Going Ga Ga Over Microsoft Office Communicator?

A lot of folks are going ga ga over Microsoft Office Communicator. Office Communicator is basically an instant messaging (IM) software that integrates with Microsoft Outlook and even phone systems to support IM, audio and video conferencing and a host of other productivity, collaboration and communication related features.

Office Communicator is just one more example of Microsoft's unrelenting focus on usability, productivity, and last but not the least, in-depth user documentation and support resources.

And it is one more reason why you must start thinking of applying the same focus to the products that you develop. And for that you need to understand what went wrong and what needs to be done. Here are two resources that can help you with this:

• The Inmates Are Running the Asylum: Why High Tech Products Drive Us Crazy and How to Restore the Sanity gives an insight into team dynamics that create products that "drive us crazy".

• Institutionalization of Usability provides a road map to set up a user-centered design process.