Category Archives: Technology

The iPhone Myth: Mobile Web a throwback to the ’90s

Interesting article in USA Today on Jakob Nielsen’s group (NNG) research on the mobile web. Their results show it is much slower and less accurate to use the web on a mobile device: A study to be released Monday by … Continue reading

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Gadgets that Kill: Drivers and Legislators Dismiss Cellphone Risks

Despite human factors and other research that highlight the dangers of using cellphones while driving, few laws are being passed to address the deadly problem. Extensive research shows the dangers of distracted driving. Studies say that drivers using phones are … Continue reading

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IBM Security Software can Help Healthcare Security/Privacy Concerns

Promising new technology can help attack healthcare security and privacy problems ____________________ IBM Security Software Masks Confidential Info Network World (07/09/09) Cooney, MichaelIBM researchers have developed Masking Gateway for Enterprises (MAGEN), software that uses optical character recognition and screen scraping … Continue reading

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Finally – Usable, Real-World Products!

Ping Pong Door! Designed by Tobias Fränzel, this innovative door turns into a ping pong table when needed. After the game is finished, it goes back to being a regular door. Everything the techie or apartment-dweller needs! www.toxel.com/tech/2009/07/07/ping-pong-door-by-tobias-franzel/

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Usability of Electronic Medical Records

CHICAGO (July 1, 2009) €“ A new white paper, Defining and Testing EMR Usability: Principles and Proposed Methods of EMR Usability Evaluation and Rating, identifies usability of clinical software systems for the electronic medical record as €œone of the major … Continue reading

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National Federation of the Blind and American Council of the Blind File Discrimination Suit Against Arizona State University

It was bound to happen soon…Companies and universities implementing new technology that should enable all users to use the technology, yet has not fully addressed accessibility issues…and they are now caught in the act and are rightfully getting sued. In … Continue reading

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Tufts Summer Institute on Web Strategies for Health Communication

An interesting course on healthcare web strategies and usability. For more information, contact: Lisa Neal Gualtieri, Ph.D. Adjunct Clinical Professor, Tufts University School of Medicine Blog on health: http://lisaneal.wordpress.com/ Editor-in-Chief, eLearn Magazine, http://eLearnMag.org Blog on education: http://blog.acm.org/elearn/ Phone: 781-861-7373 Email: … Continue reading

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The Future of Doctor-Patient Interaction in Healthcare

Interesting video on YouTube of Microsoft Surface and the healthcare application Amalga. “Captured at HIMSS09, one of the core developers for Microsoft Amalga walks through the application. The health care industry has a complete aspect of new technologies and processes … Continue reading

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What makes a “User Experience expert”?

Good summary of what is a “User Experience” expert. Read the follow-up comments and posts your own comments. http://www.insideria.com/2008/12/what-makes-a-user-experience-e.html

Posted in Real-World Usability, Technology, Usability Consulting, User Centered Design (UCD), Web 2.0, Web Usability | Leave a comment

Solution, or Mess? A Milk Jug for a Green Earth

Who says you can’t improve on years of well-established tradition? Wal-Mart and Costco have adopted a new gallon-sized milk container that looks to save the companies lots of money. However, there may be some usability issues they’ve overlooked! A New … Continue reading

Posted in Real-World Usability, Technology, Usability Bloopers, User Centered Design (UCD), Users | 3 Comments

The Employable Web Designer

Nice article from Andy Rutledge, titled “The Employable Web Designer. He describes the necessary skills and traits for a successful career in Web design. The article briefly addresses usability, but at least they are included as necessary skills: Usability & … Continue reading

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What the Internet is doing to our brains: Is Google Making Us Stupid?

Good historical article on how technology changes our lives and how we work. Very informative story about Friedrich Nietzsche, who bought a typewriter in 1882, and the changes that came about in his writing style as a result of using … Continue reading

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Lazy Eyes: How we read online

Fun, somewhat tongue-in-cheek article about reading/browsing online vs. paper. He uses Jakob Nielsen’s writings as examples and goes from there. Worth a read on Slate (Aricle by Michael Agger).

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Dealing with Too Much Technology!

Good article in the NY Times about how technology companies are starting to deal with the loss of productivity from too much technology – e-mail, cellphones and instant messaging – being the biggest distractions. Some of the biggest technology firms, … Continue reading

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User Experience and the Elderly

Sometimes you have to protect users from themselves so they do no harm. Here’s a real-world example of creating a faux user experience that helps users remain safe and at home. Here’s an example: There’s a bus stop located outside … Continue reading

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101 Five-Minute Fixes to Incrementally Improve Your Web Site

More advice about improving the design and usability of your website. Major categories include: Copywriting Usability Search Engine Optimization Accessibility Design Legal View the article

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Continental Airlines Turns Mobile Phones Into Boarding Passes

More new technology ideas to improve real-world usability! Road-weary travelers (and everyone traveling these days) no longer enjoy the air travel experience. Companies must diligently look for new ways to use technology to improve the user experience of their common … Continue reading

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Lamenting the Lost Art of the Office Telephone Conversation

Very interesting article in the New York Times on the shift from telephone calls in the workplace to e-mail correspondence and cell phone conversations. While it makes the office a quieter workplace, workers have lost the fine art of handling … Continue reading

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Consumers earn Free Stuff with “Free Love”

FREE LOVE: the ongoing rise of free, valuable stuff that’s available to consumers online and offline. From AirAsia tickets to Wikipedia, and from diapers to music. This is the new consumerism on the Web. Read about it at http://www.trendwatching.com/briefing/. FREE … Continue reading

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Rebate Psychology – Understanding Taxpayer Behavior

Nicholas Epley, a professor of behavioral science at the University of Chicago Graduate School of Business, wrote a recent article in The New York Times about the recently passed tax rebate bill. Basically, he says that calling the money taxpayers … Continue reading

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