
Filed under: Pix of the week , cartoon, company car, downsize, Exercise, money, website
July 9, 2009 • 9:40 AM 0

Filed under: Pix of the week , cartoon, company car, downsize, Exercise, money, website
June 27, 2009 • 6:56 AM 0
Check out this unboxing video for the Samsung WB1000. Ok, it’s a spoof but a very clever one. I was fooled at first and I don’t think I was the only one judging by the comments.
The interesting thing is that the video is posted in two places. On Samsung’s Youtube page, as well as a regular user edanhush184, who seems to be getting more views than Samsung’s page.
And what exactly is “unboxing”? One of the most celebrated geek rituals…
“It begins with a rush right from the moment of purchase, whether online or off, to the foreplay of opening the package, examining its contents, and ends with the exhilarating finish of turning on and using your tech toy… Think Lolcats riding rainbow rollercoasters; the sensation in the pit of your stomach…that unforgettable.” Jank (nixiepixel.com)
Filed under: Thought of the day , Box, Box Design, Harry Potter, Package Design, Print Design, Samsung, Samsung India, Samsung Website, YouTube
June 25, 2009 • 7:00 AM 0
This video by Google illustrates several issues that have been plaguing product and brand managers, UxDs (user-experience designers) and IAs (information architects) and most obviously, the general public. Google asks “What is a browser,” only to find that less than 8% of those polled have an understanding of the term. (It is, by the way, “a software application for retrieving, presenting, and traversing information resources on the World Wide Web” – Wikipedia; e.g. Mozilla Firefox or Microsoft’s Internet Explorer (The big blue ‘E’))
For Branders
For those of us concerned with brand definition, the example is clear: Google checks to see if people understand how Chrome is better even have a basic understanding of the term “browser,” and find that the confusion has hardly cleared up over the past 15 years, since graphical browser use became widespread in the mid-’90s. Back then, users thought they “used Yahoo!” to surf the information superhighway, and as we see here, they still believe the same.
For Google Chrome achieve any penetration in this market, the big G needs to focus on not only defining and demonstrating Chrome’s unique value, but also educating the public on the very basic concepts of “browsing,” and “applications.” This is no small task, as Firefox has long been fighting this battle and making slow gains against the IE giant, mostly through word-of-mouth from passionate advocates, again illustrated in the Google video. (I, personally, have done this on many occasions, wiping IE from friends’ and families’ hard drives in a Firefox coup.)
For IAers
For those of us concerned with interface design, the interviews illustrate the need for simplicity. This video may make you consider an edit or two if your web site copy includes the call-to-action “Download to your browser,” or similar industry-insider phrases. On a more macro level, the interviews highlight the importance of maintaining a holistic view of the web experience.
If your users don’t really understand what a browser is, do they know when they are on your web site, or is your vanity URL confusing this; perhaps they’re on an “unofficial” site created by a passionate fan?
If your users don’t really understand what a browser is, do they think they have to come through Google or Yahoo! to reach your site? Do you show up (positively) there?
If your users don’t really understand what a browser is, are they savvy enough to find their way through your site; are they stymied by nomenclature that is cloaked in your brand’s jargon or Internet industry jargon?
I don’t care what a browser is.
Ultimately, this video illustrates the fact that people don’t really care how they get what they want online, just that they get it. The best thing your brand, product or digital experience can do is make it easy and understandable for your customers.
So for product and brand managers; UxDs and IAs, the questions become, does your market know what your brand promises? Do they know what your product does? Do they know what that button does or where that link goes?
Or, does your market make assumptions about your product, lumping it in with a lesser offering, mistaking it for your competition, or for a completely different idea?
If so, you have a lot of work to do. Maybe it’s time to hit the pavement and get some real insight from real customers.
Filed under: Thought of the day , Email Marketing, Search Egnine, SEO Solutions, web design company, web development chennai, website design, website development india, What is a browser
June 24, 2009 • 6:49 AM 0

When new CEO Carol Bartz took the reign at Yahoo she promised to shake things up a bit and she held true to her promise. For the past several month, Yahoo has improved their UI and discontinued less popular services like the ‘briefcase”. Last week they launched access to “applications” right from your Yahoo inbox. I love the direction they are going. I have been using Yahoo Mail for as long as I can think and must admit I never got used to the Gmail interface. I might be a bit old fashioned that way.
Y! Mail also launched the “Connections Bar” a few weeks ago, but it seems to be removed from the interface now. I believe it is an attempt to integrate popular social networking features into your mailbox. The only issue is that you have to invite people to become connections and then it just seems like a filter for your inbox. Hopefully they have some more ideas to make this feature more valuable.
I like that they are making an effort to improve their services. I did, however, notice that Yahoo has a tendency to launch buggy services. Maybe they put more emphasis on speed to market and less on quality. I did just get a serious browser error when I tried to active my Flickr account in the application below. Generally I am a firm believer in high quality, because to me, first impressions can make or break a deal. Plus some folks may never go back and try it a second time if it hasn’t worked the first time. Well…I cut the folks at Yahoo some slack because I like my Y! Mail.
How do you feel about companies being too quick to launch something that still has a few kinks?
Filed under: Thought of the day , Webdesign Chennai, Yahoo Chennai, Yahoo Mail
June 23, 2009 • 6:30 AM 0

