Posted by Kris Colvin | Jun 7th, 2009

What’s Your Body Saying About Being Fearless?

A little bird on a wire informed us yesterday there was a thought-provoking new post over on The BrandBuilder’s blog (thanks Reza!) “Be fearless!” Blanchard instructs us, in his inimitable style. How I wish I could, some days. He says that “courage is one of humanity’s greatest gifts” and that is such a beautiful observation. But what if persistent, underlying fears and hidden...

Posted by Kris Colvin | May 13th, 2009

A Study in User Experience: Twitter & #fixreplies

I have found that being a user experience person has often meant arguing a lot. Your role in the company, is to be the user advocate, not the company advocate, so that your voice is a reminder and constant reflection of a product’s users… you represent them, and are paid for doing that. But that means having to speak up, be confrontational at times, and be as persistent as you can possibly be when you...

Posted by Kris Colvin | Feb 15th, 2009

Is Your Agile Software Process Handcuffing the User Experience Design?

I’m running across a new problem with a number of clients and wondering if my user experience colleagues are having similar issues. The advent of web applications has resulted in a change for many software providers in the way they release software today. Agile software development is a method in which software is designed, examined and delivered to the market swiftly, so that end-users can provide feedback...

Posted by Kris Colvin | Jan 8th, 2009

Pick Passwords That Protect You Online

The UX Booth, a neat new usability site, has an excellent article that could help so many users if they see, so I’d like to point my readers there: How To Pick Passwords That Protect Your Online Experience. Since the phishing incident at Twitter that I recently wrote about, another issue happened this week where a hacker was able to use a dictionary cracker to get inside Twitter’s back-end, and he...

Posted by Kris Colvin | Nov 2nd, 2008

The Art of the Signup

There is no single best way to have users sign up for an account online, because there are too many variables to be considered for this aspect of the user experience. Varying factors can include security, purpose of the account, understanding of the user at the time of signup, what information they must have ready and what they will have to do next, among other things. So to point to a cool new site – even a...

Posted by Kris Colvin | Aug 3rd, 2008

My 2008 Usability Challenge: So Simple it’s Stupid

August 1st, for folks outside the usability world I live in, was deemed the day for Usability Challenge 2008, a day when usability folks around the world would unite to make the world a better place in which to function! Or something like that. I admit, I had several ideas, but have been busy today, so I chose the simplest issue that bothers me to work with. We were to: 1. Find a usability problem 2. Design a...

Posted by Kris Colvin | Jul 18th, 2008

Usability, Enjoyment & the Locus of Control

In a comment on my recent “recommendations engines” post, Professor James Bradford of Georgia Southern University suggested my irritation with unsolicited (and often inaccurate) recommendations might be due to the “locus of control” factor, and I think he’s right. A user or potential customer must feel in control, most of the time, to enjoy or continue an experience… whether...

Posted by Kris Colvin | Jul 12th, 2008

Are Recommendations Engines Circumventing User-Focused Design?

A dangerous trend is making users of ecommerce sites and software unwitting victims in the quest for more revenue. Though money certainly does make the world go ‘round, and the strong flow of money aids the greater good, the latest features being demanded by marketing departments (not necessarily users) are “Recommenders” designed to keep visitors on a site, spending their hard-earned dollars. User experience...

Posted by Kris Colvin | Jul 7th, 2008

User Experience Activities for Ecommerce & Software

In an effort to better communicate what I do for clients, I’ve created two PDF documents that describe the various user experience activities that take place on an ecommerce or software design project. This was actually a bit harder than it looks – I began with the intention of creating a UE process, but the truth is, these activities can be done at various times throughout the life of a project, so...

Posted by Kris Colvin | Jul 1st, 2008

The Universal Experience: A Roadmap for Brands, Users & Customers

At least three distinct, but related components must work together to create a great user experience… the “brand experience” and the “customer experience” are phrases that may be less used than the term “user experience” but they are indelibly intertwined and must be designed together. A user experience specialist must therefore be able to look at the universal experience...