Rejection emails from IxDA’s Interaction11 conference have begun to circulate this morning.

There were 300 submissions for the lightning sessions and only 30 slots, and no doubt rejecting 90% of the speakers was an extremely tough task. I don’t take it personally at all that I was included among them.

Many people in the industry whom I consider to be my heroes were also turned away; I hope they submit their ideas to other conferences so that I can get the chance to see them! Given the high caliber of submissions to Interaction11, I’m even more excited to attend the conference to see the sessions that were selected — they must be extraordinary.

I wanted to share my submission with you to get your feedback on how to improve upon it. Do you think this is a good idea for a session and something you would want to see? Could I have done a better job with the description or title?

I’d like to iterate on it and submit it to another upcoming conference. I think it would be a lot of fun, and it’s something I really want to spend the time researching and thinking about.

What Lessons Can We Learn From Soap Operas For Designing Experiences

Soap operas have been in existence for more than 80 years, have told the world’s longest stories, and capture an intensely loyal fan base of millions. What lessons can we learn from their format and structure to captivate and transport our own users? How can we make use what theorist Steve Neale refers to as their “chance meetings, coincidences, missed meetings, sudden conversions, last-minute rescues and revelations, and deus ex machina endings,” as mechanisms to engage people in the interactive space? What design patterns can we apply to our own work?

In this talk, I will share the findings of my research into the history of soap operas and their relationship to interaction design. I hope to spark attendees’ interest in the genre as a source of inspiration for the experiences they create, and a deeper understanding of the emotional touchpoints of those experiences.

I look forward to hearing your thoughts in the comments! Thanks so much in advance for helping me make this better.

Share this post:

• My Interaction 09 recap on Boxes and Arrows
• Gel conference videos now online
• Hanging out at IxDA’s Interaction09
• Find me at Web 2.0 Expo NY this week
• Conference Twittering

Thank you so much to the 33 people who showed up for the fifteenth 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.

Tune in every Monday night from 10-11pm Eastern Time at http://www.livestream.com/whithour.

Whit Hour – Week 15

August 30, 2010, from 10:00-11:00pm ET

This Week’s Beer

No beer this week!

Questions Asked and (Hopefully) Answered

1. Why would you select a platform whose UX sucks so bad?
2. What is your favorite im client in terms of design?
3. What considerations should you use when integrating “social” features into a website – like share buttons, refer a friend, like buttons, etc.
4. Do you ever use any online applications/websites to wireframe interfaces?
5. What’s the most important thing a designer should consider when moving from UX to Visual Design?
6. Do you have any tips for working with academics on institutional websites?
7. What do you think about this oversaturation of “share this” type of buttons, or “like this” buttons? At some point, I’d think those will become innefective. Maybe that’s just because I ignore those buttons. Am I the only one that ignores these things?
8. Are there any email or SMS management tools that you think are well designed from a UX experience?
9. What’s the dirtiest trick a client’s ever tried to play on you live on Whit Hour? :P
10. Do you have any particular knowledge management practice? How important it is to maintain a record of your past ideas? How do you feel about review and reuse from artifacts from your own?
11. Has there ever been a video game you have played where the interface/experience has stood out with you?
12. I just finished reading Content Strategy by Kristina Halvorson, how do you think about content in terms of UX planning/wireframes/etc.
13. Any tips when you have a lean startup that has to be changing and evolving very often in order to understand the user to provide them the right product?
14. Programming (or other more “technical” skills) are not “required” to be fully mastered by UX designers, but is there any that you wish to be more knowledgeable in to strengthen you capabilities as a UX designer?
15. You had a question in my SXSW panel that I don’t think we answered properly – it was about women entrepreneurs in the ycombinator model – do you still have a strong opinion about the lack of women in startups?
16. I know you cowork a lot. Any issues with keeping client confidentiality when you’re working in an open space like that?

