Archive for the ‘User Experience’ Category

Casting a consumer magic

April 13, 2011. No comments.

Many of us wonder how brands are coming up with so creative marketing campaigns – making their target audience jump from the seat and get in action. We can see some top advertising trends being done in 2010 with a lot of innovation involved. So what is it that really sets fire in a marketing campaign and at same time, everyone gets some benefit out of it. campaigns become powerful when designed on better user experience.

I won’t bind user experience with just software or cool Apple devices, but with anything that lets everyone make most of anything a business owner has to offer its consumers. So back to campaigns, QR codes are a new way into engage user and get online and offline experiences. As a matter of fact, they offer even more on both consumer and business ends. Smart marketers make sure they put in some nice piece of information when a user scans the QR code from mobile. Better experiences don’t just related to scanning codes but a powerful campaign would involve leveraging all platforms in a synchronized way – traditional as well as new digital mediums. A welcome Facebook page offers some discounts, group discounts or local deals websites, collaborative offers, promo videos on YouTube and what not :).

Here the first implementation of QR codes is a public awareness message. Like, a QR code with few instructions and how to scan – I recommend using BeeTag and Kaywa; as they support most of the mobile phones with camera. Seems like a hassle doesn’t it? Going through the download of a reader from native app stores is a single exercise making the next moves smooth and easy. Once this public campaign gets a good footprint, the job is done for many businesses. Then you go posting QR codes on store windows, street lamps, magazines, flyers, coupons, event tickets and where not. It’s easy said than done. As discussed earlier, a marketing campaign today needs to be coherent. Let’s play QR codes!
Microsoft Tags for Mobile Marketing

March 22, 2011. No comments.

Learn More about Mobile Tagging at Microsoft Tag.
How to Personify your Brand

March 8, 2011. No comments.

A common thing that all unsuccessful brands lack is – persona. Any selling entity whether a person, group, product or service should discover its persona and bring it to the limelight. So speaking for businesses, a persona becomes the foundation and drives the way they’re presented.

You cannot present a brand as only a tagline, product or a logo. Brand is a Relationship. A brand:
- Connects businesses and customers through a rich emotional relationship and experience.
- Delivers the sense of relevance to customers about your identity and services.
“Whether you are a Mac person or a PC person, even the briefest exposure to the Apple logo may make you behave more creatively, according to recent research from Duke University”
Let’s shape up your brand persona in step-by-step approach:
1. Create a point of view. You need to have a strong identity. Who, what and why are questions to ask yourself about your business.
2. Be passionate and obsessive. Whatever you’re going to present to customers – be very mean about it. After all, it’s all about creating an impression and inspiration.
3. Know your targets. Getting to know the audience of your brand is really very important. Actions packed games are just right for teens and so are golf club promotions for the elder lot. No discrimination here; just being specific.
4. Consistency in the brand. Different logos on each marketing communication (web or print) can be a setback when consumers would be judging on same good quality in your business solutions.
5. Delivering a unique experience. Brand persons bring a differentiating experience. Same two businesses can represent themselves in totally different way with USP (Unique Selling Points).
6. Connecting and collaborating. “I’ve never been particularly good at numbers, but I think I’ve done a reasonable job with feelings. I’m convinced that it is feelings, and feelings alone, that account for the success of the Virgin brand and all its myriad forms.” -Richard Branson.
selling solutions – not boxes

February 9, 2011. One comment.

I happened to be at a furnishing store and checked out new furniture designs. Initially, I felt lost in picking out some nice trendy designs. I was looking at various aspects like design, size, wood, portability, durability and lot more. And then out of nowhere comes the salesman with a worn out catalog. Nothing really seemed appealing to my perfectionist eyes since spending this lot of money needs justification :). While I flipped pages over and over looking for an optimum solution, the lightning struck – my personalized bed. I was precisely looking for a customized solution and not a boxed product.

