The beginning of the week looked similar to weeks past. I broke down my usability test notes into usable bits and added them to Trello cards. Trello is an organization system where a team can create lists of cards and move them around to keep track of the work being done.
At RoleModel, Trello keeps the process moving forward effectively, as it is easily accessible and a developer can quickly what tasks to work on next.
Besides that, more video editing and I also started on some market research for a new system we’re working on for designing docks. It’s been interesting seeing all the different industries that all have a use for custom software, and how it can make life so much easier.
During Thursday and Friday this week, RoleModel had its quarterly CCC Day. The three Cs stand for Character, Collaboration, and Craftsmanship, which are the company’s core values. During this two day stretch, regular work generally slows down and employees take this time to delve into a new challenging project that could provide some value down the road. The purpose is to learn something new while working together.
Some of the projects this year revolved around SwiftUI, TypeScript, and GraphQL. Don’t worry, it was greek to me too.
I joined in with some of the non-coding, more business side of things. This is how we spent our time.
- We brainstormed ideas for lead generators, which in our case is free content we can provide that could lead to more business. Things like downloadable PDFs and content that can get potential customers on the right track towards finding out what they need. This idea is important to RoleModel and uncommon in the business world. A lot of companies couldn’t care less about what you actually need, and just want to take your money. Not at RoleModel. Something I hear over and over is that we’re consultants first. We want to provide you with the best business option, and if that involves us creating a solution for you, great! But if it doesn’t, we’re not afraid to tell you that. We treat your money like it’s our money.
- We wireframed a new website design based on the principles taught in Donald Miller’s books Building a Storybrand and Marketing Made Simple. We went step by step through the fundamentals outlined and came up with some great content ideas to maximize our design. An interesting concept I learned is how when someone visits a website, they view it in a “Z” pattern. They start in the top left corner, go to the right and then down to the left and then back to the right. Thus, the smart plan is to put your most compelling content along that path. Keep things as short as possible, make each sentence compliment the next, be specific, and incorporate compelling graphics and designs.
- We came up with some quick ways to improve the current website. Even just changing a few words here and there and moving things around can make a lot of difference.
- We learned about some of the business model ideas that RoleModel follows, things like entrepreneurial operating system, agile, and iterative development. It was enlightening to see all the ways a business can be run and why these methods work best at RoleModel.
- I got a primer on 70s and 80s rock and what made it great.
- and more!
A highlight for me this week, away from work, was completing an HTML/CSS project from freeCodeCamp. It’s been super cool learning more about front end development and I’m excited to learn more.
I also came out with another episode of my podcast with a new friend as a guest. We had a great conversation and discussed some really interesting and controversial subjects. You can listen to it wherever you get podcasts.
Hope y’all have a blessed day. Talk soon.
Speak, O Lord, and renew our minds;
Help us grasp the heights of Your plans for us.
Truths unchanged from the dawn of time,
That will echo down through eternity.
And by grace we’ll stand on Your promises;
And by faith we’ll walk as You walk with us.
Speak, O Lord, ’til your church is built
And the earth is filled with Your glory.
Speak, O Lord by Stuart Townsend and Keith Getty
