Form-Factor, Format & Agile Prototyping in Academia

David F. FlandersProgramme ManagerTwitter = dfflanders

Blog = dfflanders.wordpress.com

Who am I?• Past: Developer background, having

worked at the British Library and University of London (PM bottom-up).

• Present: JISC Programme Manager working w/ Rapid Innovation projects = 40 X 6mo. projects creating software that will scratch user itches in the now!

• Future: Thinks we should make a lot of mistakes and make them fast; and that the coolest thing to be done with your data will be by someone else (CRIG).

“Results... I have gotten a lot of results. I know

several thousand things that won't work.”

(Edison)

Objectives:1. To get you thinking about RAPID

INNOVATION for your users.– To suggest a framework for helping to

identify user needs = form-factor & format– To provide a methodology that will help

you achieve success on behalf of your users = Agile

2. To encourage institutions to once again embrace innovation (not just “change”)

Why UK universities need a sustainable, digital content

strategy... Gov’t desires to move towards a fully digitally literate

society... #jdcc09

WHAT IS FORM-

FACTOR?

Define: “form factor” <etymology>

1. In physics, form factor relates the proportion of energy transmitted by that object which can be transferred to another object.

2. In computing, a form factor specifies the physical dimensions of major system components...– the physical size and shape of a device; often

used to describe the size of servers in a rackmount enclosure.

3. A term used to describe the way a device is constructed so as to pragmatically work with another commonly used device or entity.

What is form-factor?

Human Device Interface

Hand

Eye

Forearm

Mouth

Lap

Thinking

Leaning

Sitting

Standing

Walking

Device <=> Human <=> Situation

flickr.com/groups/whats_in_your_bag/

UseCase = FormFactor• It is the fuzzy

interactions (form-factors) between entities (device, human and situation) that should define your user needs.

• User needs = Use Case (remember this for the Agile part of talk)

FORM-FACTOR

EXAMPLES

NO. 1 ANDROID

Open Source Operating System (by Google)

Small Computers WIN!

Use cases• Read your news on the

tube (while still holding onto hand railing)

• Read your news on train without spreading entire paper over person sitting next to you

• Read your tweets in the middle of the night (without disturbing your partner by having light on).

Storyboard & Wireframe

• Student wants to read the blog posts by all his other classmates on the latest essay they had to write, while riding the bus to class.

• Login• Get data (3G)• Cache• Store data• Annotate

NO. 2 EBM

(ELECTRONIC BOOK MACHINE)

Video of book birth...

• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vI03wqMkVNs&annotation_id=annotation_930983&feature=iv

Espresso Book Machine

Million book van

Use Cases

• Print your blog as a coffee book– (with interleaved tweets/comments) BenO

• Print up book at airport before flight.– Carry entire library of books on flashdrive.

• Print your dissertation for submission to markers (costs less than printer).

• Print up your flickr pictures tagged with mum/mom as a photoalbum for mother’s day.

Storyboard & Wireframe

• Lecturer wants to publish his blog as a book with comments on the opposite page aggregated from all over the web.

• RSS content is consumed vis CSS and published to a PDF format for book print with custom fonts...

NO. 3OS H/W

(OPEN SOURCE HARDWARE)

Component Devices

Makezine

User cases

• Take pictures of a location while reading a book and submit them as annotation to the book for others to read and add to...

• Plugin in a metal detector on geology field work...

• Use compass to school field trip to find...

Storyboard & Wireframe

• skip skip

FORMAT IS FORM-FACTOR!

= Format (content)

What is format?http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Content_format

...the properties of a data object, usually encoded as a set of instructions to an application on how to present the data through various output devices, such as the computer display or printer.

The problem with formats is that they are (and will remain) a moveable feast. <getOverIt>

format fluxHTMLXMLRSSRDFa

Q: SO HOW DO WE USE

FF&F TO INNOVATE?

A: AGILE PROTO-TYPING

What is Agile (theory)?• Agile Manifesto

Principles “Guidelines”

• SCRUM Sprints (2-3 week WP cycles)

• Next planned WP sprint based on reflection of previous sprint.

• Practices (pragmatic) that encourage principles...

What is Agile (Pragmatics)?(Paper) Prototyping• From FF&F UseCases

comes Storyboard• From Storyboard

comes Wireframes• From Storyboard and

Wireframe comes negotiable / achievable workpackages (sprints)

What is Agile (Pragmatics)?War Room• Use Cases (FF&F),

Storyboards & Wireframes on four walls surrounding space <UserVoice>

• Daily/Weekly Meetings (Standing)

• Defined Roles (PM, UX, Dev, etc)

What does agile and open development look like?

Summary

1. Format => UseCase (Form-Function) + Method (Agile) = Innovation

2. Form-Function is how you define the needs of your users

3. Agile is how you action your users needs into reality.

Thanks

David F. FlandersTwitter = twitter.com/dfflanders

Blog = dfflanders.wordpress.comOpen Notebook =

code.google.com/p/jiscri

License: Creative Commons Attribution ShareAlike 2.0 UK