1. They had passed the 1 million grassroots donors mark.
2. 147,281 donors were from California.
3. 43 donors were named Charity.

…like me!  But best of all, it sends me to a great interactive infographic.

A few good points for online e-government/political outreach:

• User Personalization is pretty awesome when you want to make me feel specific in a group of a million.
• Infographics are a fun way to break down information.  I love charts and GOOD.is Infographics anyone?
• Interactivity takes the infographic to another level.  You can toggle through data, put user input, see data break downs by day of the week, dollar amount, location, etc.

If only more government data was more transparent and interactive all the time!  With data sites like data.gov and datasf.org, one day soon I hope!

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Eye tracking technologies can be extremely expensive, making it inaccessible to those looking to broaden their understanding of user behavior and actions.  EyeGuide™’s under $1500 price tag (with additional discounts for multi-unit, education, government, and non-profit) creates a more feasible and affordable reality for everyone.  A few other bonuses:

• The system works with people wearing glasses, kids, and older adults.
• It is also the only product that currently runs on both PC and Mac platforms.

After sharing this video on my Google Plus account, my web designer friend Hyemin noted:

I like that it doesn’t rely on users’ ability to recall their recent actions in getting feedback on usability; it records their actions as they happen.

Capturing data and being able to analyze different outputs provides vital information in improving and understanding user behavior, particularly, behavior that may be beyond a user’s own perception.  EyeGuide™’s FAQ indicates a broad audience that can use eye tracking technology – “software companies, marketing and advertising professionals, web designers, educators, psychologists, usability researchers, even doctors.”

I’m pretty excited to see where this will take web design specifically, given the impact that it might have across a number of fields I work in – e-government, public arts, marketing, etc.  The more we understand about the user experience, the better usability we can implement.

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**Yes, my website is featured on this video.

I think this might be the first time I’ve seen a woman (Emmy Huang) as a featured presenter at a major tech event. #AdobeMax – intellichick 10/4/2011

This was nicely retweeted by Adobe SVP of Global Marketing Ann Lewnes with a “Go Emmy!”  My friend Jesse begged to differ, tweeting back to me:

Google has had several women introduce features in the past, and Apple has had female developers on stage. –jlevin 10/4/2011

While I do hope that is true, I don’t recall this.  That hopeful likelihood aside, there was definitely a great feeling about seeing a woman presenting at a major technology event.  This moment was perhaps further highlighted by the fact that Emmy Huang was the only female presenter on this second-day session I was watching. 

I’ve grown up being a techie because I love technology.  This domain name was inspired in part from being that random girl that talked tech with her guy friends in high school. 

The timeframe from Ada Lovelace to Emmy Huang at AdobeMax makes me think about a number of things. 

1. My gender is really awesome.  Lovelace existed in a timeframe where women were really limited in their opportunities outside of the home.
2. The fact that success can be garnered then and now tells me that to be a successful person is to think outside of the box and trust in what you love and want to do (see also Thanks for Thinking Differently: In Memory of Steve Jobs). 
3. While I wholeheartedly believe in the recognition of great minds and people, regardless of gender, the visibility of women in technology is very important.

On the third note, if you asked me to name the names I automatically associate as the faces of technology today, I would probably give you the names of men.  This tells me I need to be more educated and an advocate, but it also makes me think how much it would have meant to me growing up having a powerful history of women’s names and faces as part of my understanding of technology, how much it obviously means to me now writing this.   

I’m glad that we are a more educated society and the opportunity to share information across multiple mediums is done with relative ease: Forbes’ list of “The Most Powerful Women in Technology”, Facebook shares, blog posts, and Twitter lists such as “ada list – “50 ace women tweeters who have some connection sci, tech, environment and/or health.”  I am also very glad to be educated on the power of women sway online through sites like Michele Miller’s Wonderbranding.com.  But I think there’s a certain level of visibility that I haven’t really perceived, that perhaps we are at the cusp of breaking the mold of (I hope). 

Perhaps one day I’ll turn around and say “God there’s so many women in technology, I can’t keep track!” 

“You can’t connect the dots looking forward; you can only connect them looking backwards. So you have to trust that the dots will somehow connect in your future. You have to trust in something — your gut, destiny, life, karma, whatever. This approach has never let me down, and it has made all the difference in my life.”

– Steve Jobs, Stanford Commencement Speech 2005

I received the news of Steve Jobs’ passing while in my online class session – in front of the only Mac in my predominantly Windows-OS office, in front of my iPad that had my reading materials, in front of my iPhone where I kept watch of my work emails.  I never met the man personally, but in that moment I was very cognizant that this human being who had just passed away was very connected to how I live my life as another human being in this world. 

The quote above from Steve Jobs talks about making connections and trusting in something within yourself, but I think there’s something to be said about a man who was not only an innovative and creative thinker, but one who believed in something enough to make things happen for himself and others.  There are so few people in the world that can conceive of “dots” that do not yet exist for themselves – the kind of perspective to drive the framework of their own life – let alone that that framework could be something that involves the lives of so many others.

And if Steve Jobs’ life and legacy is a reflection of the power of perseverance, of thinking outside of the box, and belief in oneself – how much greater the world might be if we all began to do the same.

Rest in Peace, Steve Jobs.  Thanks for thinking differently.

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• considers the user
• leverages interest in free content
• shows Amazon’s positive offerings. 

Additionally, it’s also not at all intrusive – disappearing the moment someone starts typing.

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