Whit Hour – Week 4

Thank you so much to the 25 or so folks who showed up for the fourth week of Whit Hour — my weekly one-hour video chat to answer any and all of your questions about user experience, consulting, and whatever else you throw at me.

Join me next week on Sunday, August 30, 9-10pm Eastern Time at http://tinychat.com/whitney password:whithour, and bring your questions!

Whit Hour – Week 4

August 23, 2009, from 9-10pm ET

This week’s beer

Blue Moon Belgian White
Blue Moon Brewing Company
Golden, CO

Questions asked and (hopefully) answered

1. Tell us about your book plans, Ms. Hess!
2. You recently mentioned the stages of your design process: Stakeholder interviews -> User interviews -> Personas -> Scenarios -> Features -> Schematics -> Wireframes. I think the first two are pretty clear, but what about the last 4, what do they entail?
3. What’s new with boxee?
4. With long term clients that you update site for, how do you get them to look ahead in planning rather than giving updates piecemeal that can affect the IA?
5. Please explain what a user experience consultant does.
6. How do you select clients? What do you expect from your clients in order to engage with them on a project?
7. How do you determine the priorities for the project features, based on user goals or in business specific needs? How do you set the order of implementation?
8. How do you find your clients?
9. How exactly would you assess whether or not a client has the money? Do you ask them flat-out?
10. Do you have a desire to create a service of your own?
11. Do you have preferred tech for usability testing?
12. Do you see your practice expanding so you have a permanent team?
13. What does our industry need that we don’t have today (our professional practice)?

