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A list of everything posted at Thinking & Making.

Some thoughts about Twitter

Wed, Apr 16 in Experience

Random thoughts about Twitter as an ad hoc social platform, intimacy, the relative nature of phatic communication, and forgetting.

Agile + UX: six strategies for more agile user experience

Wed, May 7 in Information Architecture, Interaction Design, Working better

Six ways to be more agile and better integrate user experience and information architecture into agile development teams.

Agile + UX = idealized vs. current state

Tue, Apr 8 in Design Business, Information Architecture, Working better

Agile's focus on small iteration needs a team that can build the now, remember the future, and recognize the gap between the two.

Agile + User Experience = Parallel work streams

Mon, Apr 7 in Design Business, Working better

In an agile process with a rolling series of sprints, UX requires two, parallel work streams, clear expectations, and constant status reports.

Unique visitors is a dumb metric

Unique visitors is a dumb metric

Mon, Mar 24 in Design Thinking, Validation

Dumb, aggregate metrics like unique visitors and total page visits give no real insight into your site's success. You need behavior-based metrics.

A sample 'Only' statement for the I.A. Institute

A sample 'Only' statement for the I.A. Institute

Thu, Jun 12 in Design Thinking, Experience, Information Architecture, Validation

A look at how to put an Only statement together, as well as how it works using the I.A. Institute as an example.

How important is the polite fiction of secrecy?

Fri, May 2 in Experience

I'm wondering how important is secrecy to the people who operate at our cultural borders. Does it really matter?

A new design

A new design

Tue, Mar 18 in General, Projects, Visual design

Just launched a new design. I'm proud. Not because it's the greatest design ever, but because it really matches who I am with what I need.

Improving qualitative metrics: adding comparisons

Improving qualitative metrics: adding comparisons

Tue, Jun 24 in Validation

Clarify the "compared to what", and all of a sudden your whole team is now answering the same question.

Fantastic case study on ATM design

Thu, Jun 5 in Design Thinking, Interaction Design

Holger Struppek writes a fantastic case study on the new interface design for Wells Fargo ATMs for 'Physical Interface'.

The U.X. health check, a Summit side conversation

The U.X. health check, a Summit side conversation

Thu, Apr 10 in Conferences, Validation

I'd like to get some feedback on the "health check", a method for quantifying the quality of a user experience.

How purpose changes ratings

Tue, Jun 24 in Visual design

Clarifying the purpose for a rating can dramatically change the quality of the decisions you base on that rating.

Improving qualitative metrics: adding purpose to your scales

Improving qualitative metrics: adding purpose to your scales

Mon, Jun 23 in Validation

Add clear, specific purpose to your rating scale help and your ratings actually mean something. Specify: why are you measuring this?

Design research reaps $1.6M in organizational change

Fri, Jun 20 in Design Thinking

The obvious answer to a problem is not necessarily the correct answer. Research not only saves money, but can reap huge, systemic rewards.

EightShapes announces UX deliverables workshop in August

EightShapes announces UX deliverables workshop in August

Thu, Jun 19 in Conferences

Dan Brown and Nathan Curtis announce a UX deliverables workshop in Washington, DC in August.

Useful useless things we taught our toddler

Fri, Jun 6 in General

And now for something completely different...

The 'Only' statement: focus on your project's key goals

The 'Only' statement: focus on your project's key goals

Thu, Jun 5 in Design Thinking, Experience, Information Architecture, Validation

An Only statement keeps your team focused on a project's main goal and audience as well as what makes your project special.

Growing up online in super cities

Tue, Jun 3 in Experience

A Frontline report on "Growing up online" and Wurman's 19.20.21 project highlight the huge changes we'll face in the future.

David Armano interviews Bruce Nussbaum

Mon, Jun 2 in Design Thinking, Experience

David Armano of Crtical Mass catches Business Week's Bruce Nussbaum for a great interview about design and innovation.

A common language for interaction design

A common language for interaction design

Wed, May 28 in Information Architecture, Interaction Design, Working better

A common language for interaction design would improve the clarity and speed at which we communicate design.