Life has a way ...

... of providing reminders now and then that you should keep up.

Adaptive Path is looking for interaction designers and, of course, I don't have my website done or my portfolio online. ARGH! Ah well, I'm not a San Francisco local anyway, so until there are cries for IxD's in the Portland area, I've got a bit of time.

Note to self: Get your website done ... NOW!

My new blog is finally here!

Check it out ... My Curious Life (www.mycuriouslife.com)

Now the pressure's on to post regularly ...

Phoenix Rising ...

Like a phoenix rising from the ashes, this blog IS coming back after a year-long hiatus ... believe it or not. I've got a new domain and a bunch of ideas coming together that should result in a site that:

1) I'm actually willing to associate myself with;
2) Has some samples of my ideas/sketches/work;
3) Can act as my online resume and portfolio; and
4) Actually gets updated on a regular basis (more frequently than every 12 months).

News (and linkage) coming soon ...

Floral Arrangements

I've been intrigued by ma.gnolia lately and how it compares/contrasts to del.icio.us. Ma.gnolia claims to be more socially directed, but other than a pretty interface, I'm not seeing it. And while my friend Ryan really dislikes the ma.gnolia domain name, I find it clever, though not really practical (magnolia.com would be much more realistic for mass adoption).

So, in a fit of design frustration, I took 10 minutes to revamp the ma.gnolia UI using Photoshop and elements already in their site to make it more useful to someone like myself.

I'm forwarding a copy of this to the ma.gnolia guys ... we'll see if anything comes of it. I know they're probably getting a ton of feedback and there are a dozen other parts of the UI and pages that could use a bit of a reorganizing, but this is a start.

As time allows, this may become the first of many UI redesigns on this blog ...

ID Wanted (and I ain't talking identity ... )

Okay, I feel a bit like I've hit the proverbial bottom of the barrel as far as job opportunities go ... being a budding interaction designer is tough.

I have yet to find a job posting that doesn't end up expecting you to be one of the following:

* (insert adj here) Designer (more like an insanely great graphic artist who runs their own studio on the side and just does some web work on the side for a pittance to pass the time)

* (insert adj here) Architect (specifically a gilded programmer who has 10 years of experience in languages that are only 2 years old, not to mention being capable in a dozen others, and has an idea that a good application should have a good interface)

* (insert adj here) Engineer (a vaguely technical person who is part project manager, part programmer, and another part usability whiz, who's only willing to do this part-time on a 6 month contract for a super-secret startup in Juneau that's only able to pay once they secure their funding)

Somehow, it doesn't seem that anyone out there is looking for a chap who's got an interesting mix of experience in everything from HR systems to graphic design and database design/mining to web application development, who has a degree in spoken languages and developmental psychology who has built a progressive career of taking complexity and simplifying it for the audience at hand (part educator, part designer, part architect, part artist).

For once in my life I feel like I'm at a point ahead of the curve ... lots of talk about design and usability in the world, but everyone gravitates toward paying for expensive consultants and design firms to come in and "quick fix" their product or service. Where are the companies brilliant enough to realize that they need to incorporate a good (interaction) designer in all that they do ... from their consumer products to their internal services and systems? This isn't a blast-it-all-we-need-a -design-philosophy-to-fix-this type of patch job, this is something that you do as a core principle ... listen, understand, define, build, refine.

If you're a company interested in obtaining this kind of talent, drop me a line, I'd love to talk to you.

More new stuff coming ...

One of my partners at Fourio, Ryan, came up with a great idea to map out all of the “Web 2.0” companies from a variety of lists scattered across the net.

The result was the Web 2.0 Innovation Map ... a growing collection of 200+ cool websites and the locations that spawned them (yes, a great many are in California, but New York and Dallas have good showings, too). And thanks to ranking on Mark Millerton’s Top 10 Innovative Web Applications of 2005, we didn’t even have to shamelessly plug our own NetworthIQ into the list … it made it on its own merits. :-)

Anyone out there with feedback, feel free to send it to the whole Fourio team at info@fourio.com or make a comment on this entry. We live for the comments!

The super-secret 1.0 release of NetworthIQ is coming soon, too. I can’t wait!

See more progress on: Start my own business

Visualize Web 2.0

Well, I have to admit I work with some pretty bright individuals. One of my partners at Fourio came up with a great idea to do map the locations of the innovative teams developing popular Web 2.0 apps ... a Web 2.0 Innovation Map. There are over 200 websites listed so far, and plenty of room for more. Outside of California (duh!) there are a number of creative pockets scattered across the U.S., as well as some talented teams in Canada. And of course, our pet project, NetworthIQ, is on the list as well.

Check it out and send your comments to us ... and if you've got a great Web 2.0 app out there not on the list, send us your details!

Web Addiction ...

Man, I thought I'd spend some time this evening catching up on postings to 43things, 43places, and in my blog in general. Over an hour later I'm realizing that I've barely put a dent in all the places I've travelled to around the world and thanking my lucky stars that I got the opportunity to do so earlier in life.

If anyone's interested, you can see my travel destinations in 43things as schism.

Frustrating!

Okay, I’m a closet Interaction Designer, wanting desperately to actually be able to practice the art and science of ID, but somehow it ALWAYS ends up that people think I do Graphic Design (GD).

INTERACTION DESIGNER does not equal GRAPHIC DESIGNER

Yes, I know my way around Photoshop, thank-you-very-much, and yes, I can edit photos, create images, and have an eye for beautiful graphic works, BUT I AM NOT A GRAPHIC DESIGNER!!!

Interaction Design, by my definition, is the design of the interaction a person has with an object, whether that be a website, an application, a device or a place.

If anyone out there wants a bit o’ free ID work, I’m game at this point. I need to build a portfolio of work, and I can’t do that while trying to explain why the world needs ID … instead I’ll show them what’s possible. :-)

See more progress on: become an interaction designer