Billion Dollar O Gram-2013

May 182013

With news of $billion-dollar tax evasions joining $billion-dollar bailouts and $trillion dollar deficits in the mind-boggled group mind, we thought it might be a good time to update the Billion Dollar-o-Gram.

This time, rather than pain-stakingly hand-drawing our treemap visualisation, we developed some generative, interactive code to render the data.

The result, we think, is both beautiful and sickening.

VizSweet

This ‘TreeMappa’ code is part of our forthcoming VizSweet software – a set of high-end dataviz tools for journalists, presenters and analysts. Find out more.

You’ll be seeing more VizSweet over the next few months. It helps us quickly render beautiful datavizzes from any kind of data, so we’ll be using it a lot.

(Although part of me snarls when I see our algorithm taking 3 milliseconds to draw what used to take me 3 days to hand-draw!)

For nostalgia’s sake, we’ve rendered the old ‘classic’ Billion Dollar-o-Gram in VizSweet-o-vision. Oh and we’ve hidden a little easter-egg in the data-viz. See if you can find it!

IML becomes Division of Media Arts + Practice

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May 142013

The Institute for Multimedia Literacy is pleased to announce that, beginning this summer, all IML undergraduate programs, graduate programs and research initiatives will be housed under the newly-formed Division of Media Arts + Practice in the USC School of Cinematic Arts. Focusing on storytelling, media design and emergent digital technologies, the division will offer a Bachelor of Arts in Media Arts + Practice, the minor in Digital Studies, the Honors in Multimedia Scholarship program and a graduate certificate in Digital Media and Culture. The new division will also house the existing Media Arts + Practice Ph.D. program, which has been part of the School of Cinematic Arts since 2007.

“The moving image has become the primary way that people communicate in not only the academic world, but also the business world, the communications field, the entertainment industry and many other industries,” said Dean Elizabeth M. Daley. “This new division reflects the School of Cinematic Arts’ commitment to evolving and changing as the world evolves. The skills taught within Media Arts + Practice will be crucial for students who want an advantage in the global marketplace.”

The Bachelor of Arts degree in the Media Arts + Practice Division is devoted to exploring the potential of scholarly expression, visual storytelling, data visualization and social media across the humanities and professional fields. That includes business, education, medicine, urban planning and law, areas in which digital media is becoming essential for effective communication. The Ph.D. degree has already produced cutting-edge, award-winning research that spans multiple disciplines.

The Media Arts + Practice major is ideal for students who are interested in the expanded array of cinematic technologies that can be used for critical, creative expression of ideas, as well as those who want to develop skills in visual communication for use in diverse fields.

“SCA is known as a home to some of the best writers, directors, producers, animators, game designers and critics in the world, people who specialize in creating or commenting on the entertainment industry, and our program builds on that legacy,” said Holly Willis, Chair of the Media Arts + Practice Division. “Storytelling is fundamental not just in entertainment but in every industry, and there is a growing need across every field for people who understand the power of the cinematic arts and can use it effectively to better inform, educate, interpret and communicate in a world that is inundated with data and information.”

The USC School of Cinematic Arts is now comprised of seven divisions: The Bryan Singer Division of Critical Studies, the Film & Television Production Division, the John C. Hench Division of Animation & Digital Arts, the Interactive Media & Games Division, the Peter Stark Producing Program, Writing for Screen & Television and the Media Arts + Practice Division.

2013 IML Showcase

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May 042013

Friday, May 3, 2013
4:30 p.m.

USC Institute for Multimedia Literacy
746 W. Adams Blvd.
Los Angeles, CA 90089

Open to all. Light refreshments will be served.

This year’s Showcase celebrates the sixth cohort of students to complete the Honors in Multimedia Scholarship program. Although the capstone projects created by the students are diverse in subject area, a guiding theme centers on issues related to transmedia, cross-platform compatibility, and the delicate balance between creator constraint and user control, between hardware and software.

