Site Review testing technique

I've allways used this "technique" and just glad to find a description of it. (Since i rarely take the time to describe such things myself)

A site review is basically an
unstructured inspection by a third party, typically focusing
on the site's usability and aesthetics.

Read the whole thing here

I think i have two levels of Site Review; Free-form, where i just browse a site as i would have done, being a normal user/visitor. And the more structured function specific approach where i focus on the different flows and it's functions on a website - in the order a visitor would normally encounter them.

The first approach is of cause flavored by my background to some extend and would never replace actual user-tests, but more a technique to be used in the early stages before launch.

The second makes way for iterative reviews of specific flows or functions within a flow, and would often prove the most thorough of the two.

Trying to make a reviews findings structured - because i was asked to by a friend ;) I've taken the time to make a template document with the following simple structure:

Page: [Page name or entire URL]

Screenshot: [An entire or partial picture of the page in question]

Issues: [List of issues]

Solutions: [List of possible solutions to each of the found issues]


I try to keep only one screenshot a page, making it easier for the author to scrap ones that have been corrected or dealt with.

Also on each page i put a date and time along with a page number to make sure the many pages a test might amount to has some structure, which often follows the flow of the test, making the page number quite important in understanding the entire test.

I'm also experimenting with having a Scope: [which specific part of the web page is reviewed and with what kind of angle] (eg. user perspective – flow from the profiles page after first log in)

This translates to a test conducted upon the first log in after registering on the page. Log in being excluded from the test.

This structure should be used in both the free-form and the more structured Site Review.

Update to this post: I've made a Document template, which works well using MS-Word macros. I've put the document online here (without macros)

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RFID tagging the city bicycles to make them geosearchable

In Copenhagen, just like a lot of other big cities - we have free to use bicycles which is located around the city in special bike-racks. You get one by putting a 20kr - coin into the release mechanism, a coin you'll get back when you put the bike in one of the special bike-racks in another part of town.


The problem

There are never any bikes when you need them... partly because they are simply stolen, I think someone once told me that 50% of the bikes disappeared every year... that's a lot!!!


I don't think that this idea will solve that problem... or maybe it could help relocate the missing bikes if proper geo tagging is implemented.



The spark that created this idea

You take:

- City bikes concept

- An idea about RFID tagged umbrellas called Dutch Umbrella

- An online metro map, showing the current positions of all metro trains called Byens Puls (=City pulse, you know the nerve line of the city)



The Idea

Well it all most spells itself out - adding the 3 together, you get an online map showing where the city bikes are located, so you can decide where to go an pick one up, or don't bother at all. Also enabling the geo tagging /GPS, could enable a return-bike-crew to find lost bikes and put them in to use again - I know they have a crew finding lost bikes in Aarhus, but they rely on common sense - as to where people usually through the bikes after use...


Take a bit more from the Dutch Umbrella idea; I read some place (innovationlab.dk) that they are giving store owners, who offer a so called raindrop (a pick-up and drop point) valuable information of the umbrellas way around town, making interesting data on the whereabouts of your potential customers. So for example a candy-store owner can see that 60% of his customers come from the nearby cinema - making it possible for him to focus marketing and so on.

Another angle on this idea is that it provides some social public awareness. "where is everybody?" is not a question you have to ask anymore, you can check to see where all the bikes are - maybe there is a concert you didn't know about...

Where the Dutch Umbrella works well if it's raining a lot, the bike concept is better during the summer - maybe the two should co-exists...

My Personality - another test

I'm a sucker for these kind of tests, so here's one from something called 41 Questions. 1 Personality.

www.41q.com



My result



Enthusiastic, idealistic, and creative. Able to do almost anything that interests them. Great people skills. Need to live life in accordance with their inner values. Excited by new ideas, but bored with details. Open-minded and flexible, with a broad range of interests and abilities.

Careers that could fit Kåre Mulvad includes

Actors, journalists, writers, musicians, painters, consultants, psychologists, psychiatrists, entrepreneurs, teachers, counselers, politicans, diplomats, television reporters, marketers, scientists, sales representatives, artists, clergy, public relations, social scientists, social workers.

