Our next UX Meetup is May 18, 6-8pm at Wilde Roast. Come join us to learn from Kristina Halvorson of BrainTraffic and discuss Content Strategy.

In the traditional website design process, content requirements definition happens as information architecture develops. In theory, this should successfully set the stage for content development. However, once content development actually begins, projects often implode. Content is late, poorly written, disorganized, and almost never user-focused. The list goes on.

Everyone who attends gets a chance to win a $50 gift card for Wilde Roast! Thank you to Gomoll Research + Design, Inc. for sponsoring this event!!

Please note, as usual this event is not a full presentation, but primarily an open conversation amongst everyone. Our topic expert will provide a brief introduction to the topic and then provide expert insight throughout our conversations. Bring your questions and/or experiences to share. Everyone is welcome.

Here are details about the venue and logistics:

• Time: 6:00-8:00 pm
• Date: Monday, May 18, 2009
• Location: Wilde Roast
  • 518 Hennepin Ave. E. (Corner of Hennepin and Central Avenues in Northeast Minneapolis)
    • Web: http://www.wilderoastcafe.com/
    • Phone: 612-331-4544
  • Ask the host to point you to the reserved room (we’ll be easy to spot)

Can’t wait to see you there!

Your Twin Cities UX Meetup organizers:

Kristi Olson
Stephanie Hammes-Betti
Jennifer Bohmbach
Garrick Van Buren

The May meetup is sponsored by Gomoll Research + Design, Inc., a consulting firm specializing in human interface design and usability for websites, web applications, mobile devices, software, hardware, packaging, and instruction.

Tom and Kate Gomoll started their careers at Apple, and have taken from that experience the sensibility of simplicity and design.
Today, GRD exists to make things better. We excel in designing elegant product experiences. We’re experts in user-centered design. We can help you conduct field research, understand workflow, develop user models, build prototypes, conduct usability studies, and design humanistic and usable products.

Interested in sponsoring a MNteractive meetup? Just a leave a comment.

P.S. Please note that the UX Meetup usually occurs on the 2nd Monday of the month between 6-8pm at Wilde Roast, so mark your calendars. This month we moved to the third Monday because of conflicting UX events on the 2nd Monday. Next month will be the UX Book Club on June 8th. We will be discussing the book Communicating Design by Dan Brown.

Ok, it’s a minor point, not a revolution, but can we start calling it “ecommerce” now? Even as I type this, I’m being told by the spellcheck it’s E-commerce, but why bother with the hyphen? And capital “E”? Please. I’m going to ignore that and hope things change. 

Do you still say Web site? How about website from now on? Is that still a debate, on how to spell it? Do we need to capitalize “Internet”? Does that really make sense anymore? 

Any other words come to mind for you? 

Since specializing in interactive content a few years ago, I’ve grown a new editor in my brain (boy, it’s getting crowded in there). This one pokes me with her red pencil as I write. She squeaks, “No one will read that! Make that sentence shorter. You’re boring people. Oh no–they’re reaching for the back button! Hurry, give them the info they need quick or they’ll leave this site forever!” She’s just trying to help, I know. And it’s important to be clear and concise. But how simple is too simple?

Sometimes, in an effort to slim down the copy to its very bones, originality and humor—important tools for connecting with people—are stripped away too. My goal as a writer is to get out of the user’s way—this is especially true for sites with a utility bent. What’s often left is soulless, albeit user-friendly text. If people don’t really read the copy, it’s okay—they’re not missing much. But if they do? Some might notice it lacks that certain spark.

But there’s always hope. Maybe users will evolve to withstand the eye strain of online reading. Or coffee will become passé, so caffeine-induced skimming will become a problem of the past. Happily, even if these things don’t happen, there are corners of the web where text can stretch out its long limbs. Yes, there are safe houses for lengthy prose, places where it can hide out and not be beaten to a bloody (but concise!) pulp. Newspaper and magazine sites. Blogs. Informational sites for products and services. Even the resources section on task-oriented, no-nonsense sites. All of these have something in common: they’re places users expect to read something longer or less direct by web standards. Which is why the wordier stuff is tolerated.

That’s all for now. That sharp pencil point is jabbing my ribs again.