ThinkGenealogy

Although not specific to genealogy, these video presentations on User Experience (UX) from the recent MIX08 conference should be of interest to the Genealogy Software Community:

• Getting Clued in to Experience Managment by Lou Carbone
• The Fuzzy Tail by David Armano
• The Back of the Napkin: Solving Design Problems (and Selling Your Solutions) with Pictures by Dan Roam
• Creating Better User Experience: Design Strategy by Kim Lenox, Dan Harrelson
• Creating Better User Experience: Interaction Design by Kim Lenox, Dan Harrelson
• Creating Better User Experience: Information Architecture by Kim Lenox, Dan Harrelson 
• Creating Better User Experience: Design Methods by Kim Lenox, Dan Harrelson  
• Beneath the Surface: The Natural Experience Vision by Daniel Makoski 
• The Story of the Ribbon by Jensen Harris 
• Crossing the Usability Chasm: Advanced and Adaptive User Interfaces by Gil Hupert-Graff, Yochay Kiriaty 
• Touch Me: What’s Next for Interfaces by Daniel Makoski, Doug Cook, Dave Wolfe, Chris Bernard, Dale Herigstad, Yoshihiro Saito 
• Designing Next Generation User Interface Experiences with Microsoft Expression Blend and Windows Presentation Foundation by Nicholas Petterssen, Johnnathan Lansing, Stuart Mayhew
• Silverlight on a LAMP site by Rick Freeman, DJ Pooh, Luke Conner

 From the MIX site, here is a description of what the conference is all about:

On the frontiers of the Web, boundaries are blurring—developers and designers, advertisers and publishers, software and services, media and technology, TV and PCs, PCs and mobile devices, producers and consumers. The old order is getting a little MIXed up.

MIX is an ongoing conversation between web designers, developers, and business decision makers. We showcase topics and solutions that bridge Microsoft and non-Microsoft perspectives, and emphasize the inclusive and participatory nature of the next web.

The topic of User Experience needs to be better understood not only by those who create genealogy software (designers, developers, managers), but also by those who use the software (genealogists, family historians).  These two groups together form the Genealogy Software Community.  In an effort to raise awareness and encourage dialog, I will continue to post any UX-related content that I find.