almost daniel.

So the iPad is a large-format iPod Touch when people thought Apple would be entering the tablet market the same way everyone else has entered that market: re-working an operating system to a touch/large-format interface. People were expecting Mac OS X on a touch screen. Instead, Apple decided to expand the featureset of the mobile environment used in the iPhone and iPod Touch devices. Even more device-centric than Mac OS X, the mobile environment is geared toward getting the best bang out of mobile-sized processors rather than mediocrity. This is always Apple’s approach, so why are we surprised by a product that does things in a different way? Yet controversy abounds and the technorati is sadface.
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Some people in higher education don’t get universal design, especially when creating curriculum or web sites. UD isn’t about the branding or style. And it isn’t about accommodation or creating content for the lowest common denominator student (a phrase that borders on insulting to those students who are left out when universal design isn’t practiced). UD is about getting it right the first time by providing content accessible to all users, not just those with a disability. Instead of one-size-fits-all, UD recognizes that there are numerous sizes. The goal is to provide a continuum of sizes to fit each individual. To suggest otherwise is to miss the point entirely.
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This ain’t your mom’s accessibility panel. This is how universal design benefits everyone, not just those with disabilities. Universal design is “design that is so thoughtful that it works for everyone from the start instead of needing to be ‘patched’ for the disabled.” The idea is to make a more enabled future for everyone, not just traditional disabled people.

The curb cuts (ramps) on sidewalks or roads are probably the best examples of universal design. Think about how many non-disabled people use those ramps for pushing strollers/prams, riding bikes or skateboards. This was a solution that helped everyone.

Presenter

James Craig, Apple Inc

Date

Tuesday, March 17

Site

cookiecrook

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I arrived at this session and it was SRO and full. I got some final ideas (after making it inside with 15 minutes to go):

• When designers push their vision out to “version 10″, it can cause tension with developers who are usually starting from the other end (i.e., Agile). Developers want to start small (and efficient/elegant) and progressively build toward a design. Balance is key.
• The best possible thing a designer can do for a developer is to share the problem and challenges, not just ask for a composed feature. That way the designer is asking to partner on the solution with the developer. Happiness ensues.
• The best possible thing a developer can do for a designer is to communicate principles and needs to designers to create a more common ground. For example, talking to designers about considering both real-time interactivity and asynchronous actions.
• The best possible thing both can do is hang out with each other outside the office.
• Build trust.

For the rest of the notes, I depend on my trusty Michigan friend, daniel slaughter. He takes amazing notes.

These are notes from a session at sxsw interactive. My own take on topics are mixed in with what the presenters were actually saying, so do not assume all of this content is my own.

There is not just one wireframe for a project. You need a wireframe for each type of documentation user: design team, business people (how does this affect them during day to day), managers (are the ideas good ones?), developers (details so they know how to build).

Presenters

Nick Finck (Principal / Director of User Experience, Blue Flavor)

Donna Spencer (Maadmob)

Michael Angeles (Dir of User Experience, Traction Software)

Date

Monday, March 16

Sites

The Slides! The Slides!

Balsamiq Studios

OmniGraffle

iplotz

Books

Sketching User Experience

Iterate from sketches to a wireframe.
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When you should get design involved? At the beginning along with everything else. You can’t compartmentalize anymore (marketing, business, design, tech; design: interaction, information, visual, info architecture). You can teach in compartments, but you can’t work in compartments. Education has to start out compartmentalized but with a goal to aggregate (inter-disciplinary capstone projects planned from the very first freshman class). You get people to swing back and forth from being the expert to being the smart guy in the room.

Presenter

dan willis, sapient

@uxcranks

Date

Friday, March 13

Site

podcast

ux crank

the pdf

Books Mentioned

the experience economy. pine, gilmore.

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