Full Text Chat

Welcome to the ‘whithour’ room.
efortiz: Why would you select a platform whose UX sucks so bad?
efortiz: for WhitHour, I mean
GangstaCode: what is your favorite im client in terms of design?
efortiz: I do, I stalk you.
efortiz: I remember those days.
efortiz: Have you heard of Junto? It’s a strategy/platform that Venessa Miemis is pursuing/ideating
vanshea: hey WHit!
DD: hello
efortiz: http://emergentbydesign.com/2010/03/22/junto-discussing-ideas-worth-spreading/
Lloyd: Hey :)
fabianapsimoes: is there any way I can set this audio only?
thetombryan: Do you enjoy doing Livestream tech support? Jeez… :P
vanshea: Hey..!
GangstaCode: what is your favorite im client in terms of design?
Lloyd: GTalk <3
johnlabriola: hey whit!
GangstaCode: or sms
efortiz: ICQ? :)
GangstaCode: gangstacode = @frankdenbow
morganb: Hi Whitney, what considerations should you use when integrating "social" features into a website - like share buttons, refer a friend, like buttons, etc.
DD: do you ever use any online applications/websites to wireframe interfaces?
vanshea: What's the most important thing a designer should consider when moving from UX to Visual Design?
efortiz: http://emergentbydesign.com/2010/04/17/junto-is-born/
morganb: cool thanks!
morganb: no it is
thetombryan: Do you have any tips for working with academics on institutional websites?
whitneyhess mod: Balsamiq
Lloyd: Free if you write them up a review on your blog too
morganb: i <3 balsamiq
Lloyd: ^^ ditto
thetombryan: What about pen and paper? I haven't found anything better, personally
Dru: i agree.
DD: exactly
davedawson: On the subject of social media elements. What do you think about this oversaturation of "share this" type of buttons, or "like this" buttons? At some point, I'd think those will become innefective. Maybe that's just because I ignore those buttons. Am I the only one that ignores these things?
blackjid: somiething like omnigraffle but for windows>
GangstaCode: are there any email or SMS management tools that you think are well designed from a UX experience?
DD: Thank you whitney
vanshea: Busted.
thetombryan: What’s the dirtiest trick a client’s ever tried to play on you live on Whit Hour? :P
vanshea: Now tom, I was just trying to participate!
vanshea: :)
thetombryan: haha
fabianapsimoes: Do you have any particular knowledge management practice? How important it is to maintain a record of your past ideas? How do you feel about review and reuse from artifacts from your own?
DD: Has there ever been a video game you have played where the interface/experience has stood out with you?
vanshea:
gabimoore: bow indeed
whitneyhess mod: http://xkcd.com/773/
Lloyd: ah, about how nothing you ever want is there?
thetombryan: Ah yess!
Lloyd: ah, haha. <3 XKCD
morganb: another one for you, I just finished reading Content Strategy by Kristina Halvorson, how do you think about content in terms of UX planning/wireframes/etc.
vanshea: Good one morgan.
blackjid: Any tips when you have a lean startup that has to be changing and evolving very often in order to understand the user to provide them the right product?
thetombryan: Makes sense!
thetombryan: Absolutely :)
DiegoPulido: Salut ma cherie ;)
DiegoPulido: j'ai une question:
davedawson: Great, thanks for the response!
DiegoPulido: Programming (or other more "technical" skills) are not "required" to be fully mastered by UX designers, but is there any that you wish to be more knowledgeable in to strengthen you capabilities as a UX designer?
johnlabriola: Fireworks or inDesign
vanshea: Thunderbird is kinda nice
Lloyd: What do you think of gmail?
GangstaCode: *genuflects*
thetombryan: It's called an iPhone :D
vanshea: ..oh boy..
vanshea: :D
marc1919: Omnigraffle is great, and I love Balsalmic, but I've been a big fan of Google Draw with wireframe templates lately: https://docs.google.com/drawings/edit?id=1-6kqB3ZrTwoJgE7Z41fV-_fb5ibaSz4vYaFiufAlLCM&hl=en
thetombryan: @marc1919 is that part of SketchUp or separate?
thetombryan: @marc1919 nevermind, I clicked the link :P
fabianapsimoes: thank you, Whitney : )
dafark8: did I miss, what is the beer tonight?
DD: thanks was great to hear about the ipad thinking of getting one and now more incentive
thetombryan: I <3 Happy Cog
thetombryan: hear hear
melanie: That's cool! I'm an aspiring content strategist so it's neat to hear the ux designer perspective.
morganb: cool
willsansbury: @melanie "Aspring?" Whatever. You rock it.
vanshea: marc-that was a very cool GDoc
marc1919: I didn't create that google doc, but I really like it's ability to share and collaborate with others seamlessly. Here is one for iPhone/iPad: https://docs0.google.com/drawings/edit?id=1-cbwYVC3aG4oY1Gx00_7k__kDs9ggZPHnzXAp-KbMFY&hl=en
DiegoPulido: brilliant! It's going on my Amazon wishlist ;)
Lloyd: Ditto :D
Lloyd: eww, fireworks ;D
DiegoPulido: wat you're saying about Google is true: I saw that on a panel as SXSW, in which tey suggested nothing less than functional prototypes as THE one and only deliverable for UX designers :-/
vanshea: marc-link didn't take
dafark8: in design linking
Lloyd: Like comps?
dafark8: i go back and forth - depending on the type of wires indd is valuable though also often a bit overkill as it is a print doc tool by nature
marc1919: try this link: https://docs.google.com/drawings/edit?id=1-cbwYVC3aG4oY1Gx00_7k__kDs9ggZPHnzXAp-KbMFY&hl=en
marc1919: it's too long
dafark8: @willsansbury it took you till now to see that?
marc1919: it does work - I think it's terrific
dafark8: yeah, that was a twitter @ fail
DiegoPulido: i heard quite a few people complainig about it --I didn't quite get it, even after I spoke to the panelist themselves.
dafark8: typed in the wrong window
DiegoPulido: I'm sure it would be great, but...
GangstaCode: why are you so awesome?
blackjid: go crazy about lean startups and UX
willsansbury: bwaha
marc1919: Whitney, you had a question in my SXSW panel that I don't think we answered properly - it was about women entrepreneurs in the ycombinator model - do you still have a strong opinion about the lack of women in startups?
willsansbury: You also apparently love Honey Bunches of Oats.
vanshea: Will-you is funny
marc1919: it was my panel - with Paul Graham, Josh Baer, David Cohen and Naval Ravikant
aaroni268: finally got a chance to catch Whit Hour, stoked!
marc1919: same panel
marc1919: I moderated
marc1919: It's been bothering me for months
willsansbury: ok, a serious question: I know you cowork a lot. Any issues with keeping client confidentiality when you're working in an open space like that?
marc1919: UX is heavily focused on in Capital Factory - I can't speak for any of the others
marc1919: CF vets for the market, not for the solution if that helps
vanshea: Good one will
marc1919: sure - marc1919@gmail.com
Lloyd: @will in NWC they have a boothe for phonecalls, so you can conduct them in private
whitneyhess mod: http://uxmagazine.com/strategy/when-you-startup-with-ux
marc1919: minimum viable product is all about UX
GangstaCode: @mar1919 agreed
dafark8: thanks as always whit
vanshea: yay!
GangstaCode: thanks *genuflects*
marc1919: great job!
blackjid: thanks whitney
GangstaCode: labor day = full day to do startup stuff
gabimoore: This is always an absolute pleasute. Thanks again.
gabimoore: *pleasure
Lloyd: Always love the whit hour
Lloyd: Bye!

