The Inconvenient Truth About SEO

A nice no-nonsense summary of a balanced approach to search-engine optimisation:

http://www.smashingmagazine.com/2012/12/11/seo-the-inconvenient-truth/

Gamification Myths: The Difference Between Game Design and Gamification

Good to see some self-reflection in the hyped gamification space! Multiple disciplines need to play a part for a success and "game design" is at best only one of these disciplines...

http://www.gamification.co/2012/12/13/the-difference-between-game-design-and-gamification/

OrgOrgChart: The Dynamic Organization of an Organization - information aesthetics

The stuff that HR dreams and managers nightmares are made of... either way an interesting representation of a developing organisation!

http://infosthetics.com/archives/2012/12/orgorgchart_the_dynamic_organization_of_an_organization.html

Retailer's guide to big data.

Retailer's guide to big data

Nice simple graphic about what big data is and how to handle it.

ROI on agile project management processes

Business value of agile project management for new products

No real surprises in this paper, but it gives a good overview of the practice and academic research on ROI on agile projects management.

Middle-earth stats

Middle-Earth in Statistics - LotrProject

Couldn't resist posting this one. Nerds rejoice.

Niffty twitter visualisation

Twitter Orographies - visualising twitter trends

Cracking good visualisation of twitter trends based on real-time feed for a given hash-tag - definitely want to try this one out for myself!

The CIO's priorities

CIO-Barometer. Die Top-Prioritäten der IT-Abteilungen

An interesting and slightly surprising report on CIO priorities in the German market. If the results are truly reflecting the market dynamic (and I cannot say that I have seen evidence of it all myself in my interactions over the last 12 months), then it is definitely a step in the right direction for the business-driven IT unit!

"Weekly" roundup October-November 2012

I have just noticed that the auto-post is still not working, so here is a manual update of the my "weekly" roundup of interesting links from the previous few weeks:

Maps for that! - Shared mindmaps

• Loads of food for thought via mindmaps on all kinds of business, productivity and creativity topics..

Lean Webinar Library

• It never ceases to amaze me how much is out there for free if you just look. I had come across the Lean Enterprise Institute before, but had not visited there website until today. From a short review it looks like the free webinars are pretty good - I will be stopping by again..

Community « TastyCupcakes.org

• Games to improve the business of software development.

Quality improvement that matters

• This is a nice (short) presentation on the need for changing the way we manage the quality improvement process - I love the slide that shows the typical ITIL based measures on a scale of "matters to the customer"...

Seven Habits of Highly Effective “BA” People

• A nice "eulogy" to Dr Covey from a business analyst.

The Internet map

• A real beauty, this one... 

What is Content 4.0?

• Content we are willing to pay for? Nice graphic, but I wouldn't pay for it...

Hassle maps

• Just spotted this link on a smart colleagues blog. Great article about the "anti"-user journey map. An intuitive approach and probably easier for most people to handle (ie. it is usually easier to work out what is going wrong rather than the fix).

Agile planning for marketing

Agile planning for marketing: 
 
The agile marketing manifesto has been born. I am not convinced that it adds significantly to the original agile manifesto, but the guys behind have definitely got their heads screwed on. This is however a good thoughtful presentation on the need for iterating and learning from failure in the business world along the lines of the Lean Startup movement.

Design Thinking, Agile Enterprise - Only Dead Fish

An interesting post on approaches to avoid processes and rituals inhibiting innovation.

Dreckstool.de

Eine wunderbare basisdemokartisch gerankte Übersicht der schlechtesten Software Tools!

http://dreckstool.de

IKEA's new augmented reality catalogue

I know it is not the first of these augmented reality catalogues, but IKEA is the first that has made me want to download the app and try it out!

Book review: Reality is broken

A few weeks back, TED.com posted another talk by Jane McGonigal on practical applications of gamification - once again, it is not only the real life examples of concrete approaches to behaviour changes using the principles of game design in the "real" world, but also the deeply engrained positive message for the future that I really like.

