Presentation
All the methods that I have learned in this and previous course have helped me actually develop my ideas into something real. Although I have not been able yet to fully achieve my goals, I am on my way to do so and I now have a quite a few tools under my belt to make not only timetraxx successful but also other applications I choose to create. Perhaps for those who do not have an interest in creating goods/services, the class could possibly have a few lectures devoted to some sort of problem solving in the business world using ideation methodologies for creative solutions.
May 6, 2013
Apr 28, 2013
Impact vs Feasibility
The impact vs feasibility chart helped me evaluate the app based on user's opinions of whether or not they would use the drag-and-drop technique of task management. Some users well familiar with touch thought it would be nice but lack of integration and details would not replace their current style. Some thought that touch is annoying and unpredictable and would prefer clicking instead of dragging. Some users thought the impact would help them manage projects although Windows 8 is not an option.
I figured to address these issues, I could design the app to be usable with regular clicking as well as drag-and-drop. Since many use Google Calendar, or at least Gmail, integration with Google Tasks would be nice to address integration (a feature very much needed for teams).
Apr 21, 2013
Crush Connections Reflection
Although quite a few of the crush connections don't quite make sense or are not quite possible, it opens up news ideas about how users can interact with timetraxx. A very cool idea would be controlling the app with your mind, however, that's not quite prime time yet. A more realistic idea would be that the computer could automatically manage tasks or add tasks. More specifically, perhaps timetraxx could scan an email and have an option to create a task with only a few clicks. So I think one of the user experience issues now with organizing is that's it's time consuming, annoying, and not easy to actually dedicate yourself to a system. So having an app that would automate everything possible and make the time consuming manual details even easier (voice transcripts) would be something the user would love.
On the development side, I have come across some fluidity issues that make the app cumbersome to use which means I need to think of a scaleable design that would work great regardless of screen size or the amount tasks one has in his to do list. So from here I shall branch out my ideation process to include app design, not just features.
On the development side, I have come across some fluidity issues that make the app cumbersome to use which means I need to think of a scaleable design that would work great regardless of screen size or the amount tasks one has in his to do list. So from here I shall branch out my ideation process to include app design, not just features.
Apr 14, 2013
Chance Connection Reflections
Coming across "mandatory" chance connections, I realized their full value. Many of my ideas (most of the crazy) come from chance connections but I don't quite dedicate time to a "connection session." This methodology opens different perspectives on problems and solutions and I think this is critical in any job where problem solving is involved. In the end, a product or service will be "made" by users and such a product or service will succeed if it tailors to the user experience and not the other way around. For example, for the average person, the iPhone user experience is great because users can pick up the phone and start using it right away. It was tailored to the user (who has a hard time figuring out where the hidden settings and function are in a computer or appliance) and the iPhone made everything very simple.
The more I come across these techniques, the more I want to organize and simplify the world around us. I think my middle name should be Simple.
The more I come across these techniques, the more I want to organize and simplify the world around us. I think my middle name should be Simple.
Apr 7, 2013
User Journey II Reflection
Having compiled all of the interviews into a ten page document, I have realized that interviews and dynamic answers are much better than a bunch of data. I am not particularly fond of quantitative data for decision making because it skips out relevant qualitative information. Interviews are a perfect way to gather that qualitative information.
The data you can't attach a number to is a great way to learn about user experience. I think by identifying all needs, problems, and insights before proposing a solution is the best way to approach creating a product or service. When I do graphic design, I do not set out to create a beautiful and fancy design, I set out to create a functional design that will serve it's informative purpose to its most extent. I design so the viewer can notice and easily decide what to do with the information presented in the design. So it's all about becoming a part of the user's journey and seeing things from another perspective. It's not about me, it's about them. And I have proven myself that the more I think about the purpose, value, and direction of something, the better the result will of that something will be. Although "reverse engineering" a user journey is very work-intensive, I am sure it is more than worth it.
The data you can't attach a number to is a great way to learn about user experience. I think by identifying all needs, problems, and insights before proposing a solution is the best way to approach creating a product or service. When I do graphic design, I do not set out to create a beautiful and fancy design, I set out to create a functional design that will serve it's informative purpose to its most extent. I design so the viewer can notice and easily decide what to do with the information presented in the design. So it's all about becoming a part of the user's journey and seeing things from another perspective. It's not about me, it's about them. And I have proven myself that the more I think about the purpose, value, and direction of something, the better the result will of that something will be. Although "reverse engineering" a user journey is very work-intensive, I am sure it is more than worth it.
