Greetings! In case you’ve been living under a rock for the last few days, Microsoft launched the 9th version of Internet Explorer (IE9) on Wednesday. Tanagram was honored to participate in that event by creating a “demo” site that illustrates the capabilities the new browser brings to us. Before we go into that awesomeness, I wanted to post something about the prevalent skepticism that I encountered while speaking with the Press.
Why would anyone be skeptical about the launch of IE9 you ask? Well, let’s just say Microsoft is trying to recover from a string of disappointing browser releases. With IE6 at the top of the most-hated browsers of all time, (at least by developers), Microsoft IE7 and IE8 were improvements, but still failed to overcome the stigma created by IE6. Despite the clamoring of the developer community Microsoft failed to hear that we wanted a browser that unconditionally supported W3C code standards and didn’t require workarounds or the use of Microsoft proprietary markup to achieve sustainable results.
I should say that I don’t speak for Microsoft, I am not (you can decide for yourself) biased by the opportunity to work with them. This post is intended to place them in a critical and honest light. A light that I believe they would appreciate. While I was wandering the event floor, I had an opportunity to talk to product managers, coders, and even senior leadership on the Internet Explorer team and the one message that I heard over and over is, “we are going to make this right, this release is for developers and users.” Having worked for 4 months with alpha and beta builds of IE9, I can tell you that this release isn’t perfect, but the overall improvement is huge. Here’s how:
Relinquished “ownership” of the web
Dear all, Microsoft got your message. They heard that you are tired of them trying to “lead” the web development space with proprietary markup and software platforms that complicate cross-browser web development and provide zero transparency with regards to the machinations running beneath the surface. For the launch of Internet Explorer 9, Microsoft funded (not bribed!) the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C) to speed the ratification of many key elements coming in the new HTML5 specifications. The key here is that Microsoft has taken steps not to steer, but to encourage development of standards that will make the web better for all of us. Not to put the W3C in a bad light, but they aren’t the fastest group when it comes to ratifying new standards (sheesh). This is probably a good thing. To me, this step means Microsoft is learning to play well with others. You can draw your own conclusions.
Really, really good hardware acceleration
One of the outcomes of Microsoft’s involvement in the standards ratification was the approval of the SVG and Canvas element. These are two of the primary elements used to create the gorgeous animations and interaction that are typically associated with Adobe Flash, and Microsoft Silverlight applications. What happened next was really really beautiful. Microsoft has the best people on the planet when it comes to software compiling (my opinion) and that’s why Visual Studio dominates the software development space. Microsoft took what I call their code-compiler-rocket-scientists and had them build a compiler into IE9. Not just any compiler, this particular compiler takes the reams of JavaScript and HTML 5 we create and smashes into a binary that runs in the super fastest parts of your computer. The nitrous-oxide injection occurs when the compiled binary hits the GPU (the computer that lives on your graphics card) and holy wow is it fast! I had an excellent video of Chrome and IE9 (shot myself) running the same application simultaneously and how Chrome was turtling away while IE was enjoying an “Arnold Palmer” (while juggling) at the finish line, but I left my phone on the plane and … well you get it. I invite you to test out the performance yourselves here. Please review the code for the test drive sites too. You’ll find no sneaky IE9 tunings, just clean HTML5. I want to make one more point here and that is to acknowledge Apple has been hardware accelerating for 5-ish years now with Safari and Quartz but do not currently have Canvas or SVG acceleration. Firefox also has acceleration but has, for some reason, disabled it in the current release of their browser. Likely what you will see is both browsers chasing Microsoft with rapid updates to provide the same acceleration. Yay! We all win. Thanks Microsoft.
Open Code
Yup, no hiding anymore. This is the new web. If you want to know how a particular HTML5 site runs, right-click and save-as my friend. IE9 will download all of the JavaScript and JSON files used by the app for your review. This is a game-changer. Think about all of the folks out there who built their businesses with proprietary code. Gone. Sure you can obfuscate the code, sure you don’t have to use HTML5 but given that HTML5 can and does solve the need for rich user experiences and is community defined, I believe it won’t take long for developers to move away from closed platforms like Flash and Silverlight. That’s where I’m spending my next dollar for sure. Part of me does question why Microsoft has seemingly doomed their own Silverlight platform but I’m sure they have a plan…
So what does this mean? Microsoft, to me, is sending a message to us. They are saying the web is not about proprietary code, it’s about service and relationships. We all want rich experiences, and it’s time they got out of the way and instead helped make them happen. IE9′s minimal chrome (no extra junk), pinning (you can pin a site to your task bar), lightning-fast, built-in debugging tools, new malvertising protection, and overall support for HTML5, CSS3 is a win for all of us.
