Aussies online

Good Aussie stats are rare indeed, particularly unbiassed ones.

ACMA has recently published "The internet services market and Australians in the online environment" which offers good local data with no hidden agenda and a strong sample size.

Some highlights from my own notes:

10.4 million active internet subscribers in Aus (up 17% for year)
8.2 million mobile handsets (up 21%)
83% of Aussies online, of which 74% daily
$143 billion in online orders last year (up 15%)
3.5 million Aussies interested in Internet TV
2.5 million interested in video call by TV
2.3 million went online to do a VOIP call in month of Dec 2010
8. Data downloaded over mobile up some 462% last year but still 91% of overall data is downloaded by fixed line

On blaming the client

In our industry a poor workman can't really blame his tools so the client is (all too) often framed. Client bagging is tiring to hear and in the long run it can only paint UX in a bad light.
Jordan Julien from UX Magazine offers some well presented strategies for getting the most from different types of client.

You're not a UX designer if you can't work well with your client. UX is not just about the user it's about internal relationships and doing good business too. As Paul Boag rightly points out;

"The truth is that business objectives should trump users’ needs every time. Generating a return on investment is more important for a website than keeping users happy". Paul Boag.

Read more in his excellent, flame-inviting Smashing Magazine article reminding some in UX to look beyond their monitor and yes, even the user from time to time.