Leg No. 2 - Seattle - 19th / 23rd May 2012

287 days, 1 hours, 57 minutes and 54 seconds

**UPDATE: Change of Date - 19 - 23rd  from 16-20th (Still 5 days)


My second leg of my trip is to Seattle the home of the Space Needle and Microsoft.

 

While I am in Seattle I am looking to catch up with Microsoft to see what is happening in the area of Windows 8 which fingers crossed would have been release by the time I travel. The other is to catch up with one of the Child Protection agencies in Seattle. 

Microsoft has a Research and Develop section and with some of my contacts I am hoping to see that area. I am wanting to gain an understanding of how they go about looking the user understanding and experience. At the Department Microsoft is predominantly used so having an understanding of the factors that are considered by this organisation can only give me a better understanding and appreciation of this whole environment. 

Seattle Children's Hospital, Research, Foundation - This was another location I found and have written to asking if I could meet to discuss areas of my project. I was hoping to see if and how they have implemented technology solutions and what considerations they have taken in the consideration of the End User Experience (UX)

In my search of what else is happening in Seattle I also found that they have a Science Fiction Museum and I can get to have a seat in the chair of Captain James Tiberius Kirk, my childhood hero, this sound really cool. :)

Experience Music Project / Science Fiction Museum

Seattle is overseen by Mount Rainier which is about 3 hours for the capital. 

 

The short period of time I am in Seattle I don't think I will get a chance to see this, which look quite increadable.

My next leg is to Austin to visit the Department for Child Protection and Motion Computing a manufacturer of tablet computers.

First Location after Leaving Australia - 11th / 19th May 2012

288 days, 4 hours, 29 minutes and 37 seconds

**UPDATE: Due to some further contacts I have decided to extend the SF stay. 11th - 19th instead of 11-16th May. Responses from Stanford and other opportunities show that I can get far more for SF.




The first stop is San Francisco (SF). Flying East is really great after 14-16 hours of flying I arrive an hour after I have left on the same day. So this will be a very long day to kick of this trip. While I am in SF there are a number of things I hope to achieve. Dependent on the time and day I arrive I will have a couple of days to acclimatise and prepare for my visits.

I would like to see some of the sites of SF, these are the classic locations with Alcatraz, the trams, Golden Gate and finally the skyline over the city. Being a hobbiest photographer I would love to get some good photos. 

Main Reason for Being in San Francisco

The main reason for picking SF was Silicon Valley and seeing some of the major companies that have a great influence on what we use our technology for and how we use it. These are Apple, Google and Facebook. I am looking to meet with representatives from these companies and to hopefully get a better understanding of how they address usability and interface design or what is referred to as User Experience (UX).

Apple, I believe has achieved a remarkable feat with making a piece of technology in to something we consume. The work that has been done with the iPad has been increadable feet of both marketing and functionality. I use the iPad as an example with respect that people will talk more about what they do with the iPad rather than the technology. You will see and hear people talk about their pictures or videos, with pride they just present the iPad with the images and talk about the images and their content. Its not about the technology and the CPU and how much memory the device has, but more of what and how they interact with that technology. So I would like to find out a little more on how and what goes into that thought process. At the moment still trying to get in to see them.

Google has achieve a lot with how we find information and our interactions in carrying out that task. Google the work itself has become an adjective with in our language. Don't quote me on it as grammar is not my forte, but people use it within conversation "have you googled that yet?". 

The other area I am interested in finding out more about is their work in the Android area. I have had a smart phone for a number of years and have seen and used this OS from and early stage. I now have an Android tablet and while I was on the earlier versions of Android I considered it a geek device. I installed thing and uninstalled and experimented but it was not really a consumable device. Since I have installed Android Honey Comb the story has changed. It is now becoming a very functional device. The material I have seen for what is coming in Android 4 or "Ice Cream Sandwich" are very exciting. So having the opportunity to see what is happening in this area will be great. Still working on this contact.

