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Column Two
News and opinion on all things KM & CM |
James Robertson
Step Two Designs
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Written by James Robertson Step Two Designs |
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Articles by Month: July 2003
User Interface LibraryGabe Zentall has published a user interface library, which provides controls and elements for use in prototype design. It covers Windows, OS X, and Palm. To quote: After years of creating paper prototypes and user interface schematics, Gabe began to assemble a library of commonly-used interface elements. This eliminates the need to re-create buttons, menus, windows, or fields from scratch. These interface elements mimic real, platform-specific interface standards in order to communicate a level of detail that most schematics lack. This, he found, made it easier for clients and test subjects alike to feel comfortable with designs in progress. [Thanks to reloade.] Posted by jamesr at 03:53 PM
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RDF: Ready for prime timeShelley Powers writes about the growing adoption of RDF (Resource Description Framework) in the real-world. To quote: Considering that I'm "bringing on a book" on RDF this month, I thought it appropriate to answer Marc's plea for meaningful, working examples of RDF apps and services, especially those that work with other RDF-based services. My problem, though, is that I have only a limited amount of time and space in this article; I can only cover a few of them. However, best to just start, but first, a little digression into RDF and XML. Posted by jamesr at 03:45 PM
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Keep office politics out of your designIndi Young writes about how to keep office politics out of your design. To quote: Everyone has an opinion about design. If your debate is based only on opinions, the person with the most power always wins. Almost always. The team that has rational support for its conclusion can trump power and opinion. User research can give you concrete proof that one direction is better than another. Posted by jamesr at 03:40 PM
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K-Log productivity: Time to find and availabilityJohn Robb has written another weblog entry on K-log metrics (k-logs are "knowledge weblogs"). This one focuses on the time taken to find information in an organisation. To quote: An oft quoted statistic is that "knowledge workers spend 35% of their productive time searching for information, while 40% of the corporate users report that they cannot find the information they need to do their jobs on their Intranets" (source: Working Council of CIOs). The Delphi group estimates that this costs the average 20,000 person organization $720 million a year ($120,000 all in cost per employee equates to $36,000 per employee spent searching). Posted by jamesr at 03:00 PM
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Report Review: Nielsen/Norman Group's Usability Return on InvestmentPeter Merholz and Scott Hirsch have written a review of the Nielsen/Norman Group's report on usability return on investment (ROI). To quote: Although it does make a reasonable anecdotal case for investing in usability, the report methodology is so fundamentally flawed that any financial analyst worth her salt would immediately question its findings. Very simply, the authors do not make a strong business case for usability—a requirement for passing the muster with the accountants and senior managers who have ultimate accountability for profit and loss in a business. Posted by jamesr at 11:05 AM
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ROI calculations: K-Logs vs. traditional Intranet PortalsJohn Robb has written a weblog entry that compares the ROI of enterprise portals and k-logs (k-logs are weblogs used inside an organisation). In it, he finds that k-logs provide similar benefits at a fraction of the cost. What is also very interesting are the ROI figures he has obtained from PlumTree for their enterprise portal software ($1.2mil per year in admin costs!). Posted by jamesr at 10:01 AM
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Learning by DesignAn article has been published discussing the importance of design in e-learning, that is, getting away a strict by-the-numbers approach. To quote: Learning design is an ill-structured domain. Only reflective experimentation can reveal what works and what does not. Even then, what works in one situation may not work in another. But insights gleaned from such experiments do find their way into common practice, making it more robust and more attuned to meet current requirements. "Learning by Design" is Stuart's experiment with e-learning design. It is ironical that Stuart chooses to remain anonymous (see reason below) but we all can benefit from his observations. - Maish Nichani (maish@elearningpost.com) Posted by jamesr at 06:58 PM
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Book review: Information architecture, blueprints for the webInformation architecture Christina is the founder of boxesandarrows, the best information architecture (IA) resource site on the web. My thanks go to her for creating this site, and also for writing this very useful book. Right from the outset, Christina makes it clear that this book isn't intended to enlighten the experts on the finer points of information architecture. Instead, it is clearly targeted at those not yet exposed to IA, including web developers and graphic artists. The book starts by tackling many of the IA myths head-on, such as the "three clicks rule", and the "7 plus or minus 2" rule. She also takes aim squarely at the "gurus" of this world, with their rules and heuristics. I definitely found myself nodding in agreement throughout this section. Having set the scene, Christina then works through the entire lifecycle of developing a website, outlining the challenges at each step, and presenting practical solutions and techniques. The informal style worked well for me, as did the many examples and samples used throughout the book. Christina does much to de-mystify the field of information architecture, without glossing over the considerable challenges facing anyone looking to design the structure of a large website. My only complaint is that I would have liked to see more detail on some of the techniques. For example, the basics of card sorting are presented, but without any supporting tips and tricks. I guess readers can reasonably be expected to hunt these details out in the pages of boxesandarrows. In summary, if you are looking to get up to speed on better ways of designing and structuring websites, this is the book for you. Overall score: 8/10 Posted by jamesr at 06:11 PM
