Category: design


Include email subject line in Content Strategy

Filed Under: design by Al Belote — Leave a comment
May 25, 2010

Content is important (understatement)…every bit of it. Even something as seemingly ordinary as the subject line in an email. I had an unfortunate illustration of this yesterday. I had signed up to go to a meetup, ironically, on Content Strategy. I was especially eager to go because Kristina Halvorson, THE Content Strategy guru, was going to be there since she was in town for An Event Apart Boston. I had even told friends of mine about it and they had signed up.

After a long day of great sessions at An Event Apart on Monday, all the while dealing with various work issues due to some new feature deployments, tons of related emails, and wifi issues, I headed out to the opening night party. I was vaguely aware that there was a meetup I wanted to go to sometime this week, thinking it was maybe Tuesday.

About 8:45 p.m. a tweet from my friend, LimeyG, broke through the noise, “Learing about Content Strategy with Kristina Halvorson”…huh? It’s tonight? Oh _____! Hey…why didn’t I get a reminder? Kicking myself, I ran over to where it was taking place only to find a few stragglers at 9:15 p.m. I checked back through my emails and, surprise, I had actually received two reminders (well…a reminder and a comment notification).

So, how did I miss them? I attribute it to two factors: 1. I was distracted, 2. The email subject-line content was not strong enough to break through the clutter.

The reminder subject-line stated: Reminder: “Talk content strategy with Kristina Halvorson is tomorrow, Monday, May 24, 2010 6:30 PM!” Hmm…better, clutter-breaking would have been: Kristina Halvorson on Content Strategy – Tomorrow, Monday, May 24, 2010 6:30 PM! It gets the keywords I’m scanning for right there in front. I’m not looking for “Reminder” or “talk” — I’m looking for “Kristina Halvorson” or “Content Strategy!” When the first two words of the message are “Reminder: Talk…” I scan right by it. Those are not indispensable words to me.

A second reminder of sorts stated: “A comment was just posted for Talk content strategy with Kristina Halvorson.” Better clutter-breaking would have been, “Comment — Kristina Halvorson on Content Strategy — new comment added.” A subject line like, “A comment was just posted for Talk…” is another one I’m likely to scan right by. I get more than a few of those every day.

For comparison, another meetup reminder I got around the same time was: “Boston Web Design Meetup Group.” ALL keywords, undeniably valuable and relevant to what’s top-of-mind for me.

OK, isn’t it really MY fault that I was not paying attention? Ultimately, yes. But it’s the job of the writer and designer to break through the noise and distractions that people are dealing with every day. A successful approach to content and design takes the distracted, fatigued, and otherwise beleaguered user into account. And a Content Strategy should consider (as Kristina says) that EVERYTHING is content.

Although I missed the meetup — somewhat compensated by the fact that I got to see Kristina’s session at An Event Apart today — this was a valuable experience. A wake-up moment. You could have the greatest content on your Web site and yet, your customer might never see it without something as simple as a good, keyword-rich, user-revant email subject line!

P.S. Check out Kristina’s book, Content Strategy for the Web. I have it — it’s great.

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Anagrams

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March 10, 2010

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This is a cool old game I like to play.

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Tire tables

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November 8, 2009

tire-tables

I’m riding around with two sets of tires mounted on rims in my back seat. Why? Because they’re not just tires to be disposed of. They’re really table parts. But until they become part of an actual table I don’t really have another good place to put them. Since I’m very tired of these four noisy passengers, I’m more inclined to actually make the table than if the tires were stashed away in a storage facility. Just have to find the right glass top. Something a little battered would be nice.

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BART ticket machine user experience

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September 21, 2009

BART UX

I was at the San Francisco airport, confused, staring at a BART ticket machine. I was on my way to a User Experience conference. So it should come as no surprise that User Experience was top-of-mind (well, it’s always top-of-mind). It strikes me as tragic that one of the first User Experiences you’re likely to encounter upon arrival at a new destination is the purchase of some kind of public transportation ticket. Tragic because it could be a delightfully seamless transition to your final destination, and yet is so often poorly done. And the challenges are amplified by unfamiliar surroundings, commotion, baggage, fatigue, and time pressure.

The BART ticket machine User Experience was not horrible, but it did take a few mistakes to get over the initial hurdle of how to pay with a credit card, which is not clear on the little 123 diagram (but who reads diagrams anyway)? The diagram shows money going in as step one. Apparently the diagram is to be taken literally and does not refer broadly to any form of payment, but only cash. The credit card actually goes into a slot in 2. But look at the order of the functional areas of the machine. From right to left, 2 appears first. Why? This causes perceptual friction as you try to fit the elements into a coherent mental model. 1 and 3 are indicated by green and red shaded areas, respectively. 2 is indicated by a blue tape outline that looks like it was added as an afterthought, since there is a green shaded area for credit card swiping inside the blue outline.

