Clik here to view.
Virtual Assistants (automation) and Etiquette
This NYT article discusses the “new” scourge of rude people interacting with their phones in public via voice thanks in large part to Siri, Apple’s new virtual assistant. This article reminded me of...
View ArticleATM Accessibility (not)
I’m catching up on some older topics I never blogged about. This is one of my favorites. The Consumerist posted a video of a blind user interacting with an ATM. As they said, “Overall, it seems like...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Bad Usability Causes Cranky Babies
I peripherally heard about another Tylenol recall and assumed the recall was prompted by tainted medicine or something. Anne just sent me a link to the story and it is apparently usability related....
View ArticleClik here to view.
Usability Follies in the News
It’s election season which means more opportunities to point, laugh, and cry at the state of voting usability. The first is sent in by Kim W. As part of an NPR story, the reporter dug up a sample...
View ArticleClik here to view.
I just want some gas…
Reader Nicole sends in this image from the gas pump. Can you find the button? Similar Posts (auto-generated): Bad Design: Mouse mode and feedback Patient photos aid docs reading faceless CT scans –...
View ArticleOlder adults and Windows 8
In an earlier post we discussed how illuminating simple user testing can be. The video below is computer blogger Chris Pirrilo who put his dad in front of the new Windows 8 Preview. The dad seems to be...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Recent Research Potpourri
Just a small plug for some recent research from Anne and me. The topics are ones that we’ve discussed on the blog: games and cognitive training and e-health tools. First, Anne and colleagues...
View ArticleClik here to view.
The Incredible Hulking Factor
As I was watching the pilot episode of the 70s TV series “The Incredible Hulk” (thank you, Netflix), I realized the entire premise of the show depended on a poor interface (and lack of workplace...
View ArticleHuman Factors of the Dark Side
Similar Posts (auto-generated): The Cadillac of Human Factors Human Factors Potpourri (again) The Human Factors of Weapons The Human Factors “elevator speech”
View ArticleClik here to view.
User Testing for Interplanetary Expeditions
I was listening to the Big Picture Science podcast on my way to work this morning when I heard a great example of how to test equipment prior to a mission. Hosts are Molly Bentley and Seth Shostak....
View ArticleClik here to view.
App Usability Evaluations for the Mental Health Field
We’ve posted before on usability evaluations of iPads and apps for academics (e.g.,here, and here), but today I’d like to point to a blog dedicated to evaluating apps for mental health professionals....
View ArticleClik here to view.
Goodbye Mouse?
Story in the Washington Post about the impending demise of the computer mouse in favor of touch screens: “Most children here have never seen a computer mouse,” said Hannah Tenpas, 24, a kindergarten...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Principles of Animation in UI Design
Smashing Magazine posts a great article on some principles for including animation in mobile UIs. I think the use of animation is under-estimated by some HF people because it’s hard to quanitfy the...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Paper prototyping made easier
Paper prototyping is a common usability technique to quickly test out an interaction before expending too much effort on programming or designing. The value in paper prototyping is that with...
View ArticleBegging robots, overly familiar websites, and the power of the unconscious?
Hello readers, and sorry for the unintentional hiatus on the blog. Anne and I have been recovering from the just-completed semester only to be thrown back into another busy semester. As we adjust,...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Usability of a Glass Dashboard?
I had heard that the Tesla Model S (the luxury electric car) had a giant touch screen as one of the main interfaces for secondary car functions and always wondered what that might be like from a human...
View ArticlePotpourri
Another edition of potpourri where I surface some of the more interesting HF/usability links that have crossed my path. The blog Touch Usability finds a great video of Bill Buxton discussing Designing...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Potpourri–Lazy Summer Edition
It’s summer and we (along with some of you) are taking a break. But here’s a list of interesting usability/HF-related things that have crossed my path: After much complaining, Ford is bringing back...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Usability process not used for ACA website
A recently released report, done in March 2013, reveals the process of creating Healthcare.gov. Hindsight is always 20/20, but we’ve also worked hard to establish best practices for considering both...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Worst Mobile Interface Ever
I was reading articles the other day and came across a site that, as many do, reformatted for my phone. Almost all reformatted-for-mobile sites are terrible, but this one is my favorite. You cannot...
View Article