Conversations

I was just thinking about how much of my job consists of communicating.  I’m always talking, via email, in person, or on the phone, with customers, developers, content owners, UX practioners, etc.  So much of what I do comes down to how effective I can be in getting across, and understanding, so many various concepts.  A lot of my work is done in isolation, the thinking, studying, tinkering, iterative design process – but then I have to get all that across to others, as well as actively listen to what they’re trying to get across.

It seems to me that one big key to good design is being able to communicate well during all phases of development, until what you end up with is intuitive, useful, and effective because it can “communicate” its functions effortlessly.

UX Intensive

I’m heading to SF next week for Adaptive Path’s UX Intensive!  I’m really looking forward to it.  They set up a social networking site that has been fun to participate in.  It’s a great way to get the workshop participants involved with one another before we meet in person.  We won’t be total strangers….which is interesting in its own right.  Currently we’re just virtual, our personas meeting one another via pictures, the written word, YouTube videos, etc.  Pretty cool, but also kinda weird and post-modern.  Our first impressions are being formed before we meet.  We are in a time and place where it may become necessary to differentiate between first impressions online and in person.  Maybe the distance between those impressions will become more and more important and telling as we continue to evolve in the digital realm.

Work update

Design work on the reportal is winding down and moving into the developer’s hands, just in time for D’s honeymoon in New Zealand!  Since she’s been the main UX rep on this project it now falls to me to answer UX design questions if needed.  I’m feeling fairly confident about that, though there’s no way I know as much about the project as D does.  But I’ve sat in on so many meetings with the customers and application developer that I think I’ll be able to answer most, if not all of the questions that may come up in her absence.

The MOSS Sharepoint redesign of the Healthcare Improvement Division (HID) intranet site has moved into the usability testing phase.  I have a selected group of users testing the new site and am collecting feedback from them via email.  I’ve also written a satisfaction survey using the SUS model.

 The Global Trigger Tool also in the development phase and should be ready for usability testing in the next few weeks.