free scribbles

Links of the Week

1. IconShoppe ~ Royalty-free stock icons for the web

2. Demystifying Usability : What color do you like? The usability of look and feel (strategy with icons, images, branding elements)

3. Buu Nguyen’s Blog » The 5 Types of Poor Architects

4. Westfield Comics - Mike Kunkel Interview

5. Veer: Ideas: Community Hotness Edition™

6. twitabit: post your tweets here when twitter is down

7. hackerdashery: Web Browsers and Memory Fragmentation

8. MindCanvas Review - Boxes and Arrows: The design behind the design

9. Wordle - Beautiful Word Clouds

10. Minimal

11. DonnaM » Blog Archive » How many items in a navigation bar

12. New Sites Match Agencies With Untapped Talent - Advertising Age - TalentWorks

13. Interaction Design - Interaction-Design.org: HCI, Usability, Information Architecture, User Experience, and more..

Site Launch: The New Today's Military Website

Today was a big day in my professional life, a year's worth of strategy and creative development culminating in one website launched on the interwebs. 

While my part was small, helping to ensure that we hit deadlines, met the client's expectations, and remained on strategy, it still leaves me with an immense feeling of pride and appreciation for those who contributed and I think I speak for my boss, David, and myself when I thank all of them for their roles, especially the creative team, Brad, Nicole, and David for architecting, writing, and designing the site, and the development team, Tunde, Paul, and Erik, for taking words, pictures, and processes and making them work.    Many other people touched this project and I would be remiss to not thank Andy, Jill, Steve, Andrea, Josh, Sheetal, Katie, Kristen, and Andy as well. 

Finally, I want to thank some other people who dealt with me flipping out occasionally when things weren't going perfect, Christian, Julie, and Lisa & Kacey (For whom my efforts are for). 

It is definitely not a site for everyone, but we hope delivers for those seeking out what it offers. In a future post I will have to elaborate on what I do. 

http://todaysmilitary.com

Qualities We Should All Have...

I am participating in the Institute for Advanced Advertising Studies (IAAS), a sixteen week program that educates young professionals in all the aspects of advertising from strategy to creative that is run by the American Association of Advertising Agencies (AAAA). 

During this week's lecture on Brand Planning, which is considerable more than I am going to address, the speaker put up a slide which held his characteristics for a brand planner:

1. Voracious for information
2. Always learning
3. Adapts well
4. Collaborative
5. Engaged with material
   
6. Generous with ideas
7. Humble
8. Intuitive

While he didn't out right say this was only applicable for brand planners, it made me think about what I would want in an account manager, producer, art director, developer, information architect, copywriter, maintenance worker, waiter, journalist, garbage man, administrative assistant, video editor, rocket scientist, librarian, etc.  Here's my list:

1. Voracious for information
2. Always learning
3. Adapts well
4. Collaborative
5. Engaged with material
   
6. Generous with ideas
7. Humble
8. Intuitive

You'll notice the similarities between the two. 

What do you think?

A Better User Experience Analogy: An Iceberg

I'm not oblivious to the intricacies of good, logical, and effective website design, but as someone who works on the client side of the business, I miss out on a lot of the real work (not for lack of effort, as anyone on my team will attest) that goes into a website.  More important than how it looks is how it works for the user. 

A good website offers an experience not only derived from where the necessary buttons, fields, and images are on a page, how they look (Do you understand when you need to click them), but also what they and the rest of the page say, and where they go.  And once you get to that next page, where does the next page come in? 

Recently, I read and reviewed The Elements of User Experience by Jesse James Garrett but I wasn't as succinct as Trevor van Gorp of affective design in translating the value of the book to those less familiar with web design. I saw the book as a good outline of the process from strategy to final visuals filled with good analogies along the way, but I primarily built on my previous experience at each of the planes and strengthened my understanding. 

Trevor's iceberg analogy better expresses the true nuances of a website, especially when time is short and design knowledge is lacking (A complaint I hear of clients up and down the hallways of work).  The visual look and feel of the website is only the superficial that lures a user in.  It is the strategy which drove the project and the skeleton, logic, and underlying code that makes for a healthy website which makes users want to come back.

The real value of this analogy is not for those close to the work, but those who are clients and work with the clients, allowing everyone to be on the same page, realizing that all those approval steps that came along the way weren't for the sake of protocols but the creative process.  But it doesn't hurt for those close to the work to get it too!

I've embedded his presentation because there is nothing like a good visual analogy to make a point.

   

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Sustainable Experience Design

I racked my brains on what I could add beyond a link to this interesting post at the Adaptive Path regarding designers thinking about sustainability.  And I can't think of anything...

