Re: The Screening Room
Posted: Thu Jul 19, 2007 7:38 am
DW & Robert,
We're in the process beta testing the application and tweaking it for better visual appeal. I'm also redesigning my website since it will have to be moved to a different hosting service with the debut of OLGA. This process may take several more weeks as I don't want to put my "little girl" out there if she's not ready to deal with the world. DW and I must have miscommunicated about the official release date but I was happy to see the short video on the forum for people to view. Once the service is on my website I'll post an announcement here and also announce the date for a live, online training session. A full length video will also be available at that time with sound and graphical call-outs.
Yes Rob, the numbers are in millimeters. Fractions are just too much of a pain in such a system and I don't think many people in our line of work use inches with decimals (I know I don't). Plus, that's how I grade the lasts, by converting all the old inch standards to metric.
Some of the features that have either already been changed since the video was made or will be changed in the near future are:
1) The results screen will now show "Last", "Foot", and "Buildup" with the build up being the Foot measurement subtracted from the Last measurement for each size, showing build up numbers as positive and the terrifying grind off numbers as negatives, on a red background.
2) Currently, the only last numbers that show in the results are the ones within the parameters on the search screen (FM +/-). The results are sorted with sizes with the largest number of fit points within those parameters at the top, descending down and if a fit point is outside the parameters we don't show the last measurement. This will change so that even those measurements outside the parameters will show. They will just be muted or faded or something to remind you that they're not as close as you wanted but at least you can see how much that size missed the mark by, thus helping on a second search.
3) You will be able to order the lasts online from a secure site using a credit card to save time.
In the near (I hope) future, OLGA will be integrated with the Lightbeam 3D foot scanner I'm involved with, automatically importing the measurements from the foot scan (taken wherever the boot/shoe maker wants to take them). From the beginning, customers purchasing lasts through OLGA rather than by phone, email, or mail will receive a "financial incentive". However, anyone owning a Lightbeam and purchasing through OLGA will see that incentive increased dramatically. This is all an attempt to speed up the process of getting lasts to you, which I know has been disappointing at times. The less time I'm on the phone or email, the more time I have to make lasts. That's why you don't see many posts from me anymore.
Another feature we're working on for the future is to make this a full blown database for the user so that they can search for a style by heel height, shoe/boot category, gender, toe width, and toe style. Browsing through 20-30 pictures of Western Boot lasts would be cumbersome enough for the customers but once I get over 500 shoe styles added to the database I'll need a more organized way for you to find what you are looking for so you'll know what model number to pull down in the search.
I'm really excited about the ability of OLGA to give customers a better idea of exactly what they will be getting when they order a last. We all know that a size 9D on one style might be vastly different from a 9D on another style. This way you will be able to have a real good idea how much work you will have to do to a last when you get it. You can even sit your customer down and show the numbers to him so he'll see why the last fee you are charging him is justified and probably too small to begin with. I'm sure some of your customers think you just pick a last off a shelf or buy one and immediately start making their footwear or maybe spend 15 minutes gluing some leather here or there. This will be a visual way to show them what needs to be done before you do it.
I'd also like to mention that another, more selfish reason for OLGA is to encourage customers to be able to pick out the best standard size and order it because the semi-customized and fully customized lasts really contribute to my having a lengthy backlog. Early in June my BACKLOG (not counting pairs I'd already shipped this year) was about 20% larger than my entire production for last year so something had to be done and I think this is a good solution. I'd love to hear more comments and suggestions though. Can't promise all of them will be implemented but we will consider everything.
Bill “The Last Man Standingâ€
We're in the process beta testing the application and tweaking it for better visual appeal. I'm also redesigning my website since it will have to be moved to a different hosting service with the debut of OLGA. This process may take several more weeks as I don't want to put my "little girl" out there if she's not ready to deal with the world. DW and I must have miscommunicated about the official release date but I was happy to see the short video on the forum for people to view. Once the service is on my website I'll post an announcement here and also announce the date for a live, online training session. A full length video will also be available at that time with sound and graphical call-outs.
Yes Rob, the numbers are in millimeters. Fractions are just too much of a pain in such a system and I don't think many people in our line of work use inches with decimals (I know I don't). Plus, that's how I grade the lasts, by converting all the old inch standards to metric.
Some of the features that have either already been changed since the video was made or will be changed in the near future are:
1) The results screen will now show "Last", "Foot", and "Buildup" with the build up being the Foot measurement subtracted from the Last measurement for each size, showing build up numbers as positive and the terrifying grind off numbers as negatives, on a red background.
2) Currently, the only last numbers that show in the results are the ones within the parameters on the search screen (FM +/-). The results are sorted with sizes with the largest number of fit points within those parameters at the top, descending down and if a fit point is outside the parameters we don't show the last measurement. This will change so that even those measurements outside the parameters will show. They will just be muted or faded or something to remind you that they're not as close as you wanted but at least you can see how much that size missed the mark by, thus helping on a second search.
3) You will be able to order the lasts online from a secure site using a credit card to save time.
In the near (I hope) future, OLGA will be integrated with the Lightbeam 3D foot scanner I'm involved with, automatically importing the measurements from the foot scan (taken wherever the boot/shoe maker wants to take them). From the beginning, customers purchasing lasts through OLGA rather than by phone, email, or mail will receive a "financial incentive". However, anyone owning a Lightbeam and purchasing through OLGA will see that incentive increased dramatically. This is all an attempt to speed up the process of getting lasts to you, which I know has been disappointing at times. The less time I'm on the phone or email, the more time I have to make lasts. That's why you don't see many posts from me anymore.
Another feature we're working on for the future is to make this a full blown database for the user so that they can search for a style by heel height, shoe/boot category, gender, toe width, and toe style. Browsing through 20-30 pictures of Western Boot lasts would be cumbersome enough for the customers but once I get over 500 shoe styles added to the database I'll need a more organized way for you to find what you are looking for so you'll know what model number to pull down in the search.
I'm really excited about the ability of OLGA to give customers a better idea of exactly what they will be getting when they order a last. We all know that a size 9D on one style might be vastly different from a 9D on another style. This way you will be able to have a real good idea how much work you will have to do to a last when you get it. You can even sit your customer down and show the numbers to him so he'll see why the last fee you are charging him is justified and probably too small to begin with. I'm sure some of your customers think you just pick a last off a shelf or buy one and immediately start making their footwear or maybe spend 15 minutes gluing some leather here or there. This will be a visual way to show them what needs to be done before you do it.
I'd also like to mention that another, more selfish reason for OLGA is to encourage customers to be able to pick out the best standard size and order it because the semi-customized and fully customized lasts really contribute to my having a lengthy backlog. Early in June my BACKLOG (not counting pairs I'd already shipped this year) was about 20% larger than my entire production for last year so something had to be done and I think this is a good solution. I'd love to hear more comments and suggestions though. Can't promise all of them will be implemented but we will consider everything.
Bill “The Last Man Standingâ€