JOIN ME NEXT WEEK

Monday, September 6, 10-11pm Eastern Time at http://www.livestream.com/whithour, and bring your questions!

Share this post:

• Whit Hour – Week 14
• The first Whit Hour was a success
• Whit Hour starts August 2 at 9pm ET
• Whit Hour – Week 6
• Whit Hour – Week 12

Here are the most recent additions to my Delicious bookmarks. Hope you enjoy, and please share your thoughts in the comments.

• 500 Internal Server Error
  500 Internal Server Error
• Announcing Lanyrd – the social conference directory
  Pure genius
• On silence-speech – Bobulate
  Silence is sexy
• 7 Stories About Women Heroes in Tech – Please Send Us More – ReadWriteWeb
  Honored to be mentioned among such inspiring women
• The big red word, the little green man, and the international war over exit signs. – By Julia Turner – Slate Magazine

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• Links from 10/4/2009 to 12/21/2009
• Recent Reads – 8/5/2010
• Links from 12/12/2008 to 4/9/2009
• Recent Reads – 1/30/2010
• Recent Reads – 6/22/2010

Here are the most recent additions to my Delicious bookmarks. Hope you enjoy, and please share your thoughts in the comments.

• How to create a process portfolio | PLAN AND SECTION
  A great companion piece to my Process, Not Portfolio article
• The Super Technical Guide to GoToMeeting for Remote Usability on a Mac » Bolt | Peters
  A great tutorial from @brynn @boltron and others. Thanks guys!
• Hands v. Brains: An Attempt to Clear Up Some Confusion » UIE Brain Sparks
  Jared's clarification
• » Should You Be Hands or Brains? Johnny Holland – It’s all about interaction » Blog Archive
  Part 2 by Jared Spool
• » The Hands vs. the Brains Johnny Holland – It’s all about interaction » Blog Archive
  Part 1 by Jared Spool
• Free Range: Alphabet Soup : The New Yorker
  One of the many reasons I don't trust publishers (and love Susan Orlean) /via @berkun

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• Links from 8/18/2009 to 8/22/2009
• links for 2008-03-01
• Links from 4/13/2008 to 4/29/2008
• Links from 6/5/2008
• Links from 7/24/2008 to 7/31/2008

Thank you so much to the ~27 people who showed up for the fourteenth 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.

Tune in every Monday night from 10-11pm Eastern Time at http://www.livestream.com/whithour.

