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Assessing the Threat of Smart Appliances

Having your utility company communicate with your appliances may sound like a great way to save you money, but not everyone is on board. While current initiatives are opt-in only many believe this approach will become the exception instead of the rule. A recent article focused on Michigan’s currently initiatives has many cautiously optimistic about the capabilities coming standard with our appliances. These appliances that we willingly bring into our homes have been described as “transforming the art of spying as Americans willingly bugging their own homes”.

#internet of things #connected appliances #innovation #privacy #security

Wary of Wearable Tech Adoption?

It may be tempting to insert your brand into the latest and greatest technologies so you may be perceived as “cutting edge” and “innovative”. What is even more important is to understand how your intended users are behaving with and adopting the latest and greatest technology. Unless your brand is “in” with early adopters of new technologies it is likely best to wait and see how the mainstream public reacts to it.

As an example, Google Glass seemed like an amazing piece of technology that further bridged the human – machine divide. But as Why Does Google Glass Annoy People? describes, while the early adopters are excited to explore their world wearing Google Glass, the public that surrounds them often respond poorly and are self-conscious because social norms for their usage don’t exist yet.

#wearable technology #google glass #culture #technology adoption

Critics write off infographics as overused and stale, but in his book on visualizations, David Byrne explains their sublime power to convey information.

When done correctly, infographics inspire social sharing to amplify your message. Explore how great visualizations tell powerful marketing stories.

#strategy #content strategy #infographics #visualizations #design

Millenials are redefining content consumption, including the streaming, recording, and watching of video games in lieu of more traditional media.

To stay on the edge, investigate untapped areas such as real-time gaming and associated influencers TeamCrafted, a popular group of Minecraft YouTubers.

Learn more about fast-moving youth trends like real-time gaming.

#strategy #gaming #millenial media #youtube

The quantified-self movement is taking off, especially in health-related areas. Now is the time to begin taking advantage of the deluge of quantified data and figure out how you can provide unique data packages to your customers.

Find out more about the implications of the quantified-self movement.

#strategy #quantified self #quantified data

Brands such as Lego's are winning acclaim for robust omni-channel marketing strategies, and the art of transmedia storytelling supports their integrated approach.

Reaching consumers with contextual, device-appropriate storytelling deepens ties with brands and brings additional coherence to campaign work.

Tell your story across channels more effectively with transmedia storytelling.

#strategy #content strategy #transmedia #transmedia storytelling

In a multi-screen world, businesses no longer have the luxury of building applications for a single device type. API-first design is one way to ensure that digital products work across your customer's entire device universe by thoughtfully incorporating device-agnostic Web 2.0 and 3.0 protocols.

Learn more about the benefits of taking an API-first approach to design.

#design #strategy #api #api design

Image Carousels: Getting Control of the Merry-Go-Round

Image carousels are often used to satisfy stakeholders who want multiple messages front and center. They serve as a crutch that prevents us from making difficult decisions. While stakeholders are pacified, the business goals are often not satisfied and the customer experience suffers.

We have recently been working closely with clients to bring the truly important content to the front of the experience while avoiding the clutter. I have pointed clients to this wonderful article written by Katie Messner. According to Katie, “image carousels are the yes men of web design.” Katie’s research-based assertions indicate that carousels:

often get ignored

aren’t as engaging as you’d think

are distracting

cause challenges for people with disabilities or low levels of literacy

frustrate users because they lose control of the interface

Learn more about carousel design.

#carousel #navigation #design #strategy

7 Ways to Keep Your Design Ego in Check

Good designers sometimes confuse personal success with project success. Allowing our egos to drive the design process will likely steer us away from a user-centered design process that benefits from key stakeholder and end-user participation. It can take focus away from practical and measurable success indicators. It can turn-off our co-workers. Most importantly, it can prevent us from creating great products. This article outlines 7 conversations to have with your ego when it might be getting out of control:

It’s not about you – it’s about the product

You don’t have to come up with all the ideas

It’s the user-centered design process, not the you-centered design process

Incorporating key stakeholders into the design process is crucial

Collaborate with your design peers

You are not being paid to create designs for your portfolio

Great ideas evolve

Learn more about controlling your design ego.

