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Get ‘er done

Getting things done, the methodology of organizing your to-do’s, is an interesting system. It’s advocated by many different people and used by even more people. A lot of different developers and managers advocate the system because it deals with the question of “stuff”.

Without getting into the tinier details of it, the system advocates organizing your to-do list by project and context. The general idea is that you organize your to-do’s with regards to where you are or what you might be doing. For example, if you need to make a phone call to Natalie your to-do might look like “@phone Call Natalie (604-555-9923).” So when you’re in a place where you can make a phone call you bring up your @phone list and viola!

Of course, the assumption is that you take your lists with you (either by lo-fi organizer or PDA) so when the context comes up, you’ll have your list available and ready. The ultimate goal being like the ready state in martial arts, always ready to pounce and react.

I find the system itself fascinating but the it is obviously dependent on how you organize your contexts. So here is a question that I pose to the GTD’ers out there: How do you organize your contexts or maybe give some example of the different contexts that you use?

1:21 pm 2 Comments

I live for feedback!

It’s true! I love feedback. It is a key cornerstone of life. Good feedback, bad feedback I like it all! It helps me improve as a person (constructive) and it tells me what I’m doing right (positive). In reality, it is how I learned to interact with people. It is a key trait in a lot of successful people that I know: consistent feedback gathering. It helps improve what needs improving and validate the positive.

Ever since I’ve started learning about HCI and design, I’ve come to recognize the real power of feedback. Let me take this “hypothetical” system: let’s say that this system is used for requesting access for data for a fairly big organization. Let’s call it a Data Access RequesT (DART) system. You know, completely hypothetical!

So you fill out the online form. It requests things that are fairly standard: what type of access, what system, who you are, justification on why the access is needed and when it is required. Pretty standard stuff, nothing special there. However, once the form is sent off the only feedback you get is “Thank you, your DART will be processed within 2-5 business days.” Ok! Who’s processing it and why did you bother to ask me when I needed the access when you’ll be processing it within 2-5 business days anyways. I suppose it could be the gremlins in the server room have no concept of time and space. Then I get an email, “You’re DART has been processed for approval.” it says. Alright, I expected as much, at least I know my information is in there somehow. Who is approving it? Who knows. The day after I get another email, “Johnny Approver has been added to the approver’s list!” There’s a freaking list?! Really? The consequent days after you get emails giving you a list of people who haven’t approved your access request until everyone has actually approved it.

My point here is that things are obviously happening in the background. There are widgets blinking, beeping and cogs are being turned. That’s fine! It is expected that a system requesting access needs to gather and collect approvals. That’s Ok! It is the cryptic nature of the emails and feedback given that becomes an issue. Who’s approving it? Why is Johnny Appleseed getting added to the list of approvers? Why, system, do you taunt me by letting me know who hasn’t approved it? I’m really starting to develop a grudge against those people who haven’t approved it!

Feedback is important. It makes Ritchie feel less anxious about pressing that Submit button because the next time I have to ask for some access I’m seriously going to wait for that list and start camping out at their cubicles with a knife. But again! Its a hypothetical system!

11:22 am 0 Comments

Maybe in 10 years

Dear Rogers,

Look, let me level with ya. I heard some news that Sprint is offering an unlimited everything plan for $119 a month! Now I realize that the unlimited thing isn’t a new thing down in the States; it’s been around for a while. They’ve had unlimited this and unlimited that but Sprint is apparently the first to offer unlimited everything.

Just so you know, I would gladly pay $119 a month for this unlimited everything plan. Hell, I was paying $90 for your 5MB blackberry data plan (where you charged me my first and second born child whenever I went over my limit - sorry babe)!

I’ve never had a problem with you and, for whatever reason, you never screwed with my monthly bills (unlike some of my friends). However if Telus or Bell started offering this plan, I’m taking my cellphone number and my 10+ years of service to them.

Consider yourself served! (You got served biatch!)

Honestly, who cares about video calling. The reason why I text people is cause I don’t really want to talk to them and the reason I call people is cause I don’t want to see them. Stop running your Christmas time “Look it’s a video calling phone and you can call your friends (provided they’re on the same phone and plan as you)” ads. Get off the video phone and start looking to the future.

If you really really want to be the monopoly up here in Canada, do these 3 simple steps:

1. Get an unlimited everything plan
2. Separate out your services and offer all (voice, data, email and text) components as unlimited pieces
3. Get the damn iPhone already (What the heck is the hold up? You’re so late in the game, that most people who want it probably already have it but I suppose there are those late adopters)

Thanks,

Ritchie

[via Boy Genius Report]

10:08 am 3 Comments

User centric design

Everyone knows that I’m probably more technical than most people out there. I code, I use Linux, I can administer your network and I can probably (most likely) snoop on what you’re doing on the Internet. However, today (or at least in this post) I am an advocate for user centric design. I was taught in school to do requirements analysis before building anything. Meaning: figure out what you’re going to build before you actually build it. Make sense right? Absolutely, but lets take it one step further.

When most people they think of user centric design they usually think usability (testing). Which is great (according to Jakob Nielsen you’re in stage 3 of 8)! See, usability is usually done after the design has been conceived and you need to validate it. Meaning: you have a prototype in some shape or form and now you want to validate it with actual users. Not very good however when you’ve spent weeks writing some code and your usability tests yield that you have to rewrite a good chunk of your app.

User centric design is a mindset, I believe. It is a mindset that we technical people must adapt to evolve with the changing times. Usability is definitely a first step. It opens the eyes to this mythical user. But it cannot stop at just usability. This mindset of understanding and building things for the user should be kept throughout our whole design and development process. It also includes choosing the right tools and methodologies. One thing to note: unless the ‘user’ is technical (a coder, a Linux user a network administrator or a general geek), the ‘user’ probably isn’t you.

For example, when doing a requirements analysis, why not draw out how you see the application functioning on the screen with a pencil and paper? Use cases are fine, but they usually just tell us that a user needs to put widget A into container B. It doesn’t tell us HOW the action should be carried out. Is it dragging and dropping? Is it a file upload text box? Is it somewhat automatic and predictive? A quick drawing with arrows and stick figures (I kid you not) really does help you validate that picture in your head with a user.

There are a tonne of examples out there from many different advocates. I just wanted to contribute my own opinions. If you’re still interested (meaning: I didn’t bore you to death) here are a few links that are definitely worth checking out:

• useit.com: Jakob Nielsen on Usability and Web Design
• Signal vs Noise by 37Signals
• Ineteraction-Design.org
• Luke Wroblewski (LukeW) and his blog

If anyone has anymore links (aside from the ones that I’ve listed above) or even opinions/questions, please feel free to post in the comments.

9:20 am

One laptop per child

I’m usually not one to push charitable organizations on my blog but I’ll make a definite exception with this one.

The mission of One Laptop Per Child (OLPC) is to empower the children of developing countries to learn by providing one connected laptop to every school-age child. Between November 12 and November 26, OLPC is offering a Give One Get One program in the United States and Canada. During this time, you can donate the revolutionary XO laptop to a child in a developing nation, and also receive one for the child in your life in recognition of your contribution.

And If you donate $399, you not only send a laptop to a child that needs one; they’ll send you one as well! How cool is that?

10:35 am 3 Comments