Whit Hour – Week 14

August 23, 2010, from 10:00-11:00pm ET

This Week’s Beer

Anchor Steam
Anchor Brewing Co.
San Francisco, CA

Questions Asked and (Hopefully) Answered

1. So keeping on the pittsburgh theme, the 2011 summer in pgh – move the work back there for the season or what were the thoughts?
2. I see a wide range of iPad app designs — kind of the “wild west” on that device. Have you any UX consulting for the iPad? If so, anything in particular you have learned about it?
3. If you have a website that was primarily a newsletter teaser (where you had to sign up for a newsletter to get content) how would you re-engineer the site to combat declining newsletter subscribers?
4. How do you deal with doing great work for clients but not being able to show it in your folio due to privacy contracts etc?
5. What sort of tasks could you have people do with the short attention span prevalent for this demo?
6. How would I diplomatically explain to a VP that it isn’t ideal for him to sit in on all stakeholder interviews?
7. What do you recommend shifting your focus to when a client is taking a long time to approve wireframes without getting too ahead of yourself?
8. What about the opposite of that situation? What if the client does not allow you enough time to think through the complexity and details?
9. Can you elaborate on your pricing policy? I read the relevant section on your blog, and I really like it, but how do you really evaluate how much value you’re brining in to the project and from that extract how much you should charge? Do you do a time assessment to yourself of how much you expect to be investing in the project or not at all? How much time do you invest with the client before you give him a proposal (learning the proj background etc.)
10. When an ugly ecomm site is (thoughtfully) redesigned & replatformed, yet conversions drop (from 3% to 2%) @ re-launch, where would you start your “what did we miss” process?
11. Do you know anyone who uses a pricing methodology similar to yours in other disciplines such as development?
12. When you tell clients you can’t work with them without a budget, how do you negotiate that? Do you convert clients who initially insist on some kind of hourly rate?
13. What is your favorite corporate-lingo term?
14. Have you been able to get a large percentage of your paying work done at coworking spaces like New Work CIty or do you need to retreat to a private space for heavy duty work? Are those spaces good for the social but not necessarily heads-down?

Full Text Chat

Welcome to the ‘whithour’ room.
dafark8: loud and clear
thetombryan: gotcha
lezardfleck: loud and clear
Pedro Belleza: Hi Whitney
dafark8: At least one of us here shares the pgh love
thetombryan: I’m trying to think of an awesome question! It’s lunchtime here and I’m slacking off work to tune in :P
Pedro Belleza: I will be just hearing. I have a job to finish. Good chat guys!
dafark8: So keeping on the pittsburgh theme, the 2011 summer in pgh – move the work back there for the season or what were the thoughts?
lezardfleck: back
Mortvia: Hi all!
lezardfleck: stupid internet died
lezardfleck: hey mortvia
thetombryan: Launceston, Australia!
Mortvia: Hey Lezard, how are you?
mltorrefranca: Summer in Pgh sounds like a great idea.
ChrisCavallucci: howdy
lezardfleck: Im cool, can you log on skype so we dont spam here again ? =P
lezardfleck: and a brazilian as most of the whit hours =P
lwcavallucci: Wow 2 years already! Congrats!
klayon: Hello from Minneapolis. =) I see a wide range of iPad app designs — kind of the “wild west” on that device. Have you any UX consulting for the iPad? If so, anything in particular you have learned about it?
thetombryan: On the iPad – how far have you gotten on Angry Birds?
gruen: hi whit!
thetombryan: Best game ever.
gruen: i’m currently watching an ad
gruen: can we talk about how bad of a ux decision that is?
lwcavallucci: Yeah, about the ads, is there any way to get rid of them?
lwcavallucci: that’s a crazy pricing plan.
thetombryan: I’ve gotta shoot off now Whit – I’ll prepare some questions for next week now that I finally signed up ;)
mcarvin: oh hai
gruen: alright—here’s a question. if you have a website that was primarily a newsletter teaser (where you had to sign up for a newsletter to get content) how would you re-engineer the site to combat declining newsletter subscribers?
gruen: newsletter subscribers = higher CPMs
gruen: much much higher
stillpixels: how do you deal with doing great work for clients but not being able to show it in your folio due to privacy contracts etc?
gruen: 21-30 nightlife douchebags who work at conde nast and goldman sachs
gruen: (they don’t fill out surveys)
gruen: ok
gruen: so get them intoxicated
gruen: what sort of tasks could you have people do with the short attention span prevalent for this demo?
lynneux: http://www.uxmatters.com/mt/archives/2009/10/process-not-portfolio.php
lynneux: :)
stillpixels: cheers!
gruen: sure
gruen: anyway, to give you more color on the problem: the business is to be an aggregator for content. that is, a staff runs out and finds the best of the best for the day and serves to be the editor for the sheer amount of crap on the internet. so, we’re supposed to be a single point of entry (get in-get out) sort of thing
mcarvin: for stillpixels, from Russ Unger’s blog: http://www.userglue.com/blog/2008/04/02/how-do-you-display-your-samples-of-work/
gruen: hence
gruen: engagement is to be lower
gruen: we don’t want them lost in a web of hyperlinks
gruen: yes
gruen: thrillist for X
gruen: (i’m not commenting on the business model)
lynneux: Hey Whit. How would I diplomatically explain to a VP that it isn’t ideal for him to sit in on all stakeholder interviews?
gruen: you don’t think it’s the content?
gruen: that’s an idea :) <3
lynneux: Good idea.
gruen: i think that's the stronger point
lynneux: Absolutely :)
greyongray: What do you recommend shifting your focus to when a client is taking a long time to approve wireframes without getting too ahead of yourself?
lynneux: Ha. Perfect. Thanks Whit.
gruen: that worked for me too
ChrisCavallucci: What about the opposite of that situation? What if the client does not allow you enough time to think through the complexity and details?
gruen: anchor steam!
greyongray: thx white, very insightful - I have content copy writing to stay busy with
greyongray: *whit
ChrisCavallucci: sorry: subcontractor scenario
ChrisCavallucci: limited space here...
benmarks: Whit, when an ugly ecomm site is (thoughtfully) redesigned & replatformed, yet conversions drop (from 3% to 2%) @ re-launch, where would you start your "what did we miss" process? After cracking open an Anchor Steam, of course.
gruen: gtg-- thanks whit!
DP: Hi Whit! Impressive that you take time to do this, it's great! Do you know anyone who uses a pricing methodology similar to yours in other disciplines such as development?
benmarks: lol touche.
DP: makes sense to me! thanks.
DP: One more. When you tell clients you can't work with them without a budget, how do you negotiate that? Do you convert clients who initially insist on some kind of hourly rate? (oops, you just got interrupted by a condom ad!)
greyongray: what is your favorite corporate-lingo term? (a la businessguysonbusinesstrips)
lezardfleck: LOL
lezardfleck: im really loling a lot here
lynneux: Makes so much sense. Is the same advice my father has always given for negotiating salary :)
DP: That sounds very sane.
dafark8: http://businessguysonbusinesstrips.com/?p=247
dafark8: http://whitneyhess.com/blog/2009/02/20/my-favorite-terms-from-the-dictionary-of-corporate-bullshit-2008-part-1/
benmarks: I’m going to leverage that post at the next optimal instance.
greyongray: lol
dafark8: i’m still trying to get my head around ‘application leakage’ that i got earlier today
lynneux: also good: http://emptybottle.org/bullshit/index.php
greyongray: I work with those people
crashhelmet: http://emptybottle.org/bullshit/index.php
crashhelmet: haha
crashhelmet: lynn you are too fast
uxjam: haha, bingo, that’s genius
DP: I don’t see any other Q’s up yet, so I’ll throw another one out (I’m so selfish). Have you been able to get a large percentage of your paying work done at coworking spaces like New Work CIty or do you need to retreat to a private space for heavy duty work? Are those spaces good for the social but not necessarily heads-down?
benmarks: Congrats on the @NWC fundraising effort btw
Mortvia: Very true, it helps to be fired up by others
DP: (yes, congrats on the kickstarter success)
dafark8: thanks whit
Dan: Thanks Whit!
lwcavallucci: Thanks Whit!
DP: Thanks!
Mortvia: Thanks, Whitney! Bye all!
benmarks: Preciate ya
uxjam: thanks!
lynneux: thanks Whit

