PinPoint Performance Solutions Blog (Legacy Content)

The PinPoint Performance Solutions Blog has moved to a new address.  Please update your bookmarks and RSS feed readers to http://www.pinpointperformance.net/blog

The blog you are viewing now will remain intact for the foreseeable future and house PinPoint Performance Solutions' legacy blog content - posts beginning in November 2006 through October 2008.  After January 1, 2009, PinPoint Performance Solutions will take a slightly new direction in our business approach and our blog where we will focus primarily on workplace performance improvement and training as our core service offerings.  User-centered design and usability will be supporting services and applied when necessary.

The new PinPoint Performance Solutions blog is now integrated with our website and will therefore reflect the new direction of our company in its content.  Thank you for being a supporter of PinPoint Performance Solutions in 2008.  If you have any questions about this change in our service, please contact us.

As I reflect on 2007, two things emerged that defined the work we did at PinPoint and the causes we advocated or rallied against.

1. Focusing too much on things that are less important.


2. Making things bigger or more complex than they really are.

Focusing too much on things that are less important
In September, I wrote about about how I thought some product developers tend to concentrate too much on a single aspect or set of features and not enough in other areas. Some work with a local company last year reminded me of this post and I was part of the effort in redesigning their corporate website. One of the company leaders who was spearheading the project spent a lot of time making sure the home page looked a "certain way." It was, to say the least, a very frustrating obstacle to get the this company leader to overlook.

The reason why it was so frustrating was the assumption this person had about his audience. It was very difficult to get him to understand that not all users, especially his target audience, make their way to the home page of their website first. Understanding how their audience searches for information was key, and more than likely they would search for the products they were selling and not the name of their company.

Assumptions about your target audience can lead you down the wrong path. In the case of this company, it delayed the launch of the site. When you make assumptions about your audience or focus too much on less important aspects about a product, you delay you chances of success or miss opportunities all together.

Making things bigger and more complex than they really are
In June I wrote a post that was somewhat similar to the previously mentioned post.

It bothers me when I engage potential clients who are reacting to the actions of their competitors. Though it is rarely spoken, it often comes back to "Everyone else is doing it, why aren't we?"

I'll heed my own advice and not make this point any bigger and more complex that is should be. The point is companies and product developers should be doing what works best for them, what they know best and what meets the needs of their end-users.

----

One final note, I'd like to say it has been an pleasure writing this blog since its inception in late 2006 and throughout 2007. This year, you will notice fewer posts on a monthly basis. The focus of PinPoint Performance Solutions in 2008 will be quality over quantity. Thank you for reading and I look forward to your feedback and input on future posts in 2008.

Normally I speak about integrating technology in business processes at an enterprise level, but today I thought I'd speak about startup companies and their acquisition strategy. I'm not necessarily talking about startup companies acquiring other companies or technology. I'm talking about the innovation or product the startup company creates being acquired by a much larger company like a Google or a Microsoft.

PinPoint Performance Solutions primarily focuses on the conceptual stage of product development linking the needs of the end-user to the product being developed. The end result is a usable product meeting their needs and expectations. I met with a colleague this past week who works with clients to identify whether or not their products are viable in the marketplace. In other words, he does the due diligence and research to make sure there is a marketplace for the product. I'll admit some failure on my part. My colleague helped opened my eyes to a crucial compenent of product development.

He told me a story of a client who invested a large sum of money into a custom software application for the construction industry. A well-known software company approached him about acquiring the application, but when the offer came in it was far below what he originally invested in the development of the application. He was in the market to inevitably sell the application, but he never thought he would lose money in the process.

The reason why the offer was low was the software company was unable to purchase the application and market it immediately due to how it was developed. The coding was not compatible with their coding and a lot of back engineering would have to be done in order to make the application compatible with their other applications.

The lesson - if you are in the business to generate revenue off of your work or to potentially sell your application to a larger company, plan for it. I'm not saying that you need to make your product the exactly the same way a potential buyer would make it, but you do need to know what they and the rest of the market will accept and what is valuable to them if the opportunity to sell presents itself. It needs to be usable to them in order for them to find any real value in it.

So, just as you would develop an exit strategy in your business plan you need to prepare for an acquisition strategy in your product's marketing plan to create value in your product when a potential suitor arrives.

