An Empathetic Listener : UX

Architect Innovation Cafe – Webcast Series

Dan Willis — Sat, 10 Oct 2009 00:35:08 GMT

Each month through June 2010, we’ll bring you a 90-minute Architect focused Webcast to educate on the latest trends/topics and how new technologies can align with your business needs.

October 27, 2009 at 11:00am – 12:30pm PST

Title: An Architect’s perspective on Silverlight 3

Presenter: Tim Heuer

Abstract: Many .NET developers are becoming more and more interested in the Rich Internet Application development space, and in particular Silverlight. In this session we will step back from a detailed implementation technology and take a higher level look at Silverlight from the architect’s perspective. We will discuss the types of applications where Silverlight makes sense and some scenarios where Silverlight may not be the appropriate technology. We will also delve into some of the architectural decisions that the architect must consider when writing applications for this platform and where some of the tradeoffs may lie.

Event ID: 1032427862

Link to Register: An Architect’s perspective on Silverlight 3

October 28, 2009 at 11:00am – 12:30pm PST

Title: Deploying Windows 7 from an Infrastructure Architect’s Perspective

Presenter: Doug Klokow

Abstract:

We’ll discuss 5 key areas centered on deploying Windows 7: Developing business justification – Evaluate the capabilities provided by Windows 7 and develop a plan for how to realize business value from these solutions; Where are you today – Explore the differences of preparing for Windows 7 based on your current desktop operating system; Application readiness – Explore the tools and resources available to gain insight into your readiness to deploy Windows 7, Internet Explorer 8, and/or Office 2007/2010; Deployment readiness – Explore the tools and resources available to create a design and deployment solution for your enterprise; Training your employees – Discuss available resources for training your IT Staff and End Users.

Event ID: 1032427863

Link to Register: Deploying Windows 7 from an Infrastructure Architect’s Perspective

Expression 3 – More than You think!

Dan Willis — Sun, 30 Aug 2009 10:05:26 GMT

One of the best things about working at Microsoft (sorry, it’s about the only way to say it…) are the phenomenal people you meet and in some cases actually get to work with. I was with a “boatload” (pirate joke - you had to be there) of such folk earlier this week at a meeting in San Diego.

To say I learned a lot is an understatement. I took notes as is my style but I left my (paper) notebook on a conference room table and won’t see it until it is returned in the mail this week. In the meantime I want to call out just one of the more interesting folks in our group that I met for the first time in San Diego.

Jason Campbell is a User Experience Evangelist (or UXE in Microsoft-speak) for the West region. UXE’s are on the front line of changing the way we look at data, design, and systems in general. I was initially exposed to their unique contributions by Jason’s colleague, Will Tschumy. Jason and Will are key conduits for Microsoft to the design community in general and to design agencies in particular as they become more crucial to the effective delivery of systems.

This is a tip of the iceberg example, but I was enamored with Jason’s latest video in his series on new features in Expression 3 Blend. In “Intro to Sample Data” Jason takes us through a test drive of Expressions ability to provide sample data for building an application and easily manipulating the interface and data access approaches to the underlying data. No database needed! Enjoy!

Microsoft Silverlight 3 and Expression 3 Launch

Dan Willis — Tue, 07 Jul 2009 20:33:09 GMT

Microsoft Silverlight 3 and Expression 3 will be unveiled at a virtual launch event on July 10, 2009. Attend the event at www.seethelight.com on July 10 to watch the keynote sessions and see new in-depth sessions. Stroll through the customer and partner pavilions in the Exhibition Hall or stop by 'The Visual Kitchen' TV show and watch the chefs as they dish up digital designs and development entrees as part of this exclusively produced online experience.

Enter the "Will Code for Green" Developer Contest

Bing and Gnomedex are sponsoring a Will Code for Green developer contest. Make the world a little better, win US$10,000, plus be featured at Gnomedex. Create a green app using the Live Search API with any tech platform or language.

PING Uses Visualization Technologies to Help Golfers

Dan Willis — Thu, 11 Jun 2009 07:08:14 GMT

Almost everyone in the golf world is familiar with Karsten Solheim, the founder of PING Golf. Karsten and PING pioneered many of the innovations in club fitting and has long been the key player in the market for custom clubs. Recently, PING embarked on an ambitious effort to radically improve the process of club fitting and to give the consumer a more scientifically accurate and visually compelling fitting experience. Enter nFlight®.

