Jesse Thomas has done an amazing job at designing an experience that quantifies the activity on the Internet. Although it picks out only a few of the popular web sites, the numbers are presented in a compelling way.
The quantities in this video are staggering. But after a few minutes I became somewhat numb to the large numbers. Perhaps it was an effect from the music. I came away wondering “Where is all this headed?” Will the birth of new sites and services signal the death of others? Certainly.
In preparation for my upcoming presentation on Mapping the User Experience, I’m giving you this opportunity to share your favorite examples of UX Maps. If you are not sure what defines a UX Map, that’s OK. We’ll dig into it this week and try to add clarity.
For now, think along the lines of:
Concept Maps
Site Maps
User Flows
Structure Diagrams
Mood Maps
Let’s See the Good & The Bad
Tips for commenting:
Provide a little context about the project
Tell us why you feel it’s helpful or not when communicating design
Following the presentation, I’d like to keep the conversation going and possibly set up a Ning site for everyone who’s interested in this topic.
In “Mapping the User Experience,” I will provide a framework for mapping concepts to create visualizations, spatial representations, or relationships which would otherwise take much effort to describe only in words.
Date: Wednesday, February 24, 2010 Time: 6:00PM – 8:00PM (Social time from 6:00-6:30PM)
Location: Steinberg Hall – Dietrich Hall, Room 211
University of Pennsylvania
3620 Locust Walk Philadelphia, PA 19104
I will also discuss a variety of map types, including site maps, user flows, brainstorming notes, click paths, and application components. To help demonstrate the value in each type, I will walk us through using concept maps to:
Create meaningful relationships and structure, where we catalog and classify functions, pathways, behaviors, hierarchies and events;
Gather requirements, plan, and consolidate information for a project
As a UX Designer, I’ve been fortunate to be able on use ProtoShare for wireframing, prototyping, and collaboration. I’ve observed it’s development from a nascent, slow tool to a more nimble, robust package that supports team workflows. Recently, they’ve added a Sandbox component to allow users to use XHTML, CSS, & javascript into their prototypes.
This video is simply a quick overview. It might inspire you to think about how you can evolve your wireframes and prototypes.
Why is this event important?
1. The makers of ProtoShare, Site9, have taken a bold step toward bringing their offering to a level that will raise the eyebrows many UX designers who collaboratively prototype.
2. ProtoShare users are now able to integrate popular resources such as YUI, jQuery, and mooTools.
3. UXD pros will have more control over components and their behaviors — this improvement will enable more sophisticated design options.
I’m planning to…
give the HTML Sandbox component a try on my next project. Given that it’s still an experimental component (like the iPhone beta components) I will expect to run into a few problems. As a Product Advisory Board member, I will be sure to give the development team my share of observations and recommendations.
