Wednesday, May 28, 2014

[personal UX/UI review] some observations

-. Case: rusted window frame
-. Issue: bad choice of material for the frame
-. Recommendation: use low maintenance required and long-lasting materials for building components

-. Case: Beans and Barnes signs
-. Issue: no inclusion of Korean pronunciation; this can a serious issue for especially first-time customers who would like to search the name and use its services because it takes extra time for them to figure out.
-. Recommendation: include Korean pronunciation of the store name to assist people who can't pronounce the name

Monday, May 26, 2014

[personal UX/UI review] good naming for a government organization

-. case: naming of a government organization
-. positive: the name includes "service" where this place could have been just "community center"; the inclusion of the word service is a perspective changing statement. I don't know the civil servants working in this organization are aware of deep philosophical meaning of their organization naming in English, but I'd like to compliment on the person who translated "주민센터" to potentially remind everyone in the organization go back to basics of its existence. 

Friday, May 23, 2014

[conference] ‘더 나은 웹’ 웹마스터 컨퍼런스 2014 (translation: "The Better Web" Webmaster Conference 2014)

Title
Webmaster Conference 2014
Place
Time Square, Amoris Hall, Seoul Korea
Time
May 22, 2014 9AM~5PM
Speaker
이준영, 김진형, etc.
Organizer
Google, KIPFA
Focus
Open web, responsive design, search-friendly website design
<photo courtesy of Dong-Hwi Lee> 

I.       검색의 진화 (translation: Evolution of Search) [Junyoung Lee, Engineering Manager of Google Search Team]
1.       Lesson
1)      Google Fact: 50,000+ employee, 140+ language support
2)      Websites need to represent all of companies’ corporate activities
3)      Through Knowledge Graph, Google understands users’ intention and context of query
2.       Takeaway
1)      SB needs to develop intelligent search algorithms to identify users’ intention and context and provide relevant biblical results
2)      Display activities on websites

II.      소프트웨어 중심 사회에서의 공공의 역할 (translation: Public sector’s role in software-oriented society) [Jinhyung Kim, head of Software Policy and Research Institute]
1.       Lesson
1)      In software development, understand government policy
2)      In decision making, use data instead of relying on intuition
2.       Takeaway
1)      Consider using disruptive technology (e.g. mobile internet, automation of knowledge work, cloud)

III.     위키피디어와 함께하기 (translation: Ways to use Wikipedia) [ManJai Lee, Professor of Advanced Institutes of Convergence Technology]
1.       Takeaway
1)      Think of ways to use data of Wikipedia commercially due to its BY-SA license

IV.    아름다운 한글, 웹폰트로 널리 이롭게 쓰기 (translation: Beautiful Korean, ways to use Web fonts extensively and effectively) [Jihye Lee, Designer of Google Brand Studio– Interactive]
1.       Lesson
1)      Reasons for recommending web fonts instead of image fonts
  Texts un-clickable, un-draggable, and untranslatable are hard to read on mobile devices including wearables in the near future
  Users tend to zoom-in when browsing in mobile and tablet devices
2)      Google Chrome browser will soon to implement WOFF File Format 2.0 which reduces font capacity
3)      Web font source: http://api.mobilis.co.kr/webfonts/
4)      Try Google Web font early access: http://www.google.com/fonts/earlyaccess
2.       Takeaway
1)      As technology progresses (meaning internet speed gets faster in all countries in the world), use Web fonts on websites

V.      공공 웹사이트 혁신하기 (translation: Innovating public websites) [Kyung Geun Ma, Information Planning Dept. of Seoul Metropolitan Government]
1.       Lesson
1)      Goals of Seoul Metropolitan City website
goal category
related technology
1. One source multi-use
1.1. Support multiple devices
Web standardization, HTML5

1.2. Utilize common contents
Resource concept, single URI
2. Open and share
2.1. Contents share/distribution
RESTful, ATOM/RSS

2.2. Free copyright
CCL (creative commons license), meta data
3. Governance
3.1. Contents classification/evaluation
Resource concept, meta data

3.2. Political usage of contents
Connection to web log, promotion method
4. Usability
4.1. Search function
Meta data, SEO

4.2. Web compatibility
Web standardization
5. Efficiency
5.1. Maintenance capability
Framework, theme

5.2. Utilization of external resource
Mash-up, open API
2)      Efforts made to create a good website
  Utilization of open source CMS (e.g. WordPress)
  Utilization of platform service (e.g. Twitter, YouTube)
  Copyright reservation of content
  Establishment of web compatibility
  Configuration of search-friendly environment
  1Start with needs
  2Do less
  3Design with data
  4Do the hard work to make it simple
  5Iterate. Then iterate again.
  6Build for inclusion
  7Understand context
  8Build digital services, not websites
  9Be consistent, not uniform
  10Make things open: it makes things better
2.       Takeaway
1)      Goal of Seoul Metropolitan City website
2)      UK Government’s 10 Digital Service Design Principles

VI.    모두를 위한 디자인 (translation: Design for the public) [Hai Kyung Min, Asia Pacific Team Manager of Google Brand Studio – Interactive]
1.       Lesson
1)      Components of the better Web: easy and fast, secured, anyone, anywhere, virtuous cycle
2)      Design for everyone
  Understand cultural differences in using images and photos (e.g. thumbs-up may insult people in the Middle East)
  Grid spaces for languages are different (e.g. western vs. CJK languages)
  Be careful with line breaks
3)      Design for multi-screen: Recommended to use only one URL
4)      Mobile first: genuinely and seriously think what, why and how to start planning mobile first
  Available gestures at mobile and tablet: touch, swipe, tilt, shake
  Sensors at mobile devices: accelerometer, location-based API, voice recognition
5)      Design information first then move to visual: select contents and think how to organize and display them
6)      Re-think design process: use mood board instead of mock-up, review with design guide and prototype; design in browser and review
7)      Understand users: in the U.S. 75% of mobile users use mobile devices not necessarily on the go, but in their bathroom and bed
2.       Takeaway
1)      Think mobile first and plan accordingly
2)      Design information first then move to visual

