We can all agree that the volume of information on the web is growing at an astonishing rate. What we can’t seem to agree on is the actual growth rate. I have found people claiming that information on the web is growing by 10% a year. Other sources say 30% a year. I remember reading something about this in the book The Digital Economy – they said that information is doubling every 200 days or so.

In order to have a good reliable number, we have to have good reliable, universal and open metrics.

Until then, designers and technologists are addressing the issue of presenting large volumes of complex information in ways that are easy to understand and useful to ingest.

Edward Tufte has been beating this drum for some time now. His work is a chronicle of designs by designers who have been dealing with this very same issue for centuries. One of the most famous pieces is Napoleon’s March, by Charles Joseph Minard portraying the losses suffered by Napoleon's army in the Russian campaign of 1812. So much data and so elegant. This is a must see.

With the advent of AJAX, Google continues to simplify designs while revealing more and more information as the user interaction context requires it. One of the best examples of this is Google’s finance.

Yahoo has been able to continue its commitment to content - not just search - by using some of the same AJAX techniques popping up all around the web. They have been able to collapse six complex functions into a span of about 250px by 100px. Through heavy use of mini-tabs, they have also been able to cram in about ten times more information on the page without impacting the overall texture of the page – preventing users from experiencing content overload.

Digg has also been experimenting with their data visualization techniques. Digg is an online social networking/content aggregator site where people get to share and comment on links. The links that get “Dugg” enjoy more popularity and higher visibility. A huge level of data flows through this site, and Digg has developed two tools to help users visualize that data. They are both quite amazing and useful.

Finally, I found this link that contains many other examples of data visualization. The examples found on this site are ridiculously cool – you must take a peek.

So, keep an eye on this – as data continues to grow, we will be seeing more and more of this type of stuff.

If you didn’t see it last week, you might want to check it out now.

Basic Premise from the New York Times:
“The nearly three-minute digital film, shown on 'Saturday Night Live' last Saturday, was a parody of two boy-band singers (including one played by the real Justin Timberlake) crooning a holiday song about making a gift to their girlfriends of their male anatomy, which they appeared to have wrapped in boxes (strategically placed) and then topped with bows.”

Why is this important?
It is yet another example of how the web is revolutionizing or at the very least, challenging, the world as we know it.

According to the NYT article, the FCC does not have jurisdiction over what is published on the web. Or does it? Should it?

I think this is going to get very interesting very fast. Keep an eye on this story and how it develops… we might have to find ourselves writing letters to out elected officials.

I have been liking color tools a lot more when I am designing.
I used to dislike them for some reason I have since forgotten.

Here is a VERY nice tool from adobe:


Pull the white ring towards the center after darkening the whole wheel, and I am WAY into compound schemes.


http://kuler.adobe.com/

I went to my local GameStop store right before Thanksgiving to pick up my PS3. They held one for me because months before that, I got in line to reserve one.

When I went to pick it up, I noticed that there was a police officer in the store. I thought it was odd. But as I was walking out the store with my double - bagged PS3, I noticed a lot of people looking at me – very closely. I was actually afraid that someone was going to jump me.

Anyway, I haven’t really thought much about this until I read this article. Apparently, some gamers burrowed a tunnel under a GameStop in Florida. They went in there and took several Xbox360s as a consolation prize, since they weren’t able to get the PS3s they sought.

Before we commit any more crimes, let’s remember: it’s just a game. Think about all the playing that you will NOT be doing in prison.

Insane!

Some times, you want to be interrupted. The days of wishing your phone rings to interrupt a tough conversation or meeting are over. Now, you can plan these interruptions with a little service called “The Popularity Dialer.”

I know. This is messed up. That’s why I am writing about it. But it is also funny and reflective of our culture – to some extent.

This online service allows you to receive several types of fake calls, such as: popularity, female popularity, affirmation, return to the office, and my favorite, cousin in need.

Just try it. It is quite amusing. I have scheduled to be called during our holiday party. We will see how it goes.

Try it.

One of the first units I teach in both of my Interactive Media, and User Experience and Interface Design classes is the “then, now and future of the web.” The unit is intended to get the students to learn and think about where the web came from, where it is now and where it might be going.

We all know where the web came from, where it is now… but most of my students have a hard time imagining where it might be going.

I can’t say that I blame them since most of them grew up with email addresses that were less than 500 characters long and can’t imagine a browser that didn’t support the img tag.

They are not impressed by AJAX. They expect it.

But as we talk about the evolution of the web, their comments about the future are primarily centered on the idea of multimedia. They say, “more video, more flash, more bling, and more bang.” Again, I can’t blame them. They have been noticing the ever increasing level of multimedia on the web, and they are thinking … “well, the future must have a lot more of the same.”

I don’t doubt that the future will have more swish and ding, I tell them, “all media is converging on the web – it’s bound to happen.” However, I ask them to explain to me how different that really is from where we are now? Blank stares swallow the room. Then someone surely says, “faster downloads, better experiences, better content, blah, blah, blah.” I persist. How is that really different?

Eventually someone will hazard a guess about how we interface with the web – the mechanics; the space between the screen, keyboard, mouse and the user’s eyes, ears, and hands: the human computer interface. And that’s when the discussion really starts.

The method for user input and system output/feedback on the web has not changed since day one. I argue, and we explore different ways that users can input information to the system - and similarly, the ways it can provide feedback. Suddenly, the idea of a “truly immersive experience” starts bouncing around the room. Sci-fi or not, my students get excited about an online experience where the user interface with content is not mediated by plastic and LCD.

Granted, this is exciting and completely impractical right now. But this is, after all, a discussion about the future. Yet the future might not be that far away.

User interface devices are being pushed by engineers and visionaries all around us. Take a look at some of my favorite examples below:

Bluetooth Laser Keyboard. That’s all I am going to say about that. Check it out.

Jazzmutant. Multitouch sensor technology that allows users to input data in different ways than we are used to.

The KHRONOS PROJECTOR. Push a screen to move forward in time. The amount of pressure acts as a control for how fast you move forward.

Optimus keyboard. Still a keyboard, but not just any keyboard… “Every key of the Optimus keyboard is a stand-alone display showing exactly what it is controlling at this very moment.”

Beijing's Olympic stadium is rising rapidly and we can now see some construction photos of what has been called the "birdsnest".

Be patient for the download, these are fabulous photos.

Labels: Design

There is a lot of ballyhoo about the cult of the designer.

The "process" of designing is in some sort of vogue - and has been for many years now - and nowhere is it more apparent than in product design.

It is not enough for this or that designer to show us something well designed, we want to hear the story of how it was designed, the drama, the tension, and the courageous souls who always believed in the product. The audience is clamouring to understand the nuances behind the market research, the anthropological reasoning, the focus groups.

I've read two great articles recently, both in wired, about separate devices, the ipod and the RAZR, and how they were developed and designed. It was devestatingly interesting. And, and this is weird, it made me want to buy the devices even more. Or buy another one of each. The story of its construction made me a believer in it and a fan.

Motorola gets ahead of the curve this time by putting out the design STORY before the acutal product is released.

Take a look and see if you were as impressed as I am. I am glad they told me the story, I would buy one of these in an instant.

http://direct.motorola.com/hellomoto/motofone/experience/experience/index.html