Making of a Web App: Choose a Small Feature List for V1.0

by Scott on June 12, 2007

How to Choose Features

So far, we have:

• Identified the single activity (sales team collaboration) the application is designed to support.
• Described the users’ roles, responsibilities, and needs.
• Helped set expectations and focus by describing a related activity it will not support

Now we’ll build our version 1.0 feature list.

Posted in Simplicity, Making of a web app, Web Application Design, Make a Web App | 58 trackbacks

Safari on Windows

by Scott on June 11, 2007

Apple announced a Windows version of their web browser, Safari beta version 3. Apple continues to blur the line between “PC” and “Mac”, giving those that prefer or are required to use PCs an option to experience Apple software. Safari has only about 5% of the browser market, but with Safari on Windows that share is sure to grow. Here in Apple’s words are some reasons to switch. Another reason: if you are thinking of getting an iPhone, Safari is built in, giving you a seamless experience between using an app on the phone and on your laptop (as long as your phone is “on the web”).

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Process

by Scott on June 11, 2007

”The notion of drawing as the core skill within Fine Art has been the subject of a challenging and contentious debate within recent years in education. The commercial galleries have never promoted drawing as a significant activity, and sometimes artists themselves have contributed to the mystification of the subject, collaborating with markets and the media which place a high value on the ‘immaculate conception’ of art works, which means that intermediate stages in the conception process are hardly ever seen, only the finished piece. ... This..gives a false view of what really happens in the studios of artists around the globe.” – Complete Art Foundation Course

Though software is not art (or is it?), “Process” should not be a dirty word. Designers and developers should own up to intermediate work that it takes to design a great web application. Regardless of what the tool vendors and framework proponents would have you think, making a great web app requires as much work as ever. It’s just that now that work can be put into the more creative aspects of design. And that means it will not always be right the first time, even if it looks to be so. Picasso had no fear, in this regard. Do you?

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Making of a Web App: Set Expectations

by Scott on June 11, 2007

Ask a Project Manager about their greatest challenges and “scope creep” is sure to top the list. It’s easy to mentally expand scope to add that “one more thing”. Yet after “one more thing” is added another “just one more thing” comes up. This cycle can continue indefinately and v1.0 never arrives or arrives “late and over budget”. There are many techniques to keep this phrase from applying to your project. One is to state early what the project will not be.

Posted in Making of a web app, Web Application Design, Make a Web App | 11 trackbacks

The Value of the College Experience

by Scott on June 09, 2007

There are certainly many ways to learn and many stories of successful people who famously did not attend or dropped out of higher education. Yet for my time and money, there is no better path to professional and intellectual growth than immersion into an environment where you are guided by industry experts through an exchange of ideas (learning is a two way conversation) and a review of existing body of knowledge (why try to start from nothing?); and then challenged to improve that body of knowledge (don’t just accept what you are taught, but challenge it as well).

That is why, if asked for advice, I continue to recommend the unique wealth of intellectual challenge and professional networking resources offered by universities.

I write this in celebration of the hooding and graduation ceremonies at the University of Denver (DU) today where I earned the degree of Master of Applied Science.

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