Whit Hour – Week 15

Thank you so much to the 33 people who showed up for the fifteenth week of Whit Hour — my weekly one-hour video chat to answer any and all of your questions about user experience, consulting, and whatever else you throw at me.

Tune in every Monday night from 10-11pm Eastern Time at http://www.livestream.com/whithour.

Whit Hour – Week 15

August 30, 2010, from 10:00-11:00pm ET

This Week’s Beer

No beer this week!

Questions Asked and (Hopefully) Answered

1. Why would you select a platform whose UX sucks so bad?
2. What is your favorite im client in terms of design?
3. What considerations should you use when integrating “social” features into a website – like share buttons, refer a friend, like buttons, etc.
4. Do you ever use any online applications/websites to wireframe interfaces?
5. What’s the most important thing a designer should consider when moving from UX to Visual Design?
6. Do you have any tips for working with academics on institutional websites?
7. What do you think about this oversaturation of “share this” type of buttons, or “like this” buttons? At some point, I’d think those will become innefective. Maybe that’s just because I ignore those buttons. Am I the only one that ignores these things?
8. Are there any email or SMS management tools that you think are well designed from a UX experience?
9. What’s the dirtiest trick a client’s ever tried to play on you live on Whit Hour? :P
10. Do you have any particular knowledge management practice? How important it is to maintain a record of your past ideas? How do you feel about review and reuse from artifacts from your own?
11. Has there ever been a video game you have played where the interface/experience has stood out with you?
12. I just finished reading Content Strategy by Kristina Halvorson, how do you think about content in terms of UX planning/wireframes/etc.
13. Any tips when you have a lean startup that has to be changing and evolving very often in order to understand the user to provide them the right product?
14. Programming (or other more “technical” skills) are not “required” to be fully mastered by UX designers, but is there any that you wish to be more knowledgeable in to strengthen you capabilities as a UX designer?
15. You had a question in my SXSW panel that I don’t think we answered properly – it was about women entrepreneurs in the ycombinator model – do you still have a strong opinion about the lack of women in startups?
16. I know you cowork a lot. Any issues with keeping client confidentiality when you’re working in an open space like that?

