Anyway, my first assignment as a intern was to give feedback on the user experience of  a mobile application. Wow, commenting on a product’s UX in the first day of my internship!? I’m not a professional on the matter at all! However, my mentor knew how important it is to get an opinion from ”non-techy” users. After all, the customers who will use the application will mainly be normal people like myself.

I believe many app developers are wondering how to effectively get feedback more efficiently. When it comes to communicating with “non-techy” users, it becomes an even more difficult task. I have one suggestion, use  a simple collaborative service like Notableapp from Zurb <http://www.zurb.com> . Why did I emphasized the  simple part? Because many of the wireframing services has too many features that “non techy” commentator like me has no idea have to use it right. Notable is one solution for you. It allows commentator to just drag the part they want to make a comment and directly write comment on it intuitively. This simple experience will definitively reduce the stress of commentator.

If you have to create wire frames from scratch, Cacoo might work better. This web service from a Japanese team allows you to draw wireframe itself and what’s special about it is that the several people can edit the wireframe simultaneously, meaning the change or comment one person makes will reflect to other person’s screen. By using this service, two or more commentators
can have discussion at the same time, improving the quality and shortening the time and cost spent on the wireframing process.

http://youtu.be/IMC2QRH_gpU (checkout the video)

“Non-techy”  users can sometimes be helpful so please use me anytime when you drop by Citizen Space.

Follow all my adventures in the US here on our Facebook<http://www.facebook.com/citizenspace>  page.

A stealth creative services company working in Citizen Space is looking for freelance Senior Visual Designers for short and long-term opportunities.

Requirements/Qualifications:

• Strong conceptual thinking
• Intimate Knowledge of Photoshop and Illustrator
• 3-5 years of visual design experience.
• Strong leadership skills – ability to work with Art Directors and mentor Junior Designers
• A solid understanding of designing intuitive site functionality, interaction, site architecture, user interfaces, and navigation.
• Web development experience in an agency environment
• Great communications skills – both with internal teams and communicating with/presenting to clients.
• A great attitude – we value our creative talent tremendously and show it, but we operate a prima-donna free work zone.

Email us your resume, a link to your most recent portfolio, and your Linked In profile to be consider for this immediate position.

Our progressive culture requires a high degree of cooperative activity as well as strong self-direction. This position offers a great opportunity for a talented teacher to exercise a primary mode of individual expression while developing a variety of related curricular interests in a community that places a high value on the Arts.
The Art/Photography position is expected to begin mid-January 2012 and end mid-June 2012 in San Francisco, San Jose, and Los Angeles.

Compensation:
$100 per day for training and observation (generally one week before teaching commences for three hours) and $150 per day when teaching , and small transportation budget of $20 (for gas or public transportation). A day is a maximum of 5 hours on site teaching course, 3 hours spent teaching, and two for set up/break down, and answering student questions.

Qualifications:
• Four-year Bachelor’s degree
• Dynamic, engaging and exciting personality
• A great sense of humor
• Consistently fun with a strong work ethic
• Preferably 2+ years of professional experience
• Demonstrated social leadership in various facets of life
• Flexibility – you have to be willing to run a class on evenings, and weekends

To Apply: Please submit cover letter with resume by mail, or email to (no telephone inquiries please):
Mail: 425 2nd Street, Suite 100, San Francisco, Ca. 94107, Email: manager@citizenspace.us

The biggest problem that most hardworking people have with savoring their holiday vacation time is distinguishing between what is and isn’t something that can wait until later.  Lingering tasks hang like stockings over fireplaces, and these are the little gifts that just keep on giving.   You start off dreaming of warm hot chocolate mornings and restful evenings tweeting from iPads.  Then, with nothing more then a buzz, Siri reminds you that you didn’t finish that web copy you were supposed to write to kickstart a new project for next year.   You know how the rest goes….you end up in keyboard warrior mode again before you know it.

Thankfully, we have a pretty great solution to this quandary, at last!  I am happy to gift our membership with 15% off of their first task when signing up for @TaskRabbit!  TaskRabbit is a great tool that allows you to hire a trustworthy, background-checked, task-crunching allstar to take care of the small tasks that somehow seem to take up so much room on your list of to-do’s.  TaskRabbit has been one of my favorite discoveries all year, and there’s no better way to share how rad they are than to give everyone sweet deal on giving it a try!

With this one, I assure you that your planner is in for a real makeover!

Enjoy, & Happy New Years!
@WritingByMatt

As I’m sure you understand by now- I love social media….all of it!  So, after many “maybe so” and “ok, tomorrow” type scenarios, I have finally just skipped the writer’s block merry-g0-round and created The #Coworker, a desktop and mobile formatted #coworking digest, powered by paper.li (@SmallRivers).

