Kindergarten Information Systems
Steve
I came across this awesome photo of a classic Kindergarten bulletin board on Flickr the other day and I had to write about it.
This type of board, which exists in thousands of elementary school classrooms all over the world, really is a great example of an information portal. Key information that is relevant and important to the 'users' is readily available, easily understood, is presented in a very visually appealing manner, and is very accessible.
Frankly, it jumps right out at you as soon as you walk in the door.
Schedules, news, events, important facts, and some required learning objects all right there. And there is usually an element if 'user creation' in this content, as kids often update the board with things like the day's weather conditions or perhaps adding vocabulary words to the 'letter or the day'. They may even put their names up to volunteer for activities and events.
So let's get this straight - updated, meaningful content, presented in an attractive, user-friendly manner, with elements of user-created content?
Sounds like most kindergarten classes have a better information portal than many corporate organizations.
I guess the old line about 'All I needed to know I learned in Kindergarten' may have some truth to it after all.
Reader Comments (14)
Steve.
Spot on.
I was thinking some thing on the same lines when I wrote this.
http://blogs.gartner.com/thomas_otter/2008/12/13/steering-wheels-and-application-uis/
Thomas - That was an excellent post that you wrote, that really makes the argument against unnecessary complication in the UI of most business systems. Thanks for sharing the link here and for reading and commenting, I really appreciate the input.
How true is this, Steve. Thank you for the insight under our noses (and literally our kids in kindergarten). We do try to take that approach as well with the way we present data and tools to our clients including their ability to generate content links. But it's the adults who always over-complicate, isn't it.
Thanks Kevin for the comments and observations, it is a good lesson I think. Keep everything simple, but present the needed information in a way that your audience can and will work with it. I think some good advice is not to add any new buttons, widgets, forms, etc. until you are sure that their addition won't actually detract from what is already in place. Thanks again for reading and sharing your observations.
Steve that is crazy. How significant is it to provide an opportunity for people to get involved and feel like they brought something to the table. They now have a level of ownership and pride in what is going on. Sharing creates caring. I agree with Kevin that we do over complicate everything because we have so much static that gets in the way along with a little thing called fear. Whoever this teacher is should be the next CEO of GM.
Thanks Cade for the comments and for reading. I like the 'Sharing creates caring' observation, it makes quite a bit of sense. I think stepping back and looking for simple solutions first is usually a wise strategy. Thanks again for sharing your thoughts.
It amazing how many technologies seek to do exactly the same things that traditional non-tech things seek to do and one has to wonder if some technologies exist simply to present things in a more "grown up" or sophisticated way for sake of aesthetics. I like the idea of a traditional bulletin board with tacks (although not for those kindergarten students) and paper--it shows more effort somehow and provides a constantly-changing element of presentation.
Steve - i am new to your blog and I really enjoyed reading this one (and previous ones). I guess i have a question about the blog and the picture. My wife is a kindergarten teacher and has a similar "wall" in her classroom. I also was impressed with the amount of information - but i always struggle with simplicity. I love simplicity and minimal distractions, but when i see a board like this kindergarten one (heck, even company intranets) i feel there is a fear, or desire, to be something for everyone. What i mean by that is there is such a strong desire to give everyone a one stop destination that design and logical layouts gets pushed back for the desire to put everything right in front of people. I am not advocating hiding important pieces of information - but wouldn't it be more "appealing" to push detail information to secondary page sources? Thanks
Nicole - I think you make an excellent point, that technology is not always the better solution to more traditional forms of information sharing and communication. I was really thinking more about an organization with hundreds to thousands of employees dispersed all over the world potentially, and the need of to communicate effectively, simply, and efficiently. Of course hundreds or thousands of employees can't gather around a bulletin board, but I really liked how the kindergarten teacher approached the problem. Thanks very much for reading and commenting, you offer great insights.
Th HR Dude- Thanks very much for reading and sharing your perspective. I think the the teacher's approach to presenting the key class information, in a manner that is accepted and easily understood by the kids, and using a process where the kids can participate and interact to share their own knowledge and insights truly is a model that many organizations can follow. Of course when designing portals, or any other system for that matter, you have to strike the correct balance in design and usability. But I do think that parallels can be drawn. So sure, very detailed information usually is not presented on the 'home' page, but critical, and this is key, the user-defined information is at the forefront. Thanks again, and I hope you continue reading.
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