Task 1.3

The objective of this task is to summarize the main points Norman makes throughout this section of his book.

Norman begins with an anecdote featuring a woman by the name of Gertude, one of the early adopters of the at-home computer. As the next section of the article, titled "Technology Life Cycles and the Consumer" explains, Gertude only purchased the new technology because of the new and exciting features that it offered. She didn't care about any of the possible issues that may have existed with her new computer, as long as it could create her spreadsheets. Norman explains that early adopters of technology purchase based on specifications and features. It doesn't matter if the product is usable or not, or if it has flaws, as long as it has an impressive feature set.

But, as Norman speculates, all of this can change when the product gets older. Essentially the company has to change its entire marketing strategy to ensure that their product suits the potential customers that the given organisation is selling to. No longer do these customers desire features over all other things; they want good value for money, good brands and reliable products. As an example Norman references the purchasing of a new car, which is often performed based on terms like these. Furthermore, Norman provides an interesting reference to watches, specifically how they have come from being sold as technology, to being sold as fashion accessories.

In the next section of his book Norman explains how technology moves from its "Technology-Centered Youth" to its "Consumer-Centered Maturity". Norman goes onto compare this diagram with one from Geoffrey Moore's book, Crossing the Chasm (Diagram shown below).

The idea here is that Norman's supposed point of transition between consumer cravings for high technology and convenience is directly associated with "The Chasm" as visualized by Moore in his book. At this point products need to be redesigned and marketed.

The next section in Norman's book is titled "Making the Transition to a Customer-Driven Company". In the beginning of this section Norman compares this transition to that of ageing, adolescence, youth and maturity. Norman gives a brief rundown of these three stages. Once a product has matured, marketing begins to take hold of the organisation. At this point even the most conservative of customers have begun to purchase products, so it is important to get the marketing strategy correct the first time. The following section of this part of Norman's book is titled "Toward a Human-Centered Product Development". This section of the book is effectively summarized in the last paragraph:

Why is everything so difficult to use? The real problem lies in product development, in the emphasis on the technology rather than on the user, the person for whom the device is intended. To improve products, companies need a development philosophy that targets the human user, not the technology. Companies need a human-centered development.

The final section of this part of Norman's book covers the strategic marketing requirements for user-centered product development and marketing through the form of a three-legged chair.

The three legs of the chair are as labelled: Technology, Marketing and User experience. The general idea is that these three factors when combined must equally support the product to achieve success. Each factor is covered in far greater detail within this section of Norman's book.

And I almost forgot, pen and paper are apparently forms of technology.

Task 1.2

The requirement for this task was to write a memo (which we found out was essentially a small report) to Anne and Elizabeth, potential clients seeking advice in relation to establishing a website to sell hair-care products.

Greetings Anne and Elizabeth,

In response to your request for advice in relation to your online shop; your idea has excellent potential for success in the online environment, but exposure is critical.

Good choice of domain name is a sure requirement, but may become expensive if the domain name you are considering is already owned. Alternative domain names should be considered to ensure success. The prospect of purchasing a place in Google’s sponsored results may also need to be considered to increase exposure nationally and possibly internationally. It may also be appropriate to purchase advertising space on websites where your target audience spends their time online, such as an online forum.

The design of your webpage also forms a critical part of your businesses potential success. Your site must be easy for your customers to navigate and use. Difficulty in these areas will ultimately result in customers leaving your website for another which may be offering similar products. The way that your website looks is also important, but should not be key focus during design. Many studies have proven that a more usable website is often better than one that looks good.

I believe that your idea can be nurtured into a thriving business with the aid of my web design and implementation expertise.

Sincerely,

Justin Robins. 

Although I didn't feel that this task was particularly difficult, I'm sure I can improve my use of language and my content as my skills in this area progress.

Task 1.1

Using the Data Sources tool built into Windows 7 under Administrative tools I was able to successfully establish a connection to the Groceries database. I did not encounter any problems or issues during this phase.

With the central connection established, I was able to gain direct (read only) access to the records within the tables through both Excel and Access. 

I attempted to use an alternative Google-found program called "Database Explorer" to establish the same ODBC connection but the program appears to be very buggy and counter-intuitive.

I don't have a great deal of knowledge in relation to MySQL but I know it's used in conjunction with PHP for a great many low-budget websites. I've done my fair share of work in both Access and Excel, the majority of which was performed in VCE.