VII.   Others for SB
1.       Gutenberg’s printing: 1454
2.       Martin Luther’s 95 Theses: 1517



Friday, May 16, 2014

[lecture] 왜 지금 ‘컨텍스트의 시대’를 논하는가? (App Center)

Title
-(translation) Why now are we talking about “Age of Context?”
Place
KAIST Dogok Software Grad School 101-ho
Time
May 16, 2014 7PM~9:20PM
Speaker
박지훈, 이구환, Ciren Jang
Organizer
App Center
Focus
5 forces for contexts

I.       Message (c.f. Amazon: booklink)
1.       Related terms
1)      Definition of context: the circumstances and facts that surround a situation
2)      “If content is king, context is god.” – Gary Vaynerchuk
2.       Five forces shaping the age of context
1)      Mobile: mostly wearables
2)      Social media: real-time emotions on SNS
3)      Data: analyzable large data
4)      Sensors: eyeball tracker at Google Glass, light and humidity sensor at Plant Sensor, temperature and humidity sensor at Nest, depth sensor at Prime Sense
5)      LBS: foursquare, Check-in, Waze, Asthmas Police
3.       Application: Try to think of value-added services based on the above 5 forces
4.       Example
1)      Personalized and predictive service
  Google Glass- e.g. displaying my stock portfolio info
  Google Search- e.g. Jejudo ticket info can be displayed at the top of SRP
  MindMeld- e.g. previous conversation info is displayed during video-chatting
  IBM Watson- e.g. predict why a person has to have a certain sickness by analyzing the person’s data
  Google Now- e.g. flight ticket info can be displayed on SRP
  23andMe- e.g. DNA analysis service to provide probability report to get a certain disease
2)      Anticipatory services and products
  SRI’s tempo- utilized all possible information related to calendar schedule (e.g. parking info around meeting locations and emails related to the meeting)
  Tapingo- utilized time and place info (e.g. you used to eat Chinese food today, would you like to eat it today?)
  Tagwhat- telling you what’s happening nearby
3)      Context means business
  Knowing everything about customers: Uber and GE’s industrial Internet
  Knowing your customer in deep detail
A       Audience.fm
B       Datasift- analyzes Tweeted messages via Twitter’s Firehose
C       Vintank- recommends wines based on user’s wine related tweet through their user profiling technology
5.       Case utilizing all 5 forces?
1)      Disney’s RFID bracelet- visited restaurant, used as a payment tool
  identifies a customer spending lots of money and sends coupon notification to make customers spend more money
2)      Belgium museum’s iBeacon- sends description of a museum item to visitors
3)      Yahoo’s Marissa Mayer- announced that Yahoo search engine will provide contextual search results
4)      Mercedes-Benz- preparing a service predicting passengers’ directions based on dates, riders, and previous destinations
6.       Contextual privacy: e.g. Friends’ nearby, Edward Snowden
7.       Ask below questions for opportunities--> to come up with services saving people’s time
1)      Do you know your customer?
2)      Are you building highly personalized systems? Or are you serving those who are?
3)      Do you see a way to “Uberize” your business?
4)      Are you dreaming of a new sensor-based world and how it might be different?
5)      Are you hanging out with people who are building next generation technologies?

II.      Takeaway
1.       Anticipatory services and products cases

Thursday, May 1, 2014

[lecture] 포탈회사의 연구개발 : Naver Labs 를 중심으로- 송창현 Naver Labs 연구센터장

Title
포탈회사의 연구개발 : Naver Labs 를 중심으로
-       (translation) R&D at Portal Company : Naver Labs
Place
KAIST Dogok Software Grad School Chin’s AMP Hall 103-ho
Time
May 1, 2014 5PM~6PM
Speaker
송창현, Naver Labs 연구센터장
-       (translation) Chang Hyun Song; Research Head, Naver Labs
Organizer
KAIST Software Graduate Program
Focus
Naver Labs management

I.       Message
1.       Employee: 130 at Naver Labs
2.       Product example: voice communication, wine label and music detection
3.       Admin position: created an admin position which handles most of non-engineering works
4.       Ways to adopt new technology: licensing, HW/SW tuning, open source SW, internal TFT (e.g. expert organization)
5.       Software strategy
1)      Establishment of Naver Labs allowed Naver to move from tactical to strategic and pure research
2)      Research and development should go together
6.       Criteria for employee evaluation: growth, technology, leadership, collaboration
7.       Internal technology festival: invite employees in other departments (e.g. PM, sales) to show developed technology (e.g. Similar to Microsoft’s internal TechFest)
8.       Sensual content filtering: manual filtering e.g. 100 employees
9.       People management: anytime interruption is allowed unless the employee’s timeslot is marked as no interruption

II.      Takeaway
1.       Create an admin position to accelerate development
2.       Ways to adopt new technology 

Sunday, April 20, 2014

[personal UX/UI review] packaging stickers

product: School Food's packaging stickers
issue: difficult to open
recommendation: try using easily detachable stickers 
reasoning: unboxing experience is not just important for electronics companies but also in any products which require customers touch

Wednesday, April 16, 2014

[personal UX/UI review] McDonald's card reader design

Product: McDonald's card reader
Issue: difficult to tell which side of card needs to go where when swiping 
Recommendation: make each side of the reader read cards