user relations
Arrested Development
Tuesday, July 22nd, 2008
I’ve just canceled my Spam Arrest account. At least I think I have. Why would I be unsure? I’ll get back to that.
I signed up with Spam Arrest about a year ago after a trusted friend had strongly recommended it. I wasn’t too worried about spam because I use Gmail and it already has uncannily […]
Getting It Real and Really Getting It
Monday, April 21st, 2008I recently jumped ship on a project that seemed destined to hit the rocky shores of missed deadlines and then sink in the swirling eddies of communication breakdown. I wasn’t on board for long - about a week and a half really - but during that time I spent far too many days trying to […]
Demand More
Saturday, March 29th, 2008What is a software application?
When we think of a software application, most of us will conjure up the image of some sort of user interface splashed across a computer screen. As far as most of us are concerned, whatever is on the screen is the software. Period.
Engineers will tend to look at it […]
The (In) Convenience Factor
Tuesday, November 27th, 2007The motto and the objective of The User Advocate Group is to:
“Bridge the Gap Between End Users and Engineers”
Why is there such a gap? Well, there are many reasons such as: “language” differences (”geek-speak” vs. “human-speak”); lack of effective communication channels; economics; priorities (technology-centric vs. user-centric); etc.
But here’s one that came to mind recently as […]
The Occasional Frequent User
Thursday, November 8th, 2007Last weekend we set the clocks back for the winter. It’s always nice to have an ‘extra hour’ and to perhaps do something a little special: lay in bed, go for a leisurely breakfast, take a long walk in the park. It’s one of the perks of living on a tilted globe.
For me, […]
Facing Your Web Monsters
Tuesday, October 30th, 2007Hallowe’en is here – is there a monster lurking in your web site?
Hang on, you don’t believe in monsters? Then let me offer this very practical definition that I once heard and you can think again…
“A ‘monster’ is an aggregation of disparate parts.”
Simple enough and bang on, I think.
Now about your web site. Is […]
Information Barchitecture
Monday, June 25th, 2007Getting back to this story…
A few weeks ago I spent two and a half hours standing (literally) at the counter of the US Airway check-in counter trying to secure a ticket to San Francisco using a free travel voucher. (No the online experience just didn’t work for this one. Another story.)
For most of that […]
Save My Authenticity!
Wednesday, June 20th, 2007A curious bit of personal history came to mind after I read Rachel Clarke’s blog post about an online game (SaveMyHusband.com) which is based on a fake kidnapping. Rachel picked up on my ‘We Were Framed’ post in which I explain how we use ‘frames’ to distinguish the real from the fake. She also summarized […]
Customer Relations and User Relations
Tuesday, June 12th, 2007The last straw was the toddler ramming his stroller into the stranger’s legs for the third time. The child’s mother was behind a mountain of luggage filling out name tags. A slightly older sister was orbiting at high volume trying to get someone’s attention. Anyone’s.
I concurred, as did the long queue of passengers waiting for […]