Macadamian Blog

Making Money with Mobile

With all the activities going on in mobile, it would be easy to think it’s a piece of cake to take part in the get rich quick plan! See my previous post on this from web 2.0 but Analyst are predicting smartphone shipments to overtake pc shipments in 2012. The internet traffic that mobile is generating is taking off like nothing we’ve seen before. Needless to say the market is big, the opportunity is big (again from reporting I did at web 2.0), and the best news is, it is still the wild west out there. Making money is fun and it’s even more fun when you make loads of it.  I couldn’t tell you that from personal experience, but I have been told it is the case!

Observations from CES

I just got back from CES a couple of days ago. It's a huge show -  I saw a lot of interesting innovations, and a lot of me-too products, but after reviewing my notes, a had a couple of really exciting realizations. First, concepts we've been talking about for 10 years - internet TV, the home media hub, tablets, eReaders, green technology for the home, and home automation, are finally here, and they are already being commoditized. Second, because the hardware is being commoditized so quickly, product vendors who lead with design will quickly emerge as the victors.

User-Centered Agile Software Development

I just finished reading User-Centered Agile Methods. It is a short and well written book that attempts to paint an accurate picture of how user experience design can fit in with current Agile development processes.

It has a whole bunch of useful nuggets of information (for both UXers and developers). However, the most useful piece to me is the really cogent description of Sprint 0 (Inception sprint, Phase 0).

Sprint 0 is one of the most debated aspects of integrating UX into the Agile development cycle. Many Agile experts state that Sprint 0 is a violation of the basic principles of Agile. While others say that it is just silly to start a project without a bit of planning and architecture.

Computers for Communities Redux

 A couple of months ago, I wrote a short blog post about Computers for Communities, a non-profit that refurbishes computers donated by industry to community groups like the Boys and Girls Club. We're supporters of any initiative that fosters interest in computers and technology among younger generations and students. If you're interested in learning more about how Computers for Communities works and how you can help, check out their new video. 

Everyone is a designer

There is a new buzzphrase that has emerged. Apparently, we are entering the age of experience. The future will tell if this, like many other things, will pass or stick. However, one thing is certain, people that build products and offer services are becoming more and more aware of the need to provide the user with an experience that matches their expectations.

The deeper trend that this reveals is that there will be more demand for products to be designed instead of just being put together haphazardly. The corollary to this is that more and more people will be put in a position to make design decisions. And many of these people will not be professional designers.