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March 19 2010
March 18 2010
akanekinomoto: Haute Couture Skateboards — StyleFrizz
Shared by Alcides Fonseca
Except for the chanel one, me wants!
A EDUCAÇÃO SEGUNDO ANTÓNIO CÂMARA
Destaco da entrevista dada por António Câmara, professor da Universidade Nova e CEO da YDreams à revista "Executive Digest" de Março de 2010:
P- Em termos de educação, como é que vê e analisa este quase admirável mundo novo num país onde, paralelamente, ainda existe muita ardósia e giz?
R- Não são mundos incompatíveis. Um dos grandes problemas de Portugal é que se esqueceu por completo a língua... Repare, uma das avaliações que fazemos internamente é saber qual é a diferença entre nós que estudámos em Portugal, e também lá fora, e os líderes mundiais nas diferentes áreas...
A primeira vez que percebi e entendi a verdadeira diferença foi em 1998 quando fui viver para Boston para um bairro judeu e coloquei o meu filho mais velho numa escola pública mas dominantemente judia. A educação nesta escola era simplesmente fantástica e tinha três componentes completamente diferentes da educação em Portugal. A mais chocante delas, aquela que nos deixava a anos-luz, era o ensino da língua que era a um nível perfeitamente superior. Qualquer miúdo de 12 anos lia um livro por semana, aprendia 400 palavras novas por semana e escrevia um livro no final do ano.
Aprendi a falar em público, aprendia a expor, aprendia a consultar livros numa biblioteca,m aprendia a criticar, aprendia todos os estilos de exposição... Nós nunca aprendemos isto em Portugal. O máximo que aprendemos foi a análise morfológica das frases, mas não jamais a fazer a transição entre as frases.
Depois de perceber como é que funcionava o ensino da língua naquela escola, tive imensa curiosidade em conhecer o professor que, dois anos depois, estava em Harvard.
P- Mas este tipo de educação não é comum mesmo nos Estados Unidos...
R- Não, não é. Esta é a educação de uma elite específica que tem um poder nos Estados Unidos perfeitamente gigantesco, exactamente porque tem uma educação incomparavelmente superior. O domínio da língua consegue-se através da leitura e da escrita. É fundamental e o computador, seja ele qual for, vem no fim.
Por isso, e para concluir, a elite portuguesa quando comparada com a elite mundial está a anos-luz e esbarra, logo à partida, no domínio da língua.
A segunda componente tem a ver com a imaginação. Em Portugal ninguém percebe o que é a imaginação e a criatividade. Numa universidade, analisando as cadeiras que os estudantes têm, quantas é que apelam à imaginação? Talvez duas em 50! Ou seja, a maior parte das pessoas que cumpre as licenciaturas são, eventualmente, muito bons naquilo que os professores ensinam, são bons a resolver charadas... mas não há nada que estimule a criatividade, a imaginação (...).
P- E a terceira componente?
R- É algo que verdadeiramente nunca pensei que acontecesse. Quando o meu filho estava nessa escola, comecei a perceber que ele tinha exercícios completamente diferentes. Durante um mês vinha com problemas desse género: "quantas lâmpadas existem no estado do Massachusetts?"; no dia seguinte, "diga quantas pessoas vão à praia da sua cidade"... Ou seja, comecei a perceber que estes exercícios estavam ligados ao "back of the envelope engineering", isto é , como é que lidamos com a incerteza, com aproximações, quando não temos os dados todos.
É que este tipo de análise está sempre presente nas nossas vidas profissionais e pessoais e daí que seja tão importante ser estimulada desde cedo (...).
P- O problema da educação em Portugal é meramente político?
R- Há várias coisas... Nos não damos liberdade às diferentes escolas para fazerem o que lhes apetece. Está tudo centralizado numa avenida de Lisboa... Claro que é uma questão política. E de liberdade."
scalaxb.org: an XML data-binding tool for Scala
From W3C XML schema it generates Scala sources that traverse XML inputs using scala.xml.Node and builds case classes containing the data. Neat!
How It Really Happened: Super Mario Bros.
I just wanted to see how you could transform Super Mario Bros. into something tangible in the real world.
Here’s what I thought: I didn’t want to do the overalls on Mario, so I opted for jeans, t-shirt and blue plaid shirt. I explained the large “M” on the hat by making the hat a Mack truck hat.The giant mushroom hat on the mushroom retainers looks a lot like one of those Rastafarian cap. The idea that he might get high off of ’shrooms just added to the illusion.I was originally thinking of making “The Castle” the name of a strip club chain, but it would have taken too long to effectively demonstrate that she was in another castle location in the comic. So I decided that “Another Castle” should be the actual name of a strip club. There’s not much more to Peach than she’s a stripper with blonde hair and wears pink and instead of being a Princess, her name is Princess (at least her stripper name is). As far as King Koopa, I had to figure out some sort of wardrobe that would allow me to have similar colors in the same place and look to match his personality. My solution was to model him after Francis Buxton from Pee-Wee’s Big Adventure, but give him a sports fan, frat boy kind of outfit. And of course Mario had to rescue the Princess, so instead of being kidnapped I went for sexual harassment.
