Three Shades of Grey

Design, the new Development

Thu, 15 Mar 2012 11:56:57 -0700

Design is about look, feel and function. It’s not just Photoshop, Illustrator or Balsamiq. It’s about finding out why particular elements feel more natural and are more expressive towards your vision and your brand. Design is how you can encourage users to interact with your application effortlessly. Why? Because that fosters community, growth, and what’s better for your users is ultimately better for you.

It’s time we find ways to incorporate design into our way of problem solving, our ideas and our focus as entrepreneurs and developers.

Design for Entrepreneurs

“Design is a funny word. Some people think design means how it looks. But of course, if you dig deeper, it’s really how it works.” - Steve Jobs

Considering the number of wireframes and mockups I’ve come across from non-technical cofounders, it’s a wonder why design isn’t playing a larger role in startups.

You, as an entrepreneur, may be extremely passionate about your idea, but you haven’t looked close enough at the problem yet. That’s where design takes its first steps. Too quick are entrepreneurs jumping to solving problems at a funding level, that they forget to start at the user level. It’s a Catch-22. Funding won’t happen until you validate your idea with users, while for many entrepreneurs, the funding is their validation.

Code Academy UX

“Web design is the creation of digital environments that facilitate and encourage human activity; reflect or adapt to individual voices and content; and change gracefully over time while always retaining their identity.” - Jeffrey Zeldman

By design Code Academy finds people at pivotal moments in their lives looking to build something, whether it’s a career in software development, or a web app to solve the world’s problems. To do so we want our students to experience the full scope of building a web application from the ground up. This of course relies heavily on design principles and requires involving them as soon as development begins.

It’s exactly why we’ve launched our own UI/UX course this January alongside our development program. It’s just as important to validate your ideas against the research and psychology of your users. Understand what their problems are, find the best solutions, then build them.

We think design is immensely important. So important we’ve pulled in Carolyn Chandler, User Experience Director at Manifest Digital to teach us and our students how to do it right. What Carolyn has shown us is, in their simplest form, web application design breaks down to how it works, how it looks and how it feels.

It goes far beyond just the visual aesthetic of a site, but goes into the actual functionality of it, the associations it ties in with your mind, and the map it creates as you navigate across it. And these are the elements we are able to iterate across our own projects in just 11 weeks. We also open our minds as designers to help our development students explore a variety of solutions and a variety of methods when approaching a unique problem.

Design is the translation of a users actions into the functionality and practice of your product, and we invite you to learn all about it.

Apply today, Code Academy UI/UX.

Loud Desperation

Thu, 15 Mar 2012 11:55:24 -0700

codeacademy:

Most men lead lives of quiet desperation and go to the grave with the song still in them. -Henry David Thoreau

What do you equate terms like soul-crushing, mindless, political with? It’s strange how often I’m hearing these words in association with traditional jobs today.

Is it odd to think these types of jobs were considered incredibly desirable, but today we can’t stand the thought of them? What’s worse is knowing how structured the world, education and people still are around these jobs. People are just waiting to find a way out, we see it and we hear it every day.

The first set of Code Academy applications prove it’s not just a fad, but is in fact a growing trend. Colleges are setting people up for jobs they hate. These are jobs that drone on mindlessly while people wait for their chance to be heard and affect some change in their company.

You notice it most when you join a new company. With a fresh pair of eyes you quickly take note of the inefficiencies, the strange processes and outdated routines happening around you. It’s odd to think how many other employees facilitate the progress of a companies bad habits. And as a new employee it feels like your duty to right these wrongs. But as much as you try, you’re proven ineffective. Why is that?

What is it about companies that become so stagnant no matter their size, they become okay with their complacency? It’s frustrating. Our generation of entrepreneurs are here to solve actual problems, yet we’re not given the chance to save these companies. We’re risk takers. We’re adept at change and we’re agile with our resources. We find a problem and instinctively jump to solutions. It’s in our nature to leverage our naivety within a new company to question everything.

To save your company and your best hires, you need to start creating value for them. Create a platform for change in which people can actually offer real solutions to problems that exist within your company. And if you can’t keep up, that’s fine Code Academy will happily provide them with a new path.

