Ello: A social network with a purposeful difference.

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Ello

The world is abuzz with the announcement that the new social network Ello is garnering up to 35,000 requests to join per hour, me included.

Reading the newspapers over the weekend there has been a mixed reception to the news regarding Facebook’s newest rival. Some commentators have called it the ‘Facebook killer’ whilst others have dismissed the start-up venture as ill thought out and poorly conceived.

Many have complained that the user interface and experience isn’t intuitive enough whilst others point to the lack of an obvious business model. Much of the criticism is unfair.

Facebook isn’t about to be killed by Ello or any other start-up, at least anytime soon. Facebook has been around for ten years and has revenues of over $1bn. The company founded by Mark Zuckerberg isn’t about to let a start-up pose a threat to its business for long. Both the attempted buyout of Snapchat and the successful acquisition of WhatsApp proved that Facebook can spot an imminent threat and will move to ‘take it out’.

Ello will however be successful. It might not take millions of users away from Facebook but it does offer those of us who care about privacy somewhere to go and share. Ello’s vision of wanting to move away from a world of exploited and monetised data will be music to the years of many. The concern for Facebook is how many users will find appeal in moving to a social channel where they’re not bombarded with personalised messages, many of which are bizarre in the extreme. I’m constantly getting adverts for honeymoon holidays which bear no relevance to my current or future life.

For those criticising their business model – give them time! This start-up is still in its infancy and there’s plenty of ways they can make money. Working with creative content owners and charging users to access exclusive content based on their interests shouldn’t be sniffed at. If the app ‘Yo’ can be valued at $10m then there’s everything to play for!

In the ‘age of non-privacy’ Ello are trying something brilliant. They should be given credit for it! I for one check my inbox everyday in the hope that my access is there.

Daring to be different. The Malmaison experience

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Malmaison OxfordI’ve realised I have mood swings with Malmasion. I go from excitement to frustration.  A couple of years ago I was beyond excitement staying at their property in Oxford.  Once a prison and famous for its front gates being featured in the opening sequence of 70s TV comedy, Porridge, it was quirky and it was a treat.

The Malmasion in Belfast was the perfect girlie location for coffee and cocktails on the way back from Giants Causeway. Last week I stayed at their Newcastle hotel, this time for business.  It seemed to have character, not as striking as the Oxford property but the views of the Tyne bridge were lovely.

This time I was looking at the stay through different lenses.  This time I wanted to test the claim in its strapline. How would it be to stay in a hotel that “dared to be different”?

From end to end then, how did the customer journey fare?  How did the statement “daring to be different” make an impression on me? Booking on the website seemed pretty straight forward. The system didn’t remember me when it came to booking the meal part of the package straight after sorting the room. Frustrating, as I had to re-enter all of my details.  You seemed so familiar I thought to myself, when I started re-entering my details, why couldn’t you pre-populate this part too?

A couple of days before the trip I received an invitation to upgrade to a better room. It wasn’t clear how the experience would benefit me necessarily, so I ignored it.  Should the system have twigged that I was on a business trip, they could have added some value by “daring to be different”. Something like offering to iron my clothes the night before my business meeting?  I might not have taken up the offer, but that would have been daring to be different, I would have remembered the offer and mentioned it to my friends.

Road works and rush hour meant I missed my scheduled train on the night of my stay.  I quickly called the hotel to let them know I would be later than my scheduled ETA. I asked if I could pre-order my food now so that it would be ready when I arrived.  The chap on the phone was charming and proactive, a real personality who took the time to go through everything they had to offer with some advice.  My mood switched from annoyance for missing the train through to reassurance that someone was looking out for me on my heavy schedule.  That’s what lots of people on business trips want to feel, right?

