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Notes Design Blog

Lotusphere: Share a UX Story

John Lance  November 17 2008 07:54:13 AM
Hi all, John Lance here. You may remember me from such past blog posts as "How Many vCards Do You Need" and "Hard Questions Answered" (excerpt: What's harder, my head or this rock? (funny, I don't actually remember what the answer was...))

Moving right along...
 
Mitch Cohen and I have received the happy news that we will be presenting at Lotusphere 2009 together. Our topic is "What Were They Thinking: When UX Design Collides with Reality" in which we recount the ups and downs associated with designing a World Class user interface from both the IBM/designer perspective as well as an end user's perspective.

We're going to particularly focus on how designs evolve as Lotus UX designers solicit feedback from design partners and customers on early mockups, prototypes, betas, and even from release to release.
 
Now, for as deep, insightful, witty, intelligent, entertaining, and handsome as both Mitch and I are, we are also humble and modest folk. So we figured in addition to our own thoughts on the subject we would like to collect and share other peoples' experiences as well. The objective being to give the audience a good sense of how customers and partners have worked with IBM to improve the user experience and highlight the benefits of participating (as well as what degree of commitment is required).

So, if you've been part of a beta or a design partner program or had the opportunity to help shape Lotus products in other venues (whether it be at prior Lotuspheres in the UX lab or  any of the many conferences that UX folk attend, or by commenting on this blog, or what have you) and you feel like relating those experiences, please feel free to send them along. And mind you, we're not just interested in Notes stories, but Connections, Designer, or any Lotus products you may have had the chance to help shape.

I should also add that we are well aware that occasionally things do not go as well as they might have, so if you have stories of that nature please share them as well.

Send your stories to me, John Lance at jlance@us.ibm.com

And, one last item, if we do use your story we can keep your name anonymous or inscribe it onto the PILLAR OF HEROES for all to GAZE and MARVEL upon.

Thanks in advance,

John