From the category archives:

human-computer Interaction

The challenges of studying mobile devices

07.27.2009

I tend to think that mobile technologies are making salient the importance of attending to the pervasive aspects of any technology. In the long run I suspect that conversations about immersion (i.e., the potential for Second Life, etc.) will be replaced by discussions about pervasive technologies (mobile devices, game consoles, etc.) in fields like the [...]

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Sony Walkman: Review of an “antique technology”

07.06.2009

A 13 year old tries out the Walkman for a week. On the form factor: From a practical point of view, the Walkman is rather cumbersome, and it is certainly not pocket-sized, unless you have large pockets. It comes with a handy belt clip screwed on to the back, yet the weight of the unit [...]

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designing (for) behavior and representations of activity

06.26.2009

Adrian Chan has a nice response to Josh Porter’s post on hard-wired behavior. They are trying to understand why people collect followers on Twitter or engage in similar kinds of behavior using social networking sites, games, etc. Josh asks: How would twitter change if you didn’t know how many followers you have? Josh’s position is [...]

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Improving OS usability

06.24.2009

Start with the packaging. Here’s a bit of good news for anyone who struggled with the cruel puzzle that was the Windows Vista retail packaging. Microsoft today released details and pictures of the upcoming Windows 7 packaging, promising a much more simple and streamlined experience. “We’ve reduced the number of elements in the package down to three: [...]

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Making passwords visible

06.24.2009

Jakob Nielsen has a posting that I think runs against the grain of what most security experts would say is necessary for protecting passwords. He argues that masking passwords, a practice left over from the web’s early days, does not really improve security and reduces usability.

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Testing Find My iPhone

06.23.2009

It works. With some suggestions from the user: I’d been amazed that the phone had enough battery life to make it through the night and still beam its location; the moment its battery was dead, then it would be game over for our little scavenger hunt. I unlocked my phone and saw almost 20 missed [...]

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