July 23, 2007
Just for a giggle, thought I’d post this screenshot of AdSense adverts on webpagesthatsuck.com. Although amusing, it highlights two important factors when advertising online, placement and context.
July 12, 2007
Because of the way products are marketed and presented, when we buy anything, we’re generally dazzled by the product’s features. The longer the list of features, the more attractive the proposition. This applies to mobile phones, dishwashers, smoothie makers and even prams.
It takes a lot of discipline to say no to this convincing sales pitch and instead, think of the context in which you will use any of these products.
Take the modern pram as a simple example. Initially, we could be first attracted by the sleek lines that resemble a Philip Starck design or an Apple iPhone. But how are we actually going to use it? Will it quickly and easily fit into your small car along with your screaming baby and your groceries?
Wheeling prams to one side, the big question for us at iQ Content was, in the context of picking a coffee machine, do we practice what we preach? Here’s how we got on…
July 9, 2007
Over the last year, we’ve gotten the sense that usability and user-centred design has really gone mainstream. Clients may not be able to describe it, but they know they want something that actually works, and that actually focuses on what their visitors want, not what their bosses think looks cool.
July 9, 2007
Linking your Google AdWords account to your Google Analytics allows you to gather detailed information about the behaviour of your AdWords visitors on your website. You’re paying for the traffic, so make sure you get the best value you can by building your future web and AdWords strategy around real visitor data.
But, getting the two interacting together properly and getting real value is a little more complex than you might think. Despite the fact that it’s not that hard to do, we’ve seen several clients who haven’t properly linked them up, or even who haven’t linked them up at all. So, here are some pointers to help you get these two Google products working together like well oiled cogs in a machine!
July 4, 2007
I have seen this chair in a meeting room over the past several months. The sign is clear and well written. But the problem-solving approach reminds me of those “under construction” icons that can still be seen on some professional websites.
July 2, 2007
Small bit of own-trumpet blowing here, but just a quick post following the announcement on our latest partnership. While we’ve been involved with Google Analytics for a while now, we’re now official Google Analytics Authorised Consultants.
What does all this mean?
July 2, 2007
CNN.com just relaunched yesterday. Our colleague David had a chance to interview the team about the new design and the development effort.
They seemed to have followed a true user-centred design process, with user interviews and repeated rounds of user-testing. Here’s one of the insights from those interviews:
“One example is that aggregators were really picking up steam at the time and a few of our internal folks theorized that maybe CNN should go in that direction. But what we heard loud and clear from our users is that CNN provides a filter to all the noise out there – that they rely on us to tell them what matters.”
There are also some interesting opinions on whether it’s better to include more or less content on the homepage.