Flashback: The Low Down On Low-Fidelity Prototyping
Thu, Nov 13th 2008 9:16p Chris Blatnick Note: This is a repeat of one of my more popular articles. It is reprinted here after several requests. Since I have a lot more readers now than I did when originally posted, I thought it would be a good time to recycle it. :-) You don't have to be on this site for very long before you'll start picking out some common themes. Two of the topics that I am very passionate about when it comes to the development process are low-fidelity prototyping and usability testing. I truly believe that every d [read] Keywords: notes
application
development
interface
podcast
taking notes
wiki
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Balsamiq Mockups...A Very Cool Tool For Building Prototypes
Thu, Nov 6th 2008 7:51p Chris Blatnick As long-time readers know, I'm somewhat of a zealot when it comes to singing the praises of low-fidelity prototyping. Over time, I've found that it allows me to get to the best possible user interface faster than any other method. While I love breaking out the crayons, markers and paper, I do admit that it sometimes becomes more time consuming than I'd like if I have to keep redoing a certain screen. This is where I see a computer-based tool being very helpful. In a past post, I introduced you [read] Keywords: desktop
interface
xml
75
SnTT: Quick Follow-up To "Universal Toolbar"
Thu, Oct 23rd 2008 8:52p Chris Blatnick It seems some folks liked my idea from last week, especially the example screenshot showing a drop down menu in this "universal toolbar" area. I received a comment and a few e-mails asking how this was done. Well...I actually wrote this up (along with a sample database) a couple of years ago, so today's show and tell will be a cheat, as I am just going to link you over to that entry. With that, here you go. Enjoy. SnTT: Cascading Navigation In Notes Editor's Note: The sample database that i [read] Keywords: lotus
notes
show and tell
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SnTT: Add A "Universal Toolbar" To Your Lotus Notes Applications
Thu, Oct 16th 2008 7:57p Chris Blatnick Hey, look at that: A Show-n-Tell Thursday post. Woohoo! OK...I've got to think up a better/more descriptive name than "universal toolbar", but I'm creatively challenged today. At least I got a post out...geez. :-) If you think about most of your applications, there are probably certain functions that are executed more than anything else. Perhaps it is a particular search mechanism, running a certain agent or navigating to a given document. Whatever the most common action is, do you make it easy [read] Keywords: agent
document
lotus
notes
show-n-tell
sntt
application
applications
Lotusphere 2009 - Getting to WOW
Sat, Sep 27th 2008 8:12p Chris Blatnick Yesterday was the deadline for Lotusphere abstracts, so I hope you got your ideas in. I'm really excited that there seems to be such a buzz around the conference this year (even more than normal, it seems). One of my former colleagues submitted a couple of ideas too, so I'm hoping he gets a chance to get up there and show off his stuff. I actually ended up with two entries thrown into the hat and one Birds of a Feather idea. Both of the session submissions are with a couple of fantastic speaker [read] Keywords: lotus
lotusphere
notes
ideajam
ideajam.net
interface
mac
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1
Epic Fail...Error Message Worst Practices (And How To Fix Them)
Tue, Sep 9th 2008 9:59p Chris Blatnick Error messages...the bane of users. We all dread the software crash or programmatic wrong turn that sends our productivity crashing into a brick wall. To add insult to injury, I think most of us would be hard pressed to find examples of good error messages in the software we use. Remember that one of the key goals of interface design to strive for is making the interface unobtrusive so that the user can focus on the task at hand, not on how to use the software. When users encounter an error, we [read] Keywords: policies
application
applications
interface
twitter
47
WOA vs SOA...The Battle of the "Oriented Architectures"
Sat, Sep 6th 2008 9:52p Chris Blatnick Everybody Loves Web Oriented Architecture Hmmm...interesting read indeed. While this isn't the party line for my employer, I think WOA is the way to go personally. It just seems lighter weight to me and more "agile", which of course I like. Then again, a lot of this stuff is all semantics anyway! ;-) [read] Keywords: soa
57
Lotusphere 2009...Should I Even Try?
