CONTACTS 

SUBJECTS
WMA Marketing, Product
Evaluation, Vavina

0404 -    ..
0405 - Explain SDS, distributed marketing brochure, ref OF 1
0406 -
040601 - Mike or Adam mentioned that Vavina is a programmer.  I was sort of
040602 - aware she had been discussing various ideas on computer applications,
040603 - but did not realize she is a programmer.
040604 -
040605 - Turns out she creates applications in the macro language of a
040606 - particular program a collegue has written, similar to the manner I
040607 - created SDS.  Much of her work is data base oriented.
040608 -
040609 - I gave her a copy of the SDS brochure.
040610 -
040611 - She has been doing wordprocessing for HPS as a temp  and so has seen
040612 - some of the SDS report formats.
040613 -
0407 -
0408 -
0409 - Comments on SDS
0410 -
041001 - She initially seemed impressed with the SDS features as described in
041002 - the brochure.  She also followed the explanation of how records are
041003 - related, when I drew some graphs.
041004 -
041005 - But when I demonstrated the thing, particularly Subject selection,
041006 - Vavina indicated the screen appears too confusing to Users.  I
041007 - explained this arises from the trade off between having a slow User
041008 - friendly environment, and having a flexible utility that is fast
041009 - enough to keep pace with management work.  To achieve the speed
041010 - requires the screen.  If the thing is not fast, managers will not use
041011 - it.
041012 -
04101201 - More work is needed on this.  I still think that it is like sugar.
04101202 - Once people experience the power of it, they have an incentive to
04101203 - learn it.  They are pulled to learn it.  We really don't know the
04101204 - answer to this until there is an installed base to gain some
04101205 - experience with it.  Of course the intitial task is getting people
04101206 - exposed to benefits.
04101207 -
04101208 -
041013 -
041014 - She commented that the Document Log selection screen gives a better
041015 - appearance.  I printed a report of the current "Received & Responses"
041016 - log, as an example.
041017 -
041018 -
0411 -
0412 -
0413 - Vavina background
0414 -
041401 - She indicated she has a BA from Stanford.  Her father owns the
041402 - Niantic restaraunt.  She has tried to market her computer skills
041403 - through contacts as a temp wordprocessor; but encounters considerable
041404 - resistance in several forms.  One is the gap between management and
041405 - the work they want produced in the sense that computers are a
041406 - mystery.  They don't realize the importance of having the correct
041407 - equipment, software and approach to each objective.
041408 -
041409 - She has done some writing, including a novel.
041410 -
041411 -
0415 -
0416 - Follow up
0417 -
041701 - Vavina has a variety of computer hardware at her home, including
041702 - PC's.  She indicated a willingness to take a look at SDS.  Her
041703 - background is ideal for this.
041704 -
0418 -
0419 -