Jun 29, 2010
Good design is
Good design is innovative.
Good design makes a product useful.
Good design is aesthetic.
Good design makes a product understandable.
Good design is unobtrusive.
Good design is honest.
Good design is long-lasting.
Good design is thorough down to the last detail.
Good design is environmentally friendly.
Good design is as little design as possible
By http://designmuseum.org/design/dieter-rams
Bezos on Amazon 5 years from now
Bezos: I would hope people would say that Amazon is earth's most customer-centric company, and that we work backwards from customers. Many companies sort of look at what their skills are and they work forward from their skills. They say this is what we're good at, and this is what we'll do. It's a very different approach from saying here is what our customers need, and we will learn whatever skills we need.
Read the Interview at Forbes
All men dream, but not equally
Challenge in framing the problem statement
- The greatest challenge to any thinker is stating the problem in a way that will allow a solution.
Why?
Delivering product and service that is culturally desirable, technically feasible and makes business sense.
Interaction Designer, Communicator, Programmer, Problem Solver...
Know the problem
In order to provide good solution, we need to know the problem.
What painful problems are our user's experiencing? Most of the time, these problems are mundane and obvious.
We focus too much on the new and not enough on the now
In our attempt to wow our clients we tend to show something new the and shiny instead of solving a problem now....
In order to create a great user experience, we need to focus on the things now.
Jun 23, 2010
Unbreakable Glass for breakable iPhone and iPad
Jun 14, 2010
Pendulum
Ray Ozzie takes on the issue of centralization versus decentralization, control versus empowerment
"What really does disappoint me is that we as technology users keep forgetting the lessons we learn; we've got very short memories. For example - issues of centralization versus decentralization, control versus empowerment. There's a pendulum that appears to keep swinging back and forth, and we keep polarizing the issue, when in fact we should have learned that both are necessary.
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Then the Web happened, and suddenly — largely driven by lower deployment and maintenance costs — the browser is the answer to every question, whether it makes sense or not. Centralized control and lock-down becomes pervasive, as users lose control of their tools for reasons that are, in fact, quite sensible in many ways.
But then users start placing rogue WiFi access points on corporate networks. They use USB memory devices, smart phones and cameras to carry around documents and presentations. They post confidential information to public Web mail accounts to transfer files, because firewall security is so tight. They start bringing their personal home laptops into work and into meetings "so they can get work done".
The same edge-versus-center tension has happened in the realm of business solutions. The greatest amount of value that Lotus Notes ever provided, besides the email infrastructure, was as a rapid application development platform that people at the edge of the organization - in a business unit - could use to whip up an application that solved their problem instantly. Just-in-time, disposable solutions. As Notes was more embraced as central infrastructure, IT buyers demanded that end-user design capabilities be re-shaped to target the needs of professional developers. Notes environments became "locked down", and people closest to the needs lost their ability to do "self-service" solution development. With Groove, we've brought that back.
Some problems are best solved centrally, others are best addressed locally. Enterprises have needs at the center; people and business units have needs at the edge. The smart CIO embraces both and understands how to weave the two together appropriately within their own environment."
http://www.gartner.com/research/fellows/asset_115813_1176.jsp
Ray Ozzie's Has a Great Insight in Mobile technology
"Notification and awareness is one of the most interesting uses of wireless devices that has yet to emerge. We're moving into a world of pervasive awareness, where you can control the publishing of awareness of your location, "projecting" to others your interruptability and the modes of communications that you find the most useful at the moment. For example — when you're driving and have your hands on the wheel, you'd rather suggest to others that they call you rather than "texting" or emailing you. Or maybe they should just let you concentrate.
Projecting your interruptability to others might be really easy if we integrated our handheld wireless devices with our varied communication services. Take, for example, the phone. Why isn't it possible — without navigating a million menus — to slip a little button on the side to select one of four desired presence or interruptability states, customized to you: I'm in a meeting; I'm available to my "intimates"; I'm available for any interruptions; or "do not disturb". This state could be easily published by your wireless operator, through Web Services, to the on-line buddy list of your IM or email programs, or directly to other people's phones. "
http://www.gartner.com/research/fellows/asset_115813_1176.jsp
Jun 12, 2010
Minimalist's computer
"What I have found is that the iPad has in fact become what I have come to think of as my everywhere else machine. In other words, when I am sitting at my desk, in my home office, I use my Macbook. Everywhere else, the living room, the den, at a client, at a coffee shop — I use the iPad. This means I use it quite a lot but there are certainly some things I wait to do on my Macbook (web development stuff for instance). That said, this is more a limit of available apps then the iPad itself. Most of what I do, which constitutes writing, browsing, social networks, and email, can easily be done on the iPad (and in some cases it's even better). My Macbook rarely leaves the desk."
http://minimalmac.com/post/683822206/the-everywhere-else-machine
I have to agree with this quote that most people don't need a PC or laptop which requires you to sit down on a desk to use for the 90+% of their day to day needs. All you need a something similar to an iPAD.
Walt Mossberg also said that 80% of user's computer's need can be done in an iPad.
SpaceX Success versus Korean Rocket Explosion
This is just a great comparison on two different ways and methodologies of building rockets. One uses the old methodology while the other is a fresh approach in a solving a problem.
A US company called Space X Falcon 9 Successfully launched without NASA's help.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science_and_environment/10209704.stm
Korean Rocket Explosion point fingers to Russian firm
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/asia/southkorea/7817257/South-Korean-rocket-explodes-after-take-off.html
If you work for the Korean Space Agency, which approach would you take?
Jun 11, 2010
Sinofsky memo to Ballmer
"We need to decide what we will do and do that well and 100% and not just do a little of everything."
iOS Sales Stats
Now here's the iPhone. In 2007 sales were $630 million. In 2008, $6.7 billion. In 2009, $13 billion. This year sales will hit $21.5 billion and in 2011 they will be $27.5 billion. On top of that, the iPad will contribute $3.1 billion in 2010, $8.2 billion in 2011.
APPLE iPHONE SALES BY YEAR
APPLE iPHONE SALES BY YEAR
2007: 3,704,000
2008: 13,675,000
2009: 25,105,000
2010 to date: 8,752,000