Check it out, & follow us on Twitter (@CitizenSpace) to keep up with the best, and freshest variety of coworking news!

As a part-time Experience manager you are responsible for the execution of our events from concept to execution. Whether you are handling talent booking, location scouting, customer registration, giving a welcome speech, or initiating a dance party, you are engaging with our customers and making sure that everyone is having a great time. Experience Managers should be smart, dynamic, friendly, and full of life — they are the heartbeat of our new division!

Passion combined with healthy doses of contagious energy, smarts and fun — then sprinkle in a sense of humor — that’s us! Basically, we’re the ones you take home to meet Mom.

What does an Experience Manager do?

• Books locations, talent, sources experience partners, works with our re-seller network to book dates, publishes events and classes to our sites
• Acts as the “face” of Citizen Space throughout the course of the event: engages with everyone while still maintaining full control of the event, from logistics to safety
• Pays attention to every detail and ensures that each event is run seamlessly
• Ensure that our customers are having fun and enjoying the event
• Manages event coordinators for each experience assuring quality control of experiences and classes

Qualifications:

• Four-year Bachelor’s degree
• Dynamic, engaging and exciting personality
• A great sense of humor
• Consistently fun with a strong work ethic
• Preferably 2+ years of professional experience
• Demonstrated social leadership in various facets of life
• Ability to be “on” for a full day or weekend
• Flexibility – you have to be willing to run a Hackathon event one weekend and a cooking class the next week, followed by a beer tasting the week after

This position can quickly become full time for the right candidate!

Send resumes to manager@citizenspace.us (please do not call)

$999 – Lite Membership
Includes 3 months fees and deposit fee. Must pay upfront to secure this deal!

$1199 – Full Membership
Includes 3 months fees and deposit fee. Must pay upfront to secure this deal!!

$699 – Team Special
Includes 2 Tables/ 4 Memberships. Month-to-Month Deal

$425 – Café Membership Per Quarter/Receive Mail here!
Or $200.00, Drop-in Member Month-to-Month Fees

$150.00 – Drop-in Members – if you pay 3 months in advance
Or $200.00, Drop-in Member Month-to-Month Fees

So, if you’re interested in more information, or want to become a member before special ends, shoot me an e-mail! You can do that here: jhines@citizenspace.us

@CitizenSpace, your fur babies are welcome too!

Hello all!

I just wanted to send a quick note to all of our residents as well as those who follow the blog for updates about what is going on @CitizenSpace to let you all know that, due to the holiday frenzy that comes about this time of year, we are going to be closed on the follow dates in observance of the holidays:

• Friday, December 23rd, 2011
• Monday, December 26th, 2011

Although our doors will be closed to drop-ins and lite members during these days, our current full-time citizens will have access to the space, as always, with the fancy @Lockitron access.

Interested in finding out more about how you can become a member at Citizen Space?  The smartphone doorkeys are just the start to the slew of perks that come along with #coworking with us!  So, if you’re interested in more information, or have a particular question that you’d like answered, feel free to shoot me an e-mail!  You can do that here: matt@citizenspace.us.

Happy Holidays!
@Matt

PS- Did you hear about our holiday party?  It’s happening tomorrow night at our SOMA space, and you’re invited!

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Citizen Space is the world’s first coworking space, located at 425 2nd Street in the SoMa district of San Francisco.  The idea of Citizen Space is to take the best elements of a coffee shop (social, energetic, creative) and the best elements of a workspace (productive, functional), and combine them to give indie workers the chance to have their own, affordable office space.  Citizen Space was built on the coworking philosophy.  Our residents (past and present) range from: software engineers, web developers, social media consultants/strategists, graphic designers, product designers, public relations specialists, and sustainable web hosting entrepreneurs.  Check us out today! 

All year long, Citizen Space has been a treasure trove of awesome new ideas, innovations, and has been the new home of a ton of super cool, creative endeavors.  Although we’re all-casual for the whole year, the workspace has seen many all-day and all-nighters, and let’s face it: in such a collaborative space, work becomes fun and fun becomes work and before you know it, you’re always working!

So, to give thanks to all of our members, various event sponsors, community partners, and all of our Citizen Spacer’s from the Bay Area (and afar) for a year’s worth of hard work, innovation, and collaboration with Citizen Space…..We’re throwin’ a party!