Thu, Sep 4th 2008 7:59p Chris Blatnick So Lotusphere time is upon us again in a few short months and people are getting all hyped up and excited since registration opened yesterday. This is always a fun time, as the folks in the blogging community start talking about some of the sessions they hope to submit, while others keep their thoughts very close to the vest. I'm currently wondering what, if anything, I should submit as an idea this year. Are there any topics that you'd specifically like to see at Lotusphere based around the s [read] Keywords: lotusphere
notes
application
applications
blogging
community
twitter
36
On Total (e)Productivity In Lotus Notes
Wed, Sep 3rd 2008 7:59p Chris Blatnick I've mentioned the eProductivity system a few times here and there and wanted to share some additional thoughts about it. It's great to see applications that enhance and extend the power of the Lotus Notes platform. Eric Mack and his development team have done a great job in this respect. (Don't forget to check out the video demo) If you are a practitioner of Getting Things Done (GTD), David Allen's system for managing the overwhelm almost all of us feel due to the myriad things that require o [read] Keywords: lotus
notes
template
application
applications
development
integration
interface
php
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Domino Web Developers...Will Our Apps Be Better In New Google Browser?
Mon, Sep 1st 2008 10:00p Chris Blatnick Exciting times, eh? Tomorrow, Google is releasing "Google Chrome", a new, built-from-the-ground-up web browser that promises to be a modern platform for applications and web pages. With announcements like this, plus all the new goodies like xPages coming from IBM, you really do need to start brushing up on your web skills. While I *love* rich client development, I believe it's equally important to be able to use your skills when developing for the browser. I've met far too many Domino develope [read] Keywords: domino
ibm
javascript
lotus
notesdomino
xpages applications
css
development
google
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OK Lotus Geeks, Time To Pump Up!
Mon, Sep 1st 2008 7:59p Chris Blatnick Hey Everybody...Are you ready for a challenge? I came across the OneHundredPushUps site a few weeks back and put it on my list of things to explore in more detail. I finally did this weekend, so I'm ready to get started. The gist of the program is that you do the required work for six weeks with the goal of being able to do 100 pushups (consecutively) at the end. I've been running lately and doing a bit of lifting, all in an attempt to get back into prime fighting condition. I'm lucky enoug [read] Keywords: lotus
microsoft
twitter
79
Twitter...Are We Doing It Wrong?
Tue, Aug 12th 2008 11:20p Chris Blatnick I should be spending a little more time preparing for the social software proof of technology seminar that I am giving the next two days, but instead I'm spending time reading blogs about social software. Hmmm...maybe that actually counts. :-)
There's been quite a bit of buzz about Twitter in our community lately. Rocky asked what all the fuss was about a few days ago. I saw Andrew talking about Twitter being used incorrectly on Twitter yesterday, which I thought was funny and ironic. Toda [read] Keywords: connections
ibm
lotus
community
social software
twitter
66
Where Are These Coming From?
Sun, Aug 10th 2008 11:29a Chris Blatnick I don't know about you, but I've always been a fan of the Muppets. That said, I've been loving the fact that these videos keep popping up on YouTube. Here are two of my favorites: [read] Keywords: application
wiki
Is Lotus Notes Long In The Tooth?
Mon, Aug 4th 2008 9:12a Chris Blatnick By now, if you are a member of the Lotus community in any way, shape or form, you've probably seen the great new press release that articulates the momentum we've been gaining (quarter after quarter) over our competitors. It's so great to see the commitment we've all made to this platform be validated in real world terms. I, for one, welcome our new Lotus Notes overlords. ;-)
In light of all the great press and positive upswing I've seen out in the wild lately, I thought it was interesting [read] Keywords: ibm
javascript
lotus
notes
R4
workflow
application
applications
community
css
development
interface
web 2.0
36
The Importance Of Micro-Experiences
Mon, Jul 28th 2008 9:08p Chris Blatnick Do you think about the simple bits that make using your application, website, etc., easier for end users? With the continuing specialization of certain applications, both within the firewall and out, I find that users are frequently interacting with these applications for very small chunks of time. Usually it is in the context of looking up some item of data, and it made me reflect on the ways I've tried to simplify life for end users, especially in light of short transactions. Here are some exa [read] Keywords: notes
notes client
application
applications
google
profile
Application Decay...A Must Read Article
Thu, Jul 24th 2008 12:26p Chris Blatnick Once again, Nathan Freeman has provided us with a thought-provoking article that I think is a must read for every Notes developer. In this post, Nathan continues his "The Truth As I See It" series (also check out Part 1).
