The day was coming for a while now, and it’s finally here, Steve Jobs is stepping down as CEO and Tim Cook the COO will take over. Looks like stocks took a bit of a hit as the news came out. Hopefully Apple won’t go the path of Microsoft after Bill Gates stepped away, but we really won’t know until he’s completely done with Apple. Steve will still be there as the Chairman of the Board so I’m sure his very necessary input will be taken :)
Here’s the link to the text from his resignation letter:
Never have been a fan of forced registration for purchasing online, in some cases it made me not buy at all. Very well put article on the subject, just wonder if it’s enough to make retailers re-think their approach.
From User Interface Engineering, via BoingBoing.net
How Changing a Button Increased a Site’s Annual Revenues by $300 Million
It’s hard to imagine a form that could be simpler: two fields, two buttons, and one link. Yet, it turns out this form was preventing customers from purchasing products from a major e-commerce site, to the tune of $300,000,000 a year. What was even worse: the designers of the site had no clue there was even a problem.
The form was simple. The fields were Email Address and Password. The buttons were Login and Register.The link was Forgot Password. It was the login form for the site. It’s a form users encounter all the time. How could they have problems with it?
We’ve been using Subversion in-house for our version control for a 2-3 years now, but switched over to Beanstalk to not have to deal with maintaining it and worrying about keeping it running. It’s worked out great, and I highly recommend them for your Version Control Hosting needs: http://beanstalkapp.com/
It’s part of Wildbit LLC and they also work out of IndyHall in Philly which is a great co-working space and community for various types of disciplines. It’s always great to be able to support local talent when possible, and these guys really have a bunch of great products.
With that said, I got a couple of guides from them that I though I should share with everyone. First is an introduction to version control and it goes over these topics:
Why is version control important?
The basic concepts
Tracking changes
Committing
Revisions and Changesets
Getting updates
Conflicts
Diffing (or, viewing the differences)
Branching and merging
Types of Version Control Systems
That guide is here: http://guides.beanstalkapp.com/version-control/intro-to-version-control.html#why-is-version-control-important
The digital industry is characterized by teamwork and in any achievement driven projects there will be conflict, obstacles and bad news. This is a simple but effective philosophy that we utilize at Local Wisdom for communicating both internally amongst the team and with clients or outside partners to make certain that we are always as productive and collaborative as possible.
1. Be Matter of Fact
In achieving any group objective there is information that needs to be passed from team member to team member. Speaking factually, directly and self-contained will make sure that the information is delivered correctly and efficiently. For example if a client wishes to move a project’s timeline up to a point where it becomes unrealistic, simply state fact and deliver the message.
“Unfortunately, we are not able to deliver within our level of quality in this timeframe…”
2. Maintain a Positive Attitude
Like I said, there is bad news in any collaborative effort. Communicating bad information in a positive manner will maintain the morale of the project and move past the problem. Likewise, appreciate successes and react to them positively, as deserved. In the timeline example, maintain a positive outlook during discussions of a new deadline so that the conversation remains pleasant and therefore constructive.
“…I do understand your needs and we can accommodate some of them…”
3. Always Move Forward Towards a Consensus or Objective
When there is conflict do not break down the collaborative structure. Maintain a collective attitude and always continue to move forward through the problem to the goal. To do this it is important to always be prepared when encountering a conversation. Before talking be sure to have thought out the options and contingencies that are possible. When approaching the client with the news of the deadline difficulties do not simply say that you cannot meet it, give option. Perhaps suggest proceeding with the project in phases or compromising a new timeline. Focus on forward thinking.
“… We can deliver X & Y deliverable within the timeframe or can we leave the timeframe as it previously was?”
With these three points in mind it is additionally important to create a common language and culture among the team and company. This language is important both for internal communications and when talking to clients and/or partners. Creating a common culture will empower the team both on an individual basis and as a whole as it gives its members a feeling of being part of a bigger picture.
By the way, the philosophy can be used in email and digital communications, but it works best in face-to-face or phone conversations. When dealing with difficult situations, you want to keep it personal and human and that is not achieved well through digital communication.
All of this sounds like common sense, but you’ll be surprised how in the heat of conversations things can spiral in the wrong direction. Keep this in mind and keep the morale of the project as high as possible and make sure you stay productive and successful.
