Better Software - January 2009 - (Page 8) Editor’S PiCk Powerful Customer Service One of Central Florida’s electric utility companies has a great service for homeowners looking to lower electric bill charges. If you sign up for this service, a field representative will come out to your home and assess how energy efficient it is—free of charge! As a new homeowner, my head was full of questions like, “Is the AC ducting in this house in good condition?” and “Is my water heater set too high?” This opportunity just seemed too good to decline, so I signed up for an inspection. Francesca Matteu Editor, StickyMinds.com fmatteu@sqe.com The walk-through inspection revealed a slew of little repairs that—once done—could possibly lower the electric bill. The representative inspected major appliance settings, water temperatures, windows, window and door seals, insulation in the attic, and the AC duct work and then offered suggestions on how all these items could function more efficiently if readjusted or renovated. The inspection seemed extremely thorough and detailed, but the real surprise came during the debriefing. Not only did the representative take the time to share with me his findings and suggestions on how I could make my house more energy efficient, he also informed me of additional programs I’m qualified for if I were to follow through with some of his suggestions. More savings for me! Moreover—and this part really made me smile—he gave me a bag of goodies that contained free CFL bulbs, seals for the outlets, temperature gauges for the refrigerator, weather stripping for the door, and a nice hand bag to top it all off. Obviously there’s a lot of value to this service. Both parties win in this situation; homeowners save money on their electric bills—hopefully—by consuming less energy, and the energy company saves in operation costs and is in a position to possibly sell extra energy to other grids. The big picture of savings is quite impressive, but for me it was the little things that made the whole experience a positive one. One of my favorite articles on StickyMinds.com can be used to describe this experience. In “The Forgotten Side of Quality” Jeff Patton discusses the objective and subjective sides of perceived quality. He also delves into the Kano Method, a questionnaire designed to help categorize features of software as mustBooks Guide haves, one-dimensional items, and attractive qualities or “delighters.” The article is a great read The StickyMindS.coM BookS Guide into the logical, yet philosophical, aspect of what defines software as being high quality. The article defines my experience well because the reactions I had to the features of the program were subjective. Being a big fan of little perks, I couldn’t agree more with Jeff when he suggests that anyone designing software should consider objective and subjective qualities as equals when deciding what features to build. As previously mentioned, the inspection was filled with different types of features, some I believe to be essential to the inspection and others that were just pure delighters. What impresses me most about the program is that the energy company has done an excellent job mixing in must-haves, one-dimensional items, and delighters. It also helped that the field representative was extremely helpful and answered all of my questions to the best of his ability—a must-have for me. is one of the most popular areas on our Web site. With more than 800 books— including many that have been reviewed by thought leaders, industry experts, and your peers— the StickyMindS.coM BookS Guide is your first stop for finding a good read. Not sure what you’re looking for? Browse books by topic, including: Project & Team Management, Test & Evaluation, Requirements, Design & Architecture, Development & Deployment, Reviews, Process Improvement, Measurement & Reporting, Security, Defect Tracking, and Configuration Management. Learn more about perceptions of quality, objective and subjective factors, the Kano method, and how Aristotle comes into this discussion in “The Forgotten Side of Quality” at: www.StickyMinds.com/editorspick11-1. 8 BETTER SOFTWARE JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2009 www.StickyMinds.com http://www.StickyMinds.com http://www.StickyMinds.com http://www.StickyMinds.com http://www.stickyminds.com/editorspick11-1 http://www.StickyMinds.com
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