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Obama’s O: not the first idea

From the New York Times’ Campaign Stops blog, who interviewed Sol Sender, graphic designer of the Barack Obama ‘O’ logo: Q: How many iterations did you go through before deciding on this “O”? Was it your first idea? A: We actuall...


Ideas are cheap. Have a lot of them.

This past week at CanUX I presented sketchboards, a low-fi technique that makes it possible for designers to explore and evaluate a range of interaction concepts. One thing we worked on was using a template that accommodates the sketching of 6 ide...


What’s so special about a team of rivals?

Found this nice op-ed piece this morning called What’s so special about a team of rivals, By James Oakes. It’s the perfect antidote to the sloppy thinking circling the now cliched phrase ‘team of rivals’. Another nice ob...


Debunking Thanksgiving myths

Here’s a good one from about this time last year: debunking thanksgiving myths. It’s a great example of how much we confidently assume we know is true as adults, based simply on what we were told as kids.


Wednesday linkfest

Obama will create the first CTO position for the US government. You can suggest and vote on what the CTO’s agenda should be (This doesn’t appear to be an official site, but it does already have thousands of votes). How to get people t...


Sketchboards at CanUX

I’m lucky to have the pleasure of spending several days at CanUX in Banff, Alberta, plus getting the chance to present the skethboards method with the great folks at the conference. Here’s a sample of what I’m sharing: the slide...


Toronto Wed Dec 3rd: Anyone want me to speak?

I’ll be in town for a private speaking gig, but if there’s a community group or someone else who wants to organize a public place for me to speak on Wed Dec 3rd, I’d be happy to try and make it happen. Leave a comment or contact...


Today is World Usability Day

Today marks the third annual World Usability Day. There are many events taking place online and more in various cities around the world, possibly near you. My favorite event is the Alarm clock rally: You have to guess how hard to use each alarm c...


Wednesday linkfest

Author William Gibson finds one of his books in a sad place. Happens to everyone. Secrets of the writing of the Daily Show. Amusing, but there are some interesting nuggets on process in there. Also note the size of the staff. The Nature journal ...


Do we suck at the basics?

The longer I’m on this planet, the more I think the problem with everything is someone’s failure to get the basics right. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve been invited to companies or to talk about projects going on her...


What I learned in Trinidad

Last week I was in Trinidad, just off the coast of South America. I was speaking at the BDC’s Innovation to Income conference and took a few extra days for fun. It’s an interesting place - since most tourists head over to the quiet, beautif...


Innovation in sports: Chessboxing

One breakthrough moment as a kid was the first time I played a pinball machine that, when you hit the right bumpers, would release a second ball. This little change transformed pinball forever, as the level of panic required to managed two or more...


CMU study on privacy - opinions wanted

A group of super smart researchers at Carnegie Mellon University (who I happen to be friends with) are conducting a web-based survey about online privacy concerns. They did it last year and your input was super helpful. They told me so. Twice. Not...


Will 2008 election ballots be usable? An expert interview

At UI13 I had the chance to chat with Dana Chisnell of usabilityworks.net, who has been working on ballot design and usability for the last few years. She agreed to answer some questions about what’s happened since 2000 and 2004, and what we...


Book Review: The New Kings of Nonfiction

I’m a big fan of essay collections and when I came across this one, The New kings of Nonfiction, edited by Ira Glass of This American Life fame I had high expectations. The book is good. Three of Five stars. If you’ve never gone out o...


Have a novel in you? Prove it (National novel writing month)

In about a week, hundreds of folks will start working on a new novel, writing about 1500 words a day as part of National Novel Writing Month (aka NanoWriMo). It’s a great way to kick yourself into gear, and use the collective morale energy o...