The infographic above considers different Stages of companies that offer IA / UX services. Stage 0 (the lowest) is a company that can deliver work on-time and on-budget (and, we presume, is of a high level of quality). Stage 1 companies will begin dealing with metrics, user behavior, and will incorporate strategy and value-creation into their deliverables. At higher stages we get to more advanced categories where business and market strategies impact the success of the product. The same criteria can be used to evaluate IA / UX job candidates.
I think this chart is particularly valuable for a number of reasons. First, it allows one to group candidates and existing workers into categories where the value they create can be quantified. This is useful in determining who gets placed on which projects. Second, it itself acts as a metric itself during an interview. If the interviewee does not begin to mention how they used metrics or attempted to affect user behavior, they are probably at Stage 0.
Now for the bad news …..
It is very difficult to even find Stage 0 candidates in today’s job market.
I’m not sure why this is, but my hunch is after someone gets some chops in whatever software they choose to execute their craft, they stop progressing to higher plateaus. However, once one begins working with clients that expect higher degrees of value creation, the quality of work has to increase accordingly.
So if you are, or know, anyone that is a Stage 0 (and above!) UX / IA, let us know!
I’ve had multiple people, including a VP of Sales for a major CPG company, ask me recently, “Don’t you think QR codes are just a trend?” Perhaps he was not so much asking but more shedding his thoughts, which I’m always keen to hear. I find casual conversations derive some of the best insight one could ever have on this ever-changing digital space that we’re in. Nevertheless, I have to politely disagree with him and here’s why…
When Facebook first came out my sophomore year in college, EVERYone was saying it was just a fad. They were quick to join but equally as quick to join some of the first groups touting Facebook’s destiny for a quick fail. I never “joined” those groups (these days I wouldn’t hit the “like” button) and I’ll tell you why: I found Facebook fascinating. I enjoyed seeing friends’ pictures and having instant access to their personal info. It was entertaining to say the least.
What does this have to do with QR Codes? Well, I think there’s something fascinating about them, and it goes back to that thought on instant access. If I’m reading a flyer for a local retailer and there’s a QR code related to a product I’m interested in, I’m likely to scan the code because I want that product and the destination of that code is going to give me all of the info I want, possibly more. Will everyone scan it, no? But shouldn’t we (as marketers) be going after the quality of our audience and not the quantity?
QR codes won’t be used by everyone. But for the select group that chooses to use them, I think you’re bound to reach the goals you’re looking to achieve, even it’s simply to share more information to your target audience. They’ll be grateful for that instant access, trust me.
I would love to ask all of those early Facebookers if they regret joining that group declaring Facebook’s fall years ago. In a few years, I wonder if I’ll be asking my sales-focused colleague if he changed his mind about QR codes. What do you think?
We are equally proud to announce that Weatherwise™ is a finalist for five awards from the Art Directors Club of New Jersey (ACDNJ) including best illustration, best mobile application and best website. Winners will be announced on Friday, May 20th.
The standard, free theme Zen Tree, is based on a tranquil Bonsai tree that reacts to changes in weather. Features include a swaying lantern indicating wind or snowy branches displaying winter conditions.
Additional themes are available for $0.99 and include the following:
Lost Robot
No longer in use and left to rust, the Lost Robot sits and waits for his master. Depending upon the time of day and weather condition, he illuminates the forest floor with vibrant colors. Learn the speed of the wind as the Lost Robot billows smoke from his back.
The Wobbles
These fun loving creatures enjoy the art of staring. Tilt your phone away from you and watch as the Woobles keep looking directly at YOU. Enjoy getting your forecast from the whole Wooble family, complete with 10 different Woobles ready to unearth themselves during certain times of day and weather conditions.
Personas
See a woman clad with pearls when it’s icy. Watch a sleepy man peer into the bathroom mirror to indicate a foggy day. The Personas theme gives you ten unique, animated personas as the weather and time of day changes.
If you are a designer looking for a way to showcase your work, send us your creative themes for Weatherwise™ by contacting us at support@weatherwiseapp.com.
