Disqus - Latest Comments for chaalz

Re: UX Research: Lesson 02

Chaalz — Fri, 17 Feb 2017 14:41:03 -0000

Love the videos. Several things are a bit unclear once I think even more about this though...

For a B2B product, how do you deal with the issue where one may get positive feedback during the research stages, but that doesn't necessarily translate into paying customers when the product is launched?

Also, re "you're not the customer", its seems like this may or may not apply to every product. Correct me if I'm wrong, but lets say a few years ago someone decides to build what is now Instagram. What real "pain point" was being solved? What customer would say "no I don't want to share better pics"? Seems like some products just need to be demo'd first to really get a better sense from the customer.

All in all, I'm trying to understand how much weight to put into research when some customers would say:
-they love your idea (but really won't end up paying you),
-they wouldn't use the product but they haven't really put a value on the pain point (because there isn't yet a product they can solve the pain with that highlights the pain point)
-they wouldn't use the product but they've only been thinking about the pain point critically for all of 5 mins

Any insight is greatly appreciated.

Re: Troy Hunt: It’s 2016 already, how are websites still screwing up these user experiences?!

Chaalz — Fri, 12 Feb 2016 13:56:37 -0000

Hopefully not mentioned already but multiple inter-video ads are so damn annoying. You already forced me to watch your 30 sec ad at the beginning....isn't that enough?! Case in point: @Bidnessetc. Once I watched a 175 sec video that had SEVEN video ads. And those ads totalled 171 secs! I guess I should just be grateful for the 4 secs of content I got.

Re: Google: The New "Messenger" App In Android 5.0 Is A Stock SMS/MMS Solution, Not A Hangouts Replacement / Rebrand

Chaalz — Thu, 16 Oct 2014 07:46:23 -0000

Or is it because they want to compete with Facebook's Messenger and now Facebook's WhatsApp? Looks like the start of a trend where apps are being split out by major function to take up more screen real estate . Just a thought.

Re: http://bigthink.com/ideas/41479

Chaalz — Wed, 25 Jan 2012 18:49:04 -0000

You are making my point. They spend money on ads because ads work. They work because people don't investigate the facts but just believe what they want to believe based on pre-conceived notions. What percentage of what you know about the 1% came from your due diligence? Is there NO ONE from the 99% that can run for office and win because the 99% voted for him? Why not?

Re: http://bigthink.com/ideas/41479

Chaalz — Tue, 24 Jan 2012 09:20:46 -0000

Question, if I own a company that makes $10 Mill / year and have all the money I'll ever need and laying off 10% of my company will make me even more money, are protesters saying I should not do this from a moral stand-point?

99% of the people can't control what a politician does while in office, but 99% of the population can determine who IS in office. I hate an unjust system as the next guy, but it will continue to be unjust if most people are so easily persuaded by 15-sec sound bites during the election process. The system is unjust, but it is encouraged/supported by most, whether they realize it or not. We need a more scientifically/politically/morally literate electorate.

Re: http://bigthink.com/ideas/41479

Chaalz — Tue, 24 Jan 2012 09:07:34 -0000

He said "most" people. I think its higher than $30k, but certainly everyone doesn't deserve $1 million a year either.

Re: NASA's Mars Rover Opportunity Reaches the Crater Endeavour - TIME

Chaalz — Wed, 17 Aug 2011 14:38:29 -0000

Here is the problem, you and many others don't really mean ROI, you mean ROIN. Return On Investment NOW.

If in 20 years we figure out how to deflect an asteroid and in 50 years we actually deflect one that would have wiped out your family, you would think different.

May I offer an analogy?

Space exploration, and all scientific research really, should be thought of as putting the pieces of a puzzle together. Every year we find new pieces. Sometimes we know where they go (immediately useful), sometimes its just a piece of the puzzle that will become valuable in the future. You don't throw away that new piece of the puzzle just because it doesn't fit nicely into your current puzzle (read world). You hold on to it and KEEP searching for more pieces.

When faced with problems, we look to the current state of the puzzle (collective intelligence) to see how best to solve those problems, whether it be building a faster plane, improving communications systems, protecting our climate/the Earth, etc.

Its not about warm and fuzzies. Its about having a vision and goal of improving life as we know it.

Re: NASA's Mars Rover Opportunity Reaches the Crater Endeavour - TIME

Chaalz — Wed, 17 Aug 2011 14:19:43 -0000

through our political landscape ;)

Re: #NASATweetup: Breaking the news to my kids

Chaalz — Wed, 17 Aug 2011 11:28:49 -0000

Hehe. Thanks. I had forgotten about this post and just read it again. Thanks for making ME laugh!

