innovation through acquisition?
what do you do when you realize some other company solves your user’s problems very well? and it would cost more for you to do it than to just buy them? and for political reasons you can’t partner with them? you do what intuit just did – you do what seemed impossible – you offer to buy your competition, mint. there have long been competitors like wesabe and yodelee, but mint was better. it was better because it tells you things you didn’t know, it made your money look pretty, it did *design* well. the word on the street is that it was the vision of one person who not only made it beautiful but also coded it! 170MM valuation built on the backbone of a great user experience.
original mint UI
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Tags: design, intuit, mint
went through some training on the ‘getting things done‘ system years and years ago. ran into a podcast (on alt-mba) reviewing that again in a new framing that really spoke to me. the talk linked the GTD process to yoga! the idea is that there are lots of thoughts and interruptions that happen in your life that gets in the way of getting things done and the methodologies they teach are one way of quieting down the mind so we can focus and move forward. i love the idea and will try to see how i can utilize that in my life and maybe in my yoga teaching.
getting things done as zen meditation
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sketching as a presentation
loving my current read ‘the back of the napkin‘. i have digested only about 100 pages and it has already been worth it! it legitimizes how i already think, but helps systematize things. it reinforces something that i hear a lot, but haven’t been taking to heart very well, that it is all about telling a story. numbers and data don’t matter as much as a personal connection to the information being presented.
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Tags: book, read, sketch
what does a designer become when they grow up? do they move into management or do they stay designers forever. what is a “good” title for a designer? how many designers go on to get their MBA or their PhD? or do they change industries? or move on from design all together? i have several old designer friends that now make movies, or are CTOs, or have become stay at home moms. design is a strange career path.
Design beliefs can be blinding
i assume designers aren’t the only ones with these questions and career changes. i believe for the most part that i can lump most designers into the category of ‘believers’. these are the types (including myself) that passionately believe in something. believers have a tendency to go hot and cold. once the faith is gone the faith is gone. once the belief is there it is hard to convince us otherwise.
this lends itself to lots of issues, of course, because passion and logic are often strange bedfellows. it means we tend to have a hard time communicating with the business types that tend to control budgets. we want people to ’see’ it the way we do. how do we best learn the language of others? and still be a ‘good’ designer? if you change to become more business-y should you have another title? it is something that i am working on.
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Tags: belief, career, design
clearly it has been a while
i have moved into tweet/facebook land. while it doesn’t solve all my needs, it helps with blank page syndrome.
follow me here on twitter 
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Not sure these only apply to women!
1. You control your own P.R. – Every time you talk to someone it is like a press release.
2. Aim high – have lofty goals and let people know what they are. You will get a lot of feedback that will help you refine your goals.
3. Lighten up and separate (work from non-work)
4. Learn how to ask – If there is something you want don’t be afraid to ask for it (men do this all the time)
5. Kill Miss Congeniality
6. Act as if – How would someone confident act… Even if you are unsure act as if you are not.
7. Feel comfortable with being uncomfortable – when you are uncomfortable you are learning. When you feel comfortable you are no longer learning.
8. Learn how to embrace criticism – Listen to the feedback, ask clarifying questions, and thank them. The next day thank them again and ask more questions.
9. You make the rules
10. Remember what you are judged on – You are judged on your results
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Tags: leadership, women
beautiful LED clothing
Most LED clothing is giant, cumbersome and looks like you should go to a rave. The work of Mary Huang appears to be elegant and really utilizes light in an interesting and appropriate way. Now, if we could get them to use the light to truly enhance the silhouette (tastefully!) then we would have some world changing pieces!
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Tags: design, fashion, light
http://thelifelesstraveled.com/ – a great set of articles on how people have created their own businesses. real people – living their dreams – reminds me of jumpup.
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Tags: link love
abandoned ;)
i was waiting for my dear friend wesley to blog, but to no avail. she is far stronger willed than i! so here goes! i don’t know if i do this more than others, but i am (once again) re-evaluating my career. it seems this happens every 2 years now. maybe it is because as i get older it feels like doors are shutting or i am somehow pretty invested in this path and maybe regretting it? who knows.
as a designer, i have decided that i am sitting smack dab in the middle between art and business. nothing new – it used to be between art and engineering. however, in my old age i have realized that the real power to control the destiny of great design is in business.
i have a theory that great designers are either on the super artsy side or the business side, but in the middle is never any good for making huge, game-altering changes. the middle is the place of compromise and mediocrity. so the time comes in my life where i believe i need to decide – do i get my MBA or my MFA? which way should i swing?
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Tags: career, mba, mfa
inspirational flash pieces
for your afternoon enjoyment, here is a list of 9 wonderful flash animations to check out. many of these you have probably seen before, but it is nice to be reminded! I love the Drum Machine one – be sure your sound is on!
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Tags: flash, inspiration
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wendyspies
wesleyhallparkerRecent Entries
- innovation through acquisition?
- getting things done == meditation!
- sketching as a presentation
- designer – keeping it ‘real’ but learning the language of business
- clearly it has been a while
- Intuit Women’s Network Presents Nora Denzel – The Top Ten Ways Women Shoot Themselves in the Foot in the Workplace
- beautiful LED clothing
- inspiring blog – the road less travelled
- abandoned ;)
- inspirational flash pieces
- if only i had thought of this…
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- Uncategorized (29)