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ZemptJust for interest, the last two entries were posted using Zempt. This is a nice multi-platform posting tool for Movable Type, that significantly improves on mucking around with the sometimes-slow web interface.So far, so good. I'll report any news (good or otherwise) as I continue using this tool. Posted by jamesr at 04:51 PM
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Windows web browser capabilitiesWebMonkey has published an up-to-date chart of Windows web browser capabilities. To quote:One of the biggest pains about making Web pages is having to keep track of which browsers support what features. Wouldn't it be nice if there were some way to keep track of it all? Well, we've whipped up a few articles and charts to make things easier for you.[Thanks to IDblog.] Posted by jamesr at 04:47 PM
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Gateway pages prevent PDF shockJakob Nielsen's latest Alertbox looks at using gateway pages to mediate the accessibility and usability issues of PDFs. To quote:Spare your users the misery of being dumped into PDF files without warning. Create special gateway pages that summarise the contents of big documents and guide users gently into the PDF morass. Posted by jamesr at 04:40 PM
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"Intranet homepage" projectThe last Intranet Peers in Government forum was held in Sydney on 21-22 May 2003. As part of this, a group project was conducted to explore the design of a possible "best-practice" intranet homepage. The results of this have now been published: This information may be used freely, as long as it is attributed to the Intranet Peers in Government forum, run by Step Two Designs. (The next event will be held in Brisbane during August.) Posted by jamesr at 05:24 PM
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Knowledge is power: KM remains vital to firm successNina Platt has written up the results of a recent informal survey of knowledge management in law firms. To quote: Knowledge management became a buzzword in law firms throughout the world in the 1990s. As firms learned how acquiring and leveraging knowledge effectively within client organizations contributed to their successes, many firms began to embrace KM with full force. But in the current weakened economy, law firms are cutting back on KM initiatives in order to control expenses. Despite the retreat from the knowledge management arena, many firms still recognize that KM is not just a passing trend -- it is an integral information-management tool for law firm operations now and in the future, according to a recent informal survey. [Thanks to excited utterances.] Posted by jamesr at 12:32 PM
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ColdFusion Content Management SystemsDavid Crow has written a weblog entry on his search for a ColdFusion-based CMS, including some of his criteria. To quote: I have finally decided on a content management server for a client. I was given a long list of requirements, but after some investigation (which has resulted in some changes to the requirement list) we have decided on a FarCry. It's always interesting to see the results of a search for a "budget"-priced product (less than $5k), but I am a little concerned about the emphasis on technical (not business) requirements listed. Although I shouldn't read too much into a short weblog entry... [Thanks to High Context.] Posted by jamesr at 12:24 PM
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What is Fitts law? and its relation to HCIFredy D. Ore has posted a weblog entry on Fitts Law, and its relationship to usability. To quote: Fitts Law is a robust model of human behavior which enables the prediction of human movement and human motion based on rapid, aimed movement other than drawing or writing. In Human Computer Interaction (HCI) Fitt's law is a useful guideline in interface design. [Thanks to InfoDesign.] Posted by jamesr at 12:03 PM
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Portlet API specification 1.0 releasedRobin Cover writes about the release of JSR 168, a specification for Java Portlets, to enable interoperability between vendors. To quote:
While interoperability is always a good thing, I've still yet to see the compelling reason for portals in the first place... Posted by jamesr at 11:53 AM
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Reorganisations: What to expect and avoidNews.com has published an article on corporate reorganisations, which outlines some common issues and challenges. To quote: It's a familiar scenario: A company brings in a new department head who immediately decides that the way to show leadership is to reorganize. And then a new division head comes on board, or a new CEO, and there are more reorganizations, restructurings or reengineerings. Employees can find themselves reorganized several times in one month. No one, of course, would argue against the need for organizational restructuring, especially as companies become more global and expand into new products and markets. And few would argue against the long-held belief that corporate strategy and structure must be aligned in a way that allows the company to manage change efficiently. Posted by jamesr at 11:44 AM