Re: Why You Need To Stop Worrying About Saving Money

Chaalz — Thu, 11 Aug 2011 17:14:36 -0000

The part of this article that says you should be expanding your skills, not being stagnant, having backup plans, etc is great.

The rest of this article is some of the WORST advice I have ever seen. I say that sincerely, for all young people that will read this article. Please don't follow this advice.

"When you’re 40 or 50, ... you should absolutely be worried about making and saving money as much as possible"

Well that is exactly what will happen, since you didn't save early. Those that lived within their means and saved right from the start, wont be "worrying" so much as ensuring their hard earned savings are being put to good use. Worry leads to stress which leads to, guess what, illness, which cost money to pay for. Vicious cycle.

Here is the cold hard truth.
You spend 25 yrs (or so) in formal education.
You spend the next 40 yrs working and saving.
You spend the next 10-15 yrs in retirement with "poorer" health, living off of your savings.
(before you disagree, go look up life expectancy rates)

That is it folks. That is the game we are ALL forced to play and you only get ONE shot at it. The Universe doesn't care if you are Gen-X, Y or Z.

I hope all young people reading this realize that you can be responsible and have a fulfilling life and career at the same time. Be the intelligent, vibrant and gutsy people you are. Show the previous generation that you've learned from their mistakes and that you can do better. Don't sabotage your future with terrible advice like "you’ll have plenty of time to max out your 401K". Don't be part of the statistic for which the phrase "youth is wasted on the young", is true.

And it is beyond me that the author used the phrases "savings account" and "magically grow" in the same sentence! And to top it off he, "guarantees" it?

Re: Why You Need To Stop Worrying About Saving Money

Chaalz — Thu, 11 Aug 2011 16:27:09 -0000

Please show me where you get "traditional retirement being a thing of the past".

Re: Great People Are Overrated

Chaalz — Tue, 21 Jun 2011 16:23:35 -0000

Every programmer has an internal multiplier. Sometimes it's 0.01, sometimes it's 100. From my experience 5 A++ developers is worth way more than 15 D- ones. I've seen many many times where a boss would ask for "professional opinions" or estimates and poor talent would steer the product in ways that are detrimental (no understanding of the market and no vision) to the company. They see their job as coders and don't challenge wrong ideas or suggest better ones. They take no ownership. Yes they are cheaper but when your company starts losing out to competitors they end up being much more costly.

Bottom line: every new employee should have a positive internal multiplier and help bring the team up, not drag it down.

Re: Tips for #nasatweetup Participants

Chaalz — Fri, 25 Mar 2011 12:53:26 -0000

Excellent points. Still applies to anyone making the trek down to FL, even if you're not a part of the #NASATweetup. Thanks!

Re: Twenty Seven + A Small Request

Chaalz — Sat, 09 Oct 2010 23:10:26 -0000

Jenny Jen Jens! Happy Birthday!

To say you and LAC have been inspirational is an understatement. I really believe this blog is a reflection of who you are. LAC is focused, respectful of its readers, genuinely wants to help, knowledgeable, passionate, vulnerable, emotional, empowering, practical and funny.

When I first contacted you (about the layout of your blog of all things) you responded with lots of tips and suggestions and I thought, "wow, thats awfully nice of her". That alone inspired me to create my first blog and educate myself about all things blogging. Keeping in contact with you showed me this wasn't a fluke.

Fast forward a year and half to today...I'm in the process of single-handedly launching a small startup, something I've always wanted to do.

eghem...some people write books, some people write code. *sticks tongue out* ;)

So keep up the great work. Maybe if I ever go for a big investor pitch next year we'll finally get to meet.

And I'm just going to throw this out there "cuz ya neva know", Suze Orman turns 60 next year. I think I have a good idea of who could be a great replacement in 5-7 years. #bigGoalsRemember

Re: Microsoft Office Is Stupid And Google Docs Had To Follow

Chaalz — Sun, 20 Jun 2010 23:36:03 -0000

Can't believe its been over a year since I wrote that post. :)

Interesting to approach it from a user-knowledge point of view. No doubt there is lots one can do with software if they know all the small hidden features. But the learning curve is not worth the effort.

The point I'm trying to make (admittedly rather poorly) is that there is (read - shouldn't be) no such thing as "number bias" and no such thing as "only for display" or limitations on font sizes.

From a user point of view, being purely objective, I believe the requirements are simple:
1. You want a thing, lets call it a document, that holds your data.
2. This document can be printed (into one or more pages of info).
3. This document can be displayed (into one or more screen full of info).
4. Creating/Editing this document must be easy and intuitive.

