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LG Customer Care-less!

2009-06-22T11:27:00.002+05:30

Here is the mail that I sent to Mr. Santosh Das, Head of Customer Care, LG Electronics India for not carrying out repairs on my LG washing machine. Within 8 hours, the machine was repaired and several calls followed about quality of repair. This was after a week of not showing up!I am not sure if they are really serious about service. Read on, it might give you ideas...----- Dear Santosh,I

7 Mantras for Profitable Rural Mobile Applications in India

2009-06-18T13:27:00.001+05:30

1. Literacy: Don't make me read anything except numbers. Think voice and human interfaces.2. Trust: Payment to humans. Don't try self / machine payments.3. Lock-in: Ask for payments only when needed - don't lock me in, and I don't understand plans.4. Customize: Services or products must solve my specific problem.5. Exclusive: The information must not be available thru other means: word of mouth,

mVaayoo, an expert usability evaluation

2009-05-17T14:04:00.002+05:30

mVaayoo.com Expert Usability Evaluation by Kern In this usability expert review of mVaayoo.com, Kern discovers how the online bulk sms sending application caters to wrong users and how the key users' needs are ignored. This may lead to poor sales, a lot of sales effort, and poor conversions after demos. View more presentations from Kerncomm.

Some more irresistible E71 applications

2009-03-07T12:19:00.001+05:30

Relief from web suffering: Opera MiniIf you surf web from your GPRS connection, here is your chance to save bandwidth and fasten your speed - just by Opera's optimization of images for your phone. On top of that you get clear fonts!http://www.operamini.comSeamlessly manage multiple connections: SmartConnectIf you connect your phone to the net through multiple internet connections - wifi, gprs, 3g

Irresistible E71 applications

2009-03-06T14:17:00.000+05:30

To keep me running is a workhorse, the Nokia E71, the QWERTY phone I know just too well for far longer than it is in the market. Anyway, these are the absolutely free applications I use that keep this workhorse ready for a race anytime!All emails: GmailSo, if you are an email addict and need to access your previous emails which your phone does not save, this is the application that will ensure

Kern & HumanCentric join International Usability Partners

2009-01-31T14:20:00.005+05:30

HumanCentric (United States) and Kern Communications (India) have joined the International Usability Partners (IUP). The IUP is a network of independent usability companies who have joined together to provide user experience services worldwide."With our new partners HumanCentric and Kern Communications we are able to offer our clients improved global reach through one point of contact,"

Whys, Dos, and Don’ts While Conducting Usability Testing in India

2008-12-01T23:17:00.000+05:30

Again, I am picking this blog entry from Sneha's post on Kern's blog.While conducting user research in India, work closely with your local partners. Here are some do's, don'ts, and whys that will help give you a perspective. Do's Don'ts Whys Discuss goals and the reason for each goal before your local partner starts recruiting. Do not just send a document with your requirements.Reasons:

Kern offers usability testing services in India

2008-11-11T17:24:00.000+05:30

Kern has been providing usability testing services to its clients and other usability consulting companies around the world. Till now, we worked with clients who knew that we provide this service and somehow we never announced it on Kern's website. However, as we have perfected the service over many years and we have excellent clients, we today announce usability testing in India as a service on

Kern forms Joint Venture with HumanCentric

2008-07-28T19:50:00.005+05:30

Kern Communications Pvt. Ltd., India's leading user research and usability consulting company announces a joint venture with USA's HumanCentric, an award-winning and integrated product design company committed to make consumer-friendly products by studying and understanding the end-user.This joint venture comes in at a critical juncture for both the companies. HumanCentric and Kern partnership

Why does usability research requires only a few users?

2008-07-24T14:13:00.001+05:30

Usability research is usually qualitative, or driven by insight (why users don't understand). Qualitative research follows different research rules to quantitative research and it is typical that sample size is low.The end result of usability testing is not statistical validity per say but verification of insights and assumptions based on behavioral observation - quantitative vs.

How are Focus Groups different from Usability Testing?

2008-07-24T13:14:00.003+05:30

This was originally written by Mini and I have again shamelessly copied this from Kern's Blog. In today's fast paced life, people tend to avoid products that frustrate them. Satisfied customers would be ready to buy good products and services. This also helps in word-of-mouth marketing.Used together, focus groups and usability testing

Iomega StorCenter 150d: Dead or Alive?

