While User Experience is, like, at least six occupations rolled into one, it’s still possible to reach a point in your career when you’re asking yourself – “There must be …
MoreAuthor: Zef
Zef’s Management Ethos
Now that I have over seven years experience leading and managing Design/UX teams, I’m clear on what works and what doesn’t. I’ve never been a “command and control” manager – the type who …
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I’m going on a power trip
After a wonderful five-plus years as the “UX Guy” at Click Suite I’m making a move to the pink palace in Newtown – Powershop HQ. I’ve continuously looked ahead to …
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NZ Govt Set to Mothball Economic Powertrain
In a myopic move the New Zealand Transport Agency has nixed a proposed rescue package that could have saved the long-running Capital Connection rail service. In the process they will …
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Keeping sucking and carry on
DJ FiESTA! 1995. Photo Otago Daily Times. To others I apparently appear self-confident, but in reality I suffer from a fairly regular sprinkling of self-doubt. Too often I feel like …
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So it’s about time I updated my blog isn’t it?
Well… …I don’t have a plan but it looks like I’m back. I think I’m going to be less glossy and a bit more gritty from now on. You’ll not …
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Answers to those Questions
Occasionally I get emails from aspiring User Experience professionals asking a bunch of questions about the industry and how I got into it. Over the years I’ve had people contacting me from …
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World’s First Bearcam
In 1995 I took part in what was arguably one of the first webcams in New Zealand and certainly the one and only bearcam on the planet! The innovation took place …
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Government to review ‘wild west’
Inquisition, Theosophy and Tools Minister John Wayne has ordered a review into the ”wild west”, he announced today. The Minister will examine the adequacy of regulations around how cowboys and …
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My Day Job
During the day I work at Click Suite – a little new media company based in Wellington which picks up some strange and wonderful projects. I frequently write articles for …
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Milking the Climate
The above infographic was created for the Science Media Centre to coincide with the launch of the revised New Zealand emissions trading scheme (ETS) which came in to effect last …
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What’s Hot for UX?
There appears to have been a slight upsurge in recent months of companies looking for User Experience (UX) people in New Zealand. But taking a peek at the advertised jobs …
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The Money In Mining
In March 2010, New Zealand’s Energy and Resources Minister Gerry Brownlee and Conservation Minister Kate Wilkinson released a discussion paper containing a suite of measures to facilitate development of New …
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50 vs. 80
[+] Enlarge The above infographic is the first I’ve created for the Science Media Centre. Their aim is to promote accurate bias-free reporting on science and technology by helping the …
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7000h
Good Onya!
On Friday night I was the proud recipient of an ONYA – awarded to this website for ‘Best content (personal)’. The other finalists in the category were Alison Green of …
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The Pollinator
Click Suite // Auckland Museum: The Pollinator from Click Suite on Vimeo. Using touch-screen technology visitors could tap into a world of pollination. Auckland Museum and Click Suite took three …
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A Suite Makeover
Ever heard the saying “you’re your own worst client?” In our industry it’s common knowledge that a DYO (or “Design Your Own“) website is one of the trickiest things a …
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I Like Visuals
Here’s some of the information graphics I created in 2009 while working at Click Suite. These featured in various reports such as online strategies and concepts. I started to experiment …
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Tap Dancing on Paper
When it comes to creating a user experience specification for a website, it\’s usually a straight forward exercise. You create wireframe diagrams and show the web pages in different states. …
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User Experience Outside the Square
User Experience professionals need to get their heads out of the computer screen and look at the bigger picture.
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Tsunami Early Warning Information Graphic
When the recent 6 metre tsunami hit the Samoan region, killing 189 people, there unfortunately wasn’t time to warn their people. But there was time to warn their neighbours …
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Tsunami of Confusion
The information graphics created to inform people on the Samoan tsunami about to hit New Zealand didn’t send a clear message. When disaster hits it spreads on the internet like …
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Get Real!
Digital content should be there to enhance and extend an already compelling real-world experience, not replace, clutter or dominate it.
