A post-pc chat over coffee

“This thing is so, so, so useful” he said “Since I got this thing I never turn on the computer anymore.”

The man in question was 30-something and speaking to a much older gentleman who appeared skeptical, but genuinely interested (and went on to ask lots of questions). They were accompanied by a small child who spent most of the conversation transfixed by a game on the iPhone.

“I just use this for everything now…” the younger man continued.

“You see it’s always on, always there. It’s always next to me, or in my pocket. I don’t need to fuss with it or wait for it to turn on. It just works…so it’s kinda completely replaced my PC.”

“So much so…” he said with a chuckle, “…that the last time I turned the computer on, I forget for what…the antivirus was so out of date I had to do this great big update!”

[Eavesdropping session made possible by the iPad on my lap...these things are indeed so incredibly useful.]

 

“Illustrating lifestyles from the developing world” on the MEX blog

 Thai monk with second generation NGage

Many thanks to Marek Pawlowski, organizer of the MEX, Mobile User Experience conference, for the opportunity to publish my response to the annual MEX Manifesto on the MEX blog.

“In this article responding to point #5 of the MEX Manifesto (’The developing world is the new frontier for mobile user experience‘), Stephanie Rieger of user experience consultancy Yiibu paints a detailed picture of customer lifestyles in South East Asia. Stephanie’s writing interweaves links to a community photo essay from Flickr with her own commentary on the individuals she has met in this region and her observations on the mobile user experience implications.”(more)

I will also be attending the conference on 27-28, May 2008 and co-authoring the annual MEX Report which outlines conference proceedings and the overall response to the Mex Manifesto.

Really looking forward to attending the event!

User Story: Crazy Personalization

Crazy keitai charm personalization

What makes people personalize? At what point does personalization overwhelm the item being personalized? (Real person BTW —I wish I had my camera :-(

  • Description: Male, 20-something
  • Occupation: design student
  • Location: Spotted talking on the phone, buying bubble-tea, Vancouver, Canada
  • Device: N Gage QD (weight 143 grams with battery)
  • Personalization: 15-20 assorted charms (weight of keitai strap—easily 5 times that of the device)

I wonder—does he play games on his N Gage? Does the sheer weight overwhelm the device to the point that playing games is no longer fun? Maybe playing games wasn’t the point?