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).