With high speed internet and 3G connections, we have become so accustomed to the swift access of information that anything less than instantaneous is too slow. Perhaps nothing signifies our need for the rapid dissemination of information on the web better than Google’s new Instant Search.  As soon as users begin typing text into the Google search engine, live results will be displayed in real time.  Google claims this will save users at least 2 or 3 seconds per search because results will be provided before the inquiry is complete and users will not even have to hit the search button.

This new method of searching for information is predictive in nature which is on some level indicative of a loss of user control; results based on prediction put the power of selection into the hands of the user interface provider and not the user. The fact that Google selects search results before you have even finished typing (not to mention eliminates the finality of pushing the search button yourself) blurs the boundaries between user and interface in terms of who is in command. For a search engine this is harmless but as our insatiable need for speed and real-time activity barrels forward into the future, the concept of prediction will play a larger and larger role if interface designs continue to trend towards prophetic real-time features. How will this affect user attitudes and trends?  Will users give up autonomy in favor of speed?  Only time can answer these queries, but a good prediction is that whatever the future holds for real-time web capacities, Google will likely be on the cutting edge.

That Apple has become THE dominant player in the post-Napster music industry is now something of a given. The mighty, albeit tiny, iPod along with its trusty sidekick iTunes played a big part in stealing the music thunder from under the venerable CD. Yet it seemed as if no one noticed the irony of the CD in the iTunes logo… Until now that is. The latest incarnation, iTunes 10, boasts a radical departure in design. Out with the CD and in with a more eye-catching blue backdrop that stands out better in the Dock (on the Mac).

Such a move boosts the usability of the software application even before it has started running. Being easier to spot (granted for mere milliseconds less) in an interface design and thus faster to open adheres to Steve Krug’s First Law of Usability: don’t make me think. Research shows that the brain makes decisions in just a 20th of a second of viewing a webpage. The program itself has a few surprise interface design choices. First among these is the sidebar. Up until now icons each had different colors that differentiated them on the interface design. Now it’s all a bland grey that blends with the background, which in turn requires users to think a little longer. Reminds me of that Joni Mitchell song:

“Don’t it always seem to go.

But you don’t know what you got till it’s gone.”

The chief radical interface design choice in the new iteration of iTunes is with the close/minimize/zoom buttons. Thankfully they remain color-coded but they now run vertically down on the top left of the program’s interface design. This goes against the virtually omnipresent convention of using the horizontal axis; top-left on the Mac and top-right on PC. Following conventions is a cornerstone of good usability. Considering Apple’s reputation for imposing its human interface design guidelines on developers, these choices are curiously interesting. Although the orientation can be changed, this is beyond many users, as they would need to enter a hidden terminal command.

Google recently announced that Gmail users will now have the opportunity to take their communication abilities to a new level within the realm of the Google Voice user interface.  Instead of simple email or G-chatting, Gmail users can now make local and international phone calls directly from  their Gmail account. Google promises that all calls to the US and Canada will be free until the end of 2010.  International calls will be charged according to international calling rates set by Google.
In order to utilize this feature, Gmail users must install Google’s voice and video plug in. Then, by selecting “Call Phone” from the Chat menu located on the left hand side of the Gmail interface, users can use a keypad pop-up to dial a phone number. Users can also enter phone numbers under their contacts and then simply click on the contact to call.  The process is fast, easy, and so far free or cheap, provided your home account is registered in the U.S.; Google is working on extending the service to international users

Digital Revolution shakes up media and advertising industry

After enduring the hardships of the global economic crisis of 2008, media and advertising companies seem once again optimistic about the future of media, communication, and sales. According to a survey from Booz & Company, however, the global financial crisis is not the main contributing factor to the recent shakeup in the media and advertising industry.  The digital revolution and new consumer habits have forced media companies to reevaluate the way they do business (ibusiness.de “Medienbranche: Ein Drittel des Umsatzes 2015 mit Digitalen Medien”).  70 percent of respondents in the media and advertising industry consider the development of new business and distribution models to be paramount to future success and 50 percent claim that investing in new digital business models is of the highest priority (Booz & Company). This means that companies will be looking for ways to transition from print to digital media, as the Booz & Company survey indicated that 40 percent of respondents feel that print media is negatively affecting their company (particularly financially).  In fact, Booz & Company predict that by the year 2015, one third of sales in the media and advertising industry will be generated by the digital revolution.

Understanding the mind of the user is one of the most vitals aspects of web development.  Every interface design that is created is dependent upon users, without them, the site goes nowhere.  This is why the field of user experience (UX) plays such an important role in interface design.  UX is a profession (some may call it an art) that offers us the methods necessary to lead us towards a goal of satisfied users and optimal usability.

