tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29532688Sun, 30 Mar 2008 15:05:26 +0000http://juderobichaud.com/juderBlogger10125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29532688.post-8797135211241533714Sun, 30 Mar 2008 13:49:00 +00002008-03-30T07:59:04.839-07:00 Folks in their 50's are one of the fastest growing populations in this county. Statistics show that by 2010, one and three Americans will be over 50. With that said, this demographic is shaping the way we all live our lives with their activism (see AARP) and clout for making their daily activities easier not for the aging but for everyone. Case in point, is the universal design poster-child -http://juderobichaud.com/2008/03/elder-friendly-design-is-inclusive-to.htmljudertag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29532688.post-117113208875961045Sat, 10 Feb 2007 14:14:00 +00002008-03-30T08:03:15.101-07:00A colleague and I were recently griping about how much we hate clicking on links that open a PDF document instead of a web page. The link looks innocent enough like "Plan Information" until you click then lo and behold the browser window goes white while a 8 mb PDF file uses up all of computer's processing power to open up. It is the most annoying thing I can possibly think of with the web. A http://juderobichaud.com/2007/02/pdfs-are-indeed-evil.htmljudertag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29532688.post-116845170241138447Wed, 10 Jan 2007 17:23:00 +00002008-03-30T08:05:26.324-07:00 I have been noticing these yellow bumpy things cropping up on sidewalk ramps in the Boston area and decided to do some research about their origin. These plastic "truncated dome" inserts are known as detectable warnings which serve as a means to notify the visually impaired about the boundaries of street and sidewalk. The visually impaired rely on environmental cues such as texture underfoot, http://juderobichaud.com/2007/01/detectable-warnings.htmljudertag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29532688.post-115612334420275820Mon, 21 Aug 2006 01:06:00 +00002006-08-27T14:23:52.156-07:00 Now that I am taking the train (T) to work these days, I finally understand the brouhaha about the new T-pass changes made by the MBTA (Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority). I kept hearing an undercurrent of complaints about the new system which supposedly automates the fare system with smart cards instead of buying tokens from a human being. I paid this no mind as I was driving to work http://juderobichaud.com/2006/08/one-more-charlie-ticket-complaint.htmljudertag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29532688.post-115220440445797564Thu, 06 Jul 2006 16:29:00 +00002006-07-06T09:48:36.103-07:00North Fork Bank and NCR are rolling out ATMs in NYC that allow end-to-end image transfer of check deposits without requiring an envelope. Think about all of the times you put a check in a deposit envelope but forget the exact amount of the deposit as you key in the amount on screen! Was it $403.39 cents or $403.93 cents? Then you have to gingerly open the envelope to peek inside then reseal http://juderobichaud.com/2006/07/envelope-free-atm-deposits.htmljudertag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29532688.post-115136500314065261Mon, 26 Jun 2006 23:11:00 +00002006-06-27T06:59:29.173-07:00 The other night I went to the member's preview at the Boston Museum of Fine Arts for the "Americans in Paris" exhibit featuring works of art spanning 1860 - 1900. The exhibit focuses on American artists who went to Paris to escape the turmoil of the Civil War, or were perhaps captivated by the allure of the bohemian artist's life in the City of Lights. Great artists such as Whistler, Sargent, http://juderobichaud.com/2006/06/art-and-experience-design.htmljudertag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29532688.post-115045951941183711Fri, 16 Jun 2006 11:07:00 +00002006-06-17T19:08:43.276-07:00 A trip to the local ATM machine is a rather unexciting experience. After all, I know these machines by heart as I use them at least 2 to 3 times a week and can push the buttons in my sleep. However, I was awakened to a whole new experience to interacting with ATMs when my local bank had been one of the candidates to receive a brand new ATM machine. For once, I was actually excited to interact http://juderobichaud.com/2006/06/atm-design-gets-hip.htmljudertag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29532688.post-115016451939780786Tue, 13 Jun 2006 01:59:00 +00002006-06-12T19:21:08.470-07:00 Okay, before you think that I am junk food addict who trolls around vending machines all of the time, I must comment on this new vending machine design which caught my eye a while back. New Design The new design leaves no ambiguity as to what's inside and what you are actually selecting as a beverage. The large buttons with their life-size images are big enough to fit an adult-sized hand. You http://juderobichaud.com/2006/06/usability-vending-machine-design.htmljudertag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29532688.post-115002982675464560Sun, 11 Jun 2006 12:20:00 +00002006-06-11T07:07:54.173-07:00 Consumer Reports featured an article on "hardest-to-open" packaging in their March 2006 edition. They offered "Oyster Awards" to the most difficult package challenges based on how long the packages took to open and the user experience. This article resonated with me as I often find it difficult to open the simplest things such as cereal packaging without rupturing the bag and spilling the http://juderobichaud.com/2006/06/usability-packaging.htmljudertag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29532688.post-114997406462593952Sat, 10 Jun 2006 21:14:00 +00002006-06-11T06:17:30.020-07:00My new site format takes a static site with little to no updates between jobs to something I can proactively maintain as ideas spring to mind. Links to contact me for work samples and an updated resume can be be found in the page footer.http://juderobichaud.com/2006/06/new-site-format.htmljuder