Usable Patterns

We’re drawn to Agile methods not just because they help us build “acceptable” software quickly. More importantly, Agile methods inspire and enable us to build “great” software: products that capture users’ imaginations, succeed in the market, and create value for us and our customers over a long life.

This year’s Agile Roots conference, June 14-15 in Salt Lake City, is focused on products, user experience, and creating value. We have keynote commitments from Luke Hohmann and Jeff Patton, whom we believe are on the leading edge of value creation in the Agile software process. We still have plenty of room for talks, workshops, and other sessions and we hope you have something to share!

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I have a very good friend, Elden Nelson whose wife has been fighting cancer. It has motivated him to do what he can to raise money to help fight cancer in general. He has put together a team for the Livestrong Challenge, which I have joined as a virtual participant. I can’t ride the race, but I do want to try and get the word out if I can to help raise money. I will be including links on my site from time to time (as well as on twitter and facebook) asking for help.

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Usable Patterns is a proud sponsor of the Agile Roots Conference (link) in Salt Lake City, UT this year. The conference is trying to make sure that the original meaning of the Agile Manifesto (link) is not lost. They have brought together an impressive array of speakers, who on their own time and money, are presenting on the fundamentals of Agile, and what that means.

An economics podcast is an unusual place for a discussion of UI design, but this conversation with Eric Raymond (The Cathedral & the Bazaar) includes the usability of open source software.

Open source development works when, Read the rest of this entry »

I have recently returned from the Agile 2008 conference in Toronto.  I had a great time, and met some great developers, as well as some people I have only known vicariously through email lists.  It was nice to actually see some of these individuals face to face.

I am making my presentation available here as a download.

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Scott Berkun has put together a small article on how to innovate right now.
http://www.uie.com/articles/innovate_right_now/

He mentions that every innovator’s tool kit includes these three things:

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Since today is kicking off WWDC, Apple’s yearly developer conference, I figured posting a small bit of something Apple related might be appropriate.  For those that know me well, they know I am not an Apple fanboy – no matter your definition of the word.  I do appreciate some of the design elements they use, and they certainly take design in new directions but I am not sure that those directions are always good.

Salon.com has an interesting article around how they design many of their products.“iPhone pre-launch: Looking “Inside Steve’s Brain”".

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