Another challenge was that I had no idea what dollar-value ticket to purchase to travel from SFO to the Montgomery station near my hotel. And it was not clear how I might find that information. So, I bought a $20.00 ticket, figuring that should be more than enough. It was, though the cost one-way was a surprising (to me) $8.00, which left me more than enough to return to the airport a few days later. Still, I would have liked to have the information readily available.

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This post would normally end here, except for a happy occurrence at the conference. During a break between sessions, a design student was presenting a model for an improved BART ticket-purchase process (above) that he and fellow classmates had developed. It actually addressed the two issues I mention above. It was fluid, intelligent, delightful, and intuitive to use. If only it could see the light of day (or dark of tunnel), but he says it’s a challenge getting through the BART bureaucracy. In any case, good job.

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Five-year-old design

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June 26, 2009

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I made this when I was about five years old. I think it was a school project for mother’s day. I was visiting my mom a few months ago and ran across it. I guess it was a paper weight. I like the color and pattern choices I made.

I would like to say I remember making it. Actually I DO have a vague memory of making it, but not a detailed enough memory to say I remember making the color choices. But, perhaps it’s safe to think it was intuitive and intentional (as opposed to random or chosen by the teacher). Even if it started with a few handfuls of little tiles out of a big bin, it undoubtedly required some intentional placement. In any case, I’m happy with the choices and take pretty much full credit.

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Nikon F3

Filed Under: design, photography by Al Belote — Leave a comment
May 23, 2009

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My Nikon F3 is the best camera ever. In fact it’s one of those things that has achieved the ststus of family member. After all it’s been through during 20 years of shooting it’s still solid and it’s never let me down. I’ve carried it up mountains, around cities, to Stockholm, London, across the USA on a train trip and many road trips, in rain and cold, and it’s been dropped and smashed into numerous hard surfaces and objects. It’s never been my only camera, but always my favorite. Its current companion is an even older silver Nikon FM (that actually has a bunch of problems and may become a hood ornament on my car).

Back in the day (like on that train trip) I’d carry one Nikon with Tri-X black and white film (the F3) and another with color slide film of some kind (for a long time it was a Nikon FA, which had a great metering system that worked well with the less-forgiving exposure range of slide film), and 24mm, 50mm, and 105mm lenses. So basically I’d be ready for just about anything.

I sold the FA in maybe 1999, when it was still worth something and bought a Nikon F5. I have to say I loved the F5 and the auto-focus with a 55mm macro lens was a real luxury. Many good shots with the Nikon F5, but I sold it in about 2002, feeling that since I was not a professional photographer it was hard to justify tying up that much money in cameras, and it funded a Mac laptop, which WAS a professionally-justifiable expenditure.

I’m never happier (camera or photo-experience-wise) than when shooting with the old F3. (OK, Polaroids are a close second). These days I shoot more digital than anything now. But I still feel there’s nothing like shooting a roll of film. And there’s nothing like the discipline of having to shoot with the knowledge that every time you press the shutter release you’re spending 50¢ and you may only have 24 or 36 frames to work with and you won’t see the results for a few hours or days. Yes. I like the demands of film. It sharpens your focus. (I know…pun, etc.) But it really does.

Aside from the experience of working whit film, it’s the user experience of the Nikon F3 that I really treasure. The weight, the layout of the controls, the feel. The experience of pressing that shutter release when the motor drive is connected. It’s thrilling every time. There’s a visceral and mechanical quality that you don’t get even with a top-of-the-line Nikon digital SLR. Something that says, “I am a machine, you are in control, but don’t take me for granted.”

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Pedestrian Roulette

Filed Under: design by Al Belote — Leave a comment
October 30, 2008


What happens at zero? Any of us who live in an urban area are probably familiar with the crossing signals that give you a handy little countdown of how many seconds you have left as you cross the street. BUT, exactly what happens when the counting is done is a bit of a game of Russian roulette with vehicles as the bullets. Does the light turn green at zero, or do you have a few-second grace period? The answer is sometimes you DO, sometimes you DON’T, and you never really know. One wonders how this came to be. One things is certain–the User Experience factor was not addressed.

In my experience, MOST crossings do allow a few seconds before the light turns green. This makes it all the more startling when you’re at one of those unforgiving crossings, right in front of a Hummer and suddenly out of time.

One might say the wise choice would be to err on the assumption that zero is immediately followed by a green light and accelerating big metal things. [But in my case, Boston to be exact, where pedestrians really don't pay that much attention to any kind of crossing control anyway, that's not likely to happen]. It’s also infrequently enough the case that one tends to assume there’s a few seconds to spare.

This lack of a standard is a great example of what happens on some web sites when, for example, clicking on someone’s name gives you either their bio or opens an email program, but there’s no way to know until you click. Eliminating discrepancies such as these, whether life-threatening or merely maddening, is the work and the joy and the responsibility of the User Experience practitioner.

