I recently came to the realization that there are a lot of Usability-related items out there online that I don’t post about on a regular basis. Maybe it’s because it shows off my passion for cognitive processes, or it could possibly be due the fact that research simply isn’t a hot topic for most people. Either way, in an effort to show how split-brained I am I plan on posting one of these ’roundups’ every week or so. Enjoy….or ignore I suppose. 
A great process-related .pdf from The Big ReThink conference that shows the importance of being able to sketch (rebranded as ‘Scribing’?) in order to create system maps and illustrate process can be downloaded here. Check out an old article titled ‘Whats In A Number?’ that touches on validating the Virzi approach to usability testing in no smaller sample size than eight. Scrolling and Attention is a recent post from Jacob Nielson which shows that just because content is ‘below the fold’ doesn’t mean that it isn’t as important, or that people won’t read it.
At $2,800 items like this define ‘Limited Edition.’ Not sure what this actually does but still kind of want one? Me too…..Check out the video below for how a lower-end model functions. I assume the higher end would follow suit in terms of the input/response relationship.
http://www.vimeo.com/8301567
Either way it’s stuff like this that convinces me I need a machine shop, or at least access to a laser-cutter+cnc. That being said I still wouldn’t be able to play one like it’s an instrument due to my painful lack of rhythm. Via IA’s killer twitter stream.
One of my personal favorite sites, Flowing Data, recently broke down chart types and best practices for each. Also posted are perfect examples for each, broken out into (typically) concise sections. I threw the gif together on a whim….now back to cowering under my desk in all of my nerdiness.
I wondered if fledgling brand Lenovo was going to survive without the help of it’s former namesake, IMB. If the s10-3t is any indication it would appear that (barring reviews about performance issues) as a manufacturer they will be just fine. In a bit of a mash-up this netbook has iPad style functionality and some decent styling. A steel-hinged touchscreen display pivots 180 degrees and also folds down over the keyboard into a tablet. Seems like you can type or swipe just as easily at netbook prices, but since multitouch isn’t supported until Windows 7 and most netbooks can barely handle XP I’m not sure how well it will actually work. ….Seen between $490 and $550 here.
In a classic case of releasing product that caters to the high end ProSumer and implementing a ‘top-down’ approach to building demand (mostly seen in the sports space) Astro Gaming has released a follow-up to their A40. And I want one now. Not only is the design rock solid but it scales well; use it for team-based gaming and remove the boom mic to take calls using it’s in-line 3.5mm mic cord, then take it on the road for listening to .mp3s with a decent pair of cans. Can’t wait to see what their product lineup looks like by the holiday season since it’s easy to platform allot of the components into the pure audio space. Not bad for a brand built by San Francisco ID consultants Astro Studios, part of a recent trend set by FuseProject and Jawbone. Check out the full article on Astro in fastcompany
If Mario and René Magritte got together I would imagine the result would be this. $10 until the end of the week on Threadless.
If Apple considers it’s salvo of IP filings on mobile interactions to be defensible in court I sincerely hope Nintendo covered their ass. I hate to say it but other than camera interaction (good luck with anything other than gross movement) I don’t really see anything I would consider to be ‘next level’ gaming interaction based on what I can see and read up on online. The whole ‘handing off of the ball’ is unique, but how far can you push that? It should be noted that Nintendo kind of blew it with regards to camera and other accessory tie-ins to date from a platform standpoint. Read up on it at Kotaku.
Apparently Google’s global mapping quest via Street View car fleet isn’t well received in Europe and someone decided to do something about it in the best way possible–a combination of Geotagging and hardcore punking. F.A.T. brings the pain with this one. Click on the link for killer photos and a video or two. E-malarkey at it’s best…..
http://www.vimeo.com/6743203
If you haven’t played Beatles Rock Band it’s worth it to unlock these eight chapter animations done by MK12. Not sure if they did the killer title intro as well, but browse Vimeo to see them all if you can’t earn them on your own. BTW, if you can’t your gaming skills are in the negative….just saying what we are all thinking.
Hot off the presses is The Wall Street Journal Guide to Information Graphics: The Dos and Don’ts of Presenting Data, Facts, and Figures, a killer book which allows those with little to no background in graphics but deal with data a fighting chance at concise presentation. About time someone taught the research crowd a lesson or two in terms of visual organization instead of endless graphs and charts. Multiple boutique firms that put together annual reports and press releases may not be affected….this shows a department how to get the job done internally. $20 well spent on Amazon if you ask me. Via Flowingdata.