It’s probably old hat to anyone doing design for a living, but I found a couple of new color tools for OS X that are making my web design work easier.

I use TextMate for coding, and wasn’t thinking about the CSS bundle item that brings up OS X’s default color picker (Command-Shift-C; the TextMate bundle automatically copies in the color using hex notation), I was pleased by a tip from macosxhints.com showing how to write a one-line Applescript app that shows the color picker.

1. Open “AppleScript Editor.app” (in the Applications folder)
2. Enter the following:choose color
3. Save it. Change the file format to “Application” in the save dialog.

I added an icon I grabbed from iconfactory.com. (Download the icon set you want to use. Right-click on the new application, and pick “Get Info”, and drag-and-drop your desired icon over the application’s icon.)

Even more turbo-charging the Color Picker

I also found two free plug-ins for the color picker. The first was “Hex Color Picker” from Waffle Software, which outputs the hex version of a color suitable for CSS (although I’m using the RGB values more and more). The second was a plugin called Mondrianum which utilizes Adobe’s Kuler palette service. To top it off, I learned you can create your own palettes in the color picker (it’s the third tab).

Awesomeness all around.

Computers, Design | No Comments »

I’ve been thinking recently about the rule of thumb: “Make desired behavior easier than undesired behavior.” It’s been a running thread that I’ve connected to several unrelated areas over the past month (My PhD work, Boy Scouts, refereeing soccer, software design, and even parenting.) In the broadest sense, this is what society tries to capture with laws—although not always successfully..

In economic terms, when you add friction to a transaction, the transaction becomes less desirable. The illustration by designer Brad Colbow, “Why DRM Doesn’t Work (or how to download an audio book from the Cleveland Public Library” is a great example, as is a similar graphic from geekologie.com. (It’s also a great explanation of why I dislike animations that can’t be clicked past at the start of so many video games.)

Enabling good behavior (and discouraging undesired behavior) is an undercurrent in the change management literature as well as in the policy compliance literature I’m reading. It explains why lecturing is often the most ineffective method of teaching, because it requires attentive behavior in the listener, rather than enabling it.

It’s a concept I will certainly need to keep in mind as I prepare to teach next semester.

Management, Usability | No Comments »

I’m fascinated by data visualization. Expressing complex ideas in a simple way is immensely powerful. In my post yesterday, I linked to a
county-by-county time lapse of unemployment rates. I’ve found some interesting images (complete with a thorough explanation) examining the U.S. economy. The article is interesting, but the images, if you’ll pardon the cliché, really are worth a thousand words. A sample of images is included below–visit the full article for more.

Mass-layoff events for 2008-2009:

Percentage of workforce employed in manufacturing (2006):

Unemployment (2008):

A while ago, I asked how government would change if budgets were presented visually. In a similar vein, how would education change if achievement data were also presented visually? Would our decisions change? Why?

Communication, Design, Economics, U.S. Politics | No Comments »

Daring Fireball pointed to this county-by-county time lapse of unemployment rates. Fascinating. It explains some of the differences I’ve observed in the move from Utah to Georgia.

A few things to notice:

• Because each frame is a 12-month running average, the map doesn’t show whether some counties have started to pull out of high unemployment.
• Michigan and Oregon were hurting before the bust really got started.
• What makes the Rocky Mountain states (the swath starting at Montana and the Dakotas and moving South) have lower unemployment from start to finish?

Economics, U.S. Politics | 1 Comment »

I came across a great explanation of what I believe are the primary reasons most organizational change efforts are exceedingly more difficult than leaders initially expect:

[Because] change in organizations typically involves shifts in the way people work, these may introduce feelings of inadequacy and dislocation that potentially challenge people’s identities as competent workers (Ezzamel, Willmott & Frank, 2001; Kondo, 1990). Organizational changes may also reduce or replace meanings and practices that are central to people’s positive view of themselves, such as when they are no longer allowed to engage in activities or use artifacts that had signaled their prestige or prowess to others (Pettigrew, 1985). Furthermore, employees may consider new tasks and new approaches as affording them with less autonomy, responsibility, or standing in the organization than their previous ways of working (Cox, 1997), and they may interpret this as an overall loss of status and thus as a threat to their professional identify. da Cunha, J. V., & Orlikowski, W. J. (2008). Performing catharsis: The use of online discussion forums in organizational change. Information and Organization, 18(2), 132-156. Page 133.

