There is a new buzzphrase that has emerged. Apparently, we are entering the age of experience. The future will tell if this, like many other things, will pass or stick. However, one thing is certain, people that build products and offer services are becoming more and more aware of the need to provide the user with an experience that matches their expectations.
The deeper trend that this reveals is that there will be more demand for products to be designed instead of just being put together haphazardly. The corollary to this is that more and more people will be put in a position to make design decisions. And many of these people will not be professional designers.
A few weeks ago, while I was at a conference, someone asked the speaker: “How to we deal with developers that think that they are designers?”.
I don't remember who answered the question at the time but I remember the answer: “They are designers; Everyone is a designer”.
In short, everyone designs, we all make design decisions all the time when we do mundane things like shopping for furniture or pick clothes. That doesn't mean that all the design decisions we make are good. The responsibility of professional designers in this case is to help people with less design knowledge to make the right decisions and spend the time to educate them on what is bad design. Sometimes, a little bit of knowledge goes a long way.
Coincidentally, on my wait to the airport after the conference, I struck a conversation with the cab driver. He asked me why I was in town and I told him that I was at a conference about web application design. He went on and told me about his web site and how he was designing it and he barraged me with questions all the way to the airport. As I was stepping into the airport he followed-me to the door and asked: “If you had one tip, just one, what would it be?”
I gave him some random advice about not making his users work for nothing (like filling forms and whatnot). He thanked, me gave me the URL of his web site (he was selling African coffee online) and I went in the airport.
I have had some time to think about this a little more since then. I would probably answer something completely different today like: “Buy Don't make me think and read it.”
But that is not the true morale of the story. The most important is that any little bit of knowledge about design is worth sharing. Because, whether it is by choice or not; Everyone is a designer. And I never know when I might need to order some African coffee online and at that time, I'll be happy that I don't have to fill-out all those extra forms that he was going to put in his web site.
Monday, May 17, 2010
Friday, May 07, 2010
Keeping my MacBook cool
Since I got my MacBook, I have been plagued with random Kernel Panics that, at first I though were all related to specific software. But as time went on, seemed more and more random. Usually, they happened at the end of the day and didn't seem to be related to a particular piece of software.
After a while, I was suspecting a problem with heat buildup. I had noticed that, after a day of usage at the office, my MPB would be really warm to the touch when I packed it to go home. After installing iStat nano, I observed that the temperature would get all the way to 70C and yet, the fan would remain steady at 2000 rmp.
I had observed that the fan would speed-up when I was doing something CPU intensive but the speed didn't seem to be related to the CPU temperature, only CPU usage. That seemed odd to me as I use the computer all day and the CPU rarely spikes very long. So the heat kept building up and I kept getting Kernel Panics.
3 weeks ago, I found and installed Fan Control. A little control panel utility that monitors the CPU temperature and changes the minimum fan speed for me as the temperature changes throughout the day.
My MPB now remains under 60C all day and I haven't had an unexplained kernel panic since.
After a while, I was suspecting a problem with heat buildup. I had noticed that, after a day of usage at the office, my MPB would be really warm to the touch when I packed it to go home. After installing iStat nano, I observed that the temperature would get all the way to 70C and yet, the fan would remain steady at 2000 rmp.
I had observed that the fan would speed-up when I was doing something CPU intensive but the speed didn't seem to be related to the CPU temperature, only CPU usage. That seemed odd to me as I use the computer all day and the CPU rarely spikes very long. So the heat kept building up and I kept getting Kernel Panics.
3 weeks ago, I found and installed Fan Control. A little control panel utility that monitors the CPU temperature and changes the minimum fan speed for me as the temperature changes throughout the day.
My MPB now remains under 60C all day and I haven't had an unexplained kernel panic since.
Monday, May 03, 2010
Do everything you can
In my last passage at the Pearson International airport in Toronto, I stopped over at one of the restaurants for a bite to eat. While waiting for my food, I observed a message stuck to the register on the counter. It said: "Do everything you can to make the traveler's life better."
I realize that the piece of paper stuck to the monitor is just a reminder. And that there is probably a better message that was given to the staff of the restaurant to give it context or meaning. Or was there?
