In my previous blog post “A New Hope”, I mentioned that the engineers working on PowerVC have a relentless focus on making it quick and easy to use.
One of the methods we use to calibrate how well we are meeting this goal is through a process called interactive Hands On Test (iHOT). During the iHOT process, we bring in a small number of clients and observe them as they use PowerVC to accomplish a number of management tasks.
Each client will run through several real-life scenarios over one and a half days. The tasks might include installing and configuring PowerVC, capturing and deploying virtual machines/LPARs, creating storage templates, relocating virtual machines from one host to another, and other common tasks. We provide a controlled environment inside our lab for the iHOT process to provide a consistent experience for each client.
During the iHOT process, we observe how the clients use PowerVC functionality to accomplish the tasks, capture the areas where they have problems, and gather feedback and suggestions for future improvements.
Our User Experience team took a small group of clients through the iHOT process for our first release of PowerVC earlier this year. That process resulted in a number of changes and enhancements that will be included in PowerVC Version 1.2 when it becomes available next month.
Next week we will be starting our next iHOT process with four different clients. They will have a chance to work with PowerVC Version 1.2 in a number of scenarios. The results of this process will drive changes and enhancements for future PowerVC releases.
I know that a number of you are chomping at the bit to get your hands on PowerVC, but you are just going to have to be patient for a little longer until the general availability of PowerVC Version 1.2 on December 6th.
Jay
P.S.
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