Turn Usable Content into Winning Content
On writing well for the online environment:
"Findable. Scannable. Readable. Concise. Layered. We know much these days about how to make Web content usable—thanks to experts such as Robert Horn, Jakob Nielsen, Ginny Redish, and Gerry McGovern. What we don’t understand as well, however, is how to make content win users over to take the actions we want them to take or have the perceptions we want them to have. We don’t understand how to make Web content both usable and persuasive. I, by no means, intend to imply that we should sacrifice the usability of content to make it more persuasive. Truly winning content must be both."
Permalink | Sunday, March 02, 2008
A Visual Tutorial on the Creative Commons License
Simple, visual and with a story. Good tutorial on the creative commons license and why its important. [via Soulsoup]
Permalink | Friday, February 29, 2008
Starbucks training experiment - did it work?
"On Feb 26, 2008, Starbucks closed over 7,000 stores for a unique 3 hour company wide training effort. The following day, Elliott Masie visited the local Starbucks in Saratoga Springs, NY and did an in-depth interview with the store manager on the learning outcomes, processes and texture of this experiment."
Permalink | Friday, February 29, 2008
Starbucks Takes a 3-Hour Coffee Break
I really hope this works for Starbucks. It seems impossible to teach values and ways of a culture by having a 3 hour training session.
"In its campaign to revive the intimate, friendly feel of a neighborhood coffee shop, Starbucks orchestrated the closing of 7,100 of its American stores at precisely 5:30 p.m. for a three-hour retraining session for employees."
Permalink | Wednesday, February 27, 2008
Youth Olympics 2010 in Singapore
I got the goosebumps listening to Jacques Rogge make the announcement. Congrats Singapore!
Permalink | Friday, February 22, 2008
The Immutable Laws of Web Design and Development
Brian Fling of Blue Flavor has collected some of the most used laws in web development. Now I don't have to hunt them down. Here's my favorite:
Parkinson's Law: "Work expands so as to fill the time available for its completion."
Permalink | Tuesday, February 19, 2008
Minds on Fire: Open Education, the Long Tail, and Learning 2.0
John Seely Brown and Richard P. Adler talk about Learning 2.0 and how its going to impact how people learn.
"We now need a new approach to learning—one characterized by a demand-pull rather than the traditional supply-push mode of building up an inventory of knowledge in students’ heads. Demand-pull learning shifts the focus to enabling participation in flows of action, where the focus is both on “learning to be” through enculturation into a practice as well as on collateral learning."
Permalink | Sunday, February 17, 2008
Google apps - team edition
This was kind of expected: a secure team-based use of Google apps like document, spreadsheet, calendar and messaging. In the intro video, you can see that this is targeted at small companies and schools. Going by the crappy stuff out there in schools and universities, this should be widely embraced by teachers and students alike. Now only if they included Blogger into the fold.
Permalink | Thursday, February 07, 2008
Better Living Through Taxonomies
Heather Hedden writes about taxonomies for Digital Web Magazine:
"It goes without saying, then, that developing a good hierarchical structure is important for creating a well-designed and easy to navigate website. By understanding the fundamentals and best practices of taxonomy development, web designers and information architects can design better websites. This involves knowing whether concepts or topics are indeed of a broader-narrower (parent-child) relationship and not merely an associated relationship. A concept can be narrower to another concept only if it is a kind of, instance of, or part of the broader concept."
Permalink | Thursday, February 07, 2008
Quotable quotes
Here are some quotes that I've been collecting:
"You've got to learn your instrument. Then, you practice, practice, practice. And then, when you finally get up there on the bandstand, forget all that and just wail." -- Charlie Parker (1920-1955) Jazz musician
"To model an object is to possess it." -- Picasso
"Design is not just what it looks like or feels like, but how it works." -- Steve Jobs
"Worldly wisdom teaches that it is better for reputation to fail conventionally than to succeed unconventionally." -- General Theory of Employment, Interest and Money, John Maynard
"There is surely nothing quite so useless as doing with great efficiency what should not be done at all." -- Peter Drucker
"If I had 20 days to solve a problem, I would take 19 days to define it." -- Einstein
"The wise know too well their weakness to assume infallibility; and he who knows most, knows best how little he knows." -- Thomas Jefferson
"One test is worth a thousand expert opinions." -- Quoted by Bill Nye, scientist & mechanical engineer
"The dogmas of the quiet past are inadequate to the stormy present. The occasion is piled high with difficulty, and we must rise with the occasion. As our case is new, so we must think and act anew." -- Abraham Lincoln
"Truth springs from arguments among friends." -- David Hume, philosopher
There is a saying among airline pilots: "never do something that you have not visited in your mind ten minutes before". -- From the Airplane Disaster Investigation Series
Permalink | Thursday, February 07, 2008
Interactions Magazine now online
The Interactions Magazine is now online. Loads of in-depth articles from Primal interactions to an article on idioms and metaphors.
Permalink | Tuesday, February 05, 2008
7 Strategies for implementing corporate wikis
Industry Week reports on a study by the Society for Information Management's Advanced Practices Council (APC) on implementing corporate wikis. Here are the recommendations:
- Integrate the wiki as one of several important tools in an organization's IT collaboration architecture.
