The Trixie Update

In case anyone doesn’t know, I’ve been working on developing the Trixie Telemetry module that appears on the top of the Trixie Update home page into full-fledged Baby Tracking software. Many people have asked about the status of the project, so here’s what’s going on:

Since the public announcement May 15th, I’ve poured every free minute into designing, developing, testing and troubleshooting, but the project just… keeps… on… growing.

I’m sure a lot of people want to know why the project keeps growing. I mean, it works on the top of the Trixie Update, why can’t you just use that? The basic reason is that the back-end of the Trixie Telemetry is not pretty. To be honest, it’s an absolute mess. There’s no easy way to make changes to collected data, to manage settings, or to turn telemetry collecting on and off, etc. These issues and more all have to be addressed in a way that makes using the application as easy as visiting the Trixie Update.

I realize this explanation doesn’t really help if you already have a baby at home who won’t sleep and you’ve been waiting patiently to set up your own Trixie Telemetry. All I can say is that we’re moving this thing forward as fast as we can.

Here’s what’s happening now: Trixie Tracker is currently under review by an outside software developer. This review will be completed by Nov 15th. I’m estimating a final 4-6 week implementation period to then bring the application to beta. The current goal is to have the beta version ready January 1st, 2005.

Basically, developing software is hard. I had no idea what I was getting into when I started, and that’s why it’s taken three times as long as expected. I could have written a whole blog about the trials and tribulations of web application design, but that would have just set me further back To those parents who were counting on Trixie Tracker, you have my apologies. To look on the positive side, the completed application will be a great reason to have another kid.

[UPDATE 2/7/05] Obviously I was smoking crack when I came up with these estimates three months ago. But Trixie is in daycare now, I have a lot more time to work and it will happen soon. Thanks for sticking with us.

[UPDATE 11/28/05] Wow - a lot of time has passed. Trixie Tracker has not launched yet, but we have been in beta since May 2005. Hundreds of folks have been testing out the software (some for 6 months!) and we’ve been incorporating all their feedback to make a better application. As I’ve said before, we’ll launch soon
[UPDATE 3/8/06] Hey, how about that?! We have actually launched. Come check it out!!

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A lot of people have asked to know a little bit more about me and my design background. There are little pieces of information scattered throughout the site, but in the spirit of de-masking after Halloween here’s a consolidated version.

I went to the College of Design at North Carolina State University and graduated with a Bachelors of Environmental Design (BED). A BED is a general design degree that spans everything from painting to animation. However, the name proved so confusing to those outside the school that the department and degree were eventually changed. Current graduates are now lucky to claim title to a Bachelors of Art and Design. This is a great school. Interested in Art or Design? Be sure to check it out.

I then received a Masters in Fine Art from The School of the Art Institute of Chicago (SIAC). The best part about SIAC is the city of Chicago. The city itself had a greater influence on me than the school. I’m pretty lukewarm on SIAC. Plus I’m still paying off student loans from there.

We next lived in the Bronx for 4 years where I worked as a designer for a number of companies in NYC. I generally worked on print pieces and web sites. I learned to program and design websites the way most kids do, by picking apart other websites to see how they work. I still think this is the best way to get started.

Many readers have mentioned Edward Tufte in various comments throughout the site. His approach to design is attractive because it deals with presenting information in the clearest, most useful way possible. This isn’t the best approach to every design problem, but it works for us here at the Trixie Update.

I hope this is helpful for those looking for some background information. And also thank you for your comments. I’m humbled when people point to our site as an example of good design. thank you!

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