It was 21.45 when I checked in.  It was a long journey and when I caught my reflection in a mirror in reception, I looked visibly tired.  All it would have taken was some acknowledgment of this by the check in staff, who completed their standard ‘welcome to the hotel, we need to take a £25 deposit for these reasons, we have a this and a that and would I like a call, newspapers’ monologue faster than I can say “all I want is a cuppa.”   She had no idea about my pre-order call. It was a process for her. This wasn’t “daring to be different,” it was standard process stuff, especially as she handed me a “Dear Guest” letter with my name added to the top right hand corner in blue ink….the letter was all about my hotel package and contained gaps in the paragraphs for someone to fill in the blanks with some of my details. Maybe she had had a long day?

To the room. The decor suited me and the soft furnishings really made a statement. I liked them. The card containing my door key surprised me – it was making a rather sassy statement about being able to “get a room” immediately when things heat up a bit between you and the person you are with. This was daring to be different, but it jarred with me for some reason. I’m yet to download the app, but I will keep it in mind.

Some nice touches in the room. The messaging on the toiletries, selection of nibbles and the wine in the room, the do not disturb and please clean sign. Yeah, I thought, this is different. I like it. It’s charming and it’s quirky and the tone of voice in the room was great. I couldn’t tell whether the water by the bed was for me or chargeable, so I left it.

Supper was great. The food was excellent and the waiter was empathetic – he could see that eating was a functional thing for me, I needed to sleep but hadn’t eaten since breakfast.

Back to the room. The view of the bridge was a really lovely touch, fluffy towels, the pillows, the bed….. Perfect. Slept so well. In the morning I checked through the other “stuff” in the room. Really helpful guide to Newcastle, a comments card and envelope without any instructions. I couldn’t find the info about check out time and when breakfast was served. Maybe I was told the night before, couldn’t remember. Pressed the pre-set reception number button on the phone by the bed. Nothing. Tried “0”. Bingo. All the info I needed.

Breakfast was amazing. The best granola since New York! And espresso to die for. That was certainly memorable. One particular waiter with smiling eyes and couldn’t do enough. Brilliant. That was certainly different from the norm.

So, the penultimate stage in the customer journey. Check out. There are so many ways this part of the experience could be daringly different but instead the only thing I could spot to fit with this description was the text on the top of the bill, entitled The Damage. I thought I was on the set of a Tarantino movie.

I haven’t heard from Malmasion since. No follow up, “did you have a good stay? Anything you want to tell us” communication. I’d stayed at a Staying Cool property in Birmingham earlier in the week and they had got it right.

With so much competition out there and the potential to deliver some really brilliant customer journeys, Malmasion might want to think about how it can really deliver to such an exciting proposition. I do expect a brand that’s telling me it’s “daring to be different” to be exactly that. I wanted to leave feeling different. I’m not there yet. Another 10 properties to try.

By Sandra Thompson

Back to Blackberry

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BlackberryYou have to give it to Blackberry. After everything they’ve been through they could be about to start the turnaround with the launch of the ‘Passport’ device.

Blackberry’s problems are well known and for an avid fan it was disappointing over the years to see their failure to grasp the importance of the touchscreen and application revolution. My biggest gripe was their device’s inability to surface and present PowerPoint, word, excel and PDF documents without them looking like they’ve been shaken in a Christmas snow globe. Blackberry’s failure to keep up with basic business demands was worrying.

However, with the news about Passport comes the hope (for many of us BB fans) that the company will start the turnaround in product development. CEO John Chen has already indicated that the product pipeline is the most exciting Blackberry has ever had. There are a number of great things about the Passport that show how much the business is listening to it’s customers.

Rectangle, rectangle, slight larger rectangle, SQUARE!

The first thing is the size of screen. Blackberry have nicely nestled themselves somewhere between the iPhone 6 and the iPad mini. Apps will look great on it as will those all important business documents. The size will also have the benefit of differentiating Blackberry in an increasingly rectangular world.

Battery life at 30 hours

The biggest win has to be the battery life. Reported at lasting for 30 hours of continued use this will be a big draw to customers fed up with stressing about the percentage figure or green icon in the top right hand corner. Understanding the frustration of business customers who are constantly fretting about plug sockets or carrying multiple spare batteries like gun cartridges will win them plaudits. Finally, a phone that lasts an entire business day without having to stand against a wall answering an email.