Communication, Management | No Comments »

I caught on TV tonight an education policy presentation by Julian Betts, Chair of the Department of Economics. Originally presented in April of this year, Dr. Betts discusses peer-reviewed research on testing, accountability systems, charter schools, vouchers, and merit pay systems.

No matter where you fall on these issues, I think it’s worth watching.

Economics, Education, U.S. Politics, Utah Politics | No Comments »

Go here first. Then come back. I’ll wait.

The trouble with talking about government budgets, even ones as small as a city or local school district, is that big numbers rapidly lose meaning to people. It’s more visceral to talk about a dozen people (or dollars or “things”) than to discuss a million of then. Big numbers are hard to visualize.

Take dictionaries for example. Without peeking, is 10,000 words a good dictionary? What about 20,000? How many words are there in a typical collegiate dictionary? Take a guess before looking at the answer.

You’ve heard the politicians say it (and it’s true): “A million here, a million there and pretty soon we’re talking real money.” One of the ways I try to make the number a bit more “real” is to estimate how many people could be employed at a particular job for that amount. Try it. How many professional workers (between $50,000–60,000 annual salary) can be employed in government jobs for $1M? (My answer.)

John Gruber linked to a blog called Information is Beautiful, highlighting an impressive infographic comparing budget numbers in the billions. (The same link that starts this post. Once there, click the graphic to see how the data was sourced, along with viewer comments.) Go see it!

How would government change if budget committees published these numbers visually instead of numerically?

Communication, Design, U.S. Politics | 2 Comments »

Via Gruber, who posts following a TechDirt article.

A federal judge denies an individual of property (contents of an email account) without notification, with no opportunity for appeal (the person is not a party to the matter), and with no cause to suspect wrongdoing.

Saith Gruber, who dubs U.S. District Court Judge James Ware “Jackass of the Week”:

This is absurd:

1. Rocky Mountain Bank emailed confidential financial information to the wrong Gmail address./li>
2. The bank attempts to force Google to release the name of the owner of the email address. Google refuses without court order.
3. Federal judge James Ware orders Google to disable the email account — which belongs to someone who did nothing wrong and was sent the email message by mistake.

John Gruber, “Jackass of the Week: U.S. District Court Judge James Ware”, Daring Fireball. Accessed 2009-09-25

I think the post from Technologizer stabs at the root issue, though:

The temptation to heap scorn upon District Court Judge James Ware is obvious, but I’m most appalled by the reported initial actions of Rocky Mountain Bank. Why was anyone there e-mailing Social Security numbers to anyone?“Rocky Mountain Bank: Rocky, Rocky Security!” by Harry McCracken. Accessed 2009-09-25, emphasis added

It’s a good question. Why would any company ever allow sensitive information be sent through an unencrypted medium? Back up a step, though: Under any sane security policy, how could an individual even acquire a list of social security numbers on their desktop in the first place?

UPDATE (2009-09-28): Techdirt reports that Google and the bank have both requested the judge reinstate the account.

Computers, U.S. Politics | No Comments »

For years, I’ve kept a personal (and unfortunately, unwritten) list of books I think every manager, programmer, and [insert category here] should read.

A book every programmer should read

The Pragmatic Programmer: From Journeyman to Master. Every programmer I hired was required to read this book. It’s a great resource for people managing programmers too. The book is entirely language agnostic, and focuses on how programmers do (or should) think and work. Most programming books do an adequate job of covering syntax, but few actually address the process of programming. My collegiate programming classes typically expected me to already know the syntax and focused more on the theory of the system, but they too offered little advice on how to actually program. This book, more than any other I’ve found, fills those gaps.

This book was so unlike most technical books, the authors went on to start their own publishing house for programming books. (I was fortunate to be a technical reviewer for one of them.) All of their books that I’ve tried thus far have been of high quality.

Another excellent (but less essential) read for programmers is Head First Design Patterns. The book’s example are in Java, but are easily adapted to other languages.

A book every technical manager should read

Peopleware: Productive Projects and Teams, by Tom DeMarco and Timothy Lister. It covers everything from productivity to working conditions and incentives, and explains why programmers are different from “regular” folk. The advice here can be easily applied to all technical and knowledge workers. Highly recommended. Slack, also by DeMarco (which I think is a more recent rendering of some of the same concepts) is on my “to read” list—when I finally get around to finishing it, I’ll comment on it as well.

