Gamer-influenced Design

Last year I blogged a little about how we can learn to design for Feedback and Problem Solving by drawing inspiration from games design: http://blogs.msdn.com/shanemo/archive/2007/05/22/discretionary-use-of-mandatory-tools-or.aspx

(Shameless plug: Sarah Bloomer and I also talk about this in our "Back to the Future" tutorial.)

Meanwhile, Greg Willis sent around this article today: SaaS vendor quits browser to boost sales.

The article which talks about how Entellium has drawn inspiration from gaming to make a 'liquid interface' for their rich client WPF CRM application.

In an earlier article (Gaming comes to business software), Phil Wainwright provides a great summary of how gaming fits with business software:

"games software does a much better job of keeping users focused on the task in hand, only reveals advanced features when you're ready for them, lets you try out different ways of doing things without penalty, and rewards you when you become more skilled at using the software."

Pimp My App - SA Code Camp Version

Thanks to Peter Griffiths and everyone at Code Camp SA for letting me present. Here is the new version of "Pimp My App" I presented yesterday.

| View | Upload your own

Or Go here to download: http://www.slideshare.net/shanemo/pimp-my-app-shane-morris-511820/

User Centred Design Training from Different 26-27 August, Sydney

Received a brochure for a new course being taught in Sydney on 14-15 July 26-27 August by Anthony Colfelt from Different. It's entitled "Human Centred Design Techniques for Project Teams". There doesn't seem to be any info on the Different website (?), but here is the brochure.

"Pimp My App" and Expression Studio in Adelaide next week

I am delivering the new improved "Pimp My App" presso at Code Camp in Adelaide this weekend (13/July). My cube neighbour Dave Glover is also presenting - on something complicated and technical no doubt.

Pimp My App

“User Experience” (UX) is so hot right now. Business magazines talk about it, stakeholders want it, people even have job titles containing it. Designers, usability engineers, information architects, psychologists and even anthropologists are all circling, fighting for a piece of the UX pie. But at the end of the day, coders own the user experience. All the drop-shadows in the world don’t mean a thing if they don’t make it into the code. Join Shane Morris - recovering developer, long-time user interface designer and Microsoft User Experience Evangelist – for a discussion of user experience from the developer’s viewpoint. What simple things can developers do to deliver better user experience? If you could only do one thing to improve your application’s user experience, what would it be? What about designers? What do they do? How can they help? How can you work effectively with them? This talk focuses on practical, realistic ways to ensure your next application delivers a great user experience.

Then I'm hanging around for the SharePoint User Group on Tuesday (15/July), where I'll be covering the new features in Expression Studio 2.

If you're based in Adelaide and would like me to drop in at your company Monday/Tuesday next week to discuss user experience/Silverlight/Expression then get in touch and we'll see what we can do.

Otherwise, see you at Code Camp or ASPUG! Shanemo

My Brush with Awesomeness

OMG, I met August de los Reyes at UPA!

Silverlight 2 features - 'We could go on and on'

Chris Duckett from BuilderAU took Kordesy and me aside and quizzed us about Silverlight 2 at Remix. A lot of that interview seems to be on the cutting room floor? :-).

Anyway, we managed to remember a few SL 2 features between us...

http://www.builderau.com.au/video/soa/What-s-coming-in-Silverlight-2-0/0,2000064338,22453801p,00.htm

Oz Remix Speaker Materials

Here are the collated links to slides/resources/etc from our Remix Australia Speakers.

I've only included specific links to Remix material. You can also find links to the speakers blogs etc on the Remix Speakers page.

Enjoy! Shanemo

Keynote

Mark Pesce

• Transcript: http://blog.futurestreetconsulting.com/?p=54
• Video: http://www.nickhodge.com/blog/archives/2543

ABC / Silverlight

Matt Moran

• Video: http://delicategeniusblog.com/?p=695

Fairfax / IE8

Mark Cohen

• Web slice / compatibility meta tag: http://www.drive.com.au
• Web Activity: http://www.drive.com.au/activities

Technical Track

What's New in Windows Presentation Foundation 3.5 and beyond -

Joseph Cooney

• Sildes and demos: http://jcooney.net/archive/2008/05/21/55590.aspx

Developing great applications using ASP.NET MVC and ASP.NET AJAX

Tatham Oddie

• http://blog.tatham.oddie.com.au/presentations/

Windows Live Platform: Take the best of Windows Live and make it yours

Angus Logan/Bronwen Zande/John O'Brien

• Slide deck: http://www.slideshare.net/anguslogan/remix-australia-take-the-best-of-windows-live-and-make-it-yours/

