The world of mobile phones is a jungle of technologies with few established standards that, in some ways, resembles the early days of personal computing. Here the author presents an impressionistic landscape of this world, a glimpse of the near future, and thoughts on what it might mean for IAs.
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Simplify your work and your life by learning the tools and techniques that authors have used to conquered gnarly problem spaces. From avoiding burnout to doing scrappy research on a shoestring budget, you’ll benefit from their experience, avoid making the mistakes they made, and go on to make all new mistakes of your own. (Then contribute your learnings back to us!)
Ranganathan for IAs
S.R. Ranganathan was the greatest librarian of the 20th Century. His ideas influenced every aspect of library science, yet, as impressive as his accomplishments were, Ranganathan didn’t start out with the intention of becoming a librarian at all.
Continue readingDesigning for Real People: Additional Lessons for Web Design from Mall and Retail Design
Just as a vacation in an unfamiliar culture can build a new sense of resolve and purpose upon the return home, this “visit” to malls and retailing can help reinvigorate you and your work and give you new ideas and sources of inspiration.
Continue readingUnderstanding PowerPoint: Special Deliverable #5
PowerPoint: the software we love to hate. Has there been any other software since the dawn of the personal computer that has earned so much criticism? The question at hand is not, “Does PowerPoint suck?” The answer to that, as we all know, is yes. The question is, in fact, “For information architects, does PowerPoint suck?” Or, more to the point, “Even though PowerPoint sucks, should I use it for my deliverables?”
Continue readingBig Boxes and Shoppertainment: More Lessons for Web Design from Mall and Retail Design
In part two, the author explores several tactical issues in structuring and presenting content on the web, again looking to traditional retail design for inspiration.
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