Mar 31, 2013
User Journey Reflection
I used to think how nice it would be if I came up with a product that I thought was cool and a lot of people would buy it. After learning about the concept of user research, I realized that it's not me that needs to think the product is cool, but the person who is going to be using it (and in order to make the product successful, lots of people should be using it). The user journey approach to finding more about the potential customer is a great way to discover how they find a service or good and why they choose it. So I think this is a form of marketing where you find the people who would like to buy your product and help them make their journey easier by adjusting your product or the way it is presented. So when creating a product/service, it is good to envision of how someone would go along their day with or without the product, how they would find it, and how they would use it. I think the more you learn about the surrounding the environment of the product/service, the more you will be able to deploy your product successfully to fit in the environment. It's like survival of the fittest - except it's the product doing the competition.
User Journey for an Individual in Need of a Task Management Utility
1. Current task management inneffective/frusturating
a. Missed events, tasks, emails, etc.
b. Lack of good prioritization, ease of management, and relevant alerts
2. User searches for a way to manage tasks more efficiently
a. Applications (OmniFocus) and web services (Google Calendar)
b. Paperbased calendars, lists, and sticky notes
c. User gives up search because a proper solution could not be found
3. User finds a possibly fitting utility
a. Uses it
i. Sometimes a perfect fit, but not always
ii. Every user is in a slightly/moderately different scenario and needs a slightly/moderately different utility
iii. People with with an unstructured schedule (besides meetings, conferences, etc.) have a specific way of organizing and utilize different systems to do so
1. These type of people don't usually love the way they organize (all want organize faster)
iv. A user finds a solution that is good enough for the time being
1. Researching for a solution is a time (and money) consuming process
4. User finds that the utility is not fitting
a. Back to step 1 or quits looking until it becomes an annoyance once again
a. Missed events, tasks, emails, etc.
b. Lack of good prioritization, ease of management, and relevant alerts
2. User searches for a way to manage tasks more efficiently
a. Applications (OmniFocus) and web services (Google Calendar)
b. Paperbased calendars, lists, and sticky notes
c. User gives up search because a proper solution could not be found
3. User finds a possibly fitting utility
a. Uses it
i. Sometimes a perfect fit, but not always
ii. Every user is in a slightly/moderately different scenario and needs a slightly/moderately different utility
iii. People with with an unstructured schedule (besides meetings, conferences, etc.) have a specific way of organizing and utilize different systems to do so
1. These type of people don't usually love the way they organize (all want organize faster)
iv. A user finds a solution that is good enough for the time being
1. Researching for a solution is a time (and money) consuming process
4. User finds that the utility is not fitting
a. Back to step 1 or quits looking until it becomes an annoyance once again
Mar 15, 2013
timetraxx Final Research Plan
Title: Task management
Topic Area: User methods on task management
Frame Your Problem
Stakeholders - IIT managing staff and/or faculty, industrious and active students
Objectives
• Identify how (and why) people organize the way they do.
• Identify what people want from a task management app.
• Identify user reactions to timetraxx's idea and features.
Research Questions
• How does a person manage his tasks?
• What does a person like about their current task management style?
• What does a person dislike about their current task management style?
• What parts of task management are easy/difficult?
• What would be the ideal task management service/app?
Research Methods:
• Interview participants with the above questions
• If a participant is willing, have participant self-document task management issues
Topic Area: User methods on task management
Frame Your Problem
Stakeholders - IIT managing staff and/or faculty, industrious and active students
Objectives
• Identify how (and why) people organize the way they do.
• Identify what people want from a task management app.
• Identify user reactions to timetraxx's idea and features.
Research Questions
• How does a person manage his tasks?
• What does a person like about their current task management style?
• What does a person dislike about their current task management style?
• What parts of task management are easy/difficult?
• What would be the ideal task management service/app?
