I recently picked up John Mayers’ “Where The Light Is” concert on DVD. A brilliant performance for anyone who loves blues. During the interview process, John notes that…

Part of me doesn’t like it when everything works; I don’t think anybody likes it when everything works. When I was 25 I didn’t want everything to work. I knew that those were the years that I was supposed to be fighting it out … then to realize that you don’t have too any more.

There is a lot of wisdom in that statement. I think if all organizations were comfortable with failure and learning from mistakes in order to innovate; we would see amazing results in products and services. The reality is that we live in an age where it’s not about getting it perfect. It’s about being comfortable with uncertainty and trying new ideas.

No one is ever going to get every single project perfect – I don’t care who you are or what your title is within your company. However by trying new ideas, learning what works and what doesn’t will eventually lead to an improved process in design, architecture, and most importantly corporate culture.

Musicians are a wonderful example of a profession that is not afraid to try out new ideas. Most have heard the Tom Petty and the Heart Breakers tune “Free Fallin’”. John Mayer gives a brilliant rendition. Trying a new twist on what will sure to go down in music history as a “classic” song I found it to be an elegant way of providing a new experience.

I recently came across this paper prototyping video created by Werner Puchert. Werner is an Information Architect living and working in Johannesburg, South-Africa.

In an effort to communicate a complex process to other teams, Werner took a paper prototype and animated the resulting actions of selecting links and pushing buttons in Flash.

I’m trying to convince my team manger that we must use Google Maps to serve content for a large development group and thought I’ll explain how I see the mini-project rolling out using my new found drawing skillz. I put pen-to-paper, snapped the drawings with my little digital camera and popped them into Flash. I’m still working on a mini-document to support the flash component but you’re welcome to check out the result of my experimentation…

If done at the start of projects, paper prototyping can be a great way to provide clarity to function and design; saving time in development costs and improving the overall usability of the final product.

I’ve been working on ideas for the upcoming meet-up event with Digital Ottawa at the Code Factory next Thursday evening about my experiences in Podcasting this year.

While traveling between meetings I started to pay close attention to the lyrics on a play list from my iPod.

One of the first songs that I heard was John Mayer performing a cover from Tom Petty’s smash hit, “Free Fallin’” – an acoustic rendition. What struck me was how different the song came across with only a single guitar; no drums, bass, or back up vocals; slower melody; etc. (This experience brought back a flood of memories from an unforgettable summer in 2002.)

The next song on the play list was from Fallout Boy – “Thnx for the Memories”. Part of the lyrics say:

And I want these words to make things right. But it’s the wrongs that make the words come to life. Who does he think he is? If that’s the worst you’ve got then put your fingers back to the keys.

When I heard this I thought about how some of the most popular blog posts are about trying to “make things right” through clarification and sharing of ideas. But in many cases, “it’s the wrongs that make the words come to life” through people bashing the ideas presented or by writing a post that is sure to stir up controversy.

I was talking with my friend and colleague Kristina Mausser at Digital Word the other day about this idea. Specifically how most blog comments are “black or white”; they either agree whole heatedly with the writer; or they think the writer is an idiot. Neither of which does anything to extend the conversation; in my experience.

Lastly, I was listening to Kid Rock and his new hit, “Amen”. The lyrics that struck me were:

Stop pointing fingers and take some blame. Pull your future away from the flame. Open up your mind and start to live! Stop short-changing your neighbors – living off hand-outs and favors. Maybe give a little bit more than you’ve got to give. Got to give! Simplify! Testify! Identify! Rectify!

Think about each line in the lyrics above and try applying it to your own life both personally and professionally. How differently would you approach work, for example, if you decided to “open up your mind…maybe give a little bit more than you’ve got to give?”

Imagine if you worked in a corporate culture that encouraged people to “simplify” processes; “testify” against doing things the same way because that is the way it has always been done; “identify” how you can do things better; and “rectify” long held disagreements between colleagues to start enjoying your work; improving upon all products and services as a result.

Try playing the video below, but at first close your eyes and listen to the lyrics. Then play it again and watch the video while listening. Does this change your perception of what you heard the first time around? I found the song more powerful when I didn’t have the visual element of the video.

Podcasting can be a compelling medium in portraying ideas; the key is being able to have a conversation with another individual(s) who can passionately and openly share their experiences; this is not everyone’s strength.

In my opinion, Kid Rock doesn’t need the video to sell the message; the lyrics are strong enough on their own.

Word of Warning – this video shows the harsher realities of the world today…

Everyone once in a while I read a book that covers a lot of ground, talks about the reality of our current situation, and is written in such a way that I just can’t put it down. The Cluetrain Manifesto turned out to be one of those publications!