I don't know if such a test always puts out something positive - but often i get surprised how acurate they seem - maybe it's a bit like a fortune teller ;)

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Why Mindmap when you can Wiki?

... or why Wiki when you can mind map?

I should hurry to say that I'm not for one and against another - they are two powerful tools in their own way. And that is exactly what I'm wondering about - when is one better than the other. I remember to have read some comment somewhere (typical of me to forget), about using wiki's as a mind mapping or brainstorming tool.

In lack of a mind mapping software installed (like Openmind og Mindmanager) I'll do it on a simple and also powerful manner... a list:

Mind map pros:
- creates overview
- quick to use
- generates a lot of keywords
- visual image of complexity
- related keywords

Mind map cons:
- lack of information
- a screen is only that big...
- hard to use on the Internet (i know there are some online mind mapping tools around - just check out the tools section on Innovationtools.com)

Wiki pros:
- all the information in one place
- related information
- links to non-existing information (wiki pages)
- born to be used on the Internet

Wiki cons:
- lack of overview
- not quite as fast (despite it's name)


Sum of it all
I think it's not all black and white... i all ways miss the nice visual overview whenever it's not there - and it could be in a lot of places in the business world today. We are so busy making lists and so on, but they aren't well perceived in peoples minds and aren't that easy remembered...

The ( ) stuff in my list above might suggest a wiki would have giving me more space and structure to elaborate, while the shortness and quickness of the list (aka. the mind map) gave me the overview to go in depth with each and every keyword - if i witched to do so...

I would say that a wiki with a mind map overview would be a killer app. - anyone with some Apollo (or adobe air) knowledge up for a challenge?

Comment
There are definitely more pros and cons to put on each of the above topics, so pls. do so if you feel the urge...


http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tony_Buzan

CowParade - Do some Cow catching with your mobile

This summer in Copenhagen a bunch of cows are invading the city space - read the official explanation here.




At the moment they are moving the cow's out from their "storage" and that is actually a funny thing - because it makes the cows much more alive!! Suddenly a cow is standing in your way...

I don't know exactly for how long the cows are staying, but that is not the important thing here... the focus is the public space, and making people see and interact with it.

On the http://www.cowparade.dk/ they came up with the idea that if you saw a cow, you should take a photo of it and send it to them... that's great, but i thought if they kept moving the cows around making it more live - the competition would be all that more exciting, also encouraging people to explore their own city in new ways.

Well for now - if you spot a cow - take a photo of it and send it to: konkurrence@cowparade.dk

WiTricity - yeaaah baby!!

For some years now I've been saying it would be great when power became wireless, and i think maybe a year ago i read something about someone actually in the process of creating a device for you to put on your cellphone og laptop battery, enabling it to be charged through an induction type pad... wich then could be installed in various place like your office table...

Telling about it, people normally said " what if i obstructed the wireless power - would you get electricuted?"
Well Read the press release from MIT and see the picture... looks cool...

You can also visit their webpage

It's probalbly not going commercial just yet - it's not that power efficient - YET!

Making a business of finding and sharing information

The issue

You know the constant FYI-emails, IM's and so on, from people in your network, just letting you know they found some interesting stuff for you to look at. Based on their perception of you and what you'd be interested in. Sometimes you'll receive the same FYI 3-4 times - from different people, just adding to the information overload / spam!! The FYI's combined with your own information scouting can take up quite a substantial time during a day... some days you might feel behind on information, because you aren't able to cope with the large amount.

The Combination

I do my share of FYI's to people in my network, being sales leads, or input to projects I know people are working on, to plain old spare time interests. And some (of us) are just better at finding the information than others. Combine this with the "Personal shopper" concept, found in various implementations around the world. Best known in Denmark as a Christmas event in bigger retail stores - helping the men picking presents for the entire family - and wife.

The new concept

Through customizable categories on a website and personal meetings, defining people profiles, making sure that only the right and relevant information comes at a time YOU want it. Having scoters keeping an eye on the information’s of interest in numerous places, giving you the update you need when you need it. The amount of information and time between each update should be highly agile, enabling for quick shifts depending on the current state of "need of knowledge" Maybe topping the information update with information summary’s on requested subjects. Enabling a company to have a start-up meeting on a subject, which is to be attacked?