I’m more optimistic today than I was before this round of applications, if only because I’m seeing so many of us willing to pivot our lives for ideas and not cash. We’re not happy with a full-time, 9-5 job with pension and security. What makes us happy today is building things that matter. We find delight in adding true value and making a difference for our consumers. We want to make change happen, we want to see a better world, and more than anything we want to play a part in its creation.

Discovering Delicious

Tue, 27 Sep 2011 12:39:46 -0700

I was a heavy Delicious user and proponent at first, but quickly fed into its over-watered, over-polluted system of links that I couldn’t think to re-mine through solely because even my own link list had become a dump- my definition of information overload.

Normal search, a-la-Google has taught a generation of users that it’s okay not to horde the internet, but to instead rely on search for both discovery and recovery.

The new Delicious with Stacks seems to be a different approach. A cross pollination of Wikipedia, traditional Delicious, search and a bit of Squidoo. But, finally a tool that understands the power of curation.

Stacks allows the individual to tailor a particular niche topic from tried/tested resources across the web. So where traditional Delicious was about archiving, new Delicious is about discovery.

Looking to understand a new topic, interest or passion? Delicious it. Rather than simple search which provides a nominal list of page-ranked links, you get someone’s personal view on a topic. Follow fulfilling web-curators. Learn. Share. Reciprocate.

Further reading:

AVOS - A New Flavor…Still Delicious
Jason Kottke - The new Delicious

Timeline

Thu, 22 Sep 2011 18:02:47 -0700

Emotionally curated content culled from any source to share with anyone regardless of reciprocity.

That seems to be the goal of Facebook’s announcement today. A lofty one, but clearly feasible. Facebook is continuing on its quest of becoming the everything system.

The few problems I’ve had and continue to have are the lack of actual curated friendships on Facebook. There’s a ton of pollution and I worry with a Timeline and Ticker, it will only continue to become polluted. Less and less do I rely on Facebook for discovery, and instead rely more heavily on Twitter.

It’s in rare cases that I’d like to share something personal, photo album, event, etc, that I turn to Facebook. I’m curious how many others feel the same, and whether or not there’s a better opportunity for a mobile app or service to provide these tools. Who knows maybe it’s something Color or MobileMe come iCloud will solve.

That said, it’s a huge draw for me having a centralized repository inclusive of my most frequent social visitors. Really brilliant when it comes to the number of services I use, discover, and share with, that others may not be using.

At least one question is answered, whether to post this to Facebook or Twitter. Doesn’t matter now, it’ll autopost to Facebook for me.

Further reading:

MG Siegler - Share Buttons? Ha. Facebook Just Schooled The Internet. Again.
‘Timeline’ Ad
‘A New Class of Social Apps on Facebook’ Ad

BankSimple

Wed, 21 Sep 2011 13:12:09 -0700

With the first announcement of BankSimple curiosity has had the best of me. And while I consider myself an early adopter if only to understand what emerging technology is sticky, notions like BankSimple tend to permeate well beyond simple tech enthusiasts.

It’s interesting when a necessary idea meets a strong need. And what I realize more often is how willing people are to adopt change, if only to gain better services. Technology seems to lead this progress, but ultimately it’s not technology that creates these solutions or revolutionizes products, instead it’s the thinking and design spent behind it.

Steve Jobs in his interview with Wired said,

What’s wrong with education cannot be fixed with technology. No amount of technology will make a dent.

More often then not this is the approach of companies without a clue. They come to understand that technology is changing so fast, that without following suite, they’ll simply fall behind. Unfortunately though, no amount of social media, or technology advancements will make your product better if it’s already crap.

It’s better to start fresh and think deeply about the problem you’re trying to solve. While SimpleBank is reveling in this notion of new and thoughtful design, I hope others are just as courageous. Not just companies either, education and politics included.

Further reading:

Joshua Reich - A First Look at BankSimple
Gary Wolf - Steve Jobs: The Next Insanely Great Thing
TED - Salman Khan: Let’s use video to reinvent education

Mentality verse Sanity

Tue, 20 Sep 2011 11:58:23 -0700

Metro is a change, but it’s a new layer atop an old one. And for companies like Apple, willingness to adapt and not adopt has become a guiding principle.

