I had to sign a NDA (that's Non Disclosure Agreement, to you laymen out there) so I can't really get into what we discussed in regards to products or usage so don't expect more from me regarding the usability study.
The Google people were all nice and attentive, as though they really were interested in the feedback our group provided. That's good.
One of my largest concerns wasn't about anything a Googler said or did, but rather a couple of people in the study seemed to keep forgetting we were talking about mobile usage. They wanted features that are either already built into G+Photos or the desktop (browser) interface.
Otherwise I thought there were some great ideas tossed around and some really good brainstorming among us even if most of what we did was on paper with highlighters, scissors and tape. Actually, all of it was on paper. It's a good thing Google recycles. ;)
I don't make a lot of personal posts so please bear with me. #Rufus hasn't been doing well for the past week or so. I mean, he's 13 (at least), and has slowed down due to age, but the past week or two he's been acting like every movement is a Herculean effort. A few times in the past couple of weeks his rear legs have given out on him completely to where I've had to pick him up and carry him which is, in itself, telling. Rufus has always hated being carried and struggled continuously when I did so. Yesterday while petting him I noticed two golf-ball sized things up under his chin. Now, they may be benign lipomas as Rufus is covered with them (one one each thigh, one on each shoulder, one on his chest and a few smaller bumps here and there) or they may be indicative of something else. I'm no vet and aside from emergency medic battlefield training I have no medical experience whatsoever, but these new things seem to be where your or mine lymph nodes are located....
I'm shutting down Google+ for the night and quite possibly for the weekend. Why? This stupid #gifwars thing people are so proud of. This Adam Black guy said he doesn't like gifs and now everyone is mass trolling him. Having been mass trolled like this I can relate to him easily enough. Have an opinion and the collective might of Google+'s lower class denizens jump on a bandwagon. I just saw a post where someone wanted to jump on board and had to get clarification she was tagging the proper Adam Black. She wasn't even connected to him ! Nor was she a part of the original discussion. She just wanted to follow the herd. When I called her out of it she claimed, "one gif doesn't make a troll." Perhaps not, but she's contributing to a larger troll effort. One straw doesn't break the camel's back, but thousands will. So, tonight, Google+ disgusts me. It probably will tomorrow as well. And possibly Sunday. I gave up Google+ for two months this spring...
What's so innovative about the Apple Watch? What has Apple done since the launch of the iPhone that was truly innovative? I read articles all he time about features this and software that, but I haven't seen anything where it was definitively proven where Apple has been cutting edge for years. christopher rizzo called me a troll for questioning his religious adherence to Apple consumerism. So, can someone explain where Apple is truly innovative? I'm not talking about a minor change like the USB-C port or "slide to unlock" but a true innovation that's once again changing the industry. http://www.fastcodesign.com/3043419/what-the-apple-watch-does-that-googles-watches-dont
Comments
The Google people were all nice and attentive, as though they really were interested in the feedback our group provided. That's good.
One of my largest concerns wasn't about anything a Googler said or did, but rather a couple of people in the study seemed to keep forgetting we were talking about mobile usage. They wanted features that are either already built into G+Photos or the desktop (browser) interface.
Otherwise I thought there were some great ideas tossed around and some really good brainstorming among us even if most of what we did was on paper with highlighters, scissors and tape. Actually, all of it was on paper. It's a good thing Google recycles. ;)