I first learned about Glitch through my friend, Shelly Bowman, after sign up I immediately fell in love with this cute little browser based massive multi-player game. You can get a feel for the game from the trailer above  but some of the stuff the trailer doesn’t show is the intricate details such as the count down to the end of a skill training:

I enjoy it is it’s “sense of humor” and quirkiness. You can pet trees (which I swear must be a take from the fact this company is based near Berkeley, California), talk to yoga frogs, nibble on pigs, massage butterflies, and they may even want to discuss things of this world with you (see below). In order to increase skill training time you can get “Rock” to speed read. They say the devil is in the details. In this case, the joy of the game is in the details and all those details help tell the story. Tiny Speck has gone so far to make their site a joy to use on mobile. I believe Glitch has a lot of potential to be a run away success when it goes public.

Update:
Tiny Speck Closes $10.7 Million Second Round on Social MMO Glitch, Entering Closed Beta Also of note, in the article, it’s mentioned that Tiny Speck will release an API for the Glitch animation to be utilized in other projects.

Tiny Speck Expects Glitch but No Glitches in Launch: User will be able to grow the game in their own way by using the API to add streets and other sections of the game. A truly customizable experience.

Tiny Speck Founder, Stewart Butterfield, Talks Glitch

Yet as a gamer and one that has been doing a lot of research on Facebook games of late, I find a lot of the games have little things that drive me up the wall. Some are slow to respond. Others have pop over layers that fly in my face constantly. In one case in particular, I could be in the middle of picking up goods, xp, or coins I need to keep my city alive and, “POOF”, yet, another annoying popover. Still, I keep going back because there’s an emotional element of accomplishment within the game that keeps me tied to it. “I must become mayor today!”, I think as I clear trees, build businesses and housing, working tirelessly to build my city into something I am proud of.

Thus if you take this emotional element and combine it with user experience you get nirvana! Which makes me curious, why then are UX professionals fighting over what we call ourselves when what we need to be focused on is, why even hire us? We are after all, information architects, content strategiests, visual designers, librarians, business strategiests, interaction designers and more. UX is a melting pot of an industry full of creative, intelligent, amazingly talented folks who offer solutions to common business problems. Therefore, shouldn’t we focus more on results and what we can deliver to our clients then trying to figure out what to call ourselves.

Just my 2 cents, anyway.

I always struggle with explaining what I do. Often getting blank stares and perplexed looks when I say, “I do user experience design.”

This always leads to conversations between ourselves that go something like this, “So how do you explain what we do?” “I do x.” “Oh yeah that sounds really good. I usually say y.” “Hm, I might need to implement some of that.” However, who we are not talking to is our customers.

Jeff Bezos of Amazon says we should obsess over our customers but how many of us actually do? We talk endlessly about user experience but do we take that internally to consider the experience of our own users (aka clients)? Do we go out and talk to them? Ask them candidly, “do you understand the value of what I sell?” How confident are you that your clients can explain in plan language just what you do and what value you bring to their organization?

Spend time learning the language of your intended audience. Figure out how to translate what you do into their language. Build rapport with them through the language you utilize to explain what you do.

Games are invading the real world — and the runaway popularity of Farmville and Guitar Hero is just the beginning, says Jesse Schell. At the DICE Summit, he makes a startling prediction: a future full of points in the making. While brushing our teeth, getting enough sleep, everything we do we collect points for tax breaks, special incentives by companies. In one case there are points for the amount of soda we drink because we are not that far from every can of soda having a CPU and small camera to monitor our behaviour.

Sketch-a-Move from Superflux on Vimeo.

I’ve missed a couple weeks due to deadlines at work but here’s the next installment of UX Video of the Week. This one is a lot of fun to watch and only 5 minutes out of your day for some amusing commentary (by the girls in the video) and inspiration. Here Anab Jain and Louise Klinker, both graduates of the Royal College of Art’s Design Interactions MA program, show a nice example of the use of video for prototyping. (The project was also featured in Bill Buxton’s book “Sketching User Experiences: Getting the Design Right and the Right Design”.)

Being Human is NOT Quantifiable from Jeff Parks on Vimeo.

The Following are the Key Takeaways I got from the Video:

“Behaviour is a function of the person and their environment.”

You cannot sum up behaviour as easy as a bunch of numbers. “The experiences in our life ultimately determine our perspective. It is the culmination of experiences that ultimately shape our unique reality.” Not just one event.

Business/IT tends to care more about their processes and code then the user. Much like in family feud, the user stands in the sound proof booth and they know the answer but can’t tell the people who are up on stage (business & IT). We don’t take the time to talk to our users. Take the time to find out about the people you are designing for.

Seek First to Understand Then be Understood:
Find the reconcile force… Write out all the things you disagree about then move forward on all the things you agree about. This is where personas and wireframes come into play as a tool. They are tools to communicate ideas. Move forward from there with the how. (How do I get buy in for my ideas?)

No One is an Expert:
The industry is only ten years old. How many ten year olds do you know that have the answers to everything? According to Malcolm Gladwell it takes 10K hours to master anything.