Nathan and I had a quick Sametime chat on how his ideas relate to the user interface. I think as a result we'll have another interesting post to read in the not-too-distant future. I was going to give my two cents on how this phenomenon also results because of our indiv [read] Keywords: lotus
notes
sametime
application
interface
eProductivity for Lotus Notes...Want To Be Way More Efficient?
Fri, Jun 27th 2008 12:44p Chris Blatnick Many of you have already heard of Eric Mack's eProductivity software, a tool for implementing the Getting Things Done methodology in Lotus Notes. If you haven't, it's definitely something you should check out. If you want to increase your effectiveness and efficiency in dealing with all your stuff, then eProductivity might just be the application to take you over the top. It's an outstanding tool and a great example of the power available in Lotus Notes-based systems.
If you hurry, you might [read] Keywords: lotus
notes
application
php
Collaboration Comes To Mind Maps
Thu, Jun 19th 2008 8:55a Chris Blatnick One last post about mind maps and we'll move on, I promise! :-) It's no secret that I am a big fan of visual mapping techniques. Mind maps allow you to capture, quantify and organize information in ways that mirror how our brains actually work. They allow you to see beyond simple linear lists to understand relationships between ideas. While traditional mind mapping as developed by Tony Buzan utilizes paper and colored markers, pencils, crayons, etc., the sheer amount of information we deal with [read] Keywords: collaboration
lotus
symphony
integration
interface
microsoft
office
php
Heck Yeah - Of Course I'm Experiencing Cognative Dissonance!
Wed, Jun 11th 2008 2:02p Chris Blatnick One of the things I love about reading Tim Ferris' blog is that he gets a chance to sit down and talk with many very interesting people. I have to point out his latest post, since it's a dilemma I identify with...how to be a superstar at work (not doing so hot at that right now) while being a superstar at home as well. Usually, such conflicting demands diminish your performance in one or both domains, so the trick is finding the right path to balancing them as best you can. In today's post, Tim [read] Keywords:
New Blogger @ Dominoblog.com
Wed, May 14th 2008 4:23p Chris Blatnick Yo, yo...welcome to my peeps...Andrea Waugh-Metzger is now blogging at Dominoblog.com. She is one of my colleagues, but way, way smarter than me, so you should definitely get over there and visit. Tell her I sent you and maybe I'll get some brownie points. :-D Peace out... [read] Keywords: lotus
notesdomino
blogger
blogging
Unobtrusive JavaScript...You Should Totally Do This
Mon, Apr 28th 2008 10:40p Chris Blatnick In my JavaScript session at last year's version of LotusDeveloper (an excellent conference, by the way...you should go), I discussed the concept of unobtrusive javascript and showed several examples. Just as CSS was a blessing to us as we started to shift to the mindset of separating presentation from content (not so hard for us Notes folks really!), so is unobtrusive javascript the next stage of evolution. It's about separating behavior from content. If we can take out all the formatting junk f [read] Keywords: domino
javascript
notes
notes client
css
17
The Phantom Agony
Mon, Apr 28th 2008 6:24p Chris Blatnick Ah...cool orchestration, keyboards, a little Cookie Monster, soaring choir vocals, a beautiful mezzo-soprano, metal guitars. Life is good. :-) [read] Keywords: application
107
Spreading A Little Lotus Notes Love
Fri, Apr 25th 2008 12:07a Chris Blatnick Besides Lotus Notes, the other software product I'm most passionate about is MindManager from Mindjet. I've talked about it a little in the past on this blog, but for those unfamiliar with this product, it is an tool for creating mind maps on your computer rather than with paper, pens, crayons, etc. It has a UI that is as simple to use as paper, but with very powerful features that provide results you couldn't expect to achieve in the analog realm. I just upgraded to the new version the other da [read] Keywords: ibm
lotus
notes
notes client
php
wiki
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Simulating Fieldset and Legend In The Notes Client