The post reminded me that I had McGonigal's book, "Reality is broken" in the middle of my pile of "To read" books. I pulled it out and finished it yesterday. As indicated in my many previous posts on gamification, what I love about McGonigal's stuff is that it is so rooted in her desire to improve people's lives and is so "actionable" - the book is packed full of examples of how simple games applied in the real world have had immediate and measurable effects.

The book is well structured and is underpinned with lots of quality thinking about positive psychology, the roots of gaming in society and concepts of good game design (McGonigal is an academic as well as a game designer).

The one thing I would criticise is the length of the book - it could have been ~50-100 pages shorter and still covered all its points well.

Despite this small point, this is definitely a book worth reading if you are interested in affecting behaviour changes in fun ways!

Euro telcos: fiddling while the platform burns?

• Euro telcos: fiddling while the platform burns?
  It is difficult to argue with this aggressive analysis. that traditional telcos are not wholeheartedly pushing to change their business models in the face of declining voice revenues. I have to say I take a slightly more positive view; there is a huge amount going on in the industry around finally understanding and managing around the customer experience, and also about changing business models. In itself this is not enough to "save" the old players, but it is at least an indicator that the need to move is finally being recognised...

Posted from Diigo. The rest of my favorite links are here.

Launching Excellence | Excellence Now by Tom Peters

• Launching Excellence | Excellence Now by Tom Peters
  I used to love Tom Peters (see also previous blog entry on Peters and Weick), but he has gotten a little stale. Nevertheless, his collection of "Best of" presentations is good stuff (if you can ignore the dreadful presentation style ;-))

Posted from Diigo. The rest of my favorite links are here.

McKinsey report on digital trends

• The next stage: Six ways the digital consumer is changing
  McKinsey report on digital trends. To summarize; social, omnichannel, gamification. Worth a read if you have a chance.

Posted from Diigo. The rest of my favorite links are here.

Incompetence & Twinstan's weekly roundup

Having just spent around 30 minutes trying to configure the Blog feed API in Diigo to revert back to a weekly feed I have decided to give up. Assuming it does not fix itself, I guess you will now have the pleasure of reading about the interesting links as I read them rather than once a week.

If it begins to feels like spam, I may switch off the feed altogether and shift to a new links tool (there are enough of them, after all!).

Let me know what you think.

Twinstan's interesting links roundup on Diigo (weekly)

• Frameworks Are The Future of Design

  This deck gives a food for thought on the way that web applications need to be conceived of from a "Web 2.0" perspective. The principles postulated seem to me to be solid. I am not so sure about the technical details (not my field ,-)), but I like the comparison of developers to the proverbial canary in the mine a lot.

• Deck on simple change management approach

  Simple, clear, average, but usable.

• DSDM Atern Handbook V2 / 1

  Somehow I managed to miss the fact that the latest version of DSDM (Dynamic systems development method) - aka Atern - is available entirely free of charge as a nifty handbook. I think this version is more complete and easier to apply than the previous versions (but I really have only ever tried out individual elements of the models and never wholesale, but might try it out for fun).

Posted from Diigo. The rest of my favorite links are here.

Twinstan's interesting links roundup on Diigo (weekly)

• What's the Value Proposition of Your Ecommerce Company? | Practical eCommerce

  Good solid stuff...

• Business Analyst: a title that doesn’t reflect the profession

  A nice little blog entry arguing that the term Business Analyst is misleading - I couldn't agree more, though I do not like the term synthesis which they use to express another of the key activities - I would keep it simply and call it "design" (be that solution, customer experience, business model, business process , system or service design).

• Build. Measure. Learn. Lean Startup SXSW 2012

  Both the actual materials on lean management in the startup space (by Eric Ries, the current Mr Lean-Startup) and the site hosting the course (udemy.com) are worth checking out.

• Mary Meeker's Internet Trends Report

  Recommended by Manuel Koelman of getContext in Cologne, this report, by Mary Meeker is well worth reading.

• Augmented Reality Data: The Webcam Social Shopper

  Interesting deck from Zugara showing that augmented reality for eCommerce is becoming a meaningful commercial proposition.

Posted from Diigo. The rest of my favorite links are here.

Twinstan's interesting links roundup on Diigo (weekly)

• Gumroad has a cracking checkout process...