Here is a link to the application we built for the demo: www.skybeautiful.com My next post will talk about this in detail.
If you invested 26 minutes into the video we posted here, then you already know where we are going with this post. Just as augmented reality (AR) is only one facet of an embedded interface, touch is only a portion of the entire vision for Natural User Interface (NUI). We are seeing a lot of touch and AR discussions today mostly because there have been advances in technology that are commercially (to we the consumer) available. Not to be a nag, but isn’t about time the problem drives the solution and not technology? Just as we learned during the age of artificial intelligence, technology (specifically improvements in processor speed in this case) will never solve the problem. Complexity must be replaced with simple and elegant solutions. Human’s with dreams must drive these solutions.
What is Natural User Interface (NUI)
So what is Natural User Interface? Natural user interface is the concept that you can touch (or yell at…) and manipulate digital objects much like you would objects in the real world. It’s a hard problem because we have been using mice and keyboards for so long we’ve forgotten what natural really feels like. On a recent cavort through the interwebs, I discovered the following concept and am thrilled to see discussions standardizing the way we talk about NUI.
Unfortunately, gestures like the two-finger-tap and the two finger hold are not natural interactions. We call these types of interactions “NUI Transitional.” They are interactions that are trained/learned that allow fingers to modulate information, but they are not “Present in or produced by nature.” An exaggerated example (talking to you Apple) would be if you have to use four fingers in a swiping gesture (versus 2 or 3) to interact in a specific way, you’re really not experiencing a natural interaction. More likely the software engineers ran out of natural metaphors, right?
A more natural approach
A hold-and-act-upon gesture is a good example of a truer NUI interaction for a touch surface. Specifically imagine you have a piece of paper on your desk and you want to slide it somewhere else. You touch the paper and, while holding your finger down, drag it to another location. Simple right? If you want to draw on that paper you wouldn’t use the same gesture. You also wouldn’t look around for a state-indicating button or icon to make sure you were in draw mode and not move mode, right? Instead you would put one hand (or finger) on the paper to hold it still and the second hand (perhaps with a writing implement) would move the drawing element over the surface of the paper.
This illustration uses Ron’s iconography to illustrate a stateless natural interaction. Specifically, we have one touch point from the left hand thumb holding the page still (a state in itself), while the right hand pinches (not the gesture) three fingers together much like holding a pen and drags across the surface. The result is a hard-to-explain but intuitive feeling writing gesture. I’ll disclaim that last statement in that we have no data to prove how “intuitive” that gesture is, but when we do it ourselves (give it a try) it feels pretty good. Mileage may vary… What do you think?
Once again, Tanagram is growing. We are looking for a curious individual with a passion for the future of interaction and deep experience working with HTML, AS3, and XAML. Our newest member must also rock. This isn’t a confidence thing for you or us, we aren’t prima donna designers and don’t work well with individuals who can’t collaborate intensively. Rock to us means to be REALLY REALLY good at what you do. It means you understand the implications of aesthetics and beauty on complex functional design. It means you understand and are relevant with the “fashion” of design. It means you wake up in the morning thinking about visual and systemic gorgeousness and strive to create it. You must have a great portfolio that is relevant and shows you are actively pursuing the issues we are passionate about.
Here at Tanagram we actively look for ways to escape the world of WIMP interaction and I’m proud to say we are very very close to realizing it. We design complex interactive experiences, systems that make most designers cringe. Systems that allow users to touch and manipulate data with hands not abstractions. We abhor refresh-encumbered interaction and enjoy individuals who understand that there is a better place.
While we can’t share project specifics, our current assignments include redefining geospatial hyperlocal media planning as a SaaS product*, inventing the the future of Augmented Reality interaction (no it’s not a silly iPhone app, think heads-up display technology and daily wear), and creating / refining online communities that are meaningful and truly help people. Our clients work with us to help them create the future and we are steadfast that our future is a better one.
In our process the UX designer’s role begins at project inception. She participates in client discussions gathering information and providing references to current and leading edge design approaches (visual, haptic, etc) that may benefit the client’s requirements. She references new trends, hot topics, and examples used by like and non-like competitors. Once requirements are gathered, she works with the project team as an artist, innovator, and strategist representing concepts and prototypes that are desired by her target audiences. Design aesthetics are always as important as simplicity and relevance. Our newest member must be a communicator, actively seeking and spreading inspiration. She is constantly challenging herself and the status quo.
