Facebook has us all, and grossly under-performs

How much can our eyes see in a given moment? How many moments do we have in any given day? How many moments do we spend on reading and going through the FB updates? On how many such moments we feel 'amazing'?

From how many friends (I've got some 850 odd friends) do you see updates on any given day that you check FB? And so, how many friends you would surely like to check updates from? Who are these friends? Given the number of friends, how adept you've become socially as a result of social media?  Apart from friends, how many groups are you a part of on FB?

I spend a considerable time on FB almost everyday. And yet, on reflection I feel no great on most such days. I itch to get updates from some people and I don't quite know if they've posted anything. Why? Simple, everyone's posting a lot of stuff and that lot of stuff is algorithmically curated and the algorithm is no good. If I have 850 in my friends list, and everyone's posting 4 updates on average, there you go. On any given day I have a total of 3400 updates to go through! It's become a super-market of updates!

Is there a way out? A way that can make browsing the FB timeline marginally better and yet significantly effective?

There must be a cap of, let's say, 5 updates for every user. Don't let the algorithm curate. Let all the updates appear in a sequence on the timeline. Let the user figure which updates are worth posting.

Someone will argue, another platform will emerge that will offer 50 updates for every user. Sure, can emerge. Will that be any good? Will that help you read and go through the updates in any better way?

Capping the quantities is what makes something worthwhile. Otherwise the space is wide open. And you aren't even an atomic organism when placed against that space.

How long should a table be?

8 feet.

Left-hand-side half for laptop, printer and whatever other gadgets. Right-hand-side half to place open notepads, books or magazines. The arrangement might be the other way round for those writing with left hand.

1.5 ft for printer. 6 inches of empty space. Then, 2 ft for laptop+mouse. 4 ft. in total for gadgets. Remaining 4 ft. for the real things.

Try this if you have that kind of space and you'll see how efficiency improves. Mind you, this is the work-space. Stock-space should be considered separately.

Shoekill

A few days back, I felt an urge at 3:30am to find out what makes these sports shoes so expensive. I thought, let me read up on the internet. But I had done that on a couple of occasions earlier too. And I lost all that I had learnt.

It struck me that there are a couple of pairs which I've stopped wearing. I picked one, grabbed my scissors and went dissecting an actual shoe. So this is the result. You can count the number of components in a typical shoe.

There's designing of course, lots of stitching and most importantly, moulding. Add to that there's quite a bit of 'complexity' too. They call it technology. Compare the above design with the one below.

Significantly less number of components and when you look closely, significantly less complexity. Besides, these red shoes proved to be far more relaxing and fun when worn for long hours. And while running they help me develop a form which is less injurious than the form I adopted coz of the heavily technologized shoes above.

Interestingly, the red shoes should cost, by virtue of its simplicity, should cost less than the technologized shoes. But no. Not yet. In fact, significantly more. Those in the thrall of technology are yet to appreciate these, and so I reckon volumes are limited. Early adopters gotta pay. And they are happy paying.

The thing is whether you can get your market to appreciate the nuances. And how sooner?

Buildings shape us

Winston Churchill's quote: We shape our buildings; thereafter they shape us.

I've got this little desk which gets occupied by the laptop and the wires behind. I don't get enough space to place an open diary when the laptop's open and on. And when I say 'when the laptop...' it's almost all the time that I spend at my desk. Instead of scribbling useful stuff on paper, now I find myself staring at the laptop screen so often with very little to do. And I also find myself numbly jogging my memory to remember to do something, of course on the laptop, since it occupies all the space.

Did I anticipate this when the interior work was happening? No. Why don't I change the setting now? I am thinking about it. So what's stopping? That so much effort and money has been put in and one change could mean changes to a lot of other things. So it's gonna take time to change the setting. Until then, this shape that I gave to the desk and the space around, and this laptop that's been created by humans, will shape me.

If local trains are Mumbai's lifeline...

there should be more of them, right? Many many more of them, I suppose. Instead, what do we find?

The attempt to build wide wide roads. And then when wide wide roads get choked, build bridges. And then when wide wide roads and bridges together get choked?

