agile

Blog Post: Minimum User Design

In all honesty, I was drawn to the title of this post on Smashing Magazine because of my affinity for the Minimum Viable Product. In it, the author describes a way to gauge the progress of a website design and then add functionality after it accomplishes it’s primary need. What a way to approach product […]

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Blog Post: Can You Design For Collaboration?

Even though they are not in the same industry segment I inhabit, everyone in the Agile world knows Zappos. Not only are they one of the top companies to work for in the US, they continue to rethink and innovate their internal processes. 

In this post on the InVision App site (great prototyping app for mobile dev teams, I recommend), Donny Guy from Zappos discusses how they designed their offices for more than fun. It’s laid out with the express intent of encouraging collaboration.

Again, just like culture, many decision makers think this concept can be casually decided upon. Where the coffee maker or eating areas can actually hinder people working together. Maybe you have too many (or not enough) breakaway rooms. The game room could actually be seen as a bad thing depending on where you put it.

I could go on, but Guy’s words are worth reading about. Regardless of your building’s space requirements, you have options. Did you know that Zappos figured out that the more space we have to stretch out individually, the less we collaborate? They are actually making efforts to put teams closer together, forcing interaction.

Sound crazy? That’s your old mindset telling you that this is weird. 

Take your team and shake up the room they sit in this week. Work for a day at a Panera Bread (or IHOP, I don’t judge). Ask someone new to lead the meeting. These little things can really help increase collaboration (and by proxy, engagement).

What will you try new this week?

Blog Post: Can You Design For Collaboration?

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Blog Post: Can We Be Truly Efficient? – Inadvertently, I started posting cool videos on Fridays, so I think I have decided to try the tradition out. So welcome to the first official Video Friday.

It is really cool to see people take a concept and truly apply it to their life. If you want to know if someone really believes in what they are selling, see if they do it in their home. This designer defines “practicing what you preach” with his NYC apartment  It would be really easy to be dismissive with his design or say, “well that only works because…”.

We can’t put qualifiers on ideas that work. If we want to be truly agile in our thinking, we take the great ideas and see how they can integrate into ours. I would highly doubt the architects or designers of this apartment to expect us to exactly follow this concept for the idea to be successful. Bottom line, we can’t expect to build a better world if we don’t start sampling great ideas and make them our own. 

(Source: http://player.vimeo.com/)
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Blog Post: Why You Don’t Need a Product Roadmap

I first started getting into the thoughts and ideas of 37 Signals because of my boss (who is an avid fan). They continue to show that you don’t need the biggest or most commercial of ideas to be successful. Swimming against the stream is natural for them, not a marketing choice (which so many companies try).

This post is by David Heinemeier Hansson who probably doesn’t need an introduction. It poses new and interesting thoughts behind age old business concepts. Definitely worth a read this Sunday.

Blog Post: Why You Don’t Need a Product Roadmap

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