The what and why behind WA and UXP

Web Analytics and User Experience are a must couple because as Louise Rosenfeld stated in the last IA Konferenz 2009 in Hamburg:

• It’s not much to use what is happening if you don’t know why.
• You can’t know why things are happening if you don’t know what is happening.

Social Network Analysis tools

What have in common Ljubljana and Maryland? Both have developed a software to analyze networks!

On one hand, Adam Perer, Ben Shneiderman and Cody Dunne have developed for HCIL a software called Social Action. This is a social network analysis tool focused on visualization and statistics information with powerful and intuitive results.

On the other hand, Vladimir Batagelj and Andrej Mrvar developed Pajek in Ljubljana University. This software is specially useful when analyzing large networks. For now, up to 10 million nodes, which is not bad at all… but they are already working on a 64 bits version which will allow to deal with really huge networks, just depending on how much available memory you do have on your computer.

In my opinion, it would be very interesting to combine and study joint application of both tools to some use cases.

 

Placement of customer experience at the heart of all projects

As forrester reports in a recent document research , it is very likely that companies will try to find in the future a balance between traditional brand messaging and user experience. The keys to sucess are stated as follows:

1. Use of a collaborative approach in project management.
2. Early inclusion of digital specialists.
3. Placement of customer experience at the heart of all projects.

This is what some people still do not see very clearly. No matter what kind of thing you are developing: a Facebook app, a website, or a product, a service, whatever… the customer experience should be transversal to the whole process, from the evaluation and conceptualization, through the definition, development and testing, and even further along the support and thus implementing  improvements and corrections.

It is the only way to get that big WOW that you are expecting from your customers.

And all of the above it is more likely achievable in a collaborative work environment, where ideas are not “patented” but set up to the wild for their mutation and spread.

Thus, the cultural change again… it seems to be unavoidable.

Do not forget: your culture is your brand .

Pedestrian maps

United maps is trying to fill the gap in orientation services. This means that maps work OK when you’re driving a car, but… what happens when you walk to get it or when you leave it and need orientation via a mobile device?

Maps on a human scale are needed, not only for street but on a local and hyperlocal level. Not only showing streets but pathways and trails, public transport and bicycle options. Here in Germany bicycle is an accesible and frequently used mean of transport!

I share with you Stefan Knecht’s presentation lectured at Telematics Munich 2008.

Writing skills essential to point out structural failures

I really like the packing technique for travelling that a friend of mine has: “When i’ve finished packing, i just remove half of the clothes and then i know i am ready to leave.”

Along my proffesional career I found really useful to summarize the key points in both written and verbal communications and tailor it to recipient needs. Believe it or not, we always tend to include information that is not useful to our adressee, so let’s think less about we want to deliver and think more about what we want him to receive.

So, as my wise friend, when i am ready to send an important email, i just cut it to a half.

And i proved it to be one of the most effective writing skills that i make use of!

As said, it is extremely important to know the needs and abilities of your addresee/s in order to deliver an effective message.

This should be concise and tailored to the recipient in order to minimize cognitive load. this is extremely important and moreover when arguing structural failures within an Organization which seem sometimes unplausible to point out.

For further reading, i can reccomend the following Piaget’s Stages of Cognitive Development and How to Develop Strong Thesis Writing Skills.

Leading through uncertainty

 

When the range of possible futures confronting business is huge like nowadays, Companies should prove their value to the market improving customer experience, social brand awareness and being flexible enough to hear and serve appropriately and on-time to customer demands.

A key driver for these kind of purposes use to be research, but unfortunately this field is in many cases too far away from Business Intelligence Departments, and far far away from Marketing and Sales Departments that can trigger the down-to-earth changes.

When the uncertainty reigns, the best we can do is test, observe and analyze and continuosly improve our way of doing business. This environment is not about sitting placidly in a comfortable chair but getting into the crowd to hear real voices that lead business plans to solve customer needs.

We, as business influencers, have the responsability to influence these changes. I can summarize al above as a very well know sentence:

Focus on the user and all else will follow

The importance of information design

Only a scarcely i find a WOW presentation. This was the case yesterday. And it is even more strange when we’re talking about nearly 200 pages. Achso, ganz kurz, recommendations:

1. Please, realize the importance of Information Design.
2. You need a very good and talented people with expertise to succeed.
3. You need the most flexible tools (CMS, shopping cart) you can find.
4. The tools limit the Information design application, and therefore your business revenues, so think it twice before you make a decision.

So, here’s what promised. See what i mean I and See what i mean II (the case studies).

If you are running an online business, application, network… this is a must read.

Enjoy!!!

Let’s change the battlefield

There seems to be several constraints to make real a change in a Company towards sustainable innovation,having the client on the center of our processes and keeping him in mind during the design process.

There are several project management techniques as Scrum that provides us tools to minimize the negative effects of the well-known Waterfall process and the hierarchical structures. I will speak more about it in next posts.

If you want to success in the organizational change, you should first map and address the organizational battle. I found extremely attractive this presentation about mapping the Change Battlefield that was done by the people of Big Visible, here is an interview with them.

And power yourself with fearless change resources.

Sustainable innovation and Green Heroes

I believe in sustainable innovation as a Corporate strategy, so i joined Green Heroes today.

I recently discovered Green Heroes, a social network on sustainable innovation very popular among designers in nordic countries. Sustainable innovation takes into account environmental considerations (not only ecological, but social and cultural too) to achieve a more productive and sustainable world for all. And the tool is Sustainable design .

But they explain it in this post much better than i do.

We could say that Companies that implement sustainable policies will be more successful than Old model followers. Sustainable innovation as a corporate strategy will be undoubtedly the next step to assume by succesful organizations. I can summarize some of the differences in the old model vs. sustainable model:

1. Passive leadership vs. leaders that participate actively.
2. Individual oriented vs. group oriented culture.
3. Internally competitive vs. collaborative environment.
4. Lack of focus vs value oriented implementation.
5. Extrinsic or none vs. intrinsec motivation in employees.

And i think we all agree that we should avoid a Tragedy of Commons happening at great scale while we can.

Or we are not able to diminish returns yet?

Forrester Workshop on the future of Social Web

Jeremiah recently published the executive summary in his blog .

I summarize the main predictions they handled there:

Community will participate in all aspects of strategy, product development, marketing and support. This will force Companies to manage a culture shift in their organisations.

Companies must participate where organic communities exist . It will be required both social monitoring tools and internal training to deliver value where the conversation takes place.