My there! My name is Steve Kwan. User experience design is my passion.

How things change, but how they stay the same.

(April 29th, 2008 - 10:58PM)

I've been in a retrospective mood lately.

Perhaps it all came about because I realized I've been maintaining this blog for five years. That's a long time. It made me think of the person I was when I started this blog back in 2003, and I realize that I am no longer that person. So much has changed since then.

But on the other hand, so much has stayed the same. I've grown in so many ways, but on the inside I still have some of the same fears and self-consciousness that I did five years ago. I have some of the same problems, and still haven't figured out how to solve them.

I've been paying attention to my friends lately, and I'm amazed at how much they've grown and changed over the years too. But like me, they're still the same people. It's surreal to think that my friends, who I've known for so long, have evolved and gained so much experience. But at the same time, I remember the old days when we were young.

But that's enough old-man lamenting from me. The future is bright, and I'm looking forward to seeing how myself and my friends continue to evolve over the years.

Happy Kwanniversary!

(April 24th, 2008 - 11:03PM)

Today is the fifth anniversary of stevekwan.com.

This blog started five years ago when I posted something absolutely pointless, which started a chain of other pointless posts that's gone on for half a decade.

Five years is a long time for anything. To make a point, my commitment to this blog has been longer than:

1. My employment at any company
2. My enrollment at any school
3. My relationship with any woman.

When I started this blog, I was fresh out of BCIT and cutting my teeth in the software engineering world. Now I'm an experienced user experience designer working on awesome projects. How times change.

Here's a picture of me then:

And here's a picture of me now:

Here's hoping to five more years!

(Also, this is also my 750th post. Yes, I timed it that way.)

Peter Morville's lecture on Search Patterns

(April 24th, 2008 - 5:14PM)

Peter Morville, perhaps the most famous information architect in the world, recently spoke at the 2008 Information Architecture summit. He gave this presentation on Search Patterns. It's long and a bit dry, but it's informative.

Slideshow URL: http://www.slideshare.net/morville/search-patterns/

The journey of a thousand miles begins with a single stripe

(April 24th, 2008 - 11:36AM)

I got my first stripe on my white belt!

Docmetrics a finalist for 2008 software innovation award

(April 23rd, 2008 - 9:30AM)

Docmetrics, our flagship app, is a finalist for the SoftwareCEO/CompTIA 2008 Software Innovation Awards!

We're nominated in the Most Innovative Service/Business Model category. SoftwareCEO defines this category as "Companies and individuals who have conceived, developed and launched innovative software services and/or used innovative business models to provide a service."

As the user experience designer at Vitrium, I was responsible for scoping and designing the docmetrics application, so my fingerprints are all over it. I take this nomination as a person and professional compliment, and I hope we win!

To check out docmetrics, please sign up for a free trial at www.docmetrics.com.

Heidi is fine

(April 21st, 2008 - 9:39AM)

She's eating well and pooping regularly.

Most of you probably have no clue what this message is about. My Aunt and Uncle are on vacation and have left us with their dog Heidi. They wanted a status update, so here it is. Apparently my website has become the de facto source for Kwan family news.

An update that has nothing to do with docmetrics

(April 18th, 2008 - 2:26PM)

This update is actually about me, and not a shill for my company or my product. :)

Obviously docmetrics has been consuming a good deal of my time, but my personal life has also been active. I've gotten into a good routine that I'm happy with, but the problem with any routine is that it's routine.

I've started training Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu at Gracie Barra Vancouver and have altered my fitness regimen to centre around it. I've eased up a bit on the weightlifting and cross training, and have reallocated that time to Jiu-Jitsu. I've always wanted to get into martial arts, and I'm loving it so far. If you want to throw me around a bit, come down to the gym and spar with me. It's a great workout and I recommend it to everyone.

I've also spent some time re-acquainting myself with old friends I haven't seen in a while. After a few weeks of hibernating in my apartment and playing video games, I'm not in an extroverted mood and want to hook up with some friends. So if you'd like to grab a coffee or beer with me, give me a shout and we'll set something up.

Gartner names Vitrium one if its "Cool Vendors" of 2008

(April 10th, 2008 - 4:51PM)

Gartner, a top analyst firm, has named Vitrium in its 2008 "Cool Vendor report" on CRM Marketing and Analytics (see press release). This is a huge honour for us, as Gartner is one of the most respected firms in its field. To be considered cool by Gartner is cool indeed.

I've been Vitrium's User Experience Designer for just over a year, and it's great to have this kind of recognition. To see why Gartner thinks we're cool, check out our flagship product, docmetrics.

Got a job at Apple, moving to California

(April 1st, 2008 - 11:17AM)

I've been keeping a tight lid on this for a few weeks, but now's as good a time as any to announce it. I've taken a job with Apple, and will be relocating to their headquarters in Cupertino, California.

Apple's bringing me on board as a user experience designer. A few months back, I came to their attention through this blog. They were impressed with my insight into usability and my thoughts on their products, and decided to make me an offer.

At the end of the month, I'll be packing up my things and moving down to California. This is a huge jump for me, as I've lived in Vancouver my whole life. Relocating to the States is going to be a huge shock for me, and it's going to be rough being away from my family and friends. Still, it's a great opportunity and I'm sure I'll adjust.

I'll be holding a going away party near the end of the month, and will post more details here. I'd love it if you could all attend, as this might be the last time you get to see me for a while.

Exciting times ahead! This is a huge career leap for me and I'm looking forward to working on Apple's product line.

PS: April Fools' :)