Research Methods:
• Interview participants with the above questions
• If a participant is willing, have participant self-document task management issues
Feb 19, 2013
timetraxx User Research
• Title: Task management
• Topic Area: User methods on task management
• Frame Your Problem
– Stakeholders: IIT management staff
– Objectives: Find out how managing individuals manage their tasks. Conduct survey on what features they would like in a task/calendar/reminder application that is not already provided with mainstream organization apps. Start designing/adjusting application based on user feedback.
• Research Questions:
– How do users organize their tasks at the present moment?
– What do they wish that they had in terms of software functionality?
– What do they think about the concept of drag-and-drop interface for tasks and having a separate window for projects that include tasks, emails, notes, files, etc., all in one application?
• Research Methods:
– Interview participants about task management methods
– Observe participants managing their tasks
– Explore different needs that derive from task management methods
• Topic Area: User methods on task management
• Frame Your Problem
– Stakeholders: IIT management staff
– Objectives: Find out how managing individuals manage their tasks. Conduct survey on what features they would like in a task/calendar/reminder application that is not already provided with mainstream organization apps. Start designing/adjusting application based on user feedback.
• Research Questions:
– How do users organize their tasks at the present moment?
– What do they wish that they had in terms of software functionality?
– What do they think about the concept of drag-and-drop interface for tasks and having a separate window for projects that include tasks, emails, notes, files, etc., all in one application?
• Research Methods:
– Interview participants about task management methods
– Observe participants managing their tasks
– Explore different needs that derive from task management methods
Feb 3, 2013
How good is your decision making?
Score Interpretation (63)
Score Comment
18-42 Your decision-making hasn't fully matured. You aren't objective enough, and you rely too much on luck, instinct or timing to make reliable decisions. Start to improve your decision-making skills by focusing more on the process that leads to the decision, rather than on the decision itself. With a solid process, you can face any decision with confidence. We'll show you how. (Read below to start.)
43-66 Your decision-making process is OK. You have a good understanding of the basics, but now you need to improve your process and be more proactive. Concentrate on finding lots of options and discovering as many risks and consequences as you can. The better your analysis, the better your decision will be in the long term. Focus specifically on the areas where you lost points, and develop a system that will work for you across a wide variety of situations. (Read below to start.)
67-90 You have an excellent approach to decision-making! You know how to set up the process and generate lots of potential solutions. From there, you analyze the options carefully, and you make the best decisions possible based on what you know. As you gain more and more experience, use that information to evaluate your decisions, and continue to build on your decision-making success. Think about the areas where you lost points, and decide how you can include those areas in your process. (Read below to start.)
As you answered the questions, did you see some common themes? We based our quiz on six essential steps in the decision-making process:
Establishing a positive decision-making environment.
Generating potential solutions.
Evaluating the solutions.
Deciding.
Checking the decision.
Communicating and implementing.
If you're aware of these six basic elements and improve the way you structure them, this will help you develop a better overall decision-making system. Let's look at the six elements individually.
Establishing a Positive Decision-Making Environment
(Statements 3, 7, 13, 16)
Your score is 12 out of 20
If you've ever been in a meeting where people seem to be discussing different issues, then you've seen what happens when the decision-making environment hasn't been established. It's so important for everyone to understand the issue before preparing to make a decision. This includes agreeing on an objective, making sure the right issue is being discussed, and agreeing on a process to move the decision forward.
You also must address key interpersonal considerations at the very beginning. Have you included all the stakeholders? And do the people involved in the decision agree to respect one another and engage in an open and honest discussion? After all, if only the strongest opinions are heard, you risk not considering some of the best solutions available. Click here to learn more about creating a constructive decision-making environment.
Generating Potential Solutions
(Statements 4, 8, 11)
Your score is 12 out of 15
Another important part of a good decision process is generating as many good alternatives as sensibly possible to consider. If you simply adopt the first solution you encounter, then you're probably missing a great many even better alternatives. Click here to learn about some powerful tools for generating good alternatives, expanding the number of ideas, and considering different perspectives.
Evaluating Alternatives
(Statements 1, 6, 15)
Your score is 9 out of 15
The stage of exploring alternatives is often the most time-consuming part of the decision-making process. This stage sometimes takes so long that a decision is never made! To make this step efficient, be clear about the factors you want to include in your analysis. There are three key factors to consider:
Risk – Most decisions involve some risk. However, you need to uncover and understand the risks to make the best choice possible.
