Evernote setup
so far.
[Updated] GTD/Evernote System Inspired by Kelly Forrister, 40Tech, Zen Habits, and Experimentation (Part 1)
Update: Commenting has been restored after a problem with a new plugin. Thanks for letting me know, everybody!
At the beginning of 2011, GTD Times posted an interesting article called “Waiting For” Advice. Within that post was a screenshot of the GTD setup that Kelly Forrister (GTD coach at DavdCo) uses via eProductivity. Instantly I could see a killer Evernote notebook structure that would work great without the need for stacks (read: works great on all mobile operating systems).
Here’s the notebook structure:
This setup is stupid simple and has been fairly bullet proof for several weeks now. Every action is within easy reach, whether I’m on the web or viewing my notes on a mobile phone. Routines, a Kelly Forrister recommendation, is a notebook of checklists, marked as daily, weekly, monthly etc. When… is a list of actions I intend or need to take once something has happened or I’m in a particular place in the future (such as “When I’ve moved into the new apartment”).
Zen Habits also inspired me to add an M.I.T. notebook that reminds me of the most important tasks of the day.
But there were several things missing from Kelly’s setup I thought could be added to the Evernote setup:
- Project support files
- Ticklers
- References
Project support files
As recommended by David Allen, we should have a list of our active projects. I accomplish this with notebooks, one for personal projects, the other for work. These notebooks DO NOT contain support materials, since that would clutter the view.
Instead I create tags that match the name of the project, assign the tags to the proper support notes, and store the notes in 04. Support (projects). Because Evernote allows linking between notes, I can even filter by tag then copy and paste the note links into the parent project note. Works like a charm.
Ticklers
For a solid Evernote based tickler system, I’ve turned to the setup that 40Tech.com posted about a while ago. Requires tags for Days (1-31) and Months (January – December). I have a notebook called Ticklers so anything can technically be thrown in there, but assigning tags makes filtering (and obviously reviewing by day/month) a breeze.
References
For me, References are old files I want to keep. Based again on a recommendation by David Allen, I’ve created A-Z tags with the occasional subtags for further filtering. Everything is tagged alphabetically.
Obviously I haven’t tagged every note quite yet.
Other GTD needs
So far this seems to be the most straightforward and easiest to maintain GTD setup I’ve ever used in Evernote. Granted I’ve not yet covered all our needs; Areas, Goals, Calendar, and other topics still need to be adressed.
As always, feedback is welcome and I hope my ideas are helping!
Related Posts:
8Considering giving up on writing about GTD + Evernote
Admittedly, I’m sad. I’ve been experimenting and sharing for months now, happy to have a medium for my GTD related ideas, despite the fact this website was intended to be my design portfolio. I’ve written faithfully about ways to use Evernote for GTD, even though I feel I’m not much of an expert at either.
But now I’m considering giving up on talking about them.
Why? Because people are selling what I’ve been giving away and I no longer see the point.
When Daniel Gold began posting via different channels about his ebook on Evernote/GTD, it took the wind out of my sails. Holy crap. What I’d been doing for fun someone else was now selling and apparently selling well. Good enough in fact that he’s able to post on GTD forums on LinkedIn about it with permission from the GTD folks. He’s got it figured out and has the support of the two products/systems I’ve been raving about like an zombie fanboy. What the hell am I doing?
(to be fair, I’ve not read his ebook. It may be totally awesome, enlightening. I wouldn’t know).
I like GTD because it’s proven and it works. I like Evernote because it’s simple, flexible, and available on iPhone, Android, Mac, and Windows – all environments that my life and job keep me in. But I’m not saying that Evernote is the best tool and definitely not the only tool and in fact for GTD there’s no one solution and we all know it.
But why am I writing? Where is this all going? What better things could I have been doing with all that time? Maybe writing an ebook like I’d considered a year ago but decided against because it seemed wrong to sell a book on something you could use for free. Maybe I’m a fool.
Let me pause to take a breath.
Selling isn’t necessarily a bad thing. If you’ve got something great and you can make a few bucks, I’m all for it. Why not get something back for all your effort? It’s not as if DavidCo and Evernote are giving it all away (well, Evernote kind of is) – they are at the end of the day businesses and need to pay their bills like the rest of us. Nothing wrong with that at all. Nothing wrong either with being a fan, but I’ve begun to feel I’m in a one-way relationship and pouring out my heart for no reason.
