UX_Storytellers.epub

Ok, let's give dropbox another try (now with a public folder, thanx to Stephen): UX_Storytellers_v1.1.pdf and UX_Storytellers.epub and for our beloved Kindle: U.mobi plus U.jpg plus U.opf.

UX Storytellers on Amazon Kindle

So, I have written about the Kindle edition of the UX Storytellers ebook before. Now I am happy to say, I have uploaded the UX Storytellers to Amazon.

The problem is, Amazon right now doesn't accept free ebooks. So I gave it the lowest price possible. I am still looking for a good and free space to upload my mobi (Amazon) file to. I think I will try to go with dropbox

The first three pictures show Amazon Kindle for the iPad (there is an iPhone and Android version as well). The two last pictures show the Kindle device itself.

UX Storytellers Kindle Edition

Yes, we are getting there. Slowly. Very slowly. But we are moving towards the Amazon Kindle store. Last night, I had a few hours to continue working on the Kindle edition of the free eBook "UX Storytellers" (PDF).

There are still some bugs and things I don't like. But it's getting better. Take a look.

Celebrating: 10 000 Reads in Three Weeks

Dear friends of UX Storytellers, this is absolutely amazing: we just went past 10 000 reads, according to the stats over at scribd.com. 10 000 reads within the first 3 weeks. Wow!

Thanx to all the authors participating in this little UX adventure, to the team, our sponsors (Usabilla and Loop11), and to you, the reader.

But wait, there is more: I know the book is sort of hard to read on your iPhone, Nokia or Android (it's ok on an iPad and other PDF-enabled netbooks and tablet PCs). There will be an epub version and an Amazon Kindle version soon.

Thanx for reading UX Storytellers.

(Photomontage based on this image.)

The Story Behind the Redesign

Martin Belam, Information Architect at the Guardian, has written a nice short blog post about his contribution to the UX Storytellers ebook: The story behind the redesign of Guardian Jobs.

As Information Architect at Guardian News & Media, I've contributed a chapter entitled "Using the right tools for the job". It tells the story of last year's redesign of the Guardian Jobs homepage. The key elements of the tale are some 'guerilla usability testing' at the London Graduate Fair, evolving designs from initial sketches to fully-fledged wireframes, and finally some lab testing of a mixed fidelity prototype at our supplier Madgex in Brighton.

The article features some interesting additional images of the Guardian Jobs redesign.

Loop11: A Friend of UX Storytellers

We are very glad to welcome our next sponsor: Loop11. Loop11 is a very interesting online tool that helps you test early and test often ... affordably.

Online, unmoderated user testing. Loop11 is a self-served, hosted solution for usability consultants, web managers and web designers to get the metrics you need to optimese website usability.

Loop11 is a great tool to create tasks and questions to help you explore the user experience, determine satisfaction and validate task completion on any website.

Check out their easy step-by-step process which enables anyone to create professional usability tests in minutes.

Usabilla: A Friend of UX Storytellers

I am very proud and super glad to welcome our first sponsor: Usabilla: The most simple way to test with real users.

We help our customers to learn more about their customers. We think that usability research should not only be about data, but about gaining valuable insights. Usabilla offers a fast and simple way to collect visual feedback on webpages, mockups, wireframes, sketches, or any other images.

Usabilla is a fast and super easy way to dive right into usability testing. Take a look at their new Usability Testing Tool or read the full review on Mashable.

Media Kit

In this free eBook, ‘UX Storytellers - Connecting the Dots’, 42 UX masterminds tell personal stories of their exciting lives as User Experience professionals.

The book brings together authors from around the world who paint a very entertaining picture of our multifaceted community.

Whether you’re a usability pro or a student of interaction design, whether you’re a senior information architect or a junior UX designer, you will find 42 entertaining stories in this book told by leading experts from all over the globe.

Here are some images and other downlads for you. Feel free to use them in your presentation, your blog post or any kind of report.

Thanx a lot for your interest in UX Storytellers.

UX Storytellers - Testing 123

Yesterday was a beautiful fall day here in Berlin, so we went to the park to give the baby some light and to enjoy the multicolored fall atmosphere.

I took the UX Storytellers ebook with me (still in beta - the current version: v0.96) and read a few stories on a comfy park bench.

The reading experience was ok. I think the main problem is the iPad, not the ebook. It's like looking into a mirror. Is the iPad not supposed to be used outdoors, Mr. Jobs?

The Kindle is supposed to be much better for outdoor reading. I am curious how that will work out. But first I need to get a Kindle.

A Sponsor who wants to donate me an Amazon Kindle (WiFi) in return for putting his logo on this page may email me :)

99designs

The other day I was browsing through 99designs. There is always something nice to look at. 99designs call themselves the "fastest growing design service in the world" - or as they write in About Us:

99designs is the #1 marketplace for crowdsourced graphic design. We connect 83,155 passionate designers from around the globe with small businesses who need design projects completed. And, we do it in a timely fashion without the usual risk or cost associated with professional design.

