When recruiting for usability testing, is the person’s job/profession important? If they are a UX professional, will their test still be valid? This question came up when one of my staff members told me they had been recruited to participte in a test by a local company (who probably reads this blog occasionally, btw) who did not ask what she did for a living. I had to think that as someone who prepares for an observes a fair number of usability tests, this person might not make the best test subject. Is my instinct correct, or is profession irrelevant when it comes to testing?

Mark it down. September 12, 2006. The day that changed everything. The day that brought the TV/Internet convergence era from a theory to a reality.

Amazingly enough, it came as an afterthought to a press release about the new iTunes software. While it is cool and interesting that Apple is now offering more TV shows than ever and feature length movies for download, this is not the groundbreaking news I’m talking about.

No, I’m talking about the announcement of the tentatively-titled ‘iTV’, a novel-sized device that allows users to wirelessly stream iTunes video to their TV sets. Just like the iPod didn’t invent the mp3 or the mp3 player, iTV does not invent this technology — I could rig this up on my LCD TV today quite easily. It will, however, just as the iPod did, bring this technology to the mainstream. (And I’m not even one of those crazy Mac people!)

According to Apple, the videos will also now be offered at near-DVD quality, which pretty much makes this new device and software package an immediate competitor to Cable OnDemand services and DVDs (rentals, sales and online memberships). It pretty much turns the world of TV on its head!

So, a few years from now, when the way we acquire and watch video content is totally different than it was in 2006, remember this day. And remember that you heard it here first.

So the other day I was talking to a friend of mine and explaining a bit about what I do, basically the concept of Human-Computer Interaction. When I used this phrase, she started chuckling to herself — apparently she had watched the Daily Show the night before and seen a Samantha Bee piece on, um, taking a robot as a lover.

Yeah, that’s not quite what I meant by Human-Computer Interaction.

(You can see this video on Comedy Central’s site. Obviously it is not for the easily offended.)