I suddenly realized there’s more dust on my keyboard then I had imagined. Anyway, the long leave from blogging was not without a reason. Off late I had been focusing hard to get my CUA certification which I finally did today. I have now become a Certified Usability Analyst. Just for information, CUA is a test for usability professionals which is preceded by a 4 part training course in various faculties, conducted by Human Factors International (HFI). They have been renowned for their work in the field of usability engineering for the past 25 years. Personally speaking, this certification has given a much needed impetus for my continuing research and interest in the field of human factors and interaction design. Thanks to all my lovely friends who had hoped for the best and prayed for me for this day :-)
Design
Long Live Surfunion
For those of you wondering what happened to SurfUnion, here’s some bad news – the forum got affected in last week’s hacker attack with all its data destroyed. I called up Ron who had been its caretaker for many months and could sense the shock and awe over the phone, that dismayed look on his face. The plans to resurrect it are being put on hold for the time being.
Sadly, Surfunion died an unsung death. In its last days, there was little traffic and virtually nothing being generated which would have created some amount of interest amongst the community. Eventually it was left to survive on its own, with even its creators staying away from it. The greatest achievement of SU however would always be the network it created of local designers (Mumbai members had a strong presence on the forum) through MegaMeets.
Good Bye and Good Luck SurfUnion. I will miss you always!
Coolest Google Doodle
By the time I finish writing this article, most of you guys would have seen it already. You’d rarely come across someone who wouldn’t visit Google at least once in a day. But just before I start mine I have to mention that Google has pulled off one of the most creative doodles of all. This one was to commemorate Louis Braille’s birthday yesterday. Hats-off to the design team at Google.
Doing What I do Best
Trust me when I say that I like talking and I just don’t simply mean talking. I like intellectual discussions. I hate silence sometimes because my ears are not trained to take silence ‘silently’. Rather I break it and start a discussion on a topic which is relevant to our present time.
Today was a meeting with Richard from TATA Infotech Ltd.. He wanted some help in GUI design and I gave him a discourse on Usability. After 5 hours of confabulations he left with a satisfied look on his face, even wishing me ‘happy birthday’ in advance. You see I love talking. And I love when people appreciate it like Richard did.
There are also times when nothing comes out of your mouth and you are left smiling. This happens when ‘she’ is around and you wonder what to do next. That instant is so difficult that a simple ‘Hi’ seems like you’re chanting some sanskrit mantra and mispronouncing it completely. You fumble and fumble until you give up and turn back to your seat. Those are really tough times mind you. The one place where I resist talking loudly is the suburban train. There might be some prying relative of mine who would report my gabfest to my peers and I would land myself in deep trouble. But I do take my chances always.
The tongue is a dangerous weapon. Much more dangerous then all of Bush’s WMDs. If you use it judiciously you will win laurels if not then be ready for a quarrel. I have got a unique quality of being misunderstood most of the time. I am also construed to be rude when my intentions have been purely noble. I have lost a few folks for this ‘misconduct’. People love to do that to me. Not that I care about it because the insecurities they possess are their own. All said and done, I love to talk and wag my tongue.
SurfUnion’s Greatest Challenge Ever
When we started out on a small scale we had fewer people with fewer expectations. That was because we were the first Indian Designer’s forum to rise on the indian internet horizon. The admins were focussed and dedicated and everyone was passionate about their new invention. I was personally involved with every decision making proces and ensured the smooth running of the boards along with the rest of the admins. That was then.
Today as newer boards spring on the scene we are faced with newer challenges to upgrade and diversify, introduce newer topics and categories to pull in members. develop webpages to keep everyone interested & informed about the latest happenings on SurfUnion. Members who were once loyal to us have gone into hibernation and those who have settled down are posing a threat to our very existence by creating impedements. The other admins (LimeIce, Ryche, Kreativ, FlashKid, RanTen, Bane, Buttclencher) have undergone huge changes in their personal and professional lives and they can’t be blamed for their absence from SurfBoard.
We were able to stem the discontent amongst the members to some extent. MegaMeets were a platform for people to exchange ideas and network. That however changed when the MegaMeet 3 bombed miserably. We couldn’t muster even 25 members to hold a seminar/workshop. My only concern is the lack of manpower to carry forward the initiatives set by the members. I must honestly confess to not possessing the required skillsets and without a collective effort I don’t see this thing moving forward.
The challenge ahead of us is tough and gruelling. We have to rub off the sluggishness which we have got into and start afresh. Let’s see if we can redefine SU in the coming days.