The Insider’s Look: How Autism Friendly Spaces May have Influence in Usability Testing

http://autismfriendlyspaces.org As I have mentioned in the past, I was part of a special organization called Autism Friendly Spaces.  This organization specialized in helping certain organizations cater to people who are on the Autistic Spectrum.  The tools at their disposal include task managers, rooms designated for quiet time, toys to help those who need something […]

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Applying a 5-Second Test to Project Alexandria

Various usability testing methods exist for a variety of different insight- and data-gathering needs. Selecting a method should be tailored to the specific research needs of any particular individual or team, and dependant upon the current stage of their project. I decided to focus specifically on 5-second tests and one tool in particular, from UsabilityHub.com.

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Design Critique: MTA Bus Time (iPhone App)

Introduction Early last week, urban planning think tank TransitCenter tweeted a data visualization that presented a befuddling statistic: despite NYC’s growing population and record subway ridership, MTA public bus ridership has plummeted nearly 16% since 2002. TransitCenter’s research indicates that this remarkable decrease in ridership is a symptom of the “declining quality of bus service,”

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Design Critique: Amagansett Free Library (Desktop & Mobile)

Figure 1. Amagansett Free Library homepage. Click to expand.   The desktop site for the Amagansett Free Library, as well at its mobile counterpart, inform users of the services, resources and events available to them as patrons of the library. Issue 1: Lack of a navigation bar across all pages leads to poor discoverability As

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Design Critique: NYPL’s SimplyE App

             The New York Public Library (along with most libraries) has wrestled with the challenge of providing an intuitive process for lending e-books. To bridge this wide gulf of execution, they recently released SimplyE, a mobile app that aims to drastically minimize the steps needed to fulfill the goal of accessing e-books from the near 300,000

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Design Critique: MTA Subway Time App

MTA’s Subway Time smartphone application provides real-time arrival information for a select number of New York City subway lines. The app utilizes existing countdown clocks to display multiple arrivals for both directions of each line. Despite its limited functionality, Subway Time allows frequent riders to plan their commute. The design issues and proposed improvements highlighted

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Design Critique: Metropolitan Museum of Art Website (Programs for Patrons with Learning Disabilities)

The Metropolitan Museum of Art is one of the most popular museums in New York City, spanning a large collection of various pieces of art from around the world and from every age of history.  Three years ago, I wrote a memorandum regarding their web page, specifically in reference to people on the autistic spectrum

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