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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: February 2004
Book review: Observing the User ExperienceObserving the User Experience
This is a book I definitely enjoyed reading. More importantly, it provides a practical and pragmatic perspective on how to research user needs, in the context of a broader user-centred design process. I would certainly recommend it to anyone new to the field of usability techniques. The book focuses on a number of key user research techniques:
For each of these techniques, details are provided on how to setup and conduct the activities, as then analyse the results. Tips and examples are provided, drawn from the author's real-world experiences. All of this is presented in a very easy to read, down-to-earth writing style. The material in this book concentrates on providing sufficient detail and background for the reader to go away and actually use the techniques. For example, timetables are provided for many of the activities, as well as sample questions and reports. My only complaint is that this book was somewhat thin on how to actually run effective usability testing and card sorting sessions. Which is a pity, because there is a great need for this information to be made available to the broader industry. This lack of detail is a key weakness in an otherwise exemplary book. I skipped over quite a lot of the material in the book, due to my sole interest in intranets (and not external websites). I simply don't need to know how to recruit suitable participants who are representative of a website's audience (the audience of an intranet is easy to obtain: it's the staff of the organisation itself). That being said, if you do need to know this sort of information, this book provides considerable detail, making the process both approachable and manageable. As a result, I would recommend this book for both intranet and website folk who are interested in applying user research techniques. With the additional sections on topics such as how to implement a user-centred methodology in an organisation, this book would also be valuable for professionals looking to consolidate their knowledge in these areas. Overall score: 9/10 Posted by jamesr at 03:24 PM
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10 web usability tipsHuman Factors International has published a set of 10 web usability tips, as follows:
[Thanks to usabilitygarage.com.] Posted by jamesr at 02:26 PM
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Survey reveals document management costs are unaccounted for by most health organizationsCMS-Wire reports on a survey on document management costs within the healthcare sector. To quote: According to a recent survey commissioned by Lanier Worldwide and conducted by Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society (HIMSS), nearly three-fourths of healthcare managers indicated they do not actively track and manage costs associated with document management. The survey clearly shows that the burden and costs associated with the management of documents and related processes are often unaccounted for by many organizations. Posted by jamesr at 10:42 AM
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Building better teamsMITSloan Management Review has published the results of research into knowledge sharing in teams. To quote: There were two major findings. First, teams that shared knowledge, both intragroup and externally, tended to perform better. This result confirmed much earlier research. Second, as the diversity of teams increased so did the correlation between external knowledge sharing and performance. That is, structurally diverse teams did not necessarily perform better (or worse) than their homogeneous counterparts. But structurally diverse groups did appear to be better equipped to take advantage of knowledge shared with outsiders. [Thanks to Thomas Collins.] Posted by jamesr at 10:33 AM
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User centered information retrievalMarcel van Mackelenbergh has created a fascinating site on user centered information retrieval. This answers a range of common questions, such as "How to test information retrieval" and "How to improve metadata?". A good site, well worth visiting. Posted by jamesr at 10:26 AM
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Influence of training and exposure on the usage of breadcrumb navigationSpring S. Hull reports on the results of recent research into the influence of training on the usage of breadcrumbs navigation. To quote: Summary: Recent studies have shown that while the use of breadcrumb trails to navigate a website can be helpful, few users choose to utilize this method of navigation. This study investigates the effects of "mere exposure" and training on breadcrumb usage. Findings indicate that brief training on the benefits of breadcrumb usage resulted in more efficient search behavior. This is an excellent piece of work, I'm looking forward to seeing much more like this... [Thanks to InfoDesign.] Posted by jamesr at 10:04 AM
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Usability: drawing outside the linesMolly Holzschlag writes about the tension between usability heuristics and real-world needs. To quote: Although one-size-fits-all usability concepts provide a good foundation for designers interested in creating usable sites, a great user experience has far more to do with what you know about your users than what the books tell you. Molly Holzschlag shows you how to draw outside the usability lines and create sites that address the true needs of your site visitors. [Thanks to InfoDesign.] Posted by jamesr at 09:51 AM