Yesterday, for a change, I decided to travel by the local trains. I calculated that the space that a car which might typically carry 2 guys on an average occupies train-space which can carry nothing less than 12 people and, that too, very comfortably. And yet, what does the government do? Nothing. So around 20-25 odd people squeeze in that space which a car carrying 2 typically occupies. Rationally and economically, it boggles me.

It's incredible, how a thing so so so darn obvious isn't adopted and people in general are treated like fish. Those travelling in cars are no better. Ask them. Travelling isn't fun for them either. The roads are cramped. Just cramped. But one thing is, they don't get to bear the inhumanity of travelling by locals. They have some space in which they can sprawl!

Adopting cars as a way of life isn't just a problem on the roads. Buildings - residential and commercial both - require parking spaces. It is not so difficult to imagine what could be the alternative uses of such spaces. Children can play, adults can work out and in general the city can be much more open and visually beautiful. Commuting wouldn't take as much time. And if there are more bicycles, surely there are likely to be fitter bodies all around.

Don't give me economics and mathematics. Nope, this doesn't cut. To my mind, economics is only extending the cash-flow cycle. What's received in huge salaries is only going into maintaining bigger cars and bigger health checks and remedies, and bigger expenses to keep ourselves entertained since space-driven and fitness driven entertainment options are dying.

Barefoot Running Shoes in India

I've been running in these for quite a while now and a lot of people around have asked if these are available in India.

No, Vibrams are still not available in India.

They look funny, grey-monkey-like but/and therefore striking. Running in these shoes have kept the few niggles I started experiencing at bay. Though of course, running in these shoes requires adjustments and a little practice since while running you land on the front part of the foot instead of the heel. Years of conditioning to heel pounding sort of running takes some undoing.

Find out more about these shoes here.

There's reason for cheer for avid runners who can't yet manage to get hold of Vibrams. Shoes for barefoot running are now available in India. Check this out:

I got to see them right on the eve of Sabarmati Marathon 2011. Recently launched in the country. You can buy them at SpostsXS stores. You can find out more about these shoes here.

The coolest thing I found at Vivo Barefoot exhibit was this:

Amazing design. Delightful colors. And yes, I was informed that you can go running in these! I might try these out some time soon. Cheers!

Are you bored with Management Education?

Came across this ad in today's TOI. Found it compelling enough to share here and talk about it. My perspective of course.

The headline ARE YOU BORED WITH MANAGEMENT EDUCATION is just so apt. A lot of academicians engaged with management institutes here in India might just have been bored with the way things are done. Forget academicians, ask the students studying in these institutes. Ask them if given a chance to change their decisions by going back in the past, what would they do and why?

Reading through the copy might make one expect different things to happen at this institute. Mind you, we aren't talking about the right and the wrong. For the rightness of educational settings has been debated and questioned all the across the world.

Most interesting thing about this ad is what it expects the candidates to do. EMAIL THEIR RESUME WITH A WRITE UP ON "MY VISION OF MANAGEMENT EDUCATION IN THE FUTURE".

The ad seems to be walking the talk.

The only disappointing aspect is QUALIFICATIONS, EXPERIENCE AND REMUNERATION AS PER AICTE NORMS. I fear that one thing might just cut out a lot of interesting things that the institute promises through this ad.

Watching collisions from my window

Every day I hear people on bikes or cars crashing around a particular crossroad junction (which I can see from my window). At least 2 every day, if not more.

I can list many reasons for this phenomenon:

1. Drivers do not follow driving rules
2. Walkers do not practice traffic rules
3. There are no traffic instructions around that junction
4. People - drivers and pedestrians alike - do not have time to wait to slow down and manoeuvre
5. Youngsters and rich men like to drive real fast so that their bikes and cars can emit 'fart-like' sounds and make people pay them some attention
6. The space is densely populated

Now think about your office.

On the new Bullet's thump

Just read this article 'Biting the Bullet' in BT dated 27th Nov 2011. Sharing the most interesting bit:

But the new engine, unlike the old, had hydraulic tappets, a new engine arrangement, new metal and fewer moving parts. Obviously it did not produce the vibrations and the beat of the old, but international experts were consulted and sound mapping carried out for over 1,000 hours to ensure it produced maximum rhythmic vibrations possible and a beat, which was 70 per cent of the amplitude of the original.

