April 2011

Dark Patterns: User Interfaces Designed to Trick People

dark-clouds-over-downtown-manhattan by Dan DeLuca

Optimising a user's experience is an attempt to improve life for a site's visitors and in doing so, for the site owners in the process. But what happens when usability goes bad?

Harry Brignull's presentation examines the dark side of interfaces, looking at how we're tricked, duped and cajoled towards handing over credit card details, signing up for free products, that aren't really free.

// more

3 April 2011 by Sam Michel

Technology Strategy Board Launches R&D Grants for SMEs

lab by pastaboy sleeps

Update: The full application process and guidance notes are now live.

Monday (4th April) sees the launch of a new R&D grant scheme from the Technology Strategy Board (TSB) for small and medium-sized companies in science, engineering and technology sectors.

Unlike previous TSB schemes which have required organisations to collaborate in order to secure funding, the R&D grants are available to single companies, which must be based in the UK and fit with the EU definition of an SME. 

Three types of grant are available:

// more

1 April 2011 by Sam Michel

Britain's Great Firewall, Block List Built In Secret?

Brick Wall by TheArtGuy

The government's plan for ISPs to voluntarily implement a national firewall for the UK are still very much on the agenda according to a open letter from Ed Vaizey, UK Minister for Culture, Communications and Creative Industries to the Open Rights Group (ORG).

An interesting move in a country that prides itself on freedom of speech, hyper-injunctions notwithstanding. Naturally enough, there are plenty of advocates making a well-argued case for why this won't work and campaigns to get MPs to stop website blocking.

// more

1 April 2011 by Sam Michel

24 Hours of London's Tweets Visualised

London Tweets 24h

This is a fantastic visualisation of 24 hours' worth of tweets across London. It's a great video - and choice material for social media presentations, I'd wager - that brings to life the way information is shared across a geography.

The red dots are the tweets, with the yellow streaks showing the direction of a retweet (RT) from the origin to the destination. Of course, this is just a fraction of the actual volume as most people don't have geolocation turned on.

// more

1 April 2011 by Sam Michel