The Showcase will also feature digital portfolios from our second cohort of students graduating with the Minor in Digital Studies. This 20-unit Minor explores the potential of digital media for critical analysis and creative discovery. Students produced innovative, scholarly projects, from photo-essays to digital documentaries, from interactive videos to sophisticated web sites, from kinetic typography to 3-D visualizations. By curating projects from their IML classes, the students have created portfolios that contextualize their work for audiences beyond academia. In addition, a range of projects from undergraduate IML courses, grouped by genre, will be displayed. Finally, projects from the rapidly expanding array of IML graduate seminars will be highlighted. This work uses a growing range of tools and tactics that enhance and extend traditional research and scholarship in exciting ways.

This year’s event also marks our last year in the location we’ve called home for more than a decade. As we prepare to move to our new building on campus, we pause to reflect upon and salute the wealth of remarkable, cross-disciplinary projects and pursuits launched by the IML and its affiliates, all of which have contributed to our rich shared history.

The showcase will open on Friday, May 3, 2013, at 4:30 p.m. We hope to see you there!

Justifying fit and finish

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May 032013

If you’re a product designer this is one of the most important topics you have to deal with. Braden Kowitz of Google Ventures Design, in his recent post Why you should move that button 3px to the left:

“Designers notice the gap between functional and delightful, and that’s why we obsess over the little details. But there’s a very real tradeoff between perfecting the design details and building more functionality: getting the details right often means moving slower…So it’s not enough to say “it looks better this way”. Designers need to make a case for why the team should spend time on fit and finish.

I think that Braden is right here. The difference between people who do something because they can vs. those who focus on it professionally is the details. So, developers who create UI almost never have the attention to detail that a UI designer does. Similarly, a UI designer who writes code doesn’t have the attention to detail about coding practices that a developer does. It works both ways. In many ways the problem is that people can do someone else’s job, passably.

For product designers, who feel pain when obsessing over these small details, the challenge is clear. Convince others that the extra time is worth it, that taking time to polish the product will change the way people think about it, and that the other, secondary stuff we’re not getting to as a result just isn’t worth it. This has probably always been a problem and will probably always be a problem.

There is, however, an easy test to this. Ask people what products they love most, the ones the use the most. Almost invariably it will be products with an amazing fit and finish, products that someone took a lot of care to get the details right, where someone took the time to move the button 3px to the left.

The best way to fight it is to simply do the best work you can every single time.

FYI: I’m writing a new book on how to communicate your product or service called Make them Care!. If you would like to be reminded when it comes out, sign up here. For an excerpt, check out Designing for the Next Step

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Two goals of giving feedback

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May 022013

Great post by Zach Holman of Github: You Won’t Regret Positive Feedback:

I think our industry does feedback really poorly. I sure as hell do. My first impulse whenever I see a comp is to shit on it. Honestly. Even if it looks great. Especially if it looks great. We instinctively want to pick apart any deficiencies as soon as possible because that’s how product is created. We build things incrementally, chipping away the rough edges until we have a clean polished surface underneath it all.

I think that leads to a feeling that being emotional or cruel is actually helpful during design or code reviews. That the approach cuts away the fat even quicker, which is a great thing since we can get to that finished product quicker, right? Because that’s really all that matters anyway, after everything is said and done: if The Product is unimpeachable, everything was worth it. Sleeping under your desk. Yelling at your coworkers. Pushing to make that final iteration. It’s all for The Sake Of The Product.

Zach makes the point that there is more than one goal when giving feedback…it’s not just about improving the product at the expense of everything else. In many cases feedback should be given appropriately, with the goal of thoughtfully directing the designer in addition to building a great product. And everyone should be part of this process of getting feedback, from junior designers to the designer emeritus. Everyone needs an editor.

