Tags: combine usability and environmental aspects, design, environment, Green IT, sustainable IT, usability, World Usability Day
I think this heading captures the purpose of truly sustainable design and the theme for World Usability Day 2009.
Each year, World Usability Day is an opportunity to highlight achievements in user-centric design. On November 12 usability thought leaders, consumers , industry and researchers gathered at events in over 43 countries to discuss the latest innovations in usability design. Basically, the mission of the event is to “Make Life Easier”.
This year’s theme was “Designing for a Sustainable World”, and reflected the growing demand for “green” design in combination with highly functional products. In the United States, TCO Certified showcased a selection of TCO Certified notebook PCs at the event hosted by Sabre Holdings in Southlake, Texas. The event featured product exhibits, usability testing demos and a keynote presentation by renown design professor and author, Nathan Shedroff. You can view a copy of Nathan’s presentation below -a useful source for why usability and sustainability in design must go together.
Nathan’s message in short: “Don’t design things today that make tomorrow worse”
http://www.worldusabilityday.org/sites/worldusabilityday.org/themes/wud/resources/nathanshedroff.pdf
Tags: design, efficiency, energy, love It, sustainability, World Usability Day
This week was World Usability Day, all over the planet on 12 of November, so also in Stockholm. Lots of good presentations, discussions, work shops and a nice cosy summing up mingle at Clarion Sign Hotel.
One of the presentations was a splendid example of how to learn more about Usability, and then simply love it by doing and acting personally. Under the title ” I love it, how to make the climate question more simple, more fun and more interesting”, Mr Martin Magnusson, lead consultant on energy, efficiency and sustainability, working for Logica, Sweden, made this very obvious. He explained why the processing towards “loving” has to pass through the processes of “external pressure”; “should” and “being interested”. He showed a various kit of devices and services on how to save energy. These devices were carefully created in Design for high Usability, for the consumer, for the company as well as for the community, also on a national level. His summing up was Good Design that clearly showed how to improve Usage, leading to energy saving and higher efficiency.
Those of you who understand Swedish, follow Martin´s presentation on WUD´s website http://www.wud.se/
http://www.wud.se/aktiviteter/32.pdf
Tags: Human cells, usability matters, World Usability Day
Our human body consists of about 10 000 billions of cells. Everyone of these cells knows exactly what to do to be at your service. It takes care of you, feeds you and performs all other functions that you need throughout your life, in every small detail. Usability matters on its highest level. You cannot keep any secrets for your cells, they know more about you than yourself. Every little cell has a specimen of your entire genetic code – the great manual for your body! It knows exactly how to do its job and, amazingly, all of your others cell jobs! Your will never need to remind it of its levels of adenotrifosfates or any other usable substances. It will do the job for you.
Brooding about these miracles that work every single second, how can we have such a hard job to develop good, usable things and solutions, on a conscious level?
Read more about Usability and the activities at World Usability Day on 12 November 2009, www.wud.com.
Cheers from Tone
Tags: usability, World Usability Day
I am sitting on my summer cottage porch, with a fabulous ocean view. a fabulous sea side scenery. The sun is shining and I have now temporarily switched from being a usability professional at TCO Development to a private user of a coffee machine (usable and easy to handle), and user of an ancient rowing boat (very stable and easy to handle).
Though there are things in this environment that are supposed to be easy to use – that not at all!!! As a grandmother of three small children I am expected to easily and quickly switch between one remote control for the TV, a second remote control for the Digital TV box, a third remote control for the not so new VHS-video and again a fourth remote control for the DVD. This means four different sets of control buttons and other kind of complex key buttons. This means also a growing bunch of cables behind the TV ! Navigating all these controls, cables and operating systems just to get Winnie the Pooh to screen is a monumental challenge !
A strong feeling of being not such a smart grandma emerged the grandkids grew increasingly impatient. After having at last succeeded, although with the wrong video, I sought comfort in another cup of coffee, easily, smart end quickly brewed in my good old coffee brewer. Something to contribute to World Usability Day this year? Definitely! Read more about World Usability Day on 12th November,
http://www.worldusabilityday.org/
Cheers!