Sun, Apr 20th 2008 9:58a Chris Blatnick You may have noticed that the signal-to-noise ratio of UI posts on this blog has been rather low the last few months. This is, unfortunately, a bi-product of my current job at IBM. While I'm cranking away on a development project, the ideas are coming fast and furious. When I'm not, it's much harder to come up with ideas. It's really the fact that solving a business problem spurs creativity, while actively trying to come up with new ideas as you stare at a blank page doesn't result in much usefu [read] Keywords: designer
domino
ibm
notes
notes client
applications
css
database
development
interface
properties
26
Let's Help Kick Cancer To The Curve
Mon, Apr 14th 2008 10:44p Chris Blatnick A few months back, a little site called Planet Lotus appeared and took us all by storm. If you follow Lotus blogs at all, you know about it already, and if you're like many of us, you probably visit it first thing in the morning or several times throughout the day to see what the Lotus Community is up to. Well the incredibly cool guy behind Planet Lotus is also one hell of a dad and is doing something to help his son and indeed society in general. So, please, if you are a fan of Planet Lotus, he [read] Keywords: lotus
community
planet lotus
planetlotus
planetlotus.org
48
Free Meeting And Web Conferencing Service
Mon, Apr 14th 2008 10:10p Chris Blatnick Hi, everybody...Hi, Doctor Nick! (Whoops...another out of place Simpsons reference there) Bruce was looking for a web conferencing service today and although I got to him too late, I wanted to share a cool alternative for those of you looking for a "personal" web meeting space. The service is called Dimdim and it's billed as "the world's free web meeting where you can share your desktop, show slides, collaborate, chat, talk and broadcast via webcam with absolutely no download required for att [read] Keywords: ibm
lotus
sametime
desktop
unified communications
Easily Lookup Books From Amazon At Your Local Library
Thu, Apr 3rd 2008 12:39p Chris Blatnick I occasionally like to share some of the productivity hacks I use. This is one of them. If you're a book lover, it's likely that you have overflowing shelves of books at home (yes, Tom...this means you! ;-). I decided a few years ago to pare down on my actual book buying and try to utilize the local library more often. Even so, I find myself on Amazon quite a bit (either via a blog link, a suggestion from a friend or just to see what's new). If I find something of interest but I'm not sure I wa [read] Keywords: bookmarklet
46
Movie Quotes...I Have A Theory
Wed, Apr 2nd 2008 8:57p Chris Blatnick Sometimes, when my mind is on overload, I really enjoy the fact that driving lets me pause and get some good thinking done. Often, I come up with my best ideas in this way (and huzzah to Jott for allowing me to capture these so easily). Today, however, my mind was so blotto (translate: fried, frazzled, ready to blow), that I was just daydreaming. And on the way home from taking my son to drum practice, I hit upon this amazing, and most likely completely correct (;-) theory. The question at hand [read] Keywords:
31
Collaboration: And Knowing Is Half The Battle
Tue, Mar 25th 2008 3:58p Chris Blatnick Yes...I blatantly used a G.I. Joe-ism in the title. Why? Perhaps just to reel you in from Planet Lotus ;-) In my recent work with customers and all the hubbub around social networking and collaboration, it's quite evident that collaboration is cool again. I'd like to think that Lotus is playing no small part in this, as our offerings in this space are truly exciting. I'm more enthusiastic about Lotus than I have been in years and that's saying something since you know I'm a fanboy! :-) But one [read] Keywords: collaboration
, lotus
, notes
, consulting
, enterprise
, network
, networking
, planet lotus
Lotusphere Comes To You - Columbus Edition
Fri, Mar 14th 2008 12:01p Chris Blatnick Hi Folks...Just a quick note to let you know that I'll be coordinating the Open Labs at the Lotusphere Comes To You event in Columbus, OH, next Thursday the 20th. If you have a chance to come by, please do and don't hesitate to introduce yourself! The Open Labs give you a great opportunity to sit down and play with our new products, from Notes to Sametime, Quickr to Connections. Hope to see you there! [read] Keywords: connections
, lotusphere
, notes
, quickr
, sametime
7
Direct Note Access...This is Revolutionary!