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Top ten superior User Experiences of the summer

Filed Under: design by Al Belote — Leave a comment
August 21, 2008

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Well, another summer is nearly spent and I haven’t posted anything since June 8th! I suppose that’s an indication that I’ve been both busy and having some good time off.

So what can I quickly say of substance so this entry is worth reading? How about my personal top ten User Experiences of the summer, in no particular order…

1. Cannondale M600 mountain bike. Rugged, responsive, surprisingly light (it’s aluminum) compared to many other bikes I’ve looked at recently and a total pleasure to ride — still in great shape after many years. Sure it was expensive 12 years ago when I bought it…maybe $900. But worth it when you calculate performance over time.

2. Legos. Ok, I admit it. Every once in a while I break out the Legos and build something. So simple, versatile, stick together well, but come apart just easily enough. And always yield something interesting…usually a vehicle.

3. Macintosh laptop. Do I need to say anything more?

4. BMW 535i. 22 years old and still the best ride ever. My dream car would be my car restored, heck, not even restored…just everything working 100%…I can live with the wabi-sabi.

5. Nikon F3. Yes I still shoot film occasionally. Nothing like the weight and solid feel of the F3 and when you hit that shutter release? Yeah!

6. Canon Digital Elph. The ultra light and simple alternative to the F3. Intuitive interface, fast processor, long-lasting battery, decent photos. If only it had 12x optical zoom.

7. Chaco sandals. Single adjustment and it’s like they’re glued on. And very grippy going down steep rock. I think you could actually hike in these.

8. Starbucks Banana Chocolate Vivanno with a shot. OK, maybe an odd choice for this list but consider that you can get breakfast and coffee and feel like you’re drinking a frappe. Seems like a Vivanno solves everything.

9. Verizon payment by phone. The easiest, most intuitive, and anticipatory phone payment system I’ve ever used. Tells you what you need to know exactly when you want to know it. Not a wasted moment.

10. Convertible pants — you know the kind that zip off to shorts. North Face or Columbia (the Cloumbias have large back pockets to carry the part you zip off – very cool). Got my first pair about eight years ago and couldn’t live without them. I thought they were a little gimmicky when I first got them, but they’re amazingly practical, especially in the New England summer. There’s nothing like being able to take your pants off and still have them on. They dry quickly, wear like iron, have about 10 pockets.

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Design Thinking

Filed Under: design by Al Belote — Leave a comment
June 8, 2008

I opened up a new copy (June 2008) of Harvard Business Review (or actually, just looked at the cover where the articles are listed), and was thrilled to see an article, by Jeff Brown of IDEO, presenting one of my favorite subjects, DESIGN, as an essential factor in developing business strategy. The article, Design Thinking makes the point that design is not something you incorporate after critical decisions have been made, but in conjunction with those decisions. Involving desing early in the process is one way successful companies get a competitive edge and drive innovation. The article summary states:

“In the past, design has most often occurred fairly far downstream in the development process and has focused on making new products aesthetically attractive or enhancing brand perception through smart, evocative advertising. Today, as innovation’s terrain expands to encompass human-centered processes and services as well as products, companies are asking designers to create ideas rather than to simply dress them up.

Brown, the CEO and president of the innovation and design firm IDEO, is a leading proponent of design thinking—a method of meeting people’s needs and desires in a technologically feasible and strategically viable way. The article offers several intriguing examples of the discipline at work.

READ IT!

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User Experience and SEO—It’s the loving thing to do

Filed Under: Uncategorized, design by Al Belote — Leave a comment
February 22, 2008

Recent projects have brought the principles of User Expreience and Search Engine Optimization to the top of the list in my interactions with colleagues at work. Of course, those principles (and practice) are always at the top of my list. So the question often is, how to get others to connect with the concepts and see the value.

In the midst of a discussion of the importance of UX and SEO, I realized that it’s useful to elevate it to more than a way to get more people to your Web site or increase your repeat visitors, as important as those outcomes are. But, User Expreience and Search Engine Optimization are really the practice of the Golden Rule. They are active ways of loving your neighbor as yourself. For an organization committed to furthering Christian principles and leading by example, that’s a very compelling reason to passionately pursue excellence in User Experience and success in Search Engine Optimization.

Think about it this way: If there was information on the Web that you needed, wouldn’t you be grateful if someone went to the trouble of being sure that you could find it? And once you found it, wouldn’t it be great if it was clear and usable, even delightful to experience and digest? Of course, you’d want all that. Then shouldn’t you do the same for others?

It’s not enough to look at UX and SEO as opportunities that benefit us that we’ll get to when we have the time or resources. We need to see them as responsibilities to our audience that we need to fulfill; that we do not have the option of NOT fulfilling. And the great thing is, fulfilling that responsibility will only benefit us as well. It’s truly a case of “What blesses one, blesses all.”

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