Alertbox: Hardware Specs vs. User Experience

Jakob Nielsen <[email protected]> Mon, 5 Nov 2012 17:30:14 +0000
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Product quality has to be judged in the context of human tasks, and review=
s
should emphasize real use - not raw numbers.

Jakob Nielsen's Alertbox for November 5: Hardware Specs vs. User Experienc=
e
   > http://www.useit.com/alertbox/specifications-vs-ux.html

------------------------------------------------------------

** Usability Week 2012 conference

  * Seattle: this week
  * Las Vegas: December 2-7

Full event program describing all full-day training courses:
   > http://www.nngroup.com/events

Hold the dates for Usability Week 2013:
  * London: May 12-17, 2013
  * Toronto: June 3-7, 2013
  * Melbourne: July 2013

Full program for these events will be announced in December.

------------------------------------------------------------

** Mobile Usability Book Now in Europe

My new book Mobile Usability has been shipping in the U.S. since my last n=
ewsletter.
\It's taken 2 weeks for the slow boat to reach Europe, but now the book is=
 finally shipping
in the U.K. and should reach the continent in a few more days.
   > http://www.useit.com/mobile-usability

If you have already bought the book, posting a review to your favorite onl=
ine bookstore
would help other people decide whether they should read Mobile Usability.

------------------------------------------------------------

** Better Apple Maps

In a previous newsletter, I criticized Apple's new mapping application for=
 poor data
quality, with the example that my brother's house was nothing but a blob.
Now his entire neighborhood is shown in glorious detail.

I don't know if Apple improved this data because of my gripe or whether it=
 had
always been their plan to publish better views of that neighborhood a few=
 weeks
after launching the new Map. In any case: nice work.
(Though it's still better to get the data right before launch to avoid cus=
tomer dissatisfaction.)

=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=
=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=
=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D
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                                                            <div style="color: #101010;font-family: Verdana,Calibri,Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif;line-height: 120%;text-align: left;"><div style="text-align: left;color: #101010;font-family: Verdana,Calibri,Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif;line-height: 120%;">
	<blockquote style="background-color: #ffffdd; color: #000000; line-height:130%; padding: 4px; margin: 0;">
		<p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 2px;">
			<a href="http://useit.us4.list-manage1.com/track/click?u=538d934a891681a5d850bb4e5&id=b9c2f013ff&e=f405d0f72c" style="text-decoration: none;color: #505050;font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: #505050;">Summary:</span><br>
			Product quality has to be judged in the context of human tasks, and reviews should emphasize real use - not raw numbers. </a></p>
		<p style="margin-top: 4px; margin-bottom: 0; font-size:120%; line-height:140%;">
			<a href="http://useit.us4.list-manage.com/track/click?u=538d934a891681a5d850bb4e5&id=6088264da1&e=f405d0f72c" style="text-decoration: none;color: #505050;font-weight: normal;">Jakob Nielsen&#39;s Alertbox for November 5: <span style="text-decoration: underline; color:#0033aa;"><strong>Hardware Specs vs. User Experience</strong></span></a></p>
	</blockquote>
	<hr>
	<h3 style="color: #202020;display: block;font-family: Verdana,Calibri,Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif;font-size: 120%;font-weight: bold;line-height: 100%;margin-bottom: 10px;text-align: left;">
		Usability Week 2012 conference</h3>
	<ul>
		<li style="margin-top: 0px;margin-bottom: 0px;">
			<a href="http://useit.us4.list-manage.com/track/click?u=538d934a891681a5d850bb4e5&id=0afa323507&e=f405d0f72c" style="color: #0033aa;font-weight: normal;text-decoration: underline;">Seattle</a>: <em>this week</em></li>
		<li style="margin-top: 0px;margin-bottom: 0px;">
			<a href="http://useit.us4.list-manage.com/track/click?u=538d934a891681a5d850bb4e5&id=5284430008&e=f405d0f72c" style="color: #0033aa;font-weight: normal;text-decoration: underline;">Las Vegas</a>: December 2-7</li>
	</ul>
	<p>
		<a href="http://useit.us4.list-manage.com/track/click?u=538d934a891681a5d850bb4e5&id=2f4624bcef&e=f405d0f72c" style="color: #0033aa;font-weight: normal;text-decoration: underline;">Full event program</a> describing all full-day training courses.</p>
	<p>
		Hold the dates for Usability Week <strong>2013</strong>:</p>
	<ul>
		<li style="margin-top: 0px;margin-bottom: 0px;">
			London: May 12-17, 2013</li>
		<li style="margin-top: 0px;margin-bottom: 0px;">
			Toronto: June 3-7, 2013</li>
		<li style="margin-top: 0px;margin-bottom: 0px;">
			Melbourne: July 2013</li>
	</ul>
	Full program for these events will be announced in December.<br>
	<br>
	<hr>
	<h3 style="color: #202020;display: block;font-family: Verdana,Calibri,Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif;font-size: 120%;font-weight: bold;line-height: 100%;margin-bottom: 10px;text-align: left;">
		<em>Mobile Usability</em> Book Now in Europe</h3>
	<p>
		My new book <em><a href="http://useit.us4.list-manage.com/track/click?u=538d934a891681a5d850bb4e5&id=ee7ce4ea38&e=f405d0f72c" style="color: #0033aa;font-weight: normal;text-decoration: underline;">Mobile Usability</a></em> has been shipping in the U.S. since my last newsletter. It&#39;s taken 2 weeks for the slow boat to reach Europe, but now the book is finally shipping in the U.K. and should reach the continent in a few more days.</p>
	<p>
		Most days since it was published, <em>Mobile Usability</em> has been the #1 best-seller on Amazon.com in the category of <a href="http://useit.us4.list-manage.com/track/click?u=538d934a891681a5d850bb4e5&id=d752091a23&e=f405d0f72c" style="color: #0033aa;font-weight: normal;text-decoration: underline;">professional books about mobile devices</a>. (Can&#39;t beat <em>iPhone for Dummies</em> in the consumer category, of course.)</p>
	<p>
		If you have already bought the book, posting a review to your favorite online bookstore would help other people decide whether they should read <em>Mobile Usability</em>.</p>
	<hr>
	<h3 style="color: #202020;display: block;font-family: Verdana,Calibri,Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif;font-size: 120%;font-weight: bold;line-height: 100%;margin-bottom: 10px;text-align: left;">
		Better Apple Maps</h3>
	<p>
		In a previous newsletter, I criticized Apple&#39;s new mapping application for poor data quality, with the example that my brother&#39;s house was nothing but a blob. Now his entire neighborhood is shown in glorious detail.</p>
	<p>
		I don&#39;t know if Apple improved this data because of my gripe or whether it had always been their plan to publish better views of that neighborhood a few weeks after launching the new Map. In any case: nice work. (Though it&#39;s still better to get the data right before launch to avoid customer dissatisfaction.)</p>
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