Merci beaucoup

Posted on February 8, 2010 by Chris

New Orleans’ The Times-Picayune editorial cartoonist, Steve Kelley, nails it, as does their editorial board:

Sunday’s game was about much more than Xs and Os for us, because since Hurricane Katrina the Saints are much more than just a football team — they are a civic cause. The storm transformed our region into a metaphor for despair and tragedy in the eyes of the world, but the Saints gave us reason for optimism. They embodied our resilience and our unity. That’s priceless for a region still in recovery.

It was a great game.

The Times-Picayune: Merci beaucoup, New Orleans Saints

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Achievement and reputation systems

Posted on February 2, 2010 by Chris

I’ve been thinking a lot recently about online achievement and reputation systems, game theory and awesome examples of best practices emerging on the web. There are a few that I’m addicted to (World of Warcraft’s achievement system is one), a few that I’m furious with (Pogo.com) and others I’m watching (location-based services like Gowalla and Foursquare).

I’m in the middle of writing a larger post about online achievement systems, but I wanted to share this cool resource at Yahoo! Developer Network about design patterns for collectible achievements, as well as this resource for design patterns for collecting points.

Posted in Design, Online Achievements & Reputation, UX | Leave a comment

Bill Watterson, reclusive cartoonist, interviewed

Posted on February 1, 2010 by Chris

The only part I understand is what went into the creation of the strip. What readers take away from it is up to them. Once the strip is published, readers bring their own experiences to it, and the work takes on a life of its own. Everyone responds differently to different parts.

–Bill Watterson, creator of Calvin & Hobbes, interviewed by The Cleveland Plain-Dealer

I’ll say how it impacted me and how I responded: I named a child after it.

The Cleveland Plain-Dealer: Bill Watterson, creator of beloved ‘Calvin and Hobbes’ comic strip looks back with no regrets

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Microsoft is Ruining Smartphones and Tablets for Everyone

Posted on January 29, 2010 by Chris

Microsoft should just get out of the smartphone business and the tablet game. It wasn’t invited in the first place.

–John C. Dvorak, writing for PC Magazine, January 4, 2010

Dang, John. Okay.

PC Magazine: Microsoft is Ruining Smartphones and Tablets for Everyone

Posted in Microsoft, Tech | Leave a comment

Please make yourselves comfortable

Posted on January 29, 2010 by Chris

I have a quick question for the web designers, front-end engineers and user experience nerds out there.

Are your websites comfortable?

Certainly, your sites look oustanding on desktop displays. You’ve all been hard at work getting your sites to conform to rich, large screens. The desktop and laptop views are great.

And over the past few years, you’ve done an awesome job making utilitarian, slimmed-down user interfaces for handheld mobile devices.

I guess what I really want to ask is, “are your websites ready to be curled up with?”

We know about the big(ger) screen view, be it on the desk, lap or conference room table, and what that needs to feel like. I think we have a good idea of the 3- to 4-inch screen — either walking around starting at it or speeding down the road at 70 m.p.h glancing at it — and what that view needs to feel like.

So, what does the balled up on the couch, one-and-a half foot away view look like?

It really is going to be an awesome age to be involved in experience design.

Posted in Design, UX | Leave a comment