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       Augmented reality (AR) consists of a “live” view of the real world that has aspects of it that are “augmented” by a computer-generated input such as a sound, video, graphics, haptic feedback or GPS data. Augmented reality is beginning to make its way into mainstream platforms, such as Snapchat. As AR has been increasing in both its popularity and usage, we are now seeing the ways in which it can be used in a variety of different ways and platforms.

The Internet of Things allows our environment to adapt to us so we can better engage, learn, and live within it. Now and tomorrow, we continue to prioritize connections; connecting with your home, with your body, with your city in new ways. LIttle by little making smart technology in our daily lives prevalent.

A few years ago, we were working with a Fortune 500 company who staffed a few designers who thought they were Apple designers (they weren’t). The lead designer of the team designed a UI that had serious usability issues when we tested it.  Unfortunately, we’ve recognized that some UX designers resist learning from even the most constructive criticism bolstered by actual user research. We were not surprised when the first release of their mobile app received a 2 star rating.

As you might imagine, it truly was an uphill battle to move this client from level 0 on the KLI UX Maturity model (see below) where UX is unimportant to to level 4 where UX is fully integrated, but that was our goal.

Here at Key Lime Interactive we are constantly monitoring how consumer needs change and evolve over time. And of course, we track—with great interest—what industry leaders and innovators are doing to push technology forward, and how that influences consumer expectations, and improves the user experience.

New waves of excitement are flooding the industry of virtual reality (VR). Businesses of all types are discovering the influence this interactive tool is having on their user experience (UX).

Innovation is important for any growing company. Activating and rewarding creative thinkers benefits everyone. Companies aren’t growing and achieving because the employer pigeonholes employees' abilities. No, companies are experiencing success by breaking out of the dreaded 9-to-5 box and embracing greater ideas. As a user experience research firm, this is why one of Key Lime's core values is intellectual curiosity. We love to ask, “Why?” “Why not?” and “What’s next?” By blending new approaches with past experience, we are able to produce forward-thinking solutions.

Last month (January 20, to be exact) marked seven years since Key Lime Interactive was founded. As we look back on what we've achieved over the years, I sometimes need to pinch myself, as in 2015, Inc. recognized us for having the highest growth among our peers in UX from 2011 to 2014.

You’re a usability professional - you’ve studied this formally and you continue to read the entire publication list of Rosenfeld Media as light reading before bed each night. You go about your day identifying ways to simplify life, but not just for yourself. You think about every persona that you suspect may drive a similar vehicle, may also be choosing movies on Netflix, or may use the same mobile payment option. You understand all of the inside jokes on Twitter and keywords that circulate the UX Community, and you are chock-full of ideas on how to apply all of the various trends in testing to your products.  

The Gaming Analytics Summit held in San Francisco brought together a nice crowd of headliner video games such as Minecraft, Call of Duty, Destiny, Angry Birds, and Candy Crush. In attendance were the big gaming giants such as Sony PlayStation, Xbox, Activision, and Electronic Arts. Being an avid gamer and data analyst made this conference extremely informative. The topics ranged from in-game analytics to building a company structure that best handles big data. My focus at this conference was to see how the user’s voice was being heard in the video game development pipeline. Qualitative interviews meant very little to this group who focus more on big data and analytics, but some companies set themselves apart by emphasizing the importance of the user in maximizing their earning potential.

I received my Apple Watch this past Thursday. I chose the space grey Apple Watch sport with the black band, which was worth the wait. It’s fairly subtle, with one person (okay, a kid!) thinking it could be a real watch. Overall, I am impressed with its performance, especially for a v1 device with limited connectivity options. Powered by my iPhone 6, even on LTE instead of wireless, there is very little lag in most apps. However, the remote app has some issues connecting to iTunes libraries. It’s fantastic as a remote for the Apple TV, but very limited and challenging to sync with my computer’s iTunes library. Here is a day in the life with an Apple Watch.