The 'meat' of a website can often become overshadowed by trendy fluff counteracting the integrity of a site. The current formula is a simple one: get the "exclusive" stuff that users want to look at and then blast them with advertising- pop ups and banner ads, flash video is a must, and don’t skimp out on the explosively loud audio that will get a user to leave your site faster then the librarian can get across the room.
What we need is more services like RSS feeds, iGoogle, and all those great apps that help us reach the content we want to find. Having content fed to us and restricting the amount of searching may make you wonder: What about the advertising that pays for websites? If there is less traffic to sites how do we make money? Don’t fret there are lots of ways to get attention and promote products then flash banners and pop-ups.
Regarding SEO, let's say you have mastered your keywords and SEO’d the crap outta every page on your site. Do you really think that all you have to do is sit back and watch the dollars flood in? You could have the most perfectly constructed website when it comes to being found easily through search engines, but your site is meant for humans - opps.
I’d recommend most sites focus on the following: Quality Internal Search, Precise Auto-Recommendations (ex. if you like ‘this’ you may also like ‘this’), RSS Subscriptions, and Applications that have a purpose in the real world. A few ideas that quickly come to mind are: a wishlist to save time shopping - with a recommendation tool of course, a digital loyalty card (it worked for Starbucks - why not make a digital version to suit you?). Be bold and creative instead of following every other site - the point is to get noticed not be the same, correct?
Promotion is more effective when it seems to happen serendipitously. Make sure your business or product is associated with review sites or other recommendation tools and apps. Become a sponsor of online events and games. Focus on partnerships to combine products and services. Where you exist elsewhere is almost more important then existing at all. Being an online player is no longer a passive relationship between site and user. Ex. trade-shows, conferences, live events and performances, contests, etc. Find out what else is relevant to you and become apart of the experience. Wired Magazine's latest issue discusses Facebook's most recent advertising strategies which willfully block out Google. Integrating into social networks is important, and might overshadow the effectiveness of SEO in the years to come.
Being locatable is not enough. If a user finds your site and isn’t impressed they’ll leave and all that time (and money) becoming a SEO savant is wasted. Think of a website as a service instead of a presentation, and hopefully you’ll manage to find a way to connect more meaningfully with your users instead of relying on bots.
Ignore the man behind the curtain: The Rise of the Algorithm
Once upon a time MySpace was my singular online destination. This was back in the day when I maintained a profile and spent hours tweaking the html much in the same vain as the rockin’ homemade acid wash jeans I once loved. These days my taste has mellowed and the empty moments of my day are now filled with twittering and the occasional dip in the Facebook pool.
So what is at the heart of the MySpace vs. Facebook controversy? I believe that it is primarily due to the oversight of installing a robust algorithm to ensure users remained engaged in their online community. Knowing that users are there to listen, create, and share should have been enough to inspire a cool tool to keep users engaged. Instead the focus remains on selling ad space and monetizing promotions. By the time Facebook became a household name the opportunity for MySpace to engage their users through internal services and apps had passed. I would have expected MySpace to work on interactive shopping and peer-peer recommendations. Instead they remain banner crazed and the level of noise on the site is what I imagine crazy to feel like, or at least a brutal migraine headache.
Facebook recently enhanced their internal algorithm to mixed reviews. Nothing is perfect, ever; however, community upset is perhaps the most problematic issue to manage. Civil upset can evoke a mass exodus. A reality that Friendster and other online communities know all too well. I’m not overly concerned whether Facebook retains its hold on the online community monopoly because I have no doubt that something bigger and better is inevitable (Twitter?). What is interesting to me is the gentle tweaking of internal algorithms that make the experience seem magical. OK, ‘magical’ is pushing it in terms of the Facebook experience, but my point is most users have no idea how or why the news feed produces its results, etc.
