Brad Bollenbach (![[info]](http://l-stat.livejournal.com/img/userinfo.gif){kind=small} bbollenbach) wrote,@ 2007-03-21 19:30:00 |
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No Small Talk
A stream of consciousness follows.
∞
My email voice is informative and concise. I need every word I write.
My spoken voice is sometimes prolix and distracted.
This disparity intrigues me.
∞
I was rung out of bed yesterday morning at 5h45. I didn't answer the first call, to be honest, because it was "Inconnu". But the second one had a UK country code. By 7h00, I had committed a lot of working code.
Instant deadlines are healthy, in some ways.
∞
I've lived in Montreal for nearly three years; Quebec City a year before that. Strangely, I prefer the French sound of the Québécois accent, and the English sound of the French accent.
I'm not sure that I'll ever choose marriage but, if I do, she will probably be Montréalaise or British.
∞
"Free Software" works really well for some things, and really poorly for others.
The difference between me and your average Free Software geek is that, while they consider "freedom" to be a moral imperative, I consider a mind-blowing user experience to be a moral imperative.
The typical user—and by "typical" I mean astronauts, physicists, chemists, nurses, strippers, grandparents, professors, rugby players, and anyone else for whom computing is not a core skill—is much more likely to feel taken hostage by poor usability than by the license of the software.
∞
If you ever hear your UI designer say "...yeah, but I think any reasonably intelligent person will figure it out..." fire them. It's not that users are "smart" or "stupid". They're stressed, time-limited, and uninterested in your architecture, you fucking twat.
I'm lucky. I spent two years working with a usability genius.
∞
You'd think that after three years of "working from home", I'd take it for granted. I don't. It's bliss. There are no cubicles and no small talk. No strangely-patterned carpet or false attire.
I can barely imagine working in an office space.
A stream of consciousness follows.
My email voice is informative and concise. I need every word I write.
My spoken voice is sometimes prolix and distracted.
This disparity intrigues me.
I was rung out of bed yesterday morning at 5h45. I didn't answer the first call, to be honest, because it was "Inconnu". But the second one had a UK country code. By 7h00, I had committed a lot of working code.
Instant deadlines are healthy, in some ways.
I've lived in Montreal for nearly three years; Quebec City a year before that. Strangely, I prefer the French sound of the Québécois accent, and the English sound of the French accent.
I'm not sure that I'll ever choose marriage but, if I do, she will probably be Montréalaise or British.
"Free Software" works really well for some things, and really poorly for others.
The difference between me and your average Free Software geek is that, while they consider "freedom" to be a moral imperative, I consider a mind-blowing user experience to be a moral imperative.
The typical user—and by "typical" I mean astronauts, physicists, chemists, nurses, strippers, grandparents, professors, rugby players, and anyone else for whom computing is not a core skill—is much more likely to feel taken hostage by poor usability than by the license of the software.
If you ever hear your UI designer say "...yeah, but I think any reasonably intelligent person will figure it out..." fire them. It's not that users are "smart" or "stupid". They're stressed, time-limited, and uninterested in your architecture, you fucking twat.
I'm lucky. I spent two years working with a usability genius.
You'd think that after three years of "working from home", I'd take it for granted. I don't. It's bliss. There are no cubicles and no small talk. No strangely-patterned carpet or false attire.
I can barely imagine working in an office space.
