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It’s been a long process, longer than any of us wanted, but it’s going to be worth it and we’re getting really close now.

A new user experience design for the Xuropa Application is close…I can hardly wait!

In looking for a cool graphic for this post I came across a blog post by Magnus Revang who captured his process in his User Experience Wheel.  As well as being very cool eye-candy, it really does capture well the various aspects of what goes into designing and building a solid user experience.  It’s not just pretty pictures.

A huge shout-out has to go to some of my favorite Xuropeans.  These are people that took time out of their incredibly busy days and sat with us to discuss their experience.  They showed us how they use the application, and what they’d like to see in future releases.  Gary Dare,  Harry Gries, Tom Hackett, Achim Nohl (and team!), Susan Peterson, and Michael Sanie.  We’re very lucky to have such passionate people involved with the project that share the Xuropa vision.

We weren’t able to include all of the feedback (there was so much - so many great ideas!), but you’ll see we knocked off some pretty big items.  As we get closer to the push onto production I’ll try to post some sneak peaks.  Stay tuned…

Posted under Xuropa

Many people have asked, “Why did you start Xuropa?”  And a recent blog post by Harry Gries got me to thinking beyond the proverbial napkin anecdote (it really was a napkin!).

Software liberation!

Hassle free and immediate access to the most sophisticated software on the planet! That is Xuropa.

We want to eliminate the bottlenecks and roadblocks currently between the user and the software - downloads, installation, license agreements, license keys, even geography and time zones - they all have to go!

For the user, it’s all about saving time.  Without Xuropa, to learn or evaluate new software requires a long and drawn out process involving management, IT, the legal department, sales guys, sales or applications engineers…a lot of leg work and hassle on top of their regular “day job”.

With Xuropa, they can sign in, kick off a session, and immediately have access to some of the most powerful software in the world.  Simple and quick.

The benefit to vendors is just as compelling - 24/7 access to more potential customers while reducing costs and using fewer resources.

Without Xuropa, a vendor currently has to ship out hundreds of thousands of dollars worth of expertise with the software as part of the sales process. Simple prospecting takes tremendous resources and valuable time. The cost is even greater when dealing with global customers in such growing economies like India, China, or Eastern Europe.  Alternatively, they’re shipping CDROM’s or asking their prospects to download huge evaluation versions of their software - an extremely frustrating exercise for the user, and piracy prone for the vendor.

What vendors really need is a platform that helps accurately identify interested buyers/users and quickly and securely delivers their software to those users for trials and evaluations. With Xuropa, vendors ensure that prospects around the world and around the clock get their hands on their product immediately in a completely secure environment.

Xuropa does this by making software available on public or private clouds within a secure and automated web-based application.  The Xuropa Application results in Zero IT overhead, complete access control, with a set of analytics and marketing tools to engage with the user remotely and help them help themselves through the process.

In short, Xuropa is a web-based application that delivers enterprise software to users via the cloud - Your Software in the Cloud.  Simple to use, easy to set up, highly automated, and secure.

Consistently, our customers tell us that the Xuropa Platform enables them to do more with less.  Everyone is looking to grow markets with the same resources, or service the same customers with fewer resources - or both.  And that’s what Xuropa enables.

Along those lines, as we’re all working our way out of the Great Recession, we know that companies have been very creative in surviving and even thriving.  We’d like to hear your ideas and offer a prize for some of the “best”.  For more information, to add your idea, and potentially win a year on Xuropa, check out the Doing More with Less Competition here.

Posted under Xuropa

Courtesy EcoScapes (http://www.ecoscapes.net)

Last year was my first time attending DVCon. So, that was the first time I got to witness the infamous EDA Troublemakers Panel. Last year Peggy Aycinena channeled her inner John Cooley with a provocative panel discussion entitled “EDA: Dead or Alive”. Of course, the EDA world looked very bleak back then, just months after the financial meltdown, Cadence financial woes, EDA layoffs left and right, VC funds shutting down … a forest fire of bad news sweeping the industry.

But just as the wildflowers bloom after the wildfire, optimism is returning to the EDA industry. (Gosh, that sounds really corny, huh). So it’s not too surprising that two EDA veterans will be at DVCon this year heralding EDA’s return. Fellow EDA blogger Paul McLellan and EDA Hall-of-Famer Jim Hogan have become the Captain and Tennille of EDA. They spoke at ICCAD on the future of chip design. And now they are giving another talk during DVCon entitled “So you want to start up an EDA company? Here’s how…”.

I don’t know what these guys are going to say, but if I were them, here are a few things that I’d point out that make for some optimism for starting up an EDA company now:

• There are lots of good EDA people looking for work, so this is a good time to partner with them or to get them on board for a lower salary than you’d have to pay otherwise.
• Small companies are able to use technology to their benefit to lower their cost of development. Development hardware is cheap and even rent-able through cloud computing providers. Open source software tools abound. The biggest cost will be your time.
• The cost of sales is dropping due to new technology. WebEx. GoToMeeting. Skype. Xuropa. These tools and others enable you to reach out to customers globally while never leaving your office.
• Then again, who needs an office? Working from home has never been easier.
• And who cares where you are located? It’s easy enough to collaborate with your virtual team globally. (Xuropa has people in the Bay Area, the LA Area, and France).
  
• The lack of VC money can also be a good thing. You retain ownership and control of the company and don’t have a “timetable” to “cash out”.
• The lack of VC funding also forces you to think about getting cash flow positive as quickly as possible. Rather than wasting time and money designing the perfect product, you’re forced to start selling it early which leads to better feedback and a better product.

The idea that the downturn is an opportunity is not new. In fact, Sean Murphy has been spearheading the whole concept of bootstrapping for some time now. Check out his site for some great advice. Also, Dharmesh Shah, founder of Hubspot, writes a great blog on this subject as well.

I’m still not sure if I’ll make it to DVCon this year, but if I do, I will definitely attend this session. If not, I’m sure someone from Xuropa will be there. Just like my EDA SaaS and Cloud Computing Roundtable last year, it’s not part of the regular program. It will be held Tuesday evening Feb 23rd from 6:30 – 7:30 in the Oak Ballroom at the Doubletree Hotel (where DVCon is going on). This will be right after the DVCon reception, so grab a beer or a glass of wine and head on over.

I hope to see you there.

Posted under Xuropa, business, industry, marketing