I don't see any need for guessing the best structure as there is only 1 structure. Trust me I know as a developer myself that this is remarkably hard to do, let alone do well. But I also know that it is doable. With almost 2 decades of Office software development under their belt, I just can't give MS a free pass anymore as to why a better approach has not been tried.

Well I better stop here...its almost midnight and you got me excited again looking up old designs I have stored away for this. Just can't seem to find the time!

Thanks for the comment.

Re: Memo: You Are Not Your Job

Chaalz — Fri, 09 Apr 2010 11:11:20 -0000

Flat out awesome response.

So true about the 3 sources of self-esteem you mention. I think you've found a major source of the problem.

I cant recall the last time I've been complimented or praised for my personal beliefs/ethics/faith or for my interpersonal relationships. Almost all have been a result of what I've achieved professionally. "Great job on getting that project done ahead of schedule".

And this simply because thats how the system works. You do good at work, you get more money and praise. Corporate America is designed that way (most of the time). But non-monetary relationships aren't naturally like that.

Maybe the lesson here is to see the good in our family/friends and the value in these relationships and just say it out loud. Even if their motives may not be the purest all the time, at least bosses are saying thank you and appreciate what you do. In this regard, this makes it hard not to be addicted to work.

Homework for this weekend: Hang out with a good friend/family and let them know how much they mean to you.

Thx Andi.

Re: Memo: You Are Not Your Job

Chaalz — Fri, 09 Apr 2010 10:51:33 -0000

Greg, I like the angle you approached this. Never really thought of it that way but you're right about busy = good. I rambled a bit in my post and wasn't as clear as I wanted to be. I agree with #1 Happy and #2 Productive. I think pursuing our passions will make us happy, and that pursuit should be in the form of time spent on weekends/nights as well as time spent making money from it. Ok guys, enjoy your weekends!

Thx too Jenny!

Re: Memo: You Are Not Your Job

Chaalz — Thu, 08 Apr 2010 12:43:19 -0000

WE SHOULD BE OUR JOBS.

I see your point, but I'll throw a wrench in the engine and reword it to say "we SHOULD be our jobs". Ok everyone, take 2 secs to get your WTF out of the way. :)

I was just having a similar conversation with my wife and in my heated rant about life/work/money/goals/balance/etc I uttered these words that stopped me dead in my tracks "the design of life is just flawed". I design software/applications for a living, so this thought really peaked my curiosity.

We spend the first 25 years of life "preparing" for life, the next 40 working, then we have anywhere from 1-25 years left (many now in poor health because of aforementioned "working") to "enjoy" life. The used car salesman down the street gives me better deals than this!

You may say, well the entire 40 years isn't spent working and thats quite true. But lets break it down further to get to the facts. Math FTW! (sorry, just got a dose of happy weather, haha). Assuming you sleep 8 hours a day, you have 16 hours left times 7 days a week for "life", OR 112 hours per week. 50 hrs per week is about 45% of our time.

I don't know about you guys but I can not willingly accept having 45% of my very existence, be used for "just to pay the bills". But, because we all must have a job and it takes up so much of our time, I feel we SHOULD be our jobs. We'd be fools not to try and align our money making endeavors, with things that make us truly happy. I'm not saying for everyone to go make kites on a beach but I'm challenging the notion that we must have this painful thing called a job which is separate from this fun thing called a life. The two NEED to be intertwined in a meaningful way that will result in optimal happiness.

But wait I can't pay the bills, get real man!
Well lets have some fun and look at some more numbers. Assume you make 100k now. You find a job that would make you truly happy, that pays 50k. Do you take it? Assuming you worked for 40 years, taking that job would "cost" you 2 Mill (lets just use easy math). Thats quite a lot of money. But recall that 45% of our time is spent working. So working in a job you hate, causing you stress and unhappiness means you are selling 45% of your life for $2M, which further means that your life is worth exactly $4.4M. CHEAPO. (kidding) I'm sure you'd all agree that you are each worth so much more than that.

I know life is tough and there are many times when families have to sacrifice and work crappy jobs to make ends meet. No arguing there. But this is not the case 100% of the time. Many willingly chose these jobs for a bigger paycheck, thinking happiness can be measured in material possessions. Unfortunately many (including myself) have put ourselves in a position where we think we can not break out of this lifestyle. Hopefully we can stop seeing ourselves as revenue generating beings and start focusing on what our true purpose really is.

Jenny was right, Jonathan Fields did say it best: "We are here to come alive.".

