Boxes and Arrows

OCTOBER 16, 2008

The “IDEA Conference&# :[link] took place in Chicago on October 7-9 at the Harold Washington Library Center. The speakers pushed the boundaries of what it means to design complex information spaces of all kinds. We can all expand our practice by absorbing their experiences and ideas. In cooperation with the “IA Institute&# :[link] we’re happy to bring you recordings of most conference talks. We hope you enjoy listening to nearly the entire conference via these recordings.

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Conference Design Trends Video 45

Boxes and Arrows

AUGUST 14, 2008

As IDEA 2008 draws closer, the IA Institute is conducting a series of interviews with the speakers for the conference. " RU: Last question, and this is a doozy: Over the course of 2008, you and I have become “friends&# —at least I’d say that, and I believe you’ve said that. As Event Coordinator for IDEA , I fill a variety of roles, including the Interviewer of IDEA Presenters (which I proudly share with Liz Danzico).

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Conference Design Meeting Case Study 40

Boxes and Arrows

AUGUST 28, 2008

As IDEA 2008 draws closer, the IA Institute is conducting a series of interviews with the speakers for the conference. As Event Coordinator for IDEA , I fill a variety of roles, including the Interviewer of IDEA Presenters (which I proudly share with Liz Danzico). This is the second interview in the series, and this time I pulled the name of Andrew Hinton, Lead Information Architect at Vanguard, from the virtual hat.

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Conference Design Industry Groups 40

Boxes and Arrows

SEPTEMBER 4, 2008

As IDEA 2008 draws closer, the IA Institute is conducting a series of interviews with the speakers for the conference. As Event Coordinator for IDEA , I fill a variety of roles, including the Interviewer of IDEA Presenters (which I proudly share with Liz Danzico). This is the third interview in the series, and I got to spend time with David Armano, VP Experience Design at Critical Mass.

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Conference Design Industry Course 40

Boxes and Arrows

SEPTEMBER 12, 2008

Even if you’re trying to find one, the connections among Elliott Malkin ’s body of work are hard to see. Part family history, part science project, part home-movie, his projects span genres that, initially, seem incidental. Yet many of his web-based projects—whether they investigate “butterfly vision&# or install digital graffiti throughout lower Manhattan—are connected in one simple way: they all explore unofficial signals in public space.

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Conference Project Design Video 40

Boxes and Arrows

SEPTEMBER 15, 2008

I got some great posts for September's version of the Working/Learning Carniva l. I'd hoped to have my own post ready to go by today, but that apparently will not be happening. Between getting myself ready for this week's Leadership Retreat and the Brandon Hall Innovations in Learning Conference next week, plus taking care of all the work that won't get done while I'm gone, I'm in a serious time crunch. My Working/Learning tip for the month is "learn when to say 'no.'"

Learning 40

Learning Conference Tips Course 40

Xplaner

MAY 21, 2008

I want to go to this conference. Not sure I can - travel and expense freezes all over the place. It is 100% relevant to my job - sigh!! Authored by gminks. Hosted by Edublogs

Conference 40

Conference 40

Boxes and Arrows

OCTOBER 31, 2008

Illustrations by Leah Buley If you design user experiences for standards-based websites and applications (i.e. those built with XHTML , CSS, and JavaScript), there are several great reasons for adding XHTML prototyping to your UX tool kit. Perhaps you’ve found that traditional wireframes just aren’t sufficient and are looking for more powerful ways to explore and communicate design solutions. Perhaps your current practice is based on the traditional waterfall model (i.e.

Design 81

Design Video Software Technology 81

Xplaner

OCTOBER 15, 2008

Today is Blog Action Day , and the topic is fighting poverty. One of my colleagues at EMC has already posted his Blog Action post (go see Steve Todd’s post). I thought I would just tell my story. I grew up in Northwest Florida. My father got out of the Air Force as a conscientious objector when I was 5 years old, right at the end of the Vietnam Conflict.

Study 40

Study Learning How To 40

Xplaner

MAY 22, 2008

A CALL FOR VISUAL LITERACY. In many organizations, the beginning and end of any business activity is marked by the PowerPoint presentation. In the early stages of an initiative, PowerPoint is used in strategy sessions, to present proposals and put forth plans. Later, it's used for updates and progress reports. In the final stages, it's used to report back and to present findings and conclusions. PowerPoint is everywhere, and it shows no signs of going away anytime soon. Why is it used so broadly?

