Current Topic: information architecture
Posted by Michael Alfaro on August 24, 2011
The day was coming for a while now, and it’s finally here, Steve Jobs is stepping down as CEO and Tim Cook the COO will take over. Looks like stocks took a bit of a hit as the news came out. Hopefully Apple won’t go the path of Microsoft after Bill Gates stepped away, but we really won’t know until he’s completely done with Apple. Steve will still be there as the Chairman of the Board so I’m sure his very necessary input will be taken 
Here’s the link to the text from his resignation letter:
http://news.yahoo.com/text-letter-steve-jobs-resigning-apple-ceo-225627625.html
Topics: business, design, information architecture, inspiration, interfaces, internet, technology
Posted by Michael Alfaro on July 28, 2011
It’s really no secret that I’m pretty obsessed with anything wedding related. (Ask my lovely co-workers who had a pool going as to when I would get an engaged.) Some call me a project manager of life, I just think I’m prepared at all times. I am equally pumped because I’ve finally found a way to tie my obsession with weddings into a blog post for LW. Here we go…
As I browse wedding websites collecting ideas and planning my upcoming nuptials, I have to give major kudos to TheKnot.com. The faceted search available on their website is second-to-none. In development speak, faceted search is simply “the ability for users to build their queries as they go, refining or expanding the current query, with results automatically reflecting the current query. ” In my world it’s “the ability for Tracy to run a search on wedding gowns from style (A-line, Mermaid, Fit-and-Flare) to price to gown length, with the search results showing me different dresses as I select and de-select these categories.” With so many wedding gown options, the faceted search is my new best friend! If your website contains a lot of information that can be separated into categories, I highly recommend installing a faceted search. Drupal, a favorite CMS tool of mine, offers an excellent module for installing such a search.
I did, in fact, say “Yes to the Dress” already…In case you’re wondering what I’ll be wearing on October 6, 2012, maybe you should try using the faceted search on TheKnot.com!
Shawn Organizing the Engagement Pool
Topics: fun, information architecture, inspiration
Posted by Timothy Jaeger on July 9, 2011
This great infographic from the report Leveraging Business Value: How ROI Changes User Experience found on Robert J. Neal’s blog focuses on a problem we are facing right now – finding great IA / UX candidates.
The infographic above considers different Stages of companies that offer IA / UX services. Stage 0 (the lowest) is a company that can deliver work on-time and on-budget (and, we presume, is of a high level of quality). Stage 1 companies will begin dealing with metrics, user behavior, and will incorporate strategy and value-creation into their deliverables. At higher stages we get to more advanced categories where business and market strategies impact the success of the product. The same criteria can be used to evaluate IA / UX job candidates.
I think this chart is particularly valuable for a number of reasons. First, it allows one to group candidates and existing workers into categories where the value they create can be quantified. This is useful in determining who gets placed on which projects. Second, it itself acts as a metric itself during an interview. If the interviewee does not begin to mention how they used metrics or attempted to affect user behavior, they are probably at Stage 0.
Now for the bad news …..
It is very difficult to even find Stage 0 candidates in today’s job market.
I’m not sure why this is, but my hunch is after someone gets some chops in whatever software they choose to execute their craft, they stop progressing to higher plateaus. However, once one begins working with clients that expect higher degrees of value creation, the quality of work has to increase accordingly.
So if you are, or know, anyone that is a Stage 0 (and above!) UX / IA, let us know!
Topics: business, information architecture, website curation
Posted by Michael Alfaro on May 4, 2011
You’ll quickly learn that if you use background images in powerpoint, when you go to print to PDF, the background image gets a white border around it. It took me a while to figure out how to get the PPTX to properly display the background, so I thought I’d share it.
Step 1: Your preview will look like this:
Step 2: Go into the PDF printer properties and set the “Adobe PDF Page Size” to “Slide 7.5 x 10″ as shown here:
Step 3: Your preview will now look correct as such:
Topics: illustration, information architecture, Microsoft, presentations, sales, technology
Posted by Pinaki Kathiari on January 10, 2011
Gilang Chandrasa posted an article on komunitasweb.com housing a collection of 9 very nice presentations on User Experience. Very good read for beginners to get a foothold or experts to take a step back.
Topics: design, information architecture, inspiration, interfaces, marketing, Microsoft
Posted by Pinaki Kathiari on December 11, 2010
I’ve been waiting for Nobuo Uematsu to come back to the United States so I can see him in concert. Yea, nerd alert! I found 1 show in 2011 at the Chicago Symphony Orchestra. As I was in the purchase funnel and trying to figure out were I’d be sitting and what the stage would look like, I found their 3D seating selector.
1. I pick from the area where I would like to sit based on the view of the stage vs. the amount of money I’d like to pay
2. I pick the specific seat that I’d like to sit in while having a true understanding of what my view of the stage would be
Great job Chicago Symphony Orchestra!
Topics: design, information architecture, video games
Posted by Timothy Jaeger on November 18, 2010
Great presentation on using Keynote for wireframes by Travis Isaacs. We’ve been using Omnigraffle for the UX / Design team at Local Wisdom, but things might soon be changing. I personally would love to make some higher-fidelity wireframes for our projects, and I think this is a great way forward..
Topics: architecture, information architecture
Posted by Shawn Venkat on November 17, 2010
It’s time for our family to grow.
2010 has been a great year for Local Wisdom, and 2011 is looking even better.
We are on the lookout for talented, fun and dependable Internet-folk in Central New Jersey to join the Local Wisdom team.
We are seeking freelances (and if all goes well, eventual fulltimers):
If you, or anyone you know is looking for work in interactive design, development, or project management, please get in touch with us at resumes@localwisdom.com.
Topics: business, design, development, information architecture, Local Wisdom, project management, website curation
Posted by Pinaki Kathiari on October 25, 2010
It’s been a few years now that Apple Keynote has taken over as my presentation software of choice. Now the bar is being raised where it might also be my wireframing tool of choice.
Enter Keynotopia a place where you can buy very affordable Keynote templates (or stencils in OmniGraffle) for wireframing an array of apps and devices.
Since Keynote is a presentation tool you can create links to other pages of the document.
This will be tested the next time we do wireframes!
Also check out this post by Amir Khella the founder, where he talks about how he launched Keynotopia.
Topics: information architecture, iPhone, presentations
Posted by Pinaki Kathiari on August 22, 2010
Google Docs, I believe will take over the Microsoft Office software suite. Maybe not today, not tomorrow, but it will. Do to it’s simplicity, mobility, and collaborative ways it’s one of the best options. Only corporate accounts, privacy, and comfortability stand in it’s way.
Another step in the right direction is the inclusion of templates. Check out SpeckyBoy.com and the article on Google Doc templates for website developers and designers.
I for one, will run a test drive in our next design project.
Topics: business, information architecture