The bottomline of all design, both physical and electronic, comes from making products appealing in the short-term and worthwhile for the long-term, therefore, becoming a sustained product. 

Asics New Advertising Campaign

This week Asics, the number three manufacturer in performance running shoes, unveiled its latest campaign.  By returning to its roots of "Anima Sana In Corpore Sano," the company hopes to reach out to the casual running community as the performance running community is dwindling in size. 

First, I had no idea that running was suffering, but apparently I am too far out there to realize it.  Second, the question of who their real target audience is raised by this campaign.  Their lifestyle message hopes to inspire individuals to not only see running as an activity, but a way of life.  The execution, however, leaves something to be desired as it appears soft and noiseless. 

In my college days, I would have had them hanging on my walls (Baptism is my favorite), but now I don't have the space or decor for them.  As an avid, obsessive, and occasional performance runner the messaging appeals to me.  What defines a casual runner? 

I'm trying to not be biased, which is a challenge, but do they understand a hard run in the rain as a renewing experience or do they stay inside?  My hope is that this campaign changes that, but it certainly has a lot of work to do and a quiet voice to do it with.  I'm not alone in my opinion, as Adrants states, "...they feel like a Nike campaign on Zoloft."

In fact, I think that one of the other images I caught at The Guy Behind The Guy, are louder and better at targeting casual sneaker wearers.   Although, I'm not certain that they're real.  But, we'll have to see how the sales come through in the end.

 

Book Review: The Elements of User Experience

Jesse James Garrett's book was an enjoyable and easily-consumed piece on web design.  Despite being written in 2002, the book still feels very contemporary as the overarching themes addressed haven't changed despite social media and a more "open" internet than at the time of publication.

His simple diagram of the five "planes" of a website clearly articulates not only the stages of thought, but the required skills that need to be utilized at each level.  I am fortunate to work with experts in the fields of information architecture, development, and design (copy & art direction), but any success that is achieved as a unit comes from the ability to get/have them thinking and compromising across channels.

The main premise of the book is to make the connections between final site design and the beginning kernels of purpose and everything in between.  The question "why?" asked of the marketing department early on is very similar to the "why?" asked of the art director right before launch. 

At 174 pages and chocked full of simple analogies, its a quick read and worth the time for anyone in the interactive marketing sector, especially those impacting website design seeking to look at the picture more holistically.

Brand Experience of the Future?

In my post about brands being built on user experiences, I left off a key point about the fact that the digital age is increasing the number of experiences that a consumer is having with brands. 

Thankfully, David Armano of Logic+Emotion wrote a post on the very subject this week.  The below diagram from his Infinite Touch Points piece perfectly outlines the way consumers have/do/will interact with brands.

Because these analog and digital interactions are already connected and in the future will be more so, we, as marketers, need to start thinking more holistically, shunning the notion of silos and opening up dialog with individuals in all disciplines of a brand as well as the consumers. 

Consumers may benefit from this increased interaction, gaining leverage to initiate desired changes or be overwhelmed by too much brand messaging.  And with the huge amount of people participating in social networks, this sort of leverage is already being achieved and will began to blur the line between marketing created brand experiences and individual consumer created experiences. 

Savvy brands will realize this now and work towards what David calls the liquid state of flow before its too late.  Each discipline that builds a brand, from website designers, direct marketers, media planners, to buyers, and advertising writers, needs to work together and not step on each other toes.  Fragmented user experiences will leave a consumer wondering which brand message is the real one. 

I believe that we have a long way to go before we hit this ego-less marketing world, but the idea of noble user experiences certainly inspires me. 

Brands are Built on User Experiences

Relationships can be built out of convenience, love, or hate. 

Ideally, a relationship comes from a level of mutual love.  More often, it comes from convenience, which can be anything from proximity, necessity, familiarity, to a dislike or hatred for the alternative.  As the Arabian proverb says, "The enemy of my enemy is my friend."  We all have relationships that fall into one of these three buckets. 

A consumer's interaction with a brand is analogous to a relationship.  A good brand is convenient.  A great brand is loved. Likewise, a bad brand is hated.  Unlike personal relationships where love can be hard work, great brands are also convenient.   The type of relationship a consumer shares with a brand is subjective, but the principle remains universal. 

Brands use a variety of tactics to make "friends" with consumers.  They craft mission or positioning statements about what their message is, how they will deliver it, and the principles surrounding their organization.  Advertisements are created to promote their messages and products.  Websites are constructed to act as digital storefronts or company libraries open to the public.

