User experience (UX) work, a term we use for developing great products, is more than understanding end users and technology; it’s also about understanding how to create a process and environment where great UX can happen.
To do this, we have to be hyper-aware of observer bias and effect, and to use our understanding of meta-handling (The Witness Effect) to our advantage. Sometimes, all it takes is stepping outside yourself for a few moments.
Join us for a kinesthetic, case-study-based conversation on MetaUX: a naked deconstruction of how UX methods can be put to practice in the practice of UX.
Kevlin Henney's slides from his Keynote Talk at PHPNW09 conference. See http://phpcodemonkey.blip.tv for the associated video
Not sure about something? And that something affects the detailed design, an architectural decision or choice of functionality? Does that feel like a problem or a part of the solution?
There is a strong tendency for humans to feel unsure about uncertainty, in two minds over ambiguity and a little wobbly with instability. Whether over technology choice, implementation options, requirements or schedule, uncertainty is normally seen as something you must either suppress or avoid. Of this many people appear, well,
certain. That you should embrace it and use it to influence schedule, identify risk and inform design is not immediately obvious. A lack of certainty offers the opportunity to highlight risk and reframe questions, making uncertainty part of the solution rather than necessarily a problem.
A REVIEW ON RAMAN EFFECT ITS APPLICATIONS AND SPECTRUM & TO STUDY INFRARED AN...IAEME Publication
The Raman effect is the appearance of weak lines in the spectrum of light scattered by a substance which has been illuminated by a monochromatic light (with angular frequency ω).The lines occur close to, and on each side of, the incident light frequency, and hence are optical sidebands. The sidebands arise from the nonlinear interaction of the light with atomic or molecular quantum states in the scattering material. Because this theory was invented by sir C.V. Raman and he
got the noble prize for that in physics.
Slides from the talk I gave at the 2014 Seattle Product Camp. Presents 4 methods to include user experience research throughout the design process: Interviews, Concept Testing, RITE Testing, and the Desirability Toolkit.
In just four months, Microsoft has already sold over 60 million licenses of Windows 8. This new version of Microsoft’s flagship operating system creates new opportunities for designers and developers to reach vast numbers of users. Windows 8 applications are designed following the principles of the Modern UI style. In this webinar, Valentina will teach you the basics of designing Windows 8 applications that fit within the Modern UI paradigm while maintaining a strong brand and personality.
Micro-Networks & Hyper-Local Communities: Creating Meaningful Human ConnectionsAmy Dickson
Join us as we unpack the implications of interactive online communities on local markets, human goodwill, our landfills and watersheds, and how technology is effectively bringing strangers together to do good. Presented at Seattle Interactive Conference 2015.
Kevlin Henney's slides from his Keynote Talk at PHPNW09 conference. See http://phpcodemonkey.blip.tv for the associated video
Not sure about something? And that something affects the detailed design, an architectural decision or choice of functionality? Does that feel like a problem or a part of the solution?
There is a strong tendency for humans to feel unsure about uncertainty, in two minds over ambiguity and a little wobbly with instability. Whether over technology choice, implementation options, requirements or schedule, uncertainty is normally seen as something you must either suppress or avoid. Of this many people appear, well,
certain. That you should embrace it and use it to influence schedule, identify risk and inform design is not immediately obvious. A lack of certainty offers the opportunity to highlight risk and reframe questions, making uncertainty part of the solution rather than necessarily a problem.
A REVIEW ON RAMAN EFFECT ITS APPLICATIONS AND SPECTRUM & TO STUDY INFRARED AN...IAEME Publication
The Raman effect is the appearance of weak lines in the spectrum of light scattered by a substance which has been illuminated by a monochromatic light (with angular frequency ω).The lines occur close to, and on each side of, the incident light frequency, and hence are optical sidebands. The sidebands arise from the nonlinear interaction of the light with atomic or molecular quantum states in the scattering material. Because this theory was invented by sir C.V. Raman and he
got the noble prize for that in physics.
Slides from the talk I gave at the 2014 Seattle Product Camp. Presents 4 methods to include user experience research throughout the design process: Interviews, Concept Testing, RITE Testing, and the Desirability Toolkit.
In just four months, Microsoft has already sold over 60 million licenses of Windows 8. This new version of Microsoft’s flagship operating system creates new opportunities for designers and developers to reach vast numbers of users. Windows 8 applications are designed following the principles of the Modern UI style. In this webinar, Valentina will teach you the basics of designing Windows 8 applications that fit within the Modern UI paradigm while maintaining a strong brand and personality.
Micro-Networks & Hyper-Local Communities: Creating Meaningful Human ConnectionsAmy Dickson
Join us as we unpack the implications of interactive online communities on local markets, human goodwill, our landfills and watersheds, and how technology is effectively bringing strangers together to do good. Presented at Seattle Interactive Conference 2015.
UX and The Heisenberg Uncertainty PrincipleAmy Dickson
A teaser deck for our upcoming presentation at SXSW Interactive 2015:
User experience (UX) work, a term we use for developing great products, is more than understanding end users and technology; it’s also about understanding how to create a process and environment where great UX can happen.
To do this, we have to be hyper-aware of observer bias and effect, and to use our understanding of meta-handling (The Witness Effect) to our advantage. Sometimes, all it takes is stepping outside yourself for a few moments.
This is a presentation we gave at the Microsoft Gen Appathon on November 9th, 2012. It is an introduction to the user centered design process and Windows 8 design.
Providing a compelling user experience is pivotal to developing a successful product. As a product manager, you are often tasked with difficult decisions that require a deep understanding of customer needs and how to deliver the best experience possible. User research is an effective way to both generate insights and validate direction.
In this workshop you will learn:
* The skills to effectively integrate user research into the product development process with a strong return on investment.
* How foundational user research can help product teams understand user goals, generate insights, and narrow focus.
* How to use research to evaluate and iterate on product concepts.
* How to validate design and product decisions to ready your product for launch.
Behind the Brand: 30 Influencers that Drive Social for the Brands We LoveLeadtail
The concept of “influence” has rapidly found its way into most marketing programs and industry dialogue. On the heels of my book Human to Human, we decided to embark on a different type of influence research project.
Leadtail and Pure Matter partnered to transcend the world of lists and rankings, in order to define new engagement styles that tell us more about the humans behind the influence.
Mapping Ecosystem Services to Human well-being, MESH, is a decision-support tool which ‘meshes together’ already-existing models of ecosystem services to support integrative land management approaches, and - in the near future - will link these outcomes to indicators of human well-being in the context of the newly-launched Sustainable Development Goals. Take a look at this presentation and follow Natural Capital Project's Dr Justin Johnson's demo of MESH step by step and learn how to use it. Don't forget to download it first: http://www.naturalcapitalproject.org/mesh/
Running head INITIAL SELF-ASSESSMENT INITIAL SELF-ASSESSMEN.docxcowinhelen
Running head: INITIAL SELF-ASSESSMENT
INITIAL SELF-ASSESSMENT
5
Initial Self-Assessment
Jemma Phillipus-Hodge
PSY 330: Theories of Personality
Instructor Giselle Gourrier
May 29, 2017
Initial Self-Assessment
Personality is defined as a set of characteristics and behaviors that distinguishes a person from others. Everyone possesses unique qualities and traits formed from the integration of genetic inheritance and experience. Traits are believed to encompass behavioral, psychological, and physical aspects of a person. The personality of an individual influences the way one interacts and associates with the environment. There are various distinguishing features that reinforce on the definition of personality. First, personality is stable and constant such that it does not change from one day to another. In some cases, change can occur, though under specific experience such as trauma. Secondly, personality is made up of properties and mechanisms whereby there are different characteristics and components that encompass personality. Finally, personality is ever present and ingrained in someone’s being. Because of this, a person’s personality affects how one adjusts and handles situations in life. With that said, a self-assessment is conducted on my personality type in regards to traits, behaviors, interactions, and handling stress among others.
Self-Assessment of My Personality
A self-analysis of my personality reveals that I am a very quiet person with poor social skills. Because of this, I can conclude that I have an introverted personality that prefers to spend more time alone than socialize with others. Despite being quiet I do socialize with very close friends and people I am comfortable to be around with. My quiet nature has made me to have very few and selective friends whom we rarely interact on a frequent basis. I am also quite withdrawn though I never get bored being alone to my thoughts. When it comes to my behavior, I find that I have highly organizational and methodological abilities. I therefore prefer to be in environments that are organized and lack any form of disorder (Wang, et al. 2017, 172).
Because of my organizational tendencies, I also remember and take not of trivial details and specifics. Unfortunately, because of my quiet and less interactive personality many people mistake me for being shy. However, that is not the case because I can confidently interact and speak my thoughts. I believe myself to be highly artistic whereby instead of speaking and expressing my mind verbally, I prefer to write and draw. In addition to the above, I have a systematic and steady personality. Any form of abrupt changes or spontaneity disrupts me psychologically. I am also highly conscientious evident in the manner I handle roles and responsibilities. Emotionally, I am not expressive and open with my feelings. Instead of expressing them out, I bottle up my emotions unless it is necessary. Such a behavior stems from the feeling I ...
UX and The Heisenberg Uncertainty PrincipleAmy Dickson
A teaser deck for our upcoming presentation at SXSW Interactive 2015:
User experience (UX) work, a term we use for developing great products, is more than understanding end users and technology; it’s also about understanding how to create a process and environment where great UX can happen.
To do this, we have to be hyper-aware of observer bias and effect, and to use our understanding of meta-handling (The Witness Effect) to our advantage. Sometimes, all it takes is stepping outside yourself for a few moments.
