Thoughts on Interaction Designtag:www.brownbearllc.com,2007:/interaction//12007-06-02T16:46:15ZFollowing the development of a book on Interaction Design [it's done - click here to buy it!]Movable Type 3.31South Magazine Presstag:www.brownbearllc.com,2007:/interaction//1.352007-06-02T16:44:36Z2007-06-02T16:46:15Z Thoughts on Interaction got a nice blurb in the latest South Magazine....
Thoughts on Interaction got a nice blurb in the latest South Magazine.]]>
Ambidextrous Presstag:www.brownbearllc.com,2007:/interaction//1.342007-05-11T12:37:58Z2007-05-20T12:39:22ZWendy was nice enough to ask for a short blog post on the book for Ambidextrous - here it is :)...
here it is :) ]]>
Core77 Press!tag:www.brownbearllc.com,2007:/interaction//1.332007-05-01T06:30:37Z2007-05-20T12:39:38ZHey look - the book made the cover of Core77!...
the book made the cover of Core77!
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Book sales, slow but suretag:www.brownbearllc.com,2007:/interaction//1.322007-04-08T16:19:32Z2007-04-08T16:20:58ZI’ve finally found the opportunity to sit down and quickly reflect on the publishing of this book. The text has been “released” for 8 days now, and has sold 115 copies thus far. 97% of these sales were through my...
my own site, with the remainder being sold through Amazon (which is just fine with me – Amazon takes a ridiculous 55%!). Qualitative feedback has been strong, but I’m still waiting to see some kind of formal response to the contents (through reviews, discussion, etc). This is probably the largest challenge, now – to gauge the response, and try to create some sort of dialogue about the contents.
Shipping and handling is pesky, but not too difficult – I could see it being problematic if the quantity of books being moved was 3x or 4x, but the small number makes it fairly easy. It’s kind of interesting to see who is buying this, too: there are 17 international orders, with people interested as far away as Malaysia and Malta. I wish there was a way to see what these people look like; for some reason, I want to associate a face with each order, as if these people are sitting in a classroom with me or something.
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The Book Comethtag:www.brownbearllc.com,2007:/interaction//1.312007-03-30T22:35:54Z2007-03-30T22:46:11Z Thoughts on Interaction Design showed up today ;-) The book looks great; the paper quality is strong, the green is fantastic, and the quality of print is just perfect. It feels, well, real. So go and buy a copy:...
Thoughts on Interaction Design showed up today ;-) The book looks great; the paper quality is strong, the green is fantastic, and the quality of print is just perfect. It feels, well, real.
So go and buy a copy: you can buy one from me directly, or over at Amazon. And if you read it, and actually like it, write a nice review or drop me a line to let me know your thoughts on interaction design. ]]>
To Press!tag:www.brownbearllc.com,2007:/interaction//1.302007-03-05T22:37:20Z2007-03-05T22:45:14ZSo the book went to press today. :D We are working with Horizon Printing in Austin, TX - Justin has done some previous work with them, and they submitted a very, very competitive bid on the text. We are printing...
Horizon Printing in Austin, TX - Justin has done some previous work with them, and they submitted a very, very competitive bid on the text. We are printing an initial run of 1000, and after we judge demand, we can - as necessary - print more. I hope there is demand :)
This is why you work with a professional graphic designer when you do something through production: Paul asked our rep for an "ink draw" and requested a "caliper for the book paper size" in order to "build the spine". It's all greek to me.
The book is also live on Amazon and Barnes and Noble. Somehow, the sales rank on B&N changes from day to day (by as many as 50,000), but I have no idea what happens when someone buys there. Amazon is listing the book at a discount, which makes me wonder - couldn't I just buy my own book there and resell it, making $10 each time? ]]>
For Sale: One Booktag:www.brownbearllc.com,2007:/interaction//1.292007-02-27T23:34:11Z2007-02-27T23:37:35ZI paid for printing today; that kind of makes it "real". I also enrolled in Amazon's Advantage program, and opened the site up to pre-ordering. We've decided on a cheaper price on our site than on Amazon, as they take...
the site up to pre-ordering. We've decided on a cheaper price on our site than on Amazon, as they take 55% (eek!) of the profits.
