UCD Deja Vu

I sat in a presentation last week on User Centred Design. It’s not a new subject. But it is where I started my career more than 20 years ago.

It was a bit of a “home coming” and I was amazed at how passionate I was even though I haven’t worked in the area for the last 5-6 years.

A number of thoughts struck me listening to the presentation: 

•  The UCD proposition hasn’t really changed much in the last couple of decades. We are still talking about usability, reduction of errors, more fit for purpose etc. The companies and the faces have changed, but the fundamental issues are still the same;
•  I am now a senior manager in a Global SI/Outsourcer. The one thing that was going through my mind during the presentation was “Who designs the user interfaces for our systems?” We deliver £100M’s of software each year and I have no idea where the user interfaces come from. I must make an effort to find out!
• As we move to Software as a Service, UCD is likely to get a new lease of life. In the future, organisations will purchase their software as a Service. If it doesn’t live up to expectations, then the customer will move to another Service that does provide want they want. Since the customer doesn’t have technology installed on-site, there is none of the inertia involved in moving to a new system. Don’t like what you see? Is it too difficult to use? Move to another Service that fits your needs better.

Using the body as an input device

Came across this and it looks really interesting.  It is a way of using the body as a input surface.  More information here.

Logos with hidden messages

Came across this article today on logo design with hidden messages.  Great article that goes a long way to explaining what makes a great logo.

http://www.graphicdesignblog.org/hidden-logos-in-graphic-designing/

50 Great Redesigns

I have always loved design stuff, particularly since I am so bad at it myself! This article contains a list of 50 (mainly company icons) that have been redesigned. It is interesting to look at the before and after images - almost without exception it is possible to work out which is the "before" image and which is the "after" image. See what you think!

Typography

Well, if you don't believe that typography (i.e. fonts) really matters in design, then take a look at this online quiz.

Can you guess these movies from a single letter from their poster? You'll be surprised how many that you can guess. Spotted originally on the firewire.

And while we are on the subject of design, I came across this presentation from Will Tschumy at the User Experience team at Microsoft the other day. I really thought this was a useful presentation - nice style too! You will find it here: http://www.slideshare.net/wctschumy/why-design-matters

Toxel.com

Stumbled across this today. As it says, Toxel.com it is a "Design, Inspiration and Technology Blog". Take a look at the unforgettable advertisements page or the creative adverts pages. You will find a list of the most popular pages on the About page.