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UX STRAT conference, day 2
I just wrapped up the day by having dinner with Simon of Bristol (okay, Simon Norris of Nomensa) and Bob Royce and Dan Klyn of The Understanding Group. A relaxed conversation with three brilliant gentlemen—an excellent end to the day. So, the conference. First, I was glad to have met Josh Seiden in person so…
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UX described by Socrates
Lately I’ve been reading from Philosophies of Art & Beauty: Selected Readings in Aesthetics from Plato to Heidegger, edited by Albert Hofstadter and Richard Kuhns, and read a passage that sure sounded a lot like a premise of user experience work. This is from Plato’s The Republic. Socrates is dialoguing with Glaucon about art. Of…
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How to write better personal work goals
As managers, we require our employees to set goals, and then we measure them against those goals during annual performance reviews. While this is common and sounds reasonable, the goals often end up disconnected from real performance. This is a waste. (Managers: it’s okay to nod your head in grim agreement.) Why does goal-setting fail,…
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A model for UX design reviews
Design reviews are so important for our work as user experience designers, but they too often fail us. Here is a model for design reviews that overcomes the problems of ego, emotion, and communication that so often get in the way of helpful feedback. Alaina Kraus, Caitlin Potts, and I presented this process for the…
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How to write release notes
I confess, I’m a release notes reader, and I’ve read some overwrought release notes lately. When you use them like an installation guide, a features list, or a list of software conflicts, you’ve got it wrong. The purpose of release notes is simple: Release notes explain what changed with this version of your software. Period.…
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How to aim with iron or open sights
A guy in his 50s a few benches to my right was thumbing .40 cal cartridges into a pistol magazine. He had arrived when I was about to box up my gear and head home. But, I had seven rounds of .22 leftover, so instead of letting them roll around in my gun box, I…