Tue, 26 February 2008
Gerry Gaffney spoke to Patrick Larvie, Google's Manager of User Experience Research. Patrick reveals Google's secret - rapid user feedback, early and often. He also talks about the influence of culture on technology. The book Patrick recommends is Karaoke Nights: An Ethnographic Rhapsody, by Rob Drew (tinyurl.com/2ewbft). There was also a reference to the Google Image Labeler (images.google.com/imagelabeler). Gerry concluded with a plug for Information & Design's usability training courses in Melbourne (infodesign.com.au/training/courseschedule.asp). Duration: 34:29 File size: 5.92MB |
Sun, 17 February 2008
Gerry Gaffney spoke to Floyd Mueller about his work with exertion interfaces - where the world of video games meets the sweat of the sportsground, and where you can jog, box or play ball with people in distant locations. Floyd discusses the impact of the Nintendo Wii, and how the lessons to be learned from sports psychology can be applied to video conferencing tools. He explains that in virtual table tennis, the player puts meaning in the ball by imparting spin and force; the game carries meaning through the network; and the meaning is what matters for engagement. For interesting videos and more, check out Floyd's website (floydmueller.com), exertion interfaces (exertioninterfaces.com) and 'Remote Impact' at the distance lab (www.distancelab.org/projects/remoteimpact). Duration: 30:48 File size: 5.28MB |