curiousgirl's playground

I'm truly impressed by Janice Fraser, one of the founding members of Adaptive Path. She is an entrepreneur, interaction designer, and editor -- all in one! She writes an inspirational blog (hah, she's "clevergirl") and has an excellent podcast here.

• Partnerships (people) are most important. It's all comes down to trust. Adaptive Path's success is due to the solidity of the seven co-founders. Janice talks about her great relationship with Peter Merholz, President of Adaptive Path, and how even if they did get it into conflicts (ps: constructive discontent is always healthy), the conflicts would be meaningful.
• Make meaning. Not just in the Guy Kawasaki's "Let's Change the World" kind of way. Janice stresses creating meaning for your employees, making sure they want to be there and are 100% passionate.
• Be stingy.
  • Financially. The founding members of Adaptive Path spent 6 months arguing over whether or not to buy a printer and lived without an office for a year.
  • On features. Less is more. Each additional feature = extra expense = additional design, development, testing costs.
• Alignment = Integrity. Hire for the right characteristics in people. The right people will create the right product vision. The right product vision gets you the right customers. My questions for Janice are: What exactly does "right" mean? More importantly, how do you know what is "right?"
• Companies are designed for people. Firm culture is critical. Janice says, "If work is not fulfilling, people will not have loyalty." What I admire most about Janice is her brutal honesty. She's not afraid to admit "she's human" and makes mistakes, too. As CEO, Janice says she "has no power" and instead must empower others around her. She cites a specific example with a newly hired PR person where she took more control than she was supposed to. This PR employee approached her about it, and she accepted the feedback and immediately apologized and let go. For Janice, her employees are her partners.
• You are employed by an industry, not a company. Think about the bigger picture. Take the long view.

technorati tags: janice fraser, adaptive path, design, ceo, entrepreneurship

August 5, 2007 | 4:48 PM | Comments (1)

I came across a great Fast Company article titled "Strategy by Design" by Tim Brown, CEO of IDEO, written back in June 2005. Tim emphasizes the importance of design thinking as a catalyst for innovation productivity. "Where you innovate, how you innovate, and what you innovate are design problems."

1. Hit the streets. Go out there and be observant. Get original insights from your market.
2. Recruit T-shaped people. People with breadth and depth. Expertise in one area that can be applied to many disciplines.
3. Build to think. Focus on problem solving. "Design thinking is inherently a prototyping process....The goal isn't to create a close approximation of the finished product or process; the goal is to elicit feedback that helps us work through the problem we're trying to solve."
4. The prototype tells the story. Generate feedback and make corrections. Visually describe your strategy.
5. Design is never done. We live in a changing world. "The market is always changing; your strategy needs to change with it. Since design thinking is inherently rooted in the world, it is ideally suited to helping your strategy evolve."

• Is design often overlooked? Even in my undergraduate computer science courses at Penn, I've remembered that the "specification" phase was often rushed through or , worse yet, done -after- the coding was completed.
• How easy is it to sell design? Of course, from a business perspective, people like to see numbers and quantify the value of a feature, project, idea, etc. Adaptive Path has taken a look at this issue by applying ROI methodology to user experience design, ensuing that companies are only investing in high-value projects. The truth of the matter is that it's almost impossible to appropriately capture all the "value" derived from design and user experience. If this is the case, how do design consultant shops effectively pitch to new clients who don't recognize the benefits of design thinking?
• Design thinking is here to stay. Just watch the trends. Emerging design schools (Stanford's d.school and Copenhagen Institute of Interaction Design). iPod/iPhone phenomenon. Google and importance of simplicity. Less is more. "Web 2.0"-style design.

» Interview with Tim Brown, CEO of IDEO (by Brandon Schauer of Adaptive Path)

technorati tags: design, design thinking, design strategy, ideo, tim brown, business, innovation, adaptive path

August 5, 2007 | 1:12 PM | Comments (0)

Thanks to my friend Solomon Bisker for the link to this BusinessWeek article, "Are Designers The Enemy of Design?" by Bruce Nussbaum.

• Design is our future, our life. Not surprising. See 2007 Top Jobs.
  
  
  "Over the past decade, design has evolved to become an articulated, formalized method of solving problems that can be widely used in business—and in civil society. Design’s focus on observing consumer/patient/student—human behavior, it’s emphasis on iteration and speed, its ability to construct, not destruct, its search for new options and opportunities, its ability to connect to powerful emotions, its optimism, made converts out of tough CEOs. AG Lafely at P&G, Immelt at GE and many others embraced design. Now Mayor Daley of Chicago and Mayor Livingstone of London are embracing it."
  
