As a designer, I've noticed the Google Maps app for iPhone exemplifies a shift towards a unified design approach. This emerging trend allows designers like me to focus on creating the best touch experience across platforms, benefiting both competition and user adaptability.

During a trip to Madison, I encountered bike-sharing kiosks but experienced errors while trying to rent a bike, which led to frustration and dampened enthusiasm for bike-sharing. It made me wonder if new technologies face higher expectations to work perfectly, potentially affecting their success.

Innovation often builds on previous ideas, and I believe creative communities play a vital role in the process. Adopting practices like cross-pollination of ideas and building a repository of technology capital can foster innovation within a company or for individual designers like myself.

In the growing field of UX, "Design Thinking" has blurred lines between researchers & designers. UX generalists are now common, but it's crucial to maintain quality by allocating proper time to each phase, respecting both crafts, and staying objective in each role.

I became a proud designer and learned to see things differently. Design has made me aware, given me a language to communicate, and provided me with a family of like-minded people. Now, I'm taking a road trip to turn my design lens on my own life.

I recently discovered A Book Apart's concise books for web professionals and found them refreshing compared to other design books that often contain unnecessary content. I believe authors should use UX strategies like research, persona creation, and testing to better target and engage their readers.

I believe we're all designers in our own ways, shaping various aspects of our lives, work, and relationships; being aware of this can lead to more purposeful actions.

I had a surprisingly pleasant service experience with my credit union, where a knowledgeable and empowered human quickly resolved my issue, contrary to my low expectations from past experiences with big banks.

I beta-tested a website I frequently use, but became a nightmare user due to poor engagement. To improve participation, it's essential to make access easy, send gentle reminders, and provide multiple ways for users to give feedback.

As UX professionals, the challenge has shifted from solving problems to creating products that "delight and excite." Traditional usability measures may not be enough, so we must explore new methods to capture custom-experience goals and emotion-driven user responses.

As a newer UX designer, my buddy Felix and I tackled a complex redesign, diving into a whirlwind of coffee-fueled creativity and high-fives, ultimately crafting a kick-ass interface!

Capturing audio/video is valuable for research, but time-consuming; Boris Soundbite, a tool for searching audio, offers fast indexing and easy searching, but struggles with accents and false negatives.