JOIN ME NEXT WEEK

Monday, August 30, 10-11pm Eastern Time at http://www.livestream.com/whithour, and bring your questions!

Share this post:

• Whit Hour – Week 15
• Whit Hour – Week 2
• Whit Hour – Week 4
• Whit Hour – Week 12
• Whit Hour – Week 5

On the afternoon of Friday, August 22, 2008, I “left work” for the last time.

It was my last day at my full-time job and I was officially self-employed.

The last two years have been a whirlwind, and the benefits and repercussions of that single action have been far more significant than I ever could have predicted. As I’ve said 100 times — and will probably be repeating til the end of my days — that was the best decision I’ve ever made.

I had a great job at a great company and I loved my work, but I wasn’t satisfied with my career or my life. So I forwent the cushy routine and instead chose the unstable, insecure, unknown, unpredictable path. As a result, I have created a life for myself that is better than I ever dared to dream.

Independence is a word that holds a lot of weight with me. Freedom, autonomy, self-reliance, self-expression. And anxiety, discord, isolation, vulnerability.

I am completely alone in this. It’s the best possible best and the worst possible worst all wrapped up into one.

And yet somehow, someway, it fits me like a glove.

Last year I was feeling a huge mix of emotions as my first year of full-time independent consulting came to a close. Quite frankly I was a chicken with my head cut off, and I was feeling it at hard. I knew I needed to make a change. So I created a strategic plan for how I wanted to move my business forward and how I wanted to better live my life — and now, looking back at Year 2, I’m happy to say that I stuck to it.

From August 2008 to August 2009 (Year 1), I had contracts with 17 clients. I was juggling far too much work with an unsustainable schedule of meetings from 9am-6pm, a four-hour break for events and social life, and production work from 10pm-4am. I was a friggin’ zombie, double-booking, pushing deadlines, eating crap, losing touch with friends, and desperately searching for air.

I was told by a close friend and mentor to raise my rates, so I did, and continue to. As a result, from August 2009 to now (Year 2), I had contracts with only 8 clients, and I earned 30% more year-over-year. After crunching the numbers, I discovered that I made 270% more money per project in year two, meaning that on average my project rates were almost 3x the size year-over-year. That’s pretty damn cool.

