CONTACTS 
0201 - O-0420 0201 Seawest Company            619 293 3340 fax 3347SUBJECTS
WMA marketing; Evaluation
Individuals, organizations
Pat Welch

0405 -    ..
0406 - Received ref DRT 1, responded ref DIT 4
0407 -
040701 - Pat suggests making SDS more saleable by making it easier to use.
040702 -
040703 - He cites Microsoft expectations that Windows 3 will generate sales of
040704 - $.5 billion, and suggests it will achieve this because:
040705 -
040706 -    •  ... it simplifies the knowledge the user must learn and
040707 -       remember just to get in and out of the program.  A Mercedes is
040708 -       much more complicated than his Dad's car, but is much simpler
040709 -       to start and maintain.
040710 -
040711 -       Once in the program he can exercise his expertise in writing,
040712 -       managing, organizing, etc.
040713 -
040714 - Pat feels the average User:
040715 -
040716 -    •  [Doesn't] want the aggravation of having to fiddle with [manu-
040717 -       evering within the SDS program].
040718 -
040719 -    •  Being an egghead is not his forte.  Any intensive cramming he
040720 -       is capable of he wants to devote to the betterment of his
040721 -       business or profession.
040722 -
040723 - Market potential
040724 -
040725 -    •  25% of business people use computers, 18% can make good use of
040726 -       your program, but the program as written can be used by only
040727 -       3% of Users.
040728 -
040729 -    •  Pat feels I have the computer skills to make the program
040730 -       easier enough to reach the additional 15% of the market he
040731 -       calculates are potential Users.
040732 -
040733 -
0408 -
0409 - Analysis
0410 -
041001 - Simplifying access
041002 -
04100201 - There is no simpler way to open a program than to say: "Let's start
04100002 - to work; open my schedule diary."  The equivalent of this in SDS
04100003 - is:
04100004 -
04100005 -                       C>sd pat
04100006 -
04100007 - There is no simpler way to organize activities than chronologi-
04100008 - cally; there is no simpler way to select a planning record than to
04100009 - point to it and hit a key.
04100010 -
04100111 - Windows 3.0 simplifies getting INTO programs, but does NOT provide
04100112 - a program for doing the very things Pat cites as the forte of the
04100113 - business man:
04100114 -
04100115 -                       •  Writing
04100116 -                       •  Managing
04100117 -                       •  Organizing, etc.
04100118 -
04100119 - Only SDS integrates writing, managing, organizing, etc, etc, etc.
04100120 -
04100221 - The result is that computer Users are trying to use "simple"
04100222 - wordprocessing programs to perform management tasks, and getting
04100223 - frustrated because they are not the correct tool.  Management is
04100224 - not simple.  It has a lot of variety.  SDS handles the variety, but
04100225 - it means there are a lot of things to learn in order to accomplish
04100226 - the variety of management tasks more simply, faster and with great-
04100227 - er quality.
04100228 -
04100229 - If Pat could take a particular task he wants to accomplish in SDS,
04100230 - and then explain how he would like it to work so it would be
04100331 - easier, I could make a change.
04100332 -
04100333 - I requested such a response in the memo attached to the transmittal
04100334 - letters.
04100335 -
04100336 -
041003 -
041004 - Average User, Perceived Value
041005 -
04100501 - The extent to which users will "fiddle" with anything is a function
04100002 - of the level of effort measured against the perceived value (i.e.
04100003 - benefit).
04100004 -
04100005 - I have tried with the Help system, to lower the level of effort
04100006 - needed to learn SDS. Today I sent versions of this to beta sites,
04100007 - and within a few weeks should get some response on how well it
04100008 - succeeds.  We also need to raise the perceived value factor in
04100009 - order to tip the equation favorably to sales.
04100010 -
04100111 - Testimonials do this, and I am seeking these now, as well.
04100112 -
04100113 - Here is the nub of the issue.  SDS is really easy to use.
04100114 -
04100115 - SDS is a skill which when acquired raises productivity in the same
04100116 - way knowing how to write and do mathematics does.  A skilled User
04100117 - can greatly enhance the value of the "...intensive craming..." to
04100118 - better one's business and profession.  That is precisely the pur-
04100119 - pose of SDS, indicating a large potential market.  Everyone wants
04100120 - to do better.
04100221 -
041006 -
041007 - Market potential
041008 -
04100801 - We are aiming not at the 25% who use computers, but at the larger
04100002 - pool of people who want to do better.
04100003 -
04100004 - More people do not have computers today, because there is nothing
04100005 - they can do with them that improves what they are already doing.
04100006 - SDS is the answer.  It improves what everybody is doing: thinking,
04100007 - planning, remembering, and communicating.
04100008 -
04100009 -
041009 -
041010 -
0411 -

SUBJECTS
WMA marketing; Distribution
Updated Software version
June 7, 1990

0706 - Version 2.15 date, June 7, 1990
0707 -
070701 - Changed 01 03 04702.  Since v 2.15 has not been issued to anyone,
070702 - just change the date.
070703 -
070704 -
0708 -
0709 - Monochrome version
0710 -
071001 - Created new version for monochrome computer.  This is needed for
071002 - JoAnn and Ross when he gets my cpu from Kath; macros are in j:.
071003 -
071004 - Used 0803 macro to put a new set without setcolor on j: 01 03.
071005 - Copied the files to cpu c: 01 03 over the Lantastic network.  Then
071006 - ran 30.bat to create a new e.exe without setcolor.
071007 -
071008 - Copied this new e.exe to a filename em.exe on h:\sds.
071009 -
071010 - Did not make any distribution disketts for this program and macro
071011 - set, because only Kathleen is using monochrome so far, and she is not
071012 - using the program.
071013 -
071014 -
0711 -
0712 -
0713 - Color on c: drive
0714 -
071401 - Created this for Ross' office cpu
071402 -
071403 - This was done with macro 0802, which created a new i: 01 03 macro
071404 - set.  Used 32.bat to apply this macro set to make ec.exe for c:
071405 - drive, and copied it to h:\sds
071406 -
071407 - Used 421.bat to backup the files needed to make an SDS update to run
071408 - on the c: drive on a VGA monitor.
071409 -
071410 - Just changed the source drive from c: to i: for the macros in
071411 - 421.bat.
071412 -
071413 -
0715 -
0716 - Updated v 2.15 standard configuration
0717 -
071701 - Made 4 sets with 421.bat for Jeff, Norm, Pat and Patty.
071702 -
071703 - We only need to give them the program and macro files.  42.bat
071704 - includes data base, subject index, CNS, Profile Index, which are not
071705 - needed for updating an existing installation.  Actually, probably
071706 - should have given them the Profile Index.  May have to put Profile
071707 - Index on the c: drive after all.
071708 -
071709 -
0718 -
0719 - Program Update changes
0720 -
072001 - Prepared a memo using the explanation from ref SDS 5, and explained
072002 - the improvements to Help.
072003 -
072004 - Requested comments on the adequacy of revisions, and suggestions for
072005 - further improvements.
072006 -
072007 -
0721 -
0722 - Installation Instructions
0723 -
072301 - Explained how to restore the new program update, after deleting the
072302 - existing files.
072303 -
0724 -