PinPoint Performance Solutions' blog has been listed among the Top 100 User-Centered Blogs. It's an honor to be selected among many other blogs I consider to be "best of breed" in their category.

Since starting this blog late last Fall, I have managed to write close to 70 posts about the subject of usability, user-centered design and how software, websites and web-based applications fit into the overall process of most businesses.

It's time now to take a short break. Until the end of August, I will be focusing my energies toward some personal and professional goals and stepping away from adding new posts to my blog.

It is only temporary.

Upon my return, I am sure I will have much to talk about. Until then, have a great August.

PinPoint Performance Solutions has published a white paper on Search Engine Optimization (SEO) and Usability (PDF, 75K).

Abstract
The design and functionality of a website does not have to suffer just to receive a high ranking on a search engine results page. Search engine optimization, the practice of optimizing the code and content of a website to make it easy for search engines to index and for end-users to find and usability, the practice of making something easy to understand and learn are actually two sides of the same coin. Both practices are a lot more similar than you may think and lend to enhancing the user experience for websites and web-based applications.

PinPoint Performance Solutions has selected ABD Insights, a Boise-based web development firm as its preferred user interface development partner. The partnership is mutually beneficial to both companies whereby PinPoint Performance Solutions strengthens their user interface design and development service offering to their clients and ABD Insight increased their market reach.

According to PinPoint Performance Solutions’ President, Justin Beller, “We chose ABD Insights as a preferred user interface design and development partner because of their commitment to functionality, usability, user experience and compliance.” The visions and missions of both companies are seen as very compatible due to the divisions between programming interfaces for desktop software, web-based applications and websites are becoming less apparent. ABD Insights’ President, Aaron Day says that, “the line between these different mediums is quickly disappearing. New technologies make it possible to deliver a very similar user experience on the web or for the desktop.”

In my last post I spoke about implementing technology for the right reasons. The "right reasons" are really more about the appropriateness to the need. That need is identified through the Behavioral Engineering Model I presented. If it is determined that a tool is needed to help people perform better within a business process or work environment, then it is likely the right choice.

I also mentioned that tools (those that come in the technical variety) sometimes are implemented to solve business problems for the sake of the technology and not so much to solve the problem itself. When this happens, it's hardly an appropriate solution. Sometimes the technology choice is trendy or a way to "keep up with the Jones'".

Technology isn't necessarily a cure-all for business problems. Most folks think of technology as computers, machines, software, web applications, etc.. In reality, these are the artifacts of something greater. Technology is the application of scientific and applied knowledge.

Through human performance improvement we can still apply technology to solve business problems even though its not of the technical, physical variety. I know it may sound surprising, considering PinPoint Performance Solutions is dedicated to supporting companies implementing technology solutions to improve performance, but by viewing the business problem through the lens of human performance improvement we can ensure it is appropriate and equally cost effective for the client.

I want to apologize for being somewhat of a shill for my company and a Boise-area organization I support. We upgraded our website and we threw our support behind Kickstart, an entrepreneur event happening in April. Last week's posts has little to do with PinPoint Performance Solutions and our overall mission to help companies implement technology in their organizations to improve performance. Still, why be in the blogging game if you can't do a little self-promotion from time to time and advocate a cause or two?

This week, I thought I'd dedicate a couple posts to my "roots". I started out my professional career as an instructional designer and human performance improvement specialist. Those titles may seem a little foreign to you, but that's OK. Before the week is out you'll have a better understanding of where I'm coming from, how it all falls into place and drives PinPoint Performance Solutions. All you really need to know about my previous career is that much of what I was taught and what I practiced supported the human resources function of an organization (or at least that's where it originated). I had a strong interest in technology and over time I found ways to merge my interest and my profession.

It wasn't all that hard to do. The fields of instructional design and human performance improvement today leverage technology and use it as a driver for many of the solutions that are developed. I'm sure you heard of e-learning. Well, that's an instructional design (i.e. - training) solution and if it is determined after an analysis conducted under the umbrella of human performance improvement that it will benefit the end-user and the organization, true performance emerges that is objective and measurable.

So how does this all tie in to what PinPoint Performance Solutions is doing today? I feel that technology, whether software, websites or web applications, even hardware products like hand held devices, is sometimes hastily implemented. In other words, the technology solution is created for the sake of the solution and not to address the true need or real performance problem in the organization. We get so excited about the possible outcome, but we have a clouded vision of what lies between the perceived need and potential solution.