I’m a musician and designer with dreams that Evernote and GTD might help support, but aren’t emotionally attached to. These things are tools, strategies – not destinations. They may help, but they aren’t finish lines. And they aren’t bringing me happiness.
So now I’m considering closing shop on GTD and Evernote, working outside of those borders on what’s ultimately more important: my life.
We’ll see.
Related Posts:
16Mixed.
Problems with HD System 3 and Two Alternative Evernote/GTD Setups
After weeks of experimentation with HD System 3 for Evernote/GTD I’ve decided to move on. Here are a few reasons why:
- Stacks. These are not available on the iPhone.
- Too much commitment. The hold-your-hand approach worked extremely well, but failed the does-it-work-when-I’m-ill test. Too much to think about.
- Hard to learn. If you already know GTD, then HD3 might be beneficial. If not, I fully expect a “say whaaaaaat?”
- Routines. While I’ve been very successful at pushing beyond GTD with Evernote, many of these extensions and experiments needed to be more a part of my calendar, less within my Evernote setup. I’ll try to elaborate on this in the future.
Now my experiments have led me back to a note-equals-list approach with a renewed use of tags, something I know will work on all phones.
Additionally I’m focusing on setups that are reproducible and exportable; in other words, could this setup work also as desktop text files/folders or as paper?
Alternative Evernote/GTD Setup #1
This setup uses very few notebooks, one note per project (excluding references), and one note per context. Tags are used a little bit for sorting.
Notebooks:
- !nbox
- 00. Today
- @@today. Must be done today (not very GTD)
- @agendas. Listed by name of person
- @calls
- @computer. Sometimes divided into searches, social networks, or whatever (e.g. @computer-search)
- @errands
- @home
- @office
- @waiting for… List by name of person
- 01. Projects
- 02. Someday/Maybe
- 03. References
- Lists
Tags:
- *Areas
- Personal
- Work
- Lists
- Checklists
- Copy and Paste
- Ideas
- Shortcuts
- Projects. Subtags for client names or other filters
- References. Many subtags
Alternative Evernote/GTD Setup #2
This structure is mostly based on a screenshot posted to GTD Times by Kelly Forrister of DavidCo. Straightforward and simple, this setup is the focus of my latest experimentation.
Unlike #1, alternative setup #2 uses one note per task which is nice because it makes it easy to collect and process. However it requires many more notebooks, most specific to a context. Tags come in handy here for filtering.
Notebooks:
- !nbox
- 00. Today
- 01. Projects – Personal
- 02. Projects – Work
- Agendas
- Anywhere
- Calls
- Computer – Personal
- Computer – Work
- Errands
- Goals
- Home
- Library
- Lists
- Office
- Read/Review
- Reference
- Routines. Checklists I run through at specific times and days. Many are daily and weekly, but some are more specific like “Monthly – 01″ for things I always do on the first of the month.
- Someday – Personal
- Someday – Work
- Study
- Waiting for…
- When… Love this. Lists of actions for when I’m next in particular cities or circumstances. E.g. After I have iPhone
Tags:
- *Areas
- Personal
- Work
- Anywhere
- Brainstorming
- Decide
- Computer
- Calendar
- Online
- Search
- Shopping
- Lists
- Checklists
- Copy and paste
- Ideas
- People. Subtags are names of people.
- Reference. Subtags are numerous but include GTD, UX, CSS, etc.
- Routines
- Daily
- Monthly
- Weekly
- Yearly
Summary
I do apologize for the extensive bullet points; I’m sure screenshots would have been more concise, but my experiments have kept my setup too much in flux recently. However with the start of a new job in a new city, I’ll need to be sticking with the tried-and-true for a while so perhaps an update with screenshots won’t be too far away.
I’m anxious to hear your feedback.
Related Posts:
1GTD Context List Ideas for November 2011
It’s probably sad that I enjoy creating and managing context lists, reveals some weakness underlying my rock and roll foundation. Still things need to get done and I don’t see any harm in having a bit of fun.
Maybe you find context lists fun, too?
As you probably already know, I keep my context lists in Evernote and here are those I’m using or experimenting with in November 2011:
- @agendas
- @brainstorm - things I need to contemplate, mind map
- @calls
- @car
- @computer - my busiest list. I’ve spun off a few subcategories to their own lists for fun and ease.