Most of our work is about conveying meaning to others for others. By focusing on data points, we miss the emotion and the perception. (ie the Human Side AND the opportunity to connect.)

If you seem stuck then the answer may not be logical. Draw, do something creative, it’ll free up your mind and help you think outside the box.

Children have endless capacity to create. but we kill creativity ruthlessly. (When we design for human beings we take the human out of the equation.)

Trust is predicated on an understanding of what it is that you are trying to communicate. Trust is the biggest issue on the web, in the marketplace, in business, in government… it’s everywhere today. The web is a conversation but do you know WHO you are talking to?

We define the people we meet by WHAT they do not WHO they are. Human experience and what we remember cannot be put into a number.

“Designers have imagination, empathy, and intuition, which is just as legitimate as statistical data and are grounded in knowledge and principles. Design is an argumentative process and as the design must be argued for so too must the data. Neither is the final answer or truth; instead there’s a process of discovery and understanding.” – Uday Gayendar, VOIP for Oracle, Adobe, & Cisco

The only way to truly understand someone is the ability to connect with them in a balanced way.

“…no one will remember you for the car you drove of the things you owned. In life, what matters most at the connections you make with other people and the personal impact you had on their lives…” – William Oliver, Farmer (My Dad said something similar to me when a close personal friend died unexpectedly: “No one will remember you at the office.”)

We have so much potential and yet we squander it on useless data points.

Other Video’s & URL’s Mentioned by Jeff are as follows:
StoryCorps
Jake Barton
Jesse James Garrett
Lego Universe
Boxes and Arrows Podcasts
Podcast with Greg Vassallo

Special thank you to Jeff Parks for taking the time to share with us his thoughts!

Seriously wondering if Nathan’s considered exploring @businessmodeldesign… #ixdasf #redux

IxD’s are the most well posed to make make meaning happen…. we have models, resaerch, and more… (need to get this slide pressie)
Freedom and Security can have different expressions based on prioritization & meaning

Nathan Shedroff: we need to reframe “Less is More” as “More for Less” for everyone outside the sustainability & design worlds #ixdasf #redux

15 core meanings: accomplishment, enlightenment, beauty, creation, duty, justice… (pic to come later) #ixdasf #redux

Most decisions (buying decisions) is based on emotions (emotional engagement). #ixdasf #redux

Meaning is the hulu hoop around us. expanding out to values, emotions, price, & features. #ixdasf #redux

Meaning is the deepest connection that can be made between people or people & objects. #ixdasf #redux

We can be taught not to be wasteful. NYC was great for training me about what is recycled and what isn’t. #ixdasf #redux

What is the intent behind consumption? We aren’t going to stop consumption. #ixdasf #redux

It’s not just about products anymore. #ixdasf #redux

It’s just not the case anymore to seperate business, design, and sustainability. #ixdasf #redux

Up Next: “Meaningful Innovation Relies on Interaction & Service Design”, Nathan Shedroff #ixdasf #redux

There’s an expectation to reply now but that wasn’t true 10 years ago. #ixdasf #redux

“Is Twitter the new God?” “Yes” #ixdasf #redux

“This map is probably made of conjecture…” Talking about AT&T’s map

“There’s too much stuff. We live in a stuff-a-lanch.” Charlie Brooker #ixdasf #redux

RT I and the rest of the @ixdasf audience is fucking captivated by Ben Fullerton. You could hear a pin drop, yet there’s also laugh breaks.

Wasn’t there a TED talk about having time alone? Actually it was about having a sabatical. #ixdasf #redux
You could never announce being alone in 140 character like they did in Medievil/Renn Times. #ixdasf #redux

Interaction 11 Website for whomever is interested: http://bit.ly/avREsj #ixdasf #redux

Up next: Designing for Solitude, Presented by Ben Fullerton, IDEO #ixdasf #redux
Car moved literally across the street to avoid parking ticket. Love SF! #ixdasf #redux

Cheeky wayfinding signs by the @ixdasf crew. #fb http://yfrog.com/jor0bj

#ixdasf #ixd10 red#ux Raphael Grignani – review daily so that get essence immediately. If leave to end – lose details.

Wondering how @kshimmel’s work can help abuse victims get back in touch their bodies…. (NTS/Random thought) #ixdasf #redux

RT @alabut: @ixdasf speaker info: http://bit.ly/9Elz5Z and @Grignani. (Thanks for posting that. Not sure I got a good photo on that.)
RT @steveportigal: I like how Raphael emphasizes our (dis)comfort issue in these non Western fieldwork contexts #ixdasf #Nokia #culture

You really don’t go anywhere to find people living in harsh conditions (thinking of trafficking victims) #ixdasf #redux
OMGWTFAR?!! slides/video: http://bit.ly/omgwtfar (thx @quietaction & @candelight for live tweeting!) #ixdasf #ixdar #ar
HIV, leading cause of death in women: UNAIDS http://post.ly/RAU9
As a westerner be aware of your own personal boundaries and what’s comfortable for you when researching. #ixdasf #redux
#ixdasf #ixd10 red#ux Raphael Grignani – deeply understanding the people you are designing for…get in there with them.
RT @jmk: Amazing turnout for the #ixdasf redUX http://flic.kr/p/7HV7QA (I was trying to do the same thing with my laptop’s cam.)
Be extremely organized. Have a schedule to make sure everything is clean. You won’t be able to get again when you go home. #ixdasf #redux
Rafael is using his iPhone as his remote for the presentation! “There’s an app for that!” #ixdasf #redux
Up next: “Designing for Billions of People (In 15 minutes), Raphael Grignani