There’s another stat that I’m particularly proud of: In Year 1, 7.3% of my invoices were unpaid; in Year 2, a staggering 0% unpaid. This feat doesn’t just tell me that I got better at collecting money, but that I got better at choosing clients.

Best of all, I worked less. I stopped most (though not all) of my late-night shifts, and spent a lot more time speaking at conferences, writing, and reconnecting with my friends and myself.

Some events of Year 2 are immeasurable: I gave the closing keynote at the conference where I had given my very first presentation just one year earlier; I did research and strategy for the Holocaust Museum; after waiting more than 4 years, a U.S. patent with my name on it was finally granted; after completely bombing a presentation, I went back to the drawing board and turned it into a hit; I was published by A List Apart; I was approached by multiple publishers to write a book for them; I was invited to Foo Camp. I mean, come on! My mind has been blown over and over and over again. I can’t believe this is my life.

I’ve faced a lot of negativity as well, and I’ve discovered even deeper, truer friends because of it. It certainly hasn’t all been a cakewalk, and I expect that things will just get harder as the years go on. But I take solace in the fact that I’m learning that independence doesn’t have to mean loneliness. I have an incredible support network of friends, family and fans (though I prefer to think of them as friends I just haven’t met yet). I’m constantly inspired by the community of members at New Work City, who have lent me their strength and taught me the value of co-independence. I’ve learned a lot about who I am, and who I want to be. And I’m learning how to get myself there.

I serendipitously got a link from my friend Will Sansbury today that couldn’t be more apropos. It’s on the “Paradoxical Commandments of Leadership” by Kent Keith. His rules:

1. People are illogical, unreasonable, and self-centered. Love them anyway.

2. If you do good, people will accuse you of selfish ulterior motives. Do good anyway.

3. If you are successful, you win false friends and true enemies. Succeed anyway.

4. The good you do today will be forgotten tomorrow. Do good anyway.

5. Honesty and frankness make you vulnerable. Be honest and frank anyway.

6. The biggest men with the biggest ideas can be shot down by the smallest men with the smallest minds. Think big anyway.

7. People favor underdogs, but follow only top dogs. Fight for a few underdogs anyway.

8. What you spend years building may be destroyed overnight. Build anyway.

9. People really need help but may attack you if you do help them. Help people anyway.

10. Give the world the best you have and you’ll get kicked in the teeth. Give the world the best you have anyway.

Today as I start Year 3, I will be keeping these principles in mind, skipping down my path, enjoying all the good fortune and important lessons life has to offer me, and sharing it all with you along the way.

Thanks for traveling with me.

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• Happy New Year to You
• Help me celebrate my 1st year of self-employment
• Today is my 1 year anniversary of going solo
• The 5-Year Anniversary of My LLC
• May you be inscribed in the book of life

Here are the most recent additions to my Delicious bookmarks. Hope you enjoy, and please share your thoughts in the comments.

• Worth a read: the Paradoxical Commandments of Leadership – Good Experience
  Something I really needed to read right now, sent to me by a very kind friend.
• Give the Client What they Want — Robot Regime
  Great post by @dkardys that really hits home
• The Perfect Tuna: Jealousy, Haters, and Success: Lessons to Live By
  @tigerfork is a wise person

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• Recent Reads – 6/22/2010
• Links from 5/14/2008 to 5/16/2008
• links for 2008-02-24
• Design.alltop.com
• Recent Reads – 8/5/2010

I recently edited an article for UX Magazine (When You Startup with UX) in which I interviewed four startups on what User Experience means to them.

Of all the things that people said, the quote that stood out to me the most was from Mike Singleton, a developer at Foursquare:

“…when you only have three users, but the service doesn’t work, you should fix the service first. A coffee shop needs to serve good coffee before optimizing table layout.”

I remember when he said it. I was sitting across the table from him at Think Coffee, which for all intents and purposes is Foursquare’s cafeteria.

There I was trying to capture nuggets from big tech players to prove that all of their success rests on their user experience, and finally it hit me — it doesn’t.

* * *

Of all the products in my apartment (and there must be more than 500 not including media), there is one that I consider to be the single best product I’ve ever purchased: the Magic Eraser. It’s not even the Mr. Clean brand, it’s just the generic Duane Reade version.

Why is it the best product I’ve ever bought? Because it just works.

As I was cleaning the scratches off my walls just moments ago, I was reminded of what Mike said. If it doesn’t work, no amount of user experience is going to fix it. So then logic would tell us that the developer is more important than the user experience designer. There, I said it. We are NOT the center of the universe.

The Magic Eraser has almost no aesthetic to it. It’s just a squishy white block of melamine foam. It doesn’t have ergonomic indentations for your fingers, or the optimal wiping direction somehow indicated, or pretty flowers printed on it. You just pour some water on it, squeeze off the excess, and wipe. And it works! Every time.