Further, I think the dynamic in which feedback happens is important. If it’s a dynamic in which a “design czar” provides feedback to a designer as a corrective device then it’s often a negative experience for both parties. However, if it’s a dynamic in which a designer seeks out feedback from design peers then it tends to be a lot healthier and a positive experience for both parties. When craftspeople push each other to do good work as a matter of pride then good things happen. For some reason the notion of being a Steve Jobs-like design czar has taken hold much more than it should have…what worked for Jobs probably doesn’t work for you and me.

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Two goals of giving feedback

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May 022013

Great post by Zach Holman of Github: You Won’t Regret Positive Feedback:

I think our industry does feedback really poorly. I sure as hell do. My first impulse whenever I see a comp is to shit on it. Honestly. Even if it looks great. Especially if it looks great. We instinctively want to pick apart any deficiencies as soon as possible because that’s how product is created. We build things incrementally, chipping away the rough edges until we have a clean polished surface underneath it all.

I think that leads to a feeling that being emotional or cruel is actually helpful during design or code reviews. That the approach cuts away the fat even quicker, which is a great thing since we can get to that finished product quicker, right? Because that’s really all that matters anyway, after everything is said and done: if The Product is unimpeachable, everything was worth it. Sleeping under your desk. Yelling at your coworkers. Pushing to make that final iteration. It’s all for The Sake Of The Product.

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Product design replacing UX?

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May 012013

Product designer David Cole of Quora writes in The Rise of Product Design:

“Looking back at the ideas espoused by the UX community, I find their relevance to my work winnowing by the year. Many of the practices seem forged in the fires of consultancy. Advocacy is a repeat theme in UX writing, but is borderline irrelevant when working for a product- and design-centric organization. Similarly, when you have internal stakeholders who understand the design process, you don’t need to worry about constantly building consensus. Deliverables like lengthy specs, comprehensive wireframes, and pixel-perfect PSDs are all artifacts from a time when risk-averse clients needed to enforce progress and limit variability. Inside of a product company, these efforts waste time, create politics, and mask responsibility.”

I tend to agree…although I don’t equate UX with deliverables necessarily. The reason why I now use the term “product design” is that it best captures the output of the design we do…as design titles have traditionally done. The items you make define what type of designer you are…and since so many people are now building products (vs. websites or even worse experiences) then that’s what we should call them (us). The age of product design is upon us.

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Join the MITH team as a Project Manager!

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Apr 262013

Join the MITH team as a Project Manager! -- Maryland Institute for Technology in the Humanities

The Maryland Institute for Technology in the Humanities at the University of Maryland is seeking an experienced project manager who will provide coordination and management for research projects and initiatives in the digital humanities.

The Project Manager will work with senior MITH staff to conceptualize, implement, and manage digital humanities research work in a collaborative, team-driven environment. The successful candidate will have experience developing and administering collaborative research projects and events; strong oral and written communications skills; experience writing for, and working with, academic and public audiences; and an interest in digital research methods and tools.

The Project Manager will report to the Assistant Director and work in tandem with MITH staff to ensure the success of MITH’s various research projects and initiatives. The Project Manager will manage the execution of projects by assembling and coordinating the work of project staff and partners, tracking project deliverables, monitoring and reporting on progress of projects to all stakeholders, and completing project evaluations and assessment of results. Experience writing grants of $60,000 or more is preferred.

Prospective candidates should be familiar with the field of digital humanities, have experience with project management tools (Basecamp, Google Docs, etc.), and have proven experience in coordinating multi-institution deadline-driven research projects. Experience working with software development tools (particularly Git) is a plus. Candidates should be comfortable setting meetings and agendas, establishing benchmarks for success, and negotiating multi-stakeholder dynamics.

Jointly supported by the University of Maryland College of Arts and Humanities and the University of Maryland Libraries, MITH engages in collaborative, interdisciplinary work at the intersection of technology and humanistic inquiry. MITH specializes in text and image analytics for cultural heritage collections, data curation, digital preservation, linked data applications, and data publishing.