This is a presentation we gave at the Microsoft Gen Appathon on November 9th, 2012. It is an introduction to the user centered design process and Windows 8 design.
Providing a compelling user experience is pivotal to developing a successful product. As a product manager, you are often tasked with difficult decisions that require a deep understanding of customer needs and how to deliver the best experience possible. User research is an effective way to both generate insights and validate direction.
In this workshop you will learn:
* The skills to effectively integrate user research into the product development process with a strong return on investment.
* How foundational user research can help product teams understand user goals, generate insights, and narrow focus.
* How to use research to evaluate and iterate on product concepts.
* How to validate design and product decisions to ready your product for launch.
Behind the Brand: 30 Influencers that Drive Social for the Brands We LoveLeadtail
The concept of “influence” has rapidly found its way into most marketing programs and industry dialogue. On the heels of my book Human to Human, we decided to embark on a different type of influence research project.
Leadtail and Pure Matter partnered to transcend the world of lists and rankings, in order to define new engagement styles that tell us more about the humans behind the influence.
Mapping Ecosystem Services to Human well-being, MESH, is a decision-support tool which ‘meshes together’ already-existing models of ecosystem services to support integrative land management approaches, and - in the near future - will link these outcomes to indicators of human well-being in the context of the newly-launched Sustainable Development Goals. Take a look at this presentation and follow Natural Capital Project's Dr Justin Johnson's demo of MESH step by step and learn how to use it. Don't forget to download it first: http://www.naturalcapitalproject.org/mesh/
Running head INITIAL SELF-ASSESSMENT INITIAL SELF-ASSESSMEN.docxcowinhelen
Running head: INITIAL SELF-ASSESSMENT
INITIAL SELF-ASSESSMENT
5
Initial Self-Assessment
Jemma Phillipus-Hodge
PSY 330: Theories of Personality
Instructor Giselle Gourrier
May 29, 2017
Initial Self-Assessment
Personality is defined as a set of characteristics and behaviors that distinguishes a person from others. Everyone possesses unique qualities and traits formed from the integration of genetic inheritance and experience. Traits are believed to encompass behavioral, psychological, and physical aspects of a person. The personality of an individual influences the way one interacts and associates with the environment. There are various distinguishing features that reinforce on the definition of personality. First, personality is stable and constant such that it does not change from one day to another. In some cases, change can occur, though under specific experience such as trauma. Secondly, personality is made up of properties and mechanisms whereby there are different characteristics and components that encompass personality. Finally, personality is ever present and ingrained in someone’s being. Because of this, a person’s personality affects how one adjusts and handles situations in life. With that said, a self-assessment is conducted on my personality type in regards to traits, behaviors, interactions, and handling stress among others.
Self-Assessment of My Personality
A self-analysis of my personality reveals that I am a very quiet person with poor social skills. Because of this, I can conclude that I have an introverted personality that prefers to spend more time alone than socialize with others. Despite being quiet I do socialize with very close friends and people I am comfortable to be around with. My quiet nature has made me to have very few and selective friends whom we rarely interact on a frequent basis. I am also quite withdrawn though I never get bored being alone to my thoughts. When it comes to my behavior, I find that I have highly organizational and methodological abilities. I therefore prefer to be in environments that are organized and lack any form of disorder (Wang, et al. 2017, 172).
Because of my organizational tendencies, I also remember and take not of trivial details and specifics. Unfortunately, because of my quiet and less interactive personality many people mistake me for being shy. However, that is not the case because I can confidently interact and speak my thoughts. I believe myself to be highly artistic whereby instead of speaking and expressing my mind verbally, I prefer to write and draw. In addition to the above, I have a systematic and steady personality. Any form of abrupt changes or spontaneity disrupts me psychologically. I am also highly conscientious evident in the manner I handle roles and responsibilities. Emotionally, I am not expressive and open with my feelings. Instead of expressing them out, I bottle up my emotions unless it is necessary. Such a behavior stems from the feeling I ...
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Categories of Distorted Automatic Thoughts: A guide for patients. Adapted from Treatment Plans and Interventions for Depression and Anxiety Disorders by Robert L Leahy and Stephen J. Holland. Copyright 2000 granted.
Unconscious biases affect our perceptions, decisions, and interactions every day. How do we address biases if we don't know about them? In this talk, you will learn how to recognize and counter the biases that play a part in interviewing, meeting a new team member, and day-to-day interactions. You’ll also see common scenarios and how to address bias as it happens or after the fact. Together, we can make Asynchrony a more diverse and inclusive place to work.
Between Filth and Fortune- Urban Cattle Foraging Realities by Devi S Nair, An...Mansi Shah
This study examines cattle rearing in urban and rural settings, focusing on milk production and consumption. By exploring a case in Ahmedabad, it highlights the challenges and processes in dairy farming across different environments, emphasising the need for sustainable practices and the essential role of milk in daily consumption.
