AlterNet: What Adults Should Know About Kids’ Online Networking
An interview with danah boyd - “they’re building relationships, they’re engaging socially, they’re seeking validation, they’re seeking negotiation of status, and this is happening both on and offline in a very fluid way.”
(tags: youth SocialNetworks socialSoftware)

Hilary Clinton Uses Yahoo Answers (Bokardo)
I’m embarrassed to admit that Hilary (or her PR crew) thought of using Yahoo Answers as a research tool before I did. Meanwhile, fancy asking real people what they think about policy. What a novelty. Hoorah!
(tags: SocialNetworks user-research politics Yahoo)

Interaction Design and Agile Methods
(tags: agiledesign)

You may see a lot more of these kinds of links in the coming weeks….

Simplicity
a great collection of writings both for and against simplicity
(tags: design usability simplicity ux)

I have a bunch of thoughts around ideas of simplicity and ‘the cult of less’, as I like to call it. Hoping to get them down in the next few weeks. How did January get so busy?!

I just came across these 15 Web Principles that the BBC have developed (via Tomski).
1. Build web products that meet audience needs: anticipate needs not yet fully articulated by audiences, then meet them with products that set new standards. (nicked from Google)
2. The very best websites do one thing really, really well: do less, but [...]

Paper Prototyping (A List Apart: )
I’m a big fan of paper prototyping - both for design and testing/research purposes. Here’s a great overview of the what/how/why/whens of paper prototyping.
(tags: UCD design prototyping testing)

GUUUI - Hand-crafting prototypes in Visio
oooh, hand drawing prototypes in Visio… why didn’t I think of that! Wondering why you might want to [...]

I’m collecting reasons that you’ve heard or used as to why you can’t use a proper UCD (User Centred Design) methodology in your project.
Not just ‘yeah, I think about users when I’m doing the design’, but actually involving *real* users in your design process. Doing a proper UCD methodology.
How do you rationalise using UCD in [...]

In December last year I was lucky enough to catch up with Bill Moggridge to chat about his new book, Designing Interactions.
My mission was to write a piece for Usability News (mission accomplished).
I recorded our chat and Bill was happy for me to share it with you all, so - apologies for the not so [...]

Finally! a place to go and talk about nerdy books that IAs love in safe, non-eyerolling company!
Yay to David Carruthers for kicking off the IA Bookclub which will meet for the first time in February to talk about BJ Fogg’s Persuasive Technology.
I read this book in the first year I was doing my Masters when [...]

“Just as water, gas, and electricity are brought into our houses from far off to satisfy our needs in response to a minimal effort, so we shall be supplied with visual or auditory images, which will appear and disappear at a simple movement of the hand, hardly more than a sign.”
Paul Valery, 1931.
cool.
(thanks James)