Wed, Mar 12th 2008 4:50a Chris Blatnick (Disclaimer...this is not Notes related) If you are a musician or music geek (or if you want to be fascinated by the things you can do with music on a computer), you have to check this out: Wow! [read] Keywords: notes
46
ILUG...The Question of the Day
Thu, Mar 6th 2008 10:02a Chris Blatnick So...the question of the day is: How do I convince my boss to let me go to ILUG? In my current role at IBM, I'm in technical sales for the Cleveland and Pittsburgh areas. Thus, it seems a little hard to justify that heading over to Dublin in June will help me sell Lotus software here at home. Then again, I would be "expanding my thought leadership". :-) Hmmm...what do you guys think? Perhaps I could give out his address and we could all spam him! ;-D (Just kidding...I know he's started readi [read] Keywords: ibm
, ilug
, lotus
RIP - Gary Gygax
Tue, Mar 4th 2008 6:41p Chris Blatnick It's a sad day for gamers around the world, as Gary Gygax, the creator of Dungeons and Dragons and the man considered the father of the role-playing game, passed away today. He was 69. When I heard the news, I was surprised by how sad I felt. Although I haven't played the game in many years, it was a big part of my life when I was younger. I still remember the excitement when I saw that red box on the shelf at the toy store in the Foothills Mall. It had an epic picture of a fighter about to eng [read] Keywords:
Book Review: "Web Usability For Dummies"
Sun, Mar 2nd 2008 10:55p Chris Blatnick I've not read a lot of the "Dummies" series, but whenever I've picked one up, I've been impressed by the quality of the product. "Web Usability For Dummies" is no exception. In about 300 pages, the authors do a good job of laying the foundation for a solid understanding of the important aspects of usability. It looks like this book might be out of print now, but you can probably find a copy at your local library or via Amazon.com. What I particularly liked about this book was the focus the auth [read] Keywords: lotus
, notes
, application
69
I Killed My TV!
Sun, Mar 2nd 2008 11:46a Chris Blatnick OK...well, I didn't really kill it, but I did do something I've been threatening to do for a couple of years. I cut the hardline. Yep, no more signal getting to any of the TVs in my house unless they are coming via DVD or a related component (I still have my LaserDisc player! :-) We're free of so much of the complete and utter crap being beamed into our house and I have to say it is one of the best things I've ever done. Let me explain. I've never been a huge TV fan myself. There are certain sh [read] Keywords: forms
, lotusphere
, network
143
Building A Widget Dashboard
Thu, Feb 28th 2008 10:07a Chris Blatnick For me (and obviously a lot of other people based on the number of searches on Planet Lotus), widgets are one of the most compelling new features of 8.0.1. Version 8 is all about embracing the idea of performing tasks within the context of your work and the concept of widgets and Live Text is going to allow us to take this idea to a whole new level. I've seen some good initial references on creating widgets and actually created a quick primer myself for one of my customers. What I haven't seen [read] Keywords: ibm
, lotus
, notes
, google
, planet lotus
, widget
, widgets
49
Simplicity Sells
Mon, Feb 25th 2008 9:08p Chris Blatnick You've heard me talk about simplicity quite a bit on this blog and in my presentations. It's really one of the most important things I stress to designers. The easier you can make your software to use, the happier your users will be. For a bit of fun and some insight into the art of simplicity (and some enjoyable Microsoft bashing as well ;-), check out this great TED Talk featuring David Pogue, tech writer for the New York Times. David Pogue: When it comes to tech, simplicity sells (Thanks [read] Keywords: microsoft
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Sample Database From Lotusphere 2008
Sat, Feb 23rd 2008 10:22a Chris Blatnick I've been remiss in posting here lately since I'm still working on getting up to speed in my new job. Next week, I'll be in Chicago for a few days working on a Dashboard Frameworks project. This is a really cool tool and I hope I get to both use some Domino data in building the dashboard as well as expose it for consumption in Notes 8. We'll see how that goes. Since I've been absent, I forgot to point you to the sample database from the Interface Matters Advanced session at Lotusphere. Hopefull [read] Keywords: domino
, lotusphere
, notes
, database
, interface
Book Review: "Don't Make Me Think"
Sat, Feb 2nd 2008 3:42p Chris Blatnick One of the must have books on my reference shelf is "Don't Make Me Think, A Common Sense Approach to Web Usability" by Steve Krug. I've recommended this book to many people, so I thought it was about time to give it a proper review. One of the things that first drew me to this book when it first appeared was the subtitle. I've said it again and again, but it bears repeating...much of the "science" of good UI design is just common sense. This begs the question as to why some people find it so h [read] Keywords: lotus
, notes
, notes client
, interface
54
Getting Things Done: The Cognative Science Perspective
Fri, Feb 1st 2008 8:33a Chris Blatnick I'm a big fan of the Getting Things Done (GTD) methodology, even if I occasionally fall off the wagon. The concepts of GTD helped me become much more productive than I ever was, which is vital for me as I struggle to accomplish a lot from a work perspective and still have quality time to devote to my family. This is especially true as Haleigh gets older, because being Autistic means many additional challenges on top of the normal things you deal with as a kid (i.e. she takes a lot of my time! :- [read] Keywords:
Interface Sessions @ Lotusphere - What Would YOU Like To See?
