Welcome to NY!
Posted on May 22, 2008 in Non-work "work" by LisView Comments

I have been living at my cousin’s house in Mamaroneck, NY for the past 12 days. It has been quite a ride since May 8th when I left San Antonio behind me to come back to my home state. Much sleep has been lost, tears cried and happiness gained. However that is neither here nor there (it is I’m sure, but I like saying that). As I try to write about user experience, interaction design and the like, one thing has been rearing it’s ugly head. Finding an apartment in New York City. That’s right finding a place to live right in Manhattan.

Apartment searching is never fun nor easy but finding a place in NYC; that brings the experience to a whole other level. Mind you I’ve been warned so my expectations were somewhat set but NO warning or words of advice can prepare you for the chaos that is this apartment search.

So here’s the long and short of it so far. I’ve dealt with fee and no fee apartments. Working with a broker is great! They can actually answer my questions about how much rent is, if there is laundry in the building, help you negotiate… the whole deal. However if the apartment is renter pays the fee then your lump sum is 15% of your yearly rent…. a pretty penny indeed and something to try and avoid if on a budget. HOWEVER if the apartment is no fee, there is usually someone showing the apartment that is not associated with the property management. Some of them are really good and can give you all the info you need and others are really just there to open the door, let you in for 10 mins, and show you out. What I’ve learned is that someone is always paying the fee and if it’s not you there is a reason.

Tomorrow extends my adventure through this maze of rentals. Nine viewings from 11am to about 4pm and I’m hoping there are some leads somewhere. Wish me luck and God’s speed!

 

 

Design, Sustainability and Our Responsibility
Posted on May 2, 2008 in User Experience by LisView Comments

Back in January I wrote this post concerning Sustainability, and today I am back at it. This week there were several blogs whose posts related to the topic. The first one that I came upon on experientia was a post about Nokia and how the company is beginning to look at their products and how to make them more environment friendly. You can read the post here. I enjoyed seeing a company begin to take the steps needed to decrease energy use and throw away.

Shortly after reading the above post, I came across another from Tim Ferriss that you can view here that inspires people to take action against the waste that companies like Nokia and others cause by forcing users to upgrade their hardware among other things.

And lastly in this sustainability centered week there was a post on the IxDA discussion board regarding the topic which you can view here. Although I enjoyed reading through all of the comments, I took interest in that by pauric. He shows us how even though companies may be trying to improve situations, their solutions may not really be for the general good.

So there is A LOT going on around this topic, one that I think everyone should take interest in. Think to yourself what is our responsibility as interaction designers and do WE contribute to the general good? I know I have to ponder this one heavily myself. I’d love to hear what anyone thinks!!