tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-355627792024-03-07T01:52:57.802-08:00The Humane ExperienceReflections on technology, music, and social interactionMichael Hugheshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06004741387594324547noreply@blogger.comBlogger338125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35562779.post-85199834578419655432012-09-28T06:50:00.000-07:002012-09-28T11:25:44.208-07:00Is it time to update the 10 commandments?Some things have converged for me recently as I listen to the campaign rhetoric and the political pundits, and I need to write them down.
There's a lot about the 1% vs the 99% and then that whole other 47% thing.
I saw two news items this morning: One about obesity in America and one about hunger in America.
And religion-based law keeps popping up. What constitutes a marriage, what kind of Michael Hugheshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06004741387594324547noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35562779.post-84107373427746287472012-08-07T06:54:00.003-07:002012-08-07T06:54:15.876-07:00New BlogPlease visit my new blog Tao of Dobro.Michael Hugheshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06004741387594324547noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35562779.post-6692625004430840662012-05-14T07:49:00.002-07:002012-05-17T06:05:54.173-07:00The Troughs of DisillusionmentOnce again, my experience with music delivers an epiphany that sheds light on other aspects of my personal and professional life. Bear with me on this somewhat wandering blog as I tie several seemingly disparate threads together into a tapestry of personal meaning. (I also apologize for that last sentence, but as burdensome as it might be to read, it was a lot of fun to write.)
Thread One
IMichael Hugheshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06004741387594324547noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35562779.post-46731051893236101312012-05-10T14:14:00.002-07:002012-05-11T04:27:24.514-07:00Is 'Useful' the New 'Usable?'I have recently written two separate pieces that are starting to converge for me. One was a guest blog at Usabilla.com: Useful, Saleable, Buildable: The Role of UX in Defining Requirements. The other was a column in UXmatters.com: UX Dimensions of Conflict
In the first, I mention that I have been shifting my design focus from being usable to being useful. In the second, I discuss the riskMichael Hugheshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06004741387594324547noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35562779.post-6582734387789619472012-01-25T07:50:00.000-08:002012-01-25T08:07:30.256-08:00Not right does not mean wrongI'm reading a really good document about risk analysis, and the author makes the point that when using probabilities to make predictions, at some point the future will unfold in a way that will make others perceive you were wrong. He emphasized "perceive" and that got me thinking.
We do that a lot. Someone does their analysis, makes a decision, and then acts on it. Like a football coach that Michael Hugheshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06004741387594324547noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35562779.post-36779251882369354122012-01-16T09:58:00.000-08:002012-01-16T09:58:17.987-08:00Think Aloud Is More than Talk AloudNielsen's current Alert Box reinforces that think-aloud is a great usability test tool. I couldn't agree more, but I'd like to add some in-the-trenches wisdom I learned from my first usability mentor, Loren Burke. There is a big difference between someone thinking out loud about the task they are doing and someone voicing their opinion about the design. The first is very valuable; the second, mehMichael Hugheshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06004741387594324547noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35562779.post-27772944640953226972011-12-20T08:27:00.000-08:002011-12-20T08:27:40.155-08:00It ain't the walk, it's the talk.I have a new column out today in UXmatters. It has to do with managing design tensions, but I talk a little in it about Action Science.
During my doctoral research, in which I studied how development teams
learn collectively during usability tests, I came across a field called Action Science, which analyzes dysfunctional communication with a focus on resolving contradictions between stated Michael Hugheshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06004741387594324547noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35562779.post-5723001965962599162011-11-16T05:26:00.001-08:002011-11-16T12:06:48.525-08:00A Picture Is Worth...hmmmmI think we use icons way too much!
I'm working on a project right now where we are updating a web app and so I'm getting to talk to users and customers. One weakness that keeps coming up is that they can't figure out the icons.
Not all of them, and that's been the important aha for me. Here's my new insight:
Icons that differentiate among broad categories = good
Icons that differentiate among Michael Hugheshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06004741387594324547noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35562779.post-49950009451711443192011-11-11T05:36:00.001-08:002011-11-11T06:57:08.272-08:00A Most Unlikely PubOn Wednesday I went to the Irish Bred Pub in Rex, Georgia.