Consequences – You can't predict the implications of a decision with 100% accuracy. But you can be careful and systematic in the way that you identify and evaluate possible consequences.
Feasibility – Is the choice realistic and implementable? This factor is often ignored. You usually have to consider certain constraints when making a decision. As part of this evaluation stage, ensure that the alternative you've selected is significantly better than the status quo.
Click here to see a list of tools that you can use to improve the way you evaluate alternatives.
Deciding
(Statements 5, 10, 17)
Your score is 13 out of 15
Making the decision itself can be exciting and stressful. To help you deal with these emotions as objectively as possible, use a structured approached to the decision. This means taking a look at what's most important in a good decision.
Take the time to think ahead and determine exactly what will make the decision “right.” This will significantly improve your decision accuracy. Click here to learn about the different tools that you can use to make a good decision.
Checking the Decision
(Statements 2, 9)
Your score is 7 out of 10
Remember that some things about a decision are not objective. The decision has to make sense on an intuitive, instinctive level as well. The entire process we have discussed so far has been based on the perspectives and experiences of all the people involved. Now it's time to check the alternative you've chosen for validity and "making sense."
If the decision is a significant one, it's also worth auditing it to make sure that your assumptions are correct, and that the logical structure you've used to make the decision is sound.
Click here to learn more about tools that you can use to do this.
Communicating and Implementing (Statements 12, 14, 18)
Your score is 10 out of 15
The last stage in the decision-making process involves communicating your choice and preparing to implement it. You can try to force your decision on others by demanding their acceptance. Or you can gain their acceptance by explaining how and why you reached your decision. For most decisions – particularly those that need participant buy-in before implementation – it's more effective to gather support by explaining your decision.
Have a plan for implementing your decision. People usually respond positively to a clear plan – one that tells them what to expect and what they need to do. For more information on developing these types of plans, read our articles about project management and change management.
Key Points
Decision-making is a skill – and skills can usually be improved. As you gain more experience making decisions, and as you become more familiar with the tools and structures needed for effective decision-making, you'll improve your confidence. Use this opportunity to think about how you can improve your decision-making and take your skills to the next level. Ultimately, improving your decision-making skills will benefit you and your organization.
Score Comment
18-42 Your decision-making hasn't fully matured. You aren't objective enough, and you rely too much on luck, instinct or timing to make reliable decisions. Start to improve your decision-making skills by focusing more on the process that leads to the decision, rather than on the decision itself. With a solid process, you can face any decision with confidence. We'll show you how. (Read below to start.)
43-66 Your decision-making process is OK. You have a good understanding of the basics, but now you need to improve your process and be more proactive. Concentrate on finding lots of options and discovering as many risks and consequences as you can. The better your analysis, the better your decision will be in the long term. Focus specifically on the areas where you lost points, and develop a system that will work for you across a wide variety of situations. (Read below to start.)
67-90 You have an excellent approach to decision-making! You know how to set up the process and generate lots of potential solutions. From there, you analyze the options carefully, and you make the best decisions possible based on what you know. As you gain more and more experience, use that information to evaluate your decisions, and continue to build on your decision-making success. Think about the areas where you lost points, and decide how you can include those areas in your process. (Read below to start.)
As you answered the questions, did you see some common themes? We based our quiz on six essential steps in the decision-making process:
Establishing a positive decision-making environment.
Generating potential solutions.
Evaluating the solutions.
Deciding.
Checking the decision.
Communicating and implementing.
If you're aware of these six basic elements and improve the way you structure them, this will help you develop a better overall decision-making system. Let's look at the six elements individually.
Establishing a Positive Decision-Making Environment
(Statements 3, 7, 13, 16)
Your score is 12 out of 20
If you've ever been in a meeting where people seem to be discussing different issues, then you've seen what happens when the decision-making environment hasn't been established. It's so important for everyone to understand the issue before preparing to make a decision. This includes agreeing on an objective, making sure the right issue is being discussed, and agreeing on a process to move the decision forward.
You also must address key interpersonal considerations at the very beginning. Have you included all the stakeholders? And do the people involved in the decision agree to respect one another and engage in an open and honest discussion? After all, if only the strongest opinions are heard, you risk not considering some of the best solutions available. Click here to learn more about creating a constructive decision-making environment.