You can’t beat a keyboard

Like many Blackberry users the keyboard is king. Everyone who lived through the ‘crackberry’ period knows how fast you could type using a Blackberry. It made writing a thesis easy whilst empowering thousands to work from the local pub on a Friday afternoon ;)

What are others saying?

Whilst I’m happy, it appears many other commentators aren’t. Analysts have already scoffed at the 200,000 pre-sales announced by Blackberry. Their comparison against the millions of iPhone 6 sold by Apple isn’t really fair given Blackberry’s focus on the business customer. I for one will be switching back to Blackberry.

Others have commented about the inability to type with one hand due to the size of the device. Again, I’m not sure who out there enjoys typing on the iPhone let alone with one hand.

Several have complained about the lack of applications available whilst ignoring the fact that Blackberry’s focus on business apps will see them leapfrog the competition. I know of few business executives who have the time to play Wings of Fury II.

Finally, operators aren’t exactly being very supportive. Rumours have it that EE will not stock the device in the UK. Against all this reaction Blackberry continues to fight back and I’m one customer that can’t wait to join the battle. Blackberry. I’m with you. Again!

Brand values drive customer experience

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BananaramaIt ain’t what you do. It’s the way that you do it. And that’s what gets results.

Odd. I wasn’t expecting to find good advice in the lyrics of a 1980s pop song* but they do sum up the benefits of applying your brand values to customer journeys rather nicely. Here’s how.

We’re currently designing customer journeys with a very successful car valeting company called H20. When we first started working with them we assessed how well their brand values helped them to create distinctive customer experiences. The thinking is that anyone can run a car wash, so what makes you different and better? Most importantly how can your staff, your website, your materials and the way that you do things make you the car wash of choice?

Lots of businesses do deliver excellent customer experiences but how many have what’s best described as a ‘signature’ way of doing things. When you create good brand values and your staff understand them and believe them they can create these signature experiences for you. Let me give you a couple of examples.  If you’ve ever been to a Disney Store you’ll be greeted at the door and the till by staff who are always lively and helpful; if you call the online bank First Direct you’re likely to spend time chatting about non finance stuff because their staff are interested in you; when you shop online with grocer Abel & Cole it’s highly likely that you’ll spend a little longer looking at stuff because of the humour you find in their content.

Our work with H20 will help them to live their brand values every day. As a ‘car spa’ rather than a car wash they will reposition themselves in people’s minds. With the introduction of new brand values like ‘prestigious,’ staff will be trained how to make their customers’ experience different, better and consistent. The word prestigious means ‘inspiring respect and admiration, having high status, reputable, distinguished, esteemed, eminent, well thought of, authoritative, leading.’

In the case of H20, this might mean that staff use social media more to talk about some of the classic and exclusive cars they treat. David Beckham uses them and most weeks they get to clean Ferraris and Austin Martins. The teams could provide more tailored advice to individuals who don’t know much about cars and one person from each location could become a ‘Top Gear’ type spokesperson on things to look out for in the different seasons, providing proactive and complementary services to customers because they know what types of makes and models need what as the weather starts to get colder. The list is endless…hopefully this does make the point though…. it ain’t WHAT you do, it’s the WAY that you do it that brings brands like Disney, First Direct and Abel & Cole great results!

* Fun Boy Three and Bananarma were both were pop bands in the UK during the 1980s.

Getting internal communications right. First time!

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Old time listening

The clue’s in the title of this blog post. You only have one chance to get internal communications right.

Every week I hear something along the lines of “we just need to get something out, a poster will do fine.” Yesterday the comment came from a project manager who had approached the communications experts for some help on the brink of a product launch. I could see him thinking “why would a simple communications requirement listed on my Gantt chart create so many questions – just do it.” The communications manager could sense that too and just needed to understand exactly what the project manager wanted to achieve so that they could deliver good results.

