“Lost in Translation” was a wonderful movie by Sofia Coppola, starring Bill Murray and Scarlett Johansson. It depicted the delicious confusion of Western tourists in total Japanese cultural emersion. In particular, the scenes where Bill Murray shoots a liquor commercial for the Japanese market are simply priceless. In retrospect, I see where Ms. Coppola got her ideas. Her cousin, Nicholas Cage, have been making wonderfully odd (to our sensibilities) commercials for years. He clearly had stories to share. Here are a few of his gems, courtesy the World Wide Web: and But it’s not only Japan that surprises our/my cultural biases. This morning, my husband and I went to a local grocery store in Rome, Italy. In the cheese section, there was a little paper bottle of parmesan cheese with a mouse of the package. The mouse didn’t work for me at all! So much for cultural differences. Here’s a small collection of ads for McDonalds from all over the world. Please compare it to the packaging and menus for this restaurant chain that I’ve posted here in the past: “Cultural World Domination”. Notice all of the anchoring errors, metaphor mistakes, cultural biases, mirroring errors, and general cognitive and cultural…
Conceptual Design, Cultural Bias, Flow, Interaction Design, Interface Design, Language, Perception, Pipsqueak Articles, Product Design Strategy, Scaffolding, Working Memory
The Haptic Feel of Books versus eBooks
by Olga Werby •
We’ve traveled to Rome for our family vacation this year, and aside from a few summer reading books that I couldn’t find in an eBook format, we relied on our two Kindles and 3 iPads for our family reading needs. This is the second summer we brought primarily electronic versions of books—”The Count of Monte Cristo” is much easier to read when it fits into your hand and doesn’t weigh a ton… In the days before the Kindle and iPad, we carried an extra suitcase just for books. But there are drawbacks to buying and reading eBooks. Below are some of my thoughts and experiences—the cogitations of a voracious reader. Time & Progress As I was reading my novels, I found myself repeatedly trying to figure out where in the book I was. How far along was I? When is the next natural break (chapter, section end)? How many pages are there to the end of the chapter, end of the section, end of the book? These were not idle curiosities about my reading accomplishments, although when you do finish reading the book version of “The Count of Monte Cristo”, you do have a sense of having read something. An…
Ethnographic & User Data, Pipsqueak Articles
Social Networks
by Olga Werby •
Making Money on a Bet Yesterday, I came across a little post on LinkedIn: L.G. update: “I have a bet with one of my colleagues today. He thinks that using LinkedIn is a waste of time and does not see the benefit. So he has agreed to give me £1 for every like/comment I get. Considering I have over 2000 connections I reckon I will get £300 easy out of this. Start liking this update people!” It wasn’t from anyone I knew. But a LOT of people I did know (and are linked to) commented and liked this update. I added my like as well. To date (the original comment was made 2 days ago), there are 6,298 likes and 1,286 comments! Mr. L.G. stands to make some money here. With Google+, Facebook, Twitter, and the like, all pushing the value of social networking, it was interesting to see this little experiment making a direct conversion from social networking to money. And it’s not over—the post sparked an emotional response among the members of LinkedIn. The emotional trigger is still there. With each new like and comment, the temptation to add another like on the pile grows. It’s contagious!
Conceptual Design, Pipsqueak Articles, Product Design Strategy
Good Idea, Bad Idea
by Olga Werby •
In the spirit of Animaniacs’ “Bad Idea, Good Idea,” enjoy the following product ideas. And for those who’ve never heard of Animaniacs, please watch the short segment (you can see more on YouTube!). Need a bit of assist in your bedroom? Add springs for the extra bounce. Find yourself in need of a sure grip? Make room for fingers. Short on space? Don’t waste the cupboards under each stair. Need more animation in the morning? Use the light. Bored with tea? Get a personal assistant. Worried about your waistline? Get measured. Live to serve? Bump it up. Too sure-footed? Make every climb a challenge. Too close? Give your photos some distance. Product design is limited only by imagination. A Short Introduction to Animaniacs’ “Bad Idea, Good Idea”
Pipsqueak Articles
ICT & Human Rights
by Olga Werby •
IADIS conference is fast approaching. It will take place at the end of July in Rome, Italy. I’m chairing the ICT & Human Rights panel. Here’s a list of speakers and their topics. I’m also attaching the poster for the session. Please feel free to pass it on to those who might be interested in this topic. Thank you! I hope to see some of you in Rome! 2011-06-29 ICT Human Rights Poster Download ICT & Human Rights Monday, July 25th 11:30 a.m. until 1:00 p.m. This panel is dedicated to discussing how Information and Communication Technologies can be used to advance human rights around the world. Individuals can impact society, react, and reach out with the aid of technology. ICT is a powerful tool for encouraging, teaching, and protecting human rights. To learn more, please visit the IADIS web site: http://www.ict-conf.org/panel.asp To continue the conversation beyond the conference, please join our LinkedIn Group: LinkedIn: ICT & Human Rights linkedin.com/groups/ICT-Human-Rights-3398838 Presenters Dr. Miranda Kajtazi “Information Inadequacy in Information Society: Advantages of ICTs” School of Computer Science, Physics and Mathematics Linnaeus University, Växjö, Sweden Dr. Sarai Lastra “ICTs and Children: Bridging the Gap between Digital Immigrants, Digital Natives” Universidad del Turabo…
Cultural Differences, Pipsqueak Articles, Product Design Strategy, Reference, Scaffolding, Users
Generation C, a Sample User Persona
by Olga Werby •
Here’s an Booz & Company article by Roman Friedrich, Michael Peterson, Alex Koster, and Sebastian Blum: “The Rise of Generation C Implications for the World of 2020.” [contact information for the authors is available inside the PDF] The Rise of Generation C
Pipsqueak Articles, Scaffolding
Design & Emotion
by Olga Werby •
Greenpeace communicates its point well: using emotional scaffolding, Greenpeace drives its ideas home on conservation. Read a CNN article here.