Building Rich Internet Applications using Microsoft Silverlight 2

Philip Beadle

• http://philipbeadle.net/Default.aspx?tabid=53&EntryID=105

Bringing Hosters and Developers together with IIS7

Jorke Odolphi

• Links: http://blogs.technet.com/jorke/archive/2008/05/26/remix08-rocked.aspx

Creative Track

New possibilities with Microsoft Silverlight 2

Jonas Folleso/Jose Fajardo

• Blog post about YouCard demo: http://jonas.follesoe.no/PermaLink,guid,3e8d9671-bbdd-4e4d-a29d-ceeef07ea55c.aspx
• Code: http://jonas.follesoe.no/ct.ashx?id=3e8d9671-bbdd-4e4d-a29d-ceeef07ea55c&url=http%3a%2f%2fcid-1a08c11c407c0d8e.skydrive.live.com%2fself.aspx%2fCode%2520samples%2fYouCard%2520Silverlight%25202%2520Beta%25201.zip
• Slides: http://jonas.follesoe.no/ct.ashx?id=3e8d9671-bbdd-4e4d-a29d-ceeef07ea55c&url=http%3a%2f%2fcid-1a08c11c407c0d8e.skydrive.live.com%2fself.aspx%2fPresentations%2fNew%2520possibilities%2520with%2520Microsoft%2520Silverlight%25202.pptx
• Jose's Demos: http://delicategeniusblog.com/?p=692

Welcome to IE8 - Integrating Your Site With Internet Explorer 8

Damian Edwards/Lachlan Hardy

• Slides and Demos http://damianpedwards.spaces.live.com/blog/cns!A079DE667E1958B3!622.entry
• Slides http://www.slideshare.net/lachlanhardy/welcome-to-ie8-integrating-your-site-with-internet-explorer-8

Using Microsoft Silverlight for Creating Rich Mobile User Experiences

Shane Morris/Michael Kordahi/David Lemphers

• Slides from the Melbourne version: http://blogs.msdn.com/shanemo/archive/2008/06/05/using-microsoft-silverlight-for-creating-rich-mobile-user-experiences-slides.aspx

'Using Microsoft Silverlight for Creating Rich Mobile User Experiences' Slides

Here are the slides from the Melbourne version of the Silverlight for mobile session for Remix Australia. Shanemo

| View | Upload your own

My Remix SEA slides

For attendees at Remix SEA in Bangkok on the 29th of May. If you want to read along with my slides you will find them at:

http://cid-9d905de8600fa344.skydrive.live.com/browse.aspx/Remix%20SEA

Oz Remix keynote videos...

The momentum video from the Remix 08 Australia keynote is now also on Kordesy's blog.

• http://delicategeniusblog.com/?p=688

And Mark Pesce's keynote is on Nick Hodge's blog:

• Permanent Link to Mark Pesce, Only Connect

Remix Wrap-up - DG.TV

Thanks to all who made Remix Oz a huge success. Kordesy has listed you all on his blog. We put together a little video today - a bit Penn and Teller I suppose.

Shanemo

Post-Remix - The Tekskin Competition

Christian Long and the partner team are helping to keep the Remix buzz alive by running a promotion with Tekskin. Simply design your own laptop skin and upload it. The best 100 will receive a free Tekskin with their design on it!

Many of you will have seen the racing-stripes Tekskin on my Toshiba tablet.

Enter here: http://www.tekskin.com.au/catalog/competitions.php

If you need something to create your design in, grab an evaluation copy of Expression Design. Don't forget to export as .jpg though!

Shanemo

Speaking on 'Agile or Fragile? Practicing UCD on Agile development projects' May 27

I am joining an esteemed group of panelists for a CHISIG event next Tuesday the 27th of May in Melbourne

Panel: Agile or Fragile?  Practicing UCD on Agile development projects

Tuesday 27 May 6 pm (for 6.30 start)

Panel participants are: Shane Morris from Microsoft, Brett Collinson from SEEK, Kirsten Mann from MYOB, Janet Brunckhorst from Lonely Planet.

The panel will be moderated by Andrew Sweany from Monash University.

Our panel guests will debate the pros and cons of user-centred design on Agile development projects.

Venue: Horse Bazaar, 397 Little Lonsdale Street, Melbourne

(Dear boss, please note: Google map wasn't made by me! :-) )

Remix Agenda - Outlook Style

One of our Remix Oz speakers, Tatham Oddie, has put together Outlook agendas for Remix in Melbourne and Sydney for those of us, like me, for whom it is not real until it is in Outlook:

The case of the missing ICS file - Remix for Outlook addicts

Shanemo

Congratulations to our Remix Silverlight Video Clip competition winners!

Firstly I'd like to thank all of those who entered our Remix Silverlight videoclip competition.

Actually, scratch that, I'd like to thank both of you who entered our Remix Silverlight videoclip competition.

Don't you people know how hard I worked on this! ;-)

Nevertheless, the judges were really delighted with the quality of the two entries. So, with that (drum roll please):

Check out the links above to see Hege's and Jason's great work.

Shanemo