subject oriented design

Tom, Conchita and I at The User Advocate Group have been getting very intrigued by the possibilities we envision using the Drupal web application framework. We are happy to announce that The User Advocate Group is a Platinum Sponsor of DrupalCamp Toronto 2008 which takes place at the end of this week.

What is a software application?

When we think of a software application, most of us will conjure up the image of some sort of user interface splashed across a computer screen. As far as most of us are concerned, whatever is on the screen is the software. Period.

Engineers will tend to look at it a little differently. They are of course very aware of what goes on 'behind the screen' that makes all this stuff appear as it does and do all the things it does.

As a software artist who is focused on 'bridging the gap between end users and engineers' I have always found it necessary and worthwhile to explore the 'materials' that I work with. In doing so I can better control the emotional impact of an application on the user: the more I know about how the technology ticks, the more I can coax an application into being a pleasurable experience for a user.

Last weekend we set the clocks back for the winter. It's always nice to have an 'extra hour' and to perhaps do something a little special: lay in bed, go for a leisurely breakfast, take a long walk in the park. It's one of the perks of living on a tilted globe.

For me, this time of year also means that I get to be an Occasional User for certain technology interfaces such as the button riddled panel on my car stereo and the monstrous web tool for managing expiring domain names.

For a few weeks now my left brain has been absorbed in the details of implementing a client's web site. Being wedded to a tight deadline and having already done all the loose, creative design stuff, I'm now focused almost exclusively on solving the challenges of writing computer code in what is still a new territory for me. It's a great way to get to know the nitty-gritty details of how to build a modern, 'AJAX driven' web application.

What is the meaning of this sign?

Let me ask you again. What was the meaning that you first perceived? Did that meaning change soon after?

The chances are that you first saw a visual message 'STOP' and then, upon reflection, decoded the sign to mean 'GO'. Perhaps you might even see this image as an ongoing paradox that cannot be resolved.

The guy in the copy shop was gesticulating to one of his customers.

"I almost won 37 million this week!"

"What d'ya mean?"

"That guy who won the jackpot - he bought it at the same store I get my tickets!"

The customer chuckled and checked his copies - perhaps imagining, as I was, what it would be like to win thirty-seven-million-dollars. Tax free.

The next day, my neighbours were talking about the lottery too.

"Yeah, he called her and said 'I won the lottery' - just like that - and you know what she did?"

"What?"

"She hung up on him. Thought he was crazy!"

"And?"

"And he called her back and he told her again - 'I won the lottery. Thirty-seven million."

"For real?"

"Yeah. For real!

I thought about the lottery tickets in my back pocket. I was getting a strong sense that if it could happen to someone I almost know maybe it could happen to me - a sort of Luck-By-Association thing. The jackpot was up to 40 million again this week - they had dumped excess money into it - unclaimed prize money. How could anyone not check their tickets? Heck, you can do it on the web!

I thought I should check my tickets soon. I'll go to their web site. The lottery web site has a search by date page - great, that should make it easy. How wrong I was. For your benefit, dear reader, I've scraped off the code from the web site and this is it. Just enter June 13, 2007:

Select Lotto 6/49 Ticket Date and Search Icon Wars : The Perpetual Search for Meaning Submitted by Michael on Saturday, June 9, 2007 - 18:51. It's five days to the software release date. Do you know what your icons mean? Icon design is like an endless skirmish amongst transient zealots. I wish I had a nickel for every time I've been involved in a debate over the meaning of icons. OK, maybe a dollar. You might wonder what is there to debate? An icon is a simple illustration of some important function. We all know a 'Print' icon when we see one. Heck, even my younger daughter knows what a 'Save' icon is - even though she's never seen a floppy disk. The Magic of Community Experience Submitted by Michael on Thursday, June 7, 2007 - 02:01. Does technology have to be highly advanced in order to feel like magic? Google Street View - The Way Finding of the Future? Submitted by Michael on Saturday, June 2, 2007 - 20:41. A few weeks ago I spent two and a half hours standing (literally) at the counter of the US Airway check-in counter trying to secure a ticket to San Francisco using a free travel voucher. (No, the online efforts just didn't work for this one. Another story.) 12next ›last » Subscribe Like what you're reading? Subscribe safely via newsfeed or email. Subscribe via NewsFeed Subscribe via Email Recent blog posts World Usability Day Scaling Drupal's Administrative Interface Our Web Site is Dead, Long Live Our Web Site! Arrested Development Authenticity, Authorship, and Authority in Social Media DrupalCamp Toronto 2008 Landing on Planet Drupal (or trying to) Getting It Real and Really Getting It Demand More Turning New Pages more BLOG ARCHIVES Nov 2008 Oct 2008 Sep 2008 Jul 2008 May 2008 Apr 2008 Mar 2008 Feb 2008 Jan 2008 Nov 2007 Oct 2007 Sep 2007 Aug 2007 Jul 2007 Jun 2007 May 2007 The User Advocate Group is based in Toronto and Ottawa, Ontario, Canada Powered by Drupal