today's inspiration

And there are ways to measure most things. 

I can’t recall the first time I heard about the KISS principle. It must have been over 10 years ago... but it has never been more relevant than today.

The more we get to know a particular subject | the more technical our jobs get | the more complex the market we operate in (and believe me, things have only just started to get complex in the digital space!) | the more we really want to impress...

... then the more we should make it easy for people to understand us.

This gets more and more relevant the more senior the people we talk to, the more important the object of our negotiation, or the more critical the action our users have to make to get what they are looking for.

The more important is the outcome, the clearer the message* ought to be - and the simplest!

(*email, presentation, design, etc...)

Here’s some of my favourite quotes on this:

“Any intelligent fool can make things bigger, more complex, and more violent. It takes a touch of genius -- and a lot of courage -- to move in the opposite direction”, E. F. Schumacher 

“Everything should be as simple as it can be, but not simpler”, Albert Einstein

“Rem tene, verba sequentur: grasp the subject, and the words will follow” Umberto Eco (translating a latin maxim)

“I didn't have time to write a short letter, so I wrote a long one instead” Mark Twain (paraphrasing Pascal)

Here’s a list of 10 books I’ve been reading recently on the subject of User Experience or Design in general. In no particular order. 

I find the topic really interesting and I think many of the people I work with could really benefit in reading some of these books as they provide really useful tools, relevant across different domains.

Design of everyday things - revised and expanded version - a classic and a cornerstone of UX disciplines. Try to get hold the revised 2013 edition if you can. Recommended to all that want to understand the principles behind User Experience and Product Design.

Service design - from design to implementation - a brilliant book, strongly recommended to anyone in the service industry. It is a gold mine for anyone setting up their business from scratch or anyone looking into creative ways to transform their business to adapt to the market. The book is perfectly suited for Product Managers, Sales, Marketing or Operation directors, UX or Product Designers, Integrated Strategists in general.

Don’t make me think - if you don’t have much time but still want to grasp the fundamental principles of UX (and user experience research) this book is a must read. Particularly recommended if you work clilent side.

100 things designers need to know  about people - fun read, full of interesting and useful tips for designers based on behavioural psychology research.

Designing together - on the value of teamwork, provides good advice on how to resolve conflicts too :)

Universal principles of design - great reference to have on your bookshelf.

Universal methods of design  - also a great resource to reference design methodologies and techniques useful in the design process.

Product design for the web - my real surprise reading this book was that I was really familiar with pretty much all of its content. But I guess there would have been no way for me to know beforehand,:) could be relevant for people that do not yet believe all websites are actual products and should be treated as such.

The Best Interface Is No Interface - the thing I liked the most of this book (apart from the title) is the elaborate use of examples and the fine layout treatments. I think the core idea is valid but avoid picking this book up if you are after suggestions or solutions to the actual problem you may want to solve.

Show your work - a little gem, get this book if you need a little encouragement on getting out there without being too afraid of what might happen!

If you are into front end development or web design this is a treat for the eyes and a very useful resource indeed:

“We challenged ourselves to create a visual language for our users that synthesizes the classic principles of good design with the innovation and possibility of technology and science. This is material design. This spec is a living document that will be updated as we continue to develop the tenets and specifics of material design”

The goal?

“Develop a single underlying system that allows for a unified experience across platforms and device sizes”

I am not a fan of long meetings and I think I am yet to find someone that truly enjoys them...

I prefer to get together with people with a very clear agenda, ensuring that everyone understands why we get together and what’s the primary objective of the meeting so that everyone can make effective contributions and leave the room as soon as possible.

In today's* UIEtips Newsletter Kevin Hoffman shared some very interesting insights on culture design.

In his article he also gives a very good tip on how to make meeting more engaging and spark collaboration among the people involved;

I ask two simple questions at the beginning and the end of each of meeting. At the beginning I ask

“What would you like to get out of our time today?”

I write down on the whiteboard or easel, clearly so everyone can read it from where they are sitting, a summary of what each person said and who said it. At the very end of the meeting, before we leave the room, I ask each person directly

“(Name) - did we address your concern today?”

Introducing a simple feedback loop like this one into meetings will certainly start to introduce trust and open dialogue that will shine a light on the more challenging parts of the existing culture. The self awareness of a group’s strengths and weaknesses that will emerge from doing this exercise is what makes teams (and people) shine.

Full article here

*18.10.13

images from TNW - The Secrets To Successful Kick-off Meetings  http://thenextweb.com/insider/2015/04/18/the-secrets-to-successful-kickoff-meetings/#gref

Here's three interesting things I have stumbled upon:

1) this video from Google that explains Quantum computing. Pretty cool.

2) this article from the BBC that explains how 3D printing is now going to enter its "Metal Age"

3) this fantastic player from the London Symphony Orchestra that allows you to experience classical music in a really engaging digital way.

Yesterday* I read quite an interesting post on networks and influencers. Apparently the most recent research on the subject has proven that the influencers' theory is not really accurate and that we get influenced by groups and networks of people that for some reasons start to do certain things at the same time.

Recently I have also started reading about the mechanics behind leadership (why should anyone be lead by you? is quite an interesting book).

So today I started to question whether I am a follower or a leader. Whether I get influenced or I influence people. And what does it mean if neither of the two apply? Or in fact, both things apply depending on the context?

I am not sure the answer is easy to pin down but for what I currently understand all true leaders (or inspiring people in general) have all at least one thing in common - they are true to themselves.

And I am sure this is definitely a good place to start.

Apparently talking to yourself in the mirror is one of the suggested tips to improve your presentations skills.  

Taking pauses and speaking slowly will help you being more convincing and assertive. People who know what they are talking about would always take their time to express things correctly.

Your body tends to show things you don't necessarily want to communicate, knowing that helps you to control it better.

Did you know that if you lie you tend to look on the top left side and if you are remembering things you point your eyes to the bottom left?

I find all of this fascinating. 

Today I've learnt managers can't have many friends sometimes.

I've learnt that there is always a bigger picture (and a much more granular one at the same time), that sometimes things are though but it's always important to smile and to remember to be kind to the people around you.

"Always be kind to people as everyone is fighting a different battle"

It will take time to get where I want to go. But there is actually no rush :)

oh yes - I've rediscovered the pleasure to write and started doing it for real. 

And it feels great