When forcing myself to think about its user experience, I can only come up with the following:

• It doesn’t flake off as you wipe
• It doesn’t leave a residue on your hands
• It dries quickly
• It’s reusable

…None of which would matter if it didn’t remove stains as it promises!

If I were designing a product from scratch and had full control over its development, this is what I’d choose to do: 1) make it do what it’s supposed to do; 2) make it fun to use; 3) make it easy to use; 4) make it look good.

That means you need an engineer before you need a user experience designer, and you need a user experience designer before you need a visual designer.

That’s just what I was thinking about as I was cleaning my walls. I feel much better now that I got the dirt off.

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• When You Startup With UX
• How Little You Really Know
• Whit Hour – Week 12
• My BlackBerry Wishlist
• I have joined the UXnet board of directors

Thank you so much to the ~29 people who showed up for the thirteenth 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.

Tune in every Monday night from 10-11pm Eastern Time at http://www.livestream.com/whithour.

Whit Hour – Week 13

August 16, 2010, from 10:17-11:17pm ET

This Week’s Beer

None! It was a rough day and I figured beer wasn’t a good idea.

Questions Asked and (Hopefully) Answered

1. how do you handle convincing backend developers that a ui change is beneficial when they argue that its not the case?
2. how do you find/attract your freelance work?
3. have you had to abadon any UX projects
4. how do you find the confidence to advice a team? just through all your research that you’ve done or purely thru believing in yourself?
5. Why did you choose to be an independent consultant as opposed to starting a business?
6. Do you learn from developers? How can developers help improve UX?
7. where do UX people hang out / discuss online
8. Have you ever had to work with any Interwoven/Autonomy products? If so what are your thoughts?
9. what type of projects do you work on for your own professional exercise, writing, desiging, playing spider solitaire?
10. what are your favourite tools? any prototyping tools?
11. do you do any UX outside of HCI?
12. How do you determine when to use traditional UX patterns vs. trying to create new ones?
13. what beer are you drinking tonight?
14. what’s the #1 book in your library, fiction or work related, doesn’t matter