- @computer-facebook
- @computer-itunes
- @computer-search
- @computer-shopping
- @computer-twitter
- @decide - decisions I need to make
- @eat the frog – projects I need to chip away at (thanks GTD Group on LinkedIn!) [experimental]
- @errands
- @home
- @library
- @low-energy [experimental]
- @mining [experimental]
- @quit - usually bad habits to work on [experimental]
- @read
- @start - good habits I want to adopt [experimental]
- @waiting for…
- @when – ashen mix is finished - tasks that can’t be done till my new CD is ready
- @when – have new iPhone - apps and settings for when I switch back to iOS from Android
- @when – have new home – things that can’t be done until we’ve got a new place to live
- @when in (new city) - things I can’t do till I’m where I’m moving to
- @when in – orlando - things to do when I’m in my hometown
The “when” lists have proven to be the most useful addition to my arsenal in a long time. Granted these lists often contain tasks that may be moved to other lists later (errands, calls, etc), but till then they keep things nice and separate.
What context lists can you not live without?
Related Posts:
2few searches
[Updated] Evernote GTD Setups and Related Posts on Hanami Design
I’ve almost made a hobby out of writing about different ways to configure Evernote for David Allen’s Getting Things Done, enough so that I’ve begun to forget all the ways I’ve explored. Thought it might be time for a recap.
New! Fourth system
Third system
- How I’m Pushing Beyond Unimaginative Evernote GTD Setups with HD System 3
- Problems with HD System 3 and Two Alternative Evernote/GTD Setups
Second system
- New, Simpler Evernote GTD System, Part 1: Structure & Agendas
- New, Simpler Evernote GTD System, Part 2: Revised Structure and “Next” Notebook
- New, Simpler Evernote GTD System, Part 3: Removing the Waste (Muri, Muda, Mura)
- New, Simpler Evernote GTD System, Part 4: Context Lists
- New, Simpler Evernote GTD System, Part 5: Workflows
First system
GTD related
- My Complete GTD System for March 2011: Things, Evernote, BusyCal, iPhone, and More!
- Electronic GTD Tickler File System with Google Calendar and Evernote
- Four Ways to Sync Gmail with Evernote
- Using Tags for GTD Areas of Focus in Evernote
- Simple Evernote GTD Projects with Next Action Preview
- Results: Experiments with Using an Evernote Stack for Projects and Areas of Focus
- Shared Evernote Project Form for GTD
Miscellaneous
- How I Use Evernote for Songwriting
- Finally! Linking Things or Anything to Evernote
- Evernote as a Copy-and-Paste Power Tool
- Evernote Resource Roundup: GTD, gMail/gCal, Time Management, Projects, and More!
Related Posts:
6for GTD?
anywhere and flexible
enough to suit my
imagination.
[Updated] How I’m Pushing Beyond Unimaginative Evernote GTD Setups with HD System 3
Update: More screenshots have been added as a gallery at the end of the post.
Inspiration has struck once again. Took boredom, dissatisfaction, and a little betrayal, but I found it.
I found it by thinking about how all the GTD setups I’ve seen and created didn’t really help me do much of anything. They were unimaginative, lifeless, boring, and quite often facsimiles of GTD apps. Beyond the cyclical urge to fresh things up, where was the motivation?
So I was inspired to create a better way, an approach within the ever customizable Evernote ecosystem that would coach and inspire every step of the way. Hanami Design System 3 has the promise to be that system.
Some basic GTD stuff
Since many people who visit my website are interested in Evernote GTD setups, here are a few highlights:
Basic Evernote notebook setup for GTD
An interactive daily review
The new Daily Review stack is arranged to be interactive, not passive. You actively move through the notebooks, one by one, in order, moving notes/projects in and out based on the action required at that step.
Tools such as checklists and filters are kept within the appropriate notebooks. Scan Ticklers holds my tickler notes; Filter Projects gives helps me determine whether a project is worth doing now or even keeping.
- Clear emails. Deal with emails and send what’s needed to Evernote.
- Clear notes. Create new notes from what I’ve been jotting down on paper. Drag actions to the appropriate context notebook (under Next Actions), create new projects, etc.