  ...just great.

• Collusion :: Add-ons for Firefox for tracking behavioural tracking

  This is a very nifty add-on for firefox that allows you to see graphically who is tracking you behaviour via cookies. Shocking and interesting at the same time.

• The Top 5 Mistakes in Requirements Practices and Documentation | BA Times

  Nice simple and accurate list.

• Hans Rosling: Religions and babies | Video on TED.com

  Hans Rosling is always thoughtful and entertaining.

• US Department of Defence - Command & Control research on the agile imperative

  Trust the US department of defence to have a sensible no nonsense view on agility. Refreshing.

Posted from Diigo. The rest of my favorite links are here.

Twinstan's interesting links roundup on Diigo (weekly)

• 10 fingers • Everything You Need to Know About Design Probably...

  A colleague posted this link earlier today- I am inclined to agree with him that it is questionable in both premise and content, but an excellent selection of well designed sites and sources of tools / inspiration for user experience professionals.

Posted from Diigo. The rest of my favorite links are here.

Twinstan's interesting links roundup on Diigo (weekly)

• business-architecture-map.jpg

  Solid mindmap of many elements of a business-architecture - good checklist.

• Business Processes: Better with Business Rules

  Cracking article - I have never understood why this simple point seems to represent such a difficulty for so many organisations. Separating process and policy (or rules) is vital to getting your business model understood - you otherwise end up with a hug complex process model that does not simplify anything...

• Using the Business Architecture in Business Analysis

  Although in my opinion business architecture is more than a representation of the value streams, this is a good article on how architecture deliverables can have tangible value in operational analysis and design activities.

• Tali Sharot: The optimism bias | Video on TED.com

  Think positive? Here is some real food for thought...

• BA Times | The Top 10 Business Analysis Skills for 2012

  A good list of skills.. guess what visualisation in various forms, conceptual modelling, change management and asking "why" are all in there ;-).

• Präsentationen der Information Architecture 2012 | User Centered

  A great collection of presentations from the IA2012.

• Start your content strategy with an audit

  Great no-nonsense article on working out where you are with your online content and how to quickly identify what to do next. Worth reading if you are in the merchandizing or editing space.

• Bing Goes Social with New Resdesign

  Bing has doubled the number of searches it fulfills in the States (15% of market) in 2 years. I do like the social media integration in Bing, but still find that the results are not what I am looking for... have I been so conditioned by Google that I expect the results that they give me?!?

• Service As A SKU | TechCrunch

  The standardisation of services to be purchased online is well underway. Alex Rampell at Techcrunch is positioning this as the next big thing.. I am not sure about that, but certainly he has some interesting points to make about what an online platform needs to contain to make such an offering fly.

Posted from Diigo. The rest of my favorite links are here.

Twinstan's interesting links roundup on Diigo (weekly)

• Stephen Fry - All about I (What I wish I knew when I was 18) - YouTube

  I have said it before, and will say it again. Stephen Fry is a smart man.

• easel.ly -visual tool in beta

  cracking simple online tool for free (whilst it is still in beta).

• Agile Governance - White Paper - IndigoBlue Thought Leadership

  These guys have a couple of simple points about how to embed agile methods effectively - the vital need for transparency regarding decision-making and where uncertainty lies and a strong framework of goals to steer projects and programmes in the right direction.

• E-Commerce Companies Pleasing Customers More Than Ever

  I am not really convinced that there has been a general improvement in the quality of e-Commerce experience, but the study mentioned here is a must read for the industry!

• BBRT - Beyond Budgeting Roundtable

  I was reminded of these guys earlier and stopped by on their website - it is much improved from my last visit (several years ago). Thought-provoking set of principles for organisations.

• Rightshifting « Think Different

  "Rightshifting" seems to be something to look into some more - will keep you posted.

Posted from Diigo. The rest of my favorite links are here.

Twinstan's interesting links roundup on Diigo (weekly)

• The Simplicity Thesis | Fast Company

  Simple is the new winner.

