Data visualizations for a changing world

Google_public_data_explorer

The Google Public Data Explorer makes large datasets easy to explore, visualize and communicate. As the charts and maps animate over time, the changes in the world become easier to understand. You don't have to be a data expert to navigate between different views, make your own comparisons, and share your findings.

Most of us associate this kind of visualization with Hans Rosling's famous talks on 'How the world has changed'. You can watch one of the most inspiring ones here on TED.

Whats interesting is that Google bought the Trendalyzer software created by Sweden-based stats company Gapminder, founded by Hans Rosling 3 years ago. I like the way the Gapminder themselves describe it, “Trendalyzer unveils the beauty of statistics by converting boring numbers into enjoyable interactive animations.” 

The Google Public Data Explorer seems to be free to use. However, what would be interesting is to see how Google will incorporate this into their other services - Google Analytics for example.

Thymer.com | Super easy Project Task Management

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via thymer.com

Yes, 'another' online project management webservice. But I have to admit this one is different. Watch the video to see for yourself.

Thymer makes all the complicated project management features and makes them easy to interact with. You can add tasks, track time, collaborate with team members & create customized reports anytime with little to no time wasted on the project management front.

By introducing some fundamental and intuitive interface interactions with a clean and efficient user-interface, Thymer has drastically simplified project management with a sleek one page layout that’s centered around quickly adding smart tasks. Thymer’s intelligent input bar supports natural language processing, so you can type your task (or comment) and it will automatically decipher tags, deadlines, time estimates, and responsibilities.

However, I must admit that the interface is clean and efficient but could be way more delightful!

The studio I work for has recently implemented a project/task management & time tracking system which has all the features that we require but is not the most user friendly and intuitive. I think this problem exists with many companies implementing large scale project management systems - If the interface is user friendly then there are less features, but when all the features have been incorporated then the interface gets crappy and complicated to use.

Why can't corporate systems UIs also be more user friendly & intuitive as well as delightful?

Singular Experience, Multiple Devices

The multi screen environment is becoming an increasingly discussed topic within the Interaction Design community. I recently attended a conference that focused on 'Designing multi-platform experiences'. As more and more devices with individual screens and specialized functions that require internet connectivity enter the consumer environments, the gaps between good and bad digital experiences becomes more evident.

In an effort to maintain a consistent experience across devices, the Open Screen Project is an industry-wide initiative, led by Adobe and backed by other industry leaders has been started with one clear vision : Enable consumers to engage with rich internet experience seamlessly across any devices, anywhere.

 Here are some of the scenarios as visioned by the Open Screen project initiative.

Phonebook 2.0 | Voxmobili.com

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via voxmobili.com

Inspired by instant messaging, social networks and life streaming applications, Voxmobili combined them into an all-in-one, easy to use application, Phonebook 2.0. It secures contacts, notifies end-users when they are online, displays birthday reminders and helps centralize all communications.

Phonebook 2.0 is a white label product for mobile operators. They can customize it, brand it as they wish and create a mobile social network from their subscriber base.

Intel's Vision Of The Future : UltraMobile

via vimeo.com

Amidst all the future vision scenarios being released by Microsoft and Nokia, I seemed to have missed this video - an Intel concept that seems to have been around since 2007.

The video highlights 3 scenarios:

+ Staying Informed
// calendar update, information aggregator, device sync

+ Way Finding
// car finder, street view, in-car communication

+ Social Entertainment
// ambient communication, video calling, wireless music, crowdsourced music

However a lot of the interaction is based on voice. Although I believe part of this will be truly realized in the future, I wonder what the distribution of tasks will be between voice and touch based interactions.

Windows Phone 7 : It changes everything!

via windowsphone7series.com

It's the phone Microsoft should've made three years ago. The Windows Phone 7 is almost everything anyone wouldn't have expected from a Microsoft phone. Now that Microsoft has filled in its gaping chasm of suck with a meaningful phone effort, the three most significant companies in desktop computing—Apple, Google and Microsoft.

A great article here at Engadget reviewing the phone:
http://gizmodo.com/5471805/windows-phone-7-series-everything-is-different-now