- Scan ticklers.
- Review calendar. Last week, this week. Create actions (new notes) and drag them to the appropriate context notebook.
- Filter projects. Drag all active projects here and filter them. Move the first to the next notebook.
- Create next actions. Review projects and create next actions (by creating new notes). Move notes to the appropriate context notebook. Move project to Schedule today (next notebook).
- Schedule today. Block out time for the project on my calendar (if possible). Move project note back to Active (under Projects). Go back to filter projects until all have been reviewed.
This arrangement forces me to do something at every step. I sort, I filter, I review, and I’m less likely to skip. Next actions are created within each notebook and quickly dragged to where they’ll be attended to next.
Two Minutes
If I spot something in my inbox (or anywhere) that can be done in two minutes or less, I drag it into the Two Minutes notebook and then do that something immediately.
Since a GTD enthusiast already knows he/she should be doing two-minute items right away anyway, this might seem superfluous, but the reminder and the satisfaction of seeing a two-minute item killed instantly has made this notebook worthwhile for me.
Beyond GTD
As mentioned at the start, my playground wasn’t limited to just David Allen’s Getting Things Done. From the Five S’s, I’ve taken steps to put tools (such as checklists) where they’re most needed. From Scrum, I’ve begun putting active projects I can’t yet schedule into the Backlog. Someday/Maybe items are in the Icebox.
Methodologies and concepts such as Lean/Six Sigma; Muri, Muda, and Mura; and kaizen (among others) are also influencing Hanami System 3, but their contributions are outside the scope of this post.
In development
Obviously I’ve not covered everything this system does and unfortunately further updates will have to wait for me to return from a two week break from writing. Rest assured that I’ve very far along with fresh ideas on how Evernote can be leveraged for a task and life management system and I’ll be anxious to get your feedback.
Take action and take care.
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11user interface
Improving the User Interface and Experience of FanTogether, Part 2: Find a Sports Bar
FanTogether is beginning to come together (enough for beta, anyway) and I thought I’d share a few of my latest contributions to the “Sports Bar” section.
Even though we’re developing with a minimal set of rules, I feel it’s important to keep the tone personal, the forms simple. Furthermore, I’m trying to avoid obvious forms wherever possible and build interfaces that seem more spoken.
The first version of the Sports Bar view focused on two functions: search and addition. While both of these were technically fine, they seemed too impersonal for the kind of experience FanTogether should provide.
First version of the Sports Bar view
After a bit of playing, I decided to combine the search and add functions into a single sentence that sat nicely above where the results would show.
Second version of the Sports Bar view
To make things more useful, I added some jQuery that would set focus to the first text input when the document was ready. To support this, I added a peach-ish focus style.
Text input focus styles now added
To support more advanced users, I next worked on a decent outline style so users could see where they were tabbing to (via the keyboard). Unfortunately I had to stick with a square outline since there’s almost no browser support – planned or existing – for a CSS based radius on an outline.
Outline styles added
Next I expanded the map to fill the available horizontal space, followed by a basic table with jQuery-based zebra striping.
Second version of the results area with new table (1st version)
Making progress.
We’re chipping away at the app and are nearing beta. Hoping to make the big announcement soon.
Related Posts:
2to do lists?
How To Do a To Do List (Fueled by GTD)
What is a to do list?
For those of us who’ve been using a task management system (such as David Allen’s Getting Things Done) for a while, this question might seem silly. “Grab a pencil and paper, write down your tasks, and check off things you finish” – that’s an easy answer, but I believe the average to do list can be more efficient than that.
Here’s my no frills recommendation for how to do a to do list:
What you need
Two sheets of paper and a pen.
What to do
- Collect. The first sheet of paper is for getting the stuff out of your head – without prioritizing. Just write down what you need to do and make sure to leave some space on the right side of the page (we’ll need that later).
- Break things down. Now scan your list. Can these tasks be broken down into smaller pieces? If yes, scratch off those items and at the end of your list, write out the smaller pieces. Having smaller tasks makes it easier to overcome procrastination.
- Identify contexts. Scan your list one more time and in the space you left on the right side, write one word that describes where the task should be done. If it’s an errand, write “errand”. If it’s at home, write “home”.
- Choose your battles wisely. Now on your second sheet of paper, write down a few tasks, grouped by context, that you can truly do today. Try to avoid “organizer’s optimism” and keep your today list short.