Full Text Chat

Welcome to the ‘whithour’ room.
efortiz: Why would you select a platform whose UX sucks so bad?
efortiz: for WhitHour, I mean
GangstaCode: what is your favorite im client in terms of design?
efortiz: I do, I stalk you.
efortiz: I remember those days.
efortiz: Have you heard of Junto? It’s a strategy/platform that Venessa Miemis is pursuing/ideating
vanshea: hey WHit!
DD: hello
efortiz: http://emergentbydesign.com/2010/03/22/junto-discussing-ideas-worth-spreading/
Lloyd: Hey :)
fabianapsimoes: is there any way I can set this audio only?
thetombryan: Do you enjoy doing Livestream tech support? Jeez… :P
vanshea: Hey..!
GangstaCode: what is your favorite im client in terms of design?
Lloyd: GTalk <3 johnlabriola: hey whit! GangstaCode: or sms efortiz: ICQ? :) GangstaCode: gangstacode = @frankdenbow morganb: Hi Whitney, what considerations should you use when integrating "social" features into a website - like share buttons, refer a friend, like buttons, etc. DD: do you ever use any online applications/websites to wireframe interfaces? vanshea: What's the most important thing a designer should consider when moving from UX to Visual Design? efortiz: http://emergentbydesign.com/2010/04/17/junto-is-born/ morganb: cool thanks! morganb: no it is thetombryan: Do you have any tips for working with academics on institutional websites? whitneyhess mod: Balsamiq Lloyd: Free if you write them up a review on your blog too morganb: i <3 balsamiq Lloyd: ^^ ditto thetombryan: What about pen and paper? I haven't found anything better, personally Dru: i agree. DD: exactly davedawson: On the subject of social media elements. What do you think about this oversaturation of "share this" type of buttons, or "like this" buttons? At some point, I'd think those will become innefective. Maybe that's just because I ignore those buttons. Am I the only one that ignores these things? blackjid: somiething like omnigraffle but for windows>
GangstaCode: are there any email or SMS management tools that you think are well designed from a UX experience?
DD: Thank you whitney
vanshea: Busted.
thetombryan: What’s the dirtiest trick a client’s ever tried to play on you live on Whit Hour? :P
vanshea: Now tom, I was just trying to participate!
vanshea: :)
thetombryan: haha
fabianapsimoes: Do you have any particular knowledge management practice? How important it is to maintain a record of your past ideas? How do you feel about review and reuse from artifacts from your own?
DD: Has there ever been a video game you have played where the interface/experience has stood out with you?
vanshea:
gabimoore: bow indeed
whitneyhess mod: http://xkcd.com/773/
Lloyd: ah, about how nothing you ever want is there?
thetombryan: Ah yess!
Lloyd: ah, haha. <3 XKCD morganb: another one for you, I just finished reading Content Strategy by Kristina Halvorson, how do you think about content in terms of UX planning/wireframes/etc. vanshea: Good one morgan. blackjid: Any tips when you have a lean startup that has to be changing and evolving very often in order to understand the user to provide them the right product? thetombryan: Makes sense! thetombryan: Absolutely :) DiegoPulido: Salut ma cherie ;) DiegoPulido: j'ai une question: davedawson: Great, thanks for the response! DiegoPulido: Programming (or other more "technical" skills) are not "required" to be fully mastered by UX designers, but is there any that you wish to be more knowledgeable in to strengthen you capabilities as a UX designer? johnlabriola: Fireworks or inDesign vanshea: Thunderbird is kinda nice Lloyd: What do you think of gmail? GangstaCode: *genuflects* thetombryan: It's called an iPhone :D vanshea: ..oh boy.. vanshea: :D marc1919: Omnigraffle is great, and I love Balsalmic, but I've been a big fan of Google Draw with wireframe templates lately: https://docs.google.com/drawings/edit?id=1-6kqB3ZrTwoJgE7Z41fV-_fb5ibaSz4vYaFiufAlLCM&hl=en thetombryan: @marc1919 is that part of SketchUp or separate? thetombryan: @marc1919 nevermind, I clicked the link :P fabianapsimoes: thank you, Whitney : ) dafark8: did I miss, what is the beer tonight? DD: thanks was great to hear about the ipad thinking of getting one and now more incentive thetombryan: I <3 Happy Cog thetombryan: hear hear melanie: That's cool! I'm an aspiring content strategist so it's neat to hear the ux designer perspective. morganb: cool willsansbury: @melanie "Aspring?" Whatever. You rock it. vanshea: marc-that was a very cool GDoc marc1919: I didn't create that google doc, but I really like it's ability to share and collaborate with others seamlessly. Here is one for iPhone/iPad: https://docs0.google.com/drawings/edit?id=1-cbwYVC3aG4oY1Gx00_7k__kDs9ggZPHnzXAp-KbMFY&hl=en DiegoPulido: brilliant! It's going on my Amazon wishlist ;) Lloyd: Ditto :D Lloyd: eww, fireworks ;D DiegoPulido: wat you're saying about Google is true: I saw that on a panel as SXSW, in which tey suggested nothing less than functional prototypes as THE one and only deliverable for UX designers :-/ vanshea: marc-link didn't take dafark8: in design linking Lloyd: Like comps? dafark8: i go back and forth - depending on the type of wires indd is valuable though also often a bit overkill as it is a print doc tool by nature marc1919: try this link: https://docs.google.com/drawings/edit?id=1-cbwYVC3aG4oY1Gx00_7k__kDs9ggZPHnzXAp-KbMFY&hl=en marc1919: it's too long dafark8: @willsansbury it took you till now to see that? marc1919: it does work - I think it's terrific dafark8: yeah, that was a twitter @ fail DiegoPulido: i heard quite a few people complainig about it --I didn't quite get it, even after I spoke to the panelist themselves. dafark8: typed in the wrong window DiegoPulido: I'm sure it would be great, but... GangstaCode: why are you so awesome? blackjid: go crazy about lean startups and UX willsansbury: bwaha marc1919: Whitney, you had a question in my SXSW panel that I don't think we answered properly - it was about women entrepreneurs in the ycombinator model - do you still have a strong opinion about the lack of women in startups? willsansbury: You also apparently love Honey Bunches of Oats. vanshea: Will-you is funny marc1919: it was my panel - with Paul Graham, Josh Baer, David Cohen and Naval Ravikant aaroni268: finally got a chance to catch Whit Hour, stoked! marc1919: same panel marc1919: I moderated marc1919: It's been bothering me for months willsansbury: ok, a serious question: I know you cowork a lot. Any issues with keeping client confidentiality when you're working in an open space like that? marc1919: UX is heavily focused on in Capital Factory - I can't speak for any of the others marc1919: CF vets for the market, not for the solution if that helps vanshea: Good one will marc1919: sure - [email protected] Lloyd: @will in NWC they have a boothe for phonecalls, so you can conduct them in private whitneyhess mod: http://uxmagazine.com/strategy/when-you-startup-with-ux marc1919: minimum viable product is all about UX GangstaCode: @mar1919 agreed dafark8: thanks as always whit vanshea: yay!
GangstaCode: thanks *genuflects*
marc1919: great job!
blackjid: thanks whitney
GangstaCode: labor day = full day to do startup stuff
gabimoore: This is always an absolute pleasute. Thanks again.
gabimoore: *pleasure
Lloyd: Always love the whit hour
Lloyd: Bye!

JOIN ME NEXT WEEK

Monday, September 6, 10-11pm Eastern Time at http://www.livestream.com/whithour, and bring your questions!

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