I can definitely see the management wanting to get a better performing organization hiring a consultant. I can see the consultant telling them that they needed to have a vision statement for their organization. They lock themselves in a room for a day and collectively author this vision statement: At Molson's T1 lounge, we make everything we can to make the traveler's life better. And then the managers come back and organize a company gathering and serve drinks and present the company vision in a nice PowerPoint.
Although the statement is short and memorable (the business consultant told them that the vision statement had to be short and memorable), it does not have much meaning by itself. The individual employee, the one that didn't participate in authoring the statement, is left with two important questions: Where is the limit of "everything I can do"? and; What does it meant to make the traveler's life better?
I have learned last week that the solution is to make the vision concrete. You are trying to define an experience for the traveler so you need to tell the story from the traveler's standpoint and not the company's. To do this from the traveler's point of view, you need to create a clear picture of that traveler. In other words, a persona representing this traveler. You need to know enough about him to know what is important to him and what are his goals. After all, you cannot make his life better if you do not know what his goals are.
Once you now the person that you are trying to help, you need to create an instance of the vision. A context that the employees can use to guide their own interpretation of the vision. For example, you could tell the story of the traveler missing his connection an having a hard time getting home. Show how the employee at the bar can help make this traveler's life better by serving him food and, while he is eating, making a phone call to help him to get another flight or lodging.
In an situation like this restaurant, you might want to pick 2 or 3 personas to tell stories around. To make the story easier to tell and remember, you could make a small comic-book or short movie to show to employees this instantiation of the vision. Once you have seen such a video, you don't need a reminder on your monitor. The message becomes really concrete and memorable. This is a key element of creating a compelling experience for the traveler.
All employees at this restaurant are design agents of the traveler's experience. And they cannot design a compelling experience for the traveler if they do not have a clear picture in their minds of the vision for this experience. Making the vision concrete is an essential step in achieving this.
And you; Can you articulate in a concrete way the vision of your company from the point of view of your customer or your end-user?
I realize that the piece of paper stuck to the monitor is just a reminder. And that there is probably a better message that was given to the staff of the restaurant to give it context or meaning. Or was there?
I can definitely see the management wanting to get a better performing organization hiring a consultant. I can see the consultant telling them that they needed to have a vision statement for their organization. They lock themselves in a room for a day and collectively author this vision statement: At Molson's T1 lounge, we make everything we can to make the traveler's life better. And then the managers come back and organize a company gathering and serve drinks and present the company vision in a nice PowerPoint.
Although the statement is short and memorable (the business consultant told them that the vision statement had to be short and memorable), it does not have much meaning by itself. The individual employee, the one that didn't participate in authoring the statement, is left with two important questions: Where is the limit of "everything I can do"? and; What does it meant to make the traveler's life better?
I have learned last week that the solution is to make the vision concrete. You are trying to define an experience for the traveler so you need to tell the story from the traveler's standpoint and not the company's. To do this from the traveler's point of view, you need to create a clear picture of that traveler. In other words, a persona representing this traveler. You need to know enough about him to know what is important to him and what are his goals. After all, you cannot make his life better if you do not know what his goals are.
Once you now the person that you are trying to help, you need to create an instance of the vision. A context that the employees can use to guide their own interpretation of the vision. For example, you could tell the story of the traveler missing his connection an having a hard time getting home. Show how the employee at the bar can help make this traveler's life better by serving him food and, while he is eating, making a phone call to help him to get another flight or lodging.
In an situation like this restaurant, you might want to pick 2 or 3 personas to tell stories around. To make the story easier to tell and remember, you could make a small comic-book or short movie to show to employees this instantiation of the vision. Once you have seen such a video, you don't need a reminder on your monitor. The message becomes really concrete and memorable. This is a key element of creating a compelling experience for the traveler.
All employees at this restaurant are design agents of the traveler's experience. And they cannot design a compelling experience for the traveler if they do not have a clear picture in their minds of the vision for this experience. Making the vision concrete is an essential step in achieving this.
And you; Can you articulate in a concrete way the vision of your company from the point of view of your customer or your end-user?
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)