- Choose your battle ground. With your tasks grouped by context, you’re prepared to batch process. Get yourself to that context (if they are errands, let’s say, hop in the car) or choose one that matches where you are currently.
- Do something. Start completing tasks until you’re ready for the next context. Cross out those you’ve done. Move on to other contexts and keep whittling away until you’ve completed everything on your list.
Now do even more
The above is a hit-the-ground-running approach for creating and doing to do lists, but you can benefit even more by adopting some task management principles and learning about a few systems. There are also plenty of to do software offerings, if that appeals to you, for desktops and mobile phones.
I’d love to hear your questions and feedback so don’t be shy about commenting!
Related Posts:
6UI Pattern: Network Menu
Though this UI pattern has a singular purpose – to promote and provide links to websites within a business network – it can take various forms.
On NetTuts, the menu was a drop-down featured prominently in the top right, more recently replaced by a promotion for Theme Forest:
Network menu on NetTuts
On sites under the Wall Street Journal umbrella, the menu runs almost the entire width of the site:
Wall Street Journal network menu
MTV uses a simple drop-down, placed near the top along with other meta content:
MTV
Gizmodo, Gawker, and their sister sites display names, photos, and even sublinks in a block at the bottom of their pages:
Gizmodo, Gawker, and sister sites (full)
Though sometimes they use a smaller version:
Gizmodo, Gawker, and sister sites (small)
I’m certain there are thousands of variations out there so don’t be shy about sharing what you find!
Related Posts:
2for MarketWatch
Market Watch Redesign Experiment, Part 1: Network Bar and Header (web only)
I have a mild fascination for stock market websites due to the shear volume of data. Most are tests in patience at best, others more bearable. MarketWatch seems to be one of the better in terms of layout, but they’re just as chock full of info.
I think MarketWatch could be simpler. This experiment challenges my assumptions.
Please note: I’m not trying to reinvent MarketWatch and I don’t assume that I know their business or their needs any better. The sheer volume of their content makes it hard for me to breathe and I’m testing myself to see if maybe I could generate a few solid ways to make it better. I want to simplify while reusing as many of the elements as possible. I’m assuming, too, that everything has a purpose, that I can’t just randomly throw features out or make MarketWatch look like a business they are not.
Current header for MarketWatch
Since I’m designing top down, I first focused on the “hat_div”, black bar at the top of the page. This typically serves as a website promotional tool for companies in the network; in the case of MarketWatch, it’s also where user’s can search.
On other websites in the network, the search box may or may not be present, all depending on the needs of site (as far as I can tell). I’d be curious to find out how well this really promotes as I have sneaking suspicion that it’s more often overlooked. So I decided to lump all the site links into a single network menu, prominently featured to the left.
I also move the design away from using the background of the page as the color of the “selected” network tab. Looks wonky on many sites in the network. A thin light line was also added to make body/network bar separation more pleasing.
On the main menu of MarketWatch is a membership promotion that I didn’t feel was getting the proper amount of visibility. I’ve move this to the middle of our now much freer network bar. Search stays where it is because the top/right is a natural place for search; having it here also makes sense network wide.
Currently the world map/summary that indicates which markets are open/closed and the status of the DOW and the like is squeezed in beneath the logo. Not sure how much visibility this really needs, but I’ve made a few enhancements and gave it a more prominent place.
Among other things, I’ve made “open” more bold and gave all the text a bit of a size/space bump. This move made it possible to free space around the logo, better focusing the brand. I’ve left date and time basically where they were.
Where this focus on the map/summary is risky is how it reduces the emphasis on news. Frankly I don’t understand why the featured articles were given so much real estate – but there may be a legitimate business reason.
In my approach, I’ve altered the featured articles to be image focused: a single square image is overlapped by a category name and short title. Controls are beneath, just as with the recent news list.
Recent news is still fairly spacious and keeps items to single lines, with a fade effect to the right to deal with long titles.
So far that’s about it. I’ve spent a fair amount of time designing a mobile version of the site, but it needs a bit more work. I should be posting about this and more changes to my MarketWatch concept soon.
Here’s my version of MarketWatch network bar and header as it exists today:
Simpler header for MarketWatch
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0Adobe Offers a Little Hope for Joe Hewitt?