Mon, Jan 14th 2008 10:28p Chris Blatnick Hi Folks... If you are attending Lotusphere and don't already know about the incredible Lotusphere Sessions database that Ben Langhinrichs makes available every year, then you owe it to yourself to get over there and download it. It will make your Lotusphere experience immensely more productive and enjoyable. Thanks to Ben for making this available to the community! :-) Recently, he added a really cool feature allowing attendees to ask questions or tell us what you would like to see before the [read] Keywords: collaboration
, lotusphere
, community
, database
, interface
72
Bleeding Yellow...The Return
Mon, Jan 14th 2008 5:07p Chris Blatnick Alan seems to enjoy teasing us about Lotusphere as we get closer and closer. His latest post should definitely get people wondering. Head on over and check it out and don't be afraid to comment in an attempt to guess what is going on. I wrote a post last year entitled "Do You Bleed Yellow", but it's not my site...hmmm... [read] Keywords: lotusphere
21
Designing For Flow
Fri, Jan 11th 2008 3:43p Chris Blatnick If you've been around here for awhile or seen any of my presentations, you've heard me speak a little on the concept know as flow. When building your interface, the absolute ideal that you should be striving for is helping your users achieve a flow state, that frame of mind in which everything else seems to fall away and you become completely immersed in your task, distractions are eliminated and time flys ("I've been doing this for 5 hours??? It seems like 5 minutes!"). There's a new article on [read] Keywords: lotusphere
, interface
General Geekery
Fri, Jan 11th 2008 9:03a Chris Blatnick *Warning...this Friday post isn't about user interface design, Lotus Notes, Lotusphere or any of that stuff. Nope. There's more of that to come, but for now this post is just about being a geek. If you don't care or don't want to know more, stop reading now. You've been warned! :-) It seems to me that now more than ever it is the golden age of geeks. Everywhere you look, so called "normals" are getting into technology, especially the latest gadgets and gizmos, home theater gear and video games. [read] Keywords: lotus
, lotusphere
, notes
, quickr
, interface
22
SnTT: Canceling an Embedded Editor Transaction
Thu, Jan 10th 2008 9:55p Chris Blatnick If you use embedded editors in your design, you may have run across this issue. The user starts to edit a document, only to decide that they want to select another one from the view or cancel edit mode. Unfortunately, this isn't handled very elegantly by Notes. What you get is the error message shown below. Basically, once you start editing a document in an embedded editor control, Notes expects you to save the document. Since this is the case, we can use this fact to make a simple addition to [read] Keywords: document
, notes
, sntt
11
Happy Birthday, Haleigh!
Thu, Jan 10th 2008 5:33a Chris Blatnick Happy Birthday to my little girl! I hope your birthday is awesome and that you have a lot of fun eating those cool Hanna Montana cupcakes I got for your class! :-) Hey Friends...It's my daughter Haleigh's birthday today. She's autistic but is a big computer whiz and often loves to look over my shoulder as I write my blog. I know she'd get a kick out of seeing some birthday wishes from all over the place, so if you have a minute to leave a birthday comment and say where you are from, that would [read] Keywords:
11
Hey...Get Some Free (inter)Face Time
Wed, Jan 9th 2008 9:35p Chris Blatnick As mentioned by Chris and Mary Beth today, the UX lab is doing something very cool and very unique at Lotusphere this year. Read on for details... The Lotus UX Lab is going to offer a one-time opportunity for our customers at Lotusphere 2008 - "The 15-minute Usability and Design Evaluation" - in the User Experience Lab, Rm. Asia 4. We'll only be doing this from 1-5 pm on Monday afternoon. Here's the deal: you can bring in one application, working, and with data ideally, (Notes, Web, Sametime, [read] Keywords: connections
, designer
, expeditor
, lotus
, lotusphere
, notes
, quickr
, sametime
, application
, applications
19
Our Hairy Friend and Inattentional Blindness
Wed, Jan 9th 2008 9:19p Chris Blatnick So...some interesting results from the last post. I think that more people counted 14 passes than anything, although I think it is really 15. There's one hand off that's a bit hard to see. In any case, the number of passes really doesn't matter. What does matter is the fact that a lot of you didn't even see the gorilla walk through the video while you were intent on your task of counting passes of the basketball. (If at this point you are saying, "What Gorilla???!!!", go ahead and watch the vi [read] Keywords: lotusphere
