ZURB is Looking for its Next Employee to Connect With Startups and Grownup Startups

We've been doing a lot of exciting stuff here in our little ol' command center in Campbell, CA. We're looking to expand out efforts for World Domination and are looking to add a brand new Business Developer to help us do that!

We're passionate — we work hard and play hard. We're looking for an equally passionate person who is excited about new emerging technologies, rapid prototyping and connecting with people to join our team. As Business Developer at ZURB, you're one of our first points of contact to the outside world. You are so much more than a closer. You're an educator!

Startups and grownup startups are excited about ZURB and seek us out to help them with their product design problems. We use special tactics to solve problems. We listen and ask questions. We're dedicated to helping clients fill their gaps, provide an educational experience and, of course, solve their problems.

The ZURB experience doesn't stop with our services, that's just the beginning! Our passion goes far beyond solving problems. We're also teachers and trainers. We want to connect with our clients on an educational level. We've created custom training classes for our clients to help their teams become better product designers. We can help our clients with their hiring needs too. Our job board can help our clients find other awesome product designers to join their teams! Education through sales.

Working with the ZURBians is an exciting, addictive experience. When we're excited about an idea, we get a twinkle in our eyes that border's madness. We make our own opportunities — we blaze our own trails. We're movers, shakers and crushers!

Want to learn more? Check out the complete Business Developer description and apply today!

Free information, as great as it sounds, will enslave us all

“While people are created equal, computers are not. When people share information freely, those who own the best computers benefit in extreme ways that are denied to everyone else. Those with the best computers can simply calculate wealth and power away from ordinary people.” Jaron Lanier is provoking as ever in this article for Quartz. [...]

The future of technology isn’t mobile, it’s contextual

In the coming years, there will be a shift toward contextual computing, writes Pete Mortensen of Jump Associates, defined in large part by Georgia Tech researchers Anind Dey and Gregory Abowd about a decade ago. “Always-present computers, able to sense the objective and subjective aspects of a given situation, will augment our ability to perceive [...]

Interview: “Hosting Todd Harple, INTEL Experience Engineer at ITC-ILO”.

Some time ago, we suggested to Todd Harple, an anthropologist at Intel, to consider doing his 10 week sabbatical here in Turin at the International Training Center of the International Labor Organization (a United Nations structure). His sabbatical is now coming to an end and our friends at ITC-ILO have now published an interview with [...]

UIE Book Corner: Russ Unger’s “Designing the Conversation”

Facilitation is an important skill, whether with collocated or remote teams. It drives conversation and collaboration. The ability to facilitate well is integral when conducting participatory design activities, giving a presentation, or even giving a virtual seminar. Russ joins Adam Churchill to discuss the book and the various types of facilitation in this podcast.

Big Data needs Thick Data

In the wake of Big Data, ethnographers can offer thick data, says Tricia Wang. In the face of the derisive mention of “anecdotes”, we ought to stand up to defend the value of stories. “Lacking the conceptual words to quickly position the value of ethnographic work in the context of Big Data, I have begun, [...]

Control and Transparency:What users want for their personal information

Control of personal information in the digital space, and particularly on mobile devices, presents a unique design challenge.

Most people aren’t aware that their personal data is being collected and shared. Many users don’t take the time to validate their expectations and most never read privacy policies.

People only seem to become aware of such concerns when something happens that doesn’t meet their expectations, such as seeing their friend’s picture in a Facebook ad or seeing banner ads that match their most recent purchase. And when people do become aware and their expectations are violated, trust in the brand is eroded.

People want transparency and control, but they want it on their...read more
By Ilana Westerman

Service Design: A catalyst for customer orientation

Service design is it, sort of. "Increased competitive pressure, technology convergence and changing user behaviors require a new approach to future-proof businesses and organizations. Service design has a track record of being a catalyst towards customer orientation, organizational alignment and improving the total customer experience." (Stefan Moritz ~ Veryday)

Lasers and bubbles

Memo Akten has been "messing around with real-time lasers". The video below shows him tracking (and projection-mapping onto) soap bubbles:

3D Scanning at the Smithsonian

Vince Rossi and Adam Metallo are currently in the process of capturing high quality, three-dimensional representations of the Smithsonian's most priceless and important collections. Their aim? To make the objects available to the public for research, education and general interest purposes. (Bravo!)