The office I am currently conjuring up design is a pretty creative space. We have nice spacious floors with an open concept office. No barriers between desks so easy for us to collaborate and shout at each other and share music... or throw airplanes...
There's a separate area where the poker table, foosball table, and blackjack table sits. A clown bike leans idle against the leg of someone's desk. The Wii and Playstation 3 waits for hardcore gamers in the mini meeting room just off the kitchen. A volleyball and football lie in the middle of the floor, and I sit at my desk on a resistance ball.
Meeting rooms are the usual rectangular space but one side is floor to ceiling windows that overlook the water. The other side is a white marker board great for brainstorming and sticking up sticky notes.
So I start my day with a Starbucks coffee (tall soy latte extra hot), a breakfast bagel from the cafe just downstairs (toasted ham and egg bagel), and a piece of fruit (a banana today!). At my desk, I go through my emails, and check my calendar to see if I have any meetings to prepare for or to attend. Then I go through my to-do list and start up the programs I need (or pull out my sketch pad) to get through the first task.
That's pretty much my start. Sometimes I'll walk over to my colleague's desk to check out a design mockup, or a wireframe. Sometimes I'll just put on some of my music if nobody else is playing anything. It's a great working environment and what's better is that the people here are even more amazing.
We're a bit of a crazy bunch at times. You'll see someone zip around the corner on the clown bike, or me standing on my resistance ball.
Company meetings are usually held just in a common desk area and are incredibly laid back.
Yes we do DO work, but we make sure we're having fun while we do it!
My area to rant and rave about my experiences in design, UX, and SM.
NOTE: Posts from 2008, 2009, and 2010 are missing due to migration to Wordpress. Trying to fix it!
12.05.2006
8.31.2006
UX in the online entertainment industry
Branding.
So very important when you're trying to engage an audience and bring them into another realm. They're physically sitting in front of a glowing computer screen, either in their living room in their comfy 'at home' clothes, or sneaking in a game or two during working hours. They not only come to Bodog to test their luck but to be taken into the world of smokey casino lounges, hobnobbing with the high rollers, and admiring the eye-candy milling about.
Bodog has the strongest brand compared to other online entertainment companies out there. Everything looks and feels the same, giving it a very strong presence. Think about it, gambling companies are TAKING your money. Don't you want to know your money isn't going to just disappear into thin air with a company who doesn't look like they know what they're doing?
So very important when you're trying to engage an audience and bring them into another realm. They're physically sitting in front of a glowing computer screen, either in their living room in their comfy 'at home' clothes, or sneaking in a game or two during working hours. They not only come to Bodog to test their luck but to be taken into the world of smokey casino lounges, hobnobbing with the high rollers, and admiring the eye-candy milling about.
Bodog has the strongest brand compared to other online entertainment companies out there. Everything looks and feels the same, giving it a very strong presence. Think about it, gambling companies are TAKING your money. Don't you want to know your money isn't going to just disappear into thin air with a company who doesn't look like they know what they're doing?
6.11.2006
Merits of a great mentor
I have an amazing mentor.
In fact, I actually don't have just 1, but 2 key people in my life who have been great mentors throughout my 9 or so years of experience in design.
One, has been with me since I left Uni and came back from my 3 year stint in Japan. He was the co-founder of Blast Radius and was, and still is, one of the most insightful and creative individuals I have ever met. Not only did he take the time to listen to me for sometimes up to an hour on my long list of "things I want to do", he tried to bring structure to my thinking and gave me countless questions to ponder upon.
The other doesn't quite know I view him as a mentor as of yet. I do intend to ask him one day but for now I will learn by working alongside with him and request to be placed on projects he leads. He's a great creative and a respected leader. Works well with both internal and external stakeholders and never "sweats the small stuff".
It has got me thinking what key qualities make a great mentor? For me, it's
1) Dedication and Commitment
They are passionate and committed to always pushing themselves to be better and do better in their industry. They are also passionate about Design and how they can do their part to making the world "a better place".
2) Approachable
Both of my mentors are easy going and are great communicators. They're also great listeners. One of them is a bit on the serious side and the other could probably pass for a stand-up comedian.
3) Humble
I speak to one mentor at key points in my life and career path. On average, I would say we check in about once or twice a year. He's busy gallivanting the world, much like I did and now has a family so I don't place too much expectation on regular communication. But he has always been honest with me about his experiences and mistakes which really helps me with my situations.
4) Eager to share
Always willing and available to share experiences, articles, blogs, and even sample documentation.
5) Forward-thinking
Not only do they push me to think of the next two steps in my career, they also constantly push themselves -- thinking of new and innovative ways of doing something or raising thought provoking issues around UX, Design and SM.
I'm so grateful to them -- I just hope I'm as good a student!
In fact, I actually don't have just 1, but 2 key people in my life who have been great mentors throughout my 9 or so years of experience in design.
One, has been with me since I left Uni and came back from my 3 year stint in Japan. He was the co-founder of Blast Radius and was, and still is, one of the most insightful and creative individuals I have ever met. Not only did he take the time to listen to me for sometimes up to an hour on my long list of "things I want to do", he tried to bring structure to my thinking and gave me countless questions to ponder upon.
The other doesn't quite know I view him as a mentor as of yet. I do intend to ask him one day but for now I will learn by working alongside with him and request to be placed on projects he leads. He's a great creative and a respected leader. Works well with both internal and external stakeholders and never "sweats the small stuff".