2008-07-15T11:22:00.002+05:30

14 July, 10:30 AM: Neoteric Engineer Turns UpCopying of files is over - no exceptions! Neoteric engineer wants to take the box to the service center and update firmware. He says that he will take 2 days to finish the work.14 July, 5 PM: Neoteric Engineer Brings the Box BackWe connect it to the network -- seamless! Where is the data -- it's all there -- safe. Excellent!So, the story is simple:

Iomega India: Pathetic Products, Bad Service

2008-07-11T19:16:00.001+05:30

11 AM - Neoteric Engineer arrives to baby sit the copying process on Iomega 1Tb 150d. He goes in and out of our office throughout the day to kill boredom of copying files from one box to another.4:37 PM - "Can't find mapped device"On further interrogation, it is found that Iomega 150d decided to change its static IP address from 192.168.1.20 to 192.168.1.2 -- probably 150d got bored and wanted

Iomega StorCenter 1Tb 150d woes: 10 July 2008

2008-07-11T10:59:00.002+05:30

The earlier part is here:http://ripul.blogspot.com/2008/07/iomega-storcenter-1tb-150d-woes.html8:37 AM - Mr. Iomega calls upa. "Why did you put my name on the blog?"Oh! Someone is really scared about his name on the blog and not worried about the customer woes. You have a broken product Mr. Iomega, and your only responsibility is to solve the problem.b. "Would you take my name off the blog if I

VFS Fleecing Unsuspecting UK Visa Applicants

2008-07-10T16:24:00.002+05:30

Here is the letter I sent to the honorable British High Commission after I came back from VFS center in Hyderabad -- a horrible experience! VFS people clearly told me that we are advising no visa to me as my photo does not confirm to specifications. Interestingly, the VFS notoriety is exposed -- British High Commission did issue me a visa (and my chin in the visa was clearly visible!) and that

Iomega StorCenter 1Tb 150d woes

2008-07-09T21:35:00.010+05:30

Piggy on the railway track Picking up stones, Along came an engine And broke piggy's bones. "Oh," said Piggy, "That's not fair!" "Ha!" said the engine driver, "I don't care!" A tiny little user research company's bones are broken - again! The Iomega StoreCenter 1Tb storage on the network died one more time, breaking Kern's bones once again. And when Kern cried "That's not fair;" "Ha!

Usability Testing Versus Expert Usability Review

2008-06-30T15:46:00.003+05:30

This article appeared first at Learnability Matters, a blog by Kern Communications. It was orignially written by Sneha Nair, and edited by yours truly. And, I have taken permission to shamelessly copy :) Sometimes we want to do the right thing to increase our application’s usability but don’t know how and where to begin, what method is appropriate to maximize an optimal outcome. We’ve heard

3C's to take care when blogging about work

2008-06-18T10:43:00.002+05:30

"Publish or perish" is repackaged in a new wine bottle by many corporates by encouraging employees and associates to blog about work and life. Many people see this as a way to publish and distribute best practices, publish amateur papers which otherwise may not get published in established journals, or talk about experiences.Many people see blogging a way to become famous overnight while others

Market Research Vs. User Research

2008-06-12T11:43:00.003+05:30

Market research and user research are analogous to each other but have completely different goals. They sometimes share common goals and inform one another.Both disciplines have different approaches, their own strengths, and weaknesses. Which method to use and when to use it depends on what problem you are trying to solve.Marketing research may start this effort with

Making Indian Design Globally Competitive

2007-05-01T08:19:00.000+05:30

Some Indian design companies are doing some phenomenal work but others who have potential may not be able to survive and make a mark. Also those who can survive, may not be able to be globally competive due to the lack of design infrastructure and environment. I propose 7 points to the proposed chartered design body of India to make Indian design globally known. In the past few months, there has

Barcamp in Cyberabad

2006-03-28T14:54:00.000+05:30

You all know what a BarCamp is all about, here's my invitation to all who are in Cyberabad (the cyber city of Hyderabad) to join the BarCamp Hyderabad on 8th of April, 2006 at the beautiful IIIT campus. I am planning to speak and meet up a lot of old friends from Pramati and Progress. I am not sure about the exact topic, I hope someone can help me out. I was planning to speak about Usability--

Kern looks for Usability Professionals

2006-02-06T18:02:00.000+05:30

Are you getting frustrated conducting heuristic evaluations of websites everyday? Kern will offer you a range of activities to do--contextual inquiry, user analysis, user interface design, prototyping, visual design, and usability testing. And NO WEBSITES at all. All these exciting activities with software applications/products that make a difference. Many of our clients are software product