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Back from holidaysYou've got to love it: I'm back from a week away, with no internet access, and what is waiting for me: 623 pieces of spam caught by SpamAssassin. Sigh. Posted by jamesr at 09:45 AM
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Book review: Practical Intranet DevelopmentPractical Intranet Development
This book suffers seriously from a case of split personality. While the importance of non-technical (people) issues is highlighted throughout, it remains a book written by techies for techies. This book seems to propagate the attitude that users are a difficult factor in the project, to be managed as best as possible. For example, in on chapter, it takes about "making the users feel like they are involved in the design process". Why not actually involve them? Instead, there is the sense of resignation that users will introduce complexities into an otherwise simple project. Few of the important issues are covered in depth, and instead, the reader is presented with much information that is better found in other books. For example, there is a whole chapter on browser compatability and another just on generic security guidelines. Much of this looks like it has been taken from materials discussing websites, and it is out of place in a book solely on intranets. This book also suffers from having so many authors (9), with each being given one or two chapters to write, in isolation. As an example, Inigo Surguy presents a reasonable overview of usability, information architecture, and user-centred design principles. Unfortunately, this was completely lost on Jeffrey Haas who wrote the "Development Techniques" chapter, presenting a very "traditional" view of project management and application development. Overall, this book provides a reasonable overview of the various aspects of intranet development, and does at least highlight the challenges. Unfortunatley, few real solutions are presented, and the book is considerably weakened by its obsession with technology products and issues. (Disclaimer: I was to write several of the chapters of this book, on content management systems, and marketing the intranet. Unfortunately, I was too busy to be able to make the tight deadlines, and the work was handed across to others.) Overall rating: 3/10 Posted by jamesr at 05:39 PM
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Off on holidayWell, I'm off on a short (and much needed) holiday up the coast, to the Coffs Harbour (Bellingen) region. Weblogging may occur, but no guarantees... Posted by jamesr at 09:59 AM
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Last days for early-bird rate (Brisbane, Australia)Just a reminder that there is only a day or so until the early-bird rates expire for the Intranet Peers in Government and Choosing the Right Content Management System events in Brisbane. (Since the published closing date of 20/7 falls on a Sunday, I'll extend that until Monday 21/7, but full payment must be received for you to be eligible for the discounted rate.) There are also still places available for the Sydney Techniques for Building a Better Intranet workshop. Posted by jamesr at 11:32 AM
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Interface scalability in content mangement systemsJeff Freund has written an article on interface scalability in content management systems. That is, whether a CMS remains easy and efficient to use, even as the size of the site grows (and grows). To quote: Scalability problems in your CMS technical architecture will lead to slow page loads, errors, and disgruntled readers. Problems in the scalability of your CMS interface, in contrast, will lead to editorial process bottlenecks, dissatisfied users, stale content, and ultimately, dissatisfied readers. Posted by jamesr at 11:11 AM
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The nine pillars of successful web teamsJesse James Garrett writes about the required competencies in web teams, which are presented as a diagramatic model. To quote: Every Web team has its own take on dividing up roles and responsibilities and implementing processes for design and development. Formal titles, job descriptions, and reporting structures can vary widely. But the best teams I?ve encountered have one important thing in common: their team structure and processes cover a full range of distinct competencies necessary for success. While this article is targed at web design, it is also relevant to intranets. It is interesting to compare this to my much-simpler article on the roles needed in an intranet team . Posted by jamesr at 11:36 AM
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PDF: Unfit for human consumptionJakob Nielsen has published an alertbox on the usability problems with PDFs. To quote: Users get lost inside PDF files, which are typically big, linear text blobs that are optimized for print and unpleasant to read and navigate online. PDF is good for printing, but that's it. Don't use it for online presentation. Posted by jamesr at 10:42 AM
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NSW KM Forum meeting in August (Sydney, Australia)Giving everyone plenty of notice, so you can put the date in your diary. Reminders will be sent out closer to the date. WHAT The NSW KM Forum is an informal gathering of individuals who have a common interest in knowledge management. All are welcome, RSVPs not required. Speakers this month:
WHEN
