Notes on "Sketching User Experiences"

[kelleyP]

UX Book Club // 12.2.09
This week we're talking about Bill Buxton's "Sketching User
Experiences"
During introductions, everyone shared their favorite gift receiving
experience (detail below).
Thanks to everyone for coming out & sharing! Looking forward to seeing
everyone again in Jan.
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SKETCHING USER EXPERIENCES

Things we like
- the big pictures & analogies relating UX concepts to other
activities/sports
- the stick "map"
- the concept of sketching with a purpose
- the graphs of the design process (see p. 388)
- sketches should be "precise enough to be useful"
- noted that research was done 20 years ago for products that are
being released now
- "What is Design?" is addressed in multiple fields & products, not
limited, etc.

Things we don't like
- the cover
- lack of info. on non-physical experiences
- repeatedly discusses the definition of sketching

Additional Notes & Discussions:
- the act of sketching is really freeing and helps keep us from
getting caught up in too many details
- sketching allows you to create - trash - create... to get better
ideas & helps you stay loose in your thinking
- sketching with clients & dev. teams can help them share in the
investment
- M|B is sketching what life for their employees should be like in 5
years (inspired by Jared Spool); Xplane has a nice info graphic on
what their company should be
- members would like to see InDesign demo for documentation including
8 Shapes template
- UX is sometimes a party-planner, sometimes a tie-breaker
- good method - dot-voting to have stakeholders mark stickies with
their priorities
- What's the best way to interview a company you want to work for? How
do you learn about their culture/working style. options
1) try to consult first
2) ask about who had the position before, why they left, etc
- having "Designer" in your title sometimes hinders or alters what
peers think of you; Ryan prefers engineer or architect; use words like
"heuristics, framework, best practices, etc" to win over developers
- future topics // What areas of UX do you love? What are you actually
using/doing in your day-to-day?
- certification/degrees may or may not help in getting a UX job; the
difficulty is that there are too many areas to specify (research, IA,
strategist, writer, etc...)
- PLUG // Kelley recommends "The Book of Samuel" by Erik Raschke; a
book told from a 12 year-old boy's perspective, discusses growing up,
racism, violence; lots of symbolism, Denver landmarks, lessons learned
& great imagery
- PLUG // Malenke|Barnhart is looking for a contract IA & Techincal
Project Manager

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Next Books:
Our next meeting is not until the end of January (Wed, January 27 at
Malenke|Barnhart's new location off 15th & Wazee). We'll be discussing
"DESIGNING FOR THE SOCIAL WEB" by Joshua Porter. As an added bonus, a
few people will also be reading "DIAMOND AGE" and reporting back as
well.
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Introductions // What was the best gift receiving experience you've
had? What made it memorable?
Travis - parents laid a string that lead to a mountain bike
Ryan - trip to Banff
Laurie - husband commissioned a favorite comic (Sam Hurt) to do a
painting & had her pick it up at his house
Jonathan - mountain bike in the shower
Matthew - fancy wrapping, filled with dirt, gift was ??
Laurel - BMX bike found using clues around the house
Paul - Mercedes A-class ride in Germany
Heather - pre-flight breakfast burritos before a big trip
Mike - frosted flakes certificate for free soccer-printed ball
Val - the feel of Christmas morning on lookout mountain at dawn,
marzipan in stockings
Kelley - scavenger hunt with neighborhood stops & friends along the
way