Generating Potential Solutions
(Statements 4, 8, 11)
Your score is 12 out of 15
Another important part of a good decision process is generating as many good alternatives as sensibly possible to consider. If you simply adopt the first solution you encounter, then you're probably missing a great many even better alternatives. Click here to learn about some powerful tools for generating good alternatives, expanding the number of ideas, and considering different perspectives.
Evaluating Alternatives
(Statements 1, 6, 15)
Your score is 9 out of 15
The stage of exploring alternatives is often the most time-consuming part of the decision-making process. This stage sometimes takes so long that a decision is never made! To make this step efficient, be clear about the factors you want to include in your analysis. There are three key factors to consider:
Risk – Most decisions involve some risk. However, you need to uncover and understand the risks to make the best choice possible.
Consequences – You can't predict the implications of a decision with 100% accuracy. But you can be careful and systematic in the way that you identify and evaluate possible consequences.
Feasibility – Is the choice realistic and implementable? This factor is often ignored. You usually have to consider certain constraints when making a decision. As part of this evaluation stage, ensure that the alternative you've selected is significantly better than the status quo.
Click here to see a list of tools that you can use to improve the way you evaluate alternatives.
Deciding
(Statements 5, 10, 17)
Your score is 13 out of 15
Making the decision itself can be exciting and stressful. To help you deal with these emotions as objectively as possible, use a structured approached to the decision. This means taking a look at what's most important in a good decision.
Take the time to think ahead and determine exactly what will make the decision “right.” This will significantly improve your decision accuracy. Click here to learn about the different tools that you can use to make a good decision.
Checking the Decision
(Statements 2, 9)
Your score is 7 out of 10
Remember that some things about a decision are not objective. The decision has to make sense on an intuitive, instinctive level as well. The entire process we have discussed so far has been based on the perspectives and experiences of all the people involved. Now it's time to check the alternative you've chosen for validity and "making sense."
If the decision is a significant one, it's also worth auditing it to make sure that your assumptions are correct, and that the logical structure you've used to make the decision is sound.
Click here to learn more about tools that you can use to do this.
Communicating and Implementing (Statements 12, 14, 18)
Your score is 10 out of 15
The last stage in the decision-making process involves communicating your choice and preparing to implement it. You can try to force your decision on others by demanding their acceptance. Or you can gain their acceptance by explaining how and why you reached your decision. For most decisions – particularly those that need participant buy-in before implementation – it's more effective to gather support by explaining your decision.
Have a plan for implementing your decision. People usually respond positively to a clear plan – one that tells them what to expect and what they need to do. For more information on developing these types of plans, read our articles about project management and change management.
Key Points
Decision-making is a skill – and skills can usually be improved. As you gain more experience making decisions, and as you become more familiar with the tools and structures needed for effective decision-making, you'll improve your confidence. Use this opportunity to think about how you can improve your decision-making and take your skills to the next level. Ultimately, improving your decision-making skills will benefit you and your organization.
Jan 29, 2013
timetraxx Pitch
My company, timetraxx, is developing a Windows 8 App for digital reminders and calendars to help busy managers, people, and students to manage their time with a fun, intuitive and interactive user interface.
Jan 22, 2013
Music resources
Experts in the field
- Professors
- Musicians nearby
- http://www.ehow.com/how_2352378_start-music-business.html
- http://www.muzicforums.com/forum.php
- http://www.sputnikmusic.com/forums/
- http://www.music-discussion.com/forum.php
- Computer Music
- Electronic Musician
- DJ Times
- Future Music
- DJ Mag
- http://www.davesrecordschicago.com/
- https://www.permanentrecordschicago.com/
- Riviera Theatre
- Park West
- The Vic
- Gravity Studios
- Rax Trax Recordings
- Soma Electronic Music Studios
- Gallery of Carpet Recording
- Kingsize Sound Labs
- Midwest Music Conference
- New Music Seminar
- Talk to radio hosts
- MTV, etc.
- Any other documentaries in particular genre
- "Moog" directed by Hans Fjellestad talks about the rise of the synthesizer
Nov 23, 2012
timetraxx Storyboard Outline
First draft:
The manager is sitting frustrated at his desk when trying to schedule his employees by using stacks of papers, requests, and bothersome Excel spreadsheets. Until, that is, he discovers timetraxx. He enters all of his data in one place and timetraxx takes care of all the annoying details and now the manager has time for vacation.