Likewise, we can relate such customized solutions to open ended business services. Services turned solutions are the way consumers / clients are expecting from businesses. Merging a couple of features from different samples, I got a design matching the interior theme at my home while also gratifying the aesthetics sense. I could’ve even ask for embossing my name on each piece, but let’s just keep it here. Similarly, we keep ourselves in the paradigm of successful product selling rather considering the customer experience in mind. Even then, companies hardly pay attention to the end user experience of the boxes sold out. The customer experience remains ignored while dynamic businesses keep bringing better services turned business solutions to their customers.

Implying expertise and skills in a unique market or improving user experience in particular business domain is what is the trend now and we can see so many companies imparting this concept. The ultimate focus now remains to optimize the end user experience. In our area of expertise, the faith lies in understanding the pain points of customer to bring quality, retention and satisfaction – resulting in a partner program initiative. Proper requirement gathering, analysis and elicitation eventually lead to closely matching what customer wants. In my case above, the most amazing furnishing experience at home.

New trends are pushing companies to be more engaged with customer to get feedback on user experience. Crowd-sourcing, real-time collaboration and social media engagement platforms are bringing more customer-centric solutions to our agendas while being the most trusted partner of our customers.
What users want?

December 16, 2010. One comment.

“What users want is convenience and results.” - Jef Raskin
Collect Feedback, Improve Content

December 1, 2010. No comments.

Collecting feedback and updating content is an important part of Document Development Life Cycle. However, it is a difficult bit too, especially when the content is distributed across multiple channels (online, print etc.). I will discuss various techniques for getting feedback and synchronizing documents later. Today, I am introducing Opineo, a free and open source tool for feedback collection. Publishers and writers can use Opineo to gauge quality of online content (such as articles, online help topics, tutorials, wiki pages etc.).

Opnieo is available as a freeware and can be integrated with any website, blog, forum etc. It allows you to create and customize your feedback collection widget in a few minutes, and without having to sign up for an account or hire an expert. This DIY tool automatically generates code that you can download and paste in your page.

Here is an example of feedback collection widget that I have created for myself.
Design Matters

November 1, 2010. No comments.

“Over the last year online banking has attracted 6.3 million users, but a massive 3.1 million of those have closed their accounts already due to poor website design and inefficient service.” - Internet Money Issue 4
On Simplicity

October 19, 2010. One comment.

“A modern paradox is that it’s simpler to create complex interfaces because it’s so complex to simplify them.” – Pär Almqvist
Secret of Successful Brands

October 12, 2010. 2 comments.

While I am writing this post, GAP is reverting back to its decades-old logo right one week after it put up a new logo on its website. Earlier, the casual wear chain decided to introduce a new logo to update its image and reflect the modern designs of jeans, pants and other clothing. However, the new logo irritated GAP fans, urging them to complaint about it on facebook fan page, twitter, blogs and websites. They simply loved the classic logo with navy blue background. They reacted quickly and asked to bring back the old logo.

GAP listened to the fans and ditched its new logo – that is the power of social media. But what made the customers react? The answer is simple – emotional experience. They just loved the old logo as it was.

Logos are a key to the success of brands, and so is the case with UI design and website layouts (remember your immediate reaction to new layout of facebook). They, not only convey meanings, but also establish an emotional connection with consumers. People usually resist change especially when it impacts their emotional attachments. This is one basic principle that all successful brand managers, information designers, UI developers and product designers follow. A successful brand is always based on a strong emotional experience that satisfied and pleases its consumers.

GAP just learned it.
Emotional Experience in User Education

October 12, 2010. 2 comments.

Ever thought about user education as an emotional experience? Learn from Samsung!

Samsung replaces traditional manuals with an engaging user manual that readers can interact with to explore the product and learn different operations instantly. Going beyond bulky manuals and confusing topics – Samsung enables its consumers to instantly interact, learn and love the product as they un-box it.

These books actually contain the phone. Each page reveals the elements of the phone in the right order, helping the user to set up the SIM card and the battery. The phone can be slotted in the user manual and becomes the center of attention. Arrows point to the exact locations the user should press, avoiding confusion and eliminating the feeling of being lost in a menu. This allows users to learn and enjoy the product – the result is: loyal customers.

Smart idea, very smart indeed!