I normally don’t explain the thought process behind the comic this much, but I had nothing else to post. See you Monday!
March 17 2010
03/15/10 PHD comic: 'Contes de la route: Equal Opportunity'
For the latest news in PHD Comics, CLICK HERE!
Hydrogenated Pennzoil
Raf’s watching Ray’s weight, and Will’s not big boned, he’s just fat.
Embrace. Extend ?
Singletasking. No copy’n’paste. Push Notifications. Different UI. Centrally controlled single source for apps. Standardized hardware platform. Capacitive touchscreen. Free (as in beer) SDK. 3D Games. 2010 launch.
Uh, what do you mean 2010 ? I bet up to that last one you were thinking I was describing iPhoneOS 2.0. But no, I’m describing Windows Phone 7 Series. That’s a whole lot of embracing, and only 2 years delayed.
I’m still looking for the extend. Don’t tell me it’s the develop for Phone/PC/XBOX stuff cause that’s just going to make me smile faintly.
Alice: 3D para quê?
Shared by Alcides Fonseca
Vim de lá desapontado. Concordo.
Fui finalmente ver um filme em 3D… o “Alice no país das maravilhas (tecnológicas)” e honestamente o filme perde imenso em ser 3D. O cinema é uma tela para o imaginário do realizador, mas com o 3D este imaginário torna-se uma balburdia com cores deslavadas. Aliás, por alguma razão os filmes 3D lançados até agora são filmes onde as fidelidade de cor não é tão importante e onde as cores fortes são abundantes numa tentativa de compensar aqueles filtros que temos que colocar nas trombas. Numa altura em que todos ficamos babados com a alta definição o 3D é um passo atrás na experiência visual. É irritante estar a ver um filme como se estivéssemos a ver uma fotografia estereoscopica do final do século XIX e que ao fim de 10 minutos estraga aquilo devíamos realmente experienciar.
Quanto ao Alice em si, não é o melhor de Tim Burton mas tem todas as marcas do realizador. Penso que o filme poderia ser menos conservador nas opções que tomou, mas talvez então a produção não tivesse querido apostar neste filme para um 3D… o que seria bem melhor.
March 16 2010
Alice: 3D para quê?
Fui finalmente ver um filme em 3D… o “Alice no país das maravilhas (tecnológicas)” e honestamente o filme perde imenso em ser 3D. O cinema é uma tela para o imaginário do realizador, mas com o 3D este imaginário torna-se uma balburdia com cores deslavadas. Aliás, por alguma razão os filmes 3D lançados até agora são filmes onde as fidelidade de cor não é tão importante e onde as cores fortes são abundantes numa tentativa de compensar aqueles filtros que temos que colocar nas trombas. Numa altura em que todos ficamos babados com a alta definição o 3D é um passo atrás na experiência visual. É irritante estar a ver um filme como se estivéssemos a ver uma fotografia estereoscopica do final do século XIX e que ao fim de 10 minutos estraga aquilo devíamos realmente experienciar.
Quanto ao Alice em si, não é o melhor de Tim Burton mas tem todas as marcas do realizador. Penso que o filme poderia ser menos conservador nas opções que tomou, mas talvez então a produção não tivesse querido apostar neste filme para um 3D… o que seria bem melhor.
Selling UX to Small Business
It’s 2010 and everyone loves usability, right? It may may look that way from our comfortable perches atop the blogosphere, but if you’ve tried to sell usability services to small businesses, you know that it can be a frustrating and time-consuming experience.
Illustration provided by Rachel Nabors
Usability has come a long way in the past few years – small and medium businesses (SMBs) are finally beginning to "get it," and the tools of the trade are cheaper and more accessible than ever. This should be good news for companies and consultants selling services to small businesses, but if you’ve ever tried to sell to the SMB market, you know that it’s not quite that simple. Selling entry-level services often takes a lot of education and legwork, and by the time it’s done, you may have spent so much time (and money) selling that even a "yes" ends up being a loss. It isn’t just about making the sale – it’s about finding the right projects that can lead to long-term relationships and steady work.
I. Getting The Lead
Finding the right projects starts with getting the right leads. When you start out selling to small businesses, it’s easy to think of it as a numbers game. The inevitable self-delusion goes something like this:
If I can just manage to sell 100 reports this year, and I charge $750 each, I’ll make $75,000. That’s only 2 reports per week. It’ll be easy!