Two books every manager should read

Influencer, by Kerry Patterson. This book changed the way I think about organizational issues. It begins with the incredible premise that social problems can be addressed by leveraging a single behavior, then delivers example after monumental example demonstrating—with step-by step instructions—how true it can be. From eliminating a parasite in remote Africa, to quelling an AIDS epidemic, to more local and mundane organizational or personal problems, Influencer details in easy language why so many transformation efforts fail, and what to do about it.

Good to Great, by Jim Collins. Despite criticisms I’ve heard from a couple of academic researchers calling it “junk science,” this book is used in many highly ranked MBA programs, and made rounds at several organizations I’ve worked with, including Utah state government. Collins examines the differences between companies that were extraordinarily successful year after year (as measured by stock price) and those that hovered near the industry average. It is an interesting look at many factors that shape the success of organizations.

More worthwhile books

Blink, by Malcolm Galdwell. The book is an easy to read and incredibly fascinating exploration of how we think and, despite our best intentions, are affected by biases. I’m surprised at how often anecdotes and insight from this book were relevant during my MBA courses. If you like Blink and want a more academic and in-depth treatment, I’ve found Judgement in Managerial Decision Making to be similarly facinating.

Once an Eagle, by Anton Myrer. A fictional account of two soldiers spanning most the greatest wars of the 20th century. Through the characters, the author explores the ethics of leadership. I’ve heard it rumored (but don’t know for certain) that this book is required reading at some of the U.S. military academies. An excellent—although lengthy—read.

Others I’ve found worthwhile include:

• Judgement in Managerial Decision Making, by Max Bazerman and Don Moore
• The Goal: A Process of Ongoing Improvement, by Eliyahu Goldratt and Jeff Cox
• The Five Dysfunctions of a Team, by Patrick Lencioni
• Leadership and Self-Deception, by The Arbinger Institute

Is there something else that should be on the list?

Computers, Management, Programming | No Comments »

As I was driving in to school this morning, I had a mini-revalation on the difference between power-users and “regular” users. This thought may have been spawned by a research paper used in one of my classes [1], where power users became the de facto trainers during the implementation of an ERP system.

Maybe this is too obvious. You’ve probably already thought of it. Here it is anyway: Power users are comfortable experimenting with their system; other users are not.

Anecdotes

On the face, it may seem that it’s the incredible knowledge or experience, not willingness to experiment, that separates power users. But isn’t it experimentation (and, likely, troubleshooting) that precedes experience?

I think back to my time in high school. I had a 2400 baud modem, and no internet connection. There was no Googling for answers, just a few local dial-in bulletin board systems. It wasn’t easy to access specialists, so solving computer problems could be laborious process. Experimentation was inevitable. This, perhaps, led to exploring (read: tweaking, and in one instance, destabilizing) more than one school computer by prying open its operating system with ResEdit and changing system icons, dialogs, and messages.

Contrast this with how my father approched computers years ago: with copious notes and detailed step-by-step instructions. (Whatever level of detail you’re imagining his notes might have been like, double that a couple of times, and you’ll be closer.) With time his comfort level increased, and slowly, so did his willingness to try new things. I don’t know that I’d go so far as to truly call him a power user (except maybe with his geneology software), but over the past fifteen years he has certain gone from “etreme novice” to “competent.”

A couple of weeks ago, I was offering an acquaintance some one-on-one computer tutoring. She and her husband had done me a very significant favor (saving me several hundred dollars), so it was the least I could do. She had purchased a computer on a whim about a year ago, but wasn’t comfortable using it. I showed her the simple things: how to open her email, how to move windows around, how to close windows, etc. I knew I had my work cut out for me when, after I’d asked her to send her first email, she queried, “How do I make capital letters?” As I look back on the experience, I think the most important advice someone in her position could receive is to not be afraid to experiment.

What it means for design

When designing a good interface, it’s often good practice to create multiple ways of accomplishing common tasks. Toolbar buttons, menu commands, keyboard shortcuts, and context menus all provide different paths to the same funcionality.

More important though, is the awesome power of Undo. It makes the system safer, which makes it more likely to be used. It also encourages users to safely experiment—which is what they really need to do in order to understand software.

Computers, Usability | 1 Comment »