Much has been said about Ford’s SYNC system. The in-car infotainment system is a joint development from Ford and Microsoft. Since it’s debut on members of Ford’s fleet including the Taurus, Lincoln MKS, and Mercury Sable it has received rave reviews. 2010 is shaping up to be a big year for the voice-activated system with a slew of announcements that have been made over the past couple of weeks.
The first announcement was Ford’s plans to open up its API to developers. Meaning that very soon SYNC could have its own app store. According to Engadget, students at the University of Michigan-Dearborn showed off two apps. The apps called FollowMe and SYNCcast allowed drivers to access internet radio and the navigation system with just the sound of the driver’s voice. It may not seem like that big a deal, but this is huge for anyone that’s ever had to fumble around with their GPS trying to key in a destination or attempted to change an internet radiostation while the car is moving.
Prior to becoming a senior UX designer at Popular Front Interactive, I spent two years as a mobile UX researcher within the Georgia Institute of Technology’s Mobile Technologies Group – a lab tasked with both future-casting and then rapidly prototyping innovative mobile experiences.
As I transitioned from academia to industry, I discovered that while mobile UX was discussed, it wasn’t discussed from the same broad frame of reference that I was used to within the confines of a research-based institution. Although more recent mobile UX conversations I have found myself in have undoubtedly benefited from the ongoing smart phone revolution, overall I still find these conversations to be needlessly driven by tactical adoration and lacking a conscious consensus regarding the fundamental principles of the mobile-user experience.
I do not presume these following principles to be all-inclusive or ultimately authoritative; rather, it is my hope that they are received as an anecdotal summation of my findings that might then spark and contribute to the larger conversation and consensus-building process.
I agreed to give a keynote address at the “21st Century Transmedia Innovation Symposium”. Normal dictionaries do not have the word “transmedia,” but Wikipedia does. That definition introduced me to many other words that neither I nor my dictionaries had never before heard (for example, narratological). Strange jargon aside, I do believe that there is an important idea here, which explore in this column.(Intelligible discussions can be found in the books and articles of Henry Jenkins (2003, 2006).)
In the fast moving world of mobile communications, innovation that truly enhances the users’ experience can be elusive. Handset designs based on technology push, network operator specification, and disparate design teams, can fail to respond to people’s lifestyles and miss out on a more engaging experience.
Why Mobile Devices?
The College of Nursing requires all undergraduate (BSN) students and Graduate Entry students to have mobile devices by the beginning of Autumn quarter as part of their requirements for the program. Having a mobile device puts a wealth of evidence based information at your fingertips; including, a drug database, lab and diagnostic tests information, information about medical conditions, calculators and formula references, and more. The mobile device is more than just a static reference tool though, the materials update regularly, giving you current information on topics like warnings from the FDA, drug costs, and new dosage recommendations and once you are comfortable with using your device, you will spend less time looking up information that you would looking it up in a book, not to mention it weighs a lot less.
What kind of dependencies (things you do often - things that you must do) do you have right now that are anchored (tasks or things that can not be taken with you or utilized on the go and how would that change your life if it was mobile?
**i.e. dvr recording, diabetes monitoring**
D&E2010 - Chicago 5-7 October
In the past ten years, 6 very successful conferences have been organized by the Design & Emotion Society. For the seventh edition, we invite you to the Windy City, Chicago.
The International Conference on Design & Emotion is a forum where practitioners, researchers and industry meet and exchange knowledge and insights concerning the cross-disciplinary field of design and emotion.
Conference website: www.id.iit.edu/de2010/
