kevingsmith blog

What’s up blog. It’s been a few months. October through December 2009, a flat out murderous bitC%. I am so glad we’re in 2010. So what’s new…

Research took a back seat to personal life, worklife and more. I needed time away and I took it. I made it out alive but barely. Still really hollow but trying really hard to look at a new perspective on everything. New lifestyle, new love interest and financially stretched. But I will make it through, right?!?

Research – I am not back on the wagon trail by getting my wiki together (like I should have been doing over the break) and I’ve even place together my committee. They are almost complete. Now if I can just get the proposal written up and submitted by March sometime, I will be all good. I only just begun looking at my write ups again this past month since October. I am in a better headspace but its still painful a bit.  I MUST be finished in 2011. I don’t think I can go beyond that anymore.

Personally, I am growing but still in some pain. I need to move forward and onward. And I want and plan too. financially, its a bit challenging and a very uncomfortable. I just want to run some days and hide from it all. But the Guilt is sometimes very strong. Overpowering even.

Work is a bit better but still I need to take a chill pill with it somedays. I still feel guilt over not completing enough work and on many days, I am very fatigued to get work done. I am not sure what that means right now.

New person I am dating. It’s good most days but it is making me grow at a time when I have soo much going on, I simply don’t want to move beyond my comfort zone. But they make me work. That is a good thing. The bad thing is the ex and I still live together and its very tough to move forward when you’re stuck in the past.

But I am a survivor. I still wish to have more fun but I am still finding my way through it all. That’s it for now. Right now, I’ll celebrate my recent accomplishments of getting a committee together and seeing some light at the end of this tunnel I am putting together called my proposal team/PhD Project Team. Gotta be past a certain point this Spring 2010 else I fear the worst.

That’s all for now!

Well, today has been a productive day thus far. I’ve been doing more reading as of late (always trying to catch up with Joy.) My insight for today has been I’ve been reading alot on how Personas are used and discussed in the website development process. I now that I am looking for work on using Personas as a navigational tool when designing how the website created.

So what I’ve been reading helps me to realize something important even if its not exactly what I am looking for. I’ve realized that most of the limited research done has been targeted towards college students, not seniors. I’ve learned that I have not found any recent research (yet) on using personas as a navigational tool other than what my colleagues are doing oversees.

I’ve also got a decent grasp on Persona usage history, timeline and the game players/changers. Everyone agrees that Cooper is the daddie of modern Persona usage.  Thanks to my new blogfriend – andrea Richeson, she’s done a succuit current lit review naming folks prominent in the field today.

Alan Cooper -The Inmates are Running the Asylm (1998)

Alan Cooper – About Face: The Essentials of Interaction Design (02?)

Alan Cooper’s company is still the KEY MODERN VOICE on Personas

Kim Goodwin of Cooper’s company in her 2003 article discuss how best to employ personas and what makes them great

Frank Long resaerch article is the first good academic research paper on the usage of persona’s. I want to base my work from his however his focuses on the website development (here’s my problem but I am sure I will use this in my lit review since its the most current and has the makings of a good research method for me to apply). His paper is entitled Real or Imagenary: The effectiveness of Personas in product design. He focuses on the importance of the use of photos versus illustration and a good scenario (story) to roundout the persona for the development team to  use. This is exactly what I want to hear because I am basing my reserach on this thought but targeting seniors.

Peter Merhotz’s the best way to understand your customers is also key work. I just ordered his book. He wants us to understand not only the goal oriented persona but also the problems that keep them  ‘up at night’ to take into account when designing for customers.

I was also introduced to the ‘haters’ of personas: Steve Protigal and Jason Fried. Both have their own design groups and simply disagree saying persona data is not properly representative of the client. I’ll read more later

Tina Calibria article An introduction to Personas and How to use them (2004) will be an important reading. I’ll find it today and read this week.

Steve Mulder’s book was also ordered today: The User is Always right. Both Calibria and Mulder focus on the importance of qualitative data to balance out the quantitative data when designing or customizing/creating your persona. So overall, a good info day on persona

Comments on LIFE/PERSONAL

Well, I am working hard to get into a good head space. This month…Not one to repeat and for the record books, I wish I could delete it. There’s been major distractions and lots of pain. I am working through it as best I can however I am still quite distant. I am tired of the beating up of ’self.’ I am not sure today where I am going but I know I am going to need ‘more’ in order for me to get trust back.  I did ‘F’ up but I never intentially set out to hurt. But I did on many fronts because I lacked communication skills. I simply got too much going on. But the does not justify what I have been and am still getting in return. But hey, one damn day at a time.

RANT ON WORK

That damn JOB!  ARGH!  LOL. I tell you, Brotha cant get a f-in break sometimes. Things are beginning to settle down. Thank God and all the higher powers. Some days, my ‘indirect’ team members are impossible and make me lose sanity. But Friday was a decent day. I am going to keep working at it.

I need some time off.

Moving forward, I am going to go and enjoy comic books this week, a movie ,  a new DVD on Batman/Superman and find some funny.

What’s up blog readers.

RESEARCH/PhD:  So, I have a topic. I am getting closer. I had a very good meeting with my advisor in July. It’s early September. I’ve made some progress. Now the heat is on. I have TWO weeks left to get credit from last semester (3 credit hours). I gave great advice to friends …advice given to me I have not taken. Damn.

I have started developing good research questions. I have some direction now. I am nervous and stressed still. But I carry on. I pray I have enough completed to defend in November 2009. Qualifying exams, here I come.

I pray for guidance, patience and knowledge and hope wish pray that my family understands; support me and work with me. The stress can be unbareable most days.

WORK: What can I say. They laid off and fired our leadership. We have minimum staffing in our area and I really do work very hard to support the remaining members of  our team.  I pray for strength. I try to be good at my job. I do enjoy it …but damn, can’t a brother get some rest? LOL

PLAY: ONYX Chi-town is gone for now. It’s sad on so many levels. I don’t feel guilt, or I haven’t felt guilty since the Christmas holidays. Just lots and lots of disappointment and some anger.

My ‘levi/leather side’ ?  What’s that nowadays? No fieldtrips, road trips, overnight trips. Hell, I feel guilty just watching TV nowadays. I gotta get past this dissertation.

FAMILY: Home is OK. Miss my mom. Not speaking to dad. Miss my firstsons. I decided I still love them,but love does hurt. Want to develop better relations with my 2ndsons. I guess I’ll keep trying but who has the time.

HEALTH: Could be better. Could be worse. I am still here. LOL

TEACH: I am still teaching. I have a good class. I am also in an online class now so I can teach more. We need the funds. I am concerned about my partners employment, as he is, but I guess I dont have time to express it. So I continue to work and find ways to make more funds for us. Yes. I am tired.

I’ll update you all on my updated research topics soon! Would welcome the feedback.