September 5, 2006
thingamy demo
[click on image to go directly to demo]
Sig has built a little 20-minute video demo for Thingamy. Rock on.
I’m not sure if it’s the best metaphor out there, but the way I describe Thingamy to the locals in my village pub is:
“Imagine your company’s enterprise software is an apple tree. Except the tree has no trunk. Or branches. Or leaves. Just apples. And all the apples are all equidistant from each other, and can all talk to each other equally easily.“
It seems to work well enough for now, especilly when I explain the “Here’s 30 Megs, now go run Germany” benefit etc.
[Disclosure: I have a small stake in Thingamy.]
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Good show is pointing to Sig’s demo. Even as a non-tech the demo enabled me to begin the process of understanding thingamy. BTW your Apple analogy works as a starting place for a more indepth discussion.
Um…both made me more confused than ever.
Y’all might think about changing ‘language’ (Google is very good at using ‘humanspeak’ for their components) around the components. Like, most people think ‘string’ means what the cat plays with. And variable? Nobody should have a consumer-facing product with the words string, variable, etc. in it.
I look at it and see that you can basically customize your back-end for sales or whatever…build your own business software. That’s great (if that is right)…but it should, then take a look at small business (he gives a mechanic shop or something?) lingo and try to incorporate that.
Classes, containers, tags? Yikes.
Just my thought…
The apple metaphor is Newton all over again…Inheritance is so last year…
Tara, you’re absolutely right of course — here’s what I commented over at my blog to the same issue:
”…naming is important — a never ending discussion so far, but we decided to stay semi-geek until more or less all is in place (so we should start tinkering with that very soon).
But it’s no easy task! “X-or branch” or “choice”, “Stack” or “..?” — most of the names originates from the code, and then I get used to them… perhaps we’ll have a button on top saying “Geek or human-compatible”!
But we’ll get to it in the same sweep as when we sort out the interfaces (reports are still in pure code mode) and the manual (arghh do I dislike messing with that) — most important it still is.
But I’m quite pleased when I’m allowed to use the term “cookie-cutter” instead of “class”..“
In other words Mode button to choose “Human Compatible” or “Basic Geek” version it shall be (otherwise I’ll be blasted by the other camp)…
Exactly, Sig… Tara, the language stuff is easily fixed, depending on the user. But point well taken etc. Thanks =)
I said once that Thingamy belonged to a less geeky category that Tiny Marbles, but this was the geekiest demo I’ve ever seen.
I’m fully sided with Tara Hunt about the cognitive aspect of the UI. While watching the demo, I couldn’t easily follow most of what was going on during the workflow build. Given that I’m a developer and know most of the terms, that’s bad.
That said, seems you got a very powerful tool out there. Congratulations! Now you just sprinkle some Kathy-Sierra-Dust on it and you got a winner!
I said once that Thingamy belonged to a less geeky category that Tiny Marbles, but this was the geekiest demo I’ve ever seen.
I’m fully sided with Tara Hunt about the cognitive aspect of the UI. While watching the demo, I couldn’t easily follow most of what was going on during the workflow build. Given that I’m a developer and know most of the terms, that’s bad.
That said, seems you got a very powerful tool out there. Congratulations! Now you just sprinkle some Kathy-Sierra-Dust on it and you got a winner!
I said once that Thingamy belonged to a less geeky category that Tiny Marbles, but this was the geekiest demo I’ve ever seen.
I’m fully sided with Tara Hunt about the cognitive aspect of the UI. While watching the demo, I couldn’t easily follow most of what was going on during the workflow build. Given that I’m a developer and know most of the terms, that’s bad.
That said, seems you got a very powerful tool out there. Congratulations! Now you just sprinkle some Kathy-Sierra-Dust on it and you got a winner!
For the “acid test” would be whether after watching the demo I felt either a. able or b. excited enough by the tool itself to go and “run germany”.
I felt neither in spades.
Thingamy needs more than a design or copy makeover and I’d love to help and tell you what the many small changes are that might make huge improvements in both the functionality and marketability of Thingamy.
And as far as demo content goes, the demos that always make me suspicious are the ones in the format of “OK, let’s see how easy it is to write a novel…first some words, now a few more, plot, character… add a few more words where things happen… and ta-da! A FINISHED NOVEL”…
p.s Just how big is your “small” investment?
Big enough to find your comments amusing, Tom
I said once that Thingamy belonged to a less geeky category that Tiny Marbles, but this was the geekiest demo I’ve ever seen.
I’m fully sided with Tara Hunt about the cognitive aspect of the UI. While watching the demo, I couldn’t easily follow most of what was going on during the workflow build. Given that I’m a developer and know most of the terms, that’s bad.
That said, seems you got a very powerful tool out there. Congratulations! Now you just sprinkle some Kathy-Sierra-Dust on it and you got a winner!