links for 2009-09-07
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The Observer XT is the professional and user-friendly software for the collection, analysis, and presentation of observational data.
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This is where Usability Activity Log comes into play. It offers an effective means to easily and unobtrusively document observational data and task performance. The ease of use and low cost of Usability Activity Log provides the best alternative to other activity logging products which are expensive and often overly complex. In fact, Usability Activity Log has been usability tested first time user can sit down in front of our product and begin using it effortlessly with minimal instruction.
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Usability practitioners are called on, not only to conduct many research studies during their careers, but also to read, review, and advise on usability studies that have been conducted and reported by others. The ability to critically review the research of others, and to help stakeholders weigh up the merits or shortcomings of research data and conclusions, is an extremely valuable skill. These checkpoints will help you cover the key issues. — Philip Hodgson, January 10 2005
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(tags: clock)
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Basic wrapper code for creating Flash-based screesavers on Mac OS X. The Options window is the same dimensions as for Instant Storm to facilitate cross-platform screensaver development.
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Shoes is a cross-platform mini-gooey toolkit for the Ruby programming language written _Why. I installed Shoes on an Ubuntu box ran with it (bad pun intended).
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There are three key design components to any survey. Going from the general to the specific these are:
* The overall content of the survey
* The phrasing of individual questions
* The rating scale -
Usability test moderators need to play several roles, such as ensuring the technology is working properly, ensuring the session runs to schedule and schmoozing the client. But the moderator’s most important role is to ensure that the participant is heard. With most test sessions lasting less than 90 minutes, this is one of a small number of opportunities that the design team has to understand how people use their product.
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The medium has become, in a sense, more important than the message.
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(tags: microformats)
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Preserve special moments with much more than just a photo! Turn your digital video clips into paper flipclips ™to carry with you, send and share!
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Baseline is a framework built around the idea of a “real” baseline grid.
Built with typographic standards in mind, Baseline makes it easy to develop a website with a pleasing grid and good typography. Baseline starts with several files to reset the browser’s default behavior, build a basic typographic layout — including style for HTML forms and new HTML 5 elements — and build a simple grid system. Baseline was born to be a quick way to prototype a website and grew up to become a full typographic framework for the web using “real” baseline grid as it’s foundation.
(tags: css frameworks) -
Daytum helps you collect, categorize and communicate your everyday data.
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(tags: screencasting tools)
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Limitations for communicating design
1) People have to learn to read low fidelity schematics
2) People sometimes expect them to demonstrate final visual designLimitations when producing wireframes
1) Components are not reusable as updatable instances
2) Common behaviors have to be represented multiple times–CRUD, design pattern
3) Some people expect them to be updated constantly, which is hard given the re-use issues
4) They're time consuming and therefore costly to make, as opposed to sketching.(tags: wireframes arguments) -
Techniques of Analysis
* Deconstruction
* Manipulation
* Transformation
* Summarization
* Aggregation
* Generalization
* Abstraction
* Synthesis -
Types of Patterns
* trends—A trend is the gradual, general progression of data up or down.
* repetitions—A repetition is a series of values that repeat themselves.
* cycles—A cycle is a regularly recurring series of data.
* feedback systems—A feedback system is a cycle that gets progressively bigger or smaller because of some influence.
* clusters—A cluster is a concentration of data or objects in one small area.
* gaps—A gap is an area in which there is an absence of data.
* pathways—A pathway is a sequential pattern of data.
* exponential growth—In exponential growth, there is a rapidly increasing rate of growth.
* diminishing returns—When there are diminishing returns, there is a gradually decreasing rate of growth.
* long tails—The Long Tail is a pattern that rises steeply at the start, falls sharply, then levels off over a large range of low values. -
Sifter is a hosted bug and issue tracking application focused on making work less tedious. You can signup for a free trial to take it for a test drive or go on a quick tour full of video and screenshots to learn more.(tags: issuetrackers bugtrackers)