The vast array of websites and applications created for similar purposes (i.e. amazon.com and Ebay are both eCommerce sites) force web designers to envision new ways of making their interface designs distinct to differentiate themselves; if a given user interface design is distinct then chances are users will pick that website or application above all others.  This is why UX design is quickly becoming one of the most important methods of development for web designers.  Web designers are learning that they need to approach their development process not just from a usability frame of mind, but also from a UX frame of mind. While usability is undoubtedly king of the interface design court, UX design is quickly becoming the king’s closest advisor because it gives designers the capacity to differentiate one similar interface design from another by responding to the exclusive needs and wants of the user.

The financing of this interface design project has been undertaken by Microsoft Austria. What this means is that this form of accessing the service is only available to users of Internet Explorer. From Microsoft Austria’s standpoint this is a relatively cheap way of boosting Internet Explorer’s 35% market share (according to the Wikinomics blog) in the country as well as a PR stunt. This, however, shuts off Mac and Linux users completely from this tiny bit of interface design innovation, as well as urging users of other browsers to switch allegiance. The toolbar itself is great and I can’t help but feel a wee-bit jealous at the Austrians for having such a great service with great usability.

The toolbar, with big clearly marked buttons, itself is found at the top of the interface design below the Address Field but above the Tab bars. It is itself distinct in the same red and white colors of the Austrian flag. The colors also add to the legibility of the text. The toolbar has its own search bar on the left of the interface design unlike the top right customary search bar of the browser itself. This, I think, is a good touch because it serves to further distinguish it as not being the same as full internet search but rather specific. Clicking on a service in the toolbar automatically launches it in a new tab leaving your hitherto browsing unaffected. The challenge now for the Austrian government is to work on incorporating their services into the interface designs of other browsers that work with different operating systems. Hopefully other governments will be close by behind them.

Austria has for a number of years been one of the European leaders in e-Governance, with awards to show for it. All kinds of services ranging all the way from the local to the provincial and federal level are offered through the “Digital Austria” platform. Whether filing taxes or seeking information Austrians are able to do so within the comfort of their own home or anywhere for that matter where they can access the internet. Now, the Austrian government and Microsoft Austria have teamed up on a project dubbed the Digital Austria Explorer. This essentially incorporates a menu bar into Internet Explorer’s interface design for users to access all available e-government services more easily.

It is a platitude to say it, but usability tests are conducted to obtain feedback from new (i.e. unbiased) users of an interface design, so the most natural conclusion to draw is that all usability test participants are website greenhorns.  Of course this is not true.  While it is extremely common to have novice usability testers, testing users that are deemed experts also has its advantages.  Experts can sometimes be forgotten in the mad rush to get fresh, new user experience feedback, but experience shows: don’t forget about them because they are more important to the sustainability of your interface design than you might think—especially for interface designs that are already in existence.

Expert Users are Longtime Users

So what is the main benefit of obtaining user experience feedback from experts?  The fact is that at one point, everyone was an amateur— even the experts. Amateur users grow into expert users, just as your interface design matures over time.  That is why expert users play such a vital role in usability testing new developments for extant interface designs. Experts are longtime site users, users who have shown commitment to the evolution of your website, users who have buttressed your interface design’s success by sticking with it over the long haul. If you are running an eCommerce site you want to know what makes it most usable to your most loyal customers—the expert users. You want to keep their business as returning customer often make up a considerable portion of business for an e-commerce website. So increasing your interface design’s usability for expert users will make your site sustainable because you will be appeasing a core group of users who keep your website relevant and your business running.

Challenges preventing a universally accepted video codec standard

With HTML5 looming, video codec standards have recently become a hot issue popularized by the oh-so public feud between Apple and Adobe. Up until now Flash has been the preferred video format on the web due to Adobe’s Flash Player being installed in most web browsers. The HTML5 video tag is intended to become the new standard way to show video online. The question is which formats should be supported in the tag. Despite its tremendous popularity Flash remains the property of a single corporation, Adobe. Apple favors the H.264 codec and due to the success of the iPhone, iPod Touch and now the iPad (which don’t support Flash) many popular sites such as YouTube, Vimeo and CNN, to name but a few, now have all or a growing number of their videos available in the H.264 format in addition to Flash. Criticism of H.264 is centered on the patents leading to most users of the format to pay licensing fees leading to the software company Nero to sue the licensing authority of the codec. This is where VP8 comes in.