The New BBC Homepage
Filed under: Agency, Customer Engagement, Design/Creative, Useability
A little creative thought for a Monday morning.
As per my usual routine of coffee and a quick update on the weekends events, my chrome address bar is pointed at the BBC homepage. As ever, it knows who I am and why I have returned. I can browse the results from the rugby while skipping across the latest Science and Nature discoveries, all because like an old friend it knows what I like to talk about… but whats this… “Explore the new BBC homepage”. Oh dear, I have seen this all before, just when you are happy they want to change it.
“Try out our new homepage design”
Navigating through to the new design, I am immediately hit with the volume of content, everything from CBB’ies to the latest Eastender catchup. The page is headed by a large horizontally scrolling wealth of content, you will find all that the BBC has to offer with a quick left to right. Different size images give different weight to different content articles. It definitely looks clean and crisp but where is all the content that I know and love? It tells me I am in London, and that the weather that I can already see outside my window is slightly overcast, but other than that I could be anyone.
In short it would seem the BBC are following their own strategic ambitions of what content I find… not my ambitions. The BBC Homepage currently enjoys the accolade of “Most referenced site” when anyone wants to build their own company site. I fear they will loose this altogether if the beta site becomes a reality.
Any customer facing interaction point should be striving more and more to the utopian “one-to-one” conversation theory, you know who they are, and they know exactly who you are. It would seem the BBC are stepping in quite the oposite direction, as will I… iGoogle here I come.
Check out the BBC beta homepage at http://beta.bbc.co.uk/
The curious incident of the flashing Blackberry in the Night Time
Filed under: Agency, Customer Engagement, Customer Relationship Management, Social Media
I love email. I really do. I find it fascinating. If you stand back and look at what it’s become to the modern world it’s fairly staggering. It’s ingrained itself into cultures and societies the world over. It’s shaped how we talk to one another and share information. It’s developed its own unique code of conduct and etiquette – one that is multi layered, intricate and laced with nuance. The lure of the flashing ‘you’ve got new mail’ LED light on the Blackberry can break the hardiest, most resilient of people at 3 in the morning when you catch a glimpse of the phone on the bedside cabinet. The golden envelope in the system tray can be the single most disruptive thing on the day you have to get that document written. It’s powerful stuff.
For example, I had an internal debate that lasted the best part of 30 minutes the other week over the fact that someone had omitted the ‘kind’ from the ‘regards’ in a sign off to me. You might think it’s not that weird, millions of people opt for the colder, more abrupt signoff however in this instance it was from a person who always, always signs off with a ‘kind’ in front of the regards. Therefore I was left paralysed in front of my laptop, mind reeling, desperately trying to understand the true meaning of this omission. “Are they angry with me?” “Is this the sign that the relationship is coming to an end?”. Once the fear and paranoia subsided I started to become more rational and entertain less dramatic theories i.e. the sender could have just been having a bad day and everyone was getting the same treatment or they were suffering from a dose of fat fingers and deleted the ‘kind’ by accident. Now, I might be slightly over-dramatising for the purposes of this blog posting but my point is to demonstrate the emotional and psychological clout email has as a communications vehicle. We’ve all re-read emails 10 times or more desperately seeking to understand the true meaning of the email, isolating then analysing individual phrases or sentences as we search for enlightenment. This power, when harnessed and channelled correctly can deliver a huge amount of value to marketing campaigns and strategies.
Brands still neglect the use of email. Still send out generic, one size fits all communications to all and sundry. Why? Well, I’ve seen cases where email campaigning has such inertia that it’s become a communications juggernaut bulldozing its way through a yearly comms plan. In these instances it can be a difficult beast to tame. But tamed it must be. To state the obvious email is a vehicle to take a highly personal, relevant, 1-2-1 conversation to the customer/prospect/employee/etc. It can be subtle and deft in the way in which it engages and influences behaviour and action. It can be hard hitting and blunt. It can be what you need it to be you but it requires careful thought and an understanding of the medium. And don’t forget you can test, test, test – don’t burn your data in one hit because you’ve ‘got to get it out of the door’. Plan ahead. Think ahead. Get yourself seen. In the dark make it light.
We all know that email has been around for a fair old while now. It is a founding member of the digital age and has well and truly earned its stripes. It has pretty much guaranteed itself a seat at the table of most modern day marketers when grand plans are hatched. Developments and new technologies in the digital space have eroded its potency but in the same breath augmented its all round usefulness. Take mobile for instance, smart phones have meant that email is consumed everywhere (quite literally) but in the same breath advancements around ‘push’ technologies omits email from the communications loop. Give and take. Social media platforms report every interaction with triggered emails ensuring the ‘yo-yo’ effect hauls you back in. So, all in all email is alive, healthy and evolving. This is especially impressive when you consider the technology hasn’t really evolved in the last few years but the application and use of it has.
Has it got the staying power to still be around in 10 years time? Undoubtedly yes but in what guise and to what degree I’m not quite sure. Anyway, must dash, need to check the old inbox.
Person Profile: Tim Young – Purestone Web Developer
Filed under: Agency, Customer Engagement, Customer Relationship Management, Design/Creative, Uncategorized
Tim Young recently joined Purestone as a web developer within the design and development team. Here are his thoughts on what it takes to be a developer and what he has been working on so far at Purestone….