Second draft:
Fourth of July is today and the local owner, Johnny Doemann of McTriple Burger is having a fit. Five of his employees that were supposed to work at 9am have called in at 8:39am to let him know that they will not be coming. Unfortunately, the restaurant will be understaffed unless the manager figures out a fast way to get ahold of anyone that can replace the shifts. Furthermore, the manager has his scheduling system scrambled between stacks of availability sheets and unintuitive and time-consuming spreadsheets. To his surprise, his assistant manager, David Applepie, has been hard-at work at creating the new timetraxx shift management software and has secretly entered all of Johny's availability sheets into a digital database. Mr. Applepie comes to the rescue when he finds out about the scheduling conflict. He launches an auto communication alert to all employees asking to fill in for those untimely employees. Within 15 minutes, just enough employees replied positively and Johnny was back to keeping his cool together.
The manager is sitting frustrated at his desk when trying to schedule his employees by using stacks of papers, requests, and bothersome Excel spreadsheets. Until, that is, he discovers timetraxx. He enters all of his data in one place and timetraxx takes care of all the annoying details and now the manager has time for vacation.
Second draft:
Fourth of July is today and the local owner, Johnny Doemann of McTriple Burger is having a fit. Five of his employees that were supposed to work at 9am have called in at 8:39am to let him know that they will not be coming. Unfortunately, the restaurant will be understaffed unless the manager figures out a fast way to get ahold of anyone that can replace the shifts. Furthermore, the manager has his scheduling system scrambled between stacks of availability sheets and unintuitive and time-consuming spreadsheets. To his surprise, his assistant manager, David Applepie, has been hard-at work at creating the new timetraxx shift management software and has secretly entered all of Johny's availability sheets into a digital database. Mr. Applepie comes to the rescue when he finds out about the scheduling conflict. He launches an auto communication alert to all employees asking to fill in for those untimely employees. Within 15 minutes, just enough employees replied positively and Johnny was back to keeping his cool together.
Oct 30, 2012
The Process of the Idea
1.
Operative technique
a.
Can be learned and controlled
2.
The Pareto Theory
a.
Speculator
i.
Preoccupied with the possibilities of new combinations
b.
Rentier
i.
Routine, unimaginative, controlled by speculator
3.
Training the Mind
a.
Principles and methods
4.
Combining Old Elements
a.
Idea is a combination of old
elements
b.
Dependent on ability to see
relationships
i.
. Extraction of a general principle
1.
New combination > idea
5.
Ideas are New Combinations
a.
Five steps
i.
Gather raw material
1.
Specific (products and people)
2.
General (life and events)
3.
Get source book for random
materials
ii.
See what fits of your facts
1.
Jot down all and any partial ideas
iii.
Format C
iv.
Eureka!
v.
Real-world and criticism
from A Technique for Producing Ideas by James Young
Oct 24, 2012
timetraxx Concept Matrix
CONCEPT
MATRIX
|
Convenience
|
Ease of use
|
Timeliness
|
The shift
manager
|
He
would not have to go through a book of availability sheets (time-consuming)
to create a shift schedule.
|
The
software would be made with complex, yet simply designed features where the
manager would not have a reason for switching to "paper" scheduling
due to usability issues.
|
The
manager could very quickly create a shift schedule because the redundant
tasks would only be done once, stored in the computer, and only repeated by
the computer, not the manager.
|
The employee
|
Instead
of the employee having to go through the management to create/update
schedule, he could do it online very quickly and without hassle.
|
Since
the employee will only need to update his shift schedule or send messages,
the interface will be extremely simple and easy to use.
|
Instead
of trying to contact the shift manager for a change of schedule, the employee
can directly go to the website where the manager will be informed immediately
and he can respond almost immediately to "inform" the system of the
change. Then the system would automatically calculate any alternate possible
solutions.
|
The payroll
manager
|
If
payroll would be integrated into the software, then it would be easy to see
how much will be spent on payroll in the near future.
|
A
page specifically designed for payroll would be created giving access to
charts, graphs, numbers, and statistics of payroll.
|
Having
only one page to gather all information requires for payroll would make it
much less time consuming and would leave most of work to the machines (the
check printer).
|
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