Usability Patterns for web-based applications

2005-11-21T18:09:00.000+05:30

There are usability patterns and there are more usability patterns. In this maze of patterns, I also propose to put in some more interaction patterns. How are my patterns different from others? Well, I will leave it for you to discover. For some months, each month there will be a new pattern that I have designed and tested (with users obviously!). Yes, they all work and fairly well too! Mind you,

Apple's troubles start with video iPod

2005-10-19T15:02:00.000+05:30

The new video iPod from Apple will definitely be a mild success. It will be riding on the huge success of the iPod family which is used by millions to listen to lots of music, carry data, and occasionally show and tell about great photographs one has taken. However, to make it another iconic product as the original iPod, designers at Apple must think "big" again. In each coast-to-coast flight or

Reva Electric Car - no recharge but change

2005-10-15T11:52:00.000+05:30

Reva Electric Car is very slowly showing up on Indian roads--mainly on Bangalore roads. It's a treat to see Reva zipping past without noise, huff, and puff. The car is good for young and old couples who need short commute within the city. Young show its Eco-friendliness and old enjoy its economy of running as the gas prices are shooting through the roof.I would like to see this car making a

Tree View Removal Surgery

2005-10-13T15:39:00.000+05:30

You must have seen and experienced many enterprise software applications that have tree views as primary navigational strategy. These application interfaces mimic the system’s underlying data structure for primary navigation. The underlying data structure may be highly efficient in organizing, sorting, and finding the data by the computer. However, it fails to help users find and manipulate data.

Why is a tree view a poor navigational choice in software applications?

2005-09-21T12:09:00.000+05:30

Recently I found myself staring at another Enterprise Software Application (ESA) that uses a tree view as primary navigation. A tree view on the left is usually not the right choice for navigation in such applications. Here are some reasons why tree views make a very poor choice in an ESA: 1. Many types of artifacts: Typically in ESAs, the tree is composed of artifacts like actions, files, and

Usability in Elearning

2005-07-30T11:52:00.000+05:30

This post appeared some weeks back at IDiot. As the conversation is between me and the owner, I am shamelessly copying the converstion here. Kern offers two kinds of services -- usability and elearning. Often our clients inquire about this holy matrimony of usability and elearning. I think usability lends itself naturally to any elearning solution. This got us into an interesting discussion

Ask your employer these questions - Freshers

2005-07-02T16:49:00.000+05:30

In the past few months, I have been asked a million times about how to choose a suitable company for a usability job. Most people who have been asking me are fresh graduates from NID, IDC, or from a US university. In India, the choices are few, and making a choice is very difficult. However, each company offers different usability jobs and has a different hidden job description. Here I want to

Talk to your users

2005-06-28T14:30:00.000+05:30

Talking to users is the first and the most important aspect of designing a software product or application. Talking to the users can be done in many ways - Ethnographic studies, contextual inquiry and observations, questionnaires, card sorting, affinity diagramming, etc. All these user research techniques help in user interface analysis, design of appropriate scenarios, help in layout and visual

Where is the learning?

2005-06-23T12:57:00.000+05:30

Companies are moving their instructor-led training material to self-paced elearning (first generation elearning) to save costs, manage learners, manage scores, manage multiple courses, and feed this data into the human resource software for employee performance appraisal.But, what happened to the learner and the quality of learning? Earlier, learning was instructor- led and it had pedagogic roots

Ranking features in functional requirements

2005-06-08T15:21:00.000+05:30

System functional requirements is a laundry list of all the requirements and features of the proposed system. It conveys that all functions and features are equally important. The reality is that the features that requires minimal coding are taken up first. Features that require a lot of coding or that cannot be achieved using the current API are also delayed.There is much written about feature

Cracked Programmer Creole!

