Greetings!

• I’m back from an excellent few days in New York City. MOMA, the Highline, lots of fun foods and of course the New York book launch party for Interviewing Users. More to come on all of that.
• While he won’t make his official debut in the office space itself until Wednesday, I’m enjoying getting to know Max, our new-to-us Queensland Heeler!
• I’m being interviewed for a short podcast this week about Interviewing Users and will post when it goes live.
• I’m working on two different online Q&A article thingies which I hope to get finished and maybe even posted this week!
• I’ll be speaking to designers, researchers and others at IDEO SF this Friday, as part of their Design Research speaker series.
• Also scheduled are meetings about future research projects (a new vision for an established product), an in-house conference day at a global corporation, a speaking gig at a pretty huge marketing conference and sharing perspectives on getting the word out for a new book.
• On the town this week: I’ll be at the “Connecting” Film and Panel Discussion on Tuesday and the Pinterest Loft Warming Party on Thursday. Will you be there?
• Ten years gone: From June 2003 – new features not being adopted because they don’t work
• What we’re consuming: Claes Oldenburg’s Mouse Museum, Karlssonwilker, Eisenberg’s Sandwich Shop, City Bakery, Harlan Ellison, Ippudo New York, Eataly.

Oh, hai, Monday! What can I tells ya?

• Today I’m winging my way eastward for a few days in New York, around Wednesday’s book launch party at SVA. Anything you think I should see/do/meet/eat in New York?
• The Amazon page for Interviewing Users has (as of this writing) 8 five-star reviews. If you have some thoughts about the book, it would be tremendously valuable to me if you’d share them on that page, too!
• On Saturday, I led a quick session at an event organized by Catapult Design. We had a really dynamic interactive session and a quick exercise about Interviewing Users. My slides are here.
• Ten years gone: From June 2003 – Rock is dead they say, reference peanut butter.
• What we’re consuming: Breathing, The Falkor, Mr. and Mrs. Miscellaneous, Cluckin’ Chicken and autophagia, Interviewing for UX Research Positions, Help I’m Being Held Prisoner In a Chinese Fortune Cookie Factory.

Arise, Sir Week!

• Last Monday was the San Francisco book launch party. It was a wonderful experience! Thanks to Nathan at CCA for hosting and to Rosenfeld Media for all the books that we gave out. Thanks to the friends and family who helped make everything run smoothly, and to everyone who came out and brought such great energy. Special thanks to the War Stories presenters; see a quick summary here.
• Next week I’m in New York for another launch party!
• I was so pleased to see this enthusiastic blog post – Why You Should Read ‘Interviewing Users’ by Steve Portigal
• Out-and-about: On Wednesday, I’ll be at the gravitytank open house and at the launch party for Dan Saffer’s Microinteractions. Will I see you at either of these events?
• I’m lunching with friends at Pinterest and YouTube this week. While the emphasis will be on catching up, I’m excited for whatever peek I can get into some different types of design environments.
• Ten years gone: From June 2003 – RCN is staffed by rhesus monkeys, spam typos, FreshMeat #19: Livin’ La Vida Luxa (a conversation with James Twitchell).
• What we’re consuming: Justified, Aerorocks, Badger Swagger, deep-fried Twinkies, Oakland First Fridays, halloumi.

Well, hello, Monday and hello, June!

• I’ve been icing down a keg and gathering party supplies, a box of giveaway books, the catering order and much much more for tonight’s book launch party in San Francisco. My sister Cheryl surprised me last night, flying in from Vancouver to join in the celebration. I’m so excited to see everyone tonight!
• If you’ll be in New York on June 19, come to the NYC book launch party.
• I’m scheduled to record another podcast interview this week; I’ll share the details once it goes live on the interwebs.
• Have you read Interviewing Users? I’d love it if you posted a review on Amazon!
• Portigal.com got hacked last week and we were down for several days. Maybe you missed Lena’s War Story? Or this bit about a major cultural shift in a healthcare organization, through an empathic exercise?
• Ten years gone: From June 2003 – branding musing, Rubberific.
• What we’re consuming: Old Jerusalem, Mexican chocolate egg cream, mysterious car fluid drippings, Tchoupitoulas.

After a weekend of working in the yard I’m stiff and creaky on Monday, each keystroke of this update requiring a supreme effort (well, maybe I exaggerate just a bit).