Rex (now that I've been there, I feel as if I am on a first-name basis with the town) is a bit south of Atlanta, just off exit 2 on I-675. I went there to celebrate David Ellis's birthday and to hear his band, 3-Way Street, play.
I've been in pubs all around Ireland and consider myself to know one when I see one. The one in Rex is, Michael Hugheshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06004741387594324547noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35562779.post-50827182155789648322011-10-24T06:24:00.000-07:002011-10-24T06:24:40.800-07:00The crowd goes wildWhen working on new material, pick a small venue and pay attention to the audience reaction.
Note to self: Don't make Wagon Wheel a signature piece
Michael Hugheshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06004741387594324547noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35562779.post-64950275345435369082011-10-14T12:08:00.001-07:002011-10-14T12:18:05.312-07:00Less tap, more glideAbout three years ago I had a big Aha! moment. I had just decided to
get serious about playing the reso I had fooled around with for 15 years
and went online to learn about this box that had the cool sound and why
I wasn't sounding a bit like the stuff that got me interested in the
first place. I found a lesson by Ivan Rosenbeg and learned Will the
Circle Be Unbroken. Well, the light went onMichael Hugheshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06004741387594324547noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35562779.post-21420594353173559982011-10-10T09:38:00.000-07:002011-10-10T09:38:28.787-07:00Live vs. Recorded
Warning: I have absolutely NO data to support the following assertion.
People have different tolerance levels for filler talk depending on if it is a live presentation versus a recorded one.
If I dial into a webcast, it doesn't bother me so much when the speaker starts off, "I'd like to thank Frank for inviting me here today, before I get started I'd like to let him say a few words." "Thanks, Michael Hugheshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06004741387594324547noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35562779.post-34570874207456174752011-09-20T06:45:00.000-07:002011-09-20T06:45:56.263-07:00Consultancy 101I have a really important presentation today in which I am bringing major stakeholders who have diverse opinions into an overview of a proposed UI redesign. I'm anxious because I already know they are opinionated and their opinions do not agree. Hence the meeting.
I'd like to get out of this alive and on good terms with everyone, so I am drawing on my old consultant days and a three step processMichael Hugheshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06004741387594324547noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35562779.post-30784468056053990472011-08-29T10:35:00.000-07:002011-08-29T10:40:19.113-07:00The warning signs that you are pushing for an unwarranted changeSeth Godin has an excellent blog called "The warning signs of defending the status quo." It's good and I agree with everything in it.
But I find it interesting that the rather obvious assumption is that defending the status quo is wrong--something that deserves a warning. Often the existing state of affairs is a desirable state--that's why it is the status quo.
So I did a little Zen thingMichael Hugheshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06004741387594324547noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35562779.post-41431302788627766222011-08-24T05:17:00.000-07:002011-08-24T05:28:24.963-07:00What to do when you screw upI screwed up at work. Details are not important. We all screw up in a number of ways: We make a bad decision, we behave poorly, or we just make a mistake ("Hmmm, it was such a small change, who would have thought it would have taken the entire stage environment down"), etc.
So you're telling me icebergs are bad things?
However you get there, you find yourself in the uncomfortable situation of Michael Hugheshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06004741387594324547noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35562779.post-36064758413777125262011-08-05T08:34:00.000-07:002011-08-05T13:27:05.183-07:00Notes from a Grammar AnarchistI've been involved in some grammar conversations lately, and I have been reading some recent articles about grammar in Twitter posts. It has reminded me that I am the opposite of a grammar Nazi, I am a grammar anarchist. Man, I am the Che Guevara of grammar!
I hold that as long as the communication is clearly understood, standing on points of grammar is hegemonic. By that I mean that we apply Michael Hugheshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06004741387594324547noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35562779.post-76354464269898390252011-08-03T07:41:00.000-07:002011-08-03T07:41:44.611-07:00Why did it take this long?Getting old has its compensations for what it extracts from us. Case in point:
I did a demo yesterday of a mobile application we are about to release. The manager of the product management group was monitoring the chat during the demo and forwarded a comment to me over SameTime chat.