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Card Sorting Doesn’t Cut the Custard
Why I don’t use Card Sorting Card sorting is a simple technique in User Experience Design where a group of users are guided to arrange subject-headings under pre-determined categories …
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11 Must-Follow Kiwi User Experience Evangelists on Twitter
Being down-under often means we are off the radar. But did you know that New Zealand is also brimming with UX (User Experience) evangelists? This is my list of Twitter …
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Gimme Good Service
Those companies who wrap a service around their product are doing a roaring trade.
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Tabatha the Service Design Goddess
Business owners, service delivery managers, business analysts and user experience consultants could learn a lot from tacky reality TV shows like ‘Tabatha’s Salon Takeover’. The straight-talking Ozzie, Tabatha Coffey lends …
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User Centred Design with Microsoft Expression
A presentation from my archives – many of the points made in these slides are still relevant today. A brief presentation I did at ‘Microsoft Expression for Art’s Sake‘ – …
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Power to the People!
A presentation from my archives – many of the points made in these slides are still relevant today. Extracts from a workshop at GOVIS 2007. This one-day intensive workshop taught …
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Kids Clothing Online: Shopping Experience
A presentation from my archives – many of the points made in these slides are still relevant today. Extracts from a 2006 presentation to one of the world’s largest manufacturers …
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Notes From User Experience Week 2008
A presentation from my archives – many of the points made in these slides are still relevant today. Notes From User Experience Week 2008 from Zef Fugaz
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Be Very Afraid…
With around 75% of New Zealand homes online that leaves about a million people who do still do not have access to the internet in this country. Worldwide an estimated …
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People to the Power
The electricity industry is undergoing a revolution in New Zealand and overseas. Here’s a look at some of the latest activity…
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Ze Frank: Hot or Not?
A big hit of Webstock was internet phenomenon and chief chef of Earth Sandwiches, Ze Frank. Ze Frank is an online performance artist, composer, humorist and public speaker based in …
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Feeding the Suite Spot
The SUITE SPOT (as seen at Webstock) takes live data feeds from blogs, Twitter, Flickr and SMS messages then ‘repurposes’ all of this into an exploratory scene. The feeds might …
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Where’s Your Suite Spot?
Who knew swimming with data could be such fun. In 2009 my employer, Click Suite, is a major sponsor of Webstock. Webstock is a series of workshops and seminars held …
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It’s Semantic
Throughout 2009 you’ll probably hear a lot of talk about the semantic web, aka “Web 3.0”. The semantic wave embraces previous stages of internet growth. The first stage, Web 1.0, …
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Gadget Neglect
Canon TX1 : Ingenious or insane – I’m not sure which…I’ve been so busy recently that my new (and first ever) digital camera sat unopened on my desk for 7 …
MoreFree, free – set them free…
It has been interesting watching Chandima in action at Provoke since I lured him away from Synergy Fronde (or “Fondle” as some of us affectionately refer to them around here). …
MoreRadio NZ Rocks Online
I’m probably a tad younger than the core Radio New Zealand demographic, but in recent years it has become my station of choice – thanks in part to my fabulous …
MoreSoftware Specifications With Vision
When it comes to building software many New Zealand companies unnecessarily struggle with design and development issues. Much of this is due to software specifications without adequate pictures. Below is …
MoreNZ Firms Need to Catch Up with Overseas
More time for usability now development tools are more efficient An interview with Zef Fugaz by Stephen Bell, Computerworld (November 2004) If New Zealand developers are to increase exports of …
MoreDesigning for Loyalty
Astute web designers do more than just design with your customers in mind- they actually design with your customers- in person. Zef Fugaz looks at ways to get your users …
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Kissing the Lips of E-govt
Achieving e-Government compliance for public sector websites will require a makeover that’s greater than skin-deep. Zef Fugaz looks at the realities of putting public service websites on the operating table …
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Rise of the Usability Guru
Your next Guru could be a usability practitioner. It was only a few years ago that the term “usability” was widely categorised as a misspelling or another lunatic fringe concept …
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