Comments on: Software design is in crisis

By: Denisha Leiker

Denisha Leiker — Mon, 17 Jan 2011 23:19:06 +0000

Dude.. I’m not much into studying, however one way or the other I received to read a lot of articles on your blog. Its amazing how fascinating it is for me to go to you very often.

By: Veronique Noorda

Veronique Noorda — Tue, 12 Oct 2010 20:48:19 +0000

Myself and my dad ended up speaking this yesterday. Thanks for the proof that I had been correct and after this I can relating to this!

By: Armedia.com Blog: Software design is in crisis | AJ McClary – User Experience Consultant

Fri, 16 Jul 2010 00:51:17 +0000

[...] Click HERE to read the rest of the entry over at Armedia.com [...]

By: A.J. McClary

A.J. McClary — Thu, 15 Jul 2010 02:13:49 +0000

@Cindy – That has been my experience too. I think content strategy is something every UX/IA person should learn. It’s a great way to balance user needs, business/marketing needs, search engine optimization, and advertising. Did you know that Google severely penalizes its PPC customers for promoting websites that aren’t relevant to what the users are searching for? Advertisers pay up to 10 times more for irrelevancy. Other advertising methods, like CPA (cost per acquisition) also reward for providing a positive content experience. Content strategy is the difference between making a sale and loosing a lead, but can also be the difference between life and death depending on the context. I think it’s a huge risk to not employ someone with content strategy experience.

By: Cindy

Cindy — Thu, 15 Jul 2010 00:20:21 +0000

I think the most neglected part is content strategy. Designers tend to stop with the framework (site maps and wireframes) without considering what goes in it. It’s like having a beautiful store with no products in it. Have you had that experience, too?

By: Vicentee Ferguson

Vicentee Ferguson — Wed, 14 Jul 2010 12:48:51 +0000

Your blog implies a partnership between the solution provider and the customer. In my experience, where technologists truly partner with our customers (each with skin in the game) to understand their goals, environments, and requirements, and take the lead in developing solutions based on shared understanding, we increase the chances of success. Your observations are right on the mark!

By: A.J. McClary

A.J. McClary — Wed, 14 Jul 2010 01:03:29 +0000

@Jeff – Creating a generic set of personas is not user-centered design, it’s just guessing–which is what most software companies do when they try to build generic products.

There is certainly nothing wrong with guessing, but I wouldn’t design an entire system without interviewing real users first. Instead, I would hire a research company to conduct focus groups, but that can be kinda pricey.

Do you think you could find a generic set of “users” based on previous projects?

By: A.J. McClary

A.J. McClary — Wed, 14 Jul 2010 00:51:01 +0000

@Bill Those are really good points. I totally agree, it’s always the people problem!

By: Jeff Hendrickson

Jeff Hendrickson — Tue, 13 Jul 2010 19:16:59 +0000

Hey AJ,
Great list here and to touch on Jim’s question about scenarios and personas I agree totally – each project will be different and will require custom setups.

I do think though that a generic set of personas can most likely be built as the foundation for projects like we’re building now, such as a Case Management tool. Each client buying this app will have a core set of users that closely resemble core sets in other companies, industries, etc. Having that starting foundation can let you hit the ground running just a bit quicker.

Look forward to meeting you soon,
Jeff

By: Bill Hunton

Bill Hunton — Tue, 13 Jul 2010 14:28:57 +0000

These stats on IT projects have remained much the same for the past 30 years not just recently. Why?

Here’s what I have experienced in over 35 years at this stuff – things that cause projects to fail:

1. Lack of upper management support and business ownership, whatever the reasons: Intra-company political rivalries, turf battles, ignorance, naivety, selfish motivation, conflicting business objectives, etc. Be wary of any business that wants to turn over project ownership to the consulting firm or IT (unless it’s an IT project). Run away.

2. Inadequate analysis and requirements gathering; that is, consultants/business analysts without ears. No certification or process can overcome arrogance and stupidity. Listen, listen, listen, and you will win over the customer and get project acceptance.

3. PPP – Pi$$ Poor Planning that no application of process by itself can overcome. Common sense is not.

4. Inadequate resources – a corollary to PPP. (Especially NO training budget.)

5. Not accounting for being human. Nine women cannot have a baby in a month, no matter how much overtime. Had you done something more than PPP you would not be in a schedule crisis. Don’t punish the team for bad planning.

6. Inflexible slaves to the plan – you can plan the bridge but you still have to build the bridge. Be willing to revisit the plan and adapt to conditions as they occur. However, you cannot push everything off to the last day of the project.

7. The Lone Ranger is not a project hero. Project delivery is a team sport.

What I have learned: There are no technical problems that kill projects. They are all people problems.