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Abandon your love of navigation widgets and get back to basicsMichael Angeles has written a blog entry on the role of navigation widgets. To quote: Mark Hurst has an interesting discussion on the Page Paradigm. Mark's discussion affirms the anxiety I've been feeling lately about navigation elements. I'm tracking data about how people use navigation in order to get rid of navigation in local nav when those widgets become redundant or less important. I'm thinking about things such as removing secondary navigation side bars as much as possible in favor of contextual navigation. Posted by jamesr at 09:48 AM
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Living with topic maps and RDFLars Marius Garshol has written an article on a number of technologies, including topic maps and RDF. To quote: This paper is about the relationship between the topic map and RDF standards families. It compares the two technologies and looks at ways to make it easier for users to live in a world were both technologies are used. This is done by looking at how to convert information back and forth between the two technologies, how to convert schema information, and how to do queries across both information representations. Ways to achieve all of these goals are presented. [Thanks to Peter Van Dijck.] Posted by jamesr at 02:55 AM
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New project : topic maps WikiAlexander Johannesen has started a project to develop a topic maps-based Wiki, which looks to be very interesting. To quote: I've been planning a new project for some time, and this is the initial Release of Ideas. The project has been brewing for some time, but needs have arisen for me to actually get it up an running in a somewhat fast pace. I need a system for updating project areas with documentation, people involved, business cases, history and so forth (the usual suspects), more as a collaborative system more than specialised editors of content. Very much like a Wiki, but fixing the (for me) apparent flaws of current Wiki's. [Thanks to Peter Van Dijck.] Posted by jamesr at 02:52 AM
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Rethinking ROI: Managing risk and rewards in KM initiativesJohn I. Alber has written an article on ROI for KM projects, from the law firm perspective. To quote: Knowledge management projects undertaken based on good intentions alone can succeed only by accident. Success is far more likely if projects are undertaken with specific, measurable goals in mind. Predicting and then monitoring return on investment is a classic means of increasing the likelihood of success in IT projects. However, rather than using abstract ROI calculations that are too easily manipulated by project proponents, it is preferable to use measures that closely track a firm’s business and the interests of clients. Leverage, effective rate and profit component are such measures. Knowledge management projects should not be undertaken until the business intelligence tools necessary to measure results are in place. It is preferable to undertake knowledge management projects incrementally, both to mitigate risk and to permit managing such projects (using business intelligence tools) toward a higher net benefit to the firm and to clients. [Thanks to Rick Klau.] Posted by jamesr at 02:20 AM
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New usability workshops (Canberra & Sydney, Australia)Our March workshop on Introductory Usability Evaluation in Canberra has just sold out. We've therefore organised an extra date for Canberra, but you'll want to be quick not to miss out. We have also organised a date in Sydney, and expect this to also sell-out. (Note: there is a 40% discount for full-time students, and 10% for ACS members.) Details below:
Posted by jamesr at 02:12 AM
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NSW KM Forum (Sydney, Australia)Details on the upcoming NSW KM Forum meeting to be held in Sydney:
Posted by jamesr at 07:56 PM
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New topic map toolsPeter Van Dijck has pointed out a few new topic map tools and approaches:
[Thanks to Ease.] Posted by jamesr at 09:07 AM
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Ethnography applied to new product developmentElizabeth Sanders has written an article on applying ethnography to product development. To quote: Applied ethnography is gaining widespread acceptance as a research technique. But many companies are still puzzled by it, or do not know how to use it effectively - especially in the new product development (NPD) process. This article will explain the fundamentals of this technique, and give some examples of how it has been used effectively in the NPD process by companies in recent years - and perhaps help you decide if applied ethnography is right for your latest project. [Thanks to elearningpost.] Posted by jamesr at 08:38 AM
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Revisiting knowledge management : presence, communication, collaboration = flowDina Mehta has written a fascinating blog entry on her review of a corporate intranet. To quote: Picture this scenario - you have a project on and are racking your brains about how to approach it - you check your presence indicator - see who's available - ping them with a request for conferencing - hitch up the webcam, enable voice - and bingo - in minutes you have a virtual team ! Record the conversation, take notes on the wiki, synthesize it in a team blog which has comments enabled, feed in current thinking on the topic from your newsaggregator, and you have real flow. And, ridiculously easy group-forming to borrow a wonderful phrase from Clay Shirky.[Thanks to elearningpost.] Posted by jamesr at 02:06 AM
