details of a global brain

Notes from Prof. Dipl.-Des. Oliver Wrede

  • The ROI of User Experience

    In this animated video Dr. Susan Weinschenk demonstrates how user centered design results in significant return on investment (ROI). (PDF-Download)

  • Hot Topics in Information Design

    I have accepted to work for the Information Design Journal as Special Interest Editor. I want to think in the open about this: What is a “hot topic” anyway? In my view there are four criteria for any topic to be “hot”: the news value actuality amount of discussion in the community touching “high-level aspects” […]

  • G-Speak

    (Via Dynamic Information Design Seminar Blog) Minority Report science adviser and inventor John Underkoffler demos g-speak — the real-life version of the film’s eye-popping, tai chi-meets-cyberspace computer interface. Is this how tomorrow’s computers will be controlled? G-Speak is a really interesting concept. Right now I do not feel it is where it should be to […]

  • IA conference 2010

    I am at the IA Konferenz 2010 in Cologne (my hometown). Would have been a crime to miss this conference here. Met James Kalbach , Søren Muus, Jason Hobbs (I owe him a written commentary to his talk) and others… I need to write more but until I find the time to do that I suggest to look […]

  • Björn Hartmann: Enlightened Trial and Error

    Björn Hartmann (Stanford HCI Group) talks about the different prototyping tools he and his collaborators have built to address two research questions: 1) How can tools enable designers to create prototypes of ubiquitous computing interfaces? 2) How can design tools support the larger process of learning from these prototypes? (Duration: 1 hour, 13 minutes; this […]

  • When faces become hyperlinks

    The algorithms for facial recognition have improved a lot in recent years. Here is a company showing a working prototype of a mobile app that recognizes faces and attaches links to social network layers to them: The prototype was shown last year — but there was a live demo at the Mobile World Congress in Barcelone […]

  • Create some music with Flash?

    There is a new release of the Hobnox Audiotool coming up! Until release you can play with iNudge:

  • 10/GUI & con10uum

    10/GUI (by Clayton Miller) is an novel approach to human-computer interaction. But it draws attention to the fine line designers will need to walk to effectively create physical human-computer interactions. The video demonstrates the potential advantages of navigating within a desktop interface with up to ten fingers, rather than via a single cursor: [More on […]

  • Mouse 2.0?

    These research prototypes for future computer mice by Microsoft are very interesting approaches:

  • Next generation of devices: Tablets

    There have been many attempts to make a computer work from your pocket and without a keyboard. Apple is rumored to work on a tablet device. It has invented the Newton Message Pad over 15 years ago – which was a marvelous (but expensive) device at that time. Microsoft is working on a new prototype […]

  • GPS + Compass + Motion sensors = Augmented Reality

    The new iPhone 3GS adds a compass to the set of sensors. Combined with the GPS, the motion detection sensor and some image change detection via the internal video camera, this enables a new breed of “augmented reality” applications. NearestWiki for example displays WikiPedia entries about buildings and places in the vicinity. NearestWiki is not […]

  • Introduction to HTML5

    Here is a very good introduction to HTML5 by Brad Neuberg that is a must see for web designers and developers – at least if you are new to HTML5: Introduction to HTML 5 from Brad Neuberg on Vimeo.

  • Tinderbox goes Universal

    One of the tools I am using for years now is Tinderbox from Eastgate. I have used it for quite some time to write this weblog here (but swichted to WordPress + MarsEdit recently). Nevertheless I think Tinderbox is a helper in many ways – although there are always features that can be and will […]

  • Thoughts on Google Wave

    I am just collecting some thoughts about some observations and issues – while I am trying to understand Google Wave. (see a demo on their site) Google Wave is an integrated set of technologies (with protocols that allow semi-synchronous editing of outlines and their federation across several servers). With this approach Google Wave solves some […]

  • WebKit adds 3D

    The developers of the Webkit HTML rendering engine (the one that is used in the Apple Safari Browser) have added 3D styles to CSS. It allows layers to be rotated, scaled and moved in a 3D space. You need to download a nightly build of the browser to see it working. There are quite a […]

  • Project Natal – the first true innovation from Microsoft

    I have been thinking about Project Natal over the weekend. I do not want to discredit some of the innovations Microsoft has created over the last two decades – but for the most part Microsoft has not been able to create innovations on its own (but rather mimicking or buying stuff from outside). There may […]

  • Project Natal

    Obviously Microsoft feels the need to claim back some market share the Nintendo Wii took away with a new controller type. Project Natal is utilizing a range of biometric sensors for body motion, face and voice recognition. The video is more a vision than an actual feature presentation. But it is clear what the goals […]

  • Checking out AudioBoo…

    Listen! See audioboo.fm…

  • Fast Company: Is Information Visualization the Next Frontier for Design?

    This article asks wether or not Information Visualization is a field on its own in Information Design: If we’re going to live in a world driven by data, the thinking goes, we need a simple means of digesting it all. We are increasingly a visual society, and our understanding of the world is increasingly made […]

  • Copenhagen UI concept

    Via blogblog: Here is a user experience concept study that is a mockup of a new Windows UI – and it is not designed by Microsoft but by a guy named Cullen Dudas. Looks good. Would love to see more. I hope Microsoft comes up with some UI innovations in Windows 7 that really serve […]

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