WHERE Standards Australia WHO The two speakers for the evening: Ross Dawson The networks are coming to life. Soaring connectivity and emerging technologies are creating an economy based on the flow of information and ideas. Ross Dawson will draw on the lessons from his latest book "Living Networks" to discuss how networks are now at the heart of business value, and how to take advantage of this transformation. Leadership and effective collaboration are critical in a world in which client and partner relationships are more transparent, and processes, workflow, and knowledge flow increasingly happen in networks that span organisational boundaries. For both individuals and companies, how we engage in the living networks will determine our success. Kristine Corcoran Kristine Corcoran chairs the All-of-Government KM Reference Group on behalf of the agencies participating. This community of practice within the NSW Government is concentrating its efforts on the development of a Policy and Framework for the NSW Government to the implement the principles and practices of knowledge management. It has also identified the need for a Toolkit to assist Government agencies with implementation. Kris will discuss the experiences of this group, including its goals and current activities. HOW MUCH Absolutely free! Posted by jamesr at 06:32 PM
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Build an XML-based content management system with PHPTom Myer presents a tutorial on how to build a CMS using XML. To quote: This step-by-step tutorial will get you up and running with a very basic XML-based content management system (or CMS). I don?t have the space here to get into a very complex example, but with any luck, the concepts and ideas presented here will provide you with the necessary springboard for your own exploration. Needless to say, this is an article for serious coders, and not for the faint-hearted. Most people, I think, would be better served by simply purchasing a system nowdays, rather than "rolling their own". Posted by jamesr at 03:29 PM
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The CEO as storytellerBronwyn Fryer writes about the effectiveness of storytelling by CEOs. To quote: McKee believes that executives can engage listeners on a whole new level if they toss their PowerPoint slides and learn to tell good stories instead. In his best-selling book Story: Substance, Structure, Style, and the Principles of Screenwriting, published in 1997 by HarperCollins, McKee argues that stories "fulfill a profound human need to grasp the patterns of living---not merely as an intellectual exercise, but within a very personal, emotional experience." What follows is an edited and abridged transcript of McKee's conversation with HBR. [Thanks to elearningpost.] Posted by jamesr at 03:26 PM
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New announce-only list for the NSW KM Forum (Australia)For those of you in NSW, Australia: I have just setup a new announcements-only list for the NSW KM Forum, to inform people of meeting dates and speakers. I would encourage anyone who is interested in knowledge management, and in Sydney, to add themselves to the list. Posted by jamesr at 03:20 PM
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New NSW KM Forum committee (Australia)There has been a gratifying response to my call for committee members for the NSW KM Forum, and we now have the following volunteers:
More volunteers are always welcome, none shall be turned away. Posted by jamesr at 05:09 PM
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Communication media decision treeDave Pollard has posted a very interesting communication media decision tree, which lists different media channels, and when they are appropriate. To quote: This post is a guide to the different media available for communicating today, and when to use each, and a forecast of how this will change in the next two decades. [Thanks to thought?horizon.] Posted by jamesr at 09:53 AM
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Only one day until early-bird rate expiresJust a quick note to remind people that the early-bird rate for the Techniques for Building a Better Intranet workshop (Sydney, 8 August 2003) expires tomorrow. So you'd better get in quick... I've run in twice already, and it's been a lot of fun. We also cover a lot of useful techniques, such as:
Posted by jamesr at 10:57 AM
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Technology: Doing the knowledgeMatthew Parsons writes about the current status of knowledge management in law firms. To quote: Conventional wisdom is that UK and Australian firms lead the US firms in embracing and deriving value from knowledge management. For many years, the investment of the UK and Australian firms in people and systems has outstripped their American counterparts --- with the roles of precedent lawyers and PSLs unknown across the Atlantic. [Thanks to excited utterances.] Posted by jamesr at 12:32 PM
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Last night's NSW KM Forum (+ call for committee members)The evening started with a presentation by Serena Joyner from the Sydney Catchment Authority on her recent social network analysis (SNA) project. As can be expected, the SNA project produced some very interesting diagrams, and Serena's talk generated some excellent discussions about the technique, what it identified, and what the next steps for the Authority were. End of an era Last night also saw the ending of an era, with it being Tim Kannegieter's last KM Forum evening. As everyone is no doubt aware, Tim created the KM Forum, and has been main driving force in growing and enhancing the group. The value he has brought to the Australian KM community cannot be overstated, and our thanks go to him. Unfortunately, he has now been lured across the Tasman, to take up a prestigious KM role in Fonterra in New Zealand. The running of the NSW KM Forum therefore falls to me, as the last remaining active committee member. The good news is the Standards Australia will continue to offer us a venue, and the Forum should continue onwards without interruption. Call for committee members I have put out a call for new committee members for the NSW KM Forum, and have already had a number of volunteers. (If any of those volunteers haven't heard from me this morning, it's because I either don't have your e-mail address, of I've somehow missed you. Either way, please get in touch.) Anyone is welcome to join the committee, and I won't be turning anyone away. I think the committee membership will find it's own level, and at this point, the more enthusiastic helpers, the better. The responsibilities are small, and time requirements minimal. The main short-term activities of the committee will focus on:
If you are interested, please send me an e-mail, and I'll add you onto the list. Posted by jamesr at 11:58 AM
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Selecting staff for stakeholder interviewsThis CM Briefing follows up on the earlier article on stakeholder interviews, to discuss how to select staff for stakeholder interviews. To quote: CM Briefing 2003-14: This briefing focuses on who to select for stakeholder interviews. It provides some general guidelines, and lists some areas of the organisation to involve. (Note: I've decided to merge my KM Column and CM Briefing articles into the one monthly release, to simplify things on our end, and to reduce the flood of e-mails going out.) Posted by jamesr at 11:10 AM
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XML and content management systemsI've released my latest KM Column article, this one exploring a very hot topic at the moment: XML and content management systems. To quote: July KM Column: This article explores the role of XML in the context of content management systems, focusing specifically on the business issues. Feedback appreciated... Posted by jamesr at 11:04 AM
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The 12 principles of collaborationMongoose Technology has published a summary of their 12 principles of collaboration, which are:
[Thanks to Steve Hewgley.] Posted by jamesr at 10:59 AM
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Manage your expatriates' knowledgeNatasha Gunn writes about managing the knowledge of mobile employees. To quote: An expat who spent two years working for Company X in Singapore returned to headquarters in Europe, but left Company X within six months of returning. Sounds like an all-too common story so far: the employee leaves, taking valuable knowledge about the marketplace and culture with her. Posted by jamesr at 10:56 AM
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Challenges of dynamic publishingTony Byrne has written an article on the issues with dynamic publishing in a CMS. To quote: He's the GRUPA gremlin. GRUPA stands for "Gratuitous Runtime Page Assembly". It's what happens when you overapply the once (and still) popular idea that your system should always generate web pages "on the fly", i.e. a user clicks on a page that triggers some logic to extract snippets of content from a repository and assemble a complete page to stream back to the browser. Posted by jamesr at 10:53 AM
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Case Study: Triple Point Technology, Inc.News Gator has published a case study of the implementation of RSS at Triple Point, a commodity trading company. To quote: Triple Point started with a simple goal: "The idea is to free some of our content, expose it via easily searchable XML and HTML via HTTP, and reduce the amount of information ?hunt and peck? that currently goes on, thus increasing productivity and improving the quality of our work," says Allie. They wanted to leverage the fact that employees already spend significant time using Outlook, and also build upon intranet work they had already done with SharePoint. [Thanks to the The Shifted Librarian.] Posted by jamesr at 10:48 AM
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Personas and the customer decision-making processHenrik Olsen has written an article on the use of personas when designing a website. To quote: With this case study I want to show how our team used the concept of personas - fictional, representative user archetypes - and the customer decision-making process model in a project, in order to capture the nature of customers and their needs and concerns as they progress through the customer decision-making process. Posted by jamesr at 10:29 AM
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A group Is its own worst enemyClay Shirky writes about the behaviour of groups in social software. To quote: This talk is in three parts. The best explanation I have found for the kinds of things that happen when groups of humans interact is psychological research that predates the Internet, so the first part is going to be about W.R. Bion's research, which I will talk about in a moment, research that I believe explains how and why a group is its own worst enemy. [Thanks to Peter Morville.] Posted by jamesr at 10:22 AM
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Intersection between knowledge management and CRM in a customer support environmentRick Jacoby has written about the role of knowledge management in a customer support environment. To quote: This paper analyzes how modern customer support organizations are evolving in response to both changes in the global economy and to the work environment. It also reviews how solution vendors have recognized and responded to these opportunities. It discusses the value proposition Knowledge Management affords to companies considering incorporating Knowledge Management initiatives and examines strategies to successfully incorporate Knowledge Management into an existing CRM framework. (This article presents a similar perspective to my knowledge management for call centres paper.) Posted by jamesr at 10:10 AM
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Questionnaires in usability engineeringJurek Kirakowski has written a FAQ on the role of questionnaires in usability. To quote: Over the years, I have seen many questions asked about the use of questionnaires in usability engineering. The list on this page is a compilation of the questions I have heard most often and the answers I gave, should have given, or would have given if I had thought of it first. There a good number of questions and answers, including:
[Thanks to InfoDesign.] Posted by jamesr at 09:58 AM
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