It further says:

After much testing, the silencer was extended to capture, to the extent possible, the throb of the old engine.

Now that's how we sustain a brand. Great job! Innovation in mechanics to please the senses in the same old ways. Lovely.

How to design the First Page of your website?

Typically ads on the web are supposed to be relevant. At least that's been the cry and the claims so far. Though of course, as happens in life, so on the web; we'll take a while before we master the art of being relevant. Anyway I click on ads nonetheless out of sheer curiosity. I like discovering new stuff. So here's one such incident.

A Google ad on top of my gmail inbox threw a name of a website selling baby products. I clicked on the link and landed on the site. And as soon as the first page opened, an ad popped up offering me some discount on a certain product on the same site. I closed the ad. And I see the page showcasing various baby-products with bubble bursts announcing some offers with some of them.

I presume the site is for young mothers and probably bright colors attract. But what I couldn't quite get is the number of things calling for my attention on the first page itself. My reflective side kicked in.

I was ready to explore.

I typed 'buy baby products' in Google and decided to check out the first few sites of baby products thrown up in the search results. I noticed the similarity in all the sites. Bright colors. Lots of messages. Lots of products. Right on the first page.

Unless someone's really really clear about what she's looking for - which I don't think is often the case - these sites do not do much to help. In fact the best impact these first pages have on the visitors is perhaps adding to the lack of clarity.

I need not ponder on the importance of the first page for any website meant to do business. But I sense the first page should at least do the following:

1. convey what the site is meant for
2. induce action
3. help bring clarity to visitors' minds

The 3 points overlap obviously. But that doesn't mean that they are incorporated in the thinking about building the first page.

Here are few thoughts to aid our thinking about building the first page.

If button is symbolic of 'call to action', can the button be the message? Yes, you read it right. Repeat. Can the button be the message? The oft-studied Google home page is an example of that. The 'Google Search' button carries the message and the action. And I needn't remind how it brings clarity to visitors' minds. The lack of things on the home page leaves visitor only one main thing to do. Type. And search.

Contrast that with Yahoo's home page and we know what we are talking.

A worldwide flower-delivery portal I worked for, mainly had links of prominent countries under the heading 'Send flowers to...' on the first page. And that kind of first page has been adopted by many a site meant for flower delivery. Of course, the task for the visitor is just so crisply cut out. No confusions.

I wonder what stops book-stores on the web from making a sharply focused first page. I observe that Flipkart added more categories of products instead of building on its success as a bookstore. Obviously the first page is filled with everything now. Ditto for many many e-commerce sites that have sprung up in India.

It wouldn't be wrong to say that first page is a reflection of the company's product strategy (indirectly or directly, its business strategy too). And if the first page doesn't quite help the visitors, it doesn't quite help the business either.

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Want this blogger to design your website? Write to sidsoni at gmail dot com.

Apache RTR Hyper Edge is blunt

When I heard and read about the launch of Apache RTR Hyper Edge and saw the pics, I was surprised. For very obvious reasons Hyper Edge needed to be something more. Not just in performance but also in design. Besides, this was a strange case of giving a 'hyperbolic' name (without the corresponding changes) after the product has met with a fair amount of success anyway.

I realized that Hyper Edge is a fitting name more for Pulsar than for Apache RTR. Especially from a design perspective. I've tried breaking apart the designs of both the bikes to show why Pulsar is the Hyper Edgy bike.

Focus on the yellow lines below. Apache RTR Hyper Edge. These are the dominant lines I see when I look at the bike.

Now look at Pulsar.

You'll notice that there are fewer dominant lines (at least in the way I see) in Pulsar as compared to Apache Hype Edge. Lines seem to converge in Pulsar. Lines are closely aligned. Against this, lines in Apache are far more distant. They don't seem to converge. Forget edginess, there's very little to call sharp.

Fewer lines cut sharper. More lines will of course make the edge thicker. You get the logic, right?

Design apart, I love the sound of an Apache machine. There, they've got it right. But I guess the sound isn't enough (as it is for a Royal Enfield) to make it a cult.

My little desk and the book curve

 

Just got an opportunity to arrange my books in a different manner. :)