• How to Generate a Good Idea | Moments of Genius | Big Think

  In a time of teamwork and collaboration, looks like the (sensible) backlash is finally there. As with many things, moderation is the key and from this article it looks like there is some good research out there that reinforces what half of the developers I know have always known - sometimes you just really need time and space on your own to get things done! No big surprise, but no doubt controversial.

• How Target Figured Out A Teen Girl Was Pregnant Before Her Father Did - Forbes

  The reality of what personalisation really means in practice.

• Product Manager - Product Owner Dilemma

  The fantasy of the "single" product owner in a complex organisation is nicely addressed here - it is unlikely to work since it is too much of a stretch for most individuals. Recognise the different activities across the entire product management discipline and accept that this is likely to be a team activity except in the smallest of organisations (or with the most experienced and hyperactive of individiduals).

• 2012 Presidential Election Interactive Map and History of the Electoral College

  I just love maps..

• Clouds 365 Project - Year 3

  Just for fun - spectacular photos!

• Volkswagen Beetle - webbie winner

  Cool concept

• Wantful

  At last an online shopping experience I can enjoy!

• SOA (the term) is dead, but SOA (the architecture) lives on

  I am a big believer in the governance aspects of a solid service architecture approach, but agree with these guys on the fact that the technology and some of the "pie-in-the-sky" fantasies have been overtaken by events.

• Joe Smith: How to use a paper towel

  Simple advice, big impact, easy to follow and without pain - a perfect green solution!

• Customer experience strategy: 10 killer tactics for success

  On the whole, good common sense, though not all of equal value; "Be brilliant at delivery" is a bit of a catch-all for me...

Posted from Diigo. The rest of my favorite links are here.

Another Dan Roam book on visualisation

Dan Roam, the author of "The Back of the Napkin" (see my review from way back in 2008!), has recently published a new book, "Blah blah blah: What to do when words don't work".

Given the impact of the Napkin book (and some of the tools in the book are really helpful), I am hoping for big things with this book too. Having just watched his google talk on the subject (posted below), I am not going to hold my breath.

As with the Napkin, he has come up with a couple of good simple process ideas to help people to structure their own visual thinking to communicate better; once again he has found a nice mnemonic to remember it by - F.O.R.E.S.T (I won't spoil the surprise by explaining this here); once again he has plenty of examples to illustrate the points he has to make; once again, though, it is not quite there (at least for me) - I do not quite get the elements of the mnemonic and why exactly those elements and not others will lead to a successfull "ViVId" idea ("Visual, Verbal, Interdependent").

Don't get me wrong though; I am basing this purely on the introductory talk at google and have already ordered the book - it has rave reviews (like the Napkin) and I am hopeful that I will find some answers in it. I will let you know once I have read it!



I was also surprised to find Osterwalder and his business model canvas hidden behind the "F" of "Forest". It is remarkable how quickly that model has spread (you will find several entries on this model on my blog).

Twinstan's interesting links roundup on Diigo (weekly)

• Designing Rich Applications

  Nice presentation that rightly emphasizes that technology alone (a la ajax) does not make a rich application!

Posted from Diigo. The rest of my favorite links are here.

Twinstan's interesting links roundup on Diigo (weekly)

• Abigail Washburn: Building US-China relations ... by banjo | Video on TED.com

  Now this is a remarkable lady...

• No More Angling for the Best Seat; More Meetings Are Stand-Up Jobs - WSJ.com

  Agile methods in the wall-street-journal. What is the world coming to?

Posted from Diigo. The rest of my favorite links are here.

Twinstan's interesting links roundup on Diigo (weekly)

• A thoroughly useful instruction kit from IKEA...

  ...Nice.

Posted from Diigo. The rest of my favorite links are here.

Twinstan's interesting links roundup on Diigo (weekly)

• Slide Show Time: Building a Future-Friendly Web | Webmonkey | Wired.com

  Nice presentation on motivation for customer experience focus.. .as if anyone needed convincing ;-)...

Posted from Diigo. The rest of my favorite links are here.

Twinstan's interesting links roundup on Diigo (weekly)

• Jer Thorp: Make data more human | Video on TED.com

  Another entertaining data journalist...