Full Text Chat

Welcome to the ‘whithour’ room.
crashhelmet: :)
whitneyhess mod: So it appears that Livestream isn’t working for me
whitneyhess mod: Is anyone in here?
crashhelmet: i am
jonathan: Hi whitney!
Ian: :-(
shiawuen: showing offline
PML: all your bases are belong to us
crashhelmet: this is cursed
whitneyhess mod: Livestream Webcaster won’t launch
whitneyhess mod: this is the 4th platform i’ve tried in a year, it’s incredible
crashhelmet: you should just run go to meeting haha
jonathan: there you are
crashhelmet: you are on the air
gabimoore changed their nickname to gabimoore.
shanink: yup
jgilkey: yes, i can hear you
shanink: yay!
Ian: yup
PML: w00t!
justin_davis: gotcha now!
jgilkey: lots of echo though
jgilkey: yes
justin_davis: yup
Ian: yes
jonathan: I can hear you
shiawuen: no problem
pixelflips: yay! finally made it home from work at a decent hour. yup can hear you
Leon: I can hear you clearly over here in the Republic of Panama
stillpixels: yep
macdeke: yep
gabimoore: awesome of you to be doing this today, i know it’s been a rough day
pixelflips: how do you handle convincing backend developers that a ui change is beneficial when they argue that its not the case?
jonathan: whitney appears to have frozen
stillpixels: how do you find/attract your freelance work?
pixelflips: awesome – great answer!! thanks for the tip, that is very helpful and will def be used in my arsenal – thanks again!
jonathan: no you’re good now
crashhelmet: have you had to abadon any UX projects
shanink: how do you find the confidence to advice a team? just through all your research that you’ve done or purely thru believing in yourself?
shanink: advise…whoops
gabimoore: Why did you choose to be an independent consultant as opposed to starting a business?
justin_davis: sounds like @jmspool’s hands vs. brains article :)
stillpixels: great answer – cheers! “independant” over “freelancer” is a good distinction
GangstaCode: where do UX people hang out / discuss online
crashhelmet: ouch. sounds sucky. thanks for the honesty.
RodrigoSanchez: @GanstaCode look into IxDA and UPA groups in your local area
gabimoore: Do you learn from developers? How can developers help improve UX?
RodrigoSanchez: those are great places to meet great people in UX
crashhelmet: what are your favourite tools (sorry if this is a repeat question)
shanink: awesome :)
shanink: definitely
mango: hire an assistance
mango: like inception, assemble your own team
gabimoore: I hear you, I’m exactly the same, trusting is really hard
robertbanh: are those all your books behind you? wow
whitneyhess mod: http://www.elizabethbuie.com/resources/uxtweeps-p2.html
whitneyhess mod: http://www.elizabethbuie.com/resources/uxtweeps.html
GangstaCode: gangsta answer
GangstaCode: thanks!
orian: why aren’t those just two Twitter lists?
crashhelmet: do you do any UX outside of HCI
r: Have you ever had to work with any Interwoven/Autonomy products? If so what are your thoughts?
macdeke: So … what type of projects do you work on for your own professional exercise, writing, desiging, playing spider solitaire?
shanink: i was gonna just ask if you dedicate time to reading :) i have a problem with books myself. LOVE.
FallLine: Couldn’t agree more on your assessment (UX v HCI)
whitneyhess mod: Jan Chipchase
Ian: interwoven is a content management system
macdeke: yes
r: Interwoven/Autonomy make enterprise level Content Management Systems and Asset management tools.
zarzecks: driving range helps too :)
crashhelmet: • r.e. HCi sorry i meant ourside of web/software development
gabimoore: any prototyping tools?
crashhelmet: thanks for reply on tools – just wanted to know what you used not an endorsement
crashhelmet: and finally – i LOVE skitch
shanink: i have that same ‘issue’, not ‘problem’. fiction vs. work related books. i don’t feel so alone this evening…i’m glad i joined in this live chat.
jonathan: Yes I have that same issue, shanink!
robertbanh: +1 book problem here too :)
zarzecks: How do you determine when to use traditional UX patterns vs. trying to create new ones?
crashhelmet: oooh good question
zarzecks: ugly word :)
robertbanh: what are some UX patterns? just to name a few…
jonathan: Would these be considered UX patterns? http://patterns.endeca.com/content/library/en/home.html
zarzecks: skip intro?
whitneyhess mod: http://developer.yahoo.com/ypatterns/
whitneyhess mod: http://quince.infragistics.com/
jodyferry: http://www.flickr.com/photos/morville/collections/72157603785835882/
whitneyhess mod: http://www.designingsocialinterfaces.com/patterns.wiki/index.php?title=Main_Page
whitneyhess mod: http://www.flickr.com/photos/factoryjoe/collections/72157600001823120/
zarzecks: http://www.lukew.com/ff/archive.asp?tag&patterns
RodrigoSanchez: http://patterntap.com/
zarzecks: even: http://jqueryui.com/
robertbanh: thank you for talking about design patterns between developers and UI users
jodyferry: what’s your big idea for an iPhone app?
jonathan: that’s a very mysterious response :)
jodyferry: yes! thanks!
zarzecks: what beer are you drinking tonight?
zarzecks: boo
robertbanh: what’s the #1 book in your library, fiction or work related, doesn’t matter
shanink: thank you! :D
jonathan: that’s a tough question
robertbanh: favorite?
shanink: or one that you’d read again, no question
robertbanh: no, u can answer how u like
shanink: right, robertbanh
whitneyhess mod: Time and Again, Jack Finney
robertbanh: i’m buying that book tonight!
zarzecks: really great b!ook
zarzecks: *book!
robertbanh: like max tivoli and time traveler’s wife
RodrigoSanchez: thanks as always whitney. ps i got my copy of objectified :-) looking forward to watching it this weekend.
robertbanh: thank you!
whitneyhess mod: Sketching User Experiences, Bill Buxton
jonathan: Whitney’s Book Club ;)
shanink: thank you, thank you
jonathan: thank you
jodyferry: good night. See ya! :)
Pedro Belleza: Thanks!
jgilkey: thank you :)
jonathan: good night!
lwcavallucci: Hi Whitney, I’m listening in, but working at same time. Great Whithour tonight.

JOIN ME NEXT WEEK

Monday, August 23, 10-11pm Eastern Time at http://www.livestream.com/whithour (new location), and bring your questions!

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• Whit Hour – Week 15
• Whit Hour – Week 12
• Whit Hour – Week 3
• Whit Hour – Week 2
• Whit Hour – Week 4

A few days ago, I received an amazing email from someone I have never before met, wanting to share some information. The purpose of the email is irrelevant, but the opening paragraph is SO classic, it’s worth reposting here.

You should know that somewhere in the depths of the UX world there are a bunch of people you have definitely never heard working on the remarkably unglamorous side of UX. That would be me and my colleagues…working for the government. Trying to bring large titanic-like agencies into the 21st century. While protecting data. And making everything VERY usable, because our user group is, well, America. Working to provide an excellent experience…while adhereing to a lot of regulations and red tape etc. etc. People who are trying really really hard to make the world a better place. Because we really care that you should be able to apply for a new Social Security card online, and that it should be less painful than going to a Social Security office. Who really want to find a way to make you not want to beat your head against a wall of nails when you have to fill out an IRS form. You get the picture.

We thank you, unglamorous UXers. Sleep well.

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• Photo of the day: Do Not Disturb
• PayPal’s Live Chat Falls Short
• A Hippocratic Oath for User Experience Designers
• Photo of the day: Nine wrong ways to swipe
• Photo of the day: You Can’t Un-Shit a First Impression