  
• Design democracy is the new norm. People want to participate in the designing of their own lives (examples cited: MySpace, iPod, blogs, fashion, Starbucks..). They crave customization, personalization, individualism, and freedom to do whatever they want. They want to feel special, be different, be in control of their lives.
• New age of creativity and collaboration. The world where everyone will need to work together (a world where MBAs meet artists meet medical doctors meet investment bankers meet engineers).
• Knowledge and skills are not enough. "The commoditization of manufacturing and knowledge and its outsourcing to Asia, left US companies unable to compete to make profits." Companies need real innovation.

I see this even in everyday life activities. I'm on vacation with my family in Europe until the end of this month. Just this morning, as we were about to eat lunch, I asked my younger brother Kevin to go to the kitchen for some freshly cooked fried rice. He responded saying, "No, Jing, we've been having rice for the past few days. Why not switch it up a bit? I want some fish fingers ..."

technorati tags: design, design democracy, future, change

May 19, 2007 | 7:10 AM | Comments (0)

A semi-finished assignment for my digital photography class. Image courtesy of Small is the New Big. It's been refreshing taking this course and brushing up on some Photoshop. I think I only slept 2-3 hours last night (non-consecutive). This is what happens when I get engrossed in a project. Reminds me of those high school days when I first fell in love with digital design....It's a great feeling though. The world is silent in the wee hours of the morning, and I get to enjoy dabbling around in Photoshop while listening to sappy Chinese music (my music collection is actually very diverse but this is my latest phase) ....

PS: I have many blog entries that I definitely want to post. These few weeks are hectic with end-of-year / graduation craziness. Stay tuned for them!

technorati tags: art, design

April 5, 2007 | 8:27 AM | Comments (0)

1. Does it load -fast-?: Users demand instant gratification. Period. This is my biggest pet peeve and why I must always be on broadband. I absolutely cannot tolerate a slow loading site. If a site fails to load during the expected timeframe, I immediately click the "Back" or "X" button. It's a second nature reaction now.
2. Is it intuitive?: Does the page layout make sense? Users are most stubborn to adopt a radically new and different way of doing something they are used to. Keep the navigation menu in a visible location with common names (e.g. "About Us" or "Contact"). (By the way, I do think the new AIM 6.0 is somewhat of a big product leap from the previous versions -- for non-tech-savvy users anyway.)
3. Keep it simple.: This is one of the key reasons people love Google. Especially when targeting the general public, don't have content move in fancy directions with Flash or have the navigation be a small dot you expect the user to -know- to click on. Don't expect anything from the user. Pretend you are designing the site, so your grandmother can use it.
4. Keep it clean.: Don't overload the site with flashing icons that move across the page or have the page be cluttered in text and images. Create space. This makes it easier on our eyes.
5. Make it easy.: Make the site accessible and easy to use for the user. For instance, if your main navigation is on the top of the page, make a duplicate navigation on the bottom, so users avoid scrolling back up to the top to access a different page. Add search functionality and/or a site map.
6. Focus on your target audience.: Design with purpose. The look and feel of the site should be catered towards the target audience you are reaching. For instance, WSJ and MTV are completely different sites serving different audiences.
7. Pretty it up.: A website should be visually stimulating. Yes, some websites, particularly blogs, are more focused on text, since readers visit for the words. In either case, like the cover of a book, presentation is key.
8. Keep it hot.: You got to keep your audience members wanting more and coming back to the site. Update the content, and keep it fresh.
9. Listen to your users.: They are the #1 source for feedback on where your site needs improvement. Listen to their comments. Then, redesign and reiterate.

With this, I'd appreciate feedback and constructive criticism on my own portfolio and this blog. =) Thanks in advance!

technorati tags: webdesign tips, good website

December 30, 2006 | 4:51 PM | Comments (0)

A friend recently told me:

"Too smart?" No, that's not correct.

It really irritates me when people don't consider art to be a "respectable" profession. My parents are included in this. Growing up, I never received formal art training. On one hand, as immigrants to the United States, we just didn't have the money. On the other, they later admitted that they never considered this "hobby" of mine very seriously. They don't think artists make much money or that I could be "successful."

I'm a firm believer of this: Success is based on doing what you love. Whether that is making art or becoming a financial analyst. Passion is what separates the good from the exceptional.

What is passion? Passion is what makes you tick. It means reading the Wall Street Journal and tracking stocks because you love it. It means making art after high school prom. It means reading books, articles, blogs, etc. because you want to, not because it was assigned to you (from your job or from your professor). It means doing what you do without thinking it's work.

Coming from Penn and Wharton, most of my friends go into investment banking or consulting. Few of these friends, I'd say, genuinely deeply -love- these professions or have "passion." In fact, I've heard stories of many people hating their jobs after a few years after college. This makes me sad.

In response to my friend,

I have a wide set of interests and goals. My only hope is that I have enough time in my life to complete them all.

technorati tags: art, passion, success, job

December 26, 2006 | 11:53 AM | Comments (2)

Just a few days ago, I was thinking, "Man, I -really- need to update my portfolio over winter break." Inside, I was thinking how much of a drag it would be. Recreating the site from scratch (after I lost my hard drive). Updating all those notepad text files. It was going to be painful.