According to the PING website, “nFlight uses PING's proven multi-step fitting processes for metal woods, irons and wedges to guide the fitter through the process. Familiar concepts such as the interview, static measurements and color code remain part of the process. In addition to providing detailed club specifications, nFlight includes a gapping analysis feature to make full set recommendations. By analyzing data from three clubs hit during the fitting session - typically a hybrid, iron and wedge - the software configures a set to produce proper distance gaps between every club.”

This rather dry description masks some wonderful software engineering and visualization techniques inherent in the nFlight app. After pursuing a more “conventional” process for a period of some months, the engineers at PING discovered the power of Microsoft Expression Blend and Windows Presentation Foundation (WPF). Combining these toolsets with Visual Studio 2008, the developers working with their design team were able to achieve significant improvements in developer productivity and developer/designer efficiency. The combination of PING’s years of experience and the scientific (especially physics) principles applied to this effort have made this a superior implementation for the fitter, the customer and PING.

I was excited to see this product come out and validate the Expression/Visual Studio productivity concept and I encourage you to review the excellent resources noted here for more details:

John Mullinax’s blog – Details on the technologies used

Microsoft case studies – White paper and Video

Ping Web Site – nFlight fitting section – Video also

Engineering Details – PING team discusses the science of fitting

TAG – New and Useful From Microsoft Labs

Dan Willis — Wed, 14 Jan 2009 09:17:43 GMT

Every so often something really interesting comes out of Microsoft’s R&D (please, save the snide remarks for another time…) and I just want to shout about it! Microsoft TAG is one of those very interesting ideas that just might stick.

It works like a bar code on steroids. You can embed a tag with just about anything you want – straight text, a web site, even a customized set of instructions or a personalized map. Your cell phone camera is the TAG reader. Just activate the app, point it at a tag (no need to press a button) and the TAG does the rest!

The large TAG in this post directs you to this blog site. As a matter of fact, so does the small tag. Resolution does not seem to be an issue. Please check out the video at HTTP://www.microsoft.com/tag It walks through some neat scenarios both indoors and outdoors. To me, that is one of the most compelling areas for TAGS. They can be put on anything to point the user to something interesting or that augments an experience. It’s FAST and it WORKS.

To get the reader directly on your mobile, point your mobile browser to http://gettag.mobi

Flypaper - THE New Way to Tell a Story

Dan Willis — Fri, 20 Jun 2008 11:56:00 GMT

The fine folks at Flypaper Studio, Inc. (right here in Phoenix) have released beta 2 of their Flypaper application. This program is a storytellers dream in that the tools for developing a story are straightforward and the environment is designed to envelop you in a security blanket called the flybray. As awkward as it sounds it actually is a compelling Web 2.0 idea to publish content and make it reusable (think templates). Rich media in a way is only the start. The timeline concept is well implemented and the choices for content mixing are improving rapidly.

I also like the idea that us design-challenged folks can readily engage with "real" designers who specialize in exploiting flypaper for telling a compelling story. I will post more details on some of the very interesting ways flypaper exploits the Microsoft platform (after I get permission!) and spend more time with Kieran Richardson and the rest of the team.

For now, head over to flypaper.com and download the program. It's free in the basic version and the Pro version looks more than worth the wait...

An Update on Color and "Real User Experience"

Dan Willis — Mon, 10 Mar 2008 10:32:00 GMT

Sometimes there's a distinct pleasure in attending a meeting and not knowing what value can be derived from your expenditure of time and energy. I had the privilege recently to attend a webinar by Leatrice Eiseman, a true color Guru. Leatrice is executive director of the Pantone Color Institute and founder of the Eiseman Center for Color Information and Training. She is what is known as a trendsetter and style maker. After listening to her talk about color for an hour, there is no debate when it comes to her ability in this mysterious arena. Oh, and did I mention that she is the author of seven books on color? I will try to get copies of her slides and post them even though without her commentary they are pictures without context. They were interesting nonetheless in how they conveyed the style of a presenter who depended on the eyes ability to see colors and images and connect to those without text to state the obvious. None of her slides had any text. It would have been superfluous.