Full text chat

[21:14] lwcavallucci: Congrats on your 1 yr anniversary going independent, Whitney!
[21:15] livlab: Whit Hour Virgin
[21:15] gabbyhon: Tell us about your book plans, Ms. Hess!
[21:15] martha: hahaha me2
[21:15] gabimoore: You recently mentioned the stages of your design process: Stakeholder interviews -> User interviews -> Personas -> Scenarios -> Features -> Schematics -> Wireframes. I think the first two are pretty clear, but what about the last 4, what do they entail?
[21:15] duke: That was quite a gulp.
[21:16] perryhewitt: what’s new with boxee? I think you were working on that
[21:16] lwcavallucci: With long term clients that you update site for, how do you get them to look ahead in planning rather than giving updates piecemeal that can affect the IA?
[21:17] collier1960: Please explain what a user experience consultant does.
[21:18] jacques: hi everyone, sorry I am late
[21:19] livlab: How do you select clients? What do you expect from your clients in order to engage with them on a project?
[21:22] jacques: Hello Whitney. I will like to ask you how do you determine the priorities fo the project features, based on user goals or in business specific needs? How do you set the order of implementation?
[21:23] gabimoore: That was awesome, thanks.
[21:24] collier1960: Sorry.
[21:25] mkammerer: Video is acting crazy for me. I will watch later. Thanks! :) Take care, all.
[21:28] martha: what excites you most about your work?
[21:28] candlelight: How do you find your clients?
[21:28] mortvia: How exactly would you assess whether or not a client has the money? Do you ask them flat-out?
[21:30] jacques: had to resign in, audio went off… :D
[21:31] livlab: Thanks Whit :) Not many consultants have a clear criteria. this is great
[21:35] jacques: is amazing
[21:35] livlab: Do you have a desire to create a service of your own? :)
[21:36] martha: yes, I could see it
[21:37] martha: thanks – I can see your enthusiasm. It’s great.
[21:39] candlelight: Ok… I moved from my original network so I guess it’s about rebuilding
[21:41] jacques: I really like you take on the priotirization. That is really gonna help me on the project I am working right now, it is a launch and everthing is new so, I have a huge to do list, but setting the priorities is a tough one. But with your help it now seems easier.
[21:41] perryhewitt: Do you have preferred tech for usability testing?
[21:42] mortvia: Good to know!
[21:43] livlab: hahah
[21:43] orian: :-)
[21:43] orian: <---- me [21:43] livlab: @orian haha [21:44] orian: I know what I'm doing! [21:44] aaroni268: lol [21:44] livlab: cool ;) [21:45] livlab: Someone had asked about your boxee engagement. Can you speak to how that turned out so far? [21:47] quietaction: Unfortunately, not about the software...more about the network connections etc. for performance of multiple vids. iChat is working great but not everyone is able to do that ;-). [21:47] perryhewitt: like an app [21:47] perryhewitt: I used one when I did at monitor [21:47] orian: that was a joke :-) [21:47] perryhewitt: Vue something -- worked pretty well [21:48] orian: the developer is always right! [21:48] livlab: Looking forward to seeing it! [21:49] candlelight: DVR = Nice!! [21:49] fakemariob: Gotta peel. [21:50] livlab: source x content types the eternal navigation dillema. [21:50] martha: thanks Whit - gotta get the kids to bed [21:50] perryhewitt: thanks -- sounds really interesting [21:51] livlab: Do you see your practice expanding so you have a permanent team? [21:51] perryhewitt: that's it! [21:51] perryhewitt: uservue, and once camtasia [21:52] gorod: Morae.... [21:52] artchinda: morae [21:52] perryhewitt: right, Morae uservue [21:52] mortvia: Gah, gotta bounce early. See ya! [21:52] candlelight: I worked at Digitas on AMEX too... [21:53] perryhewitt: Not feasible for smaller cos, agreed [21:54] perryhewitt: pen and paper works, too [21:54] perryhewitt: thanks! [21:54] livlab: lol [21:55] quietaction: Lol...yeah, I'm with you on that [21:55] livlab: Shadowing is an interesting idea. [21:56] livlab: I know that folks who are starting not fresh, but transitioning from another field, do really well with that [21:57] livlab: Same here [21:59] perryhewitt: I feel you .. that;s the worst [21:59] livlab: hahah [21:59] livlab: None of us are so it's not a unique feature lol [21:59] tshukla: I would be interested to work with you that way. [21:59] livlab: So, my big question of the evening: What does our industry need that we don't have today (our professional practice)? :D [21:59] quietaction: Maybe as you reveal it, it will make it come out all sane. Thanks Whitney. [22:00] perryhewitt: I'm back to PPT hell [22:00] perryhewitt: thanks, have a good evening! [22:00] candlelight: YES!!!! [22:00] candlelight: Or just understanding of business in general.... [22:01] livlab: Do you mean both business savvy so it can be applied to our practice and/or business ability to run your practice? [22:01] whitneyhess: Project Guide to UX [22:01] candlelight: Oh yeah... I get asked academic questions in interviews and wonder how those sorts of questions are meant to help me talk to execs about UX... [22:01] livlab: http://projectuxd.com/
[22:01] candlelight: I would go for the first personally livlab
[22:02] livlab: I wonder what our industry make up really is in terms of independent practitioners or not
[22:02] livlab: Cool, thanks.
[22:03] candlelight: Whitney, could it be argued that if we better understood how business thinks that we could better understand how to sell ourselves/position ourselves?
[22:05] candlelight: Valid point
[22:05] candlelight: OT: What are you drinking?
[22:06] candlelight: *thumbs up*
[22:06] candlelight: lol
[22:06] candlelight: nice
[22:06] jarvo: are these recorded?
[22:06] jacques: thanks so much whitney, I gotta hit the road, it was great to be here tonight. See you all next sunday… Iaax (jacques) Page
[22:06] orian: honey, my new trashcan has the best UX ever!
[22:06] orian: I just put it together… my trashcan takes 4 D batteries!
[22:07] lwcavallucci: Costco is THE best!
[22:07] aaroni268: i ahve that trash can!
[22:07] orian: it works great, and it’s super quiet
[22:07] livlab: lol you kids are too easily amused
[22:07] aaroni268: it is so fun!
[22:07] orian: yes, I keep waving my hand over it
[22:07] orian: just to watch it go up and down
[22:07] aaroni268: depends…. i ahve kids….. so like weelkly
[22:07] livlab: @orian I keep watching my Roomba, so I think it’s in the same category
[22:08] orian: no way
[22:08] aaroni268: kidding
[22:08] orian: aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaagh
[22:08] orian: oka
[22:08] orian: so the small can isn’t automated btw
[22:08] aaroni268: never really kept track but they do last for a while
[22:08] whitneyhess: http://www.simplehuman.com/
[22:08] orian: they are really expensive though
[22:09] orian: I like products made by underfed children
[22:09] livlab: Like OXO, a little pricier but definitely designed with real humans in mind
[22:09] whitneyhess: http://oxo.com
[22:09] lwcavallucci: OXO now has office products too!
[22:10] orian: the best computer ergonomics products: http://www.humanscale.com/
[22:10] livlab: Get the potato peeler. It will make you an OXO customer for life
[22:11] whitneyhess: http://gelconference.com/videos/2008/alex_lee/
[22:11] lwcavallucci: Definitely @livlab! Love the peeler
[22:11] livlab: I got the kitchen scale and it is so simply and smartly designed too.
[22:11] orian: btw, the logo on the instructions that came w my trashcan says “World Leader and Patent designer of Infrared Sanitary Receptacles”
[22:13] livlab: Love the story of how they came up with that ridged handle. After many many prototypes, they got a bike handle and jammed into it and started moding.
[22:14] livlab: OXO
[22:14] livlab: Trying to remember the documentary that is out now (same dir as Helvetica), has a section with the OXO people
[22:14] gorod: The bike handle story was featured in the “objectified” movie, I think
[22:14] livlab: That’s the one
[22:15] whitneyhess: http://www.objectifiedfilm.com/
[22:15] gorod: I met the director, really cool bloke
[22:15] livlab: http://twitter.com/gary_hustwit
[22:15] jarvo: Thank You!
[22:15] dave: thanks
[22:15] livlab: Thank you Whit, this was great.
[22:15] aaroni268: finally got to make it! was stoked on everything, keep it up
[22:16] jeff: thanks Whitney!
[22:16] artchinda: thanks whitney
[22:16] jarvo: are these recorded?
[22:16] tshukla: Thanks a lot Whitney
[22:16] livlab: bye
[22:16] lwcavallucci: Thanks Whitney! Look forward to Sunday nights!
[22:16] whitneyhess: Yes these are recorded and posted on the blog!
[22:16] orian: good job :-)
[22:16] candlelight: Thank you
[22:16] whitneyhess: wow Gary Hustwit is on twitter! Thanks liv!
[22:17] orian: gnight everyone

Join me next week

Sunday, August 30, 9-10pm Eastern Time at http://tinychat.com/whitney password:whithour, and bring your questions!

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