Date: January 9, 2008
Speaker: Mike Kuniavsky — ThingM
The user experience design of ubiquitous computing (ubicomp) products is a new branch of design. Like Web design was different from traditional graphic design, ubicomp user experience design is different from traditional industrial design. Mike will discuss how he has tackled (and occasionally has gotten tackled by) the unique challenges of ubicomp UX. He will reposition the notion of information as a design material, and propose merging interaction design with the principles of agile software development to create new tools for prototyping new interactions.
About the Speaker
At ThingM, Mike Kuniavsky researches, designs, and writes about people’s experiences at the intersection of technology and everyday life. Companies and universities around the world use his 2003 book Observing the User Experience to understand and teach techniques that bring the design of products closer to the people who use them. His next book, Smart Things, expected in 2007 from Elsevier, will discuss user experience design for mobile devices and ubiquitous computing. He has also contributed to a number of other books, including the encyclopedic HCI Handbook (also to appear in 2007) and his articles regularly appear in MAKE magazine. He is a regular presenter at academic conferences focusing on user experience design and ubiquitous computing. In 2001 Mike cofounded Adaptive Path, a leading San Francisco internet consultancy. Previously, he founded the Wired Digital User Experience Lab for Wired Magazine’s online division, where he served as the interaction designer of the award-winning search engine, HotBot.