Flightpath's User Experience Designer was published in iMedia Connection this month.  The article outlined four essential tips for creating social media that is usable and engaging including:

• Learning what your user's social media behaviors are.
• Creating a social media space that makes sense in your consumer's lives.
• Supporting ease-of-use with basic usability best practices
• Joining the conversation with your consumers in a way that is meaningful and supportive.

Read the full article here: 4 steps for creating usable social media

One of the pillars of our digital practice at Flightpath is to integrate the art of technology with the technology of art.  Nowhere is the fluidity of this precept more evident than in our SEO work.  The best search-engine optimization requires a mercury-quick understanding of what is happening in any given market at any given time, what words describe that market snapshot in an informative, creative way, and what technology delivers the information in compelling design (incidentally, another of our tenets).

A major breakthrough for us, then, is Google's increased ability to index Flash.  Flash, when it broke into mainstream consciousness, was the pretty new girl in school.  Everyone was a little bit in love and wanted to take her for a ride, but there was a rumbling contingent that warned about the correlative probability that good looks can mean less substance. 

This turned out to be true--Flash didn't offer much in the way of text that search-engine spiders could index; the crawlers couldn't link back to anything, because the browser didn't reload after interactivity.  Even pages that spiders indexed were useless in search results, because users landed on Flash home pages instead of product pages.   

Flash was . . . well, at least it was pretty. 

But, then, last year, Google dedicated the resources to figure out how to index text in Flash sites:

[We] developed an algorithm that explores Flash files in the same way that a person would, by clicking buttons, entering input, and so on. Our algorithm remembers all of the text that it encounters along the way, and that content is then available to be indexed.

The trick, then, is to put the text that you want indexed "along the way" the algorithm travels.  This might include adding text to Flash applications, including a Robots.txt file or adding alternative HTML code.  Making sure the site's organizational strategy includes lots of deep links helps with long-tail optimization, and page titles have never gone out of style.  

Essentially, as Google becomes more and more ubiquitous, making nearly everything about the digital space more inclusive and included in a more intuitive way, we can expect to allow our artistic strengths to shine in happy equilibirium with our market goals and technological requirements.  

We have a project we're wrapping soon for an amazing, artistic client with big-figure goals that will show this to great effect.   Stay tuned! 

It’s always interesting to me when I hear about people in completely foreign lines of work that share similar professional challenges to those of us in the digital marketing industry.  Over the weekend, I was confronted with two very interesting stories that seemed aligned with some of the issues we face when developing and rolling out web sites intended to achieve business goals on behalf of Flightpath clients. 

While stuck in traffic on Friday, I heard a story on NPR about the Airtrain that connects JFK airport to the NYC subway system.  As reported by WNYC’s Andrea Bernstein, five years after its inception, the AirTrain draws 5 million passengers a year despite confusing signage and insufficient passenger information.  Listening to the story, I couldn’t help but draw parallels to challenges we face in creating simple, usable, user-friendly web sites.  This is a fascinating story for anyone who creates web sites or is considering commissioning creation of one.

Next, the weekly Public Editor column in Sunday’s New York Times titled ‘How Did This Happen?’ chronicled a comedy of errors (seven, in fact) that made their way into Times reporting rushed into print around the death of Walter Cronkite.  The newspaper printed wrong dates, incorrect information about Cronkite’s work, and more. 

Apparently, many of rules and processes the Times employs to check facts and approve stories fell by the wayside as they rushed to meet deadlines.  Anyone that’s ever been involved in web site quality assurance will likely understand the cascade of events chronicled in this thought-provoking story and remember checks and balances they’ve implemented in order to circumvent similar problems.

Author Clark Hoyt explains that ‘seemingly little mistakes, when they come in such big clusters, undermine the authority of a newspaper.’  The same holds true for a web site.

As the popularity of interactive design has grown over the years, there has been an increasing amount of articles, lectures, tutorials and books devoted to the topic of working harmoniously clients. Follow a few designers out to happy hour one night, and you'll be sure to hear them trade horror stories of clients past, like old soldiers comparing battle wounds. It is an aspect of the industry that has spawned multiple humor websites on the topic, and message boards where designers can go to blow off steam for the amusement (or commiseration) of their comrades.

Whether you are a seasoned marketing manager or the owner of a small business, it can not be ignored that a successful relationship with your designer is a vital ingredient to the eventual success of your campaign. Fear not, oh citizens of the interactive world- I am here to offer, to clients and designers alike, my invaluable primer on dance floor etiquette: 

Rule #1: Lead Us  -  No one knows more about your organization than you do. I remember reading a quote about how to approach a design for a client you are unfamiliar with. It went something like "If you have to design a campaign for a laundromat, the first place to start is inside the laundromat." Design begins at the source, and in the current climate of rapid-fire communications and telecommuting, its often difficult for the designer to make it down to your laundromat. We need to know everything about your organization in order to learn what makes you unique. Chances are we've only just met, and if you're trusting us to tell you're story, make sure we get the story straight.

Rule #2: I Said Lead, Not Carry   -  The single most prevalent gripe you'll hear from any designer is a client who starts dictating the work. "Make this blue", "Move this over", "Hey how about a picture of the skyline?", "NO! not THAT Blue, the other blue!". This is typically due to frustration on the client's part. They aren't seeing progress in the right direction, and are making an attempt to try and help. A good designer is a problem solver - let us know what isn't working and why, and let us develop an intuitive solution.

