Scott Jenson

There is a classic “Smart Home” scenario that you’ve all likely heard: my calendar talks to my alarm clock, allowing me to sleep in an extra 30 minutes. When I finally do get up, the alarm clock starts the coffee maker so as I walk into the kitchen, I’m greeted by fresh brewed coffee. I […]

If I’m ever asked what’s most important in UX design, I always reply “empathy”. It’s the core meta attribute, the driver that motivates everything else. Empathy encourages you to understand who uses your product, forces you ask deeper questions and motivates the many redesigns you go through to get a product right. But empathy is […]

I am very excited so many are getting involved with the Physical Web. Nearly 3500 people have starred the github, with many active collaborators finding bugs and adding features. In addition, several companies are selling beacons that broadcast URLs (using the URIBeacon standard). While it’s still early days for this technology, it’s encouraging to see […]

I just returned from CES and it was filled with discussion about who is going to win the standards war when it comes to the internet of things (IoT). The technology world tends to have a long history of perceived winner-take-all horse races, some definitive (VHS vs Beta) and some perennial (Android vs Apple). It’s […]

Too many people are afraid of beacons without understanding exactly what they can, and can’t do. Can we create a vision for beacons that protects users and motivates us, as a community, to improve and fix it as it matures?

The internet of things isn’t about simplistic automation but a profound reinvention of products and how we will use them. We won’t see a one hit wonder but a coevolution of products that respond to this new way to communicate and control devices.

The current approach to Home Automation is far too simplistic. As a UX designer, I know how random and down right goofy people can be. Simple rule-based “if this then that” approaches are doomed to fail. We need to give the control system to our homes the attention it deserves.

Deconstructing IoT Part 2. Too many journalists were discussing science fiction scenarios about swarms of devices without realizing that there are much simpler, and viable alternatives. This post moves proposes a simple 2×2 grid, allowing us to discuss products in a more precise way.

The web has been on it’s back footing for too long, aspiring to catch up to the legacy of the iPhone native app model. There are several things the mobile web can do to encourage a new type of interaction. While still experimental, the W3C can at least open the gates and encourage new interaction styles in an open and collaborative manner.

I was invited to the 2013 fooCamp this past weekend. It was actually my second fooCamp, having gone in 2007 as well. It is an amazing, exhilarating weekend where 250 ‘Friends of O’Reilly’ come together to have an unConference. They now do Ignite talks, where you have 5 minutes to run through 20 slides that […]