Results tagged “design” from experiential thoughts
Oddly enough, every image asset on this blog has gone MIA. It seems that when I was redeploying recently and shuffling server pieces I blew away the assets.
The thing is, I kind of enjoy the imageless page in a perverse way. It changes the experience and twists the perspective of the user -- makes for a unique experiment.
What does your data say without images?
What does it say without words?
Could you say it only with sound or motion?
All things that we should be regularly reminded to ask ourselves when designing experiences.
This post owes huge props and credit to David Armano. We had a bit of a twitter conversation the other day around a few of the diagrams he has posted about his use of social media and twitter. You may remember them:
Social Systems
Twitter + Your "Far Outer Circle"
After our conversation I looked over David's diagrams and posts again, and decided to create a usage map template using myself as a guinea pig. The idea behind the hybrid model is that an experience designer or planner could build out a model for each person/profile that they were modeling around. They would then be able to visually present this data in terms of communications priorities and planning as well.
This is a system modeled around my usage. I'm thinking about doing one that includes ALL of my primary media usages, not just social media—the planet rings in non-social media would relate to how that media was shared and with whom. It seems to me that this kind of modeling could really help guide a brand in decision making as to media and creative strategies, tones and types.
Since I've built this upon the inspiration of David, and since I'd love to see what other people do with this model, I'm posting the Illustrator source file as well.
Social Systems
Twitter + Your "Far Outer Circle"
After our conversation I looked over David's diagrams and posts again, and decided to create a usage map template using myself as a guinea pig. The idea behind the hybrid model is that an experience designer or planner could build out a model for each person/profile that they were modeling around. They would then be able to visually present this data in terms of communications priorities and planning as well.
This is a system modeled around my usage. I'm thinking about doing one that includes ALL of my primary media usages, not just social media—the planet rings in non-social media would relate to how that media was shared and with whom. It seems to me that this kind of modeling could really help guide a brand in decision making as to media and creative strategies, tones and types.
Since I've built this upon the inspiration of David, and since I'd love to see what other people do with this model, I'm posting the Illustrator source file as well.
Thanks to Tim Brunelle, via Gavin Heaton, via Drew McLellan via Todd Andrik for digging up this Malcolm Gladwell talk from the 2004 TED conference. He's talking about Howard Moskowitz's learnings on consumer preferences.
The thing I really find interesting about all of this is the idea that segmenting potential consumers into multiple groups and working to please each group separately. When applied to experience design, product design, engagement planning, or design & strategy of just about any type, this thinking throws quite a twist into how planning currently proceeds within so much of the business. For example, when planning the IA for a corporate website we tend to strive towards a single sitemap, when we should probably be striving either towards 3 - 5 OR providing for dynamic self-segmentation. The problem with the standard solution set of "section 1 is for purchasing", "section two is for browsing" etc...is that purchasers and browsers exist within each segment and segments are likely to have different requirements for each task. Separating sections by product doesn't do much better, as flavors of products (even colors) are likely to have specific types of people that are most attracted to them.
The more I think about it, the more I think that distributed media is perhaps the real solution to the application of this thinking to the communications space. Just as it doesn't make sense to try and make one coffee for all consumers, it doesn't make sense to make one website or ad campaign or one "integrated" campaign for all consumers. You'll likely end up making people "60% happy".
Why not make many different pieces and aim at making people "78% happy"?
The thing I really find interesting about all of this is the idea that segmenting potential consumers into multiple groups and working to please each group separately. When applied to experience design, product design, engagement planning, or design & strategy of just about any type, this thinking throws quite a twist into how planning currently proceeds within so much of the business. For example, when planning the IA for a corporate website we tend to strive towards a single sitemap, when we should probably be striving either towards 3 - 5 OR providing for dynamic self-segmentation. The problem with the standard solution set of "section 1 is for purchasing", "section two is for browsing" etc...is that purchasers and browsers exist within each segment and segments are likely to have different requirements for each task. Separating sections by product doesn't do much better, as flavors of products (even colors) are likely to have specific types of people that are most attracted to them.
The more I think about it, the more I think that distributed media is perhaps the real solution to the application of this thinking to the communications space. Just as it doesn't make sense to try and make one coffee for all consumers, it doesn't make sense to make one website or ad campaign or one "integrated" campaign for all consumers. You'll likely end up making people "60% happy".
Why not make many different pieces and aim at making people "78% happy"?
Thanks to aaron for passing along this presentation by Leah Hall of Adaptive Path.
Good stuff here, lots of things that you might already know, but a great consolidation and reminder about how to focus your UX/Experience Design chops.
Good stuff here, lots of things that you might already know, but a great consolidation and reminder about how to focus your UX/Experience Design chops.
An interesting new side to the the Prosumer trend is the development of professional services that allow individuals to design and purchase and/or sell physical goods via the web. In other words, take physical outsourcing and make it available at the individual consumer level. It's pretty straightforward, you design something, put digital working drawings into their templates, upload to the site, they laser cut everything according to your lists and ship you the goods. You can refine and tweak (obviously the more rounds you do of this, the more you pay in cutting and materials) and then keep for yourself or place into their marketplace.The short view of this is the initial reaction I had "hmmm, maybe I'll finally make that table I sketched out" (although not the one w/ steel legs, since they don't yet work in metals.) Then, after thinking for a minute I started thinking about: what if IKEA or Target contracted with these folks or someone like them? Upload a few templates from their designers, allow users to customize, and make selected custom designs available on their website. If something you customized sold, you'd get either some more store credit or perhaps even some cash. Maybe there's a sales level below which you get credit, above which you become a "registered" designer and can start collecting checks.
What's the risk to them? I don't see much of one except perhaps "taste pollution/dillution" due to poor or "off brand" designs. They can always refuse to "publish" designs that don't meet their standards -- while still allowing the creator to purchase said designs for themselves. Additionally, by giving their consumers the ability to become involved in the production & design process, thereby becoming prosumers, they are allowing for brand engagement and growth. It seems a bit like a win/win to me. I get to not only make my own table, but if it's cool enough, I'll make some cash and be able to tell people that I have a product at IKEA/Target/whereever.
Are there downsides I'm missing?
now that i've installed and converted to mt4, i need to implement a template. which requires a bit of design i suppose. not that the minimalism of this template bothers me as i enjoy minimalist design, but it in fact seems a bit cluttered still for my taste. so clean it up i shall, and likely will play w/ mt4's new features in the process.
update: if anything appears broken or screwed up, that's likely because it is, as i'm messing with the code over the next few days.
update: if anything appears broken or screwed up, that's likely because it is, as i'm messing with the code over the next few days.