Your math may be right, but leads are hard to find and you can’t afford to invidually hunt down every $750 project. You also can’t waste time with prospects who string you along for months. Here are a couple of tips for getting started:
Educate the Masses
Every prospect requires some convincing, so how do you educate potential clients without eating up all of your time? Think big – there’s no reason to spend hours on the phone reciting the same message over and over when you can educate on a larger scale. Here are just a few suggestions:
- Blog on small-business topics and case studies
- Write a free resource, such as an e-book
- Speak at local events or run a free seminar
- Answer questions on forums, LinkedIn Q&A, etc.
Not only can you communicate to dozens or hundreds of prospects this way, but when someone finally does knock on your door, they’ll already understand what you can do for them.
Skip the Doubters
When you’re selling an entry-level product, you have to weed out bad prospects quickly. Let’s say that your $750 report takes you 10 hours to complete, on average. If you’re just getting started, making $75/hour probably sounds pretty good. What if that report takes you 20 hours to sell, though? Your paycheck just went down to $25/hour.
To put it bluntly: Don’t waste your time on people who don’t get it. Most sites, even small ones, can see real benefit from usability, but consulting work is like therapy – people who don’t buy into the process probably won’t see results. They’ll fight you on price, they’ll fight you on implementation, they’ll eat up your time, and they’ll never be a long-term prospect. It’s hard to say "no" to cash-in-hand, but try to take a long-term view. If you smell a bad prospect, move on.
II. Closing The Deal
You’ve got your foot in the door – now you’ve got to decide whether this project is a good fit (for both you and the client) and convince them to pull the trigger:
Do the Math
Let’s get something out in the open that none of us like to talk about. We UX folks like to think that there’s a certain altruism to what we do, and that’s great, but we don’t do our clients any favors when we start ignoring their financial reality. Let’s pretend that you sell a usability audit geared at small businesses for a one-time fee of $750. Now, let’s say that your prospect has a total budget of $1,000. You’ve got room to spare, right? Not so fast. After paying for your report, your client is only going to have $250 left for implementation (design and coding).
The best advice in the world is worthless if you can’t act on it. Make sure your potential client has the budget to implement and get results.
Show, Don’t Tell
When you’ve found a prospect worth putting real effort into and you’re trying to convince them of the value of usability, reciting passages from your favorite Jakob Nielsen tome probably won’t do the trick. Why not let your customer’s own users do the convincing? Seeing real users at work on a website can be eye-opening, so give them a sample:
- Get quick feedback on a page with FiveSecondTest or Feedback Army
- Run a single-user test on a remote service, like UserTesting.com
- Create a virtual heatmap with FengGUI or AttentionWizard
All of these tools are either cheap or free, and they can be run without any back-end access to your prospect’s site (simply using the URL or a screenshot).
III. Starting Off Right
Too many people believe that the sales process ends when you sign the contract. Selling to SMBs is all about generating repeat business and word-of-mouth – doing your job well and making the client happy is critical to your future sales efforts:
Set Clear Goals
Make sure from the beginning (and even before you sign on the dotted line) that your objectives are clear. Business owners understand results, and if you can set clear goals and deliver on them, you’ll not only increase satisfaction, but you’ll save yourself time and hassle and boost the chances of turning a one-up project into a long-term customer.
Answer these questions as early as possible:
- When will the project officially start?
- When do you expect the project to finish?
- What kind of deliverables will the client receive?
- How will you communicate with the client (email, phone, in person)?
- Are you available for follow-up after the project?
It’s natural to avoid questions you don’t want to hear the answer to, but avoiding answers that you and your new client might butt heads on only delays an inevitable problem (and usually compounds it). Make sure both sides have realistic expectations about the scope of the project from the beginning.
Stay In Touch
The conversation with any new client shouldn’t end just because you collected the check. Reach out to former clients on occasion, whether it’s a one-up message or a mass communication, like an email newsletter. Let them know what you’re working on, what new services you have to offer, and what you’ve discovered that might be useful to them. Stay relevant, and they’ll remember you when they need follow-up work or a friend asks them for a recommendation. Finally, assuming that you’ve done your job well, don’t be afraid to ask a former client for feedback or even leads. SMB owners understand that sales is difficult, and they’re usually happy to help out a fellow businessperson.
About the Author
Dr. Peter J. Meyers (AKA “Dr. Pete”) is the President of User Effect and a cognitive psychologist. For the past 12 years, Dr. Pete has harangued, harassed, and cajoled small business owners to get them to understand the benefits of usabilility.
Why Google MapMaker is not Open
Why Google MapMaker is not Open. Non-commercial use only, strict attribution requirements and you aren’t allowed to use the data for services that might compete with Google. This is why I’m disappointed every time I see Google encouraging people to contribute to Map Make, especially in the developing world—if those people contributed to OpenStreetMap instead they would be building something far more valuable for their community.
March 15 2010
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