Lastfm.com is a great example of what I would have expected to see from MySpace. The sites algorithm is among the best I’ve seen and the experience is simply sweet. Recently the site changed from free streaming for all to a subscription model. Except for the US, UK, and Germany all users of the site must pay $3/month (USD) to enjoy the delightful radio station algorithm that seems to be able to read your mind and present music you currently know and love, music loved but forgotten, and music you never heard before and love immediately. Despite being able to provide a great service the change in payment model didn't go unnoticed, to say the least.
The mark of a good algorithm is that the more you engage with the site the smarter it becomes. Amazon.com has put this technology to good use for years, and it’s among a handful of reasons that it remains my favourite online shopping destination. If eBay and etsy could do the same thing for me I’d likely spend more time and consequently more money too. Providing a service that does the work of searching around for me is a place I want to spend my time. The only way a good algorithm can be bad is when users aren’t savvy enough to know the difference between intelligent technology and a breach of privacy - but that is a whole other topic that I’m not in the mood to address at the moment.
For now I’ll leave you with a final thought: What would happen if an online community with a sophisticated algorithm for predicting recommendations was mashed-up with products and services? The answer is the end of crappy online banners and wasted efforts on online promotions.
So what is at the heart of the MySpace vs. Facebook controversy? I believe that it is primarily due to the oversight of installing a robust algorithm to ensure users remained engaged in their online community. Knowing that users are there to listen, create, and share should have been enough to inspire a cool tool to keep users engaged. Instead the focus remains on selling ad space and monetizing promotions. By the time Facebook became a household name the opportunity for MySpace to engage their users through internal services and apps had passed. I would have expected MySpace to work on interactive shopping and peer-peer recommendations. Instead they remain banner crazed and the level of noise on the site is what I imagine crazy to feel like, or at least a brutal migraine headache.
Facebook recently enhanced their internal algorithm to mixed reviews. Nothing is perfect, ever; however, community upset is perhaps the most problematic issue to manage. Civil upset can evoke a mass exodus. A reality that Friendster and other online communities know all too well. I’m not overly concerned whether Facebook retains its hold on the online community monopoly because I have no doubt that something bigger and better is inevitable (Twitter?). What is interesting to me is the gentle tweaking of internal algorithms that make the experience seem magical. OK, ‘magical’ is pushing it in terms of the Facebook experience, but my point is most users have no idea how or why the news feed produces its results, etc.
Lastfm.com is a great example of what I would have expected to see from MySpace. The sites algorithm is among the best I’ve seen and the experience is simply sweet. Recently the site changed from free streaming for all to a subscription model. Except for the US, UK, and Germany all users of the site must pay $3/month (USD) to enjoy the delightful radio station algorithm that seems to be able to read your mind and present music you currently know and love, music loved but forgotten, and music you never heard before and love immediately. Despite being able to provide a great service the change in payment model didn't go unnoticed, to say the least.
The mark of a good algorithm is that the more you engage with the site the smarter it becomes. Amazon.com has put this technology to good use for years, and it’s among a handful of reasons that it remains my favourite online shopping destination. If eBay and etsy could do the same thing for me I’d likely spend more time and consequently more money too. Providing a service that does the work of searching around for me is a place I want to spend my time. The only way a good algorithm can be bad is when users aren’t savvy enough to know the difference between intelligent technology and a breach of privacy - but that is a whole other topic that I’m not in the mood to address at the moment.
For now I’ll leave you with a final thought: What would happen if an online community with a sophisticated algorithm for predicting recommendations was mashed-up with products and services? The answer is the end of crappy online banners and wasted efforts on online promotions.
A Few UX Pet Peeves
Job hunting is perhaps the best way to find lots of badly designed websites. As someone focused on web usability it's hard to overlook poor content strategy.
Here are a few of the biggest mistakes I’ve noticed regarding content hierarchy, poor categorization, and confusing layouts.
1) Everything is in the middle of the page. Upon arriving to a website we have a tendency to look at the centre and then we normally scan the content from left to right (this makes sense considering in using the English language we also read left to right). When a home page is scrunched up into the centre of the page with everything competing for attention the brain has to think too much. And when we have to think too much our experience is usually poor.
An easy way to avoid this is to determine what is the best available service for the user. In the case of a job search it is the tool which allows the user to get quick results. Yahoo! Jobs illustrates this perfectly by placing the search tool in the top left corner and electing a clean palate to demonstrate quickly and easily the hierarchy of content. Another great attribute of of the Yahoo experience is the grouping of similar content. This simple cohesive organizing of content creates value for the user, and ideally elicits registration and regular visits.
2) What am I supposed to be looking at? This is a question you never want a user to ask. When everything is all over the place, and no formal navigation is in sight we have a tendency to loose interest. Solid navigation isn’t reserved for websites only. Blogs also need to think about the audience and their ability to locate specific content. Too often with a popular and well established blog the content takes on a life of it’s own leading to a confusing experience for new users.
When there are links to social media tools and real-time conversations there should be a clear distinction between this and blog posts. The ‘About’ content does not need to be above the fold or even on the main page. I have a tendency to prefer blogs from the likes of Blogger for this very reason. The tools provided allow you to manage content in a clear and concise fashion. We can easily asses who writes the blog, who reads the blog, what tags are associated with the posts, what types of categories exist, badges clearly assert how one can contact the blogger(s) associated with the blog, and a community results from links and a blogroll.
The sense that everything is related is the calling card of a well organized website or blog. I don't think a Home page needs to explain everything at once. To me, the Home page is similar to a thesis statement. A first impression is hard to change and it's really important to be able to illustrate the core attributes of the site in a clear and concise fashion. This also includes pages that take longer then a few seconds to load - I realize that Flash and other cool media stuff makes a site pretty and adds lots of razzle-dazzle, but I don't think any type of media should block or slow-down entry into a website. Let the user control their own experience by providing clearly laid out content and navigation.
Here are a few of the biggest mistakes I’ve noticed regarding content hierarchy, poor categorization, and confusing layouts.
1) Everything is in the middle of the page. Upon arriving to a website we have a tendency to look at the centre and then we normally scan the content from left to right (this makes sense considering in using the English language we also read left to right). When a home page is scrunched up into the centre of the page with everything competing for attention the brain has to think too much. And when we have to think too much our experience is usually poor.
An easy way to avoid this is to determine what is the best available service for the user. In the case of a job search it is the tool which allows the user to get quick results. Yahoo! Jobs illustrates this perfectly by placing the search tool in the top left corner and electing a clean palate to demonstrate quickly and easily the hierarchy of content. Another great attribute of of the Yahoo experience is the grouping of similar content. This simple cohesive organizing of content creates value for the user, and ideally elicits registration and regular visits.
2) What am I supposed to be looking at? This is a question you never want a user to ask. When everything is all over the place, and no formal navigation is in sight we have a tendency to loose interest. Solid navigation isn’t reserved for websites only. Blogs also need to think about the audience and their ability to locate specific content. Too often with a popular and well established blog the content takes on a life of it’s own leading to a confusing experience for new users.
When there are links to social media tools and real-time conversations there should be a clear distinction between this and blog posts. The ‘About’ content does not need to be above the fold or even on the main page. I have a tendency to prefer blogs from the likes of Blogger for this very reason. The tools provided allow you to manage content in a clear and concise fashion. We can easily asses who writes the blog, who reads the blog, what tags are associated with the posts, what types of categories exist, badges clearly assert how one can contact the blogger(s) associated with the blog, and a community results from links and a blogroll.
The sense that everything is related is the calling card of a well organized website or blog. I don't think a Home page needs to explain everything at once. To me, the Home page is similar to a thesis statement. A first impression is hard to change and it's really important to be able to illustrate the core attributes of the site in a clear and concise fashion. This also includes pages that take longer then a few seconds to load - I realize that Flash and other cool media stuff makes a site pretty and adds lots of razzle-dazzle, but I don't think any type of media should block or slow-down entry into a website. Let the user control their own experience by providing clearly laid out content and navigation.
Show me the free WIFI!
Deplaning at the Sydney Airport a few weeks ago I was informed by the Virgin Australia staff (the best airline I’ve ever had the pleasure of flying on btw) that the airport provided WIFI. Ever since acquiring my MacBook I’ve been on a constant quest for free WIFI. Especially when I’m traveling the pursuit justifies alternative routes and accommodations. No free WIFI means I’ll go elsewhere, and unfortunately it also means that I’ll usually pay more for the ability to check my email whenever I want. I was thrilled and eager to share the happy news that I’d landed safely with my friends and family. Sadly I had misunderstood ‘available WIFI’ for ‘free WIFI’. The WIFI is currently not free at the Sydney Airport. As with most international airports there are several service providers selling temporary connections at exorbitant rates. I declined and miserly waited nearly a week to inform my family that I hadn’t been tackled by a kangaroo or chased down by any emus.
Many inner-city areas have started providing free WIFI; however, it remains elusive most of the time. I can understand that service providers are in the business of making money, but can’t there be some sort of way to provide free WIFI and still make a profit? Why is it in the era of information overload and efficient communication technology that more often then not is there a lack of affordable or available WIFI? I'd love to be able to leave the house with just my phone and be able to buy stuff.
I’m not the type to try and hack into a secure wireless network. Simply because I know how much I’m currently paying per download and there’s no way I’d allow a stranger to use my account - so why would I mess around with someone else’s? What I think instead is that we need a global WIFI revolution.
Every country and region seems to have their own system for charging customers - most of which are out of date and lack validity. The system that makes the most sense to me is providing free WIFI and enhancing service packages for customers using WIFI enabled devices. Considering that most service providers are in the telecoms business it isn’t a huge leap to consider a new alternative. Why not provide free WIFI and make money through different types of services?
Interestingly, Estonia is one of the first countries to provide free nationwide WIFI. Other European countries are enjoying the benefits of free WIFI by creating new services; such as, Nokia’s beta trial at the Kamppi Shopping Centre in Helsinki, an indoor positioning system allowing users to send an SMS with precise location information to their friends. I can’t say that I’m enough of a shopping addict to require such a service, but I can see similar GPS tracking systems playing a vital role in locating lost children or pets.
I’m not sure what the answer is exactly, but I have a feeling there is some savvy entrepreneur out there who will see an opportunity in all of this madness and push the traditional game players out of our way.
Many inner-city areas have started providing free WIFI; however, it remains elusive most of the time. I can understand that service providers are in the business of making money, but can’t there be some sort of way to provide free WIFI and still make a profit? Why is it in the era of information overload and efficient communication technology that more often then not is there a lack of affordable or available WIFI? I'd love to be able to leave the house with just my phone and be able to buy stuff.
I’m not the type to try and hack into a secure wireless network. Simply because I know how much I’m currently paying per download and there’s no way I’d allow a stranger to use my account - so why would I mess around with someone else’s? What I think instead is that we need a global WIFI revolution.
Every country and region seems to have their own system for charging customers - most of which are out of date and lack validity. The system that makes the most sense to me is providing free WIFI and enhancing service packages for customers using WIFI enabled devices. Considering that most service providers are in the telecoms business it isn’t a huge leap to consider a new alternative. Why not provide free WIFI and make money through different types of services?
Interestingly, Estonia is one of the first countries to provide free nationwide WIFI. Other European countries are enjoying the benefits of free WIFI by creating new services; such as, Nokia’s beta trial at the Kamppi Shopping Centre in Helsinki, an indoor positioning system allowing users to send an SMS with precise location information to their friends. I can’t say that I’m enough of a shopping addict to require such a service, but I can see similar GPS tracking systems playing a vital role in locating lost children or pets.
I’m not sure what the answer is exactly, but I have a feeling there is some savvy entrepreneur out there who will see an opportunity in all of this madness and push the traditional game players out of our way.
SEO vs. Interactive Engagement
For the past few months I was busy traveling and not focused on blogging; however, I’ve now returned to reality and am actively searching for work, again. Working in interactive media is a challenging area in which to suss out potential work. Usability is still new, I suppose, because it’s rarely listed as a title or responsibility, and yet, if you were to infer a meaning from most digital media roles that aren’t specific to design or dev it’s essentially usability in a nut shell, or some form of it in any event.