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Six steps to better interviews and simplified task analysisIndi Young discusses how to conduct effective interviews, as part of a needs analysis process. Her five suggestions:
[Thanks to elearningpost.] Posted by jamesr at 01:55 AM
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New CMS mailing listA new CMS mailing list has just been established, due to the extended downtime of the previously excellent CMS-list. I would encourage everyone with an interest in content management systems to join this list. Posted by jamesr at 11:18 AM
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Reeling from all that information?James Carlopio has written an article on recognising patterns, as a key management skill. To quote: IF YOU learn one thing this year, make it the ability to recognise patterns. It’s the single most important skill a manager could have. [Thanks to James Dellow.] Posted by jamesr at 03:57 PM
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Tracking user navigation methods by logging where users click on web pagesMichael Angeles has written a truly excellent blog entry on using logs to determine the effectiveness of navigation. This is a must-see entry due to the concrete research, and fascinating results. To quote: I need some way of exploring alternatives, but I don’t want to change the site too drastically without having some justification for doing so, so about a month ago I asked our systems administrator to come up with ways to track where links are being clicked on the page. The first month of data has arrived and I have some stats to show where people are clicking to get around the site. The wireframe and the charts below show what we’re seeing. Posted by jamesr at 07:55 AM
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Stalk your userThis article is from quite a while back, but Jeff Veen wrote about contextual inquiry. To quote: Contextual inquiry is an increasingly popular method for discovering this information. Also known as ethnographic research or field studies, the idea is deceptively simple: Build useful products and watch your users as they work. The process itself sounds even easier: Go to where your users are and tag along with them. [Thanks to Common Craft.] Posted by jamesr at 07:52 AM
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Intranets take second place to public internetAltas Ventures has publicised the results of a recent survey comparing the internet and intranet as sources of information for staff. To quote: Despite heavy investment in Intranets by companies, the public Internet remains the primary information source for knowledge workers according to a global survey by Moreover Technologies, the premier provider of real-time current awareness and business information solutions. When questioned, 57.8% of respondents admitted that the Internet was their primary information resource in their daily work routine whereas only 10.9% considered the Intranet to be their main source of information. (I think these results are interesting, if not necessarily very relevant. Without knowing the questions, it's also hard to interpret the results...) Posted by jamesr at 02:57 PM
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The CMS MatrixA new site has just been launched which allows the feature sets of content management systems to be compared: The CMS Matrix. While I think it's great that there are more resources for CMS consumers on the market, I'm not a fan of the selection-by-feature-list approach (as I've written in the past). Posted by jamesr at 02:43 PM
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Your clients need a content management systemMartin Burns has written an article on the need for content management systems on websites. To quote: Make no mistake - if you are running a substantive web site without a CMS, you will hit a wall where your eBusiness is no longer sustainable because you can't update your site reliably or quickly enough. From that point, you will need to tear down almost your entire web infrastructure to put a CMS in its place. Posted by jamesr at 11:34 AM
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If readers don’t read, who is responsible?Susan Harkus has written an article improving technical communication. To quote: The information user became our focus and our challenge was clear: we wanted users to find the information that enabled them to be productive and competent performers. We crafted information that supported and empowered the task performer, and we designed information spaces that users could navigate successfully. Posted by jamesr at 10:24 AM
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Spontaneous user researchD. Keith Robinson has posted a blog entry on the spontaneous user research he has conducted on the policy and procedure information published for a hospital. To quote: One of the largest and most diverse user groups for these policies and procedures are the nurses. It was arranged for me to head over to the hospital, in the company of one of the nurse coordinators, and meet some of the nurses face to face. Having also conducted an intranet project in a hospital, it is certainly very interesting to explore the needs of nursing staff, and the great challenges confronting them in their efforts to keep up to date with key information... Posted by jamesr at 08:17 AM
