Category: General Stuff

I finally surveyed a large set of links and articles collected over the past several weeks, towards the end of 2012 / start of 2013, about emerging trends and technologies UI designers should be aware of. Below is my brief assessment of what jumped out as compelling, worthy of watching in the coming months…Enjoy!

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** Visualizing “Big Data”: The convergence of velocity and variety of massive amounts of unstructured data, with popular desire for beautifully represented, easily digestible illustrations will lead to increased demand for data visualization experts–both technologists and designers. Computational data artists from MIT Media Lab of the 1990’s make a comeback?? It’s notable that Lisa Strausfeld, who help pioneer computationally driven info viz at MIT, is a “Senior Scientist” for the Gallup Organization. Hmm!

** Related to this is personal data analytics: from bodyware (Fitbits, Nike Fuel, Jawbone Up) to the social graph (Facebook, Twitter) to location data (Google Maps, Foursquare) to…who knows what else? What are the tools and visualizations to discover, analyze, synthesize, generate insights and opportunities, etc. Big opportunities that seem to keep increasing with more market demand.

** Mobility evolves to the next level of pervasiveness, further shaping BYOD policies and attitudes. “Any-ness” is now becoming accepted in corporate contexts as a de facto expectation by the workforce, requiring secure app/data/device management abilities that’s not a burden on users. Balancing convenience with control will be paramount! It will take nuanced, strategic design thinking to support that challenge.

** The multiscreen world is here. We’re now living in an “Age of Multiplicity”, with at least 3 or 4 screens (phone, tablet, laptop/desktop, and HDTV…not to mention the car dashboard/Navi too!). Taking advantage of multiscreen interaction patterns will be valuable to enhance and not just merely replicate everywhere the software experience for a screen. Need to think about how the screens can cooperate and shape an amplified interaction-communication experience, via simultaneity, coherence, complementarity.

** 3D printing is red hot! Everyone is buzzing about it and with costs coming down, it will begin to introduce a bold new wave of micro-fabrication capabilities…and policies, regulations, services, even ethical dilemmas: What if you can manufacture a gun (or worse) in your own home?? Uh oh. Big issues!

** An emerging “Internet of things”: Sensors are increasingly everywhere, with the ability to message remotely from inanimate objects, trigger actions based upon conditions (all programmed simply by using a website or mobile app). Truly things are now talking to us, and the Internet is becoming embedded in ordinary objects. Large industrial giants are looking deeply into this!

** Robotics. Always a notable area, but beyond just the consumer-friendly Roomba, we’re starting to see rise of new kinds of robots which are almost appliance-like and a personable fit for human interaction in the office or hospital. Is a Jetsons’ style maid far behind?? The interaction and user experience dimensions will be paramount. Also: robots are not just anthropometric in appearance, but could be your car.

To an uninformed or stubborn engineer and product manager, “visual design” (that is to say, the graphic design of an interface with pixel-level precision and accuracy) is merely icing on the cake, fluffy and fun, for adding a certain “sparkle”. It’s not the deep, heavy, rigorous functionality that justifies the product’s existence, thus summoning the investments, valuations, and customer fees. 

As I embark upon 2013 replenished with post-holiday optimism and energy (not to mention a slightly bigger tummy!), I’m keenly aware of my own burden in evolving my professional development to the next level. Elevating my profile of being a “principal designer” for a major enterprise software firm towards a industry-level thought leader shaping discourse and guiding critical insights for future designs. In a word, it’s about being a sought-after “brand”…how am I defining and shepherding my brand, my own distinctive philosophy and repertoire of design experiences, for productive gains for myself and my constituents?

This got me thinking that a brand, whether of yourself or of a product/service (like Nike or Zappos), involves three core interrelated aspects:

* Presence: Do you (or the product/service) have authentic visibility in the minds of your target audience? (i.e., mindshare) Are people aware of you, recognize you, comprehend what you do and stand for? Do you, in a sense, register in one’s consciousness, worthy of recall and reference later? And at what scope and magnitude? Just your initial manager, or even further, including the CEO and other Exec staff members? What about partners and customers? etc. etc.

* Impact: Do you (or the product/service) have some specific targeted impact, or outcome that’s tangible and demonstrable (preferably repeatable) that people can point to? What’s that impact upon someone’s life, whether in work or in life? Basically, have you done something of merit? What have you delivered and achieved that’s real? 

* Value: Do you (or the product/service) have some quality of lasting value, that’s of deep relevance and significance, and of measurable benefit, whether in dollars or in emotive gains? Will people miss you/your offering and see diminishing returns after your departure? How can that be captured and transferred back into a productive loop with your target audience and related stakeholders? How do you enable a mission and purpose of your company or industry or market?

Perhaps as you think about your own professional brand (and that of your product/service offering), you may consider these integral aspects of presence, impact, and value. Their interrelationship leads to a powerful binding force that authenticates and substantiates the brand as something lasting, not just fleeting. 

Well, it’s been a rather hectic & intense year with travel, summits, workshops, etc. Many achievements “unlocked”, so to speak. However, it’s also good to sit back and itemize some critical lessons learned in the course of all the madness of the past year. Here are my top lessons which I will try to carry forward into the new year…

Whew, what an amazingly hectic and crazily productive year it’s been! And again, I’m feeling truly blessed and fortunate to have had some incredible opportunities with a fantastic team to work on futuristic concepts, speak internationally, and interact with design students. Here’s a brief roundup of some big things I’ve accomplished this year while at Citrix as Principal Designer: