NUI talk and more at our May pub event!

On May 17th, we had a great turnout to our NUIs in your living room, in a pub event!

To spice things up, we asked those who attended the event to submit their recap of the event!  Not only does this summarize the event for those who didn’t attend, but those who did attend can hear what the other end of the table was talking about!

Quote 1: In our conversations we talked about the user experience of a video store, a grocery store and independently owned/operated establishments and what they offer over big chain stores.  We proposed that there is a certain niche for independent stores like this, and while some people may switch to this niche market if they knew of it, others just demand the convenience of the big chains.

Quote 2: Alas, we did not have an iPad to play with, but many of us have been able to play with one or know someone who has one.  We heard about some of the technical specs and who was excited to get an iPad or Kindle and those who were happy with just their smartphones and laptops.  It’s clear that NUIs (natural user interfaces) are becoming all the rage as these products become more mainstream, so we as usability professionals will definitely need to become more aware of ways that we can ensure the products we work on are suited for NUIs.  Here’s an article that outlines some of the challenges NUIs cause for development and prototyping.

Quote 3: It was a low-key discussion about user experience in a very broad sense.  Our talk touched on traditional software-based UX topics, but concentrated on the user experience in retail environments, with a focus on the differences between a globalized and a localized retail experience. Essentially, the ideas that we explored had to do with the different feelings associated with shopping at a local small business with a unique perspective and tightly focused set of offerings, versus shopping at a larger global chain with a wide variety of products, often at a lower price point. Overall, it was a great time, and I can’t wait for the next one!

Quote 4: The most striking conversational detour from me was around relationships that the best stores have with their customers. We talked about it in the content of independent video stores, music stores (of which there are fewer and fewer), and even grocery stores. I pointed out that I’ll often go to my favourite video store (Waterloo’s Generation X, as it turns out) and ask “What should I watch?” or “What should my wife and I watch?”, and have never been disappointed with the recommended film that I then rent. The personal, local relationship has become more meaningful in an age of online access to just about anything.

For anyone who had additional thoughts on our last event or has ideas about future events, feel free to add a comment!

Hope to see you at the Current Think Aloud Practices event on Thursday, June 24, 2010, where Amy Gill will be sharing information about her research and we’ll discuss think out loud sessions!

May 17, 2010 UX Group Event- NUIs in your living room, in a pub

NUIs in your living room, in a pub

Well, our plans for May have changed due to scheduling challenges. For this month’s event on Monday May 17 we’ll be enjoying an evening of fine conversation in the informal atmosphere of a pub. While everyone is, of course, free to follow whatever path the conversation goes in, we’ll at least set out to answer this question:

What are the UX implications of NUIs in the living room?

We fully acknowledge that the question is inspired by the impending arrival of the Apple iPad in Canada this month, with its gestural interface and lightweight form. There are other devices, though, that are here already (Nintendo Wii, anybody?), and there are certainly more on the horizon.

Finally, we may well have an iPad for those of you who would like to see and feel one up close. If anyone has any devices that they’d like to share, please do bring them along! Otherwise, bring your ideas and contribute generously to what we hope will be  friendly and illuminating discussion.

May meeting (Updated with new date and location)
Monday, May 17, 2010
5:30 to 7:00 pm
Back room at Barley Works, Huether Hotel, 59 King Street North, Waterloo, ON N2J 2X2

Please register here.