In all of the conferences I’ve attended this year, the focus has been less on the latest applications that are coming out (Thank God!) and more about the concepts of listening, giving up control, and the utmost importance of creating a great corporate culture to innovate. The Cluetrain Manifesto illustrates these ideas wonderfully throughout the book:

Listening…

The audience is listening because people are attracted to precisely the difference the Net provides: the sound of human beings talking with one another as human beings – the sound of a million conversations whose primary purpose, for once, is not to sell us something.

Giving up control…

…many businesses, especially large ones, still refuse to acknowledge these radical shifts affecting internal workforces and external markets. They don’t want to relinquish hierarchical control. They don’t want to give up the tremendous economies of scale they enjoyed under the old-school broadcast-advertising alliance. It’s what they know. It’s how they made their fortunes. However, trying to keep things in the old familiar business-as-usual rut denies the ability of markets to respond to and interact with companies directly – and this is what the Internet has brought to the party.

Creating a great corporate culture…

The best software, design, music, graphics, writing – elegant, artistic, fantastically interesting and valuable content – are coming out of places where people feel their creativity is valued. Places where inspiration is paramount and posturing means nothing.

What’s remarkable about this book is that it was published in 2000; years ahead of its’ time in terms of accurately predicting the current state of the web. Now every sector is being forced out of denying these new realities or be in serious jeopardy of losing everything they have worked their whole lives to achieve.

I attended the first Digital Ottawa Meet-up event a few weeks back and had a great conversation with both the presenter and those in attendance.

After the event, the organizer Marquis Cote asked if I would like to present at the next meeting about my experiences in Podcasting; which I happily agreed to doing!

On July 31st at the Code Factory I’ll share my experiences from this year about how publishing conversations with other global leaders in the fields of Information Architecture; Interaction Design, Human Factors; and User Experience has helped me grow my own company and partner with other companies in Canada and abroad.

Vanguards’ Lead Information Architect Andrew Hinton argued at the I.A. Summit this year that “Conversation is King!”.

Jeff Parks, President of I.A. Consultants and Podcast Editor for Boxes and Arrows will share his experiences interviewing the world’s foremost experts in the fields of Information Architecture; User Experience; Interaction Design; and Human Factors.

Jeff will discuss how these experiences have helped him grow his business; network; and form a strong community of subject matter experts and partners from around the world through the social medium of Podcasting.

Conversations and experiences from the following events will be shared:

VizThink
Information Architecture Summit
MX San Francisco – Managing Experience through Creative Leadership

As a result of this work in Podcasting Jeff has been invited back to Adaptive Path’s UX Week in August and the IDEA conference in Chicago in October to interview speakers from each event.

Come on out and join the conversation. Cheers!

I was watching the West Wing the other day and I heard Martin Sheen who plays the President say, “You know that old joke about the optimist and the pessimist? The pessimist says, “Things can’t possibly get any worse!” The optimist replies, “Oh yes it can!”

Film maker David Hoffman shares how he lost everything nine days prior to TED in a fire that destroyed his home and a life time of original works that cannot be recovered. Unlike many who would have seen the loss of a life time of work as a horrific tragedy, David says:

I’m going to make something out of this. I appreciate this moment to come on stage with so many people who have given me so much solace and just say to TED’sters: I’m going to turn it around and make something of this.

Mr. Hoffman demonstrates tremendous courage in sharing these losses. His belief in his ideas and the ability to turn a loss into both a learning experience and an opportunity is remarkable!

In an era of the continual birth, destruction, and re-birth of content; applications; and ideas, Mr. Hoffman teaches us that even when we experience tragedy in our lives, there is an opportunity to see the world differently and for the better.

It is through this change of perspective, though incredibly difficult to work through emotionally, that will inspire others for generations to come.

I applaud your courage and vision for a new future in the midst of tremendous loss Mr. Hoffman; thank you for sharing with the global community!

This is easily one of the most emotionally powerful TED presentations I have come across to date!

A talk given by composer Benjamin Zander helps his audience realize their love for classical music, opening their eyes to other new possibilities and experiences in life.

This is a must watch video for everyone!

A leading interpreter of Mahler and Beethoven, Benjamin Zander is known for his charisma and unyielding energy — and for his brilliant pre-concert talks.

Associate professor at Harvard’s School of Business, Andrew McAfee, blogged last year about the 9 x email problem and how this theory has a direct impact on our capacity to build user friendly applications, products, and services:

…the ‘9X problem’ — “a mismatch of 9 to 1 between what innovators think consumers want and what consumers actually want.” The 9X problem goes a long way to explaining the tech industry folk wisdom that to spread like wildfire a new product has to offer a tenfold improvement over what’s currently out there.

I really like this theory and I believe it has remained a truism to this day due everyone wanting to be the next iPod, so to speak.

As soon as a popular application comes out, like Facebook, everyone from open source developers to multi-billion dollar corporations start offering applications with a similar purpose and function. The question that almost never gets asked or answered is why would anyone switch over to Facebook, for example, if they are already in MySpace?

