DPL Reading List – December 30, 2016

Here are some of the articles we’ve been reading around this office this week.

Introducing the Conversational Form (Thanks to Jarrod Wubbels for recommending this article) – “Conversational Form turns web forms into conversations — making it easy for developers and designers to engage with users in a more compelling and conversational way.”

The Stretch Goal Paradox – “Our research has shown that stretch goals are not only widely misunderstood but widely misused. Organizations that would most benefit from them seldom employ them, and organizations for which stretch goals are probably not a good strategy often turn to them in a desperate attempt to generate breakthroughs. Neither approach is likely to be successful. This is what we call “the stretch goal paradox.””

Apple’s New Research Will Let A.I. Explore Virtual Worlds – “The new research means the computer can show the A.I. a picture, find out what it recognizes, and see how it compares to what’s actually in the picture. Because it’s simulated, the computer knows already what’s in the picture: the system expects the A.I. to recognize a dog because that’s the model that’s been placed in the virtual picture.”

I Made Myself a Smart Mirror – “I’ve heard about people making these mirrors for awhile now. However, it was only recently that I realized I could actually benefit from having one. I often find myself running late in the mornings and this mirror has proven to be valuable to me. It quickly provides me with the information I need before heading out of the house.”

The Best User Experience Design Links of 2016 (Thanks to Jarrod Wubbels for recommending this article) – “Conversational UI. Design leadership. Invisible design. These were just some of the many UX themes and trends we saw this year.”

“Innovation” is dead. Long live “innovation”. (Thanks to Brian Zimmer for recommending this article) – “Let’s face it, the word “innovation” means nothing on its own anymore. We use the word so much–R&D, technology innovation, business process innovation, business model innovation, product innovation, etc.–that the core of its meaning has been lost or blurred. It might seem academic to discuss the meaning of this word, but it actually has substantial implications for innovation strategy.”

What’s an hour? (Thanks to Jarrod Wubbels for recommending this article) – “I recently spoke to 600+ people at the Lean Startup conference. I asked “Who here can remember having 4 continuous hours to themselves at work any time in the last 5 years?” Maybe 20 or 30 people raised their hand. Out of 600+. That’s tragic. That signals brokenness all over the place. And it’s getting worse, not better.”