Top 5 Indian Style Modular Kitchen DesignsFinzo Kitchens
Get the perfect modular kitchen in Gurgaon at Finzo! We offer high-quality, custom-designed kitchens at the best prices. Wardrobes and home & office furniture are also available. Free consultation! Best Quality Luxury Modular kitchen in Gurgaon available at best price. All types of Modular Kitchens are available U Shaped Modular kitchens, L Shaped Modular Kitchen, G Shaped Modular Kitchens, Inline Modular Kitchens and Italian Modular Kitchen.
Can AI do good? at 'offtheCanvas' India HCI preludeAlan Dix
Invited talk at 'offtheCanvas' IndiaHCI prelude, 29th June 2024.
https://www.alandix.com/academic/talks/offtheCanvas-IndiaHCI2024/
The world is being changed fundamentally by AI and we are constantly faced with newspaper headlines about its harmful effects. However, there is also the potential to both ameliorate theses harms and use the new abilities of AI to transform society for the good. Can you make the difference?
Transforming Brand Perception and Boosting Profitabilityaaryangarg12
In today's digital era, the dynamics of brand perception, consumer behavior, and profitability have been profoundly reshaped by the synergy of branding, social media, and website design. This research paper investigates the transformative power of these elements in influencing how individuals perceive brands and products and how this transformation can be harnessed to drive sales and profitability for businesses.
Through an exploration of brand psychology and consumer behavior, this study sheds light on the intricate ways in which effective branding strategies, strategic social media engagement, and user-centric website design contribute to altering consumers' perceptions. We delve into the principles that underlie successful brand transformations, examining how visual identity, messaging, and storytelling can captivate and resonate with target audiences.
Methodologically, this research employs a comprehensive approach, combining qualitative and quantitative analyses. Real-world case studies illustrate the impact of branding, social media campaigns, and website redesigns on consumer perception, sales figures, and profitability. We assess the various metrics, including brand awareness, customer engagement, conversion rates, and revenue growth, to measure the effectiveness of these strategies.
The results underscore the pivotal role of cohesive branding, social media influence, and website usability in shaping positive brand perceptions, influencing consumer decisions, and ultimately bolstering sales and profitability. This paper provides actionable insights and strategic recommendations for businesses seeking to leverage branding, social media, and website design as potent tools to enhance their market position and financial success.
White wonder, Work developed by Eva TschoppMansi Shah
White Wonder by Eva Tschopp
A tale about our culture around the use of fertilizers and pesticides visiting small farms around Ahmedabad in Matar and Shilaj.
Expert Accessory Dwelling Unit (ADU) Drafting ServicesResDraft
Whether you’re looking to create a guest house, a rental unit, or a private retreat, our experienced team will design a space that complements your existing home and maximizes your investment. We provide personalized, comprehensive expert accessory dwelling unit (ADU)drafting solutions tailored to your needs, ensuring a seamless process from concept to completion.
Book Formatting: Quality Control Checks for DesignersConfidence Ago
This presentation was made to help designers who work in publishing houses or format books for printing ensure quality.
Quality control is vital to every industry. This is why every department in a company need create a method they use in ensuring quality. This, perhaps, will not only improve the quality of products and bring errors to the barest minimum, but take it to a near perfect finish.
It is beyond a moot point that a good book will somewhat be judged by its cover, but the content of the book remains king. No matter how beautiful the cover, if the quality of writing or presentation is off, that will be a reason for readers not to come back to the book or recommend it.
So, this presentation points designers to some important things that may be missed by an editor that they could eventually discover and call the attention of the editor.
13. “An inattentive person studies
matters only superficially.
He misconceives the worth of things because
he does not spend enough time and patience
to search a matter individually.
He hears half of everything and is also most
inconsistent in execution.”
20. “the way one thing behaves effects
the behavior of another thing”
21. “To be honest with you, I would be lying
if I didn’t tell you that I was expecting
the ball. Yes, I was expecting the ball.
But in life, these things happen.”
22. erything. I saw Wilson looking over there and t
his head still,… I just knew they were
going to throw and my instincts
went with my mind and made the play.”
Good afternoon.
Hi…… I am Jeff Alpen and this is Laura Blanchard.
I’d like to start with a question: how many of you showered today? Ok - good to know. We are going to come back to this later.
We work at a User Experience company in Seattle called Blink UX.
I would like to say thank you.
Thank you for giving us this hour. It is a privilege and we are grateful to be here speaking with you.
In the next 45 minutes or so, we are going to offer you our thoughts.
We hope a few key ideas will be planted inside you and that can be used in life and in work.
If they are helpful, interesting or useful - please take them.
And if not, then leave them behind.
