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Posts Tagged ‘IdeaNotebook’

#IdeaNotebook: More on the UX of LEGO

I’m not alone in my admiration of the UX of LEGO®. Shortly after my post about the contribution of user research for LEGO designers, I came across this UX Magazine article by Josh Tyson: POP UX! Lego Teaches us About the Power of Near-Perfect User Experience. Tyson asks a couple of intriguing questions at the […]

#IdeaNotebook: Google Science Fair 2012

Google is sponsoring its second annual global science fair for students aged 13-18. This competition calls for the “brightest young scientists from around the world to submit interesting, creative projects that are relevant to the world today.” I have always found science fair and similar intellectual challenges to be incredibly inspiring. Falling into a rut […]

#IdeaNotebook: National Novel Writing Month

November is National Novel Writing Month, affectionately known as NaNoWriMo. This annual event is “a fun, seat-of-your-pants approach to novel writing.” Started in 1999 by Chris Baty, the goal of NaNoWriMo is to write 50,000 words, the equivalent of the average-sized novel, in 30 days. Sounds crazy? Baty acknowledges this in the first line of his […]

#IdeaNotebook: Musicovery’s Mood Pad

As I flipped through my idea notebook recently, Musicovery’s mood pad jumped out at me as a particularly fun and inspiring UI. Breaking with more conventional controls for web radio, the site creators realized that most people listen to music according to  their mood. They developed the mood pad to allow you to select music […]

#IdeaNotebook: Infographics

My previous post on MyPlate demonstrated my interest in infographics and the user experience they offer. Some are definitely richer, more successful, and more compelling than others. Joe Chernov shares how designers rate success in “16 Experts Answer, “What makes a great infographic?” In addition to the good points these experts note, great infographics can […]

#IdeaNotebook: The best thing before sliced bread

Sliced bread is the innovation by which all innovations are measured:  “the best thing since sliced bread.” That phrase spawns the question: “What was the best thing before sliced bread?” Attempts to answer that question range from humorous to contemplative. I recently discovered another possible answer: User research! “Slice of Life” in the April 2011 […]