Know your user

Your user’s goals are your goals, so learn them. Restate them, repeat them. Then, learn about your user’s skills and experience, and what they need. Find out what interfaces they like and sit down and watch how they use them. Do not get carried away trying to keep up with the competition by mimicking trendy design styles or adding new features. By focusing on your user first, you will be able to create an interface that lets them achieve their goals.

Read the rest at the Carsonified blog…

Here is a quick recap of the past 8 months

• Oct 08: Started developing a new application codenamed “Twansmit”
• Jan 09: Formalized business partnership with Aaron Gotwalt and Jesse Engle under the name Launchability, Inc.
• Jan 09: Launched private beta of CoTweet, a team communication and response platform for twitter.
• Jan 09: We found out that we’re expecting (again)
• March 09: We decide to purchase a new home in Lancaster and put ours on the market.
• May 09: Plans change. We’re moving to San Francisco.
• June 09: We still sell our home and move into an apartment.
• June 09: Invited to speak at FOWD NYC
• July 09: CoTweet gets funded, announces public beta

WhatUWearin’ is one of the best designed facebook apps I have ever seen…

Sarah Cooley

WhatUWearin’ finally went live last night after about 9 months of sweat, tears and lots of merlot.

WhatUWearin’ is an application that let’s you share your looks and styles with your friends on Facebook.

Aaron Gotwalt is the brains behind the application, and it’s been a pleasure working with him. I’m really looking forward to seeing what comes out of this relationship.

CrowdFusion is just one of those companies that “Get it”. They understand the potential of the web, and have the expertise and experience to make things happen. It’s been a pleasure working with this team, and I’ve definitely learned a lot.

Take a look at Obsessable.com and see it in action.

Also jump over to Brian’s blog to get a recap of news about the launch.

Today, Facebook to a HUGE step towards correcting that. They completely redesigned their developer website to be more focused on their guiding principles.

Great social applications are meaningful as they offer users value, trustworthy when they respect users, and well-designed when they are usable and built to scale.

These changes, coupled with the new Facebook Connect are going to start driving some major changes in the Facebook Application arena.

It will be interesting to see what happens from here.

FIGURE 1 The Loaded Dervish Longboard

After wanting to for a while, I finally decided it was time to purchase a longboard.

For those of you who aren’t hip to the lingo, a longboard (FIGURE 1) is a skateboard with a longer and sometimes wider shape. It is most commonly used for either downhill racing or transportation. I don’t have a death wish, so downhill racing is out — transportation wins.

I’ve been using it to get around in the city and am absolutely falling in love with the freedom and flow. It really is a great way to escape and get some good exercise.

The point of this post isn’t really to sell you on longboarding, but to inspire you to get out and do something that you love. Stop talking about taking dance lessons, and just do it. Stop saying your going to start kayaking, and buy a kayake. Go out and enjoy life.

To infinity, and beyond!Buzz Lightyear

We will be launching Tomorrowpants this fall with an amazing roster of new projects.

Tomorrowpants develops social media experiences that create brand enthusiasm. We believe in the future. We are realists with an optimistic bent. In our professional lives this translates into a belief that social media has a point and develops genuine value, and we’re out to prove it. Not just with crazy ideas. Actual rock-solid execution that communicates integrity in every detail. We build user experiences that are honest and true to who we are, and to who you are.

When Aaron described his vision to me, I couldn’t help but get excited for what is to come out of this partnership.

We will be open for new projects starting september 1st. Thanks for all of the incredible encouragement we’ve received so far. I’m looking forward to this next step in my professional life.

I’ll keep you all posted as things continue to develop.

If you want to be incrementally better: Be competitive. If you want to be exponentially better: Be cooperative.

Get to know the others around you. We all know how quality suffers under stress so don’t hesitate to pass work along when your volume is high. Don’t think of the other companies as competitors, think of them as assets. Ask for help when you need it, and give help when you can.

It’s a game of give and take, but if we work together, great things can be accomplished.

“Being happy doesn’t mean that everything is perfect. It means that you’ve decided to look beyond the imperfections.”

Over the past year I have been working to develop my own “personal brand” — trying to figure out exactly what it is that I do, what it is that I want to do, and how others perceive those things. With this comes a constant struggle of doing what pays the bills and doing the projects that you truly believe in.  I’m finally to the place where those two are starting to convene.

A new venture that has come about is really the culmination of this feeling. I will be sharing more as time passes, but being able to relate to the people who really have hope in the future, and helping to take the next steps in realizing it is an amazing thing.

I have been truly blessed in the past, I love what I’m doing now, and I believe in the future. Thanks to all who have helped.

He didn’t tell me how to live; he lived, and let me watch him do it. — Clarence Budington Kelland

Today is my first father’s day. Jess & Elijah made me a great coffee mug that I’ll be using every morning. They are the best family a man could ever ask for.

I also want to thank my father today because he is truly a man of patience, integrity, and honor. He was never really a person of many words, but the way he lived his life has inspired me.

Thanks Dad.