steve kwan user experience designer

Let it snow

(January 30th, 2008 - 10:37AM)

Since I was snowed in today and had to work from home, I thought I'd take a photo from my apartment balcony.

Don't contact people out of the blue and ask for something

(January 29th, 2008 - 4:09PM)

How many times have you received an email like this?

"Hi, how are you? Man, it's been awhile. Good to get back in touch. By the way, I'm looking for a job."

Don't you hate it when you haven't spoken to someone in ages, and he suddenly contacts you out of the blue because he needs something? Well, guess what...everyone else hates it too.

Make friends, not resources

I find it very insulting when people go months without talking to me, only to send me an unsolicited email asking for money, a job, or some other gigantic favour. When I get a message like this, I feel like I'm being used. I feel like I'm being considered nothing more than a "resource."

I've got news for you: you're much more likely to get help from friends than "resources." So rather than hiding like a hermit until you need something, here's a radical idea for you:

Stay in touch with your business contacts. That way, when you need something from them, they won't feel like they're being used.

Easy ways to keep in touch

Luckily, it's never been easier to stay in touch with your contacts. You don't need to wine and dine acquaintances on a regular basis. Sometimes, the little things are good enough. Here are some ideas.

• Send out an email every once in a while.

  This is probably the most obvious way to keep in touch. Once a month, or once every few months, you should just send a "Hi, how are you?" email to all of the people you haven't spoken to lately. You don't necessarily need to have something to say. The small act of staying in touch - talking when you have nothing to talk about - is what counts.

  Note that you don't follow that email up with "By the way, I need something." That way, when you really do need something, your correspondence won't seem out of the ordinary. :)

• Send holiday cards.

  And not e-cards. The real ones. This is a simple gesture that doesn't take much time and genuinely impresses people.

  And don't forget to send out holiday cards, not Christmas cards. :)

• Remember birthdays.

  This one's big. When you remember someone's birthday, it just makes them feel special inside. This is especially easy with Outlook and Facebook, both of which will remind you of someone's birthday.

  However, this is important: don't wish someone a happy birthday by writing on his Facebook wall. That reeks of minimal effort, since Facebook already reminds you of his birthday. Give him a call or send him an email.

• Add people to your social networks.

  Whenever you sign up to a new social network, add everyone you know - not just your closest friends. If you've still got all your contacts from prior jobs in Outlook, don't forget to add them too. It sounds tacky, but adding your old contacts to your social networks is a little reminder that they haven't been forgotten.

• Send a Facebook poke.

  They're not just for sex anymore.

Conclusion

I don't normally blog about communication skills, but this topic is important enough that I think it bears mentioning.

More than ever before, it's easy to stay in touch with your contacts. And it's a good idea to do so, because staying in touch turns these people from resources into friends. And if you'll ever need a favour from these people, it's better to have them on your friends list, rather than just "resources" suspicious of your motives.

FAIL

(January 25th, 2008 - 9:24AM)

I've been told that this is old - a friend said, "it's, like, a billion years old" - but all the same, it's the first time I've seen this picture, and I spent all day yesterday giggling about it.

I'm still not happy with the look and feel of this site

(January 24th, 2008 - 10:33AM)

Although stevekwan.com's come a long way in the past few months, I'd still like to make a few more visual tweaks to the site. In particular, the site still feels a bit boxy - how web 1.0! Anyone who's talked to me about design knows my hatred for boxes, so expect this to change at some point.

The only trick is that I first have to get off my ass and update the CSS. I'm thinking I'll round the corners on the orange-bordered box containing the site's content. Despite my skepticism about web 2.0 design trends, I think it'll be a better look.

Software is a drug that we can't live without

(January 23rd, 2008 - 9:34AM)

I've listened to a lot of people talk software sales strategy, and one thing I find amusing is how often software is related to drugs.

Over my career I've heard the following (paraphrased) ideas bounced around:

"Our product is like heroin. All we need to do is get the junkies to shoot it into their veins once, and then we have them hooked for life."

"We need to find a way to get people to try our product out, sort of like how drug dealers hang around schools and give crack to six-year-olds."

I find this terribly amusing for a variety of reasons - the main one being that, of all the metaphors you could make for software sales, why would you choose to equate it to drugs?

Wanted: Flash designer and inside sales associates

(January 15th, 2008 - 3:40PM)

Vitrium is currently seeking a Flash designer for some contract work. We need some banner ads done, and we need some Flash work on our website. This would be a short-term contract. If you're interested in the job, just leave a comment or email me.

We're also looking for two inside sales associates. Be warned that this is not a job for the faint of heart. It certainly isn't the type of sales job where you sit around and field incoming calls. We need active salespeople who aren't afraid to get on the phone, find leads, and close deals. If that's you, you can find the posting here:

1. Go to http://www.bctechnology.com/frameset_emp.html
2. Click Job Search
3. From the Company Index, select Vitrium Systems Inc.
4. Click Search
5. Select 2 positions: Account Executive (Inside Sales)

Best of 2007

(January 9th, 2008 - 2:21PM)

Where "best" is defined as the product I most enjoyed, not necessarily the product with the greatest artistic merit.

