harshdeep.net

Indian coins – A usability review

admin — Mon, 14 Sep 2009 09:46:20 +0000

Good, minimal information design on the current 1 and 2 Rs coins in India. Fingers are an excellent medium to convey value in a multilingual country. However, making both coins same shape and only slightly different in size poses a problem to the visually impaired and makes it impossible to search for a 2 Rs coin in your pocket. In contrast, the older eleven sided 2 Rs coin was much easier to distinguish. Even a rudimentary usability study could have pointed out these flaws early in the design stage.

While on the subject, check Britain’s new coinage below. I’m not sure how these will perform in your pocket or in hands of a visually impaired person, but I like the coherent design across the range.

ING’s version of “Your call is important to us…”

admin — Tue, 19 May 2009 16:15:07 +0000

Adding a bit of humor to day to day customer interactions is a nice human touch. While waiting for an ING direct representative I was presented fun facts on wait times, a lesson in Italian and a few jokes on how other companies subject customers to elevator music, repeated ‘Please wait in sequence’ confirmations and impersonal advertising. The voice was familiar. It seemed like the same guy who models their tv ads, thus establishing a resonating trust.

Listen: Lesson in Italian from ING direct.

admin — Wed, 25 Feb 2009 05:54:24 +0000

twitter ate my blog.

Goa guide

admin — Wed, 03 Dec 2008 22:19:56 +0000

This is for all of you who are soul searching, food hunting, honeymooning or touring around Goa. I spent some time working in goa, enjoyed numerous food joints (shacks, restaurants, what not..) and wouldn’t stop raving even after 9 years. So when my friends Sachin and Rohini were planning to spend their honeymoon in Goa, I made them this list. Have fun!

* Starred items are a must.

—- In Panjim

Tato’s cafe
Near Main church area, Panjim.
Order bhajji fry(pakoras), poori batata, coffee etc.. Mainly for morning and evening cravings.

*Venite
In fountainhas, Near old patto bridge.
Order a chilled beer. Food is okay too. Make sure you get the duo-seat that’s set inside the juliet window and looks on to the street. Kick ass vibe. Without windows seat there is no point. Best for afternoons. (fyi – Right across Venite, you get Bikes for Hire.. This may have changed now.)

Sosas (or Horseshoe)
In fountainhas, Near the bridge.
Order any fish from the menu, you’ll get good seafood here. Both these could be expensive, but nice interiors, they also serve shandy!

*Quarterdeck (or Rivera)
Near Panjim bus stop where joy-ride boats start.
Order beer and dinner. Nice evening place to have dinner. Both restaurants look on to the main river. Quarterdeck is better.

Kamat (or Annapoorna)
Near main church Panjim
Order your fav dosa, idli etc.. Classic south indian restaurant. Good coffee.

*Whitehouse
Near Dauna Paul, close to Cidade de Goa.
Order chilled beer, enjoy kick ass hill top views of sprawling Panjim. Food is good too. Get mussles fry.

— Outside Panjim

Cajuero – kinda hidden, a little inset from the main road.
Near Porvorim (Porvorim is right after you cross the big Panjim bridge to go to Beach side)
Order biryani, beer and mussles fry (in rava).

*Florentine – This is a goa must.
Near Saligaon church in Saligaon village, ask any goan and you will know.
Get chicken cafreal with pao(bread), it’s dry so down with beer and ask them to give a little more gravy later. Also good are Bombay duck fry, mussles fry, goan fish curry rice. This is locals fav, so feni is good here.

*Infanteria – Bakery
Near Calangute Beach
Best bakery in town for cheap stuff. They used to make hash brownies in the old days. If you wish to kick start your day close to beaches, this is your best breakfast place.

*Brittos
Near Baga beach (calangute and baga beach are next to each other)
Order any seafood. Goan fish curry rice, fried fish etc.. This is a good place for heavy lunch.

Club Cabana near Arpora
Tito’s near Baga (most pop)
Mambos near Baga (on beach)
Club 21 near Baga
All these are nice clubs, evenings are laid back but night gets dancy and pretty intense at times. Baga is a famous party beach, so you will find a lot of people here, both local and foreign. Keep safe.

*Coco beach
This beach is kinda offset. You will have to ask for directions from Calangute. But if there is a party going on here, it’s worth a visit. Very hippie, open air, trance stuff. Not sure if there is any way to know when.

Xaviers
Near candolim.
Good seafood. I haven’t been here, but heard good things always.

Ramesh
Near Vagator
Very nice goan curry. Other sea food is also great.

Starlight
Near Anjuna
Best Crabs – Tandoori, or rava fried.. or xacuti crab, sukka crab (both come with curry so you can eat naan) I have only gone there for crabs there, nothing else.

Have comments? Feel free to add.

Excellent ad for an Excellent Mag

admin — Thu, 30 Oct 2008 20:22:24 +0000

by BBDO

Jazz at the Zoo

admin — Mon, 08 Sep 2008 04:21:10 +0000

“Better ‘Ole Club Orchestra at the National Zoo.” Washington, D.C., 1925.

Pale Blue Dot

admin — Sat, 09 Aug 2008 18:30:57 +0000

The Pale Blue Dot is a photograph of planet Earth made by Voyager 1 from a record distance, showing it against the vastness of space.

