in

Love ItLove It

Breaking down how I figure things out (a little)

My wife has an iWatch and an iPhone. I got her an Anker USB charging hub. But now, with her new desk configuration, I am looking for something that will change both the iWatch and the iPhone. There is a number on the market, but my wife doesn’t like cables, so I will need to hide the cables on her desk. I am always interested in different ways of looking at solutions. So this has been an interesting thought experiment.

As a long time software architect, I started with the requirements gathering. The easy part (no wires) and the hard part (has to be easy to use) was a struggle at first. In part, the reality of the phrase easy to use always gets me. IT professionals don’t always understand that what is easy for us, isn’t easy for everyone. That balancing act is something that can be difficult to consider. The other side of easy is training.

Training is fairly straightforward when it comes to a charging station.

  1. No visible wires
  2. Easy to sue
  3. Stable enough that it can be on the edge of her table and not slip

Those were the three criteria that I started the search with. I apply the same concepts to designing corporate solutions. It works when you break things down to the simplest moving piece. I started in the software architecture world as a disciple of the system method. I later layered on the teachings of John Boyd (the OODA loop). What I’ve come to realize is the most important aspect of any solution is the person to be using it.

OODA loop, by the way, stands for Observe, Orient, Decide and Act. It speaks to the reality of changing the orientation of the observer to receive different results. It was originally designed to improve high pressure, fast turn decision-making systems.

  • Question of

    Have you ever heard of John Boyd and the OODA Loop?

    • Yes
    • No
  • Question of

    Do you have a system you use to figure out what someone else needs?

    • Yes
    • No
  • Question of

    Do you like helping other people?

    • Yes
    • No

Report

What do you think?

Written by DocAndersen

One fan, One team and a long time dream Go Cubs!!!!!!!!!!!!!

19 Comments

  1. The problem is that often folks don’t understand what they need or even want, so they can’t tell you. My girlfriend fought me tooth and nail against digital previz. Now she swears by it, but it took her forever to come around…

    1
  2. I am not that knowledgeable about computers and technology but here in NZ most I know don’t know much about them and I end up by working out how to help them.
    To change my landline to wireless was a one day nightmare and had to do that all by myself.
    Now I have changed companies and gone back to a landline as the company charged far too much and others without wireless had problems ringing us.
    So I have now got unlimited nationwide calls and unlimited broadband plus $10.00 less per month a far better deal

    1
  3. A happy woman who has a husband like you. I have to solve the technology problems myself. Occasionally, I also help a nephew who is much younger than me ?

    1