In running a small consultancy, I'm always looking for ways for everyone to communicate more effectively, use our time more efficiently and just reduce the mental energy and frustration that we all expend on 'preparing' to get work done. Our team has been expanding both in number and in geography and the importance of keeping projects organized and communication streamlined has become a major issue in a very short time.
I've been thinking more and more lately that if the tools we're using are properly chosen, maintained and used effectively, it makes us all happier, more satisfied in our work and better at what we do. Which is what everyone wants, right? The virtuoso in any field is not encumbered by the tools, but just executes.
In working with new members of our team in Austin, we recently ran into the simple, yet complicated issue of scheduling through a shared calendar and having the ability to see blocked and available time for everyone on the team.
This certainly is straightforward requirement for anyone in business, more so if the team is geographically dispersed. It turned out to be quite a problem.
Clearwired is a Mac shop and we have been for quite some time, but out of the box, iCal does not support calendar sharing. A CalDav server is required to be running. After researching the options for getting CalDav up and running, I was shocked that such a necessary tool is not available out of the box on the Mac. This is one of the many shortcomings that I have been encountering as we set about to streamline our operations and where I have been disappointed at the lack of business support on the Mac.
Without droning on about Spanning Sync, BusySync, Daylite, etc. All of which we have used at some point in time, as fully invested solutions or complicated, error-prone workarounds, we have settled upon Zimbra Collaboration Suite.
It's been three weeks now, and so far so good. It does not solve our CRM needs (future post coming on that topic), but it certainly has taken the pain out of coordinating calls and meetings, email management and of course "light" document sharing. We have run into some annoyances, namely the issue of not being able to email or upload any files with the .plist extension (Pages, Numbers, Omnigraffle files). All file types using property lists must be zipped prior to uploading or attaching. I do not necessarily pin this on Zimbra, but more on Apple for building a productivity suite that is not compatible with the rest of the planet.
One bonus of using Zimbra, which is running Exchange server, is that I am now using the new Nokia Mail for Exchange s60 app to keep contacts, schedule, email and tasks synced between Zimbra and my Nokia e71. And this has been absolute productivity nirvana.
I'm always interested in hearing how others are solving these issues, if you have solutions that work for you, spill the beans.
Quick link to a BusinessWeek book review "How Great Design Makes People Love Your Company". I've been gravitating toward the concept that traditional marketing is (dare I say) dead. And the age of customer/user experience is upon us. Philosophically, I cannot think of any slice of marketing or business strategy that cannot be absorbed by big User Experience.
Looks like some people are a little bit upset about this. My attitude has been changing toward Apple a bit over the past few months. I'll try to get a longer post up about where I think Apple is headed. It's quite an interesting time for service design. I think companies like Apple and Nike are definitely forging new ground.
I recently did my due diligence and settled on a Nokia e71, running the Symbian s60 platform. I replaced a Blackberry Curve which was working out okay, but like many users, I just wasn't feeling that I was getting everything that I wanted in my smartphone.
What to say about the e71 without gushing. It's been like an extension of my hand for the past three weeks. What have I been using it for specifically? Here is a short list:
Those are the big benefits that I see of the e71 so far (other obvious ones being full qwerty keyboard and a massive replaceable battery). To bring this hurried post full circle. I recently downloaded Nokia SportsTracker. I'll post in a few weeks once I've used it on some runs and share my thoughts.
Some links:
http://sportstracker.nokia.com/
http://www.skyfire.com/
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u4VkGs_pXm0
http://www.joiku.com/
http://www.s60.com/life
http://www.fring.com
There's just something so very simple and yet compelling about the New York Times' interactive map of Olympic medals.
I love the fold on a web page. Especially it's sense of mystery of what's beyond the viewable area of the page. The possibilities. But the fold remains controversial because we always wonder if users actually scroll.
One of the most recurrent questions asked of us is how we create personas. Everyone wants to know the secret sauce. Before I spill the beans, it's more important to ask, "Why even create a persona?"
One of the challenges we sometimes face is explaining how search works and what results should be returned when users search a site. Oftentimes if the search doesn't return the exact result the user is searching for then the search is "broken".
It's amazing what people tell you when you're conducting user research. It can be a virtual outpouring of angst, desire and need. I recently experienced this while conducting user research for a large web application redesign project.
A few weeks back, I attended the first ever IxDA international conference, Interactions 08. This wasn't a hodgepodge conference. It had a singular purpose: to discuss and promote the discipline of Interaction Design.
This friday I leave for Savannah to attend the first ever Interaction Designer Association conference.
"Here, if you have a milkshake, and I have a milkshake, and I have a straw. There it is, that's a straw, you see? Watch it."
Last week I had the pleasure to catch Scott McCloud speaking on his 50 state Making Comics tour. His book Understanding Comics is classic. The cross-over between comics and the filed of experience design (inclusive of interaction design–especially IxD–and information architecture) is uncanny. It seems that this relationship continues in his new book Making Comics; which I have yet to buy. Scott’s passion is definitely comics and he is an astute observer and scholar of comics form. Though I have never been much of a comic book reader, I do love comic strips in the paper. So I felt a bit out of place at the talk, I did find some–again–uncanny crossover between Scott’s world of comics and mine.
I was totally stoked to find out that Scott McCloud, author of one of my favorite books: Understanding Comics, is going to be speaking in Albuquerque on Wednesday, July 18th as part of the Making Comics Tour. Here are the details:
Wednesday, July 18, 7:00 PM
The Art Center Design College, 5000 Marble NE
admission: $10 general admission
get info: 505-344-4542
Hope to see you there!
An article I wrote on, "What Puts the Design in Interaction Design", was published in the July 2007 issue of UX Matters. Take a look.