Anyway, they have different design projects running and that's where I came across a design contest for Story Stack ("Logo for a Social Storytelling App").

Social Storytelling App? Interesting. I wonder what that will be about ... Let's wait and keep our eyes open.

UX Storytellers on Facebook

Today, I changed the Facebook link from the account name UX Storytellers to the Facebook Group UX Storytellers.

Please join me in this group. Storytelling is such a huge, old and powerful field and technique. I think this will be a very interesting and thrilling community.

I am definitely looking forward to it. Thanx.

UX Storytellers at the EuroIA

So, today I am flying to Copenhagen to attend the EuroIA Conference.

Sadly, it's just me and not the whole UX Storytellers team. Hm, but on the other hand, there are stories to be read, entries to be edited, jobs to be done... We have already received a bunch of superb stories.

Actually, there will be a handful (perhaps 5 to 10) UX Storytellers authors in Copenhagen at the conference. I will wear my brand new storytellers t-shirt to honor them. Let's see what they say...

UX Stories dropping in

This is great: the first UX stories are dropping in. I feel like at the beginning of a wonderful summer rain. First it starts slow and sort-of shy. One tiny drop after another with long breaks between each drop.

But if you take the time to stand still and listen to the rain, you realize how it begins to raise it's voice. Ever so gently.

Suddenly you find yourself in the middle of a warm and intense rain. Ah, I love rain.

One remark to your stories: we need them to be in a copy and paste enabled format for our internal editing procedures. Word or a simple text file works best.

(image credit: play4smee)

Paddle like the devil

One of my favourite quotes is from the 1978 movie Convoy, with the one and only Kris Kristofferson. Kristofferson, playing a trucker nicknamed Rubber Duck, mentions:

See, my daddy always told me to be just like a duck. Stay smooth on the surface and paddle like the devil underneath!

Well, that's exactly how things are going with this project. The UX Storytellers are still in silent mode, though this blog is of course live and public. There is no tweeting, marketing or facebook announcing going on.

But under the hood, there is a lot happening. To this day, a great number of outstanding ladies and gentlemen have committed themselves to contributing a story to the UX Storytellers project. We have many book authors, a few professors, many founders and managing directors, lots of senior user experience designers, architects and strategists. We have many famous UX Bloggers and some creative directors on the list. We have senior information architects and UX evangelists.

The feedback we are getting is awesome.

There are still some of you out there who are thinking about whether to join this UX adventure or not. Some of my emails remain unanswered. I hope you read this and join our project soon. It would be terrific to have you on board, too.

Speeding up

More and more great people have committed themselves to becoming UX Storytellers authors. Take a look at the map.

I hope that by the end of August, most of the authors will have a good idea of what to write about and the IA or UX-related story they would like to tell.

I am very excited about the wonderful feedback the project has been getting (via private email. The project is still sort of in stealth mode).

There's still lots of work to do: finish this website, look for partners and sponsors (contact me, if you want to see your logo on this website or even in the book) and many other things...

...but we are definitely speeding up. So, fasten your seat belts and start smoking.

First story translated

The first draft of my own little short story has been translated (by Stephen) and now I have begun to send it out to all the UX Storytellers authors around the world.

This is a small, but very important, step within the project, since many of the (potential) authors have said they want to read an example of a story before they start thinking about writing one of their own.

Twitter

Due to a severe login problem with Twitter and the complete absence of any human and/or intelligent Twitter Support I have had to set up a new Twitter account for the UX Storytellers Project.

I am sorry about that. This project is still in stealth mode, getting its feed off the ground and making one little step after the other.

So, please subscribe to or follow the new Twitter account if you have a minute or two.

Thanx :)

Progress

Right now, my own short story is being translated from German to English (thanx to Stephen). I've already sent it to some German-speaking UX Storytellers to give them an idea of what a story might look like.

As soon as the translation is finished, I will be sending the English version around, too.

There are still many English-speaking UX Storytellers I want to approach, so expect the "English parts" of the Map to fill up soon.

Putting Authors on the Map

I have begun putting the authors onto the map. Right now, I want to keep them hidden and reveal one after another over the next few months.

My plan is to keep people talking about UX Storytellers and to energize everybody around.

Oh, and by the way: I am not alone. My good friend Stephen Köver is helping me out and is taking care of my crappy English; any spelling mistakes are his fault.

Our friend Sabine Stoessel has already said she wants to join the team, too. I will put our faces onto the About us page as soon as I get some sleep. Don't wanna look like the living dead on the picture ;) ...

One step at a time

I have begun contacting some really great and very interesting people to ask them to contribute a short story to the UX Storytellers project (aka The Book).

I got very good and positive feedback. It's good to see others like the idea, too.

There are still many people on my list I haven't contacted yet. Since I don't want to spam everybody at once, I think this first "contact phase" will take another two weeks – which is ok. I'm not in a rush.