There are three general themes we are going to talk about are:
Uncertainty - starting with The Heisenberg Uncertainty Principle and translating that for use in everyday life and in our work
Then we’ll move into awareness and how this can help us in uncertain and unpredictable situations
And then we’ll talk about process and how we define and employ process within our organization
We’ll wrap this all together in a body of work that we started last year.
My name is Laura and Blanchard, and here’s a little bit about who I am.
I grew up in a fairly homogeneous environment in the Northern suburbs of Chicago, and since that time have lived in a bunch of different places: Jerusalem, Paris, New York City, San Francisco, and Seattle where I’ve been for 20 years now.
Professionally, I started my career in the late 80s, working in magazines,. Later, I moved to Seattle and worked half my career in internal design teams at places like Adobe, Microsoft, and Amazon, and the other half of my career doing consultant work with my husband who’s also a designer. I’ve been at Blink acting as one of it’s design directors for about a year and a half now, and my main mission at work is to impact product strategy by encouraging clients to lean into the unknown a bit more.
In thinking about how I would describe myself and where I’m coming from (my context), I realized that I play a lot of different roles…..I’m a working Mom, a Wife and Partner, a Designer, a Dog Trainer, a Friend, a chef, a Daughter, a Sister, an Athlete, a Mentor, and I’m sure I could think of more…
It’s helps me to be aware of the fact that I have very specific needs depending on the situation I am in, and that everything is a process. If I focusing on incrementally improving rather than achieving a lot of aspirational end goals I am able to relax an really be present in the moment.
Like Laura, I play a few different roles.
I’d also add that these roles interconnect as I really believe we have one life - not a work life and a home life…
To start, and of greatest importance to me is my wife and children. I have two young girls who are 5 and 6.
Next, I am a wisdom seeker.
I tend to focus more on books and insights decades old as opposed to tweets and ideas by the minute.
I am an ambivert. And as general rule, I like spending time with people one-to-one or in small groups.
I like to stay active and get outside as much as I can. I swim, bike, hike and ski. About 10 years ago I had the good fortune of completing a couple of Ironman events.
I love the idea of practice - practicing “things” and having practices in all areas of life.
I started my working life with a small web shop in Vancouver, progressed to a mid-size brand agency in Seattle that was acquired by Omnicom and have really settled in over the past 4 years helping companies make great products with Blink.
I feel my true purpose at work is to model being human.
I think there is a lot of BS in the business world and people doing stuff for the wrong reasons.
I’m not trying to be altruistic,
I’m just saying I want to work with people and be of service.
No posturing, no selling, just pure authenticity.
In reality, I am an ordinary human being.
Let’s start with uncertainty.
I think an hour long talk on Breaking Bad would be quite interesting.
Problem is, many of you know more about this Heisenberg than me.
I am not a Breaking Bad fan.
The Heisenberg we are going to start with is the Heisenberg Uncertainty Principle.
The illustration behind me is an example of the Heisenberg Uncertainty Principle in play.
The Heisenberg Uncertainty Principle states that you can never simultaneously know the exact position and the exact speed of an object.
Imagine there is a laser at the back of the room and sending it’s beam to the wall behind me. On it’s way, it travels through this small hole. At first the spot on the wall is as you’d expect. However, once the opening starts to get small enough, what happens on the wall changes…the spot widens out.
Does this make sense to you?
It’s challenging for me.
I’m not a physicist so I find this to be a confusing and bizarre theory.
However, when simplified, there is an essence that makes sense to me and can be put into practice.
One particular translation is the concept of the observers effect.
As user researchers we see this all the time.
By looking at or measuring something - we effect the outcome.
Here is my translation:
situations will change
some situations are not intuitive
not everything can be known
Take children for example. Often they are un-predictable, they “change” irrationally and when you watch them and they know it - they behave differently than if left on their own.
Genetically, if you glance at these two pictures, you might say it is two different kids. If you look more closely, you might begin to think that it is the same little girl - younger on the left and older on the right. You can’t very easily know that the girl on the left would become the girl on the right.
This is Nina - two pictures taken 4 years apart.
I find it amazing to stand back and watch my own children play. They get into character, they are natural, they see things differently, and they do things that perplex me.
Stepping outside of their play situation allows me to see things differently
If you step into a situation where they are at play, you can experience first hand just how quickly they come out of their moment and adjust their behavior.
As you know, we see this happen to participants in a research study and we are continually challenged and inspired to create context and conditions which are natural.
I think Bruce Lee is a fascinating human being and his writings have a been a great source of inspiration and information for me.
He was an artist and philosopher as much as he was a martial artist.
Much like Heisenberg, he knew that to know the exact location and speed of an object, or person in his case was impossible.
His context was martial arts and street fighting in particular.
Through his practice, he established a guiding principle - to be like water. I love this.
As Bruce Lee taught his students, he eliminated the strict, stylized training that was common at that time. He taught his students to be adaptable. He wanted to let each student find his/her own way.
I love it in all aspects of life…including work.
So often we are rigid and attached and not able to adapt to the situation in front of us.