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Web usability: a new International StandardUserfocus reports on the development of a new ISO standard on usability. To quote: ISO is developing a new standard for web usability. The new standard will be of interest to anyone who designs, evaluates or commissions web sites and it is likely to have a significant impact in improving the overall usability of the web. [Thanks to InfoDesign.] Posted by jamesr at 08:12 AM
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Resource Description Framework (RDF) and Web Ontology Language (OWL)Robin Cover reports on the release of a revised RDF and OWL recommendations. To quote: The World Wide Web Consortium has announced "final approval of two key Semantic Web technologies, the revised Resource Description Framework (RDF) and the Web Ontology Language (OWL). RDF and OWL are Semantic Web standards that provide a framework for asset management, enterprise integration and the sharing and reuse of data on the Web. These standard formats for data sharing span application, enterprise, and community boundaries, since different types of users can share the same information even if they don't share the same software." Posted by jamesr at 05:12 PM
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Managing the complexity of content managementVictor Lombardi has written about managing the complexity of content management, in which he provides some excellent tips and guidelines. To quote: Content management systems suck. Or so you would think from the strife heard from analysts and practitioners alike. And yet, many websites regularly publish vast amounts of information with superior control and ease compared to manually editing pages. So where's the disconnect between what's possible and the too-often failure of CMS? Posted by jamesr at 07:46 AM
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Value-driven intranet designShiv Singh has written an article on value-driven intranet design. To quote: Managing these internal and external challenges and developing your intranet into a meaningful, measurable, and relevant business tool can be difficult and draining. But if you reduce your intranet to its essence, use consultants smartly, manage your stakeholders and users effectively, and approach it with the same rigor, discipline, and focus you do with any other business initiative, your task can quickly become much simpler. Posted by jamesr at 07:05 AM
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Information Architecture: Creating Order out of ChaosTracy Reith has published a "quick and dirty" information architecture presentation, which walks through the major issues, techniques and deliverables. [Thanks to InfoDesign.] Posted by jamesr at 08:32 AM
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Connecting personal KM to innovationThomas Collins has written a blog entry on the role of personal knowledge management and innovation. To quote: Google seems to have done pretty well, as an organization. But is it sustainable over the long haul to have all these knowledge workers fooling around with their own projects on company time, you hard-nosed, business-minded managing partners might ask? This is something that I've been doing a lot of work on in Step Two Designs. I make sure the team gets opportunities to bounce around ideas, and we're specifically setting aside time in each week to work on internal projects (and not just client-related work). The next step will be to organise one-day consulting team sessions where we just freely brainstorm approaches. I've already done some of these with Donna in Canberra, when I visit each month for the Intranet Peers meeting. These have already generated several product ideas that we have started working away on ... Posted by jamesr at 08:28 AM
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Who should manage your CMS?Bill Trippe has written a blog entry answering the question who should manage your CMS? To quote: The question came up recently--where in your organization should a CMS be managed? This particular client was not interested in an ASP model (which is an excellent one for some), but is raising the question of which group should manage a growing CMS implementation in a growing company. Posted by jamesr at 08:15 AM
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Implementing information management systems - Sharing knowledge and experiences (Canberra, Australia)The Institute for Information Management will be holding a conference in Canberra on implementing information management systems. The one-day conference will be on 10 March 2004, and will be the catalyst for the creation of some new communities of practice. I will be presenting at this conference on the following topic: Practical implementation of Content Management Systems Posted by jamesr at 11:05 AM
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E-learning predictions for 2004eLearn Magazine presents its preditions for 2004. To quote: What directions will e-learning take in 2004? Will we still call it e-learning? Will there be more or fewer vendors, products, or--most importantly--jobs? Will subject matter experts develop courses instead of instructional designers? Will we all play games and discover along the way that we learned more than ever before--and had fun in the process? Read on for predictions from some of the most thoughtful and opinionated people in e-learning. [Thanks to elearningpost.] Posted by jamesr at 10:40 AM
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Nothin' But a UCD Thang Pt. 1The Ok/Cancel gang have published a very interesting perspective on the highly-visible disagreements between usability gurus such as Jakob Nielsen (NN/g) and Jared Spool (UIE). Be amused by the cartoon, and then read the commentary. To quote: By the first definition, we could probably classify Jakob Nielsen, Don Norman, Jared Spool and numerous others as gurus in our industry. Interestingly, like the second definition of guru, the gurus of usability seem to agree about as often as leaders of opposite religious factions … or perhaps west coast and east coast gangs. Posted by jamesr at 10:34 AM
