Dec
2
2009
Erica Firment
Things today that made me laugh until I snorted:
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- Translating a boring work conversation into hula
- Faygo Rock n Rye soda exploding in a Last Stand sort of way inside Chuck’s motorcycle case
- Blurting out “stranger danger!” when surprise-hugged by my friend Rayne in the subway
- Getting my butt handed to me by the office Galaga machine
- My father-in-law’s introduction to the tapioca lumps in bubble tea
- My new Frog Hat
- Wearing my new Frog Hat on a video conference and demanding to be taken seriously
2 comments | posted in Freebase, Life, Linden Lab, Video games
Aug
17
2009
Erica Firment
I can’t be self-promotional all alone here, people. I need your help! Vote for meeeee!
My proposal is up for voting right now on the South By Southwest Interactive Panel Picker. It’s a geek frenzy over there. Vote early and often.
VOTE HERE (login required)
Panel Proposal:
Video Game Research: Failing Our Way to Victory
Users are weird. They tell you one thing and do another. They click everywhere and read nothing. Erica Firment, a User Experience designer for Linden Lab/Second Life, chronicles fast and effective ways to make your software suck less by spending a few hours watching users fail.
- How can video games win by watching their players fail?
- What is video game user research?
- What do you mean by “watch users fail?”
- Can’t I just send out a survey? (NO!)
- Why are 3D world interfaces hard to design?
- What are some things in Second Life that got better by watching users fail?
- How does Second Life collect information?
- Why should developers and product managers invest in user research?
- What are some easy ways for me to do user research?
- What are some cheap ways for me to do user research?
6 comments | tags: SXSWi Panel Picker "Second Life" | posted in Linden Lab, Second Life, SxSw, User Interface Design, conferences, information science
Feb
3
2009
Erica Firment
Happy news! I was invited to be a panelist at the South by Southwest Interactive conference next month, as part of their ScreenBurn track. 
I’m on a panel called “Funologists live and in person: Guerilla Game Research.”
I’ll share my experience starting some low-budget user research cycles for Second Life, and my work translating those frustrating observations into shippable engineering requirements.
There will be pretty pictures, and possibly cake.
The cake is a lie, but you should stop by anyway. There could be cake.
There certainly won’t be cake and not cake. Not at the same time, I can assure you.
2 comments | tags: erica linden, funologists, game research, Linden Lab, Second Life, sxsw09, sxswi, sxswi09, usability, user research | posted in Avenging, Career, Digital Library, Interface design, Librarianship, Linden Lab, Second Life, SxSw, Tech, User Interface Design, Video games, information science
