I’m holding up my prophetic finger and pronouncing what I think is the most likely mix for the next generation of the amazing iPad. Most folks (not nerdy, Apple fanboys like me) don’t realize the fine balancing act that iDevices have to manage integrating hardware, operating system, and apps to create something that works.

Here is what I think it will include:

• Form Factor: same as the iPad 2 – smart covers, peripherals are all compatible
• Software: iOS 5.1 – Siri, low-power Bluetooth innovations, Advanced AirPlay functionality
• Apps: Piggy-backing on the announcement, upgrade to Keynote and gaming partnerships
• Screen: “Retina Display” upgrade
• Processor: A5X – only a slight bump in speed, but heftier GPU, no big jump to a “A6″ quad core
• RAM: 1GB – twice as much as the iPad 2
• Data: 4G LTE option- to test feasibility/adoption for the iPhone 5
• Bluetooth: upgrade to 4.0- with some serious software implications that mimic NFC
• Cameras: HD FaceTime front facing, slightly improved backside camera
• Memory: baseline 32GB, with 64GB, 128GB rounding out the offering

Big No’s:

• Thunderbolt port – too much power drain, already a strong ecosystem of dock connectors that there is no need to disrupt

My Advice:

After the iPad 3 goes on sale, buy an iPad 2 at a great discount!

Conclusions:

The similar form/function makes me even want to say that they might even call this the iPad 2S! The extremists will all say that this “major disappointment” will be “the beginning of the end” of the post-Jobs era – I’m really not worried, as Steve set the company to move forward not “doing what I would do” rather “to do what is best for the company” with the culture he helped craft.

So, after March 7th, come rub my nose into what I got wrong!

Ever since I went to SXSW in 2009 and saw Jared Spool speak, I’ve followed his prolific Twitter account and his company User Interface Engineering as definitive experts on Usability (a critical part of any UX practice). I’ve seen him referenced as “the funny Jakob Nielson,” which is funny in and of itself if you are nerdy enough to be in the know, and tracked their unofficial rivalry.

One key thing that sets him apart is how he eschews some of the “mainstays” of usability like eye-tracking studies (“pseudo-science!”) and is a strong advocate of regular observation. In fact, his firm’s research continues to show strong data demonstrating how great UX is achieved ”simply” through increased exposure to actual users. I find myself very much in this camp.

Getting in on the “front-lines” and just seeing how people work can bring amazing clarity to your work. A strong reality check of observation, without too many guiding questions or interjections can make a huge difference in your perspective. Practicing true listening is key- and a challenge for someone like me who usually has a strong opinion about everything. I’m trying to jump out to the front lines in many aspects of my current work more to make sure I’m on-track to deliver what really matters.

A recent constraint helped me observe myself recently. My corporate email has a puny size limitation (I’m spoiled by Gmail I guess) so I’ve had to go through my inbox to clean house. Re-reading emails and seeing my responses shamed me considerably! Not enough listening to detail, too many knee-jerk responses, and tons of things flying right over my head. I’m recommitting myself to taking time to truly listen, observe and then respond.

Now here is the obligatory “Man in the Mirror” reference:

As I was driving to work early one morning last week I was pondering what to share with my  new Accounts team as the sun began to edge out from the back of the incredible snow-capped Wasatch mountains. It was truly inspiring and I was hoping to soak in that feeling so I could share some of that energy. I had prepared an agenda and material, but I needed an opening thought to kick off the meeting right.

My purpose was to let the team know where I was coming from- to give them context on why I was suddenly “on their team” and in a leadership position. The concept of “context” is a whole future post, but suffice it to say, I wanted them to know what to do with me- how and what they could look to me to bring to the team. As I thought how to many of them the concepts of “Corporate Digital Strategy” and “User Experience Design” might not exactly resonate (they aren’t nerds, I am!), the title phrase of this post came to me:

Real opportunity is unstructured and political.

All my life I’ve seen order in chaos. I’ve loved working with people to bring structure to things. The undefined is scary to many, but it has always teased me to dive into, catch a current, and ride an emerging wave. Additionally, teaching others to do the same just seems like the natural thing to do. Boiling down the jargon and even dismissing my technological slant on things, I came to realize what I wanted to share is that the challenge to be creative, to create structure, and the willingness to navigate the relationships (ie: political interaction) are what is needed to make great things happen. “Find a way to win” has always been a theme in my life, and I believe we can all find a way to be creative and work with people to win the day.

My dad repeatedly tried to get me to pray about playing football in high school. It hadn’t occurred to me that God cared about something silly like me playing sports. He continued to make the case that “what you care about, the Lord cares about.” I promised I’d work on it.