Professor McAfee describes this reluctance to give up that which we already have in our possession when looking at other possible solutions; citing the endowment effect:

We value items in our possession more than prospective items that could be in our possession, especially if the prospective item is a proposed substitute. We mentally compare having the prospective item to giving up what we already have (our ‘endowment’), but because we’re loss averse giving up what we already have (our reference point) looms large.

We talk a lot about User Experience in the fields of Information Architecture and Interaction Design. The consistent mistake of those within our profession, and the programmers themselves, is the inability to immerse ourselves into the world and culture of those for whom we are designing.

Losing this focus prevents everyone on the team from creating an experience that is “ten times better” than what has already been built:

…people developing new products are very dissimilar from the products’ prospective consumers. You don’t go work for TiVo (to use his example) if you don’t ‘get’ the potential of digital video recorders and think they’re a really good idea. And after working for the company for a while, having TiVo becomes part of your endowment; you think of things in comparison to TiVo, instead of in comparison to a VCR. Both of these factors make it harder for developers to see things as their target customers do.

Step outside of your traditional thinking when designing. Find inspiration and ideas from those who wouldn’t use your product or service. Is it intuitive? Does it make their lives easier? What is the motivation for anyone to switch or pick-up your application?

In short, be ten times better than Facebook is now, or don’t bother trying to build the next Facebook.

I was reading an article in the Ottawa Citizen’s Business and Technology section last Wednesday entitled “Old dogs learn new tricks from workplace rookies”.

The article focuses on how senior executives with Accenture are learning about Web 2.0, Wikis and other social networking from junior employees; a process known as reverse mentoring.

Legnedary former General Electric CEO Jack Welch is widely credited with originating the idea of reverse mentorship in the late-1990s when he ordered hundreds of his managers to pair up with workers who could guide them through the then unfamiliar territory of the Internet.

This idea of reverse mentoring is brilliant in its simplicity and at the same time kind of disturbing that corporations wouldn’t look to other members of their team for inspiration, ideas, and education.

We’re still rooted in the top-down hierarchical nature of the organization. If you sit at the top of the organizational chart, you get to tell others what and how to do their job. If you are at the bottom of the tree, you take orders.

This process made sense when the leaders had to provide direction and instruction due to a lack of knowledge; such a world no longer exists. We need to break stereotypes about the “subject matter expert” because we now all have the potential to be a subject matter expert, about any topic.

Here’s a brilliant example! If you wanted to learn to play the drums, would you consider taking lessons from a 5 year old child?

No?

Would you consider it after hearing this young lad perform in front of an audience and orchestra? I know I would!

Give people in your organization a chance to share ideas, and in a reciprocal way learn from one another regardless of age, role, or title.

I recently picked up a magazine waiting for a friend as the title looked familiar, Is Google Making us Stupid?. (If memory serves, I think it was Joe Lamantia who Twittered about this a few weeks back.)

Nicholas Carr looks to past technological advances that have forever changed the way we think, learn, and ultimately communicate with one another:

As the media theorist Marshall McLuhan pointed out in the 1960s, media are not just passive channels of information. They supply the stuff of thought, but they also shape the process of thought. And what the Net seems to be doing is chipping away my capacity for concentration and contemplation. My mind now expects to take in information the way the Net distributes it: in a swiftly moving stream of particles. Once I was a scuba diver in the sea of words. Now I zip along the surface like a guy on a Jet Ski.

Carr goes on to compare other technological advances throughout human history and how these “advances” have changed the way we live, work, and play, including:

Under the sway of the machine, writes the German media scholar Friedrich A. Kittler, Nietzsche’s prose “changed from arguments to aphorisms, from thoughts to puns, from rhetoric to telegram style.

The information age has allowed us to consume data at a phenomenal rate…with little time to put knowledge gained, into practice. It is through the experience of failing and trying new approaches to problems that allow us to make wise decisions in the future.

As I have argued in the past, knowledge is no longer power. Relationships and ultimately conversation, (in both literal and metaphorical senses), have become the basis for power in organizations. If the inventions we take for granted today such as the typewriter and the clock had such a massive change in the way we live, work, and think how will a technology like the Internet impact humanity?

Playwright Richard Foreman describes how the information age has moved us from a thoughtful, engaged community to one of “information junkies” who constantly need an “information fix” to satisfy our ever increasing desire for data:

I come from a tradition of Western culture, in which the ideal (my ideal) was the complex, dense and “cathedral-like” structure of the highly educated and articulate personality – a man or woman who carried inside themselves a personally constructed and unique version of the entire heritage of the West. [But now] I see within us all (myself included) the replacement of complex inner density with a new kind of self–evolving under the pressure of information overload and the technology of the “instantly available.”

If the net is changing the way we consume and process information, I wonder why we continue to ignore these changes to improve our educational systems; our businesses; and our Governments? I think the answer lies in the ideas outlined in this article. We don’t take the time to understand, only to consume.