, notes
, applications
, interface
11
A Cool Experiment
Mon, Jan 7th 2008 3:07p Chris Blatnick Hi Folks...this is related to the user experience, so bear with me. Check out the following video and while watching make sure you count the number of times that the white team (wearing the white shirts) passes the basketball. This is important, so make sure you count every change of hands. When finished, come back here and record your answer in the comments. View the video here...Remember: Count the number of times the white team passes the ball Don't look at the comments until you've watche [read] Keywords:
8
Lotusphere 2008...I'm A Returning Alumn
Thu, Jan 3rd 2008 4:20p Chris Blatnick For the second year in a row, I have the honor of speaking at Lotusphere and in this case, presenting with two excellent gentlemen. If you find some time in your schedule, please join me and Bruce in: or me and Nathan in: Sharp-eyed readers will note that the Interface Matters sessions are back to back. That's right...2 whole hours of UI goodness! :-) Nathan and I are getting the old team back together. We've reprised some info from last year and will be showing several new techniques and [read] Keywords: lotusphere
, notes
, development
, interface
SnTT: Using @Abstract To Enhance A View
Thu, Dec 27th 2007 6:12a Chris Blatnick Have you ever wanted to spice up a view a little by adding abstract information to it? That is, to include some of the text of the document in the view itself so the user doesn't have to open it to determine if it is worth reading? This is pretty simple to do using the @Abstract formula. @Abstract allows you to abbreviate the content of a field in a Notes document. What I find cool is that it can also work on Rich Text fields. Now, @Abstract is very powerful and can allow you to do some intere [read] Keywords: document
, formula
, notes
, rich text
, sntt
, application
8
Check Out Note-ables!
Sun, Dec 23rd 2007 12:57p Chris Blatnick Hi all...Hope you're all enjoying the holidays! I frequently think of or run across Lotus related things that I'd like to post here, but I tend to hesitate, as I'd really like to keep Interface | Matters focused squarely on a specific topic. Since I'm also often toying with different technologies, I setup a new blog to capture these random thoughts. So, if you want yet another site to add to your RSS reader, head on over to Lotus Note-ables and check it out. :-) I'll be including little snip [read] Keywords: connections
, forms
, formula
, formula language
, lotus
, notes
, quickr
, blogging
, interface
12
SnTT: A Simple Notes Based Document Rating Idea
Fri, Dec 21st 2007 1:06p Chris Blatnick Today, I wanted to whip up a simple document rating system that could be used in the Notes client. We see these all the time on the web. Netflix, a site I use regularly, has a nice implementation, as do many others. Jake showed us a nice version using Domino just recently too. I wanted to come up with a pure Notes solution, so I decided to make use of the editable view column property to accomplish this and it turns out it is very easy. I'll refer you back to this post, where I first discussed t [read] Keywords: document
, domino
, lotusscript
, notes
, notes client
, sntt
, database
20
Quick Tip: Add To Folder...
Thu, Dec 20th 2007 9:53a Chris Blatnick Well...this is short and sweet! :-) Recently, I was surprised to find several people that did not know this little tidbit, so I thought I'd share. Plus, it's a nice addition to my last post about drag and drop in case you use a folder for the target. If you want to add a Lotus Notes document to a folder while keeping it in the current folder, just press the "Ctrl" key while you do so. Just like in Windows Explorer, you'll notice that the cursor changes slightly to denote that you are "copying" [read] Keywords: admin
, document
, lotus
, notes
8
Quote of the Day
Sun, Dec 16th 2007 8:29a Chris Blatnick From my daughter Haleigh (she's 9 and autistic) in reply to her brother who asked if we had any Canadian Bacon: "Do we have to go to Canada to kill a pig to get Canadian Bacon?" Made us laugh... [read] Keywords:
7
Want to work with me?
Fri, Dec 14th 2007 4:24p Chris Blatnick Well...not directly with me, but on the same team (which I guess sometimes could mean directly with me). Anyway, if you're keen to join me in the wonderful world of technical sales for Lotus Software *AND* you live in either Columbus, Cleveland or Pittsburgh *AND* you have strong Portal skills, then we want to talk to you! :-) Here's the gist of the job: Responsible for technical product/solution presentations and demonstrations of IBM's Messaging, Portal and Collaboration solutions, conducti [read] Keywords: collaboration
, ibm
, lotus
, development