Technology 106

Technology Marketing Conference Report 106

Xplaner

APRIL 3, 2008

How To 102

How To 102

Xplaner

APRIL 8, 2008

In this short video (about seven minutes) I introduce some basic principles of visual language: Forms, fields and flows. I think of this as the “alphabet&# of visual language. This set of principles is the primary set of marks you need in order to create visual meaning. Did you like this? If so, please consider buying me a coffee

Technology 101

Technology Marketing Video 101

Boxes and Arrows

SEPTEMBER 18, 2008

I started writing this article with an emphasis on the financial domain. I then realized that I would like to broaden the focus because my findings are also applicable to a general domain like email account registrations, for example. In this article, I would like to take a simple example of how users register for an email account online. For a first timer, is the transition from a real world of letter writing to the online medium easy?

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Design Comparison Examples Groups 65

Xplaner

NOVEMBER 20, 2008

Part of my exploration of visual literacy is looking at how we might teach people to express themselves visually. Part of this is learning how to draw simple objects. This video shows how you can draw a car using very simple shapes. Did you like this? If so, please consider buying me a coffee

How To 87

How To Learning Video 87

Xplaner

JUNE 4, 2008

What is information design? And in a world where, slowly but surely, everything is being translated into, and expressed as, information, how do you begin to think about organizing the massive amounts of information we’re generating every day? What are the most successful strategies for thinking with, manipulating and organizing information?

Technology 93

Technology Marketing Tools Examples 93

Boxes and Arrows

AUGUST 14, 2008

One of the most frequent tasks on many intranets is finding people within the company. Providing an effective way to search people is thus a key goal in designing intranets. This goal becomes even more important for an organization like Emirates, a leading international airline, which has over 35,000 employees with over 140 nationalities and where more people are likely to use this feature more frequently.

System 63

System Meeting Examples Design 63

Boxes and Arrows

JULY 10, 2008

As we discussed in “part one&# :[link] the skills in research, information architecture, interaction design, graphic design and writing define the recognized areas of User Experience design. However, there still remains much to discuss about what makes a UX team dreamy. Each UX Dreamteam has a finely tuned mix of skills and qualities, as varied as the environments in which they operate.

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Tips Agile Comparison Creativity 62

Boxes and Arrows

NOVEMBER 25, 2008

By any measure, Halo 3 is one of the most wildly-successful consumer software interfaces in recent memory: more than 1 million players played the game in its first 24 hours on Xbox Live; over 8 million copies sold to date; and “over 100,000 pieces of user generated content being uploaded daily [.] 30 percent higher than YouTube on a daily basis.&# It’s probably safe to say that more cumulative man-hours have already been spent in Halo gaming lobbies than in Microsoft Word!

Design 57

Design Comparison Trends Software 57

Boxes and Arrows

AUGUST 28, 2008

2008). Here’s how the game works: You’re on your computer, instant messaging away. One IM session is with a real person and the other is with an artificial intelligence (AI) program that’s designed to pose as a human being by using a casual conversational tone. The AI is able to respond in complete sentences with realistic syntax to mask its identity, even throwing in slang, canned humor, or typos. Q: Who’s the most famous person in the world?

Design 56

Design System Trends Resources 56

Xplaner

APRIL 11, 2008

I talk about some of the cognitive challenges of the information age, and why visual language is an important tool for dealing with them. Did you like this? If so, please consider buying me a coffee

Tools 84

Tools 84

Boxes and Arrows

SEPTEMBER 4, 2008

UX Week Keynote Discussion – Peter Merholz and Don Norman UX Week 2008 kicked off with an on-stage conversation between the President and founder of Adaptive Path, Peter Merholz , and industry legend Don Norman. User Experience (UX) Week was held in San Francisco, CA from August 12 – 15. Boxes and Arrows, in co-operation with Adaptive Path, interviewed speakers in UX, IA, IxD, and Human Factors.

Design 52

Design Video Conference Project 52

Bennett Cherry

NOVEMBER 6, 2008

It's likely that you haven't heard of this site yet, but I'm guessing you'll be hearing more and more about AddsYou.com in the coming months as they near their alpha release in late November 2008. Sean Callahan, one of my former students at Cal State San Marcos, is on his 4th entrepreneurial venture, AddsYou.com.

