We recently had the opportunity to create a Twitter mashup and are excited to bring you Touch Twitterworld in 3D.

The 3D Twitterworld app first premiered at Earth Day on a giant touch wall (courtesy HP). It will soon be offered on the web and as a download for all the fanboys.

Click the image below to see a teaser video showing real-time Earth Day tweets from around the world (3D glasses optional).

37Signals point me to an excellent essay by Paul Rand on the politics of design.

He hits on one challenge that we really resonate with – the need that clients (and managers) have to see multiple versions of a solution.

One of the more common problems which tends to create doubt and confusion is caused by the inexperienced and anxious executive who innocently expects, or even demands, to see not one but many solutions to a problem.

Although seeing multiple versions seems useful, it often dilutes the process.  The process of finding one solution can be an all-encompassing challenge.  The demand for multiple versions often leads a designer to limit their time on reaching for the best solution and instead work on making a number of directions seem viable.

Theoretically, a great number of ideas assures a great number of choices, but such choices are essentially quantitative. This practice is as bewildering as it is wasteful. It discourages spontaneity, encourages indifference, and more often than not produces results which are neither distinguished, interesting, nor effective. In short, good ideas rarely come in bunches.

Most importantly, this process often runs counter to the design process, which should involve scrapping dozens of ideas until you reach the one that feels right.  Paul Rand sums this up nicely:

Whatever his working habits, the designer fills many a wastebasket in order to produce one good idea.

Yea.

That’s all I can tell you right now.

Easier said than done.  It’s hard enough to find good employees and vendors in your own country; how do you find a good team abroad?

It isn’t difficult to figure out where to look.  These days, websites like oDesk and eLance connect you to independent contractors around the world; simple Google searches and directory sites like IndianBusiness list thousands of IT companies in a wide variety of niches.

But knowing how to look is much more important.  So, here are five rules to keep in mind when searching for the ideal offshore IT partner.

1. Look For No.

In an honest effort to please (and get business), an offshore team may commit with enthusiasm to what they simply cannot deliver.  So, find a partner who tells you what they don’t do – make sure that they know how to say no.

Find a company that does what you need, not a company that can potentially do what you need.. If you need a hammer, find a hammer. Not a screwdriver that is willing to grow a hammer out of its side. Trust me, someone is working on the hammer you need. And, when you’ve found the right team, first make them prove they can do what you need. If they really want the job, they will.

2. Don’t shop.  Date.

Custom software is not a commodity.   You don’t buy the services of a development team the way you would buy a pair of shoes or an airline ticket.  It just isn’t as simple as figuring out the cheapest option or heading to Zappos because of their return policy.

Most people figure out what they want, ask for bids, and pick the cheapest or most well-known option. That might work when you’re buying a laptop, but it’s a horrible way to look for a development partner.

Instead, treat finding a development partner like you would dating.  Get to know your project leads and developers.  Talk to people who know them.  Test out their skills.  Make small commitments so that you can gradually build the relationship without rushing things.  And, make sure that you actually like them, because you both will probably be spending a lot of time together (late at night).

3. Make sure they get it.

This team could be responsible for making your baby (last dating pun, I promise…I gotta stop blogging after midnight).

So, make sure that your offshore partner actually understands what they need to build for you.  Explain your business model, describe the product, and allow your potential teammates to ask questions.  If they still don’t get it (and your model/explanation were clear), this is a clear warning sign.  How is this team going to build something they don’t understand?

Also, keep in mind that everyone needs to get it.  The project lead, the developers, the designers, and the testers.  Everyone should understand both the business model and the product’s purpose clearly enough to explain it back to you.

4. Pay a (slight) Premium

Newsflash: you’re working with an offshore IT team to save money.  So, save money!

However, understand that your money goes a lot further abroad.  Find out what the going rate is for a team in your niche and offer to pay a little more than that.  By paying a slight premium, you can demand service and professionalism.  You can guarantee that you get to work with the most talented developers at a larger company, and you can use bonus structures and incentives to push a smaller company to deliver.

5. Understand Your Responsibility

Your product is your responsibility.  End of story.

Don’t push a potential partner into promising that they will concept, manage, or test your application without diligent, careful oversight.  You can’t outsource your vision, passion, approach, or attitude.  Your involvement is necessary every step of the way, from initial strategy to final testing.

This is doubly true with an offshore partner.  Unless you are consistently involved, things will get lost in translation and due to sheer distance.   So, before you commit to a relationship, make sure that both parties understand how often communication will take place, what the decision-making protocol is, and when you will get to check in on progress.

Happy hunting!

It seems so obvious: if you want to develop software that’s useful to people, you’ve got to talk with them. But too many developers take the anti-social approach and consider customer support to be beneath their status…If you really want to write useful software, stop spending all your time keeping up with technology. Don’t worry if your resume isn’t filled with the latest buzzwords. Instead, invest your time in talking with your customers. They don’t care what programming language you use – they only care whether your software meets their needs, and the best way to ensure that is by breaking out of your cone of silence and opening the lines of communication.

[Nick Bradbury via 37 Signals]

Don’t know why they didn’t just write the list down in text, but here is a video list of the top 25 Indian web companies.  I agree with about half of the choices…

Here is Sramana Mitra’s list of the top 10 Outsourcing stocks.  I’m surprised that her top 2 picks are American, but you can’t really argue with the logic.