2011 is off to a heckuva start!

We’ve got work in the pipeline for Web Foundation, NuLayer, Jet Cooper, blogTO, and a whole host of other great companies and people. Everything from desktop to Web to mobile apps.

We’re pretty well settled in our new Richmond and Spadina office space.

And we just received word that our (Jon Lax and I) Abolish the Hourly, How Value Pricing Wins Clients SXSW talk has been accepted, so we’ll be sharing some success stories with the world come March.

The only trouble is, we’ve been distracted from three of our own important projects: Kipu, the Toronto events calendar, and writing here on the Say Yeah blog.

One step at a time: more Kipu invites will be going out this week, then we’ll look to get the calendar back up to it’s normal informative self, and new user experience articles will be coming in February right here on the Say Yeah blog.

Exciting stuff!

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We’re in the throws of what feels like an endless project trying to improve on what should be a relatively simple donation form for Web Foundation. I’ve been pushing hard to work through the convoluted error messages that we’re getting back from the API we need to work with simply because running into a problem when you’re trying to give someone money is just about the last thing you need.

My first reaction when I see the following message is to question the security of the form and wonder if my information is safe

Error: there was a problem processing your request.

First of all the word “error” should be relegated to a technical issue, not a user issue. User’s don’t make errors, they miss things. You may do something in error, but your action is not an error. That’s what computers do. They error. Which usually means they’re broken. Which usually means your data isn’t safe.

And what is a “request”. User’s don’t make requests on the Web, they provide information. “processing a request” is something a computer does and it’s convoluted language for someone trying to donate money.

With that in mind, if there is a problem, we’re going to say something along these lines:

There was a problem completing your donation. Please ensure the required information noted below is filled in correctly.

I’m sure it’s a pain on the development side to try to work with an unforgiving API to adjust these things, but I couldn’t agree more that words are the soul of UX, and it’s nice to see yesterday’s post on 52weeksofux.com celebrating this.

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First, let’s clarify what I mean by infrastructure. I’m talking about the fundamental tenets of a healthy nation: education, employment, government, communications (phone and Web access), roads and buildings. The reality of the situation is the disaster in Haiti was compounded by a dearth of infrastructure. Concrete buildings are not supposed to completely collapse in the face of a natural disaster. This can be traced back to all of the above issues, all of which are in the purview of organizations such as the Web Foundation; organizations focused on empowering local people and economies through holistic planning, while working with on the ground organizations to build lasting infrastructure that local individuals can manage and thrive under.

Now, with massive amounts of aid being piled into Haiti, how this aid (and the most certainly required future aid) is applied to ongoing infrastructure development will determine whether or not Haiti can avoid a disaster of this magnitude in the future and, more importantly, become a healthy nation.

With this in mind, we need to be thinking more holistically, not just in Haiti but beyond; reacting less and, instead, focusing on long term planning. This is why we’ve put our support behind the Web Foundation because it truly has the power to change people’s lives and local economies, ultimately increasing standards of living, health, and safety. This isn’t a sales pitch for the Web Foundation; it’s a call to engage in more holistic giving, based around empowerment rather than relief.

By all means, support Haiti now as we are at this Thursday’s HaiHaiTO event, because the requirement for disaster relief is ongoing, and the Canadian government is stepping up with each donation we make. But let’s remember it’s holistic reengineering of infrastructure, not reactionary rebuilding, that is required to ensure this level of disaster is avoided in the future.

Support Now

HaiHaiTO Haiti support evening on Feb 11 at the Courthouse on Adelaide, 7:00p to late, with support for the following groups:
Canadian Red Cross
Toronto Haiti Action Committee

Purchase HaiHaiTO tickets here.

You may also donate your Air Miles to the Red Cross.

Ongoing Support

For Haiti: Haiti Partners

For other locales, including South America, Africa, and more: Web Foundation

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We just participated in our 4th Patio Friday of 2009 this past Friday, June 5. What a treat. Rahaf was in from Geneva in support of her book launch, so we had the opportunity to get Craig, Dave, Rahaf and I together to talk World Wide Web Foundation and the future of the Web.

Matt and I also took our early arrival time as an opportunity to discuss next steps for the Toronto Events Calendar. Really, why would you sit in a stale air, bulb lit meeting room when you had the chance to enjoy some sun and air. Invigorating.

We’re looking forward to continuing to be at Patio Fridays throughout the summer and would love to see you out, whether to discuss a project, idea, life in general, or just to enjoy the good company.

As Jevon said, “It looks like @patiofriday is going to be the thought commons in Toronto this summer. Get there and share.” Let’s make it happen. Fun in the sun, indeed!

Keep on top of the goings on with the Patio Friday Twitter account.

Patio Friday pics on Flickr.

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