• Last week’s webcast about Interviewing Users was a huge success. Good comments from the large audience during and afterwards on several platforms. The recording (available at that link) should be available very soon (Update: it’s here!)
• If you’ll be in New York on June 19, you are invited to the NYC book launch party. The San Francisco party on June 3 is full-up (we’re taking waitlist names, so if you can no longer come, please let me know!)
• I’m thinking ahead about a couple of new workshops I’ve been asked to develop. Exploring new ground is energizing and intimidating at the same time.
• Ten years gone: From May 2003 – AFLAC duck heads to Japan, Atari is back, Oreo Ban.
• What we’re consuming: Amatriciana pizza, Eddie Cochran as the origin for a Bowie riff, Bowie’s in space, zillions of free movies online

Howdy Monday and Monday-accessories:

• You can find two interviews about Interviewing Users now online. A readable interview at Ethnography Matters and a listenable interview with Denise Lee Yohn.
• Grant McCracken posted his awesome foreword to Interviewing Users.
• Coming up in a few weeks is the Interviewing Users launch party, June 3 in San Francisco. Stay tuned for info on the New York party.
• This Wednesday is my free webcast about Interviewing Users. O’Reilly will be recording it if you can’t make it.
• I just received another great War Story and will posting it in the next couple of days. Meanwhile, check out Susan Dray’s thought-provoking take on these stories.
• I’m talking to prospective clients in the Middle East and in the Midwest. Verbal, if not geographic, symmetry.
• Ten years gone: From May 2003 – FreshMeat: The Houses of the Wholly, Weight Loss Through Brain Washing.
• What we’re consuming: Bob’s Burgers, I Don’t Want Your Fucking App, Iron Man 3, Kutschy Rye.

Voila les deets:

• Interviewing Users is out! Huzzah! There’s been lots of enthusiasm and already some good feedback!
• Core77 has posted an excerpt here.
• I’m doing a few interviews for the book. Look for them to start showing up online in the next couple of weeks.
• You’re invited to the Interviewing Users launch party, June 3 in San Francisco. And stay tuned for info on the New York party, too!
• Don’t forget about the free webcast next week.
• Some good networking on hand for this week, catching up with people and talk about their businesses, careers, goals and of course mine.
• Ten years gone: From May 2003 – Why Calvin Pees, Bugs and Daffy for Landmine Awareness.
• What we’re consuming: Little Yangon, Black Blizzard, Teddy Bear.

Greetings at the head of the week!

• This is the week! Interviewing Users will be available on Thursday!
• On May 15th I’ll be doing a free webcast entitled Interviewing Users: Uncovering Compelling Insights. Hope to “see” you there!
• I’m putting together a pitch presentation for a long-time favorite client, where we haven’t worked together for about a decade! It’s fun to learn how things have changed in their organization and think about what we can do for them now.
• Ten years gone: From April 2003 – In Their Hummers, Right Beside Uncle Sam, Rolling Stones lingerie.
• What we’re consuming: Shanghai Dumpling King, capybaras, The Death of the Author, Party Down.

In the US, it’s Tax Day. Happy, er um, whatever…

• If you run a small business, depending on how it’s structured, it can be a very different tax process. Personally, I don’t receive a salary, so I don’t pay income tax every two weeks. That means my income tax is calculated annually and paid in advance, in quarterly payments. Those are usually some significant-sized checks to be throwing down. It’s further complicated by each year’s actual income determining next year’s estimations but because things fluctuate (the economy, the size of the staff, etc.) then those estimates can be way off. Good times!
• I’m off to Baltimore early tomorrow morning. I’m part of an event for the McCormick Design Advisory Panel, intended to spark some conversation – and planning – about how design and insights can drive innovation. I’m looking forward to hearing the team talk about their challenges and how they can address them.
• I’ve received first drafts of two new War Stories. Look for those later this week.
• Ten years gone: From April 2003 – The Life Cycle of a Wash Rag, Obituary: Anita Borg.
• What we’re consuming: Jason Becker, La Strada, Stairways of San Francisco, The Urges.

It’s a deceptively sunny Monday, despite overnight high-winds that brought the power down in my neighborhood. A strange time of year, indeed!

• I’m sticking around town this week, putting some time into preparation for this week’s keynote address (The Power of Bad Ideas) at the SJSU Human Factors/Ergonomics Alumni Symposium and next week’s presentation as part of the McCormick Design Advisory Panel.
• Interviewing Users is imminent. I shared the cover last week, but you can also see the acknowledgements and FAQ.
• I’ll be meeting with the team from Rosenfeld Media this week to talk about promotion for the book; lots more to be shared here once that plan is under way.
• Ten years gone: From April 2003 – Trix rant, drybay.
• What we’re consuming: Rust and Bone, Hi Lo BBQ.