Facebook, a friend of mine suggested this and at first I was not sure but the more I thought about it the more I could see the value. Facebook has become the social space where everyone around the world is coming together I now see businesses on TV with ads that include Facebook references. So understanding their views on social interaction and working with their software. What work is done on the understanding of the user and their experience. At time I have read damming articles talking about the lack of this as a consideration. Having an better insight into their processes would be good.


Stanford University - this is somewhere I would have loved to had the opportunity to study and learn. This is just a small way of achieving this and getting some insights into this specialty area of HCI (Human Computer Interface/Interaction, not use yet on the 'I'). In some information that I received from a contact in New York the field of HCI and usability has been around since the end of the Second World War. It is a specialise area of study and research and I will hopefully be catching up with Charles Mauro of Mauro New Media in New York to discuss further into my trip.


I have started to send out the emails to Stanford University to see if I could catch up with the HCI department or people working and studying in this area. As I gain appointments I will update my blog as to where and whom I will be catching up with. This blog will become my record of the trip and help towards the writing of my paper.


So this leg of the trip is a short leg and I hope to cover and see all of these organisation and contacts in 5 days I am there. My next location will be Seattle and Microsoft.

The Planning Starts - :)

289 days, 0 hours, 48 minutes and 42 seconds

I have finally worked out my dates and the locations I am hoping to visit. One of the first things was to get a start on the Blog. I am hoping to log my experiences both in the planning and the actual trip. This gets more exciting each days as I look forward to reading my email to see who else I am able to line up to meet with and discuss my project.

At the top of each entry I will be entering my count down until I leave and this is based on leaving on the Friday 11th May 2012 at 3pm. That is based on my last trip overseas where we fly out of Perth at 3pm. That was a great trip, it was to celebrate our 20th Anniversary check it out. My wife Frances and I blogged the entire trip. I took photos and made basic entries and she wrote the majority on the trip.

So far for the trip I have created a google map as my details are firmed up I will attempt to maintain and update this map. The other part that I am doing is to maintain my documentation within the cloud. Google is very helpful with that as it is a part of their gmail account system. Now on with what I have done to date.

The goal is to leave on the 11th May 2012. I will be flying to the following locations over 9 weeks. The last week being some leave time and meeting up with my wife.

2012
Leave 11 May    -  Perth > Sydney > San Francisco (Via LA or Dallas?)
            16 May    -  Fly to Seattle
            20 May    -  Fly to Austin
            25 May    -  Fly to New York
               1 June  -  Train to Boston
               8 June  -  Train to New York > Fly to London
             15 June  -  Fly to Heidelberg
             22 June  -  Train/ Fly to Salzburg
             29 June  -  Train/Fly to Vienna
                6 July   -  Fly to London > Fly to Singapore
              13 July  -   Fly to Perth
              16 July -   Back At Work

So as you can see I will be packing in a lot of places. The model I am using though allows for time to rest and write up my notes and see a little of where I am visiting. I have tried where possible to fly on Friday's, have the weekend off to collect my thoughts and prepare for the week ahead. I have 10 stop offs for my trip over the next few days and weeks I will update the blog with each of the stops and who and what I hope to see and do.

Stay tuned. :) 

2011 Churchill Fellowship

Time before I head off on my trip and work on my project

(294 Days, 5 Hours, 59 Minutes and 11 seconds, but who's counting)

Guest what, I have been awarded the 2011 Churchill Fellowship. Yahoo... (That's and expression for the website). Yes, I want to blow my trumpet,because I am excited about this opportunity.

It all started with an email that was sent around to all staff that they should consider applying for the Churchill Fellowship. At first I was going to just delete it but then thought to check it out and see what it was about. After reading it I decided to give it a go. Basically it was anyone over the age of 18, Australian and who had an idea that they would like to research. You did not require any formal education just a passion and at the end of the experience to produce a paper. That paper needed a title, index, introduction an executive summary explanation of the programme, main body and conclusions and recommendation.  

The important part was successful applicants then were sponsored to travel oversea to further that research. That sponsorship was from 4-12 weeks which was funded. So as with everything in life never know unless you try.