2005-06-04T15:23:00.000+05:30

Are not abl;e to see this slide. this slide has mainly bullets and the link opens site. If you can see the site which opens in a diff window the QuickStart/Control Practices can be seen. You cant understand any specific thing we will send thiss to Jen.Crack: We are not able to see this slide. This slide mainly has bullet points as links. Each link opens a new window. If you can see the site, you

Web-based applications' data entry guidelines

2005-06-04T12:30:00.000+05:30

For designing a data entry system, the guidelines differ according to these key parameters: Domain knowledge of the user (for semantic errors) User training and experience of the user (typing mistakes, cultural conventions) Data source (paper, scanned, another program window, audio, etc.) Data entry technology While using paper (or similar) based source, a very strong co-relation

Design of rich internet applications

2005-06-03T19:35:00.000+05:30

Rich Internet Applications, in my experience of building large call center applications (yes! web-based), are a mix of page-centric HTML and the GUI applications. They trying to achieve the rich interactivity of GUI applications in a web scenario.As we all know, 80% of usability is navigation. RIAs are breaking the paradigm of "navigation metaphor." Moreover, navigation is changing its meaning --

Joel and Napster's Affordance

2005-06-03T12:44:00.000+05:30

While paving my way through the blogiverse trying to find familiar people, I stumbled upon Hejip, an old colleague and friend. In his blog about usability, he did mention Joel - who has now become the de-facto usability guru among software developers - Cooper is another. However, Nielsen and Eric do not find too many software takers as they talk about public websites and intranets and not real

Cutting edge product idea - a conversation

2005-06-01T19:29:00.000+05:30

One of my regular client contact who works with a "cutting-edge" technology company invited me for an informal chat about a revolutionary new product idea. According to the client the product idea could potentially be a gold mine. I said wow! I also quickly landed up at their now-impressive office - once again. The earlier state of their office and the state of chairs is definitely bloggable

User-centered innovation

2005-06-01T08:06:00.000+05:30

Understanding users (different from "customers") is a critical part of the innovation process that most technology companies in India either miss or are ignorant about. Today, this is one of the key reasons why Indian software services companies like Wipro and Satyam cannot produce innovative software.Organizations believe that customers are users, however, in reality most customers are NOT users

Caller tunes feature usability evaluation

2005-05-25T12:09:00.000+05:30

I like caller tunes (or hello tunes) as much as I like powder coated metallic blue hand cuffs.1. Poor Feedback - The earlier tones give clear feedback about the state of the call. In caller tunes, the caller does not get any feedback. They don't know if the called phone is ringing or busy. The result is quick and multiple hangups by callers.2. Mental Model Mismatch - The caller expects a familiar

Key usability issues (and solutions!) in customer service software

2005-05-23T21:24:00.000+05:30

1. A very high percentage of outbound calls land up at an answering machine. Leaving standard messages on the answering machine is routine and takes a lot of user's time.This task can be allocated to a computer -- an automated message delivery will drastically reduce the call time. In certain cases where the customer decides to pick up the call, the computer can seamlessly give the control to the

We dont require costly usability labs

2005-05-22T11:22:00.000+05:30

We may all agree that most big-ticket usability problems lie in poor navigation - insufficient scent of information, poor organization, poor understanding of tasks and subsequent task design, etc. To test navigation, in most cases, we do NOT require an elaborate lab setup. There are many low cost testing techniques that can be effectively used to understand navigational problems. These techniques

A tree on the left 2

2005-05-21T11:30:00.000+05:30

A tree typically provides poor navigational clues - does not tell where the user is now, what is clicked, and what is open. To provide all these clues, a software developer spends a lot of energy. A tree helps software developers put artifacts as in the systems model. This model is usually very different from the user's mental model. The tree typically takes more than 20% of screen space.

A tree on the left

2004-05-10T00:08:00.000+05:30

Recently I found myself staring at another Enterprise Software Application (ESA) that uses a tree structure as primary navigation. A tree structure on the left is usually not the right choice for navigation in such applications. Typically in ESAs, the tree is composed of artifacts like actions, files, and tasks. This type of hybrid scheme is confusing as it makes it difficult for users to make a

Starting is a single liner, to maintain is a challenge

2004-05-08T23:15:00.000+05:30

Being an early tester of JRoller and trying to run it on Pramati Server a couple of years back was my first brush with blog "technology". Bugs ate away my enthusiasm to start. Sarit and I have been hatching plans to secretly start a Usability Jokes site - that is also in the pending basket for years! Yesterday, in his sniffer dog mode, he sent me link to Manu Sharma's blog. And here I am -

Wedding Invite

2002-08-21T16:32:00.000+05:30

Strange yet true... not so long ago rips and geeta (motu and chotu respectively!) met on email, chat and phone calls followed (thanks hutch! thanks bsnl! for all night support - daily). Engaged exactly 2 months later on 29 July. Time to invite all friends for laddus (and fish for not so veg friends) ... Wedding on October 14, 2002 at Bhuvaneshwar, Reception on 17 Oct at Lucknow AND we are