1). Raluca: Jean, as all your sites clearly show that they’ve some personality of their own. To what extent do they carry your own personality traits?

Jean: NOTCOT was founded on my tastes, in that I began posting what i love and what inspires me, and continue to do so. As for the user contributed sites, the personalities which have emerged are one of the collective only slightly directed by the editors! These days, it feels as if the user contributed sites are actually beginning to be influencing my personality traits as much as the other way around.

2. Kelly: Which project of yours will you call the most successful one? How do you define a design successful and how do you relate it to technology, user empowerment and art?

Jean: To me, projects are less about the success, and more about the passion and content which we provide. As long as we, at NOTCOT, and the readers and contributors continue to provide the passion driving the sites, I consider them all successful.

3. Nirja: How do you handle creative blocks?

Jean: I’m not sure anymore, i used to have them quite a bit through university and graduate school, but since NOTCOT.org was launched I have yet to have a creative block ~ perhaps too busy at times to execute my ideas, but with so much daily inspiration at our finger tips at any given moment on NOTCOT, i never have to look far to be inspired.

4. Susanne: Since you are a successful designer yourself, we would like to know about some of your favorite nicely designed blogs?

Jean: I’m a huge fan of probably a few hundred sites i read daily (and by read, i mean fully load in a browser so that i can get the full effect of the sites... not just their content via rss!) ~ But a few off the top of my head are: Wallpaper, Crave, 4 Color Rebellion, CoolHunting

5. Natalie: How would you like to be remembered as, a designer or a trendspotter?

Jean: Both!

6. Disha: Jean, what’s the scope of more innovative changes in Human-Computer Interaction and how you’re looking forward to incorporate that in the projects you’re currently handling?

Jean: mobile and video are inescapable ; )

7. Raghubir: Jean, I’ve to say, designs of all your blogs are fabulous. However, I’d like to know, do you endeavor to design experiences or mere occasions, leaving the rest on the users to perceive?

Jean: An occasion is merely a short experience, no? I think it is most important to design in as much potential in a user experience as possible, regardless of whether the user chooses to make that a mere occasion or a week long exploration...

8. Naveen: Well, your designs are no doubt simple yet captivating but why you came up with the idea of same sort of design (Squared boxes) for all the three - NOTCOT, NotCouture and TasteSpotting? Do you think giving them some sort of weekly magazine-looks is that much impressive? One thing more, where do you find all those lip smacking recipes?

Jean: The sites currently have similar design, because they are all implementation of the same backend currently. TasteSpotting and NotCouture are new versions of NOTCOT. Is that what you are asking? I don’t understand your question regarding giving them some sort of weekly magazine looks.

The three sites you have mentioned are all user contributed ~ so you must as the users where they find them all!

9. Yashpal: As said about the products displayed on your blog, you often leave your readers ‘wondering whether the treasure was in their existence or in their discovery’, what else you want your users to experience apart from that sense of awe and are you always successful?

Jean: Success is often in the eye of the beholder ~ and with NOTCOT.com, i really just love having a place to track and share the things i find and experience in my everyday that inspire me. What users experience from reading about them is up to them!

10. Team: Since you are a self-confessed shopaholic and Tech Connoisseur, we would like to know about 5 of your most outrageous gadget purchases?

Jean: Some of my more recent gadget purchases are probably: Canon TX1, Wii/PS3 + accessories, Clarisonic, Blackberry Pearl (although debating/awaiting the iPhone, Curve, new Pearl)

11. Nandini: Your views on BornRich & Instablogs network?

Jean: BornRich has been on my morning, noon, and night daily reads for some time, and it’s always delivered the goods when it comes to great larger than life products and gadgets! I also love the fact that you guys have an illustrated logo, and was sad to see the comic strip stopped with Katherine, there was something so very Veronica (of old school Archie Comics) about her!

As for Instablogs, I was just rolling through the list of the many blogs involved, and its insane! I must admit that BornRich was the only one i knew and read regularly, but there are certainly many there I will need to take a look at. Nice to see a large network outside of the US!

RapidFire Questions :-

1. Best Dressing Room in Los Angeles
a.) Chanel b.) Nordstroms c.) Sak’s d.) Banana Republic e.) Other?

Jean: miss sixty

2. Breakfast Spot you loved the most in LA
a.) The Griddle Cafe b.) Starbucks c.) The Original Pantry d.) IHOP e.) Others?

Jean: Mort’s Deli

3. The TV show you were addicted to last season
a.) Veronica Mars b.) Desperate Housewives c.) Heroes d.) Lost e. Other

Jean: The Tudors

4. ) Your fav. Georgette Heyer Novel
a.) These Old Shades b.) Friday’s Child c.) False Colours d.) The Reluctant Widow e.) Others?

Jean: I haven’t actually read any of her novels!

5. Futuristic Inventions you will hate to see become Real
a. Implanted Wireless Phone b. Human Cloning c. Virtual Reality Sex d. Meals in a Pill e Others?

Jean: unblockable telepathy for all

6. One blog (except the ones you are working on) you would love to blog for?

Jean: I’d have to say none at the moment, i find far too much pleasure and have too much respect for many of the sites i love to indulge in daily, that it would almost ruin the awe i have for them to blog for them! And i’m writing far too much for NOTCOT.com, which is the blog side of the NOTCOT network of user contributed sites... as well as just launching a new blog TODAY for CNet on design called Surface.

7. Top Current Fashion Trends That Sucks
a.) Skinny-Leg Jeans b.) tattoos c.) Big sunglasses d.) Capri Pants e.) Other?

Jean: leggings! and most things 80’s

Wasn’t her answers as arresting as her design sense! We finally thank Jean for doing this wonderful interview with us and wish her “All the Best” for her new design site and all her future endeavors!79017