Bruce Lee practiced awareness. It was essential for him.
When I talk about awareness today, I will also use the word attention.
According to the dictionary, these words are synonyms.
I will use them as such.
Finally, as we maneuver through this section, I’d like to have you think about awareness can be a tool.
I believe we have a massive awareness/attention problem. I think we are missing out on our lives, interacting with other humans and uncovering insights in our work.
There are many times during a day when I’m looking down at my phone for no good reason — it really effects me.
It is easy to hop up on the soap box and start bitching about how our smart phones are making us dumb. That’s not the point today.
For example, late last year, I was involved in some field work observing a 1:1 interview with a client. During the interview session, the client was in the observation room feverishly working away — email, a document, a PPT.
He was barely aware of the research interview taking place and he sure as heck wasn’t paying attention. I’m empathetic to the pace and intensity of the workplace. Nonetheless, I’m convinced he was missing out.
The awareness problem I am witness to and a part of today is not old. While our obsession with our mobile device is only about a decade old — the problem is not new.
Awareness is certainly not a new problem.
In 1775, a prominent German physician named Weikard, wrote this about attention
200 years later, this guy put a light on attention/awareness problem in the West.
Do you know Ram Dass? You should - he’s fascinating.
Ram Dass was born Richard Alpert. He was a psychologist and spent his early professional days with Timothy Leary @ Harvard in the early ‘60s.
He was focused on human consciousness and the use of psychedelics to help tap into the sub-conscious mind.
In the late 60’s he went to India and ultimately brought what I will call meditation back to America with some of his friends.
In 1971 he published a book called “Be Here Now.” It is a very straightforward book with essentially one idea per page..it’s very digestible. The title says it all.
It was this book that really sparked inside me the desire to practice being aware and paying attention.
The power of being present, being aware, and paying attention is incredible. The result of having awareness of situations as they are is very, very effective.
In hindsight, I realize that my father’s teaching of all around observation was a version of this, though I think he delivered it as a way to keep me focused on being safe.
I’m not putting forth any spiritual POV here.
Nor am I talking about the modern mindfulness movement.
I’m simply asserting that being aware and paying attention is good for me and may be good for you and your work too.
An incredible and overt example of being aware is Marina Abramovic.
This is Marina performing a piece of performance art at MOMA in the Spring of 2010.
The show was called the Artist is Present. The performance retrospective traced her career with approximately fifty works.
In addition, she exhibited this piece as an endeavor to transmit the presence of the artist.
Effectively she sat as you are seeing here for 736 and 1/2 hours. Silent and still.
The piece involved viewer participation, and took place throughout the entire duration of the exhibition, starting before the Museum opened each day and continuing until after it closed.
It’s incredible - she sat immobile in the museum's atrium while spectators were invited to take turns sitting opposite her. The connection she made with viewers was crazy.
When I watched the documentary about this exhibit last year, I was amazed, taken, and awed by her ability to contact these people, to be present for them, to be there and extolling such a physical toll.
Are you up for a little experiment??
Turn to your neighbor and face one another.
Once you are settled and I say go, we will make eye contact with one another and sit silently for just 15 seconds.
Was it difficult?
It is challenging to do. It’s vulnerable, it feels uncomfortable, you feel naked, and some may even think it’s weird.
If you tried it, just think about how it felt.
I’ll leave you with the following idea:
Your attention is a currency.
Just like your money and your time…your attention can be used as a tool and it can be paid.
As Simone Weil, the French philosopher said:
Attention is the rarest and purest form of generosity.
As we move into the process part of the discussion I like you to keep in mind some of the things that Jeff just mentioned: most situations are uncertain and that our attention and awareness are currency to be spent wisely, and let’s move on to talking about some processes that we can put in place that take advantage of both those situations
the Heisenberg uncertainty principle states that “the way one thing behaves effects the behavior of another thing”… we just experienced that first hand by quietly observing our neighbor for a few seconds.
I think when we’re observing people, as we do in the User Experience profession, it’s important not only to look closely at who is in front of you, but also keep an eye on the larger picture. that’s where you will notice the unexpected, that’s where the opportunities are..
I’ll give you a really specific recent example of what I mean by describing something that just happened to us in Seattle.
I don’t know how many of you watched the super bowl.. But it will potentially go down in history as one of the worst game ending plays in the history of the Super Bowl.
Seattle was losing for most of the game, but made a great comeback in the 4th quarter.
They ran a series of sucessful plays where Seattle’s QB, Russell Wilson, handed the ball to running back Marshawn Lynch, and the got right to the goal line with this strategy.
With only 26 seconds left in the game, and Seattle on the 1 yard line, everyone was expecting the same play, including Marshawn.
“To be honest with you, I would be lyingif I didn’t tell you that I was expectingthe ball. Yes, I was expecting the ball.But in life, these things happen.”
