UWMDGBlog

2005-03-06T14:53:00.000-08:00

I am not sure if the blog this week was supposed to tie to the readings or not. I am going to take a chance and discuss something a tied a little more esoterically to the class.

Today there was the start of a three part series in The Seattle Times on the "Dot-Con Job." http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/news/business/infospace/

Without being too much of a shill, I really this this is an excellent piece. It is a worthwhile article for anyone considering working for a start-up in the future. This article details InfoSpace and their rise and fall, but it could have focused on any number of dot.coms. Without a doubt, some of the early employees of InfoSpace were fortunate -- they sacrificed any real pay for lucrative stock options (which paid off handsomely if cashed out on time). Unfortunately, most of the investors and employees got majorly screwed while a few made out like bandits.

Time for the SEC to spend a little less time investigating the Martha Stewarts and Howard Sterns and focus on the real criminals. Add Naveen Jain to the top of the list.

Good and bad

2005-02-28T17:24:00.000-08:00

Well, they say that there is no such thing as good art and bad art, but clearly this does not apply to websites. It is amazing how many bad websites exist: maybe it isn't that amazing if you consider that almost anyone can create one without any real formal training (this is also a major plus of the internet in my opinion).

Here is an example of a bad website:
http://www.moma.org/exhibitions/2001/workspheres/index.html
This website employs what has been termed "mystery meat navigation." (http://www.webpagesthatsuck.com/mysterymeatnavigation.html). Mystery meat navigation requires the user to roll their mouse over an object in order to determine what the link may be to. Beyond being annoying and frustrating, it does not promote a clean design.

Here is a website I really liked:
http://www.inol3.com/
It offers lots of clean lines and lots of symmetry. The fact most of it isn't in English is besides the point for me.

RSS

2005-02-21T15:59:00.000-08:00

RSS is just another step towards giving consumers "what they want, when they want it." While the use of text based RSS feeds is not all that new, the use of RSS for multimedia files takes it a step further.

One example which is detailed is podcasting. Podcasting could be for radio the digital equivalent of weblogging for print, according to one of the articles.

It would not take too much of a stretch of the imagination to see a time when RSS for multimedia replaces DVR’s and becomes the format for more than just video. Not only does it expand multimedia beyond what a typical "TiVo" can do, it allows for far more targeted feeds.

Gestalt!

2005-02-13T09:19:00.000-08:00

Here is a website which violates nearly every Gestalt principle:
http://www.dry.uk.com
This website raises the question with me of whether there might be value, in some circumstances, of designing away from Gestalt. If everything is chaos rather than symmetrical, is there a chance it might be more noticed?
_____________

I like this site because of the symmetries in overall construction, but also the "Live agent" flash and the logo:
http://www.loansselect.com/index.php

_____________
My final selection is one which many web designers could learn from:
http://www.fantasy-interactive.com/#start
I really like the minimalist aspects. The site presents a lot information without wearing you out. There is a comforting symmetry in the way that the examples are laid out. It comes across as a well organized portfolio. The colors are muted and complimentary. Great website.

Week 3 comments

2005-01-30T16:52:00.000-08:00

Question 1 --- There are some obvious problems for communicators when strong standards are not in place. Inoperability prevents some segments of your audience from seeing all or part of your message. Competing standards also creates needless divisions and money wasting ineffienciences. The power to effectively communicate to an audience rests upon having an interface that is clear and unobstructed for all users.

Certain institutions of society may choose to create standards that intentionally do not conform. Examples include the military, where non-conformity would be a requirement, and some parts of the financial world.

__________________________________________________________________
Question 2 ---Groupthink is an extremely common pervasive threat to the success of any team. It prevents critical thinking, encourages the status quo and suffocates innovation.

Some basic ground rules can go a long way towards overcoming groupthink in a team. These ground rules, when fully integrated as basic philosophy of all team members, form the basis of a healthy team:
-No idea is a bad idea. This means no matter how far fetched an idea may seemingly be, a team member can expect the idea to be heard and not ridiculed for having made it.

-Look at an issue from all sides. This means assigning one team member, on a rotating basis, to serve the role of "devil's advocate". This encourages critical thinking.

-Look outside the box. Beyond the corporate catch phrase, what I intend by this ground rule is to allow for evaluation of the team and its work by someone from outside the team.

Team roles

2005-01-23T13:06:00.000-08:00

I think I have a pretty good idea at this point in my life as to what I do relatively well and that I am weak at or don't enjoy doing.

Weak:
- Anything that requires too much detail work. For instance, I'd go nuts as a programmer or a copy editor.
- Anything that requires me to do artwork. Can't do it, but I am comfortable at the conceptual level.
- Tech work. I can do it, it just isn't that fun for me.

Relatively well:
- People and project management. I prefer to keep at an overview and look at the big picture, but can scope in at detail when needed in this type of role.
- Conceptual work. As mentioned, don't ask me to create the actual creative, but I can develop the concepts around it.

My goal is to stretch myself this quarter. I am game to take on any role the team needs. I am a team-player (who doesn't say that) and I am willing to step up and take any role the team needs me to take.

Teams, question dos

2005-01-14T17:06:00.000-08:00

I find that a balance between different communication forms works pretty well.

For mundane, basic communication or a recap of next steps and decisions from a meeting, I think e-mail works best. It creates a nice paper trail and there can it helps alleviate potential confusion which can arise from solely verbal communication.

If there is a specific item, particularly if it has a little hair on it, I prefer to pick up the phone or have face-to-face communication. One rule that works for me is that if an e-mail gets batted back and forth more than 3 times, it is time to pick up the phone.

E-mail has its place and works especially well in that you can read and respond at your leisure and don't have to be interrupted (like a phone call). However, it is really poor for complex matters and certainly for any situation where there is a potential for conflict.

Teams, question uno

2005-01-14T15:13:00.000-08:00

I have been fortunate to work on many different types of teams - effective, dysfunctional yet effective and of course, the good 'ol ineffective team. I wouldn't be the first to say it or think it, but the idea of a team as a permanent unit is false. Each time someone is added or subtracted the team changes, the team goes through a process of "forming, norming and storming" as the team finds its new balance.

The best team I worked on was a team that helped convert the Seattle Times from an afternoon paper to a morning newspaper. The complexities were amazing, yet no one ever said it couldn't be done in the tight timeframe we had (even if some thought that was the case). The mandate handed to the team from the VP of my department was not only that we would make the conversion on time, but that it would be done "flawlessly."

Some of the reasons it worked, and I think this applies to good teams in general:
- sense of urgency
- a clearly understood mission or team charter
- a designated "decision-maker"
- trust within the group
- a positive "yes" attitude

The last point is critical. I have been on teams where negativity takes on its own life force. As simplistic as it sounds, having a can-do attitude and approach to problems makes a team highly effective.

One last comment: whether a team is one formed for the a finite period of time or a team that has a longer-term role (i.e. a management team), it is important to take time to celebrate the accomplishments of the team.