So we're in the home-stretch; I should have books in my hand by March 25th. Exciting, but kind of scary at the same time. ]]>
Going to Press on Monday ..tag:www.brownbearllc.com,2007:/interaction//1.282007-02-23T23:01:44Z2007-02-23T23:06:19ZThe thing is almost done; 99.9%, and counting. I got the final prepress proof from Paul, and I'm going over it with painstaking detail one last time before we go to press on Monday! We've identified a strong printer in...
Monday! We've identified a strong printer in Austin that had a great price, and a good reputation; if we actually get the text out on Monday, then I should have books in my hand on March 16th.
Here's a snip from inside the book; paul nailed the "swiss-classic merged with a modern filter" that I was hoping for:
And here's a view of the back cover:
So close .. ]]>
Coverstag:www.brownbearllc.com,2007:/interaction//1.272007-02-18T23:06:41Z2007-02-19T12:17:08ZOne of the last items left - the cover! Here are some comps .. We are waiting on some quotes from India; then, it's off to press .......
We are waiting on some quotes from India; then, it's off to press ....]]>
Photo Shoottag:www.brownbearllc.com,2007:/interaction//1.262007-02-05T13:19:55Z2007-02-05T13:27:27ZI spent a quick weekend in Austin, finishing up all the imagery for the book and trying to get some ducks in a row. After taking over Justin's living room, we took about 800 pictures. These will get whittled down...
We made a decision to explore printers in India, too; since this entire book is one big learning experience, we decided to see what sort of quality we can get from offshore product development.
This thing should go to the printer in the next two or three weeks …]]>
Even prettier book layoutstag:www.brownbearllc.com,2006:/interaction//1.252006-12-05T22:01:36Z2006-12-05T22:08:15ZAhh, now we're getting somewhere. Paul's finished a second go-around on the visual aesthetic of the text; I'm diggin' the green: It's interesting; one of the ongoing discussions we've been having (and I've been having with myself) is on an...
It's interesting; one of the ongoing discussions we've been having (and I've been having with myself) is on an appropriate visual metaphor for the cover and the illustrations throughout the book that captures the essence of the text (ie, visually illustrates what Interaction Design is about). The question is, essentially, what does Interaction Design “look like”?
That’s not just a hard problem for book covers; it’s also actually one of the reasons the book needs to exist. People have long since viewed “design” as the creation of artifacts with a visual representation – print designers have “2d” work and product designers have “3d” work. Interaction Designers have “4d” work, though, and that means the medium needs to support the essence of time and behavior. The web does that, but a book jacket doesn’t. We need a better vocabulary - both written and visual - to capture what we mean when we start talking about things happening over time. The discipline is young – and so am I – so I’m not always confident that I actually have the right words to describe things. Maybe whatever we end up with can be the glue that holds it all together (and yes, glue is one of the metaphors we’ve been considering …)
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Pretty Book Layoutstag:www.brownbearllc.com,2006:/interaction//1.242006-11-16T01:17:39Z2006-11-16T01:57:24ZThe text is starting to take shape, thanks to Paul at Red; he's begun to work on the layout, and here is a glimpse of the style - we are looking for traditional Swiss goodness: It's an interesting balance, trying...
It's an interesting balance, trying to maintain cost effectiveness, whitespace, color, and quality all at the same time. I'm not sure it can be done, but it certainly won't be for lack of trying.
We are still looking at a March availability date; in the meantime, because a few people have sent emails asking for it, here's the table of contents:
IntroductionSection One: Understanding Interaction Design
Chapter One: Multiple Roots, and an Uncertain Future
Chapter Two: Computing and Human Computer Interaction
* Interaction Design in an Engineering Centric World - Chris ConnorsSection Two: Connecting People, Emotions and Technology
Chapter Three: A Process for Thinking About People
Chapter Four: Managing Complexity
Chapter Five: Shaping Aesthetics to Inform Experience
* Interaction Design as Business Lubricant - Justin PetroSection Three: The Rhetorical Nature of Interaction Design
Chapter Six: Interaction Design and Communication
* On the Nature of Interaction as Language - Uday GajendarSection Four: Challenges Facing Interaction Design in Industry
Chapter Seven: The Political Dynamics of Product Development
* Getting Design Done - Ellen BeldnerIn Summary
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Greedtag:www.brownbearllc.com,2006:/interaction//1.232006-09-23T14:58:46Z2006-09-23T14:59:34ZCompare the following: I received in the mail permission to quote liberally – nearly a hundred words – from the PBS documentary Triumph of the Nerds, which includes quotes from Steve Jobs as he discusses Apple’s rise to power. In...
gratis permission that is the norm with publishing companies, I received a greeting card from their permissions editor, thanking me for being pleasant during the rather tedious process.