However, Malcolm Butler from the opposing team was on the look out for the unexpected.
“Eyes tell everything. I saw Wilson looking over there and trying to keephis head still,… I just knew they weregoing to throw and my instinctswent with my mind and made the play.”
and……. the pass was intercepted, Seattle lost the game.
If you are too focused on the expected, and reliant on your particular process you will miss the opportunities available to you.
Now lets take a look at what happened in the art world in the late 1800s.
At that time, if you wanted to make $$ as a painter you were expected to paint in a very particular and limited style: focusing on highly dramatic subject matter, dark colors, and a process that included meticulous brush techniques to hide the strokes..
[This painting is call the First Mourning (1888) and was created by William-Adolphe Bouguereau who was knows as THE quintessential painter of his generation]
At that same time, the invention of photography was beginning to seriously disrupt the status quo, by popularizing a completely different type of visual:
A photograph:
represents a specific moment captured in time
includes natural lighting
There is often depth of field in a photography and often off-center focus
Subject matter is real life, not some invented dramatic hyperbole
Four artist students saw this as an opportunity to create a new process for painting, and they created what we know now as Impressionism
(this is Claude Monet’s Impression Sunrise, that coined the phrase)
because they sought to achieve the look of the photograph they had to change the way artists painted:
they took their art outside to better directly interpret the changing light
they had to paint quickly to capture the moment and this resulted in a brush work that appears messy up close; the subject of the painting only assembles itself when the viewer pulls all the way back
this new painting process also spurred several inventions of their own: mostly things that allowed painters to paint outside rather than in the studio: the easel and metal paint tubes are just a couple of examples.
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These students were Claude Monet, Pierre-Auguste Renoir, Alfred Sisley, and Frédéric Bazille.
And they invented Impressionism.
The is the original Claude Monet painting, titles Impression Sunrise, that coined the term of the entire movement
claude monet Impression Sunrise created 1872
I have this up here because I’m guessing that a lot of you in the audience are either user experience student or professionals..
and i’m guessing that most of you have some sort of well defined or vague process that you use to get your work done.
it’s either an explicit process like
like this one
or a more abstract version like this one
or a something complete confusing created by somebody who I hope is not a designer;)
Sometimes, when a process is too detailed, humans get too attached to the minutiae of each step of the process.
This usually happens during moments of most uncertainty. People get nervous and try to build systems in place that alleviate that anxiety.
How many of you have ever said or thought when working on a particularly tight timeline. “I don’t even get to follow the proper process!”
Help…..
This is the standard ‘design thinking’ process diagram from the Stanford D school. The same school of thought that IDEO uses to build its products
And I like this version better than most as a guide because it’s so simple and open to interpretation. It also has the appearance of being modular rather than linear, which communicates that different part of the process can be moved or even removed while still being a process.
Process is really just a guideline for solving problems. There are no two situation that are identical. The one thing IS certain is that things will change and people are unique and unpredictable. Your process must allow for that inevitability so you that you can become aware of the real opportunities for making things better.
Those uncertain times and the times where there is the most opportunity to do something better to create a new process, like those early impressionists did.
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Now we’re going to talk with you about all of this in the context of a specific project we’ve been working on…
About a year and half ago a client came to us not so much with a concrete problem to solve but with an open opportunity. She tasked us with the job of making showering better.
I had never really spent a lot of time bringing awareness to my own showering or bathing, until
I had my daughter… turns out there are a lot of particulars when it comes down to it dialing in the perfect shower: the temperature has to be just right, your desired pressure might vary depending on how you’re feeling, just how far you dip into the spray matters.. All these thing contribute to the shower you like to have.
As you can see from this picture, I don’t think at one week we had it dialed in quite right for her.
For context, I will tell you that our client is extremely passionate about the potential of smart home technologies, and companies like NEST, and she's trying to move the needle in the plumbing industry. Turns out that is monumental task when dealing with an industry that is about as forward-thinking technologically as health care or the government <insert Jeff: “we've worked with both:>. It's not the tech industry. A huge part of our job was to help her advocate for the importance of getting into this space, now.
Great! This is really exciting for us as we don't often get to work on projects like these. And by projects like these, I mean projects where there is a lot of uncertainty. The uncertainty existed across a lot of levels;
this was the first foray into the tech world for this client
it was an open ended design problem (we could design anything we wanted), and there wasn’t really a solid value proposition
why would make people want to buy this thing?
Does showering really need to be better? It's not like there are a lot of pain points in the shower
The mechanics of showering aren’t that complex.. turn on the water, wait a minute and BOOM, you’re in. Even when you’re traveling like a lot of us here at SXSW there are really only a couple of different types of shower mechanisms…..
I think the last bit of uncertainty was personal for both Jeff and I. We weren’t sure that adding smarts to the shower is really the best thing to do for people.
<Jeff>Exactly, we (as a company) are committed to the concept of technology, fading into the background, especially when it comes to technology in the home.
