Manifest Digital Human Experience Society

Symbol: Express Genus: Glyph Species: Action  Text: 1. a. delineate, depict; b. to represent in words: state; c. to give or convey a true impression of: show, reflect; d. to make known the opinions or feelings of (oneself); e. to give expression to the artistic or creative impulses or abilities of (oneself); f. to represent by sign or symbol: symbolize. 2. a. to force out (as the juice of a fruit) by pressure; b. to subject to pressure so as to extract something. … 4. to cause (a gene) to manifest its effects in the phenotype; also: to manifest or produce (a character, molecule, or...

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Symbol: Learn Genus: Glyph Species: Action Text: 1. to acquire knowledge of (a subject) or skill in (an art, etc.) as a result of study, experience, or teaching. Also, to commit to memory (passages of prose or verse) … 3. to acquire knowledge of (a fact); to become acquainted with or informed of (something) (Oxford English Dictionary) Interpretation: To judge by how often we talk about “learnings,” it may seem that those of us who are committed to user experience design judge our mental abilities by the number of facts we have accumulated. In point of fact, though, our methods embody the opposite assumption. No...

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One of the great things about the user-centered design process is that we don’t only tell people about their liabilities; oftentimes, we tell them about assets that they don’t understand or appreciate. As the Insight Labs team recently discovered, NASA has these in spades: a fantastic brand, international prestige, connections across the scientific community, and unique identification with some of humanity’s boldest aspirations. Yet they still have trouble getting respect on Capitol Hill. Jeff Leitner is Dean of the Labs, the nonprofit initiative housed at Manifest. He recently spoke with InnovationNewsDaily reporter Jeremy Hsu about the strategic session the group convened at NASA’s Langley Research...

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Symbol: Reflect Genus: Glyph Species: Action Text: “1. [with obj.] (of a surface or body) throw back (heat, light, or sound) without absorbing it; (of a mirror or shiny surface) show an image of; embody or represent (something) in a faithful or appropriate way; (of an action or situation) bring (credit or discredit) to the relevant parties; [no obj.] bring about a good or bad impression of. 2. [no obj.] think deeply or carefully about.” (New Oxford American Dictionary) Interpretation: Mirrors have become so common in modern life that looking in one too often is taken as a symbol of superficiality or vanity. But imagine...

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Manifest has long been a teaching company. Several employees have offered courses at DePaul University, and designers hope to transfer knowledge to clients with every project. Now User Experience Director Carolyn Chandler and company founder Jim Jacoby are teaming up with a new educational venture to offer even more ways for the world to learn about user-centered design. The Manifesters are offering a course through Code Academy, a new company helping people with startup concepts connect to the programming and design skills they need to make them happen. Chandler is serving as the lead instructor for a intensive 12-week Web Design course built around user-experience...

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What is a brand? The term has commonly come to be associated with advertising: logos, jingles, a particular color palette. But the origins of the term – the marks burned into the hides of cattle on the range – connote something much more visceral. Even in our present, less painful understanding of the term, a brand is something that needs to be experienced – otherwise it’s just a bunch of pretty pictures. This truth was recently reiterated by Daniel Ash of Chicago Public Media in an interview with the staff of Insight Labs, the non-profit initiative conceived at Manifest. Ash, the public media group’s Vice...

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In Chicago, “flash mob” has recently taken on a frightening connotation, so it hardly seems like the appropriate term for the Web-coordinated labor of love that will take place in Millennium Park this Friday. But it’s something like that. On that date (11/11/11) at 11:11 a.m., people from throughout the world (including more than a dozen Manifesters) will gather for a mysterious happening hosted by Amy Krouse Rosenthal. A children’s author, NPR contributor, and all-around creative type, Krouse Rosenthal will also debut her film “The Beckoning of Lovely” at gatherings throughout the world at that same moment. The story of “The Beckoning of Lovely” began...

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Since its publication in 2009, A Project Guide to UX Design by Russ Unger and Carolyn Chandler has become a standard work for students hoping to master the user experience field, as well as a guide for members of other professions who need to understand UX. In early 2012, the pair will release a new edition of the book to keep up with the ever-changing needs of the UX community and those they serve.  Chandler, Manifest’s User Experience Director, recently sat down with Andrew Benedict-Nelson, Content Director of Insight Labs, to talk about the book. Their conversation below explores what readers can expect from the...

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We are often told to “think globally, act locally.” But rallying people to save the creek in their backyard is a very different proposition from asking them to reduce their carbon footprint and stop global warming. Somewhere between the individual and planetary levels can be found the most appropriate actions for companies, cities, states, and nations to take – but what are they? That was the problem facing the Illinois Commerce Commission last December when it partnered with Insight Labs, the non-profit initiative conceived at Manifest. In conjunction with thinkers from the private, non-profit, and public sectors, the Lab developed various ways that the ICC...

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