It has got me thinking what key qualities make a great mentor? For me, it's
1) Dedication and Commitment
They are passionate and committed to always pushing themselves to be better and do better in their industry. They are also passionate about Design and how they can do their part to making the world "a better place".
2) Approachable
Both of my mentors are easy going and are great communicators. They're also great listeners. One of them is a bit on the serious side and the other could probably pass for a stand-up comedian.
3) Humble
I speak to one mentor at key points in my life and career path. On average, I would say we check in about once or twice a year. He's busy gallivanting the world, much like I did and now has a family so I don't place too much expectation on regular communication. But he has always been honest with me about his experiences and mistakes which really helps me with my situations.
4) Eager to share
Always willing and available to share experiences, articles, blogs, and even sample documentation.
5) Forward-thinking
Not only do they push me to think of the next two steps in my career, they also constantly push themselves -- thinking of new and innovative ways of doing something or raising thought provoking issues around UX, Design and SM.
I'm so grateful to them -- I just hope I'm as good a student!
5.07.2006
push? pull?
For some reason me and doors don't get along. I probably pull a door when it should be pushed or push a door when it should be pulled, about 3 out of 4 times AT LEAST.
Ok, I really hope it's not just me. I see a flat panel where a handle should be on a door and to me that means push right? These doors I have no problem with. If I see a door with a vertical handle, I assume I need to pull and oftentimes I'm right. But then there are the few where you're supposed to PUSH. Why in the world would you have a handle if you need to push the door? It just boggles my mind.
How about doors with knobs? Thats like a 50/50 chance right there. Do you turn and pull or turn and push? My first instinct is to pull, so I do, but then I'm always wrong and then people behind me snicker. Ugh...
So now I'm really confused. I spoke to someone at the fire department in Ontario and they told me that all doors should be PULL to go into an establishment and PUSH to leave, for fire safety purposes. Makes sense -- if you're in a rush to leave a building on fire, you'd just have to push the door to get out. But there are just too many stores, doctor's offices, buildings, schools, etc out there that just don't follow this rule. I'm not sure if Vancouver has the same rules as they do in Ontario to uphold fire safety.
These interactions with doors should be second nature. If you see a panel, push. If you see a handle, pull. I'm still not sure what to do about door knobs though.
Ok, I really hope it's not just me. I see a flat panel where a handle should be on a door and to me that means push right? These doors I have no problem with. If I see a door with a vertical handle, I assume I need to pull and oftentimes I'm right. But then there are the few where you're supposed to PUSH. Why in the world would you have a handle if you need to push the door? It just boggles my mind.
How about doors with knobs? Thats like a 50/50 chance right there. Do you turn and pull or turn and push? My first instinct is to pull, so I do, but then I'm always wrong and then people behind me snicker. Ugh...
So now I'm really confused. I spoke to someone at the fire department in Ontario and they told me that all doors should be PULL to go into an establishment and PUSH to leave, for fire safety purposes. Makes sense -- if you're in a rush to leave a building on fire, you'd just have to push the door to get out. But there are just too many stores, doctor's offices, buildings, schools, etc out there that just don't follow this rule. I'm not sure if Vancouver has the same rules as they do in Ontario to uphold fire safety.
These interactions with doors should be second nature. If you see a panel, push. If you see a handle, pull. I'm still not sure what to do about door knobs though.
wow its been a year!
I haven't posted on my user experience blog in over a year! I know, pretty bad. Last year, I applied to study at IVREA and Domus Academy in Italy for January 2006 and to my surprise, I WAS ACCEPTED! Imagine - a whole year studying in the design center of the universe -- Milan! It was a hard decision to make as I had just landed a great opportunity at IBM in Interactive Media Design that I just couldn't refuse. So I decided to postpone my Masters degree in Interaction Design for another year or two and see how things go...
Well, it's been a year and I've been thinking about my future lately. I've learned so much in my n years in visual design and have tried to incorporate guidelines and processes learnt regarding creating an engaging and compelling user experience into all the projects I have worked on. I've found that without even realizing it, I've taken great efforts to create a usable interface. Working with clients through IBM, and with the e-design team at Morgan Stanley Japan, I was gradually exposed to processes behind business analytic reports, heuristic evaluations, use case studies, UI guidelines, wireframes, and user testing. Sure, going to study interaction design would have given me a good foundation to build upon, but nothing can beat gaining UI design experience on the job.
So, I'm not ruling a year in Italy studying out. It's still on my mind and might consider again. I still have a few more months to really decide if I want to study in 2007 or postpone for another year...
Well, it's been a year and I've been thinking about my future lately. I've learned so much in my n years in visual design and have tried to incorporate guidelines and processes learnt regarding creating an engaging and compelling user experience into all the projects I have worked on. I've found that without even realizing it, I've taken great efforts to create a usable interface. Working with clients through IBM, and with the e-design team at Morgan Stanley Japan, I was gradually exposed to processes behind business analytic reports, heuristic evaluations, use case studies, UI guidelines, wireframes, and user testing. Sure, going to study interaction design would have given me a good foundation to build upon, but nothing can beat gaining UI design experience on the job.
So, I'm not ruling a year in Italy studying out. It's still on my mind and might consider again. I still have a few more months to really decide if I want to study in 2007 or postpone for another year...