On the same day, I received “permission” from Pearson Education to quote about thirty words from Bringing Design to Software, for the cost of $150. Considering the book will most likely retail for around $30, that’s five copies of an estimated print run of 500.
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Mind, Body, Soultag:www.brownbearllc.com,2006:/interaction//1.222006-09-07T19:28:25Z2007-02-05T13:28:46ZI’ve been discussing the layout of the book with the designers, and we’ve identified a theme of Mind, Body and Soul that permeates the text. It is interesting to connect Mind (thinking), Body (doing), and Soul (feeling) to the idea...
the designers, and we’ve identified a theme of Mind, Body and Soul that permeates the text. It is interesting to connect Mind (thinking), Body (doing), and Soul (feeling) to the idea of Usable, Useful, and Desirable.
The practical manifestation of usability engineering is almost always reduction and tradition. Reduction (or simplicity) is generally a good design principle – I certainly buy into and agree with John Maeda’s nearly tongue-in-cheek investigation of Simplicity - but the push towards tradition (or commonality) that is usually associated with usability certainly gets in the way of innovative design thinking.
On the other side, unbridled creativity has become rather commonplace in interaction design solutions that embrace flash. This is exactly the type of overzealous “design” that Nielsen freaks out about; the tool and the technology drives the aesthetic elements.
But human behavior is made up of rationale thought, irrational thought and actions; we need all three elements in our designs for some degree of harmony. I’m sure we could also find connections to Id, Ego and Superego; there is something rather base or innate about this triad approach.
Anyway; the next step is to dismantle the text to correspond better to these three pillars, and see how the thing reads when approached with this in mind.]]>
Editing, Punctuation and Imagerytag:www.brownbearllc.com,2006:/interaction//1.212006-08-24T14:37:22Z2006-08-24T14:39:33ZThe text is now going through a final set of grammar, spelling and sentence structure errors. According to my editor, I have picked up a poor habit of using too many semicolons; I seem to recall Ayn Rand having the...
April is the cruellest month, breeding
Lilacs out of the dead land, mixing
Memory and desire, stirring
Dull roots with spring rain
T. S. Eliot has managed to use the same basic constructs of words, and simple words at that, to stir deep emotional responses in the reader. A “tree in the rain” is finite, obvious, and non-challenging. The lack of complexity and specificity may, in fact, be why it is difficult to picture the tree with any depth or detail. But the fact that the lilac has dead roots, and it isn’t just a rain – it’s a spring rain, creates a matter-of-fact situation that readers can begin to feel, before they even try to see it. It is difficult to picture April, much less to picture the month as cruel, yet Eliot’s four lines have managed to invigorate a deeply-honed sense of feeling that allows readers to picture not just a tree, nor a rain, but an entire scene. ]]>
Thoughts on Interaction got a nice blurb in the latest South Magazine.]]>
And here's a view of the back cover:
So close .. ]]>
The practical manifestation of usability engineering is almost always reduction and tradition. Reduction (or simplicity) is generally a good design principle – I certainly buy into and agree with John Maeda’s nearly tongue-in-cheek investigation of Simplicity - but the push towards tradition (or commonality) that is usually associated with usability certainly gets in the way of innovative design thinking.
On the other side, unbridled creativity has become rather commonplace in interaction design solutions that embrace flash. This is exactly the type of overzealous “design” that Nielsen freaks out about; the tool and the technology drives the aesthetic elements.
But human behavior is made up of rationale thought, irrational thought and actions; we need all three elements in our designs for some degree of harmony. I’m sure we could also find connections to Id, Ego and Superego; there is something rather base or innate about this triad approach.
Anyway; the next step is to dismantle the text to correspond better to these three pillars, and see how the thing reads when approached with this in mind.]]>