DUTIES

Coordinate and implement research and development projects (60%)

Elicit well-defined project materials including statements of project scope, goals and deliverables from stakeholders.
Facilitate consensus around project processes and implementation strategies
Develop and implement project plans.
Schedule, and monitor project timelines and milestones using appropriate project management tools.
Develop plans for communicating project results and outcomes to academic and public audiences

Coordinate and implement public programs (30%)

Facilitate the Digital Dialogues Series, including handling organizational and promotional work, processing video and social media, and dealing with speakers
Support and coordinate public programs including workshops, symposia, and lecture series as needed.
Coordinate all internship and visitor programs

Communications and publicity (10%)

Assist in the creation of website content for MITH and its research programs
Lead all social media outreach and coordination

Required Qualifications

Bachelor’s degree in Digital Humanities or a Humanities-related field
Minimum of two years experience in project management

Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities

Experience managing multi-institutional collaborative research projects
Experience and Knowledge of project management including use of project management and social media technologies (Basecamp, Google Docs, WordPress, Twitter, Drupal, etc.)
Familiarity with digital humanities trends/developments.
Demonstrated initiative and ability to work on multiple projects simultaneously
Excellent organizational, analytical, time management and communication (oral and written) skills
Ability to motivate and manage one’s colleagues and project stakeholders in a team-driven design and development process.

Preferred Qualifications

Advanced degree (MA or PhD) in digital humanities or humanities field
Successfully awarded grant writing experience over $60,000
Experience with identifying potential partners and funding opportunities to support ongoing research.
Knowledge of software development methodologies and their practical application is a plus.

The Project Manager is a full-time, 12-month faculty research assistant position renewable annually, contingent on funding. Salary is commensurate with experience, ranging from $55,000 to $65,000. The University also offers a competitive benefits package. To apply, please send: 1) a cover letter outlining your experience in project management, your particular skills in the digital humanities, and statement of your philosophy of managing collaborative research projects; 2) a CV; 3) examples of writing samples (no more than 20 pages), websites, and/or digital projects; and 4) contact information for three professional references to Jennifer Guiliano, Search Chair, via email: guiliano@umd.edu. For best consideration, apply by close of business on May 20, 2013. Position would begin in August/September 2013 dependent on candidate availability.

The University of Maryland, College Park, actively subscribes to a policy of equal employment opportunity, and will not discriminate against any employee or applicant because of race, age, sex, color, sexual orientation, physical or mental disability, religion, ancestry or national origin, marital status, genetic information, political affiliation, and gender identity or expression. Minorities and women are encouraged to apply.

To flat or not to flat?

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Apr 252013

Solid piece by Nick Bilton in the New York Times about the trend of flat UI: The Flattening of Design

Several thoughts:

1) I’m not convinced that flat UI is a good thing…in my experience it does make UIs seem simpler but often at the expense of visual priority and affordances. Many flat UIs suffer from a very real problem in which clickable elements are not obvious, and often look like non-clickable elements (because everything is flat)

2) Design as news still fascinates me. Three or four years ago you would never have seen an article about a UI design trend like this published in the New York Times. I love it.

3) I think that Heller is right when he says that flat UI is basically just a trend.

“Every so often there is a new fashion that comes about in design for any number of reasons, not the least of which is technology, and now there has been a reaction to mechanistic-looking design where you press a button and get a specific look,” Mr. Heller said. “In response, designers have started to turn to flatness.”

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How Facebook did UX testing for Home

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Apr 222013

Interesting piece on how Facebook did UX testing for their new Home software. Some of the more interesting bits include:

Did most of the testing on Facebook employees (non-design or development)
Utilized diary testing to find out about long-term effects of content (initial reaction is often positive, wanted to see how people liked it over time)
Testing priority was on first-time user experience
Live stream testing that anybody can view in real-time
Send out a weekly email to the team with highlights of testing

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