Experience working with Industrial Design is a plus.
If you feel like she could be you and have 10+ years of experience please send your resume and portfolio to careers@tanagram.com and we can start the discussion.
It seems every other discussion I enter as of late has something to do with privacy and or the things “they” know about us. Maybe it’s the paranoid circles I travel, or maybe we are seeing the beginning of a significant change in our human paradigm. Digital technology is maturing and enabling us to connect/interact/react in ways we never before imagined. Human nature drives us to interact (you remember that “No man is an island” junk from High School?) and Digital technology is superpowering our ability.
Remember life before Facebook? How many old friends have you lost touch with? How many viable relationships could you maintain before Facebook? How many can you maintain now? (I have 181)
It’s a little overwhelming to think that we are actively crafting a Digital overlay that will enable Digitally enabled beings to interact with other Digitally enabled beings or objects across space (think telekinesis), time (think time-based stitched panoramas made from FLICKR images chronologically navigated), and wordless communication (telepathy?). Imagine being able to see and hear and interact with objects from amazing distances. Imagine wearing a digital outfit. Imagine.
As Augmented Reality, the superimposition of the Datasphere onto reality, becomes more viable we will gain access to vast amounts of real-time data and there are a few issues we need face very soon.
Privacy – The ‘Millenials‘ have already succombed to the collective and have given away the illusion of privacy. Social media products like Facebook, MySpace, and Twitter have become platforms for their near-narcisistic need to self-proclaim. They communicate outwardly, freely and without fear. The rest of us, especially those who remember the 60′s are going to face challenging times over the next 10 years. Data availability and detail will continue to improve and we will all be faced with a choice: Does data serve or punish me?
What does it mean that marketers know where I live and what products I’m inclined to buy? Is my cellphone constantly broadcasting my location accurate to the meter? Am I being monitored for selfish reasons? Ok, you can sit down and stop shaking…. It’s not as bad as you think. We at Tanagram firmly believe Digital will serve us in powerful and meaningful ways and we spend a great deal of time imagining what those might be.
The truth – You ARE being watched. There, I said it, and nothing exploded. The fact is the Marketing Industry is facing one of the most challenging times since its inception. Gone are the days when they could ‘tell people what to believe.’ Gone are the days where they could produce a single, one-size-fits-all message that compells consumers to purchase products. Digital has made us (consumers) much smarter and because of this, we require much more sophisticated communication and interaction to even begin to consider a product relationship (that’s what it is when you become loyal to a brand). We the consumer have become extremely powerful and marketers are afraid.
So what evil things can they do with their monitoring? Well, that’s where we take an unexpected turn. You see, the only way they can sell is with the truth. They can no longer pay talking heads tell us what to think, lies are posted on Twitter for thousands to view seconds after they are broadcast. The backlash from a malformed or misguiding ad-campaign can cost millions in revenue but even worse it can cast the originator as not reputable and have significant long term effects. Everybody remembers Blackwater, right? Their brand was so destroyed by blunder and lies they had to rename as Xe. So if they can’t lie to us, how can they push their products? They have to connect with us like real people, meaningfully. To do that they grab gobs of data and look for consumers who would actually benefit from and are interested in the products they sell. They then do their best to be helpful and useful so you, the consumer, will learn they are trustworthy and legitimate. They spend fortunes on non-profits and other ‘Cause Marketing’ to be viewed as contributing members of society. Ultimately, they work very hard to maintain a real relationship with you. You see how mild mannered this once arrogant monster has become? Joking aside, they cannot take your free will. You will continue to be a fickle and informed consumer and they cannot afford for you to think that they have any intentions other than serving you the best they can. Also, there is no mind-control chip. They cannot hypnotise you into stupid purchase habits (for me this is a non-issue, I only buy stupidly) and if they could, they wouldn’t because the consumer backlash would destroy them.
So what do we do with these needy, shivering, whelp marketers? We give them our data. Why, because they will serve us better if they know our likes and dislikes. They can’t afford to annoy us anymore and they don’t want to waste money trying to sell to those who are disinclined. Broadcast advertising is going away. Advertising of the future will take place at a personal level in meaningful ways. Here’s an example: Perhaps you are driving home, late from work and you haven’t prepared the family meal. Your local preferred local grocer sends you a text message offering a discount on cooked chicken dinners (or your favorite dish) and saves the day.
That is where we are going, we just have to make the choice.
NOTE: The goal of this post is not to troll and get attention by posting negative comments about media giant AT&T. Instead this post is intended to help all of us better understand what is happening in the world as we embrace micro-transactive interaction.
At the risk of sounding a little “Hippy”, today our thoughts, beliefs, and consciousness are traversing the digisphere in real-time at the speed of light. Because of this we know things much faster (true or not) and are on the way to becoming a digitally connected meta organism. Patchouli aside, the “Twitter Effect” has been linked to very rapid attendance drop-offs of bad movies (including Bruno), leaving the movie executives stunned and broke. No longer does it take a week or two to hear you really shouldn’t see a movie, it happens instantly. Similar effects have been noticed in politics, and stock trading as well. So what do we do?
We learn!
“The Feed” has the power to share knowledge in a more relevant and timely manner than any other medium that exists today. Try searching Twitter for the answer to a problem instead of Google. I was surprised to find my answer in one search after over an hour working the Google query strings. Even better, The Feed offers responses. If you can’t find what you’re looking for, make a post, ask for a Re-Tweet (RT), or use hashtags (#) to get to individuals who are interested in a specific topic. Connected people are an amazing resource.
So that brings us to the purpose of this post. In addition to being a powerful resource for answers, The Feed is an outstanding tool for gathering insight into customer opinion. The successful companies of today realize that building close, meaningful relationships with customers is the only truly defensible business strategy. In other words, Intellectual Property is easy to steal, but you aren’t going to steal my friends unless I upset them and drive them to you. That’s how social media works. It’s close relationships founded on seemingly insignificant communication transactions that are very similar to those you might have with a friend walking in the park.
When it’s time to address the potential issue of your customer’s viewpoints it’s a good idea to take a long look in the mirror and evaluate how you appear to the public. With the newly available RSS query subscriptions offered by Twitter and Google Blog search it’s relatively easy to set up a series of searches that will provide you a view (a mirror) into the shared opinion of your company (or yourself) by the meta-organism/feed.
We’ve created an example here. It’s an iGoogle page that hosts RSS feeds that are designed to eek out positive and negative views expressed about AT&T. (You’ll need an iGoogle account to subscribe to the tab) but we think it’s worth the price of admission. The story is passionate, dramatic, emotional, and bleak.
In addition to the views into The Feed via RSS windows, we’ve provided a number of links to resources including Hashtags.org, MicroPlaza, Twendz, and TWIST. We would like to invite you to develop your own opinions and discuss them here or on Twitter or FaceBook. What do you think AT&T should do? Do you think these people are all crackpots? Do you think blog posts like this will increase negative comments for companies like AT&T?
This site is beautiful not because it is user centric, not because it is ornate or flashy (pun intended) but because it creates a compelling environment for the user to play and experience the song multimodally. I found it nearly impossible to not listen to the entire song just because I was so captivated by the simple visual aesthetic and interaction. I think this site reminds us that some of the most memorable interactions are presented in the simplest of gestures. Nice job to http://www.herraizsoto.com, http://www.badabing.es, and http://www.zumbakamera.com. We invite you to explore their portfolios for further treats. Great work!!!
Greetings and saluatations (just dated myself). We at Tanagram have been swimming naked in the digital pool for 17 years and for us a lot of what we do makes perfect sense. Through various discussions with colleagues, friends and even strangers we’ve realized our thoughts and processes don’t necessarily make sense to those who are not fanatic swimmers (keep that metaphor alive Joe!). This post marks the beginning of a series we’ll be calling “Better Togethering.” This series will talk about Actor Definition, Conversion Goals, Game Design, Measurement, Iteration, and of course Value. As a first foot on the ground we’ve attached a video (sent by a good friend) done by CommonCraft, that does a great job describing the Social Media landscape. We look forward to your feedback, questions, and challenges. You’re interaction will educate us, and we’re very excited about that.
With IE6 at the top of the most-hated browsers of all time, (at least by developers), Microsoft IE7 and IE8 were improvements, but still failed to overcome the stigma created by IE6. Despite the clamoring of the developer community Microsoft failed to hear that we wanted a browser that unconditionally supported W3C code standards and didn’t require workarounds or the use of Microsoft proprietary markup to achieve sustainable results. 
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