my 1st "forgot to tag-off post-Caltrain-disembarking" = Clipper balance -$10.50. If I dump it for a new card? Strongly dislike it when the digital interface (Clipper card) is a noticeably worse UX (two required steps) than the paper interface (one step - buy a ticket).
@UXLondon and @moleitau released a Roomba into the room. went under stage. I put a glass on it. it ran over a laptop. assistant immediately walked over, turned it off, and put it away. lesson: any misbehavior and you get switched off! this, after @moleitau showed us the Episode 4 scene of the Jawas selling the droids to illustrate robots being treated as slaves for sake of empathizing with them. #irony.
@UXLondon: really appreciating @KimGoodwin's use of real world case studies to illustrate points. Was getting annoyed at platitudes/generalizations from previous speakers that sounded more like folk wisdom than science. Have heard too much of that across too many fields for too many years to take such hand-waving seriously, regardless of reputation or personal success of the speaker. Refreshing to hear things from @KimGoodwin like "proper analysis of the data" and recommending simple first-hand user research techniques to invoke empathy in product developers.
@UXLondon: @louisrosenfeld wants to ban "redesign", replace it with "refine". 90% agreed, iterate/evolve FTW. However, sometimes a redesign is necessary, e.g. you can't refine a pile of crap into something beautiful. Whether visual, interaction, experience or otherwise, advocating such an absolutist "no redesigns" position is a bit narrow-minded / throwing-baby-out-with-the-bathwater IMHO. Much better would be to explain both *why* refining is more appropriate in general *and* some specific cases *when* a redesign is likely to be necessary.
Eager to absorb 3 days of #UX goodness. Prefixing coverage with @UXLondon. Follow to see my #uxlondon tweets. Alternatively just view fresher, longer, and updated originals on tantek.com.
Our team "Justice League" won first of 36 teams in The Go Game! http://instagr.am/p/C3mYw #mozilla #vegas photo: The Justice League with First Place trophy, middle of the table.
among lessons learned @SXSW 2011: letting go of expectations of sustainable happiness, and actively embracing enjoying the present; always with kindness and respect of course, for those at least can be sustainably scaled.
contrast 2 launches: Google +1 http://google.com/+1, Twitter Web Intents http://dev.twitter.com/pages/intents Twitter's documentation is both more skimmable (lots of examples as pictures) and more detailed (sample code and display guidelines right there on the top level page). Despite being quite familiar with the online/geeky culture of "+1", it looks and reads awkwardly, e.g. "Alison +1'd this"? It's obviously Google's "Like" button ala Facebook, so why not just call it that and commoditize "liking" on the web? Also makes me wonder: what would be a good method of implementing "Like" buttons and the respective "19 people liked this" text on the indieweb? However, there's enough user benefit to Twitter Web Intents that I'll likely implement it in @Falcon to see how it affects the UX and use that real world experience to figure out how distributed web intents could work (having your "likes" or "favorites" go directly to and displayed by your own website rather than a centralized site, and then perhaps syndicating/sharing those likes/favorites to such sites).
says @theanxy "check slide 38". So I added HTML5 pushState to S5 = #html5now automatic slide permalinks. Reload: http://tantek.com/presentations/2011/03/html5-now then arrow-key through slides and watch the URL bar update. Try the back button. Copy & paste a slide permalink into a new window and watch it load that specific slide. Since we're asking IE9 to add pushState support (ttk.me/t4B23), it only made sense to make good use of it ourselves.
says @aaronpk "like... using a colon to indicate more content", I added ":" in iterations 2-3, but insufficient: numerous smart design/ux-minded folks gave passionate feedback that just the presence of a clickable http link so strongly meant "more content" that they felt compelled to click it and were disappointed when there wasn't any.
I need to better write-up my @Falcon permashortlink citation iterations. Notes for now: iteration 1) http permashortlink always at end, auto-preceded by ellipsis "..." to indicate more content. 2) added blog post tweets which use entry title ":" and shorter link. 3) improved auto-ellipsing: if long tweet truncated at a ":", no need for ellipsis. 4) added parentheses around a permashortlink without http for content copies per http://ttk.me/t4As3, re-using the common citation convention of parenthesizing the source, e.g. (ttk.me/t4B16). Lack of "http://" makes it both look like less of a link, and avoids auto-linking on Twitter.com.
Now "more content" is indicated by a tweet ending with *either* an ellipsis or a colon *and* a complete clickable http link. Hopefully that's obvious enough for users to quickly "get" when there's more to see (or not).
Note that colon truncation is semi-automatic: as the author of the post you have to consciously put a word and a colon near the end of the retweet character limit and the ellipse function finds it automatically. It's too hard to "auto-colon", and wouldn't work for arbitrary text content (whereas auto-ellipsing does work).
says @kvanscha "future is a mystery", more a probability tree per Adjustment Bureau and Garden of Forking Paths: notebook interface showing a person's past and forking future possible paths:
Android Calendar snaps via @markng show red line for "now" (better than iCal http://ttk.me/t4B13 ). screenshots: http://grab.by/9Jg1 and http://grab.by/9Jg7 Obvious advantages over iCal's red dot indicator: 1) Android has a red line instead of grey line for "now", 2) in the "week" view, the red "now" line only appears on "today" rather than across every day of the week. UPDATE: see also @cwilso's screenshot of Google Calendar (gCal) week view which is similar to Android Calendar: http://twitpic.com/4ederx/full. UPDATE 2: see also @somnambulant Flickr photo of Outlook timeline marker: http://flic.kr/p/9u6Apa Uses an orange glowing line (yellow highlights) in the hour labels column but apparently not across the display of the current day itself.
