Amber Alert

There's something about the Amber Alert system that makes me feel connected to the rest of civilization. However, the is NOTHING civilized about the sound that an Amber Alert made on my phone the other day. In fact, I was just falling asleep and it scared the heck out of me!!!

I contemplated turning the notification off but decided that a momentary freak out (to put it mildly) is worth the price of possibly saving a child. However, honestly - there is no need for that startling sound. Not to mention that there was no call to action as to what to do!

Confused at the Cosmo

I was at a conference at the Cosmo in Vegas and noticed these signs near all the escalators. Even after spending 4 days endless going between the 3rd and 4th floors, I couldn't figure out how to interpret the signs. In fact, I didn't even notice all the numbers on the right - I thought everything listed was on the 3rd floor! Now that I've had time to examine the image, I think, the heading "Level 3" does nothing more than to let you know what floor you are currently on.

Hooked on Marshalls

I LOVE these hooks in the fitting room at Marshalls! There were 3:
1) Definitely
2) Possibly
3) Tomorrow

Pinning @ Nordies

There's nothing I love more than seeing social media (or anything digital, for that matter) being integrating into the physical world. Check out how Nordstrom is leveraging what's popular on Pinterest. These signs are used throughout the store. Oh, the possibilities...

Improving the Dr experience

My BBF took her sick twin boys to the Dr this morning. They are seriously cute and how much better the experience must be when you're batman!!

Woof. UX Is For Dogs Too!!

Leave it LA to install this is a mall. Love it.

Debt at the Gym

I purchased personal training sessions at Equinox last week and the red "credit" button was a painful reminder how expensive it. Not to mention that red usually means error. Gulp. Maybe I should have bought a workout DVD instead...

UX on Your Birthday!

Talk about customer experience... Free stuff on your birthday!

No, Netflix

Gah. Netflix. Ah. Please fix your main navigation! It's so unbalanced my eyes hurt.

Unilever's Unsubscribe= Unusable

My friend recently posted this and I had to share... worst unsubscribe page EVER!

Dripping in Opportunity

These bags are always so very helpful and smart. However, it's a missed opportunity for them... They should include a sign that says "Don't need one? Visit our umbrella selection on aisle 4!"

Sushi UX

I love how this restaurant categorized their sushi rolls! It made it really easy for me to avoid anything with eel=)

Exit Through The Entrance

A recent signage #fail I came across in Montreal... I wasn't sure if I was coming or going.

The door reads "entrance", while the sign above reads "exit"!

Where'd I Park???

Love Santa Monica Place's new system to help you locate your car in the parking lot. Type in your license plate number, and voila - it shows you where your car is and gives you directions to get there! 

If you can't remember your exact plate number, it pulls up similar ones! Awesome.

Step 1: Type in license plate number

 

 Step 2: Select your car

 

 Step 3: Read the map!

Shamless Self Promotion

Amazon is pretty shameless promoting the Kindle.

#OCD #UX #KEURIG

Confession: The reason I wanted to get a Keurig single serve coffee maker isn't for the convenience or for the variety of flavors, but rather because I wanted to organize the little pods.

Going Up?

1) Shouldn't units 118, 116 and 109 be on the first floor?
2) What happened to the 3rd floor?

 

Signs of a Modern World

The Power of the Pen

I recently had dinner at Manuel's - a yummy Mexican restaurant in Austin, Texas. Outside the restroom area was a cork-board holding a bunch of letters from various organizations thanking the restaurant for hosting or catering an event.

It struck me that the shorter handwritten note stood out and seemed more sincere than the longer typed out letters.

Just thought I'd share.

Pasta Tips

• Don’t add oil to the pasta water. It will make your pasta slippery and the sauce won’t coat it well.
• Don’t add the salt to the water, till after it boils. Salt slows down the time it takes to come to a boil. Also, salt leaves deposits in the pot if you add it before boiling.
• Cover the pot while boiling. It will come to the boil faster. But uncover when you add the pasta.
• Don’t add the pasta till the water has reached a rolling boil.
• Always save some of the pasta water in case you need it to thin out your sauce.
• Stir the pasta occasionally, while boiling, so it won’t stick.
• Under cook your pasta, so you can add it to your sauce and have it continue cooking together.
• Don’t drain your pasta too much and certainly don’t rinse it. The sauce will coat it better if it still has some of the starch on it. Lasagna is different. Do drain it. Do rinse it. Do dry it on a towel.
• You don’t have to cook lasagne noodles. Just soak in hot water for about twenty minutes. (I spill out the water and add new hot water, half way.)
• 4 oz. (weight) small pasta (penne, shells, macaroni etc.) = 1 cup dried = 2 ½ cups cooked.
• 4 oz. (weight) long pasta (spaghetti, fettucine, angel hair etc.) = 1” diameter = 2 cups cooked.