Fast-forward over a decade and now I’m still working on it. I am convinced that God cares about me, and the people I work with (and for). Although I also believe that specific matters of faith don’t belong in the workplace, I don’t believe that it excludes being spirituality-minded in the work place. I’ve made it a goal to pray over my work and seek enlightenment on almost everything. Especially as my role expands in leadership capacity over others it seems almost critical or even negligent to be without it.

This may sound weird, and I accept that. I feel far too many “silo” their religion/beliefs/ethics/personal life from work far too much. I’m remixing some sacred text here, but I feel appropriate doing so: work without faith is dead.

As our digital life is becoming more and more incorporated into “real space” and “the big G” (Google in this instance) sees all, so there is less and less of an excuse for silos in our life that compartmentalize our existence. Your social media profiles, your emails, the apps we use and the sites you visit leave a digital trail of how you spend your time, so we’re increasingly “exposed” for who we really are in life. Too bad Google isn’t as forgiving as the other “big G!”

Maybe this is obvious… or maybe it’s just easy to say, but with all the theories of “organizational change” that I’ve read over the years nothing beats a dynamic leader that makes things happen. Recently I’ve carrying the mantra of “getting stuff done” (perhaps with a more vulgar slant!).

In previous work environments I’ve frequently been tasked to “create a vision” or participate in groupthink around what the organization should become. A diluted, over-mixed, decapitated, or more importantly, unfunded agenda/mission statement/project that fizzles has been the outcome every time. The excuses can be many, but the responsibility lies within the leadership. The fish, truly, stinks at the head.

Origination (the creative act of putting together a great idea), communication (distilling, visualizing, and convincing- the pitch/sell), and balancing execution (working within the constraints of profitability, personalities and priorities) IS leadership. When someone at the top possesses these skills, real change happens quickly. When someone in the middle or bottom possesses these, and “the top” doesn’t… the outcome is likely failure. The dream team has a talent density of many possessing leadership of this definition.

I feel lucky to now be a part of what I consider a dream team… the real trick is to move fast, avoid being a “fish head” at all costs, and extend the opportunity that I’ve been given to others who can step up to the plate and “get stuff done!”

This past week I interviewed a lot of people. Friday was a marathon- almost 7 continuous hours of interviews. I have long thought about what could be my “litmus test” that would create the ideal team member of an agency. For years I thought if someone could answer these questions, I would begin to consider them:

What is your Twitter handle?

What is your blog URL?

A fair amount of insight can be gained from these questions- activity on Twitter usually means that the individual has a basic desire of understanding of a progressive social medium and that they’ve made enough “meaningful” relationships therein to see it as relevant, or at least they sense the energy of the real-time connections enough to try and take part in the network.

The meaty second question reveals more- do they actively utilize the Internet to publish and amplify their existence in the world (ie: do they understand the concept of the “personal brand”)? Do they understand how to generate relevant content, login to a web-based system’s back-end, publish and control their platform of choice’s look and feel? Do they understand the permanent implications of doing so?

I feel these interviews sprung upon me. I wished to be able to call up a list of amazing questions that I’ve curated. I’ve now started my list. A colleague of mine had a favorite question that he asked everyone that I really liked as it strikes a core of many things in a fairly timeless nature:

What book are you reading right now?

Interestingly enough, I think the power of my questions are diminishing. I was surprised at how nearly everyone has at least explored Twitter and personal blogging. Even up to a year ago I am pretty sure that wouldn’t of been the case. I shouldn’t be surprised though, the world is growing up digitally and isn’t just an exclusive club for nerds anymore.

What questions would you ask any new employee? What questions should be asked of advertising agency hopefuls? I’d love to hear yours!

As 2011 breaks upon us, I’m finally rising to the challenge of writing a weekly blog. In a conversation with a friend about what was going on in my life, he suggested that I keep a weekly record of what is going on so I could someday write a book.  Right off the bat that seems like something a little more grandiose than I might shoot for, but who knows?!

So I’m committing to this.  I’m getting over the literal years of indecision and fretting about actually deploying my own site (always nearly impossible to “do your own”) and just deploying something to start on in one night so I can meet my first week’s goal of posting.  Got to ship this product today, because I’ll never get today back.

Herein will be my thoughts on Digital Strategy, User Experience Design, entrepreneurship, and inevitably a smattering of semi-personal thoughts.  I’m excited for the outlet, the “writing for fun,” and the documentation of a life that seems to be moving faster and faster.

Hear that, oh vastness of the Internet?!  Yes, this might not even echo out there, but it feel’s good to rise to the challenge.