Number 47 in Top 100 UCD blogs

I was informed by the maintainer of the Top 100 User-Centered Blogs that I am on the list: check out number 47! (Oh, I guess you are doing that now...)

I must confess I have a vague feeling the Top 100 is part of a series of compilations aimed at generating traffic to Virtualhosting.com, but it still feels good!

Picture by dogfaceboy, selected from the 47 obsession pool

StUX still useful

Back in June, Tom Dell'Aringa posted a diagram of how he envisioned UX activities in a software development process. When he asked for feedback I pointed him to my IA Summit 2005 presentation Stux - integrating IA deliverables in a software development methodology. It seems that Tom was inspired.

Tom's revised diagram looks a lot like the poster we developed for StUX and follows the same basic structure but with changes where necessary (as I suggested in the lessons learned slide). Tom had to work with the Microsoft Solutions Framework and he included activities that his UX team shares with other teams (Business, Content, Marketing and Development) something I wish I could have done in the original diagram.

In the discussion of his diagram on the IxDA mailinglist, Tom defends his choices with verve, exactly what I wanted to accomplish with my presentation. I am glad the presentation is still useful after two and a half years (and counting).

I rediscovered this discussion from June when I checked the statistics for this blog.

Interviewed by Jan Jursa (The Hot Strudel)

Jan Jursa, who blogs at The Hot Strudel, is a fellow Big Information Architect (in size; we're both 6 foot and 5 inches, or around 195cm) from Germany. He interviewed me via email and asked me 5 questions:

1. When you look back, what were the most valuable lessons you have learned practicing UXD and IA?
2. How would you describe the relation between UX and IA?
3. Could you explain a little bit what [your T-model] is all about and what is the status quo right now?
4. In your experience, what are the most approved IA deliverables and methods? Could you please scetch a typical basic IA workflow? (hey, that's 2 questions!)
5. Do you find it hard to sell IA services to clients that are more focused on their business objectives than on end user needs? What is a good argument for integrating Information Architecture in the overall website-building process? (again! So there's 2 bonus-questions thrown in for free!)

Read my answers in English or German.

This was the second time I was interview by a German IA: Wolf Nöding interviewed me during the 2006 IA Summit as part of his IA Voice initiative.