As mentioned on ReadWriteWeb and elsewhere recently, Joe Hewitt (co-creator of Firefox, creator of the Facebook app) has posted his concerns about the future of the web in “Web Technologies Need an Owner.” Personally I believe his concerns are legitimate. What future could their really be for web development if everybody’s viewing their content through native mobile apps?
So Joe calls for stronger leadership, offering no solutions of his own. And we finish reading the post a little sad.
But recent news from Adobe has got me thinking there might be a little hope, yet.
As a designer who has dealt with the limitations of web layouts for a long time, the prospect of CSS Regions and Exclusions is very exciting. Finally we could bring some of the benefits and power of desktop publishing applications to online, dynamic environments. This, in my opinion, would be huge.
This leads me to believe that at least in part this battle of web vs. native apps is one of convenience: the convenience of a native app for the user versus the convenience of the web for the content provider. If web development is more convenient, potent, and affordable, it will be more preferable. The more power one has in developing with web technologies, the more web development, and everybody wins. Perhaps this is a naive simplification and not a reasonable or comprehensive offering of comfort, but I find this inspiring and a sign of life.
So I offer Adobe’s CSS contributions to WebKit as a glimmer of hope for Joe Hewitt. And we continue to wait for standards bodies to finish something. Anything.
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0user interface
Improving the User Interface and Experience of FanTogether, Part 1: Some Basics
Lately I’ve been working alongside a few former Strands Fitness guys on a cool, fun web app called Fan Together. Early stages for this project, but that’s what makes it exciting. I’m contributing by doing a bit of user interface design magic, tidying and improving, basically. I thought I’d share a little as we go.
My main goal for Fan Together is to make things easy to use for the audience and easy to build for our developers. I’m not designing too much in advance, mostly winging the changes so as not to overcommit. We’re interested in getting as much feedback as we can as early as we can.
I started with the profile form:
No style, really. Not much more than labels and fields. So I increased the size of the fonts and fields, set the labels to right align, and move a few things around.
Better.
I’m particularly satisfied with the direction of the avatar upload and the drop-down menus, customized via jQuery plugins I’m developing. Taking the opportunity to create a few cross browser solutions for these UI items that I’ve been wanting for a while, particularly for the drop-down menu and Internet Explorer.
However one problem would be a battle visually between an either short or long team list and the basic info options. Furthermore there were other items on the page that would in time make the view very long. I opted for a tabbed layout, with items like “My Teams” separated to their own areas.
At this point the layout has reached a reasonable state. Some fields now are only available when the information is not available via Facebook or Twitter, so there’s less to deal with overall. As a side note, I’m enjoying keeping the labels font-weight: normal except for those related to required fields.
I’ve not yet tweaked the layouts of the other tabs or views, so more on the evolution of Fan Together shortly!
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03cVendora
3cVendora is the first ecommerce application I worked on from conception to implementation. The version I’m sharing here is my favorite, though I only have access now to my original mockups.
I love how fresh and simple everything feels, despite the logo needing some improvement (which it later got).
3cVendora is part of a suite of products under the 3cPlatform SaaS umbrella.
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0series for
visualizing
Learning Foreign Languages (or Anything Else) with Storyboards
Even in the early stages of a design, I like to create storyboards to help me see the flow of things. Recently, though, I’ve found that storyboards make a fantastic learning tool for foreign languages and just about anything else I need to get my head around.
In the case of foreign languages, I use storyboards to give a path to my word associations. The paths of these stories I can retrace later in my mind and the more outrageous the story, the more memorable.
Examples
The above is a short storyboard I drew for the Hungarian word kissazony (waitress). The setting is a bar and when the waitress approaches, she identifies herself with two different licenses. One license says “Ke$ha” (like the singer) while the other says “Red Sonya” (like the movie) and together they basically spell out the word phonetically (kisha-sonya).
So you know, there’s a syllable missing (should be ki-sha-sho-sonya) in this storyboard, but knowing there’s a mistake has helped me remember the word even better.
In this storyboard, the setting is a concert stage with Dolores O’Riordon of the Cranberries singing some song about Kosovo that I sort of remember. The phrase is köszönöm szépen (thank you very much). While she’s singing something about Kosovo and it’s earnest gnomes, she continuously (and annoyingly) interjects “thank you”. “Earnest” is a reminder of the “urn” sound needed for all the umlauts. The rest of “thank you” is a combination of Kosovo and gnome (kursurnurm).
