138 years of popular science by Jer Thorp

4 months ago | James Torio: Designing the experience

Jer Thorp walks through his process of how he created a recent visualization for popular science magazine. Part of his process that I find interesting is he says, “This is a really common approach for me to take – building small tools … Continue reading →

Experience Maps Identify Inefficiencies and Opportunities

4 months ago | James Torio: Designing the experience

An experience map is a holistic view of all of the touchpoints or interactions people have with a brand. It enables you to determine a number of key factors: Frequency and duration of each touchpoint Levels of satisfaction with each touchpoint Points … Continue reading →

Lessons from Magic Kingdom

4 months ago | James Torio: Designing the experience

The majority of the products and services we use have no lasting impact in our lives, they are a means to an end. We only think about and talk about those that either don’t meet are exceed our expectations. I noticed a … Continue reading →

Set higher goals for yourself

5 months ago | James Torio: Designing the experience

It is not another project, this one is going to be game changing. It will revolutionize how people think about the subject, change the way they work, shake up the industry and position us as global leaders in the space. People … Continue reading →

Take a second look – they may not be stupid

6 months ago | James Torio: Designing the experience

That person is stupid. The client is stupid because he shot down my idea. The developer is stupid because he is pushing back on the worlds most beautiful design. The designer is stupid because she cares about the UI being pixel perfect in … Continue reading →

The insurgency of quality

7 months ago | James Torio: Designing the experience

What comes to your mind when you think of quality? For many of us it is our craft. We think of quality in terms of the code we write or our ability to follow a process such as Agile; the more story points we … Continue reading →

Creating your own boundaries

7 months ago | James Torio: Designing the experience

It is much easier to follow direction than to blaze a new path. To join another project and do what we perceive as what is expected from our role.  To limit ourselves, our growth, our opportunities by creating our own boundaries. Or even … Continue reading →

Reframe the problem to avoid fools gold

7 months ago | James Torio: Designing the experience

When a new project starts, there is excitement around finding the answer to the eternal question of what problem are we trying to solve? Once we identify the problem, we switch gears and strategize the solution. Only to find months later the project did … Continue reading →

Make the interface disappear

8 months ago | James Torio: Designing the experience

Great movies enable us to suspend reality. For a moment we forget that we are watching actors, special effects or listening to a soundtrack, we are engaged with the experience. The first time my wife and I played Wii it … Continue reading →

Five Questions for Five Touchpoints

8 months ago | James Torio: Designing the experience

1. How will people learn about your product? 2. How will you onboard them to become  members or clients? (Asking how we make people become users feels a little creepy) 3. What devices will they use to interact with your … Continue reading →

Either live with it or address it. Anything in between is madness

8 months ago | James Torio: Designing the experience

When dealing with people many of the problems we face can be traced back to misunderstandings and miscommunication. Its easy to get offended either by a perceived offense, or thoughtless acts and words by others. I see two paths you can take: 1. Overlook it, … Continue reading →

Are you designing your product to be familiar?

8 months ago | James Torio: Designing the experience

Is this elevator going up or down? For most people, the color red does not answer the question. It may not be until you see an adjacent evaluator’s doors open and the light turn green that you know what to do. Or … Continue reading →

How quickly does your application answer basic questions?

9 months ago | James Torio: Designing the experience

What can I do here? What is the purpose of the application? Where do I start? Give me a clear entry point to the application and a visual hierarchy I can understand at glance. What can I or should I do … Continue reading →

Challenge your assumptions to avoid default thinking

9 months ago | James Torio: Designing the experience

When we are faced with  new problems or challenges there is tendency to leverage solutions from the past. It is quick, easy, safe and comfortable. It is sort of mindless thinking that requires little effort. We can inadvertently switch on auto-pilot by reaching to … Continue reading →