I proceeded to downloaded the application and to fill in the details. Personal Details, Education, Employment and then it started. I had to come up with a project title and then in a small area articulate my project. I had to get my point across clearly so that a non-technical person would understand. That has been the hardest part as you only have enough space for about 6-8 sentences.

After many trials and tribulations and with considerable assistance from one of my associates Gary, I achieved that goal.

"This project will explore how breakthroughs in mobile technology can help social workers in the field provide an improved child protection servcie. It will examine how to eliminate usability barriers imposed by the complexity of unwieldy applications and devices. It will try to eliminate, or moderate, the impersonal use of technology in meetings, with clients, where a high degress of empathy and emotional intelligence are required. By working with experts in child protection, technology, usability and communications, this project will seek ways to record and process information captured in the filed using a new generation of smart devices and innovative software applications. Key goals will be a reduction in staff workload, improved access to information for colleagues, and a rich interaction with clients enchanced by the removal of technology barriers. A further, substatial, benefit will be a decreased need for computer training, due to a better understanding of usability and human interfaces into these devices, allowing staff more time to focus on relationships with clients."    

The next section wanted to know what new knowledge do I hope to gain from my project, my response was:

"I hope to demonstrate better designs in the tablet and mobile technology markets that will lead to new opportunities in social work settings. What I learn will lead to a better understanding as to how to better design, build and use the next generation of mobile applications for use in social work. This hopefully will lead to breakthroughs in the natural way that social worker and clients will interact with minimal thought of the technology at hand. Providing information instantly, ensuring maximum accuracy and without need for re-entry and data being available to other staff."

Why do I need to travel overseas to obtain this knowledge?

"I need to travel overseas to observe the practical operations and the research in the area of advance interface design. These companies and Government agencies are addressing this field of study where we are just getting use to the idea of the technology will have a bearing on how we work. As we are only just starting to catch up with the software side of the technology, the mobile technology is over taking our understanding and usage within Government. I believe that interface is the missing component for maximising the use of this technology."

What experience do I have to undertake this project?

"I am a very experienced technology professional with over 25 years' experience. I previously judged in this area of interface design for industry awards. I have experience being involved in both functional workflow and end user design, having been a designer of interfaces for systems for the City of Greater Dandenong. Currently I am leading a project which uses mobile technology for Childcare licencing. The project will inform the exploration of the potential for better user design and adoption of newer mobile technology providing a better level service to our clients." 

How will my project benefit the Australian community?

"Chage is one of the biggest challenges for everyone. That change and speed of change in mobile technology is enormous. Understanding how to apply good interface design to reduce the learning curve, increase productivity and speed up the transfer of information is paramount. To adopt that mobile technology and use it to its maximum benefit will only build a bigger and bright future for Australians in general. Australia is currently building a super highway for information transaction for the future, with the National Broadband Network (NBN). The NBN is laying a foundation that will allow unprecedented opportunities for mobile users in all industries. Much of our work takes place in the field, using mobile devices will enable users to gather or lookup information on the spot. The expansion of world class broadband to new areas of the country means that it can be used on remote towns, farms and schools. The design of devices, forms and applications will determin the success of this undertaking and whether Australia will achieve the full potential of its investment in broadband internet. My project will form the foundation to building those better interfaces. My current project will add to that body of knowledge on the topic of good interface design."

Other than my Fellowship Report how will I inform the Australian community of my experience and knowledge gained?

"I have the opportunity to disseminate and engagement in conversation about interface design with many departments. That conversation has already been going on with Police, Justice and Work Place Training. I have had involvement with AIIA and AIMIA in the past and these are just a couple of the forums that I would look to engage and present through. With my current project with Childcare Licensing I will be writing a white paper for whole of goverment on our experience. I would hope my Fellowship report would also be distributed through the government channels."

So this was my application responses as well as two references. Over the following year I will be posting information about how I am going and what I am planning for my trip. Then when I go on the Trip I will then post pictures and information about the entire experience.