Post-Thanksgiving Usability News Round-Up
Amazon releases the Kindle
With a 6″ display, 600×800 pixel resolution, 4.9″ x 7.5″ x 0.7″ dimensions, free EV-DO, and the “visual flair of an Apple IIc“, the Kindle sold out within 5.5 hours of its release on November 19th. Though many books are available for $9.99, including 101 of the 112 current New York Times Best Sellers, some have misgivings about the Kindle’s proprietary file-format, SD capability, key placement and $399 price tag.
Are eye-tracking studies useful?
“23 Actionable Lessons from Eye-Tracking Studies” suggests they are, in at least 23 ways. But contributors to the IxDA forum bring up interesting questions: Are they useful when applied without consideration of context? Do they simply state the obvious, or merely prove that habits of usage are correlated to design standards?
There is no Google Phone
Two years ago, Google acquired Android. Earlier this month, they unveiled Android - An Open Handset Alliance Project. Speculation abounds as to what this means for the future of the mobile phone and the wireless industry.
There is no Fold
This past summer, Melissa Tarquini published an article at Boxes and Arrows on the myth of the “fold” in web design. Jeff Parks had the opportunity to interview her this month on the same topic. Conclusion? The same. Just because it’s not immediately on the screen doesn’t mean users won’t see it. Users understand scrolling. Don’t assume they will scroll, but stop designing like they won’t.
This is the first of our new weekly news installment, posted every Tuesday at lunchtime.
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