The story for “very much” is equally silly.
Bonus: Concept Illustration
A related approach I’ve found useful for learning foreign languages and other subjects is concept illustration. Basically, I attempt to draw whatever I read.
This example illustrates the three data types (“boxes”) of JavaScript: Boolean (the T/F box), Numbers (1, 2, 3, 4), and Strings (A, B, C, D). The labels on the boxes are the naming rules for variables, showing that they can be begin with an underscore, are case sensative, and can use numbers – but not to start.
Summary
Memories are built on memories, so to make something familiar, you need to build associations. Storyboards let you drive these associations by placing new knowledge into a framework that you control. All you need is a pen, paper, and the freedom to get as silly as you like and you’ll be owning tough subjects in no time.
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3exercise to improve
UI/UX skills.
Bug Spotting: Market Watch
This might seem kind of weird, but to improve my design skills, I’m redesigning some more or less well-known sites. Basically I’m putting my opinions to the test; if I think a layout is overrated, can I really do better?
One of these is Market Watch and after a little inspection, I’ve found a whole slew of existing design problems.
Some images in the slideshow were out of place. Haven’t determined how.
On some pages where there is a search for symbols or keywords, the text is a bit cut off. One example is the Dow Jones page.
I could be wrong, but I think these lines are meant to align. Not vital.
Bonus
Not pointing out errors, just how curious some of the names are for various DIVs. “blanket” and “hat_div” are among my favorites. Weird choices, IMHO, for “topchrome” and “chrome”.
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0productivity method.
Electronic GTD Tickler File System with Google Calendar and Evernote
If you have ever reached the “obsession phase” of GTD adoption as I have, you probably found yourself searching at least once for an electronic method for tickler files. I’m happy to say you don’t really need anything that complicated.
My way is fairly simple: creating “all day” events in Google Calendar and/or (yes, there’s an ‘or’) putting items on my Tickler file in Evernote.
For those who may not be familiar with a tickler system, here’s what the 43FoldersWiki has to say:
In the parlance of Getting Things Done, a Tickler File consists of a series of 43 file folders: 12 monthly and 31 daily folders. Items are filed in a folder corresponding to when the item will need to be handled, thus reminding or “tickling” the user about it. These items might be action reminders, bills, receipts, reports, letters, or any number of other things.
I’ve tried recreating the 43 folders approach digitally (several times), but that’s ultimately unnecessary. The purpose of a tickler system is to make sure you have what you need for a particular action on a particular day and you act on it. Since we aren’t likely to moving digital project files around very much (and we can often simply link to them), what we really need is a dependable reminder system.
Google Calendar all day events
All-day events are an easy way to create ticklers that are day – but not necessarily time – specific. You can do this with most any calendar app, but since I’m married to Gmail, Gcal is an obvious choice. Using a calendar app that can send you reminders (pop ups, email, etc) is required.
As you see above, I’ve got two things to do this Saturday: buy crickets for Rupert (my fire belly toad) and clean the garage.
Ticklers by Email
In Calendar Settings > Calendars > Notifications (of a specific calendar), there is an option for Daily Agendas.
I turn this on for all my calendars so I receive ticklers by email every morning. This ensures I don’t forget my ticklers even when I forget to check my calendar.
(in case you’re wondering, “clean garage” didn’t get added until after the email was sent)
Evernote: ticklers without dates and other miscellanea
Not all ticker items have dates. Sometimes, too, you just don’t want to forget about something. These kinds of items often find their way onto my Tickler file in Evernote.
I use a single file for my Evernote ticklers and as you see above, I keep Ticklers next to my Today list so I conveniently review both. Because I frequently check my Today list and Ticklers is always with it, I rarely miss checking my ticklers. This strategic placement, in it’s own way, is a reminder.
When there are items I no longer feel I can do today, I will add it to my Evernote tickler marked by the day I feel best to do them. Quite often, my Ticklers file in Evernote will hold reminders of fun things to do like “Stimulus Tuesdays” at the local movie theatre or “fish and chips”.
