Recently, a student of my Interaction Design course at DePaul University asked about “ribbon” design in user interfaces. For you Microsoft Office users, you know what I mean – the new navigational element of the 2007 version. Anyway, she’s working on a fairly complex Windows-based application that is “used to drive specialized medical equipment that [...]

If you’re like me, you probably have a whole bunch of instant messenger (IM) accounts through service providers like AIM, MSN, Yahoo!, etc. And, to make things a bit easier to manage, you’ve been using free tools like Adium or Trillian to aggregate them all into one place. So when I recently wanted to add [...]

I fully admit, I am a techno-geek. I love the wonderment of technology. I go ga-ga for the  possibility of what it can do for the advancement of people, and how when incorporated thoughtfully into our everyday lives, it can turn a previously frustrating and challenging experience into one of total engagement and excitement. One [...]