Marketing increases a brand's visibility and means more friends in the short term.  A good experience with a brand increases the perceived value and means more friends in the long term.   Actions speak louder than words (and increase the bottomline).

Numerous other variables weigh on a consumer's decision to purchase including cost, quality, loyalty, and external recommendations.  For a staple item like diapers, one week we'll buy Pampers and the next time, we'll buy Huggies.  Because our experience with both brands have been about the same from a performance standpoint, cost is the decision point.  They are both good brands. 

For a durable good like running shoes, I loyally purchase New Balance because they last, have a simple numbered model system which allows for easier determination of which shoe is an update (of a shoe that worked for me), are reasonably priced, and are made locally.  NB is a great brand (for me).

In both of my personable example, I did not mention any marketing campaign as a deciding variable, because they it didn't factor into my choice.  All brands mentioned have multi-million dollar advertising running.  If I bought shoes based only on advertising, I might buy Nike.  If I bought diapers by the character on the front, Pampers (with Sesame Street). 

Meanwhile, the internet has changed the way we research brands.  We check out their own sites, look at all they have to offer, but we also check third-party vendors, like Amazon, and read hundreds of reviews from consumers just like us.  Some were scorned and others found that the brand fit them like a glove.  We no longer rely on our own opinion or the facts, but on the assessment of others which we can determine value from.  Even further, a brand's website, which may have nothing remotely to do with its actual product better make it easy for you to find the information that you (and thousands of others) are looking for, be it a customer service number or better yet, a way to email customer service.  And someone had better reply!

As we will see in 2008, the online world will have further implications in the real world and marketers need to begin thinking beyond the :30 spot to what happens next.  They need to do it without botching anything else up either, cause the last thing any of us wants is a drunk friend who comes into the party yelling all about himself and ruins it.

Blurring Lines: Microcelebrity & its Paparazzi

Clive Thompson's piece in the latest issue of Wired magazine addressed the issue of microcelebrity and the reality of how it is changing society.  The lines between real life and second (online) life are becoming blurred as our digital persona is gradually having more impact outside of the interwebs.

A microcelebrity, as defined by Thompson, "is the phenomenon of being extremely well known not to millions but to a small group - a thousand people, or maybe a few dozen." 

The internet is not creating these individuals, be it Peter Hirshberg, David Winer, or even yours truly. But with every blog post, video or photo upload, we are allowing web users throughout the world, be they known to us or not, to get a better picture of our lives.   Therefore, all our actions require us to manage our identity more stringently than before as paparazzi start rummaging through the garbage and skulking in nearby bushes (well not really). 

And like real celebrities, even the most mundane or arbitrary acts take on greater importance, as the article's Hirshberg photo calculation exhibits.  Facebook's Beacon has raised the most concerns from famed microcelebrities and average joes alike as their every online act becomes telegraphed.  As someone who is not on Facebook, I turn to the well-known blogger Charlene Li of Forrester, wrote about her own personal experience with Overstock.com.

Other social media pundits, much smarter than I, state that Beacon is paving the way for what will become microadvertising, where identity (claimed interests, hobbies, and actions) replaces demographics as the way that ads are served up.  And I tend to agree that as the Internet, which like direct marketing, can be measured, analyzed, and quantified, is gaining ground as the lead channel of communication.  Messaging will no longer need to rely on whether or not 18-34 year old males might be watching, they are watching AND they're watching right now!

But, my argument to this point is that, microadvertising is very similar to word-of-mouth marketing, which conveys an individual's advocacy or disdain, not just general acceptance.  What if Charlene hates here coffee table? is her profile going to say that she returned it to overstock?  And what weight do her purchases carry on my decisions or interests.  I don't need any furniture right now.  Several comments to the Internet Evolution post voice this same point. 

The main argument against Beacon has been about privacy issues.  Most sites which have implemented the code don't announce that this will be posted on facebook.  Users have been caught unaware of what their network has been told.  And Public Relations experts are also concerned as to how much involvement marketers should have in the conversation that is social networking.   There is a place, but is it as ads served up by our friends.  Sometimes, this is best put in the succinct art of Hugh Macleod.   

I remain optimistic as I do hope to gain some microcelebrity from freescribbles.  I wouldn't write if I didn't want someone to read what I have to say. But I don't need you to know that I bought a circular saw at homedepot.com until I've cut something with it and promote it myself.  Advocacy over purchase. 

UPDATE: As I wrote this, Facebook apparently caved to the privacy criticism and will update Beacon to have a clearer opt-in option to allow users to understand and participate freely.   Small steps to make the system more friendly to the users while allowing marketers to still play.