A bit of overlap
I suppose some tickler items could be added to Google Calendar instead of Evernote or vice versa, removing the need for both. This is the ‘or’ I referred to earlier. Frankly I’m not concerned if the functions of Gcal and my Evernote tickler file overlap; the goal is to get things done and as long as I’m productive and not being redundant, I’d say I’m doing things right enough.
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Nude Nite Orlando
Nude Nite needed something distinctive for their “dazzling art event celebrating the beauty of the nude” and their strong personality and wealth of content made conceptualization quick business. This design only took about 3.5 hours and that made me realize that getting a clear vision of the client comes more quickly when they have plenty of assets. Integrating the client’s personality through their own artwork can be the difference between a good website and the right website.
Roles: Design: web, UI, UX. CSS, HTML, Flash, some ASP.NET. Sales and marketing.
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Ideas as a Job Requirement
You can’t say “let’s be Apple” and suddenly be Apple. Nor can you hire a bunch of highly talented people and expect them to self-assemble into an innovation machine. You must create an environment where new ideas are routine.
Most companies aren’t innovative because innovation is not built in. They’re meeting deadlines, hopefully stumbling, with little time to be “creative”.
But creativity is a habit – not an attribute – and if you want to be competitive, you may need to make some fundamental, cultural changes.
Schedule
Make brainstorming sessions a part of the regular schedule and encourage far-range thinking. Though you might have to reel back expectations from time to time, the depth and volume of your team’s ideas will likely only increase over time and you’ll have the comfort of knowing your company is always working on something new.
Allow experimentation
Untested ideas are useless, even burdensome. Let your team try out their ideas and learn from their mistakes. Better to learn from private mistakes than public ones.
Instill a sense of urgency
You need your best ideas in the marketplace as quickly as possible and wasted time is wasted money. Ideas need to come fast and furiously (though sometimes they simply won’t).
Make sharing ideas easy
Bulletin boards, wiki pages, post-it notes – all good ways to collect and distribute ideas. See what works best for your people.
Get everyone involved
The classic round design of the iPod’s interface was suggested by a person in marketing so include team members from various disciplines. You never know where good ideas will come from.
Be observant
There is nothing wrong with standing on the shoulder’s of giants – build on the ideas of your competition and avoid their mistakes. But if you’re always playing catch-up, you’ve got bigger problems.
Don’t wait for comfort
Don’t put off making changes till a “better” time – it won’t happen. Do you really think all those young start-ups are waiting on comfort?
Think small
Innovation doesn’t need to be a massive change. If your team can consistently generate small but effective, easy to implement ideas, you’ll always stay one step ahead of the other guys.
Think big
Sometimes making a radical change is exactly what you need to do. Knowing when you should take the big steps, well, that’s probably another topic.
Lead with creativity
Don’t wait for the “artsy types” to give you something “cool”, come prepared with things from your own head. If you can do it, maybe others can, too.
Resell
Try and inspire your clients by suggesting new spins on their features. Mine rejections for useful feedback. Create internal products, then sell them back to these or other clients later when they’re more fully realized.
Get fearless
Be willing to take the plunge into the unfamiliar, the uncomfortable. Your decisions can be calculated, but as the saying goes: no risk, no reward.
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UI Pattern [Idea]: 3D Camera Position Control for Mobile Games
This is a possible solution for changing the “camera” position of 3D games on mobile touch screens when multi-finger gestures for rotation are not possible. In third person game views, this might make it easier to see areas around the on-screen player.
The key gesture is the press and hold of the left hand thumb. Once held, an element appears beneath to indicate that the user is holding and the game is ready for a perspective change. Pressing and dragging along the curve with the right hand rotates the screen. The perspective indicator’s arrow follows the right hand.
To change the z-axis perspective, the user wraps the first finger of their left hand around the top of the screen, enabling a up/down gesture of the right hand to modify the view.
It is entirely possible that the use of the left hand finger is unnecessary, but we’d need a working prototype to know one way or the other.
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Strands Fitness User Interface (2011)
This is probably a little redundant due to several other Strands Fitness entries in my portfolio, but it was a pretty big project and I thought my UI work deserved a little bit more light.
I’m particularly happy with how we tamed the interface for the workout forms and related permalinks. So many little moving pieces…
Roles: Design: web, UI, UX. CSS, HTML, JavaScript (jQuery). some Ruby on Rails.