It was painful to watch that conversation and it needn’t have happened. Here’s some things to consider to prevent you being part of conversations like that -

For those providing communications support:

  • Get in there early! When your senior director’s objectives have been set or when you know a project is about to start, go and find out more. Knowing what all of this work is intending to achieve means that you will quickly grasp what the communications effort should be. I’ve just been rewording the objectives written by some Network Rail directors. The output has helped everyone understand far more about how they can help achieve the necessary outcome. We’re all clearer on what the end result needs to be, who should be involved and what groups of people need to do what.
  • Ask the people you’re working with to describe how things will be different once the communication has happened. Often people think that by ‘doing’ the communication they will achieve their objective. Wrong. Most often communication is used to encourage people to change. Popping up a poster, which no-one will read and few people will understand what they should be doing with the information will tick the ‘I have communicated’ box but it won’t mean that you’ve been effective.
  • If there is time, ask the person with the communications requirement to explain the thing they want you to communicate to a nine year old. Engineers are not keen on this exercise, but it will help you to prove a number of points. The message you are preparing needs to be relevant to a number of different groups of people, if you write for an adult don’t expect a nine year old to understand. We used this technique recently with great success. It’s a polite and objective way of saying “my job requires skill and not everyone can do it!”
  • Be 100% sure that you’ll be able to measure whether your communication has been effective. Dump all of the ideas you have had where you won’t know how the communication has performed. In recent months I have discovered that this is where internal communications effort falls down. eNewsletters are sent out as PDFs without information coming back about what was viewed, there are no easy to use ways to comment or make suggestions. The measure is that it was broadcast on the date stated and the emails did not bounce. As communicators you have simply got to be able to optimise your effort and be able to show the value you return to the business.

 For those with communications requirements:

  • Keep your communications people informed of milestones. Communications people think about how your customers or the audience will receive your message. If your timings slip it’s possible that your message will be held back because other parts of the business have messages for the same people you want to speak to. Keeping everyone informed means that alternative arrangements can be made to ensure that you hit your target and the audience will be able to receive it.
  • Let the guys work their magic. You don’t need to present the communications guys with the channel you want to use like email, poster, business briefings. They are paid to work all of that out for you as they should have the insight about the way different groups digest and act on certain communications. If you think your idea is better, just explain how it will achieve the objective more effectively, the communications chaps are continuously learning too.
  • If it’s internal communications involve HR. You’ll get better results from your internal communications effort if you include your HR business partner in the work you do to communicate more effectively within your own team.
  • Ask your accountable communications expert for performance updates. You should expect your communications expert to make adjustments to your on-going communication based on what went well and what under performed. Ask for this type of information up front so that both sides know what to expect plus everyone involved will know what they are accountable or responsible for.

I’m sure that posters have their place somewhere in a communications plan, but not as a way to trigger a change in ingrained behaviour in staff. Use your communications managers and their expertise to find a solution to the challenge you face.

Let us know what results you get when you use any of the eight tips we have listed above. They have worked for us, we hope they work for you.

Sandra Thompson.

 

Thinking about kicking off some research? Ask yourself these questions first!

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Research

Guiding research decisions

Asking yourself the following questions will really help you identify the validity of undertaking any research project. It’s always a good idea to question thoroughly at this stage to ensure you don’t get yourself into difficulties later. Questions such as these will help you identify the people you need to work with, the type of methodology to use and whether it is something you can do yourselves or with external support.

1. What do we need to know?

What are our business objectives? Where can research help us and how? Do we have a clear idea of how results might be used?

2. Do we already know it?

What research findings do we have already? Has another team already done some research we could use?

3. Who needs to be involved?

Who do we need to involve in the research? Who are we targeting? What internal support do we need? Do we need permission from some quarters?

4. What will we do with the results?

Once the results are in then what? How will we use the data and insight gathered to support our objectives?

5. Can we do it ourselves?

Is this something we could do ourselves in-house? Do we need external support to help us with this?

By answering these questions your research needs will become much clearer.

Good luck.

User experience – top tips

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Google Image

UX is an ever changing discipline. Staying ahead takes time, effort and a lot of practical application. We’ve pulled together some top tips to help you get the most out of your UX work.