Creativity 40

Creativity Innovation 40

Xplaner

SEPTEMBER 15, 2008

This quote (&# The half of knowledge, is knowing where to find knowledge&# ) is inscribed over the doors of Dodd Hall at FSU. Apparently no one knows who actually said this , but it seems very applicable to the conversation about the importance of the network in connectivism. Authored by gminks. Hosted by Edublogs

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Boxes and Arrows

SEPTEMBER 18, 2008

It starts with any number of scenarios: Design and development have taken too long to produce a prototype, you need to release in three weeks, and you suspect there may be design flaws. You are trying to incorporate usability testing into an Agile development process. Or maybe you simply want to pare down your process to make it shorter and less expensive.

Analysis 48

Analysis Tips Meeting Report 48

Xplaner

JUNE 9, 2008

Here are some basic rules of communication that could improve communication flow in a business. Some of them are fundamental "rules of engagement” that could set the overall tone for a company. Others are specific concepts for categorizing and measuring communication flow. The idea is that the link between communication and action can be measured and reported. We do this for financial and product flows: Why not do it for our communication?

System 71

System Report Tools Company 71

Boxes and Arrows

DECEMBER 18, 2008

In Part I , I discussed how to make the first three steps of Quick Turnaround Usability Testing (QTUT)—Sales & Kickoff, Recruitment, and Preparation—as short and efficient as possible. In Part II, I discuss the final two steps: Testing and Analysis & Reporting. Steps in the QTUT Process Step 1: Sales & Kickoff Step 2: Recruitment Step 3: Preparation Step 4: Testing Step 5: Analysis & Reporting Testing It’s testing day.

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Report Analysis Tips Change 44

Boxes and Arrows

NOVEMBER 25, 2008

It was not an easy recruit. Directors of IT are busy people. Oddly, they’re hard to get hold of. They don’t answer calls from strangers. They don’t answer ads on web sites. The ones who do answer ads on web sites we had to double-check on by calling their company HR departments to verify they had the titles they said they did. And now this. “Hi! So we have some executives coming in tomorrow to observe the test sessions.&# This was the researcher phoning.

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Study Data Tips Meeting 44

Boxes and Arrows

SEPTEMBER 29, 2008

The course is free and sponsored by Work Literacy and the eLearning Guild, from September 29 through November 7, 2008. Over at Work Literacy: Web 2.0 for Learning Professionals , the first module on social networking is up. We wanted to start with social networking because we're using Ning to run the course, but I will say that this is a BIG topic to cover right out of the gate.

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Course Learning 40

Boxes and Arrows

SEPTEMBER 22, 2008

The "course" is sponsored by Work Literacy and the eLearning Guild , in part as a run-up to DevLearn 2008. On Monday, September 29, Harold Jarche , Tony Karrer and I are opening the doors on a free 6-week learning event that will help people get up to speed on social media and how it can be used to support learning. But don't worry--everyone is welcome. Each week we will share new activities that will allow you to explore different Web 2.0

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Course Learning Tools How To 40

Boxes and Arrows

JUNE 11, 2008

EDT on June 18, 2008. It's time for the final voting for the 4 winners in the Comment Challenge. The survey is here. Our generous co-sponsors, Cocomment and Edublogs agreed to support us in awarding prizes in four categories: The most comments on a wide range of blogs (not just the "top” edubloggers). The most high quality comments that thoughtfully reflect on the topic. The comments that provoke and promote the most learning. Student category.

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Survey Learning 40

Boxes and Arrows

OCTOBER 6, 2008

Webinar on Blogging and Reflective Practice–October 14 We’re really excited to announce that Paul Lowe , Course Director, MA Photojournalism and Documentary Photography, London College of Communication, will be conducting a li ve webinar for the Work Literacy Community on October 14, 2008 at 7 p.m. Week 2 of our Work Literacy course on Web 2.0 for Learning professionals has kicked off and this week we’re exploring social bookmarking.

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Course Learning Groups Resources 40

Boxes and Arrows

DECEMBER 18, 2008

I’d like to talk specifics a bit. I’m sure there will be some readers at B&A who aren’t gamers, and probably even more who haven’t played Halo —so my apologies to those folks— but… describe in some detail exactly what you contributed to the finished product. When I look at Halo 3 , what ‘pieces’ of the experience did you work on?