Reverse scrolling is a simple but precise example of this. In terms of usability it makes sense, but to a number of users it’s disconcerting having to rethink something that’s been engrained in muscle memory for decades.

Yes, it makes sense to have the screen shift in the direction your finger pulls with iOS devices, but why carry it to legacy devices where tradition clearly states the opposite?

Because it made sense to someone, and so they pulled the trigger on it. Ultimately their willingness to make such a decision is telling. It’s almost less a matter of usability, and more a sign of clear decision making.

Most companies have a wishy-washy process of leading design changes from intern to product manager to oversight committee to department head to etc. It requires clear focus and someone willing to take responsibility for their actions.

So when you ask why natural scrolling, instead think why other companies have been so complacent as not to try it.

Further reading:

Michael Agger - It’s Only Natural via Dave Winer

'Drive'

Tue, 20 Sep 2011 11:19:45 -0700

Spoiler: This analysis of the film ‘Drive’ discusses specific plot details and is dependent on you having already seen the film.

Some heroes are real. (Byline from the film poster.)

‘Drive’ is a look into the very soul or nature of what we commonly consider archetype heroes and throws it back in our face. If you want to be as confident as 007, or as cool as James Dean, then this is what you need to be capable of: complete mayhem.

That’s real. And so is ‘Drive’s delineation away from traditional story telling.

Like a good audience we quickly fall for our nameless lead’s charms. Based off the audience reaction itself, frankly no one expected the dark path the film runs down. I wouldn’t be surprised if others came in expecting an edgier version of ‘The Transporter’, maybe even a more true-to-life version. Little did we realize that’s exactly what we got.

Brooding over this film has highlighted several points. One, true life characters seldom change. Two, dreams don’t always become reality. Three, even the good die.

Truth

Falling for this lead character is a bad idea. In truth, we’re led to for the first half of the film. We’re drawn to him and his quiet nature, only to realize what it might actually take for a person like this to exist.

The scorpion stings the frog, it’s in its nature. Shannon will always be unlucky, Nino is always inclined to revenge, and Irene will always fall for the wrong guy. It’s why Shannon dies, Nino goes after the driver, and why Irene knocks on his door at the end of the film edging forgiveness.

Dreams

$300,000 for a Nascar seems like a dream come true. You have the driver, you have the car, next we should expect something from out of ‘Days of Thunder’. Instead we barely touch the car. There is no escaping the character’s true reality. They’re in too deep, with lessening chance of escape. Or in our leads case, if you do, it’s just barely, and with surprise.

Standard dreams of escaping his debt, living the rest of his life in peace with his family, with his son. That’s a dream quickly crushed. Shannon dreams of escaping his ill fortune by finally finding an honest way out. Unfortunately it’s with the wrong people. Irene meets someone she shares a deep connection with. He turns out to be pretty twisted.

In this film, dreams die just as readily as characters.

Death

In an arguably noble film Standard and Blanche (girl from Mad Men) wouldn’t have died. In some last ditch dashing effort our driver would have pulled them to safety, maybe harmed slightly but not dead.

Truth, again, cycles. There is no hero strong enough to defy reality.

We come to lack surprise even in the lead characters possible death. The final scenes are still a visceral shock to our systems, but the equality of it fits. We’ve become desensitized from the film, and seemingly find release in even the driver’s death.

Towards the final scene with his leg slumped out of the car, and eyes fixed as if testing the audience to blink first, we still linger on the hope of his survival, but come to understand even otherwise, it’s still a final moment, an end to a completely chaotic situation.

Peaceful even.

Further reading:

Christopher Orr - A High-Octane ‘Drive’
IMDB

Leading by Example

Thu, 15 Sep 2011 14:02:00 -0700

Where is Microsoft’s presence in Metro? If they’re banking so heavily on this being the future of computing, where are their apps?

I see no Microsoft Office Metro edition, no Visual Studio Metro edition. Hell, even a Task Manager Metro edition might be fun. Instead we’re left with a suite of intern developed applications to tweet and share photos. Certainly beautiful applications to match an even more beautiful UI, but again where is the true buy-in from Microsoft themselves?