• BBC News - The Economist's predictions for 2050

  I love the quote, "The Economist is a glass-is-half-full kind of publication"...

Posted from Diigo. The rest of my favorite links are here.

Twinstan's interesting links roundup on Diigo (weekly)

• Cost Effective Approaches to Iteration in Agile UX

  Nuff said.

Posted from Diigo. The rest of my favorite links are here.

Gamification in The Economist

As I have written before, gamification is definitely entering the mainstream - another article in The Economist this week talks about the retail potential of gamification using the example of FantasyShopper (well worth checking out if you are interested in the commerce space professionally or are a passionate fashionista ;-)). Retailers need to jump on this - the potential in the right customer segments is so huge, the outlay is relatively low and the opportunity for it to go viral (OK, not my favourite phrase, but apt here) significant with the right customer experience... at least for the "right" brands. - Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Twinstan's interesting links roundup on Diigo (weekly)

• Seth's Blog: We can handle information density

  More links and lists, not less? I am not sure.

• Have you tested your strategy lately? - McKinsey Quarterly - Strategy - Strategic Thinking

  Some simple, tough questions for any organisation! Does your strategy actually differentiate? Does it guide decisions? If not, is that OK? Tough questions.

• 3 Ecommerce Personalization Strategies | Practical eCommerce

  Short, but to the point.. personalisation doesn't mean crowdsourcing alone!

Posted from Diigo. The rest of my favorite links are here.

Twinstan's interesting links roundup on Diigo (weekly)

• Design Principles: The Philosophy of UX

  Good set of principle worth revisiting.

• 100 User Experience Design & Evaluation Methods for Your Toolkit | Johnny Holland

  Nuff said.

• The Achilles’ Heel of Agile » Curious Cat Management Improvement Blog

  Having spent several years working with colleagues to build up an agile-driven eBusiness unit, I am quite familiar with the challenge of shared services and resources in a self-organising environment; the shared resources get overstretched and the "self-organising" teams begin to stop self-organising. Getting the balance right between providing a service and ensuring as much end-to-end ownership of a project as possible within a team is a real challenge. This short article gives a little food for thought on the parallel to the economic concept of common goods. I like this comparison because it immediately begs the question about the possibility of a tax to right the natural tendency to misuse common goods (at least it does if you have done an Economics 101 course!). I think this approach has real merit.

• Designing for User Experience | Visual.ly

  Not sure how often the user experience design process can be rehashed on visual.ly, but this one is not bad ;-)...

• Alain de Botton: Atheism 2.0 | Video on TED.com

  At last someone with a "balanced" view giving a possible positive direction for the atheist movements.

Posted from Diigo. The rest of my favorite links are here.

Twinstan's interesting links roundup on Diigo (weekly)

• The Week That Killed SOPA: A Timeline

  I suspect I had not fully understood the potential impact of SOPA, since the voracity of the backlash (and especially Wikipedia going offline for a day) were quite unexpected to me. On balance, probably a good thing that the act is tabled.

• The 10 Hidden Costs of Daily Deals

  This is an interesting response to the increasing enthusiasm of companies in the eCommerce space to introduce daily deals and coupon schemes. It is not as easy as it looks!

• The Psychology of Color | Visual.ly

  Having been involved in lighting work in student theatre many years ago (and been completely dreadful at it), I am always amazed at the impact of colour. This is a nice visualisation of the impact of colour.

• Getting Three Fs in Gamification | Gamification Blog

  Fun, friends and feebback? Sounds good.

Posted from Diigo. The rest of my favorite links are here.

Twinstan's interesting links roundup on Diigo (weekly)

• The Marketing Measurement Checklist | Visual.ly

  I was talking with an colleague today about exactly this topic - empowered product managers might stand a chance, but this survey shows that that is sadly not the norm.

• Predicting Panda

  I had heard about Google Panda a while back, but have not really looked into the impact for SEO. This is a nice easy "management" summary - will certainly keep eCommerce site optimizers on their toes!

• E-commerce in 2012: the experts' view | Econsultancy

  No overwhelming surprises here, but a nice summary of some ecommerce trends for the year...

Posted from Diigo. The rest of my favorite links are here.