- Posted by christhi on March 25, 2010
Microsoft User Experience Kit launched today at SXSW
Today at SXSW, of which Microsoft Silverlight is a major sponsor of the Interactive Festival, Microsoft User Experience Kit is targeted at technical and creative leads who want to better understand the tools, technologies, and scenarios that span Microsoft’s User Experience ecosystem. Key topics range from “Building Immersive Multi-channel Solutions using Expression Studio” to “High fidelity and high Performing Desktop Touch Applications using Windows 7” to “Web Branding and Audience Targeting using SharePoint”. The kit’s contents can be browsed online and/or downloaded for offline use. It includes videos, presentations, sample code, and much more. Get the kit at http://uxkit.cloudapp.net!
The UX Kit is unique because while many technology-specific repositories exist, this is the first kit that helps “map” the Microsoft ecosystem, technology, and tools stack to that of the user experience, agency, and creative world.
Included in the UX Kit is a range of collateral and resources including: videos, reference implementations, sample code, live demos, installable tools, presentations, whitepapers and more. Featured technologies include Silverlight, Windows Presentation Foundation, Windows 7 Touch, Microsoft Surface, Windows Phone, SharePoint, Expression Studio, and Microsoft Advertising. Topics covered on the kit range from Rich Media Delivery using Silverlight and Deep Zoom to Multi-Channel Digital Marketing using Windows 7, SharePoint, Windows Phone, and Surface.
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FAQ
Why another kit? There are many technology specific repositories but nothing that helps “map” the Microsoft ecosystem, technology, and tools stack to that of the user experience, agency, and creative world.
What is in the kit? Collateral such as videos, reference implementations, sample code, live demos, installable tools, presentations, whitepapers and more.
What technologies and tools are featured? Silverlight, Windows Presentation Foundation, Windows 7 Touch, Microsoft Surface, Windows Phone, SharePoint, Expression Studio, and Microsoft Advertising to name a few.
What topics are covered? Topics range from Rich Media Delivery using Silverlight and Deep Zoom to Multi-Channel Digital Marketing using Windows 7, SharePoint, Windows Phone, and Surface.
How do I “get the kit”? By following the link here! The kit’s browser is fully written in Silverlight and hosted on Microsoft Azure.
When can I “get the kit”? The Microsoft User Experience Kit will be launched on March 15th at South by Southwest in Austin and go live right here. – http://uxkit.cloudapp.net
- Posted by christhi on July 10, 2009
No use rehashing what the silverlight team and blog have already kind provided for us but if you haven't heard Silverlight 3 and Expression 3 with Sketchflow have been release as of 12:30am CST today! To get started go to
http://silverlight.net/getstarted/ from here you can download an evaluation of Expression 3 and even get Sketchflow. For those since Mix who have been dying to see play with Sketchflow here is your chance. Enjoy.
- Posted by christhi on April 16, 2009
For those who didn’t make it to Mix 2009 or those who want to get a short “elevator pitch” version of the what sketchflow is and does I put together this screencast for you. In it I review the top features in sketchflow as announced at Mix. Sketchflow is currently not part of the blend 3 preview so hopefully this will help provide a closer look at what you can expect from this really cool rapid prototyping tool. As you can see you can now produce prototypes that won’t require interpreting what the designer had intended nor wasting work as now you can move from thought to sketch to production level detail in one tool much without writing one line of code!
- Posted by christhi on March 31, 2009
For those not taking Expression Blend serious you will now have to take another look at Blend as SketchFlow (just announced by Mix last week) now provides the ability to create rapid prototypes along with the documentation. You can rapidly create a storyboard of screens while adding notes in the process and the tool automatically provides the transitions. No code needs to be written to create a fully functionaly prototype! You are even given a set of controls that actually look like they have been drawn by hand to simulate an actual white board session. Everything you build in SketchFlow is a usable artifact in blend as user controls in XAML and code are created for you behind the scenes. This is extremely powerful as your designers can now design without worrying about code wireup yet you are able to pass on content designers generate, in the overall process, during the "buildout" transition. You can even import your exisiting visual comps from Photoshop into SketchFlow and it will convert the raster image into a vector (even leveraging the layers you have setup). I'll be blogging about sketchflow and how it fits into your overall application lifecycle management discipline in future posts. For more on where this fits into the lifecycle you can catch my session from Mix online at:
http://videos.visitmix.com/MIX09/c02f
- Posted by christhi on January 19, 2009
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Creating SilverLight 2 LOB Applications with Blend 2 SP1
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| General |
| January 24, 2009 02:45 PM - 03:45 PM Room: TBD |
| Christian Thilmany, Microsoft |
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Microsoft Expression Blend 2 SP1 is the glue that brings together the designer and developer workflows (and with SP1 now produces SilverLight 2 Applications). It natively supports Visual Studio 2008 projects and allows designers and developers to work on the same files and resources allowing each to leverage their strengths in the application design process. In this session we will show how Expression Blend uses the power and flexibility of XAML to help deliver line of business applications (LOB) to both the desktop and the web via WPF and SilverLight using advanced controls such as the DataGrid and Calendar. Blend allows the designer to use their complete range of skills, leveraging libraries such as the RSS syndication feed, vector and pixel art, animations and data binding while seamlessly integrating into the developers workflow.