This project was a total team effort. I want to extend special thanks to the following people (in no particular order):
• Tim Jaeger (Tech Lead)
• RJay Haluko (Creative Director/Designer/Illustrator)
• Chris Smith (Programmer)
• Patrick Pierson (Programmer)
• Ryan Bailey (Programmer)
• Michael Alfaro (Infrastructure)
• Tracy Severino (Public Relations/Content Writing)
• Melissa Penta (Web Developer)
• Pinaki Kathiari (Marketing)
• Derrick Larane (Moral Support/Social Sharing)
• Eric Williamson (SEO)
The first one: Learn about the Business from the Data, Learn about the Data from the Business.
It’s all too common – you begin to work on a project, the client has a tight deadline and they need a new site/app/product launched, and lo-and-behold: you don’t know how the client’s business works! You have further conversations with them; they direct you to a different department or person (deflecting the responsibility, and possibly not doing their job). Before you know it, you’re herding cats, and trying to figure out how you got wrapped up in your current mess (and get work done at the same time).
In the middle of it all, you’ve lost track of what the client really wants.
One solution? Learn about the business from the data they provide, and learn about the data you need from the business itself.
Do they say they work one way, but in reality, most of their critical IT infrastructure is given a back-seat to front-office tasks? Do they say they want a cutting-edge new software tool, but lack the resources to manage and scale it? If you can gather as much data as possible, you will be able to see patterns and trends. How was the data delivered? How quickly did you receive access? Are there roadblocks and hurdles in accessing even the most trivial of data? From this you can determine the ‘change aptitude’ a client can (most likely) handle.
And what about the business? What are they successful in doing? Who are their strongest, and most dedicated, in-house resources? What departments drive the business? How do they currently analyze their data, make adjustments, and carry on? Is this a company that is rapidly growing, or are they bunkered into a niche market and afraid of changing? If the answers to the above are: ‘I don’t know’, then expect problems and push back on deadlines. While not every software project is the equivalent of climbing Mt. Everest, many contain traps, pitfalls, and landslides that can leave you with an unsuccessful result.
Some questions to ask:
1. How often are metrics analyzed and tweaked? How many people have access to the metrics, and how do they view Business Intelligence in making their decisions?
2. Is the client’s in-house development team agile? Do they welcome change requests and relish scaling to new heights, or will they balk when you recommend they update their blog that hasn’t been used in over a year?
3. What is their core competitive advantage? Is there a process or product they own that differentiates them from others?
Once you begin to understand both the data and the business itself, you can make educated decisions about the rest of the project: deadlines, software recommendations, features, etc.
Been running into this error when the POP3 connector for SBS 2008 can’t download certain messages from the pop server. The error in the log is:
The “MAIL FROM” address (“MAILER-DAEMON”, from header field “Return-Path”) was rejected.
In the event viewer, it shows up as:
“One or more (1) e-mail messages in the POP3 mailbox account ‘XX@XX.com’ on the POP3 server ‘emailserver.com’ have invalid header fields. Because of this, the messages cannot be delivered to the Exchange Server mailbox ‘XX@XX.com’ in Windows Small Business Server. The messages are still on the POP3 server. To resolve this issue, connect to the POP3 mailbox account, and then manually retrieve or delete the messages.”
After a couple of hours of searching and finding very little, I hit gold (an article on a microsoft site with an answer)!
Here’s the short version to fix the problem:
1. From an elevated Exchange Management Shell (Exchange Powershell window) (right click on “Start–>Microsoft Exchange Server 2007–>Exchange Management Shell” and then choose “Run as administrator”) run the following Powershell commands
2. In most occasions, as a resolution, you can configure the ”DefaultDomain” property to match your local domain name on the “Sharepoint Fax Receive Connector”. This will append the SMTP domain name on email with an incomplete return path as described above. To accomplish this, run the following command:
3. However, this might not help with all the situations leading up to this situation. Sometimes the invalid header found on the e-mail is not recoverable. Follow the alternate workaround to get mail flowing again if that is the case.
The workaround is to increase the “MaxProtocolErrors” property of the Windows SBS Fax Sharepoint Receive connector, and then restart the Exchange Transport service for the change to take effect (and you’ll have to restart the pop3connector service, too, since it depends on the Exchange Transport service). Unfortunately, you can’t set that property from the Exchange management GUI, so you have to do it from an (elevated) Exchange Powershell prompt. Here are the instructions:
