Archive for October, 2007
October 30th, 2007
We’ve been talking a lot about ideas. But ideas don’t always translate well without examples. Thankfully, the internet is replete with experiences great and poor.
The single most often-used benefit of the internet is information. Wikipedia, online newspapers, blogs, and all their associated links and RSS feeds. People tend to be more tolerant with information experiences (hey, you read my entries, don’t you?), but when money gets involved — people listen. And more importantly, they’ll turn away if they don’t like what they experience.
Two specific (and very different) examples to consider: Victoria’s Secret, and the International Standards Organization. Comparing apples to oranges? Only in product. When it comes to online shopping, it doesn’t matter if it’s underwear or a whitepaper — if you don’t get what you need, you’re not likely to happy about it.
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October 29th, 2007
This blog is meant to give readers an inside look at what we think it takes to build great experiences. It’s easy to point to beautiful sites we’ve designed for clients like Rolex or sexy microsites we’ve built for Mercedes and talk about the experience design methods and processes used there. And for sure, there is tons of value in sharing those stories with our readers.
But one area that we don’t hear a lot about when it comes to building compelling experiences is the art of building excellent and positive client relationships. Arguably, it’s more important than any process or method we use. Without it there is no foundation to do the best work possible.
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October 25th, 2007
Honeyshed, a product of Droga5, a Publicis agency, officially went live today. The site is positioned as a mash-up of branded entertainment, shopping, social networking site. Keeping it strictly business – not discussing the scantily clad hosts – I have 3 main issues with the site which are reviewed below.
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October 20th, 2007
Microsoft was a little late to the internet game, that much isn’t new. In 1993, Bill Gates said “we’re not interested in the internet”. (Mind you, he also said that 640K of memory should be enough for anybody.) Microsoft has certainly done a lot to reverse that initial stumble (witness the internet services they’ve acquired and/or sold — Hotmail and Expedia; and services developed, such as Microsoft Live), and Popfly is another sign of Microsoft truly understanding the new wave.
Back in May of this year, Microsoft launched their first product to the masses before it was officially “ready”. Popfly was the first to actually carry the label “Alpha”. It’s now in beta. But is it ready for prime time?
Late to the game, Microsoft waded right into the Web 2.0 pond wearing a pair of mashup Speedos. And like in real life, you don’t really want to look too closely at it.
Steve Ballmer in Speedos…?
October 19th, 2007
Were the framers of the Constitution some of the first “experience designers?”
That’s a question I was pondering this week
I’m on my way back from a planning summit in our Toronto office We do these to stretch our thinking as a team and share work and ideas . We were fortunate to have Michael Dila of Torch Partnership join us for an engaging conversation about the intersection of design and business. Michael chaired last years Overlap conference in Toronto . While an academic by background, he has certainly crossed over into the world of business with some thought provoking ideas.
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October 10th, 2007
“The proof is in the pudding.”
A fairly common turn of phrase, but one that confused me when I was a child. (Yes… I am easily confused). The context of the statement makes it clear that the speaker intends to communicate that further evidence or personal experience is required before the speaker will be convinced. Although I understood the intent, I remained deeply confused as to how (creamy, delicious) pudding could be a catalyst of understanding. It wasn’t until I was in my teens (and had eaten lots of pudding) that I finally heard the phrase fully, and correctly, spoken.
“The proof of the pudding is in the eating.”
Wow! Revelation! When I heard that phrase uttered, it all came clear to me. The implication is crystal clear. Outward appearances can be deceiving. To judge the matter it must be fully examined. The pudding may look beautiful, but until it is tasted, one cannot truly judge its quality. Unlike the bastardized phrase, the full sentence has a subtlety of meaning. It is not dependent upon context to make the statement clear. It stands on its own and communicates a clear, deep meaning.
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October 10th, 2007
Ever since P&G declared “The Consumer is Boss” a few years ago, industry pundits have dedicated a great number of keynotes addresses and op ed pieces discussing how Consumers Really “own” brands.
Industry thought leaders wax philosophical about how companies should stop talking to consumers altogether and only listen. That companies should let go of their brands and stop trying to own or manage them.
I have a slightly different take on the situation. I believe that the reality lies somewhere in-between one of complete ownership by company and complete ownership by consumer. I believe the paradigm that is most applicable is one of parenthood. I know… It sounds crazy… But hang with me a moment while I explain….
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October 8th, 2007
Content is king, but it’s not the only connecting tissue on the web. Increasingly, the situational context of others is influencing how people interact online. New types of web experiences are enabling people to go beyond just creating content; they’re allowing them to broadcast their personal context too. These “situational lifestreams” are a realtime flow of personal metadata, and it’s time to start thinking about how to design great experiences with them.
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October 8th, 2007
You walk into a Starbucks. Same one you’ve been going to religiously for years now. It’s a familiar scene—Starbucks has come out with a new flavor of Frappucino and one of their Baristas is walking around handing them out. It’s hot and you were going to get a Frappucino anyway—so you reach out for your sample and just before you put the cup to your lips—Blam! The Barista snatches it from your hands and asks you to fill out a slip of paper with your name, e-mail, yadda yadda yadda. What do you do? If you’re me—you walk out the door.
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October 4th, 2007
I had the fortune of attending the first Finovate financial services conference in New York City this past Monday. Jim Bruene from the Online Banking Report and NetBanker did a fantastic job in organizing this event. Twenty of the most innovative companies in the space gathered to give us a look into the future of mobile banking, personal financial management tools and social finances.
Key highlights for me came from Billeo, mFoundry and Mint. From my perspective, best-of-show absolutely goes to Mint. More on that below.
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