And I feel like as UX designers it is our duty to be hyper-aware of the context of people’s lives and work to bring that awareness to everyone else in the teams we’re working with
We looked at products like this <L.E.D fridge> and this one <L.E.D 2> and thinking about we could integrate smarts into the shower without changing basic existing paradigms. We got so excited about that direction that our founder even bought a bunch of little LEDs so we could start prototyping…… but then something happen
And then requirements happened
Ah yes, we all know what that means, time to adapt our process to fit with the reality of the situation. In this case the requirement was that we had to use a touch screen <insert android phone>, an android device was to be our display.
Thinking about awareness and that football example, again. I’m pretty sure we had heard our client float the idea of a touch screen out there, but we were so focused on what we wanted to design that I don't think we were really paying attention. When we finally realized this, and Jeff, I don't know if you remember, but I remember very clearly the meeting where we all realized we had to use this, and we were sad.
We knew we were going to have reset our process and start again.
We pulled way back from focusing closely on the mechanics and interface of the shower and looked at the original problem again
How can we make showering better?
<Jeff> We started to become aware of the fact that this wasn’t just about showering.. …….
Showering has some unique characteristics in the context of peoples lives….
1. you’re naked and vulnerable.
2. you have a perception of total privacy: if anything happens while you’re in the shower to disrupt that perception, like a doorbell, a phone call, cold water, you’re very self conscious and potentially embarrassed
3. showers are soothing, and relaxing
4. however, showering is often part of a rushed morning routine (we never get enough time in the shower)
5. showering is a safe haven, you get a moment away from the world
6. and because of this showering is a great place to generate ideas: There’s a neurological reason why so many great ideas are hatched in the shower, and it has to do with the fact that when performing simple mindless routine tasks, your prefrontal cortex is not engaged in problem solving and your mind is free to wander and free associate. It’s that free associative process that makes for great ideas.
Next in our process we gathered a bunch of people and asked to bRING AWARENESS to their own showering habits.
We want to ask you some of the same questions. And while you’re answering try to notice that observer’s effect.. How truthful can you be in front of strangers..
Let me see a show of hands...
How many of you shower every day?
How many of you shower in the morning?
How many of you brush your teeth in the shower?
How many of you shave in the shower?
How many of you wear a shower cap?
How many of you sing in the shower?
How many of you get undressed next to the shower and jump right in?
How many of you get undressed somewhere else and use a bathrobe to get to the shower?
How many of you don’t use a bathrobe?
and finally, we asked…..
How many of you would like a touch screen in the shower? Okay, now think about it, you will have wet and soapy hands, and you might have your eyes closed.. NOW, how many of you think you want a touch screen in the shower?
Well that’s interesting….. (same or different),
When we asked this same question to in our research which included participants standing in front of a prototype with their clothes on and no water involved, everyone in our said they wanted a touch screen in the shower. However, directly after they would say they wanted it they would say something to the effect of <"it will work just like my phone, right? they'll figure it out before they put it out there”. Our client latched onto this because she was listening to the more important part of the feedback.. People expect it will work every time, just like it does today. When she took that requirement back to her engineering team, they realized they couldn’t guaranteed that experience, and dropped the requirement of a touch screen.
The last part of the process which is something I think we don’t often allow enough time for is that Free Association piece; like we have in the shower.
After ingesting all the little bits and pieces of information we had from gathered from a variety of sources, and thinking about it independently we could begin to see the bigger picture emerge. Just like how when you move further away from an impressionist painting, you see the larger picture. In this case the single value proposition we identified as common across people with a variety of different showering habits was this “I want my perfect shower, every time”.
I was only when we moved away from the detail and focused on the potentially larger impact we could have that we could move forward
Let us leave you with this.
If what we’ve shared is helpful - take it and try it.
We are all human.
We are all an amazing tool. we all have the tools inside of us, it just takes practice
We will be effective and find our way.
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your world is uncertain
if you up your awareness you are better able to handle things
be like water…..
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If we are to make good human experiences, we must pay attention on a daily basis.
If we pay attention, we will realize that there is uncertainty in every situation we are in. If there is uncertainty, then there is NO control.
If there is no control, we can employ tools, technologies and our human instinct to observe situations as they are. ….
and use that understanding as the evidence which informs the creation of awesome experiences.
Don’t be this girl .. Open your eyes and pay attention to everything at the conference!
Discussion
What kind of work do you do? Do you see any of this applicable or not applicable
How do you cultivate awareness in your own work practice / methodologies?
We’ve talked a lot about role models and influencers for our own work practice. Who are some of yours? Why?
Have you encountered situations in your work where the act of observing changed or impacted the system or thing you were observing? What happened?
How do you adjust for this? What did you do?
Can you describe a situation where your work process had to be radically altered to fit a situation or client? What happened? How did you succeed?