PixelMEDIA Inc.

If you have participated in taking a website in a new design direction, you may have noticed the difficulty in separating the form from the function. Here at PixelMEDIA, we employ a useful deliverable know as a mood board. In its simplest form, a mood board combines numerous elements into a collage that establishes an overall tone and creative direction. In many cases, we use it when a brand “refresh” is needed or if there is a lack of defined brand guidelines for the web channel. If you are currently working on a complete rebrand, you may consider this method as way to explore and establish typography, a color palette, or a style of a photography or illustration.

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“Front-end” user interface projects are an exercise in lift vs. gravity, whether you are on a quick sprint or a more relaxed release cycle.  Busy design and development peeps pouring their souls into a project can feel saddled with negative vibes; a good product manager reminds them of the positive.

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When Netcordia sought to solidify and grow its market leadership with a significant upgrade of its flagship Network Configuration and Change Management (NCCM) solution, NetMRI, they looked to us for a complete redesign of the user interface. We provided a comprehensive user-centered design strategy along with design and development services that helped Netcordia improve usability and provide a more streamlined experience for new and existing users.

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Last week, I had the opportunity to listen to a panel assembled by the Massachusetts Innovation and Technology Exchange (MITX) discuss what they define as “user experience” and how it is evolving. Even though my days are filled with the development of user experiences, I felt I needed a fresh perspective – someone else’s perspective. I also wanted to see if we, user experience designers, truly speak in a similar vernacular outside the confines of our own workspace.

In all, each member of the board had a slightly different definition but it was evident that each description was cut from a similar cloth. Surprised? Not really. Comforted? Yes.

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Have you ever sat in on a usability call?  Listened to what your client really has to say?

Usability testing is a technique used to evaluate a product or service by testing it on users. This testing can take many forms:

• a clickable prototype with visual designs
• visual designs alone (.jpgs)
• different navigation options
• onsite observations

Most of our testing takes place remotely, over the phone. We try to limit our calls to approximately 30 minutes, but often, as the user becomes engrossed in giving feedback, it will run longer. I’ve sat in on several usability calls.  Each one is an eye-opening experience.  If you get the opportunity, I would highly recommend taking the time.

Through the ones I’ve participated in, I’ve learned a few things. (Read More…)

I’ve been working with a client who came to PixelMEDIA looking for an Information Architect to turn an existing desktop application into a browser-based user experience. They invited us to support their in-house programmers and a third-party visual design company. At the initial project kickoff meeting, it became apparent that the three parties at the table had wildly differing ideas on how the application worked and what the vision for the next version of the product should be.

But it also turned out, that the majority of the client stakeholders were puzzled as to what PixelMEDIA was providing. They didn’t understand what Information Architecture was, and hadn’t even thought about the overall user experience for the product. Yet, they had requested an IA. How odd. (Read More…)

In gaming, playtesting and user research are crucial. The interface and the user experience don’t just have to work; they have to be enjoyable and engaging. That’s why game companies invest so much time in prototyping and user testing, and why they collect so much data.

But this doesn’t have to stop at the test lab. With online and networked games becoming more and more popular, game companies have an opportunity to monitor their users remotely. Some companies, like Valve – makers of the hit Half-Life franchise – constantly monitor their players, which yields some interesting statistics.

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Well, Bill Gates said it during his CES keynote, which sucked by the way. Surprise. The Wiki has a page on it, however anemic, and there’s a group called NUI (e.g. – Natural User Interface) that has assembled to explore this emerging area of interaction design.

So I of course explored last night; thinking what is it? A new word for the same old shat, or something truly different? And if it is different, how different, and how does it compare with what we’re familiar with today, or is that not fair to ask? NUI is actually pronounced ‘new’ – so maybe someone’s thought real hard about this, being new that is.

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