“Instead of asking how something should work if a person cannot see, he says he prefers to ask, “How should something work when the user is not looking at the screen?”.
Mr Raman, computer scientist and engineer at Google, and blind since the age of 14, as quoted in the New York Times.
A website with everything you need to prototype for the iPhone.
It even has stencils for wireframing to download for (Powerpoint or Keynote).
A hands-free, muscle-controlled alternative to physical input for all sorts of devices. Instead of having to push buttons, you just move your fingers or squeeze your fist.
Its practical application is evident from the clear examples in the video above:
But of course its potential uses are endless, imagine just changing the TV channel without having to find the remote, or typing and surfing without getting RSI…
The day keyboards and the computer mouse finally get replaced just got a lot closer!
See the video above of the device presented at the ACM Symposium on User Interface Software and Technology. See the paper here: Enabling always-available input with muscle-computer interfaces
Tim Brown talks about what he refers to as “Design Thinking”.
There may be more to it than first appears, but I’m not sure he’s talking about anything other good user-centred design.
Another aspect he mentions is that you don’t have to be a “designer” to design.
Again, I agree, but again I don’t think this is a new idea but instead a return to - or the glamourising of - what has always been:
Dads (yes, dads more often than mums I’m afraid), would generally have a shed to tinker about in and come up with random inventions (a social convention, not that I think us women don’t or can’t invent and tinker or design…). Also, isn’t this all just about the evolution of “making do and getting by” quick fixes? From quick fix (a need and a prototype) to fully-developed commercial product?
Anyway, a move from consumption (passive relationship manufacturer-consumer) to participation (engagement) is to be hailed.
And whether “design thinking” or “user-centred, participatory design”, I completely agree that it’s the best, if not the only way to go!
People use Facebook in different ways. According to CNN.com/technology, 12 of these user types are extremely annoying!
…though does that mean all facebookers are annoying!?
Community Health Workers were walking 60 to 100 miles just to be in touch with staff at St Gabriel’s hospital in Milawi, a hospital with 2 doctors and a catchment area covering a quarter of a million people.
Over a 7 week period, 75 Community Health Workers (CHW) were trained to send text messages before returning to their communities.
The SMS solution is low-cost, but highly-efficient:
The system (Frontline SMS) consists of a laptop, SMS and open source software. Strategic partnerships also keep costs low.
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Interview with the founders of Frontline SMS in The Guardian
After a guitar got broken in transit and 9 months in which United Airlines failed to show any interest or concern, Sons of Maxwell posted this video response on YouTube.
Yet another astonishing case of how poor customer care can result in bad publicity, all the more surprising given the recession, heightened awareness of consumer rights and the digital age we live in.
Do United Airlines not care about their customers or property? Do they not know about reputation management or how consumers can use the internet to share their experiences and demand their rights?!
Speechless!
$100 OLPC Laptop Becomes a $5 PC
“What we are doing is taking a bunch of old machines that barely run Windows 2000, and turning them into something interesting and useful for essentially zero cost,” says Walter Bender, former president of the One Laptop per Child (OLPC) project.
The new Sugar on a Stick download features 40 software programs, including core applications called Read, Write, Paint, and Etoys. Many other applications are available for download, most of which emphasize creative collaboration among children. The USB software can boot up an aging computer, or a netbook, and save data from any of the programs.
In addition, Sugar-powered machines are designed to work with server software that can also be downloaded for free.
As reported in the MIT Technology Review
There may be some circumstances where white text on a dark background maybe effective without necessarily sacrificing legibility, of course really it’s a question of contrast, text size and letting the user have the freedom to make the adjustments she feels necessary, but this is a pretty persuasive way to get the point across nonetheless!
“…the median number of lifetime tweets per user is one.”?!