#ego #collaboration #design

8 Great Apps for Second-Screen TV

I don’t have time for one screen – let alone two. But we know that lots of folks do. We also know that second screen experiences offer incredible potential for brands. This article appropriately gives a nod to Twitter -- the app most people rely on for their second screen experience. To benefit from this trend, Psych on USA Network and Bones on FOX have both made smart use of live chats and hashtag games to keep their fans talking on Twitter. The 8 second screen app experiences recommended are:

The Walking Dead Story Sync

The Vampire Diaries App

HBO Go

The Nick App

Team Coco

Shazam

Tvtag

Twitter

See the related slide show.

#twitter #second scree #design

7 Ways Mobile Apps Are Driving Revenue for Businesses

That plan to monetize your whiz bang mobile app idea with advertising probably ain't gonna work...at least according to this article. Very few apps rooted in an advertising model are generating significant revenue. Never fear. There are other ways to monetize your mobile app. This article provides you with 7 methods to get to an early retirement:

Geo-targeted push notifications

Additional sales opportunities

Geo-targeted advertising

Dynamic offers

Pushing through the funnel

Data gathering

Compete anywhere

Learn more about about these mobile revenue generation techniques.

#ux strategy #mobile #business goals #revenue #strategy

Why Simple Web Sites are Scientifically Better

While the “less is more” mantra is widely accepted within the UX community, I’ve found it doesn’t always resonate with everyone else. Understandably, this phrase might be a bit counter intuitive to those of us who have grown up in a Supersized, BOGO, Big Screen, XL, Big Gulp world.

While many of my cross-functional colleagues intuitively understand that simple interactions are preferred, they are less likely to understand that mere visual complexity can adversely affect the usability of web sites. This article explains why “visually complex websites are consistently rated as less beautiful than their simpler counterparts.” In particular, it points to cognitive fluency and information processing theory to explain why the simpler design is usually better.

Learn more about keeping it simple.

#keep it simple #kiss #simplicity #less is more #design #research

For those facing tighter budgets and aggressive timelines, guerrilla usability testing is a cost-effective way to gather user feedback and insights.

Much like guerrilla marketing, guerrilla usability testing values coffeehouse resourcefulness over formal settings. It requires your testing team to hit the streets with prototypes in hand and find real users who can find flaws or potential trouble spots in the user experience.

Guerrilla usability testing can save you from launching digital experiences that leave your customers confused and your brand reputation diminished.

Learn more about the art of guerrilla usability testing.

#research #guerilla usability testing #usability testing #lean ux

Positioned as a panacea for a multi-device world, responsive web design (RWD) does not automatically solve deeper, fundamental problems with your site’s content.

Unexpected content challenges during RWD projects lay bare larger problems:

Unstructured content

Content in need of revisions

Editorial workflow problems

Lack of governance

Learn more about the content challenges exposed during responsive web redesigns.

#strategy #design #content strategy #responsive web design

The Internet of Things and consumer interest in gadgetry have unleashed a new cycle of digital innovation.

As planned obsolescence and disposable products lose favor, users’ desires grow for products that are:

Upgradable

Customizable

Interoperable

Smarter Over Time

How can your product designs evolve to meet the needs of the connected consumer?

Learn more about the newest trends in digital innovation.

#design #strategy #product design #service design #internet of things

Google’s "Our Mobile Planet" website provides customizable data points to illustrate the true impact of global mobile penetration.

Besides providing key demographic breakdowns by country, age, and gender, the data can also be segmented by useful mobile behavioral categories, including:

Shopping

Advertising

Mobile Search

Apps

Social Networks

If you need to create a mobile web experience or app for a particular target audience, use data points to bolster your case with stakeholders.

Try out Google's Our Mobile Planet data mining tool.

#research #analytics #mobile research

As more devices connect to the Internet, hackers exploit weaknesses to breach users’ privacy and spread malicious code.

Development teams often fail to embed appropriate security measures when releasing connected home devices. The three biggest security blind spots are:

Users have little visibility to identify when a breach occurs.

Devices launch with outdated software that includes known vulnerabilities.

Devices default to weak passwords such as “admin” or “password” to get users started quickly.

Learn about the potential risks of connected homes spreading malicious code.

#strategy #design #product design #internet of things

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