What did you study, and why?
My education was more in the art and design side of things. I did an illustration degree but ended up doing more graphic design. After a couple of early IT related jobs I learnt to code websites. One of the interesting things about the web is just how much is out there that you can teach yourself.
Did you always have a career in digital in mind?
I think I was lead down this path by my geeky love of design and technology. I believe a mix of technical and design sensibilities gives you a great position from which to solve digital problems. I remember as a kid having a go on a friend’s computer with a photo program and being hooked.
What is your current role at Purestone?
At Purestone I am part of the web development team consisting of designers and web developers. I am what is known as a front end developer – the person who builds websites using code.
What is a front end developer and what does it involve?
The role of a web developer can be separated into the ‘front end’ and the ‘back end.’ The front end is the design, images, colours, buttons, forms, animations and content. Everything that a user of a website can see. The back end is the bit that you can’t see, the code that makes websites work. Once the web designers have created the flat visual images of how the website will look they hand this to the web developer who then works out how it is going to be built. Developers break the designs up into components and start to build them into a website using code. The website then needs to be tested in all different web browsers and mobile browsers to make sure that the site is accessible to everyone.
What skills does a web developer need?
A web developer needs to understand the best way to break a design into sections and code in HTML and CSS. They also need to be able to edit images and graphics in Photoshop. There are often design considerations that need to be added to during the build process. Its very important to think about the user when you approach a new project. Understanding the systems you are building within and optimising for the platform you are building for is another important skill.
What sort of projects do you work on at Purestone?
At Purestone my work can vary a lot. The majority of my work comprises of building websites but can also involve microsites, mobile sites, apps, games or anything online really. I can be working in a long project with a team doing a variety of tasks, or just working on my own on smaller projects. Most recently I have been building a new promotional website for a leading workwear and corporate clothing brand.
Consumer Writes…
Filed under: Customer Relationship Management, Marketing Strategy, Uncategorized
It was 60 years ago that Bill Haley & ‘rock ‘n’ roll’ music created a generation gap between young people and their parents. Today, the use of digital media is creating a new generation gap – the digital “divide” – not just in accessibility but in how the generations use those technologies. The willingness to connect, and share, and ‘like’ enables brands to connect with consumers like never before – engaging in a true conversation. In this new world , there are very few physical or psychological barriers to trying new ways to do things, the Digital Generation epitomize the new mindset of the decade: digital media means everything is interconnected, anything goes, everything is available, and little is private. They are savvy, skilled shoppers, who place a high level of importance on individualism and personal involvement in the creation process. Helpfully, they are willing to share information and Brands must respond by providing members of the Digital Generation with the tools they need create or re-create content & products to suit themselves.
As the world continues to globalise and technology continues to evolve, the world for consumers will become more convenient than ever before in the history of retail. Technology will advance rapidly, customer service will be more convenient than instant coffee, personalisation will be instantaneous, and mobile marketing & commerce will find consumers wherever and whenever they desire. With social media marketing platforms marketers will capitalize on public information sprawled across Facebook, Twitter, other, as yet unknown platforms; brands will take consumer psychographics to the next level, knowing what we “like”, who our friends are, what we are thinking about, who we follow, where we go, and our daily consuming patterns. Utilising new tricks and combining it with traditional marketing promotion tactics such as: added value, cross sale, all inclusive promotions, ‘green’, health and lifestyle, convenience shopping, and now mobile location based services. Consumers no longer shop for products; brands will go shopping for consumers.
A great web experience begins with YOU!
Filed under: Agency, Customer Engagement, Customer Relationship Management, Design/Creative, Marketing Strategy
For most organisations – the question is no longer ‘Do you have a website?’ but ‘What kind of website do you have?’. The quality of an organisations online presence is now the defining business metric – where a small, agile organisation can outperform the largest brands through well considered, cleverly constructed campaigns which drive potential customers to specific content within their well designed, user-centric websites.
An organisation that underestimates the importance of its online brand value is one that risks its entire future.
A well designed website has the ability to transform any business or organisation
So where does great web design start? Great web design is more than great graphics, it’s more than sharp design, it’s more than interactivity. It’s the entire recipe that creates the succulent, moist cake that we call a great user experience.
No matter how good the design, a website may fail if it doesn’t deliver a great user experience. The process we follow is to get inside the mind of your consumer(s).
- How do they know your brand or organisation? Customer? Prospective Customer? Or just unknown to you?
- How are they finding you - search engine? Online advertising? E-marketing? Social media recommendations?
- What do they want from you? Product Information? Corporate information? Or simply where they can buy?
- What do we know about them ? Browser, search term, screen resolution, mobile device, IP address, time of search.
All this can be used to understand and define the likely user requirements and therefore the way in which we present information to them – through design, through interactivity, through engagement – and ultimately through a successful sale.
The three best tips for success?
1. Be your End User
Understand the requirements of your end users – regardless of what you sell. Undertake internal research, external focus groups & market research. Create user personas and use them to map the user journey.
2. Be your Competitor
Analyse your competitors activity – learn from their mistakes and benefit from their successes
3. Differentiate through Usability
Different users have different goals from your website. Present different but relevant information to users according to their browser, access method ( mobile or static) and search terminology.