Apple with the launch of the original iPad in 2010 included iWork, its first set of professionally inspired applications to be used with large screen iOS devices. Then with the iPad 2, developers were introduced to iLife for iOS, showcasing features like measuring force with the accelerometer. Clear examples of just how powerful the software and hardware are.

Really it begs the question: is Metro purely an aesthetic play for Microsoft, or is it designed to help professional developers build better apps? Until we find out, we won’t know just how powerful Metro and Win 8 really are.

Further reading:

Jensen Harris - 8 traits of great Metro style apps [via John Gruber]
getwired.com - The landscape tablet landscape [via John Gruber]

Mirror Effect

Thu, 15 Sep 2011 13:37:00 -0700

Having watched the day one Keynote from Microsoft, and Jensen Harris’s overview of the leading 8 principles in Win 8, I now have more questions than actual answers. Namely, can we ever expect Microsoft to separate rather than encapsulate the legacy PC desktop from the Metro one?

My comprehension quickly gets foggy as soon as I envision the vast spectrum of current Windows customers crossing paths with Windows 8 for the first time. Questions like, why two IE browsers exist on the same device, but don’t keep tabs in sync. Or why virus protection is still necessary if Apps are completely vetted for security? Why is one layer so utterly different then the other layer?

Is the desktop actually an application within Metro, or is Metro an application with the desktop? It’s a hall of mirrors, one encapsulating another, encapsulating itself, ad infinitum. Which one’s real/authentic/original/______?

Further reading:

Steven Sinofsky - Keynote Day 1
Kyle Baxter - One Platform to Rule Them All
Jason Snell - Windows 8, iOS, and the future [via John Gruber]

Base Station → iCloud Hub

Wed, 07 Sep 2011 11:03:13 -0700

From the original UFO base station, Apple released the AirPort Extreme, giving way to today’s Time Capsule, an easy to use backup solution for your Mac. With the introduction of iCloud however, we’re seeing less and the less the need for local media storage. If our files can retain themselves in the cloud, and in sync across all our devices, then what’s the purpose of needing them locally? Well, for starters space. So how can we better invent a system to store files locally in this post-PC world?

Exchange the idea of the Time Capsule with a localized iCloud Hub. A storage device that mediates the entire households specific media (purchased and not), and caters well to iOS devices. Setup would be a synch, seeing as you can already setup an AirPort Extreme or Express using iOS.

The idea of a centralized hub isn’t a new one, many of us I’m sure have dabbled with NAS or even Mac Mini’s as home entertainment centers, or media hubs. This vision though, is catered specifically to those entering this market for the first time.

The Vision

Activate the device, join its network. Bridge it to yours as wire it as you would normally with a router or standard AirPort device. Access the device via Settings from your iOS device, add each iCloud credential in your household. Trigger which files for each account you want merged with the device, Music, Photos, etc.

By offloading your entire media catalog you completely free the space utilized on your iOS and PC devices. Your entire household has access to their specific account to retroactively see or manipulate all of their media content. Seeing as Music Match can already host your entire music catalog, for those not willing to subscribe yearly, they can offload it locally and use Home Sharing or AirPlay from the local iCloud to stream media wirelessly without tolling their iOS batteries.

Better yet, include two Thunderbolt ports into the actual hardware of the iCloud Hub and allow an easy sync solution to your PCs. In this way you can quickly offload all your media contents quickly, efficiently and free up all available space previously clogged by dated media. Keep local only what’s relevant to you.

The Everything Hub

In the initial setup, it would be helpful to have an option to segment a separate partition of your choice dedicated to Time Machine. Seeing as iOS won’t need it, and now that your media is stored off your actual PC, backing up should take a fairly minimal amount of space, even if you’re supporting multiple PCs. Adjusting the allotted space can provide adequate redundancy for your most recent backups.

Migration Assistant can utilize this as well. Seeing as your unique iCloud ID provides safe access to only your specific media files and back-ups, plugging in a new PC over Thunderbolt or WiFi can get you immediately restored and running again.

Ideally the hardware internally of the device will allow for TBs of storage, itself backed up, and extremely easy to expand. I can imaging being able to add a second iCloud Hub simply by plugging a new one into another Thunderbolt port, and immediately doubling storage. Though this gets out of my realm of expertise, I’m sure the Genius’ at Apple can manage much better than I.

The Magic

What I do see though, are a variety of interesting case studies. Currently if you want to import photos, you snap them with your camera, plug it into your PC and use Aperture or iPhoto to import them.

iCloud will do a fantastic job of storing your last 1000 shots, which can leveraged in this case. On import, iCloud can upload your shots, Events, etc, and automatically download them to your specific iCloud account on your iCloud Hub. iPhoto itself can option on keeping only your last 1000 photos stored locally on your PC, and remove the rest as soon as their safely migrated to your iCloud hub.

Imagine being able to offload all your media and content immediately, safely backed up, and available to any of your devices via a single unique login. Maintain an uncluttered hard drive, and have access to your entire media catalog via iOS.

Ideally the iCloud Hub provides a solution for consumers to retain enough storage space, safely guarded, and safely backed-up in a method that allows post-PC device users to get away with using just iOS devices on a more regular basis.

In effect this creates a straightforward path to where the PC itself becomes a redundancy, less needed since media can collate together in a single, non-screen device, that is extremely transparent, and extremely easy to use. It can be the wireless hub for our homes, or the data center for your professional needs. Either way it can facilitate our daily digital interactions in a simple, clean and magical manner.

Innovation and Vision

Thu, 25 Aug 2011 13:36:00 -0700

To innovate is to play. To envision is to predict.

And predictions are often wrong. So while we have a great many visionaries in the market, few are leading innovators.

Can you find and train people to understand the distinction? And can a company be open and understanding enough to allow play? Is this the root of Apple’s success over Microsoft’s? Or Google’s back and forth in public opinion?

Maybe it takes a special kind of person or mindset to take a completely unique vision and innovate from it.

The Most Cliche Title Ever

Wed, 24 Aug 2011 21:28:16 -0700

Gruber:

How do you replace the irreplaceable man?

You don’t. But we’re not replacing him. Steve Jobs is still very much alive, and still very much ingrained in Apple. So yes, while it may be the end of an era, there still is opportunity to understand the dynamics of what makes Steve Jobs an irreplaceable man.

Buddha chose not to write his lessons, and instead relied on his disciples to spread his teachings; we no less will tweet them. So be honored you spent a generation with Apple under his vigil, and reassure yourself that while you may have missed your opportunity to see him on stage, you at least have YouTube.

Kindle Could be Kinder

Wed, 10 Aug 2011 12:50:57 -0700

I appreciate Amazon’s ability to create application quality web services, but I think Amazon missed an opportunity with Kindle Cloud Reader. If Amazon’s Cloud Music Drive can upload content via your PC and allow you to stream it globally, all personal literary content should be afforded the same opportunity.

The Kindle way is great for linking notes and bookmarks between devices, but the extent of reading isn’t devoted solely to purchased content. While I keep a number of books in queue on my Kindle, my daily amount of reading is dedicated between services like Instapaper and Dave Pell’s Delivereads.

To be kinder, Kindle should utilize my already prevalent storage space via Amazon’s Cloud Drive and retain my non-purchased literary content. Capped at an already finite amount of space- notes, bookmarks and items can remain synced across all Kindle services.

Truly utilize the open nature of the web to surprise and delight customers.

Removal of Default iOS Apps

Wed, 08 Jun 2011 14:21:26 -0700

Apple released the iPhone in 2007 with 16 original applications. The default application list has grown since to include applications like Voice Memo and Compass. My question is will it be strange for Apple to remove retroactive applications?

For example will we always need a Stock or Weather application now that it can be included in the notification bar? Or are people using the Compass application enough to really justify it taking up a permanent position on our device?

More importantly, can we completely replace the phone application and rely solely on FaceTime and iMessage? Sure we can rely on third party applications like Skype and Google Voice, but is it weird to think we can completely forgo voice calling completely, and instead rely on real-time video chat as default?

Can we get used to a world where you’re constantly face to face with those you communicate with globally, even when they’re strangers? It’s less a question about the technology, and more the social insecurities involved. But I’m certainly curious.

Getting Rid of the PC

Tue, 07 Jun 2011 11:31:53 -0700

In followup to my previous article, Replacing Ethernet I made it clear how quickly we can expect a single I/O port to change the way we interact with routers, and share between devices. Maybe the future of AirPort Extreme’s, though with WWDC behind us, it seems Apple may have more in mind with network peripherals in the sans PC world.

While iCloud offers a great number of storage features including purchased music, applications, and backups, but when it comes to digital meda libraries, we quickly see the system breaking down.

Don’t get me wrong, Photo Stream seems like a great service to share photos across devices, but looking closer we again see the cloud as a temporary solution. Unlike iOS devices which retain 30 days of photos unless saved, PCs will retain all of them.

This is what the availability of space will offer.

That’s the only inherent purpose of a PC in this post PC world, added space. Space which in fact can just as easily be replaced by a network storage device a-la Time Capsule.

Simply put, why have a PC when iCloud can have the ability to sync full libraries of photos and videos to a network storage device, and remain accessible wirelessly at your choosing from your iOS devices?

iCloud API

Seeing as iCloud’s API may pertain more to applications on iOS, I’m curious about its future adoption as a hardware API. Is it possible that the iCloud API may later be extended to 3rd party peripherals?

Imagine post photo shoot, where you return home, and your SLR automatically syncs with your Time Capsule, to then have your photos accessible via iCloud across all your iOS devices for touchup, and album management?

What "We" Are

Tue, 07 Jun 2011 10:57:32 -0700

Apple is execution and polish.
Devoted to the exercise of functionality, practicality, and innovative design.

Google is open.
The idea of open, freedom, and access prevails all else, including control.

Microsoft is complacency.
Change and growth are not necessary when success is already at hand.

Replacing Ethernet

Sun, 05 Jun 2011 13:25:39 -0700

Breakdown of speeds by device:

Gigabit router - 1 Gbps over Ethernet
Cat 5 - 100 Mbps
Cat 6 - 1 Gbps [Capped 330ft] source
Wireless N - 300 Mbps
Thunderbolt - 10 Gbps bidirectional [copper capped 3 meters/~9ft]

1 GBps = 8 Gbps source

Even in its infancy, copper based Thunderbolt is extremely quick. Once it switches to fiber, we can only anticipate a multiple times increase in speed and limitless length.

The only attributes still current with Ethernet seem 1 Gbps and 330ft of cable, meaning great for businesses, and convenient for home users that still rely on wired networks. Though WiFi is the dominant choice of internet access, being capped at 300 Mbps means data locally transferred is often deferred to a wired connection for speed.

Switching a wired connection to Thunderbolt offers a bidirectional increase in speed effectively by 8 times. Yes over a much shorter distance, but for those that require the 330ft of extra space, Sonnet Presto offers a unique adapter.

How the Universe Works

Wed, 01 Jun 2011 11:35:39 -0700

Search engines are like the Hubble telescope trying to quantify the entire universe. It’s pointless if we know what we’re looking for.

It’s a novel idea for a single company to want to quantify and store the web, but less and less is archive what we need. Just as students can rely on Wikipedia, teenagers can on Facebook. It’s about finding a core service around relevant content and resources. Find what’s applicable to you now, and utilizing it.

Search today works best with only a niche, or subset of content. Preferably my own personal content, be it Delicious, Evernote, or Gmail. Outside of these segments, search queries often serve specific purposes, e.g. finding a particular URL. So why are searches still providing an aggregate view of the web?

I’m Feeling Lucky

Specific searches need specific results. We should finally be at the age of dynamic search, or what Isaac Asimov suggested in The Last Question, a true decision engine.

Google should be playing the role of middleman and say based on each query, what the best result provided on the web currently is, predicted and scaled by the web as its backend knowledge.

+1

Maybe this is the upcoming role of +1, a better way to moderate the web and resources we’re actually using. Not necessarily a social means of communicating resources across the web, but instead one to articulate the precise resources relevant to you.

CEO for a Day: Microsoft

Fri, 27 May 2011 13:04:12 -0700

Ballmer doesn’t sit up at night thinking about where computers are going and how they can make the world a better place. He’s thinking about how he can sell more Windows licenses and copies of Microsoft Office. Kyle Baxter, TightWind

It’s completely naive to think a single day will be effective by any means, but in my mind, I like to think it’s enough to rock the boat.

Morning: Rally the Troops

Bill Gates returning won’t have the same effect Steve Jobs did in his return. They are two fundamentally different people, with different approaches no less.

Instead let Microsoft speak on behalf of Microsoft. I have no doubts there are great ideas, issues, grievances, and imaginations alike from the tens of thousands of employees running Microsoft. Let’s hear what they have to say.

Our motto? Open the Window, let some fresh air in.

Early Afternoon: Slash & Burn

Going forward, we innovate from what people want, not what they have. Kill or rethink every product that is immediately in comparison or cloned with a competitive product or service.

Microsoft traditionally is seen as two core elements: Consumer/Business.

Consumer = Windows, Search, XBox.
Business = Hosted Exchange, SharePoint, SQL, etc.

However, majority of business users are really consumers. We each run the same operating system, rely on the same services and applications. Instead Microsoft should legitimize the difference as Consumer/IT.

Doing so we can focus solely on the consumer needs, rather than unnecessary cogs like three tiers of the same operating system, where you’re paying extra for domain control, remote desktop, encryption, and few other features.

Simply put, the consumer will retain the focus. Thus allowing us to limit Microsoft to the following core elements: Windows, Windows Live, Microsoft Office, Bing, XBox.

Late Afternoon: Open Air

I bet if we look at the top 10 applications globally used on Windows machines, we’d see the same pattern of a browser, Office, and Solitaire rounding up the top 3. Instead we should focus on a new, next generation interface for operating systems. Think Kinect, think light, think nimble.

Honestly at this point I would take the XBox/Kinect team, put them in a room with the Windows Phone 7 team, and give them free reign to build a desktop class operating system, go.

The World is Web-Based, Time to Catch Up

Repackage MSN. Messaging -not email, voice/video chat -not instant messaging. All within an extremely light web based infrastructure. One that’s secure, easily portable, and extremely convenient to use.

Introduce a free version of Office Lite, where the web meets desktop software. Finally a program that follows the 80/20 principle, keeping only 20% of the features 80% of people use. Integrate elements of Live Writer, export to blogs, allow shared links, autosave, version control, all the elements considered common today, but completely lacking in Office.

Evening: Skype Woes

If we’re willing to spend $8.5 billion on a deal to acquire VOIP service Skype, we should be willing to push Windows Phone 7 away from common carrier services, and stick solely with data plans globally.

It’s the one risk worth fighting for, consumer demand, consumer rights, and consumer certainty. I’d certainly consider a Windows Phone 7 if it came with a $30 monthly data plan, inclusive of voice, SMS, and data. Wouldn’t you?

Otherwise return it. There’s a lot that can be done with $8.5 billion, including offering it outside of Microsoft. I have no doubts money can be better spent nationally funding tech education to our future users, and business leaders.

Nightfall: Piss People Off

I want people to care enough to question everything, to find a reason to love or hate Microsoft instead of passively standing by as products become increasingly complex.

Finding solid ground for which to regrow products will remain key. If this means killing many of Microsofts current projects, so be it [I’m looking at you Bing].

I enjoy looking at this from a user perspective, rather than a financial, or business savvy one. And honestly it feels like the right approach in Microsoft’s case. It’s a consumer industry, and it’s consumers who purchase products. Microsoft can start by making us happy.

As Alan Kay said,

The best way to predict the future, is to create it.

I have no doubts I have left a great deal out. And I have no doubts you have an opinion. I’m all ears.

Apple Genius → Apple Expert

Thu, 26 May 2011 12:45:55 -0700

Apple’s retail chains cater extremely well to the New to Mac experience. Between basic workshops and one-to-one, each new customer is introduced to the world of Apple.

But for users like myself that have been Apple advocates since at least the launch of OS X, I’d like to see workshops around higher utility- enabling and using scripts to automate functionality, learning to better use the Terminal to run command line prompts.

User Groups have been fostered and associated with Apple power users, but the lack of migration from novice to expert within the retail ecosystem feels like a missed opportunity.

You notice this transition frequently, often with a simple feature like Expose. It shines in the users eye, and they clearly want to know more.

We are a technology based species. We like to know our evolution coincides with the progress of technology. So teach us.