IMPORTANT: Design roundup from last week: please read before Design Mtg.

Jess Mitchell jess at jessmitchell.com
Tue Jun 30 01:01:15 UTC 2009


Hey all,

I hate it when people write long emails and then apologize for their  
length.  So, I won't apologize :)

I just wanted to send out an email that attempts to round up what I  
heard in our Design meeting on Wednesday morning last week.  I thought  
this would be helpful to articulate and perhaps help to get us on the  
same page, to get feedback, to get clarity on next steps, and to serve  
as structure for our upcoming meetings with each other.  I had a  
number of conversations today that have also seeped into this email:  
Muriel and James on roadmapping, James on next steps, and Ron on  
structure for Tuesday.

On Wednesday we talked about low-level (low-road) and high-level (high  
road) activities that we would all be taking on in the coming weeks.   
I'm going to try to start a list of low level and high level  
activities for:
• iPhone wireframes toward a prototype (deliverable for Q3)
• spatial mapping extending the existing scenarios that were presented  
last week at the all hands (deliverable for Q3)
• conceptual mapping (specifically around tagging) (deliverable for Q3)
http://wiki.fluidproject.org/display/fluid/Fluid+Engage+Roadmap

One way to think of the low level activities would be to consider them  
the tangibles for a context that has been scoped to a certain extent  
and requires some  hands-on work be done such as:
- wireframes
- continued conversations with partners to refine and test out a  
fairly well scoped idea
- prototypes

Some of our current examples of low level activities are:
- the wireframes for iPhone are at a point where they have some shape  
and direction and some structure but need to be iterated upon and  
refined
- feedback on iPhone wireframes
- quickly move forward prototyping iPhone wireframes with the  
developers (in the next two weeks)
- spatial mapping (location-aware) also has some work done in the form  
of early scenarios.
- spatial mapping needs some early feedback (perhaps in the form of  
conversations RE: RFID with McCord and spatial mapping in a large  
museum like DIA)
- spatial mapping will develop wireframes iterating on the above.

Low level activities come from (and then also circle back to inform)  
the higher level activities to further refine and articulate the area  
we're working in.
- research
- developing interaction types
- affinity diagram interpretation
- brainstorming exercises
- interaction models
- early articulation of what we might do in a contextualized space  
(team brainstorming)

High level activities are a culmination of a number of influences  
including conversations with our partners, research of prior  
knowledge, keeping up to date on relevant blogs and articles, talking  
with each other, etc.

Some of our current examples of higher level activities are:
- ongoing research in all contexts we're working in (keeping tapped  
into the conversations)
- incorporating the Advisory Panel members' comments into our work
- look into specific resources Advisory Panel members told us about
- early research in conceptual mapping (starting with tagging)
- early ideas sketched out in conceptual mapping
- extracting ideas from the brainstorming activity we did with our  
museum partners as well as our affinity diagram (tagging, emotions/ 
visitor feedback)
- evolve our thinking and begin to have an early articulation of a  
scoped project we might take on in the conceptual mapping.

These steps aren't linear or unidirectional.  Our thoughts and  
experiences should blend, evolving our thinking until we, through  
collaboration, communication, and sharing begin to get some semblance  
of clarity of how we might refine an idea into a smaller mini- 
engagement or project.  Together the low and high level activities are  
both cerebral and practical, making up important stages in the Design  
process.  We all work within each of these areas simultaneously.  So,  
at any point we are doing research, having conversations, iterating on  
wireframes, and doing early prototypes.  That is what we'll need to do  
to move Fluid Engage forward.

So, moving forward, I'm going to propose the next few weeks look like  
this:
Ron will talk to us about Interaction models at our design meeting on  
Tuesday, When: Every Tuesday at 12:30p PDT / 1:30p MDT / 3:30pm EDT /  
8:30p BST / 9:30p CEST http://wiki.fluidproject.org/display/fluid/Design+Meetings

I'm going to suggest that we all read these two articles:
http://www.archimuse.com/ichim07/papers/wakkary/wakkary.html
http://tinyurl.com/m79akz
in advance of our meeting tomorrow.

When we left the meeting on Wednesday morning, we had a list of  
activities that we would be working on for the next two weeks.  Please  
consider this a start to a conversation about what needs to get done  
rather than a workplan.  I have added and adjusted some things in  
response to the roadmap and some conversations from today.  I think we  
should talk about all of this and even get more specific about it.

Vicki:
- focus on getting up to speed on "mapping" and then begin some of the  
work on the conceptual mapping (tagging).  Thus far the work in  
"mapping" has been spatial.  I think working in both of these areas is  
also a possibility if you have time. See James' deliverables for  
shared work.

Kevin
- will also need to have time to get up to speed and will also be  
thinking about the tools museum professionals might have to use when  
using engage.  There is an opportunity to work closely with Alison who  
is "living" at the DIA this month.  They would be a great  
collaboration partner on getting some basic information about existing  
infrastructure and tool needs.
- also working on ecologies and interaction types

James
- mobile: Hugues get feedback on wireframes; work with Heidi and Jacob  
on early prototype; get feedback from Titus and Nancy on early work
- conceptual mapping: conversation with Jess/Vicki/Jason MMI re  
tagging; James/Vicki will write something up get feedback on that;  
iterate; prototype
- spatial mapping: McCord resources RFID share research with Erin;  
conversations with DIA while Alison is there and McCord; get feedback  
on existing mapping scenarios

Erin
-- spatial mapping

Tona
-- mobile / spatial mapping

Alistair
-- mobile / spatial mapping

Alison
- work with Jennifer to draw out information re: tagging, emotions/ 
visitor feedback
- work with Kevin on museum professional tools and infrastructure needs
- assist DIA in conversations about spatial mapping; begin early work  
there

It'd be a miracle if you made it this far.

J


~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Jess Mitchell
Boston, MA, USA
Project Manager / Fluid Project
jess at jessmitchell.com
/ w / 617.326.7753  / c / 919.599.5378
jabber: jessmitchell at gmail.com
http://www.fluidproject.org
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~




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