The model I use at PinPoint Performance Solutions to validate the need to implement a technology solution in business, is Gilbert's Behavior Engineering Model. The link will take you to a PDF file with a copy of the model I have posted on my website. Gilbert, Thomas F., is considered the father of human performance technology. It basically boils down to this - problems in the workplace usually stem from either the business environment or the individual. Each have three sub-sets or areas where the problem(s) is usually centered upon.

Environment:

• Information
• Resources
• Incentives / Consequences
  

Individual:

• Knowledge / Skills
• Capacity
• Motivation

When we look to implement a technology solution in an organization to increase performance (or change the behavior of our workforce - because they aren't doing what they ought to be doing), what we are doing is concentrating on validating the environmental factor of resources. In most cases it is a lack thereof or having the wrong tool to complete crucial tasks, poor supporting systems, inadequate procedures, time (moving too quickly, moving very slowly or not enough) or lack of reference materials to support the transfer of knowledge.

Technology is a tool and if it is determined that a tool will help people and an organization perform better, then it is the right choice. Otherwise, there may be other factors at play that are causing the problem that should be explored more thoroughly. Technology is an expensive proposition for any organization to undertake. If a solution can be developed that doesn't involve implementing technology, then it should be pursued.

It may surprise you that I'm talking about steering clients away from implementing technology solutions, but that's quite the contrary. It's about serving our clients the best way possible and making sure they are implementing technology solutions for the right reasons.

It's been a few months in the making, but we have finally launched an upgrade to our website that includes a conversion from HTML to XHTML and CSS. In addition we have included links to the most recent blog postings for PinPoint Performance Solutions starting on our home page.

There are many advantages to this conversion. Chief among them are the search engine visibility and accessibility. Now, the content on the PinPoint website will have a far greater reach and can be easily converted to other platforms such as hardware devices with mobile web capabilities.

The upgrade to the website couldn't have been done without the help of Aaron Day and ABD Insights. To read the full story of the website upgrade and the advantages it brings to PinPoint Performance Solutions, please read the press release posted on our website.

Last Friday, PinPoint Performance Solutions was mentioned in an Idaho Statesman article on business blogging. While we weren't mentioned in the main story, a portion of my comments on business blogging as it pertained to Fisher's Document Systems made it to the sidebar. As they say, some press is better than no press.

Two weeks ago I was approached by Idaho Statesman reporter, Ken Dey, to comment on the blogs written by Corey Smith at Fisher's. Here's the full text of what I had to say.

I think business blogs much like the ones maintained by Fisher's gives the reader, or in this case the customer, a transparent look at the company. They get a better understanding of the "why" behind their business versus the normal box and service pitch-selling we've become accustom to over the years. Moreover, they are able to build a relationship with the customer by educating and informing them of their industry and how it can benefit them. That to me is the ultimate sales tool.

I maintain two blogs myself, one for my consulting business and the other for a business professional organization I run. I do it for much of the same reasons I think Fisher's does for their blogs - to educate and inform, to build relationships and create a sense of community. In the end, it's about creating overall value for the reader with the content I write.

Of course, I'm not nearly as excited as Oliver Fritsch of Cendesic. A follow-up article was written the next day with Oliver's tips and advice for starting a business blog.

What does all of this mean to business? Blogging and the web 2.0 technology behind it has leveraged the way businesses reach out to their customers both current and potential. I see this movement continuing to grow and those that are able to embrace it will create a presence for their businesses that they have never seen with their traditional marketing.

Some of you are aware that in addition to my work with PinPoint Performance Solutions I also run a business networking organization in the Boise area called Treasure Valley Consultants' Network that focuses on promoting the knowledge and expertise of area consultants. We held a meeting last night, which you can read more about at the TVCNet Blog, on the topic of search engine optimization. The discussion took a brief but interesting turn to usability testing of website.

A guest at the meeting mentioned that a usability test doesn't have to be complex. Just get some people together and ask them to go through the website while you observe. With all due respect to my guest, I would have to disagree with the comment to a certain extent. While it's true usability tests do not have to be complex, it really depends on the nature of the website, web application or software. By that I mean its intended end-user and the tasks it was designed to help the end-user accomplish.