re @markng Android, @somnambulant Outlook, @kevinmarks gCal. Pictures? Thanks @devonmitton@kroosh iCal red dot: http://yfrog.com/h0a17bp The iCal red dot is cool, but the grey line that extends is both too subtle (gets lost in grid line noise), and is confusing when it extends to days other than today (e.g."now" is not Sunday, Mar 27 as shown). Also, the dot looks like a clickable affordance but doesn't seem to do anything when clicked. Feels half-designed. UPDATE: see also the Android Calendar screenshots from @markng: http://ttk.me/t4B14
gmail unknown activity warning rr.com IP:97-77-180-23, changed password. Gtalk sniffing @SXSW? If you use Adium: After you change your gmail password, from the "Adium" menu, choose "Preferences...", choose "Accounts" tab at top, double-click your gtalk account in the list, choose "Options" tab at the top, check the "[x] Require SSL/TLS checkbox", Click "OK", close the "Preferences" window, change your status to "Offline" and then back to "Available". Thanks to @fatbusinessman for the Adium Gtalk SSL option tip.
Here are a few of Tessa's tips I want to specifically call out (with commentary)
Austin weather is usually HOT but can be very RAINY (and COLD). Bring layers and pack water resistant items accordingly. At a minimum: walkable boots and a small umbrella.
RSVP for everything and assume you'll make nothing. So true, best laid plans and all that. Instead, team up with a few friends (mix new and familiar) each night and hit-up what looks like the best option at any given time. No matter what, you'll at least be hanging out together and getting to know each other better.
Sites to get on and check out in advance:
Foursquare.com - this will be essential for seeing which of your friends are where in realtime. More than Twitter or anything else. Add me on Foursquare.
Breakfast events are less crazy - two words: breakfast tacos. some of my best memories from SXSW are from spontaneous/serendipitous brunch meetups.
Carry energy bars, dried fruit, trail mix - whatever healthy snacks you can dip into whenever you feel hunger coming on. Keep your blood glucose even. Avoid spiking it (and inevitably crashing) with anything with corn-syrup or high in sugar / processed "foods", and you'll be happier and more alert throughout the day.
Pick sessions based on who you want to see more than the what - particularly challenging as none of the above tools show events by speaker.
Arrive early for sessions you really want to get into - popular sessions are standing room only by the time they start. plan to arrive 15-20 minutes early.
Consistent clear profile photos. Make sure your Twitter, Facebook, etc. profiles have a consistent, clear photo of your face. I need to get on this. Ditch the 8-bit avatars, cartoons, pets, babies, QR codes. They're not that clever, really they're not. You and everyone else are going to meet tons of new people, and if you want a chance of them remembering you and connecting, look the same online as you do in person.
Alternatively
There were only a few tips for which I have alternate suggestions:
Bring Moo mini-cards, not normal business cards. Seasoned SXSWers frown upon anything traditionally business-like: suits, ties, sales pitches, and business cards. Leave your business cards at home and order Moo mini-cards instead:
front: simple design with your name, personal URL, Twitter, maybe Flickr, and of course a clear photo of your face per previous tip.
back: a variety of photos from your Flickr that reflect your personality.
delivered to directly your hotel. too late to ship home.
Speed-walk instead of pedi-cab. I'm not a fan of the pedi-cabs. They're great in concept but my experience(s) have left something to be desired. Due to frequent traffic jams, they're not that much faster than speed-walking or jogging, and quite expensive. Instead, between now and next Friday, practice speed-walking everywhere you go, and if you're up for it, jog/run 1-2 miles a day. It will make a difference. Exception: 10+ blocks are worth pedi-cabbing it.
Carry a rechargeable USB battery instead of phone charger.Everyone has a smart phone that dies in the evening, and rushes to use the scarce outlets in bars/restaurants. Don't expect to plug-in when you're out. Get a rechargeable USB battery pack like the Trent Super-pack IMP500 5000mAh External Battery and use it to recharge your iPhone/BlackBerry/Android on the go.
Additionally
All her good suggestions sparked a few more in my head:
Sharpie your name + URL + twitter on your stuff.
Use an ultra fine Sharpie pen (if you want to stand out pick a signature color from this 24-pack of 80's glam colored sharpie markers) to write your name, URL, handle on all your gadgets, cables, extension cords, power supplies etc. In all the hustle and bustle that is SXSW you might easily forget something somewhere, or drop something. By clearly visibly labeling your stuff you make it easier for/to:
someone to return your lost stuff
people to say hi and remember your name in sessions
conduct your own honesty experiment, deliberately "forgetting" stuff to see who returns it
Recharge everything at night.Before taking your clothes off, empty your pockets of devices and plug everything in:
phone(s)
camera battery
USB battery
laptop
iPod
I know it sounds obvious, but it's easy to forget when you return exhausted to your bed. Practice this every night before you head to SXSW next week. Making it a nightly habit will lower the cognitive load of remembering.
Carry a small laptop power adapter and a couple of USB cables with you so that if you do end up away from your base of operations for the night, you can at least recharge your laptop, USB battery, and phone by connecting them all together.
Carry a water bottle with you. You will dehydrate quickly in the warm weather outside / air-conditioning inside, and from all the speed-walking across town. Stay hydrated and you'll be happier and last longer.
Start days with breakfast tacos and coffee. Nothing like a solid dose of protein (eggs) and caffeine to get into gear. Breakfast might be your only proper big solid meal of the day, so make it count.
I hope you find Tessa's SXSW 101 intro and these additional tips useful in your SXSW adventures.
Have awesome SXSW tips of your own to share? Tweet them out and cc: @tessa@t. I'll watch for them and add/attribute the best ones.
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