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Definition of information management termsThe second CM Briefing presents definitions of information management terms. To quote: There is considerable confusion in the marketplace regarding the definition of various information management terms. The scope and role of specific information systems is particularly blurry, in part caused by the lack of consensus between vendors. As ever, feedback or suggestions are always welcome... Posted by jamesr at 02:00 PM
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Intranet teams: a leadership and coaching roleThe first of two CM Briefings explores how intranet teams should considering taking on a leadership and coaching role. To quote: This 'big stick' approach hasn't worked in most cases. Instead, the intranet team often becomes viewed as a gatekeeper or bottleneck that does little more than say 'no' to business units. The business then reacts by rebelling against this centralised control, or simply working around the intranet team. Posted by jamesr at 01:55 PM
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Open-source content management systemsMy KM Column article for February looks at open-source content management systems. To quote: Open-source CMSs have now matured to the point where they should be considered side-by-side with commercial alternatives. This is not a reflection of 'open-source zeal', rather a recognition that there exist sensible business alternatives to commercial solutions. Posted by jamesr at 01:50 PM
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Integrating reading and writing of documentsP. J. Brown and Heather Brown has written an interesting article on integrating reading and writing of documents. To quote: Computer users have become accustomed to the writing of documents being regarded as a separate activity from the reading of documents. We believe that this division is unnecessary and limits the effectiveness of virtually every computer user. It is time for a rethink of underlying concepts. A key concept for integrating reading with writing is a general mechanism for annotation. This general mechanism can be combined with hyperlinking to create a single unifying super-concept that provides a base for integrating reading and writing. The paper explains the underlying ideas, and describes the results of a small experiment that supported the viability of the super-concept. We believe that the super-concept might possibly provide the foundations for a revolution in thinking about documents, which would benefit everyone. [Thanks to InfoDesign.] Posted by jamesr at 01:19 PM
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Most people use 2 word phrases in search enginesOneStat has published statistics on the number of words entered into search engines. The results at a glance:
[Thanks to Ease.] Posted by jamesr at 08:08 AM
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The role of a weblog inside an online communityLee LeFever has written a blog entry about weblogs and online communities. To quote: I've been thinking a lot about how weblogs can be used as a part of an online community -- and I think there are some real benefits. Posted by jamesr at 10:15 AM
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Seven myths of usability ROIDaniel Rosenberg has given a talk on the seven myths of usability ROI, which are as follows:
[Thanks to ia/.] Posted by jamesr at 09:59 AM
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Accessibility humanizedHenrik Olsen has written an article on website accessibility, looking at the importance of approaching it from a user-centred perspective. To quote: Most web developers act in blindness when they design accessible websites, since they know next to nothing about disabled people and the technology they use. Accessibility guidelines and validation tools don't provide this insight. Accessibility for disabled users should be approached from a user centred perspective. Posted by jamesr at 09:54 AM
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KM standards warsDenham Grey has written a blog entry on KM standards wars. To quote: Have serious reservations about moving to standards in this area as it is early days, we are all experimenting, all still learning, software is evolving at a rate of knots and we struggle to bound our discourse & talk just the same language. Witness the ongoing conversations here and elsewhere on Km boards around "what is KM"? and "what does knowledge really mean"?. Posted by jamesr at 08:18 AM
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How to manage smart peopleScott Berkun has written an article on how to manage smart people. To quote: What follows is some advice for managers on how to manager people, especially talented people. I worked for nine years at Microsoft, sometimes managing projects, sometimes managing people, but always with a manager above me. I think I’m smart, but many of the people who have worked for me definitely were. Over the years I’ve experienced many mistakes and successes in both how I was managed, and how I managed others. What follows is a short distillation of some of what I’ve learned. There's no one way to manage people, but there are some approaches that I think most good managers share. [Thanks to David Crow.] Posted by jamesr at 03:58 PM
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