Trip O'Dell's personal blog. My views and opinions are my own. I talk about UX, strategy, technology, inclusive design, disability and accessibility, trends and other silly things intent on changing the world.
I lead world-class, multidisciplinary product design teams obsessed with solving hard human problems. I am an optimist who uses technology and innovation as a lens to identify disruptive opportunities, improve people’s lives, and drive business results.
I build teams, guide strategy, envision possibilities, drive innovation, and partner with business and engineering leaders to craft and launch breakthrough services and products that make customers feel powerful and smart.
I am fascinated by the weird and wonderful ways people learn, interact with, and use technology to adapt to the world around them. As a former teacher and coach, I am motivated by a desire to help people learn and grow. As a dyslexic, I see technology as a powerful tool that removes impediments to a diversity of problems, freeing people to thrive and achieve on their own merits.
My experience includes:
• K-12 products for children and education
• Adaptive games and interactive learning environments for museums and public spaces
• Public health initiatives to improve the lives of children
• Voice-based interfaces, including shopping, communications, home automation, accessibility, and more for Amazon Alexa
• In-vehicle navigation and listening experiences
Most success comes down to being in the right place at the right time with the right mix of skills, hustle, and the willingness to “wing it” like you know what you’re doing until you learn a better way. My career has more twists and turns than most (as I said, I get lost a lot), but that doesn’t mean I’ve been randomly wandering, I’ve always had a calling to make a difference; eventually, it led me to design.
Read MoreWe have different, but authentic features of our personalities that we share on day by day basis. Our quirks and flaws are part of that package.
That’s complicated in the age of Social Media. Not standing out carries serious risks when it comes to our professional lives, particularly if (like me) you’re part of “Generation-X.” How do you communicate you’re “all that and a bag of chips” without coming off like a poseur’?
The killer feature of Voice Agents like Alexa is their most basic function. They respond like a person, or at least a credible simulation of a person. A computer that talks back to you seems more real — even when you know it isn’t.
In a world that seems to find it very difficult to treat all people like human beings, there is an ethical danger in confusing a thing with a person.
Read MoreThe one consolation is that Santa will likely go out this year in a blaze of glory worthy of Oliver Stone. My daughter has planned a text book, military-grade ambush for Santa Claus. And I almost missed it because, like her father, she is dyslexic.
Read MoreThe Golden Globes were announced today, and quite predictably, HBO, AMC, and Netflix beat the big three broadcast networks in nominations, again.
It's funny to me that the entertainment press is consistently shocked by the fact that subscription television (premium cable and streaming) is trumping "stalwart" established networks ( Fox/CBS/NBC/ABC ).
http://bigstory.ap.org/article/hbo-leads-tv-categories-9-globe-nominations
The following quote is telling:
"The true measure for Netflix will be if they can sustain the initial success with additional programs and also if they can show what kind of impact their shows have had beyond critics; you can't find out how many people watched "House of Cards" like you can know how many people see "Scandal" each week, for example..."
Read MoreAs someone who grew up in the "hey mom, watch this!" 70's and 80's, I have an almost knee-jerk reaction to the foam-padded, glutten-free world of play dates, and sensitivity my three children are growing up in.
Car seats are awkward, difficult to install (correctly), uncomfortable to work around, and almost universally covered in a disgusting, sticky residue consisting of old gold fish crackers, apple juice, and bodily fluids.
Read MoreSo, I'm horrible at Twitter, I mean, REALLY bad.
I like to use big words and often struggle to boil my thinking down to 140 characters, especially when I'm talking about design. (Although let's be honest - Twitter shouldn't count the characters in URLs, that just seems cheap. Come on Twitter, now that you've IPO'd, you can afford a few extra characters!)
Anyway, I like to gab, and I'm frequently delusional enough to believe that other people might be interested in what I'm thinking about - especially as it pertains to user experience.
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