System 42

System Design Groups Project 42

Boxes and Arrows

AUGUST 7, 2008

Games are fun, addictive, beautiful, and immersive. Websites, for the most part, are not. Take a moment and think about what video games look like, what they sound like, the way you can move on the screen, what “you&# can be. Think of how you feel when you play and who you play with. Consider the launch of Halo 3 on Xbox 360, with unprecedented graphics, sound, and interactivity that Time.com called “refined to the point where it delivers only pure unadulterated gaming bliss.&#

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Video Design Tips Comparison 44

Boxes and Arrows

OCTOBER 10, 2008

I attended Penn State's 2008 TLT (Teaching & Learning with Technology) Symposium in March 2008 as a requirement for a graduate class I was taking, entitled "Disruptive Technology in the Teaching & Learning Process." My post a few days ago arguing that the real value of blogging lies not just in reading blogs, but in commenting on blog posts and writing your own, generated a lot of comments and some great references to what others are thinking.

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Project Learning Conference Engagement 40

Boxes and Arrows

AUGUST 22, 2008

The Masie Center has just published the results of their most recent survey on how employees learn in 2008 and it's an interesting read. More people are learning independently in ad hoc, asynchronous fashion. "In a six-month period of time, 70% turned to reading, 58% searched the web and 58% participated in on-line e-Learning to gain new skills or information for their jobs." " I'm not sure if this a good or a bad sign.

Learning 40

Learning Survey Data Technology 40

Boxes and Arrows

JULY 10, 2008

Discount for Boxes and Arrows readers: Get a 10% discount by purchasing the book “directly from Rosenfeld Media&# :[link] Just use the code WFDBA. The scene is all too familiar. You’re presenting wireframes of the registration process for a new web application when the discussion veers down a dark alley. The sky has turned the color of black ink, and you can smell sulfur in the air as one team member after another debates the alignment of form labels.

Design 43

Design Conference Guidelines Engagement 43

Boxes and Arrows

OCTOBER 20, 2008

We’re embarking on Week 4 of the Work Literacy learning project. This week it’s RSS and feed readers. Although the thrust of the module is primarily about how learning professionals can learn and manage information by subscribing to feeds, I find that I’m more interested in how we can use feeds as learning tools for the people with whom we’re working.

Project 40

Project Learning Trends Examples 40

Bennett Cherry

OCTOBER 29, 2008

The famed design firm, IDEO, has recently released a video of their Incredible Ideo Global Chain Reaction Experience. As a means to show their engineering prowess (as this often gets overshadowed by their well-regarded product design work), IDEO created this experience as an internal exercise in both right-brained and left-brained thinking. I think it worked well. What do you think? corporate creativity creativity contests ingenuity innovation serious play

Exercises 40

Exercises Video Design Company 40

Bennett Cherry

OCTOBER 27, 2008

If you were in my Creativity, Innovation, and Entrepreneurship class today, you would have remembered that I presented 16 Principles of Innovation. While I still stand behind the 16, I have recently come across a 17th principle: When in doubt, use Origami. Since it is now past 3:30 PST, many of you are probably tired of reading or viewing any more posts today, but I had to share this one with. creativity innovation principles of innovation use the past

Entrepreneurship 40

Entrepreneurship Innovation Creativity 40

Boxes and Arrows

OCTOBER 3, 2008

( RANT ALERT! ) In a few weeks we’re going to be looking at blogs in the Work Literacy course. As we think about that module and the fact that for most people, their primary interaction with blogs is to read them, I’m growing impatient with this idea from a learning perspective. In fact, I have to go on record right now as saying that reading blogs is only a small part of what makes blogs powerful for learning.

Conference 40

Conference Learning Engagement Tools 40

Bennett Cherry

SEPTEMBER 22, 2008

Were any of the rest of you surprised to learn that Google has jumped a few notable brands to land in the top 10 brands in the world, as measured by Interbrand? I wasn't all that surprised. If you have a computer and use it at least once per day, you have likely also trolled your brain daily for the only search outcome phrase you need: "I googled it". The Google brand is continuing to grow and branding innovation

Learning 40

Learning Innovation 40

Boxes and Arrows

OCTOBER 16, 2008

This week we’re exploring various strategies for using a blog to support personal and formal learning as part of the Work Literacy course’s focus on blogging. Today we’re going to talk about “how to’s&# or instructional blogging. “How to&# posts can serve a few purposes in terms of learning. They’re a great tool for assessing skill development.

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Project Learning Tools Tips 40

Boxes and Arrows

OCTOBER 16, 2008

Blogs and educating the eflective practitioner. View SlideShare presentation or Upload your own. tags: elearning professional ). Over at Work Literacy this week, we hosted a great webinar on using blogs for reflective practice. It was run by Paul Lowe , who is a senior lecturer and course director at London College of Communication, University of the Arts London. You can access the recorded session here.

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Project Course Engagement 40