It’s been a busy month around these parts.
Noel (@noelportugal) and I went to the Netherlands, specifically Amsterdam, Utrect, and Nieuwegein, to visit AMIS and show some of the cool stuff Applications UX has been doing. By all accounts the event was a massive success with something like 450 people visiting AMIS during the day to visit.
The Shutters of Amsterdam
Here’s some press coverage in Dutch if you’re so inclined.
AUX had about ten different stations showing various demos, including the newly-minted Release 8 Simplified UI for HCM and Sales Cloud, Mobilytics, Oracle Voice, UX Design Patterns, UX Direct, the almighty eye-tracker and our Glass, Pebble and robot stuff, including the hot new robot arm, which we’re now controlling remotely, more on that to come.
As if that weren’t enough, there was also a Secret Chamber that required a non-disclosure for entrance with cutting edge stuff.
I spent my day locked away in the Secret Chamber, while Noel and Patrick (@patch72) handled the crush of people eager to get their hands on Google Glass. The beginning of the event was exclusively for students, and at one point, Noel and Patrick were swarmed by about 60-70 people trying to get a turn with Glass.
Sidebar, Glass elicited some very curious reactions around the NL. People seemed genuinely interested, a different reaction than you get here in the States where people can be outwardly aggressive about Glass infringing their privacy. Noel wore his most of the time, and several people stopped him to ask about them. Several times the exchange went like this:
Is that Google Glass?
Is it real?
Strange follow-up question, maybe there’s a market for bogus tech there.
Anyway, the event was awesome, and everyone at AMIS was so friendly and accommodating and generous to us. Everything about the trip was fantastic.
Speaking of trips, Noel and I will be at COLLABORATE 2014 in Las Vegas, April 7-11, as will other members of AUX. Check out all of the AUX activities over at VoX. Noel and I will be working the booth, so stop by and say hello if you’re attending the conference.
That’s my month so far.
Find the comments.
Interesting. I too was swarmed over by students too, eager to try my Glass at the event. I wore Glass outside around Amsterdam a bit too, but most Amsterdam folk I encountered were far too cool to care or too tech hip to be interested…
Perhaps I should have been on a bike.
I did try out the new SxSWi “I come in peace” wearing style though..
http://usableapps.tumblr.com/post/80213922816/roxanne-you-dont-have-to-put-on-your-google-glass
@Ultan: Noel mentioned this new style too, although his interpretation was a bit different initially 🙂 We eventually stumbled onto what seems to be the real reason.
I like “I come in peace” as a way to describe it, very nice.
Yeah, weird but I took a trip to Google Glass HQ last week to pick up a new Glass (long story) – everyone there was wearing the Glass SxSWi. I enquired about it – “oh, we’re been doing it for months.”
@Ultan: Interesting, like the hipster equivalent of the librarian’s reading glasses on a chain. Technology has created some interesting human behaviors, see here:
http://www.core77.com/blog/ux/curious_rituals_examines_technology-induced_gestures_posture_24343.asp
Fascinating stuff. So much to study, so little time… great find. Love that “vaguely anthropological rigor.” line. Or put another way – “watch the next Big Bang Theory”.
@Ultan: Heh, can’t get through a single episode of that show, but sure.