Okay, why was this so interesting (at least to me)? Ms. Eiseman was fervent in her assertion that misuse of color and ignorance of it's cultural significance can negatively impact a product development effort. Rather than a long diatribe of my perspective, I will outline below some of her key points and let you judge for yourself if you believe her expressions or you continue to think that green is the new black!

Color/Concept	Details
80% of human experience is filtered through the eyes…	Color, shape, numbers, words… in that order... Context, context, context… the color equivalent of location, location, Location
Red - Enticing, appetite arousing…	Unrelenting hue to the human eye. The first color named in every language after black & white Brightest reds make the boldest statement Arouse the strongest emotions… Bono's RED effort - Color to induce social action…
Bright Pinks…	Capture some of the same essence as Red Theatrical, provocative… More playful, useful than red… Can actually be used as dustpan or seating or Kayaks…
Lighter Pinks	Tastier… sweet… Symbolic of social causes - Breast cancer…
Deeper Reds	Most sumptuous Connected to the good life Elegant, cultivated, rich & refined…
Orange	No word for orange in Europe before the fruit showed up… Use in Fast food caused it to decline in the past… 90's - Rebirth in fashion… Wider use in other cultures… Many industrial uses… high intensity… Association to the mother color (red) - very physical, high-visibility - in constant motion… Consumer conjures up activity - moving… Connection to yellow - friendlier and more approachable than red… Kids like it - Ages 3-6 especially
Yellow	Heat, vitality and energy Essence of light Emphasis on the metaphysical Enlightenment - Ability to see things clearly… Glorification of the color… Always attracts infants eye Infants use it to embellish upper left or right (of paintings) … universal - kids in all countries Color of highest visibility - easiest for human eye to see… Combination of yellow & black - Markings of wasps, snakes, NY taxis???
Brown	Earth - diligence… Change in the last 10 years - openness, naturalness Elevated to new levels of sophistication… Chocolate and coffee shades… More of a fashion statement - outdoor pursuits…
Cooler Tones	Long assoc. with the serenity from a clear cool sky Light, mid and deep - respite, introspection… Dependability and trust… Dedication from consumers #1 for corp. branding… Challenge to keep fresh and not hackneyed
Green	Can be an attention getter Reaffirms nature - heralded by the tender green shoots Fresh, healthy… organic Avocado green - formerly reviled - Whole new cachet Martha Stewart has helped to bring green back Sustainability and eco-friendly Children - Shrek!
Green w/an undertone of blue	One of the most popular colors… Teal - Seen as tasteful - upscale…
Purple	Unordinary - many moods Undertone and shading - can be exciting and energizing - or mysterious and interesting Transcendental - new age… Purple flowers and foods - more distinctive Eggplant, berries, plums - burst or twang… Exclusivity - in ancient times only the wealthy… 336K snails = one ounce of dye… That concept gone today…
Neutrals	Lack excitement - inherent warmth and subtlety Symbolic in recycling… Variation in tone and texture - increase complexity Gray and Silver - Modern and contemporary look Gray - Rock solid dependability… Silver - high tech, greater value…
White	IS a color Human eye does see it as a brilliance - reflection is important Ultimate color of purity and cleansing… Temperature-wise - always says cool…
Black	Power and empowering… Staying power Elegance and sophistication Black is the new black - always...
Cultural differences - Extensive…	World is changing…. Lots of urban legends.. Example: Never use white in China - color of mourning… Reality: Visited Taiwan - Taipei - Brides in westernized white gowns… 25 young couples - white gowns and veils… Wear red dress at some point to appease elders… Cautious of sweeping generalities - MTV culture… Do your homework on the specific culture…
In Established Industry Example: Plumbing	Silver is a given - How to move forward? Care required - Risk to move forward too aggressively… Find consumer who engages uniqueness… Masses - Go after "a" finish (patina), striation, texture, etc. - retain comfort but gain interest… Definite trend
Colorblindness	No universal givens as how color is viewed Colorblindness is individual… Use the black & White test…
Consumers are more about combining than just using "the" hot color…	Want to refresh rather than rip & replace "Bring in" the trend color… Fads - Fashion is a risk taker… Trends established across 3 seasons… (her rule)