"One of the participants noted that the email follow-up icon was not intuitive and looked more like it would be Michael Hugheshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06004741387594324547noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35562779.post-74897077437792124082011-07-25T07:00:00.000-07:002011-07-25T12:17:52.149-07:00Two reasons you don't want to carpool with me...Two reasons not to carpool with me:
The first is easy; I'm a terrible driver. I know this because I just finished a road trip with my 34-year old son who is also my insurance agent. His critiques aside, even I noticed it. I drive like an old man. (Well, I'm 62!) I run over curbs at the drive-through, miss exits, take my attention off the road while I fiddle with x (x can equal radio, CD, GPS, Michael Hugheshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06004741387594324547noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35562779.post-65452000640710179792011-07-19T08:13:00.000-07:002011-07-19T09:19:40.848-07:00Better to be Dominant (Than Diminished)[ I first wrote on this over a year ago. I've since gotten some additional insight from my tech writer perspective.]
My first Dobro lesson was with Mark Van Allen who spent two hours reviewing theory with me. It was a fascinating tour of the fret board, scales, and chords. Mark pointed out that if you play the scale of G on all the strings, and if you put a dot down every place you "fretted" Michael Hugheshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06004741387594324547noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35562779.post-37718767434489333492011-07-08T12:33:00.000-07:002011-07-08T12:33:53.345-07:00Living LargeFor someone who is not the least bit afraid or reluctant to speak in public, I am still quite nervous when I play music in the presence of others. My stint on stage at the Steve Kaufman Acoustic Kamp was a breakout moment for me.
And last night was another step forward when I took the stage for open mic at the Red Light Cafe and got the chance to play with my favorite band, Cedar Hill of AtlantaMichael Hugheshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06004741387594324547noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35562779.post-87549928070091095702011-07-05T10:01:00.000-07:002011-07-05T10:35:14.280-07:00Bucket List...check...check...checkSo there I am backstage at the Clayton Center for the Arts in Maryville, TN. I'm trying to stay focused on my solo that will be coming up in just a few minutes while the stage manager corrals my group in the wings. While I'm standing there, Stacy Phillips (Reso players, yeah, THAT Stacy Phillips) comes up and gives me some mic tips about the resophonic. "Let the mic point here--not there--and Michael Hugheshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06004741387594324547noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35562779.post-5679534042272200582011-06-14T05:32:00.000-07:002011-06-14T05:39:52.922-07:00Something old, something newMy Wrangler died and I have replaced it with a new ride, a larger, more "grown up" Jeep Commander. I now have such amenities like power windows, doors with detents (not web straps) and the like. It is longer and wider than my Wrangler was, so I must align myself with the garage door with a two point turn before going in (as opposed to just a simple turn into the garage I could do with the Michael Hugheshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06004741387594324547noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35562779.post-55667679354093091152011-06-08T06:48:00.000-07:002011-06-08T07:42:45.559-07:00One bag and a carry-on A principle of Eastern philosophy that I have come to appreciate says that a source of unhappiness is not knowing how the world works. If you do not know the nature of something or someone, you set up the wrong expectations or you attribute wrong causes or motives to others. The end result is you spend a lot of time angry or frustrated. Rocks by their nature are hard; don't expect them to Michael Hugheshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06004741387594324547noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35562779.post-27704791540557719742011-05-31T05:24:00.000-07:002011-05-31T05:24:41.708-07:00Lessons Learned at ArmucheeWent to Armuchee (BTW, pronounced Ar-mur-chee) for a Memorial Day Bluegrass festival. Camped and jammed for two nights. I packed up tired and a little down, thinking about how good I should be playing--compared to the folks I jammed with. Got home and let the Dobro sit a day. Opened it up yesterday and felt all excited about how good I could be playing if I keep at it.
Bluegrass just keeps Michael Hugheshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06004741387594324547noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35562779.post-10014612656024767992011-05-23T06:49:00.000-07:002011-06-08T08:34:05.146-07:00Focus, Focus, FocusIf you want to get someone's attention, you have to get their focus. There are two ways to do this:
Figure out what they are currently focusing on and step in front.
Wave your hands and holler until they shift their focus to you.
In the world of web design, some designers employ Flash or other motion techniques as method 2. Not a good idea--this blog is not about that.
I love my email client andMichael Hugheshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06004741387594324547noreply@blogger.com2