If we're talking about website, for example, that is developed for information purposes then it's perfectly fine to recruit people that are easily accessible to you to be your test participants. They may or may not be the intended audience for your website, but if you are out to learn just basic information - what works with the website and what doesn't work - then you should be OK. On the other hand, if the website is linked to important business processes, functions, or perhaps safety, then you need to recruit actual end-users who are likely to be using the website.

Why is it important to find actual end-users if the product is linked to something vital? Actual end-users have a vested interest over those who are just casual observers. They are closely tied to the situation the product is intended for and have history and intrinsic knowledge as to what will work and what won't. Consider this: if you designed a new snow shovel, would you give it to a guy in Florida to test out?

I find that some developers take a path of least resistance when it comes to usability testing. They choose not to conduct them because they are thought of as too costly, too time consuming or yield little to no results. Perhaps they don't know what they are looking for during a usability test? It's a question I've wondered about for quite some time.

A challenge I face in my business is demonstrating the overall value of a usability test. The decision as to whether or not to conduct a usability test rests in what I feel is the critical nature of the product. If it is critical then I would recommend conducting a formalized test with actual end-users. If it is not, then it is perfectly fine to find people easily accessible to you, actual end-users or not.

Either way, conduct a usability test to measure the value and effectiveness of your application, be it website, web app or software. Just make sure your test participants have a vested interest in what they are testing. In the end you'll get better results.

I'll let you in on a little secret.

Someone, someplace and something is the basis of my business. Everything I do is predicated on these three simple words. If you've ever wondered why the tagline to PinPoint Performance Solutions is improving products, people and places, you now know that is derived from Bailey's Human Performance Model.

Bailey's Human Performance Model, developed by Robert W. Bailey, proposes that if you have all areas in balance or accounted for, you should end up with an effective product that is needed and valued by your end-users.

When we work with clients at PinPoint Performance Solutions and began the user-centered design process for a product, we start by defining the problem we are attempting to solve. That’s the center of the model. Next, we analyze the target audience (Someone). After analyzing the audience, we then moved on to the job or tasks (Something). Finally, we analyze the environment where the product will be used (Someplace).

Once you have the problem defined and in alignment with someone, something and someplace your end result is more likely to be an effective product.

You may have heard it before. You may have even said it yourself. Users of products, especially software and web-based applications, say they are hard to use. There are a number of reasons as to why this may be true.

1. During product development too much emphasis is placed on the application and little is placed on the end-user (or the overall business objective for that matter).
2. Technology changes at a rapid pace, but developers forget that people are people and human behavior and thinking fundamentally remains unchanged.
3. Developers employ specialized teams to create products, but sometimes they are too specialized in one specific area and are unable to see the solution holistically.

Overall, the reason why some technology products may be difficult to use is the developer simply forgot to take the human performance model into account before they began the development process.

We live in an age where technology has improved the quality of life of countless numbers of people around the world - both personally and professionally. It just makes sense to keep the human performance model in mind when developing a technology product. After all, technology doesn't function without us. People still need operate it in order for it to accomplish the tasks we want help completing.

While I was in the process of researching my last post on Usability Challenges in Mobile Devices, I ran across a reference to an interesting fellow by the name of John Maeda. John is a graphic designer, visual artist, computer scientist and professor at the MIT Media Lab. He is also the author of the book The Laws of Simplicity.

John's website is very interesting as it is thought provoking. I often think about how PinPoint Performance Solutions serves our customers and overall our mission is to make the complex as simple as possible for everyone involved - from the developers on down to the end-users. As we apply John Maeda's laws (10 of them total) to user-centered design and usability in software and web application development, here are a couple that caught my attention:

• Law 1 - Reduce: the simplest way to achieve simplicity is through thoughtful reduction. I think of many user interfaces I have encountered over the years, even some I use on a daily basis. Is it really necessary to have all those buttons and all those tabs when all I want to do is one or two simple tasks? This law just screams, "Know your end-user!"
• Law 4 - Learn: knowledge makes everything simpler. Feels like performance support systems to me. If end-users are empowered with knowledge on how to use something that on the surface seems complex, they are more likely to accept it rather than reject it.

Again, very thought provoking work from John Maeda. Simplicity is something I encourage you to learn more about and the best place to start would be with John's website.