1) Don’t be a static learner.

Be mindful of changes in technology, trends or user behaviour. What users expect now is likely to change very quickly. Users adapt quickly to changes in functionality, format, structures and designs.

Real-world imitation in the digital world, once a common feature of web design is now on the ebb. Remember to keep abreast of subtle changes in web design. Only recently have we ourselves moved away from shadows and borders to a flatter, cleaner website.

Some design debates might seem pedantic, but they will have a significant impact on any user experience.

2) Understand segmentation, user roles and behaviour.

Carefully map out the users likely to be visiting and engaging with your website, app or interface. Consider each persona and segment in detail.

Identify behaviours, expectations and journeys that are both unique and common. This will help ensure that requirements and designs take into account the differences between each persona. Even within broad segments consider additional differences, such as a user’s spending power or desire for a bargain.

3) Take into account real world problems.

Everyone has dropped their phone and gasped at some point. Consider how your design looks on a phone that might have a cracked or faulty screen. Appreciate the fact that not all consumers have money to replace an expensive broken device.

4) Probe and interpret facts.

Web analytics are great. They can provide you with so much information and data. By viewing analytics you can immediately see how many people have visited a site, which parts they visited and how long they stayed.

Analytics also helps to identify where there might be problems. For instance, by examining sales checkout data you might be able to judge that a significant amount of users are not completing their sale. Whilst analytics indicates there might be a problem, it doesn’t necessarily give you the reason behind the problem. For that you’ll need some user research.

5) Think about user context and environment – small buttons on a fast-moving and jolting train.

Designing a web environment based on personas, business requirements and a list of devices is all great but forgetting context can prove disastrous.

Context and environment are the two most important aspects to consider when it comes to delivering a great UX product. If your users are likely to visit your site whilst on a moving train then you need to take this environment into consideration during the design and testing phases. A site with small, fiddly buttons will put users off.

It’s also important to consider the context of such a visit. A user might be looking to research and book a holiday. However, they might not want to do all activities on a single device. A user on a busy train might want inspiration or to read reviews. They may opt for using their laptop for booking when they have more time. Consider context and ensure that the buttons, navigation and options presented are relevant based on what the customer is trying to achieve in that given environment.

6) Get inspiration outside the world of apps – design something beautifully simple.

Simplicity and beauty go hand in hand when undertaking any UX project. Whilst it’s important to consider standard conventions, common best practices and delivery against business goals, this should not hold you back from designing something that really gives pleasure to the user.

Great inspiration can be taken from the UK’s famous road sign project of the late fifties and mid sixties. The final designs, created by Jock Kinneir (1917-1974) and Margaret Calvert (1936-) are both simple and beautiful. They set out to create signage that was clearer, more accessible and that would enable faster and more effective movement throughout the country. The final designs are now a template and example of best practice, which has been copied throughout the world. Take inspiration from great design.

7) Think about online and offline relationships – go in-store, buy online.

Designing a retail website might prompt a UX designer to immediately visit online retailers such as eBay or Amazon. One of the greatest tricks is to visit an offline, real-world shop to see how customers browse, pick, choose and buy a product. Customers buying books from Waterstones will behave very differently depending on whether they’re browsing online or in-store.

By shadowing and viewing customers in a real-world environment you can start to understand the rituals and habits customers go through. These insights can then be used to design features that mirror this behaviour in an online setting.

You may even come across customers struggling with a problem in-store for which you have the perfect online design solution. Remember that most customers operate across both the online and offline worlds. Many browse in-store but buy online.

8) Take advantage of common, pre-existing work.

The great thing about the UX community is its ability to share ideas and best practice. There’s no other community quite like it. Sometimes it’s easy to get hung up on designing a new icon, a new typography or a navigation bar from scratch.

However, it’s important to realise the wealth of content, existing designs and open source work that is available for people to share, download, amend and re-purpose.

It’s also important to remember some of the free and low cost tools that are available for activities such as wireframe and sketching. You can save a lot of design time by tapping into work that has already answered some of your design questions.

Let us know how you get on.