- Understand the wiki "rules of conduct" and ensure they are monitored and enforced.
- Optimize the use of wikis for collaborative knowledge creation across geographically dispersed employees, and for crossing divisional or functional boundaries, in order to gain insights from people not previously connected.
- Assign a champion to each wiki and have that champion observe contributions that people make to the wiki; the champion will help foster employees who adopt the important "shaper" role within the wiki.
- Recognize that the most difficult barrier to cross in sustaining a wiki is convincing people to edit others' work; organizations should ask their champion and managers to help with this.
- Recognize that a significant value of wikis comes from embedding small software programs into the wiki that structure repetitive behavior. Some include organizing meeting minutes, rolling up project status or scheduling meetings. Ask wiki participants to keep watching for repetitive activity to evolve and enhance wiki technology.
- Understand wikis are best used in work cultures that encourage collaboration. Without an appropriate fit with the workplace culture, wiki technology will be of limited value in sharing knowledge, ideas and practices.
Permalink | Thursday, January 31, 2008
Intranet governance 2.0
Paul Miller from the Intranet Benchmarking Forum (IBF) takes a jab at governance model that bridges all three types of intranet he identifies - traditional intranet, informal/flexible intranet (blogs, wikis) and the outside intranet (facebook). There's no harm in looking in these directions, but I think it matters more if we focus on delivering staff value based on current and future needs and behaviors. At some point, the three types will merge and then there will be just boundaries of relationships and identities.
Permalink | Monday, January 28, 2008
Noticeboard clutter
I took this photo at a clubhouse in Bangalore. This noticeboard contains important information such as changes in timing and polices. This arrangement gives me the creeps but I found old members patiently going through the information.
Permalink | Monday, January 28, 2008
40 Downloadable Open Source Social Software Applications
This list definitely needs to be bookmarked. Categories include Social Bookmarking, Social Filesharing, Social Networking and Social Search.
Permalink | Thursday, January 10, 2008
Best education apps for 2007
Tech Crunch links to Larry Ferlazzo post on top education startups of 2007. Cool stuff.
Permalink | Thursday, December 27, 2007
Taare Zameen Par
I don't usually watch hindi movies, let alone blog about them, but this one is unique. Taare Zameen Par, which translates to "stars on the ground" is a story about a slow learner, a dyslexic child, living in modern India. Actor/director Aamir Khan nicely portrays the web of ignorance around the mainstream Indian parents and their obsession with "toppers" and high scorers and the Indian education system, which strives to satisfy this obsession by way of rote and punishment. Caught in this web is a child who can't seem to understand why he can't fit in. Catch this movie if you can, you won't regret it.
Permalink | Monday, December 24, 2007
Two talks on learning & technolgy
Seb Schmoller links to Dylan Wiliam, Deputy Director of the Institute of Education talking about learning with technology and Peter Norvig, Director of Research at Google, talking about learning in teams. Notes, slides and MP3 recordings are available. [via David Weinberger]
Permalink | Sunday, December 23, 2007
Sketchboards
Brandon Schauer from Adaptive Path has written an article on another low-fidelity idea generating tool that he calls the "sketchboard".
"The sketchboard is a low-fi technique that makes it possible for designers to explore and evaluate a range of interaction concepts while involving both business and technology partners. Unlike the process that results from wireframe-based design, the sketchboard quickly performs iterations on many possible solutions and then singles out the best user experience to document and build upon."
Permalink | Thursday, December 20, 2007
Ostensive definition
Was listening to the Gary Klein conversation and came across a word he used - ostensive definition. Looked up Wikipedia and this is what it means:
"An ostensive definition conveys the meaning of a term by pointing out examples. This type of definition is often used where the term is difficult to define verbally, either because the words will not be understood (as with children and new speakers of a language) or because of the nature of the term (such as colors or sensations)."
Gary was talking about the fuzziness of words when trying to explain matters. Sometimes with only words, the true picture does not get communicated. Using concrete examples of action or behavior gets the message across much more effectively.
Permalink | Sunday, December 16, 2007
Blog on KM & intranets
Simon Goh is going through a major knowledge management project and is blogging his about his experiences. He has a post on preparing content for the intranet when you have a large pool of contributors. Good points. [Disclosure: we worked on the project together.]
Permalink | Saturday, December 15, 2007
10 Ways To Get Design Approval
Paul Boag gives us 10 ways to ensure that our designs get the sign off. A client I'm currently working with reminded me that is not enough to do research on users but to also understand and discover the real needs and wants of the stakeholders. I think this point, which Paul also lists down, is one that can tip the balance one way or the other.
Permalink | Friday, December 14, 2007
Typographic Contrast and Flow
Looking at styling your text? Nick La gives you a whirlwind tour of what goes into styling type. Short and sweet.
Permalink | Wednesday, December 12, 2007
Infographics: being and doing
Venkatesh Rajamanickam has written 2 articles on infographics. Part I is about defining infographics and Part 2 is about creating infographics. Wonderful stuff.
Permalink | Wednesday, December 12, 2007
Gary Klein on team knowledge
Head over to Patrick Lambe's chat with Gary Klein on team knowledge. Hats off to Patrick for making these gems available to the rest of us.
Permalink | Wednesday, December 12, 2007