Scharnetzki´s

Death: when the life behind shared social streams ended

Ralf Scharnetzki — Thu, 14 May 2009 19:57:24 +0000

The Internet is changing not only our life. It is also changing what is left after we are gone. Social life streams stop when the life behind ended. But those streams of activity continue to be accessible until the service provider will delete the account or close doors. We dont know Carl Backstrom, but we can access his feeds: Carl [...]

Zooming interfaces: an alternative to the Windows user experience

Ralf Scharnetzki — Mon, 11 May 2009 06:02:47 +0000

Jef Raskin, the human interface expert who started the Macintosh project at Apple in the late 70´s, was not happy about how most of us today work with their computers: “In present systems, work gets done in applications (which are sets of commands that apply to certain kinds of objects). Tasks are not accomplished at the [...]

Why is there no natively built-in appstore for desktop applications in Microsoft Windows and Apples OSX?

Ralf Scharnetzki — Fri, 13 Mar 2009 22:55:28 +0000

Apples iTunes application store for iphone and ipod touch has demonstrated the value that a simple and integrated access/purchase/install/use/upgrade/uninstall life-cycle solution for applications can bring to a platform. Obviously Microsoft (Google has the Android Market, Nokia will launch Ovi Store) is now also introducing one for its own mobile platform. The better user experience of [...]

It is easy to start an online presentation on Google Docs, but do you know how stop it?

Ralf Scharnetzki — Sat, 13 Dec 2008 10:15:14 +0000

Paul Thurrott recently published two interesting articles about user interfaces and the difference between a simple UI and a UI that is easy to use: "Google's Web applications are simple—they are—and a certain audience out there really appreciates that." http://community.winsupersite.com/blogs/paul/archive/2008/11/24/a-great-google-article-the-difference-between-easy-and-simple-and-why-this-is-a-problem-for-windows-7.aspx "Today, we take it for granted, and while the details may change, the desktop UIs used by systems [...]

The value of application integration: Gmail Labs integrates Gmail, Calender and Documents

Ralf Scharnetzki — Sun, 09 Nov 2008 10:29:14 +0000

Without Gmail Labs from Google the Google Mail Beta user interface looks like this: Gmail Labs was introduced in June 2008. The feature it offered were not seen by everyone as interesting: "Gmail labs is live but also boring". But the team behind Gmail Labs released some new features recently. With those new Gmail Labs features enabled Google [...]

34 billion German Internet users can teach you something about the web

Ralf Scharnetzki — Thu, 23 Oct 2008 20:08:53 +0000

Update 25.10.2008: See updates in blue text in the body of the post below A research institute confused million with billion in a news release published last month. Someone called them and they fixed the one-letter error immediately. Case closed, what could be learned out of this? What is the importance of million vs. billion in [...]

Free Google search training from Google: How to become a Super Internet Searcher

Ralf Scharnetzki — Wed, 01 Oct 2008 06:48:56 +0000

While it is easy enough just to type some keywords into Google`s famous simple search UI this does not necessarily mean that you will find always quickly the most valuable and reliable information that is available out there. Daniel Russell working at Google for "Google Search Quality & User Happiness" is making us happy with his [...]

The rise of the virtual exchange of pros and cons

Ralf Scharnetzki — Thu, 25 Sep 2008 07:38:40 +0000

If someone is making a "statement" (positive or negative) about a specific thing this contextual relationship between the "thing", the "statement" and if it is "pros" or "cons" can be captured and saved. This information can then be later easily used to combine "statements" about specific "things" and create by this dynamically a "virtual exchange [...]

How the Aberdeen Group has proven that the Quality of the End-User Experience needs improvement

Ralf Scharnetzki — Wed, 03 Sep 2008 20:04:58 +0000

Sometimes you turn your head around and ask yourself if you are on candid camera. Today this mail titled "Improve the Quality of the End-User Experience" from the Aberdeen Group created such a moment for us: User experience is one of the core interests of the Line-Of-Reasoning team so we tried to access our "COMPLIMENTARY COPY". [...]

The essence of information based human creativity (and how Robert Scoble´s Techmeme game is related to John Boyd´s military strategy)

Ralf Scharnetzki — Sun, 31 Aug 2008 14:28:07 +0000

Our understanding of the core aspect of information based human creativity that can be for example sometimes (and not often enough) found in blogging, mails, reports/presentations and innovative software products and services is expressed in this slightly modified quote of Colonel John Boyd: Live the instinctive see-saw of analysis and synthesis across a variety of domains, or across competing/independent channels of [...]