircut” or “Jingle Bells” or “Louie Louie,” if you like. Tap Play to check your work, tap Save, and then name the pattern. Select it in the Custom area of the Vibration window, and tap Done in the top left corner to attach it to your contact. You can also change the device’s default vibration to a custom vibration.
LED Flash for Alerts
Switch this iPhone 4– and 4S–only option on, and your phone’s camera flash will blink when you receive an alert for an incoming text message, push notification, or call.
Mono Audio
Stereo is a problem for people who have difficulty hearing equally from both ears. This option alters a stereo signal through the headphone port so that both sides of the stereo stream are broadcast through each earpiece.
Balance Controls
Along these same lines, if the hearing in one of your ears is better than in the other, you can use the new Balance Control slider to make one channel of the stereo signal louder.
AssistiveTouch
If you have difficulty touching the device’s screen, AssistiveTouch is for you. Switch it on, and a target-like icon appears on screen. Tap it, and a gray overlay window appears from which you can select Gestures, Device, Home, and Favorites icons.
Tap Gestures and you can choose to control your device with two to five fingers—helpful when you have little finger dexterity. Tap Device, and such common button commands as Mute, Rotate Screen, Lock Screen, Volume Up, Volume Down, and Shake appear on screen. Tap the command you want to invoke. Tap the virtual Home button to be taken to the home screen. Tap the Favorites icon to access gestures you’ve created.
You create these gestures by enabling AssistiveTouch and then tapping the Create New Gesture entry at the bottom of the screen. In the screen that appears, use up to five fingers to swipe or tap out a gesture. You can then activate one of these gestures from AssistiveTouch’s Favorites menu.
Incoming Calls
This iPhone 4– and 4S–only option setting lets you choose how incoming calls will be routed—Default (via a headset, if one is connected, or the speaker), Headset, or Speaker.
Triple-Click Home
This setting, aimed at people who will use the device’s accessibility features, allows you to configure what a triple-click of the Home button does. The options include Off, Toggle VoiceOver, Toggle White On Black, Toggle Zoom, Toggle AssistiveTouch, and Ask.
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