Here we are at @AdaptivePath & the #ixdasf #redux http://tweetphoto.com/13510247 – That’s Kendra Shimmell’s pressie
Increasing efficiency can be something small. #ixdasf #redux
Sound and visuals can be overwhelming. It’s good to know the intention and layer accordingly. White space = good #ixdasf #redux
She mentions getting involved in choreography. Given my dance background I am curious. #ixdasf #redux
“The interface is my body…” (Interesting thought… thinking xBox Natal) #ixdasf #redux
“Nationally, HIV/AIDS is the leading cause of death among black women between the ages of 25 and 34.” #WTF?
Both interaction design and dance utilize order, patterns, relationships, taxonomy and time. #ixdasf #redux
Dance and IxD have a lot in common with regards to emotion and experience you are trying to convey. #ixdasf #redux
Up Next: “Environments; The Future of Interaction Design” by Kendra Shimmell (who just moved out here a week ago) #ixdasf #redux #ixdar
The US is no where in the top ten for AR research #ixdasf #redux #ixdar
Talk of putting an LED light on a contact lens without making us blind (we’re becoming cyborgs) #ixdasf #redux #ixdar
Smartphone penetration in US at 42% #ixdasf #redux #ixdar
Market for AR is expected to reach $732 million by 2014 with the mobile market to reach more than 400m by 2014. #ixdasf #redux #ixdar
BMW proposes AR as a way to train their mechanics (surgery is a thought as well) #ixdasf #redux #ixdar
Car finder app for AR #ixdasf #redux #ixdar (Nice I could use that.)
.@k how comfortable are users with RFID anyway? #ixdasf #redux #ixdar
Tech isn’t fully there yet. (ie Img Rec, processing on mobile, RFID proliferation) #ixdasf #redux #ixdar

.@k Perhaps we need glasses… Oh you just mentioned that… #ixdasf #redux #ixdar
“People don’t want to walk around with their cell phones in front of them.” CNN #ixdasf #redux #ixdar
Recent Mobile Tech Inventions: Camera, reasonable connectivity, GPS, compass, accelerometer #ixdasf #redux #ixdar
IN 2009 searches on Google for AR skyrocketed. Why? #ixdasf #redux #ixdar
Augmented sound, location, space, movement…. shift of reality…enhanced experience #ixdasf #redux #ixdar
Background on AR: http://bit.ly/lTgY4 #ixdasf #redux #ixdar
Augmented reality was coined in 1992 #ixdasf #redux #ixdar
Augumented Reality: Is it Real? Should we care? Presented by Kevin Cheng #ixdasf #redux
Being an extension of where we are at helps rather than….? (@steveportigal?) #ixdasf #redux
Objectives > Findings > UX Brief > Ideation Questions > Possible Strategies > Possible Solutions > Objectives > Detailed Solutions #ixdasf
From the audience: “How can we make this worse?” #ixdasf #redux (suggestion to get unstuck)
Getting unstuck… come up with bad ideas… #ixdasf #redux
So…”How can we keep the human touchin communication?” #ixdasf #redux
Add “How can we…” to each point in your UX Brief #ixdasf #redux
NTS – Service design “keep the human touch in communication” S project (OT)
Document statements of need. #ixdasf #redux
Circling and pulling out data/patterns within the transcripts… then doing clustering w/ post-its #ixdasf #redux
What are the patterns that are emerging… But as @jeffparks said people are more than data… #ixdasf #redux
Storytelling around the data. What did you see? What does it mean? (thinking about @jeffpark’s vid) #ixdasf #redux

.@steveportigal up next at #ixdasf #redux with “Well, we’ve done all the research now what?”
RT @alabut: First @ixdasf speaker’s info: Jamin.org & @Jamin (For Service Design talk) #ixdasf #redux
Learn service design tools to create a different mindset. Shouldn’t be a big barrier. #ixdasf #redux
Cultivate a service mindset… (but what does that mean?) #ixdasf #redux #servicedesign
Question marks in blueprint is when when the patient isn’t having an experience with the “product” = opportunity #ixdasf #redux
You have to think more holisticly about service design than interaction design. #ixdasf #redux #servicedesign
What’s the experience people might want? Design their experience. Then Design the service experience. #ServiceDesgin #ixdasf #redux
Service blueprint… NTS… blueprint of service for food delivery process….?
Define terms & patient journey. Defining needs & emotions (high for patients in beginning… but less through time)
Dicovery of Information & Environment, participation, tools, etc & how they work (or don’t)… #ixdasf #redux
Service Design = conciously designing based on “human approach” #ixdasf #reduxSFIxDA Redux today. Expect major Tweeting action around 2pm PST. Thank you in advance to hanging in with me.