Two-faced
I started a Vietnamese version of my blog this week, for those readers curious about that other side of me. Now I'm virtually bilingual.
Ease of Use
Lately, I've been making it a personal goal to study/research more on the latest GUI usability trends, in my continuing quest to build more and more intuitive UIs into the softwares that I work with.
I was down at business partner's office this week conducting training, getting their folks up-to-speed on AppConnector. At the end of the session, one of my "students" made a comment which I thought was a really nice compliment. She said "I really like [the fact] that [AppConnector Studio] is so easy to use".
Yes, AppConnector is simple to use, but this was not by accident. We really focused on the non-programmers as our typical user audience. Sure, there's been some mistakes made in the beginning, but when we started version 3.0, our mind set was that someone without any programming knowledge should be able able to pick up and use the product in a day or so, and they should be able to do it in a few simple steps. Creating an integration project should be a matter of configuring a bunch of component properties.
Although there's certainly room for the product to grow in terms of usability and functionality, the person's comment above showed us that we must be doing something right.
I was down at business partner's office this week conducting training, getting their folks up-to-speed on AppConnector. At the end of the session, one of my "students" made a comment which I thought was a really nice compliment. She said "I really like [the fact] that [AppConnector Studio] is so easy to use".
Yes, AppConnector is simple to use, but this was not by accident. We really focused on the non-programmers as our typical user audience. Sure, there's been some mistakes made in the beginning, but when we started version 3.0, our mind set was that someone without any programming knowledge should be able able to pick up and use the product in a day or so, and they should be able to do it in a few simple steps. Creating an integration project should be a matter of configuring a bunch of component properties.
Although there's certainly room for the product to grow in terms of usability and functionality, the person's comment above showed us that we must be doing something right.
Oh the joy of business travel
Well, I'm stuck here at the airport again because of flight delays. If it weren't for the airport's wifi hotspot, I'd be bored to death. Apparently, America West is notorious for delays. I got hit with a three-hour delay on the way in, and this time, looks like it's going to be another red-eye. There is a high probability that it's just me, but I keep bumping into craps like these whenever I travel.
However, to be fair, I've got to say that their service reps are pretty good. What they lack in technical expertise (always some sort of problem with the airplanes--scary), they make up in customer service. On the way in, I got off my initial flight, missed my connection by 1 hour, half expecting to go through hell to try to arrange another connection flight, but there they were, standing at the exit door with my rebooked boarding pass waiting. Now, eventhough it looks like I'll be sleeping on a plane tonight, at least I'll be sleeping in first-class.
You may say that's nothing to write home about--it's to be expected. After all, the delay is their fault. That should be the least they can do. Some people expect alot. On the one hand, I've come to expect nothing from anyone. That way if I get nothing, then there's nothing to be disappointed about. On the other hand, you can argue that since you yourself uphold the best of standards, and, therefore, you should rightly expect--no, demand--the best in return. I'm not entirely sure which is a better character trait to have.
However, to be fair, I've got to say that their service reps are pretty good. What they lack in technical expertise (always some sort of problem with the airplanes--scary), they make up in customer service. On the way in, I got off my initial flight, missed my connection by 1 hour, half expecting to go through hell to try to arrange another connection flight, but there they were, standing at the exit door with my rebooked boarding pass waiting. Now, eventhough it looks like I'll be sleeping on a plane tonight, at least I'll be sleeping in first-class.
You may say that's nothing to write home about--it's to be expected. After all, the delay is their fault. That should be the least they can do. Some people expect alot. On the one hand, I've come to expect nothing from anyone. That way if I get nothing, then there's nothing to be disappointed about. On the other hand, you can argue that since you yourself uphold the best of standards, and, therefore, you should rightly expect--no, demand--the best in return. I'm not entirely sure which is a better character trait to have.