I always try to have this view of the world that everybody has access to the same resources I do and if these people can do it, I can do it, too.
This past weekend, I came across this video from the PBS special about Steve Jobs after he passed away that resonated with me a lot:
“When you grow up you tend to get told the world is the way it is and you’re life is just to live your life inside the world. Try not to bash into the walls too much. Try to have a nice family, have fun, save a little money.
That’s a very limited life. Life can be much broader once you discover one simple fact: Everything around you that you call life was made up by people that were no smarter than you and you can change it, you can influence it, you can build your own things that other people can use.
Once you learn that, you’ll never be the same again.”
I really enjoyed The Anatomy of an Experience Map article by the Adaptive Path folks. A very useful and comprehensive analysis that effectively illustrates the process of mapping out ideas, objectives, goals and the journey of going through it, without cram too much in. It’s very useful for large projects.
Rail Europe experience map
For smaller projects, however, we could simplify this map into a flowchart with intended outcomes (ie. what you want the user to think and feel at each point). Then we could do some focus testing to compare the actual results against the intended outcomes.
There’s also a great reference to Tufte. All the data and information is out there. Its a matter of organizing it in context to each other and presenting it visually to allow it to communicate exactly what the goal is.
Recently, I had the opportunity to watch Jared Spool’s great talk on First Use Experience. In his talk, he argued that an intuitive design is:
When the user is focused on their objective and not on the actual interface itself
Invisible (user only pay attention to something intuitive when it’s actually not intuitive. What makes something intuitive is actually something personal. We have to know something about the people we are building for
What do I do? I'm never sure what to answer, because people expect to hear one thing. We're all multi-faceted, and we are not our jobs. So what do I do?
I design websites, interfaces, and logos. I write. I create products. I consult. I love my family, friends, art, surfing, tennis, music, and travel. Which of these things really defines me? I can't say. But this website provides professional and personal information about me that might help others define me, if they feel it necessary to do so. I am an visual & interaction designer, entrepreneur, world traveler, and day dreamer. I am passionate for learning about and experimenting with new ways of living and working in community.
Where I come from
I was born in Sao Paulo and raised in beautiful Recife, Pernambuco, which is located on Brazil's northern coast, moved to Rio to finish high school, then again to Sao Paulo, where I acquired my Bachelor's degree in Industrial Design with Professional Qualification in Visual Communications. I have great parents and 2 younger brothers named Arthur and Denis.
Once I received my degree, I moved to Australia to pursuit a continuous design skills improvement and surf quality waves.
In late 2001, I moved to San Diego, California where I'm currently living and working.