“The Earth is a very small stage in a vast cosmic arena. Think of the rivers of blood spilled by all those generals and emperors, so that, in glory and triumph, they could become the momentary masters of a fraction of a dot. Think of the endless cruelties visited by the inhabitants of one corner of this pixel on the scarcely distinguishable inhabitants of some other corner, how frequent their misunderstandings, how eager they are to kill one another, how fervent their hatreds. Our posturings, our imagined self-importance, the delusion that we have some privileged position in the Universe, are challenged by this point of pale light.”

Carl Sagan

Rem does Prada

admin — Fri, 08 Aug 2008 17:09:28 +0000

Rem does Prada

Microsoft Research: 6.6 degree separation between 240 million people

admin — Sun, 03 Aug 2008 17:11:08 +0000

Microsoft Research analyzed 30 billion conversations on MSN and found 6.6 degree separation between 240 million people. (on washington post, Microsoft’s paper here)

Cuil

admin — Wed, 30 Jul 2008 19:07:08 +0000

My last three search queries in cuil:

weather toronto

trillion (also tried ‘number of zeros in trillion‘)

html multiply sign

Google is winning so far.

Helping customers make the choice

admin — Mon, 28 Jul 2008 19:15:56 +0000

If the primary purpose of retail stores is to provide customers with an enhanced shopping experience, then why not help them when they are making the choice in the dressing rooms.

Through inventory tagging, the dressing room registers the items shoppers take in to try on and produces video and images of the merchandise. A touch screen gives shoppers the option to invite friends. Through their personal cellphone or key pad, they can then send an e-mail or text message to friends. By clicking on a url and logging on to a Web site, the friends can see the items being tried on and make comments.

There are numerous ‘dry’ zones when it comes to instore shopping and all these can be covered with appropriate technology. Eg:

Details: Basic features of a product. It’s strange how most package designs miss the mark on this one.
Reviews: Customers value non-biased reviews.

Some 65% of online users said they research products online before buying online, and 56% said they research products on the web and then purchase offline.

Trust in online reviews was found to be at its greatest when readers heard both sides of the story. Read more on this.
Comparison: Retail experiences rarely provide us a way to compare our choices especially when it comes to feature centric electronic products
Saving: Saving choices in wish lists to review later.
Asking peers: Send to a friend for comments.
Pricing: Get quotes from a different store.
Related Products: You could make a wish list on site, check it later online and review all related products that may apply.
Status: You may check status of your wish list products or products you buy often before making the long trip over to the burbs.

Russian inflatable ‘Surface to Air’ Defense systems

admin — Sun, 27 Jul 2008 20:12:40 +0000

Russian inflatable ‘Surface to Air’ Defense systems.

Pilots say that from a altitude where jet planes fly the s-300 inflatable looks just like a real thing, and also it has a special metal thread, so radars think it’s a real metal structure.

Following Dubai’s lead, Kuwait plans for a ‘City of Silk’

admin — Sun, 27 Jul 2008 19:55:47 +0000

Following Dubai’s lead, Kuwait plans for a ‘City of Silk‘

Alternative traffic light design

admin — Thu, 24 Jul 2008 19:44:28 +0000

Marshalite – an alternative, rotary traffic signal designed by Charles Marshall in 1936 & used from the 1940s through 1970s in Australia. 2 rotors pointing at colored sections denote whether traffic in either direction should proceed, prepare, or stop. based on a traditional clock face, it has the advantage of clearly showing signal phase timing.

Six scenarios for how the long-run might drastically differ…

admin — Wed, 23 Jul 2008 14:00:54 +0000

Six scenarios for how the long-run might drastically differ from the world we see before our eyes. (on Marginal Revolution)

Googley advice on problem solving and learning.

admin — Mon, 21 Jul 2008 20:34:25 +0000

Googley advice on problem solving and learning.

Excellent kitchenware by Joseph Joseph.

admin — Sun, 20 Jul 2008 05:00:53 +0000

Excellent kitchenware by Joseph Joseph. Their ‘Pisa‘ cutting boards are especially clever.

'Pisa' Cutting Board from Joseph Joseph

A documentary on Stanley Kubrick by John Ronson.

admin — Fri, 18 Jul 2008 17:57:20 +0000

A documentary on Stanley Kubrick by John Ronson.

This BBC 4 show is a peek into Kubrick’s house that has thousands of documents filed in cardboard boxes. The reclusive artist is known for his secrecy during the later part of his life. These boxes reveal Kubrick’s intense research and process behind each movie.

Reaction to ‘I don’t own a cell phone.’ over the years. Hilarious.

admin — Thu, 17 Jul 2008 03:46:26 +0000

Reaction to ‘I don’t own a cell phone.’ over the years. Hilarious.

Newly launched Design: Populous’ wordpress blog.

admin — Thu, 17 Jul 2008 00:38:41 +0000

Leading architecture firm specializing in designing sporting venues needed a blog to drive an informal communications initiative. The blog is now helping their 500+ workforce share ideas, collaborate and spread the word on their latest projects internally as well as externally.

The design is extremely simple and template coding is pure Css+Html. It incorporates WordPress customization using codex/template tags and is hosted by Populous’ internal windows server.
Link: www.architectureforthemasses.com

If you require a blog expert who specializes in wordpress check some of my work.