On Wednesday, December 21, 2011, we’re hosting the @CitizenSpace Holiday Party 2k11 at our SoMa, SF location.  Come unwind and network with some of the awesome people that all, in some way or another, are a part of of the Citizen Space #coworking network!  There’s going to be some drinks, snacks, games, tweets….and dessert.  Although we will have some things supplied, please do feel free to show us your best holiday treat cooking- you won’t hear us complaining!

The party will take place from 7:00pm to 10:00pm.  We are located at the intersection of 2nd Street & Harrison, building #425.  You will enter through the loading dock.  

Hope to see you all there!  Let Matt know if you have any questions: matt@citizenspace.us.

—

PS- Matt’s even going to bake a batch of festive vegan holiday cookies.  Will it be….dark chocolate chip?  Half-baked brownies?  Or maybe even Macadamian Nut? Tweet your ideas to @CitizenSpace, and I’ll make the best one.

–

Citizen Space is the world’s first coworking space, located at 425 2nd Street in the SoMa district of San Francisco.  The idea of Citizen Space is to take the best elements of a coffee shop (social, energetic, creative) and the best elements of a workspace (productive, functional), and combine them to give indie workers the chance to have their own, affordable office space.  Citizen Space was built on the coworking philosophy.  Our residents (past and present) range from: software engineers, web developers, social media consultants/strategists, graphic designers, product designers, public relations specialists, and sustainable web hosting entrepreneurs.  Check us out today! 

The truth of the matter is that there is no possible way to establish a strong foundation for your new startup without a serious time commitment. Time, in and of itself, is most often one of the primary reasons that many entrepreneurs and startup enthusiasts experience complication in the execution of the necessary planning stages of idea discovery. A lack of time and planning in the initial phases of this tedious process can often spillover into the actual development and long-term establishment of a new startup.

Participants at an "Idea Accelerator" pitch their initial ideas

Let’s face it: we’re all busy and things in this day and age move at a very high speed- and they’re only getting faster. Without the personal time and work commitment necessary for having a systematic and well-planned approach to the many “idea-to-seed funding” stages of building out your plan of action, you could easily see a great idea fall through.

Citizen Space  recently had the great pleasure of hosting Startup Monthly‘s IceBreaker 3.0, which is was the third iteration of their Idea Accelerator program. The beauty of hosting events such as this in our SoMa #coworking space is that the transformation of office space by day to startup incubator activities in the evenings (and on weekends!) allows our members to participate in these types of networking and team building opportunities, with the option for doing so being literally right at their doorstep.

The purpose of these types of events is to have seamless collaboration between people that might not have otherwise met at all. It is in this type of environment that much of the discovery, planning, and development of new ideas takes place. Having both seen and facilitated the growth of brand new ideas into concepts and eventually startups in our space, we have learned the ins-and-outs of the crucial milestones that must be incorporated into the development process of new ideas, and can summarize success for many by one simple thing: teamwork.

Having said over and over again that time and commitment are crucial in the beginning stages of implementing your new idea, it is likely a very difficult thing to do it all quickly enough to keep up with the rapid development of new technology. Many entrepreneurs moonlight with their ideas, and exhaust themselves with trying to do it all on their own- even to the extent of taking on the self-teaching method to very difficult, complex coding languages.

Team Building is Essential to Creating a Successful Pitch

While this is definitely feasible for some people to do, the easier and more well-rounded option in this case is to build and foster relationships with other people who can bring something to the table as a technical, marketing, or business co-founder. Lessening the workload on each person by working with others in the teamwork approach not only increases the technical resources that the idea will have to build upon in it’s early stages, but will also decrease the amount of total time that it takes to pitch your idea to investors for seed funding.

It is important to also remember that as you build a team around your idea, it might not always be the “best” one. Having a team brainstorm together and build upon an idea can often lead to the development of brand new, even better ideas- and this is what we see often, particularly at events such as the IceBreaker 3.0.

So, when you’re at the point that you’re ready to move forward with seeing your idea come to life, remember this Japanese proverb: “None of us are as smart as all of us.”

Still have questions? Ideas? Tweet them to us @CitizenSpace!

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Citizen Space is the world’s first coworking space, located at 425 2nd Street in the SoMa district of San Francisco.  The idea of Citizen Space is to take the best elements of a coffee shop (social, energetic, creative) and the best elements of a workspace (productive, functional), and combine them to give indie workers the chance to have their own, affordable office space.  Citizen Space was built on the coworking philosophy.  Our residents (past and present) range from: software engineers, web developers, social media consultants/strategists, graphic designers, product designers, public relations specialists, and sustainable web hosting entrepreneurs.  Check us out today!