The other observation I’ve discovered is not new, but it continually baffles me that many employers put an awfully high premium on SEO knowledge. Although I’d never claim that popping up in search results isn’t an important element of being a notable online player; I will assert that it’s by far not the most crucial in developing relationships with online customers/users. I believe that it is a tool to play the keyword game, but the real talent is to blend experience with products and services.
Keyword searching is a flat and empty experience; however, contextual advertising builds online relationships and provide a service that users are craving. A great example is SEGA’s use of ‘Toggle Skin’ a new rich media format created by CNET Networks. If social media have taught us one thing it is that users crave personal customization. Once SEGA successfully integrated it’s brand into the GameSpot UK PS3 pages users were provided with a third layer. Suddenly there is context through a richer experience.
Think of it in terms of the High Street. How often do you follow the advise of a person handing out flyers dressed in a sandwich poster? Personally, I’ve never been enticed by someone getting in my face and trying to persuade me, especially when it comes to parting with my hard earned money. However, when I walk by a department store with a gorgeous window display illustrating the wares on sale I’m far more motivated to wander in for a closer look.
There is a fantastic book called Changing the Game: How Video Games Are Transforming the Future of Business, and I think anyone with any type of online business should pick it up.
My advise would be to understand your core users- not who you wish were your users, but the actual demographic of the users who visit your site. Once you know your audience do your homework and become an expert on their online behaviour, or hire someone who is the embodiment of the users visiting your site. Do regular usability testing with your core demographic and find out what they think about your site, products and services.
SMO, to me, is the ability to engage an audience in order to persuade and entertain. Having a discussion isn’t literal. No one expects Nike to speak to anyone personally - Nike isn’t a human it’s a brand, and everyone knows it. Nike knows it too and that’s why they’ve come up with fun ways to stay in touch with their online users. Interactive shopping is definitely the future of online advertising.
Become apart of the experience instead of shouting at users from the sidelines.
The other observation I’ve discovered is not new, but it continually baffles me that many employers put an awfully high premium on SEO knowledge. Although I’d never claim that popping up in search results isn’t an important element of being a notable online player; I will assert that it’s by far not the most crucial in developing relationships with online customers/users. I believe that it is a tool to play the keyword game, but the real talent is to blend experience with products and services.
Keyword searching is a flat and empty experience; however, contextual advertising builds online relationships and provide a service that users are craving. A great example is SEGA’s use of ‘Toggle Skin’ a new rich media format created by CNET Networks. If social media have taught us one thing it is that users crave personal customization. Once SEGA successfully integrated it’s brand into the GameSpot UK PS3 pages users were provided with a third layer. Suddenly there is context through a richer experience.
Think of it in terms of the High Street. How often do you follow the advise of a person handing out flyers dressed in a sandwich poster? Personally, I’ve never been enticed by someone getting in my face and trying to persuade me, especially when it comes to parting with my hard earned money. However, when I walk by a department store with a gorgeous window display illustrating the wares on sale I’m far more motivated to wander in for a closer look.
There is a fantastic book called Changing the Game: How Video Games Are Transforming the Future of Business, and I think anyone with any type of online business should pick it up.
My advise would be to understand your core users- not who you wish were your users, but the actual demographic of the users who visit your site. Once you know your audience do your homework and become an expert on their online behaviour, or hire someone who is the embodiment of the users visiting your site. Do regular usability testing with your core demographic and find out what they think about your site, products and services.
SMO, to me, is the ability to engage an audience in order to persuade and entertain. Having a discussion isn’t literal. No one expects Nike to speak to anyone personally - Nike isn’t a human it’s a brand, and everyone knows it. Nike knows it too and that’s why they’ve come up with fun ways to stay in touch with their online users. Interactive shopping is definitely the future of online advertising.
Become apart of the experience instead of shouting at users from the sidelines.
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