Best movies of 2007

1. Ratatouille
I like Ratatouille because it just feels good. It's a charming movie and it makes me happy. I'm not always in the mood for heavy movies like No Country for Old Men. Sometimes you just need something light, and there are no better feel-good movies than Ratatouille this year.

2. Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story
3. Sicko
4. Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix
5. No Country for Old Men

Disappointment of the year: Spider-Man 3
I really enjoyed the first two Spider-Man movies, but found the third one to be without substance.

Best music of 2007

1. Stories, by Mojave
Stories is an album that I experienced at exactly the right time. Sometimes you're just in the mood for a particular type of music - in this case, I wanted something mellow, moody and thoughtful. Stories isn't just a collection of singles, but a cohesive album.

2. Year Zero, by Nine Inch Nails
3. Chase This Light, by Jimmy Eat World
4. Hospital Music, by Matthew Good
5. The Inevitable Rise and Liberation of NiggyTardust!, by Saul Williams

Disappointment of the year: Vena Sera, by Chevelle
Maybe I was wrong to expect anything of Chevelle, but I've enjoyed some of their earlier singles. I was disappointed that I didn't enjoy a single track on Vena Sera.

Best games of 2007

1. The Orange Box
Pound for pound, The Orange Box is the best value that's ever been seen in a game package. Its low price, its availability on almost every major console, and its sheer quality easily make the Orange Box the game of the year.

2. Call of Duty 4
3. Mass Effect
4. Crysis
5. Puzzle Quest: Challenge of the Warlords

Disappointment of the year: BioShock
BioShock makes much better art than a shooter.

Best books of 2007

1. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, by J.K. Rowling
Come on. It's the final Harry Potter book. How can it not be book of the year?

2. The Audacity of Hope, by Barack Obama
3. I Am America (And So Can You!), by Stephen Colbert
4. Blink: The Power of Thinking Without Thinking, by Malcolm Gladwell
5. The Myths of Innovation, by Scott Berkun

Disappointment of the year: If I Did It, by The Goldman Family
This book is disappointing because it actually got published. Looks like good taste didn't prevail. I didn't read it and don't plan to.

Barack Obama's brilliant Iowa victory speech

(January 7th, 2008 - 8:23AM)

After Barack Obama's decisive victory at the Iowa caucus, he delivered this brilliant speech.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yqoFwZUp5vc

Let's hope Barack gets elected. That might be the only thing that can dig the US out of her current hole.

By contrast, here's a recent ad that Rudy Giuliani aired.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y2iFhGtKO-Q

I dream of guitar heroism

(January 3rd, 2008 - 9:31AM)

Last night I dreamed that I was playing Guitar Hero. When I woke up, I found that my hand was trying to play the side of my mattress like a guitar.

Lessons learned in 2007

(January 2nd, 2008 - 9:02AM)

As always, at the end of the year I like to revisit the lessons I've learned in the past 365. Here are the ones from 2007.

• Beware of rental scams.

  Early in the year I was attempting to find a new roommate, and was surprised to learn that there are scammers who prey on landlords. The general idea is the scammer will show interest in the accomodations, offer to send you a cheque for more than the requested amount, and ask for the difference. Then the cheque they sent you will bounce.

  So any landlords or renters out there, be careful!

  Related post: Beware of rental scams!

• 24 sucks.

  24 used to be one of my favourite shows. Then I was subjected to season six, which was awful. The bad guy was Jack Bauer's father. That's a sure sign of writing trouble.

  Related post: Humour journal, entry #6

• I'm a gym rat.

  In 2007 I started a gym streak where I'd go to the gym every day. I wound up going for 156 consecutive days before the streak ended because of old people.

  Related post: 19-UP
  Related post: Back from Mexico

• Facebook isn't so bad.

  After much postponement, I finally set up a Facebook account and have been using it ever since.

  Related post: A bullet to the brain

• It's all about docmetrics.

  In August, Vitrium successfully released docmetrics, our flagship product. As we continue into 2008, I'll definitely look back on this as a major milestone.

  Related post: Docmetrics 1.0

• It's best to live alone.

  Although I don't mind roommates, I'm finally living alone and I have to say that I much prefer the solitude.

  Related post: Moving on up

• Mexico is itchy.

  I went to Mexico in October and came back with a bad rash.

  Related post: Back from Mexico

• The Creative Zen rocks.

  I finally escaped the Appleverse when I purchased a 16GB Creative Zen. I love the player thus far and am not looking back.

  Related post: Review: Creative Zen 16GB

• Family is the greatest gift of all.

  More on this later. :)