My Shoe Calendar on Friday the 13th

I figured I’d squeeze in this post before the end of the first Friday the 13th of 2012 (the first of three such days this year separated by 13 weeks). Perhaps it’s my empathetic spirit, but 13 is actually my favorite number. It is partly because it has such a bad rep that I thought to make it a favorite number a long time ago. But while this is how it started, adopting 13 as a favorite number has grown to shade my perspective beyond this numeric empathy.

If I look back on my day today and my Friday the 13ths in the past, the good and bad of that history is probably mixed. Today in particular, I had a few bad things – woke up late, troublesome clients to contend with, worked even later when I got home – but there were also plenty of good things to appreciate of the day. I have great and supportive co-workers who made the day enjoyable, connected with a few friends about things going on in their lives, and one of my co-workers even helped me get a lovely (but large) floral arrangement I received the other day home.

My take on the number 13 is that while I believe superstition isn’t unwarranted, I also think it’s healthier to adopt an attitude that recognizes that bad (and not-so-great) things happen…they happen all the time. And fully recognizing that, fully embracing it, allows you to appreciate and look out equally (if not more so) for the good.

One of my New Year’s resolutions (#7 actually!) states:

Live every day focused on balance and maintain an outlook toward beauty even when things aren’t quite beautiful.

I think embracing the good and bad of 13 helps me do that. Now – the number 4 on the other hand – don’t EVEN get me started…!

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I bought these earrings myself.  $25.  Church silent auction.  They’re butterflies – something anyone who keeps up-to-date with on this blog realizes is a favorite symbol of mine.

But despite the lack of cost (and let’s face it, almost lack of diamond), there’s something about being able to tell myself that I bought my first diamond earrings all by myself.  There’s something in that message that I’ve always found empowering.

I find many jewels beautiful, but the diamond has this reputation that’s hard to shake as being a gemstone of worth in society.  My earrings are certainly not like the baubles on the fingers of celebrities that roam this town.  And that’s fine.  I grasp not at the diamond as this visual object since obviously most people would likely not see them in my earrings without squinting (maybe), but rather how much this fraction of something could hold more worth than even the largest diamond.

Don’t get me wrong.  If someone wanted to give me the Cullinan diamond I wouldn’t necessarily say no, but my desire for that would be monetary.  I don’t love these earrings because they’re $25.  I love them because they remind me that no matter where I am in life and the future, achievements don’t have to be grand; they don’t even have to glimmer like diamonds in the sun to be worth more than even the largest diamond in the world.

Ultimately you define for your own self what it means to be successful and happy.  If it’s about getting the largest diamond in the world (or heck – the universe!), by all means go ahead, but remember the steps that took you there and enjoy every minute of the journey as if they were tiny diamonds you bought all by yourself.

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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.