http://houstontechfest.com/dotnetnuke/HoustonTechFest/Sessions/tabid/56/CodecampId/1/SessionId/67/Default.aspx
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- Posted by christhi on January 13, 2009
For those note familiar with Phizzpop, this is where Minneapolis Design Agencies faceoff to see who can come up with the best UX design through presentation and demo. I'll be there helping our agencies setup but I would look forward to meeting anyone interested in the show. We should see some agazing concepts.
PhizzPop Tour: Minneapolis
Event Date: 01/15/09
Event Location: Solera – 3rd Floor Event Center
Time: 5:30 p.m.
900 Hennepin Avenue
Minneapolis, MN 55403
612-338-0062
Minneapolis, in January . . . you’d better bring your coat!
Get ready to take it off shortly after arriving though, because Microsoft is partnering with MIMA, the Minnesota Interactive Marketing Association, to put together a very hot Design Challenge competition.
Request your tickets today. Space is limited for this exciting event.
For details http://phizzpop.visitmix.com/main/TourEventsHome.aspx
- Posted by christhi on December 19, 2008
I normally won't be blogging about pricing for any products but I felt a little compelled to in this case for two reasons. The level of discount Microsoft is offering for Christmas is worth noting as Expression Studio, for example is 50% off for a limited time. The second reason is I wanted to highlight Microsoft's new online store where you can directly purchase Expression and other items.
http://store.microsoft.com/microsoft/design/category/601
- Posted by christhi on December 17, 2008
I'll be presenting at the newly re-scheduled Houston TechFest on January 24th at the University of Houston. In my session I will be chatting about how to build RIA Business Applications using Blend 2 SP1, WPF, and SilverLight.
Session Abstract:
Microsoft Expression Blend 2 SP1 is the glue that brings together the designer and developer workflows (and with SP1 now produces SilverLight 2 Applications). It natively supports Visual Studio 2008 projects and allows designers and developers to work on the same files and resources allowing each to leverage their strengths in the application design process. In this session we will show how Expression Blend uses the power and flexibility of XAML to help deliver line of business applications (LOB) to both the desktop and the web via WPF and SilverLight using advanced controls such as the DataGrid and Calendar. Blend allows the designer to use their complete range of skills, leveraging libraries such as the RSS syndication feed, vector and pixel art, animations and data binding while seamlessly integrating into the developers workflow.
Register today at http://www.houstontechfest.com/dotnetnuke/default.aspx - the schedule will be updated shortly. We had to reschedule the orignal event from September 13th, 2008 due to Hurrican Ike.
- Posted by christhi on December 1, 2008
In the coming months I will be blogging about how one can incorporate ALM or Application Lifecycle Management practices to world of User Experience design and development. Until now there really has not been a windfall of material on this topic so I thought I would address it a bit given the fact I just spent the past year completely focused in this world. I will also be speaking about it at Mix 2009 in Vegas alongside Chris Bernard so I hope you will join us (http://2009.visitmix.com) in person or online.
ALM means different things to different people so I will be addressing UX and ALM from several angles, from human process implementation to workflow to its manifestations in tooling. ALM's benefits are just becoming clear as the tools mature alongside that of software engineering practices. With UX becoming so important in software development we have now reached an empass where we must also include those processes specfically geared towards producing better user experiences into the overall lifecycle. Afterall, UX is as important as implementing and testing the software itself.
For my first passage in this series, I am briefly introducing a solution to one of the reasons ALM has not been as accessible in the UX world: change management or at its most basic level source control. Although Visual Studio and its IDE extensions have allowed almost any third party source control software to play nicely in the interface what has been missing is source control for Microsoft's UX tools. Not until Expression version 3.0 will source control extensions be added to Expression Studio and thus the general concensus has been to either only use Visual Studio or use something like the Team Foundation Server Explorer as a stand alone tool to get your SilverLight solutions into the source control repository. SilverLight and WPF designers and developers had to first launch TFS explorer or go to VStudio if they wanted to check-in any source or do any form of "work item management" or "task/bug management". Well I have good news! Now with the updated release of the TFS 2008 Power Tools for October you can now get source control and work item access straight from Expression Studio. In fact any common dialog provides the context menu to do so! The new power tool provides a windows shell extension that will allow to you check-in/check-out and even manage work items right from common dialogs and ergo right from Expression Blend itself for example.
To download the power tools simply go to: http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/tfs2008/bb980963.aspx - NOTE: make sure and select custom install and select the shell extension otherwise it won't get installed and you won't see the following context menu from Expression Studio. Enjoy. Later I will go into more detail on how this can be leveraged in your day to day UX design and development activities. UX can now take a front seat in the world of ALM!!