(C) www.murphys-laws.com
Filed under: Howdy
June 12, 2009 • 12:02 PM 0
Google Apps Sync for Microsoft Outlook is a plug in that allows Microsoft Outlook to run on the Google Apps backend rather than Microsoft Exchange Server. End users can continue to use the familiar Microsoft Outlook interface for email, calendar and contacts as they transition to Google Apps.
Editions included:
Premier and Education Editions
Languages included:
Available worldwide with US English interface
How to access what’s new:
You can download Google Apps Sync for Microsoft Outlook at www.google.com/apps/get-outlook-sync.
For more information:
http://googleenterprise.blogspot.com/2009/06/use-microsoft-outlook-with-google-apps.html
fyki pls..
Filed under: Thought of the day , Google, Google Apps, Microsoft, Microsoft Outlook, MS Outlook, Outlook)
June 8, 2009 • 9:00 AM 0

In the growing field of Neuro Marketing, we’re beginning to understand the neuro science behind what appeals to a consumer from the primordial recesses of the brain. Susan Weinschenk, researcher and author of the book Neuro Web Design, What Makes Them Click?, is applying this principle to web design. She presented some of her findings at the Internet User Experience 2009 conference in Ann Arbor, Michigan. What an eye opener!
In the study of human-computer interaction (HCI), we often look at cognitive psychology to understand what motivates a person to click. In fact, the study of HCI was born from cognitive psych. Weinschenk, however, points out that this goes deeper. Decisions are motivated not only by the conscience but also by the unconscious mind.
Weinschenk touched on three interesting principles. I’ll begin with the last since it’s the most exciting: the principle of social validation. If a user is uncertain about a decision, he or she will look to other people. Specifically, consumers trust peers over expert reviews or recommender systems. We, as web marketers, can apply this principle in smart application design and social media. Find and promote the community around a product and include credible reviews.
Another principle is related to decision making and the number of choices presented. Users may say they want many choices, but the research presented in the book actually proves that the fewer the choices, the more likely a person will click — or better yet, purchase. Too many choices cause the user to freeze and make no choice at all.
The third principle presented was the fear of loss. It’s better to begin with all options and then allow the user to subtract. The fear of loss principle means that users are reluctant to remove options and more likely to purchase a product with premium options if that is what is first presented. An example of this principle in play is on Dell’s website. Products begin with more expensive options and the user can subtract these for a less expensive end product.
Since all this happens on a subconsciousness level, it’s hard to say whether or not (as a consumer) I’ve actually acted this way during a purchase process. Still, I agree with Weinschenk’s conclusions. I’m eager to apply these learnings in my XA practice. I’d like to give users fewer and more relevant choices. Then integrate social media as a way to influence their decisions.
So the next time you make a purchase decision, think about what made you choose what you did. MR McGill
Filed under: Thought of the day , Neuro Marketing, Neuro Science, Neuro Web Design, The Neuro Science Behind What Makes Us Want
June 7, 2009 • 9:00 AM 0

Photos by Andrew Liszewski at OhGizmo!
Mobile operator Orange seems to have put together three of my favorite things – music, festivals and green energy – two years in a row. At last year’s Glastonbury Festival in the UK, Orange introduced a recharge Pod tent to keep mobiles juiced with 500-watt solar panels and a wind turbine. They also gave a few lucky dancers kinetic chargers called Dance Charge, which convert the dancers’ physical activity into electrical current with the help of a system of weights and magnets.
This year, Orange UK is getting ready for Glasto with the Power Pump. It’s a foot pump that drives a turbine, which powers a tiny generator. They say the turbine will generate enough energy to power five minutes of call time in a just a couple minutes of pumping.
Filed under: Thought of the day , And Charge, Dance, digital culture, Pump
June 6, 2009 • 9:00 AM 0
The great words of Joel Bauer… “it isn’t about being liked, it’s about being effective.”
Now I would argue that the greatest advantage today is in being both. In a time where our online social world is filled with endless noise, there is a lot competing for human attention. And as wrong as this may sound for some people, the truth is that in order to reach your audience (be them friends or colleagues)… it’s not enough to just be liked anymore, you have to be liked and effective.
We are all brands. We are all community managers.
But, that doesn’t mean that we have the budget or large staff employed at agencies or within brands to manage our online presence. No, we need to rely on useful tools to tell us the information we want to know, we need to know, and when we know it. Unfortunately, those tools don’t currently exist.
Why Social Networks Need To Embrace This
In the great big battle of social networks competing for our engagement time… it will be the networks that give us relevant feedback (who likes our posts, how many forwarded my link onto their friends) that will win our attention.
This isn’t so far off from what Obama discovered in his campaign for president, or what game designers have known for quite sometime: if you show people the progress of their actions, they will become more invested and engage more frequently. People like statistics, people like feedback, and people like to know that they are getting somewhere.
How Facebook and Twitter Can Offer More Value
What they can do immediately…
1. Give users access to the data they already collect. I shouldn’t have to have a fan page to know how interactions on my profile trend over time. What month did I have the most photo comments, wall posts, etc. You are already collecting that data, let me have it!
2. Integrate consistent metrics into the interface. Twitter’s big problem is that metrics are inconsistent and housed outside of their site. It would be nice to have an analysis panel that easily connects together my retweet ratio with the actual content that got retweeted.
What they can do in the future…
3. Base new functionality on what consumers want to know. There is already enough competing for our engagement. Facebook and Twitter don’t need to add more applications or functions. Instead they should help us gain a better understanding of the effectiveness of what we are already doing.
Social sites need to realize that consumers don’t want more widgets and feeds and doodads that add to our everyday noise. It’s time for networks to help increase the relevance of social content, by helping us become more informed party hosts.
Filed under: Thought of the day