Reading

UX Maturity Models – A Collection - For at least ten years now I have been collecting User Experience (UX) and Customer Experience (CX) Maturity Models. I keep hoping to find the perfect one to help executives understand what we do, and what good looks like. Oftentimes my conversations are about how to maximize funding for UX services. Other times the goal may be […]
The Moment of Clarity - Last week I had the great pleasure of speaking with Christian Madsbjerg, co-author of The Moment of Clarity: Using the Human Sciences to Solve Your Toughest Business Problems. In their book, Christian and Mikkel share case studies from their consulting work at Lego, Adidas, Coloplast (a medical device company), and others. The wonderful, rich examples show the […]
Gratitude - Gratitude. It turns out that it’s been a big theme in my reading over the past few years – more so than I realized. I just finished reading The Gratitude Diaries, and I wanted to share what I found most compelling about the books I’ve read on this topic, as well as some of the common threads […]
On being busy - There’s nothing like a Thanksgiving week away from work (and full of quality time with my family!) to reflect on the value and risks of being busy. On Being Busy A few months ago (when I started this post!) there was been a flurry of articles on the topic of being busy. The first one […]
Cultivating moral jazz - Overview A couple of years ago I was a member of Creative Good’s UX Councils, and I had a chance to hear Barry Schwartz present a keynote based on the insights from his book Practical Wisdom. He is also the author of bestseller Paradox of Choice. That presentation continues to inform my thinking and the […]
Multiscreen mobility - Over the past few weeks I’ve encountered a number of interesting articles which describe how the device landscape (and their patterns of use) are complex, and vary significantly by the user, the device type, and the task at hand. This creates all kind of challenges and opportunities for those of us working in the fields […]
On Lego - It’s hard to say who is more obsessed with Lego bricks – my kids, or their parents! My partner and I both feel that our childhoods were poorer for not having had our own Lego toys. We’ve made up for it by having more Legos in the house than we could possibly ever play with! […]
Forget Normal - Forget “normal.” Recognize that when it comes to human diversity — including the diversity of minds — “normal” is a highly subjective, culturally-constructed fiction. Recognize that there is no “normal” mind, and that conformity to the local conception of “normal” is in no way synonymous with health, well-being, or personal fulfillment – and is, in fact, […]
My next job - We have always read books to our kids at bedtime, but they are finally old enough to appreciate (and be quiet enough!) for the public library. We are so lucky to have a wonderful town library walking distance from our house. The whole second floor is a children’s section, and the boys seem to enjoy […]
Nat’s Nibbles - As my work / life changes, I find myself reading a lot, but not posting as much as I would like … except on our family blog, where the evolution of our amazing kids is documented in nauseating detail. 🙂 So I’ve been trying to think about how to do a better job sharing all […]
Forget willpower - As people start the traditional making and breaking of New Year’s resolutions, willpower seems to be at top of mind for many. I have been ruminating on what I want to accomplish this year, and how I’ll put the right steps in place to get there. I’m sure many of you have been doing the […]
Connected – case studies - As I mentioned in an earlier post about the book Connected, I wanted to share a few of the case studies from the book that I found the most compelling. I can’t believe I wrote that post in October 2009! I have had this post in draft and finally pushed it through to the finish line, which […]
Decisions, decisions - Several weeks ago I had the chance to participate in a webinar with Jonah Lehrer, who wrote the books How We Decide and Proust Was a Neuroscientist. The session was made available through my membership with the Creative Good UX Councils. The introduction to Jonah and his work from Creative Good said that “Design is partially […]
Linchpin - In early April 5th, I had the chance to participate in a free webinar with Linchpin author Seth Godin, thanks to Polar Unlimited’s service readitfor.me. Although I haven’t read the book, the webinar gave me a good feel for the book and the author. Here is what was discussed: What is a Linchpin, and why […]
More on the iPod Touch - My two-and-a-half year old son Auden gets his share of screen time, because in addition to some time on the computer and with my iPod, he also plays Cars and Thomas the Train games on his Leapster. However, the Leapster’s entry-level games are still somewhat frustrating for him, in part because the available combination of keys, touch […]
Navigating by touch - For Christmas this year I received an iPod Touch. It’s a luxury item for sure, as I already have an iPod that works just fine. One of the big reasons I wanted one was that I felt that I was missing the boat in terms of how navigation and interaction design are evolving in light […]
Connected – major concepts - I am still fighting my way out of the post-pregnancy fog, but the synapses are definitely firing again. One of the really exciting benefits of that (besides the obvious fact of feeling more like my old self again), is that I want (and am finally able!) to read and write again. I’ve been fascinated with […]
On becoming a tweet - I’ve become a tweet. I am not really sure how it happened, honestly. I mean, I was not really even a regular blogger before I got hooked. During my work day I typically run from meeting to meeting, usually eating lunch at my desk or in the hallway on my way to something else. When […]