Re: Private: About Me

Chaalz — Mon, 05 Apr 2010 14:51:12 -0000

Hehe. Thx! I've updated the link. :)

Re: Back To Work

Chaalz — Sat, 20 Mar 2010 22:07:38 -0000

Jenny Jen Jens! Thx. Yeah I'm turning over a new leaf and trying to achieve better balance. Funny thing is, with reduced stress and more focus I'm probably more productive than when I was working so many hours. Quality vs Quantity right? How's life on the West Coast? SXSW any good? :)

Re: Foursquare a game? You may be missing the whole point

Chaalz — Fri, 12 Mar 2010 17:47:46 -0000

"What I am sure of is that by next year I won't be checking in on 3 tools at once."
When I read that I blurted out loud, "yea you will be clicking on a Google page". Prob because:
1. Google is in the ad business
2. The love for Google Buzz is fading (a little?)
3. very unscientifically, the number of buzzes I receive is now down to 1 per day (from 10)

Makes me wonder what things would look like if all these small companies team up instead of going it alone.

Re: Dating: Do you go for Quality or Quantity?

Chaalz — Tue, 08 Sep 2009 12:40:48 -0000

David,
totally true my friend "I suspect I’ll be blindsided by a relationship when I’m not looking for it."

Like Ryan I am also the exception to the rule. I started out just being into school, sports, friends, etc..it was never really all about girls for me. Met someone in my first year of college and we became really good friends. No biggie. The next year after a summer apart we just hit it off and grew closer. Started dating and got married 5 days after we graduated college...at the age of 21...almost 11 years ago! One girl, one life, one love. Not a popular thought among guys who typically want to "date" (yes i put that in quotes) 30 girls a year, but it worked for me. In my case my career building happened after the girl, so we both grew our careers together.

I would partially disagree with one thought on here and thats that you must pick one...a career or a relationship. I feel if one goes into it thinking that then they're right, it will never work. I'd suggest to just let life happen and not force or hinder love in any way. Besides you may think that your career/personal goals is the most important thing right now, but once weighed against love or adventure or whatever else you want, you might make a different choice.

Here a little test I do every now and then. Its almost impossible to do this right since many (including myself) can't truly detach themselves from, well, themselves. Try to imagine yourself looking back at your life. Through the eyes of your older self, are the choices you are making now still the ones you would have made if you could do it again. This would mean you almost have to guess what you would be like in the future. Kinda crazy I know.

Thanks for a nice thought provoking post Jenny. All the best to everyone in their search for the right balance. There is no magic equation to life or love, there is only your equation.
-Chaalz

Re: A Day in the Life of My Paycheck

Chaalz — Tue, 04 Aug 2009 23:00:12 -0000

Just saw Nate's comment. I guess I missed that...italics does that to me. :) Good luck with the surgery. You'll do fine.

ps: I'm also having eye surgery in 3 weeks!

Re: A Day in the Life of My Paycheck

Chaalz — Tue, 04 Aug 2009 22:59:52 -0000

Just say Nate's comment. I guess I missed that...italics does that to me. :) Good luck. You'll do fine.

ps: I'm also having eye surgery in 3 weeks!

Re: A Day in the Life of My Paycheck

Chaalz — Tue, 04 Aug 2009 15:38:30 -0000

REALLY like this diagram! Brave of you to post this. Only when we do things like this, or use Mint.com to really see where the money is going can we make lasting changes to be more financially responsible.

Here are 2 thoughts that are not meant to be critical (even though it might sound like it).

I've read this somewhere and I'm not saying you're wrong but I read you shouldn't use your savings acct to pay for ongoing stuff like a mortgage. It has to do more with the psychology of it than the math. If you get into the habit of being comfortable "using savings" (again all mental) then it will be harder to resist temptation for that new TV or purse or whatever. You are saving so much to 401k that you obviously are mentally strong so this prob isn't affecting you, but I thought I'd share for the benefit of other readers.

16% is high for a 401k. I've read the general rule of thumb is to contribute up to whatever your company is matching (usu 4-6%) and then pay off higher rate credit cards/loans, then save a little emergency cash + discretionary, THEN go back and increase 401k contributions. Not criticizing just throwing that out there...don't blame me..Suzy Orman talks so loudly it stuck in my head! :)

I haven't done this in a long time, but there is an optimal formula in regards to your raising 1% each year. i.e. Doing 16% of salary now then 17% of salary+raise is not the same as 17% of salary now then 16% of salary+raise. The variables being how much of a raise (or even pay cut) you may get and how much compounded interest you would have made/lost by starting lower and increasing the percentage over time. Run the numbers. You may be better off doing lets say 18% now and decreasing 1% each year as opposed to the other way around...of course you still have to be able to pay your bills (holy HOA fees Batman).

Anyways...as always you rock. ;)