But I was sick of the layout. It had been that way for the past few years with very minimal changes or updates, if any. That alone motivated me to want to change it, but I wasn't so excited about it all. The truth was that I really didn't enjoy graphic and web designing like I used to. Just didn't feel it.

Back in high school, I was totally obsessed with it. I surfed the Internet like mad, observed the work of my art admirers, spent hours and hours trying to master the next Photoshop technique, and churned out a new layout to website every few weeks. I'd go into class, jumping up and down over a new trick I had learned the previous night (or that morning). I was excited, stoked, completely and utterly ecstatic (even after only getting a few hours of sleep and getting yelled at by my mom for not going to sleep when it was 4am in the morning). I even came back to my art -after- my junior year prom. Yes, after prom. After all that dancing and fun. My body was tired physically, but not enough to say "no" to art. Never. My friends thought I was completely nuts (and perhaps they still do ;p). I didn't care though. I loved what I was doing. That was all that mattered.

Somewhere down the road, after going to college, it changed. I stopped visiting the "uber elite" design communities, stopped updating my website, stopped clicking on the Photoshop icon on my desktop. I just didn't feel the same way anymore.

In fact, it's been so long that I forgot -that- feeling ... until this weekend when I updated my website. Going through my past work more closely and updating it with the new, the feelings I used to have returned. The memories, of course. I had forgotten how much I enjoyed creating art on a blank canvas. It's like giving a two-year-old crayons, so he/she can doodle over the walls of the house (I'm sure the parents love this!).

Note to Self

Back in freshmen year, upon entering Penn, I promised myself that I will -not- shortchange art. I will hold myself to that promise.

technorati tags: art, design, love, life, web design, graphic design

December 26, 2006 | 11:40 AM | Comments (0)

I was considering applying to places like Rhode Island School of Design, Ringling School of Art and Design, and UCLA but never felt my work was good enough.

I never had any formal training. To this day, my first formal art class was Drawing I at Penn --- the first time in my life I used charcoal or conte, the first time when I truly understood that art is a "study" not "arts and crafts" like most people would think. On top of this, my parents, though supportive, also asked, "as an art major, what would you do once you graduate?" It was one of those questions which I couldn't answer myself.

Being young and naïve, I ultimately made the more practical choice and applied to schools like Berkeley , CMU, and Penn where I could "broader my horizon" by studying more than one discipline.

Berkeley was out of the question. First, I had trouble finding information about their art department online (first negative sign). Secondly, applying to their engineering department was the equivalent of selling my life to long nights of programming rather than long nights in the art studio (if that existed on campus).

For CMU, I had jointly applied to both Carnegie Mellon's Engineering School and Design School , which took about 50 students each year. Sign #1: When I told my interviewer that I was interested in studying both design and engineering, he basically told me this was "unheard of" and literally "impossible." Basically, both programs were too work-intensive that I wouldn't be able to handle the coursework. Sign #2: Though I got into their engineering school, I was waitlisted for Design. (This was more discouraging than anything but did not really surprise me. My high school offered no AP Art curriculum, so the world I had to show my interviewers was very limited in terms of traditional art. As for the digital work, it was all my own creation with hardly any formal critique.)

Finally, there was Penn, and it's combined Digital Media Design program, an engineering degree in computer science with both fine arts and communications components. A perfect combination, right?

The final irony: Now, I'm studying Digital Media Design -and- business from Wharton at Penn. While CMU and Berkeley both made it "impossible" to study two disciplines, I'm attempting to study three.

(Note: I'm double majoring, but Penn offers more breadth by allowing me to study three disciplines: engineering, art, and business.)

technorati tags: art school, cmu, berkeley, upenn, college

December 26, 2006 | 11:31 AM | Comments (0)

I finally got around to doing a facelift on my portfolio! I hope to do some updates with new work (mostly photography) shortly.

Oh, Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays to all!

technorati tags: aquinox, jing chen, portfolio, design, art

December 24, 2006 | 10:01 PM | Comments (0)

As promised, I'm finally making a post on art!

This semester was my first time taking traditional photography: using a 35mm slr camera, developing my own film (yes, I did say film), printing in the darkroom, and all that fun jazz. It was by far one of my favorite (and also most expensive) classes I've taken at Penn.

I'd like to share my final photography portfolio with you. While it may not represent the best photos I've taken or printed (in fact, I will share some others soon), it is a body of work around a central theme. I am still very new to this, so I would appreciate any comments and feedback!

Enjoy! Click on the image to enter the gallery and use arrows to navigate.

technorati tags: photography, street photography, 35mm slr, b&w, aquinox, jing chen

December 22, 2006 | 4:40 PM | Comments (0)

Doodle from Summer 2006

November 20, 2006 | 6:18 PM | Comments (2)