Rule #3: Don't crowd the dance floor (or, Who Invited THAT guy?)  -  In a recent Salon.com article entitled "10 Harsh Truths About Corporate Websites", the #8 harsh truth was "Design By Committee Brings Death". It is difficult for us designers to hit a moving target, so it is a blessing when we get to deal with a small group of focused individuals. Too many conflicting opinions on the client side causes chaos, like a mosh pit (do they still have those?). The opposite is too much compromise, and thats how the Electric Slide was created. And that ain't dancin'.

Rule #4: Let Us Lead You  -  Your designer wants your interactive campaign to succeed. Thats right. We design interactive work day in and day out, and we know a thing or two about what might help to make your campaign a success. We could also advise you about possible pitfalls that could lead to less-than-graceful results. Give us a shot and don't lose faith. We want you to be happy. We want to be part of developing super cool content for the web. When it launches, we show it to all our designer friends.

Now, I can only speak for good designers like myself and the design team I'm a part of here at Flightpath. We can tango like the best of em'.

The Pew Internet & American Life Project published a report last week outlining Generations Online in 2009.   The findings of this report are two fold: first it illuminates that there are a growing number of older users engaging in technology (and specifically the web); secondly it distinguishes between the different activities each generation is engaging in.  From online banking to social networking the reach of the web is steadily growing and in somewhat surprising market sectors.

Understanding how each generation uses the web can give us further insight into how to design for our users.   The table below represents a small portion of the study and was taken from the Pew Internet & American Life Project study mentioned above.

Source for Online Teens data: Pew Internet & American Life Project Surveys conducted Oct-Nov 2006 and Nov 2007-Feb 2008.  Margin of error for online teens is ±4% for Oct-Nov 2006 and ± 3% for Nov 2007-Feb 2008. Source for Online Adult data: Pew Internet & American Life Project Surveys conducted August 2006, Feb-March 2007, Aug-Sept 2007, Oct-Dec 2007, May 2008, August 2008, November 2008, and December 2008.  Margin of error for all online adults is ±3%, the average margin of error for each age group can be considerably higher than ± 3%, particularly for the “Matures” and “After Work” age groups.  See Methodology for average margins of error for each generational group.

* No teen data for these activities  

If your user demographic is of an older generation, adding that social networking piece may not be the cost effective way to reach them.  Instead, harness their natural tendencies and invest in Search Engine Optimization so that you can be found easily when they are doing their research.  Also, adding a robust search engine within your site and articles with good copy directly responds to their methodical approach to the web and research.

For users who are younger and using the web for social networking, creativity, content sharing and their primary source for communication and entertainment, creating that Facebook page may be the wisest investment and may reach the widest audience.  Harnessing their more techno-savvy natures also means using creative means to become more engaging.  Utilize video, music, and technology that fits into the palm of their hands.

Many times we see companies eager to have a real presence “on the web” and in doing so a desire to use the latest technology to reach their users without knowing what current user trends are.

To be fair, these rules are not hard-and-fast.  There are many older adults who use social networking online, though usually via Twitter and not necessarily Facebook or MySpace.   As techno-savvy as they are, younger users who are using MySpace and Facebook, do not know of Twitter’s existence.  Search Engine Optimization is important for all users and all websites, and I would always recommend making your site easier to find.

Online strategy and marketing means really understanding who your users are and what corners of the web they occupy.  Shot-gun approaches that hit the latest fads aren’t necessarily hitting the bull’s-eye.

As is my habit, last week I printed a web article to read on the train home and grabbed it from the printer. When I stepped on the elevator I recognized an icon from my youth, the man I knew as the future of the funk, LL Cool J. So in honor of that moment I have written this blog and weaved in my favorite LL song along with my favorite work related topic: usability.  

Many marketers are trapped in “Ivory Towers” with cloudy windows that don’t allow them to clearly see what the customer needs on the web.  Nothing can beat a good usability test when it comes to verifying a web design.  Skipping usability to save money is pennywise and pound-foolish.

Marty Nemko’s article on USnews.com proclaims that Usability Specialist is a hot job for 2009. I wonder if that is really going to be true for the web, where in a world of shrinking budgets, usability line items seem to become more often than not. He goes on to explain, “This profession has a hard time agreeing on a name for itself… user experience specialist, interface designer, information architect, usability practitioner, user-centered design specialist, and usability manager.”

LL: “Don’t call it a come back [we]’ve been here for years.” We, the web usability folks, have been around for years (since ’98 in my case). As Nemko astutely points out, the nomenclature has been varied, I myself have been called Customer Experience Designer (Bankone/Chase), User Experience Designer (Citi), Webmaster (Revlon), Website Manager (ESPN), and many other things I simply can’t repeat here. We have a staff person here at Flightpath who is officially called an Information Architect and yet she often talks about herself as a User Interface Designer or a Human Factors Expert.

LL: And I'm just gettin warm…Why do u riff with me? It always seemed so obvious to me that when you re-design a website you should take the time to ask people in the target user audience what they think as you go through the process.  Find out which design variations work best and adapt them.

LL: BLAAAAW, how ya like me now? In my new business development role, I have remained true to my usability roots. I pitch clients on usability as a must have rather than a superfluous ala carte item that is at the top of the chopping block when the budget gets squeezed.

LL: Listen to my gear shift. Then, at lunch the other day, my good friend Lon Taylor of First Insight’s reminded me that the father of usability for the web, Jakob Neilsen (shown with his head on top of LL's body ;), asserts that every $10 dollars spent on Usability saves $100 in re-work down the road.

LL: I'm goin insane, startin the hurricane, releasin pain. Lettin you know that you can't gain. So why do clients so often ask to cut this corner or see it as a luxury they can’t afford? Will usability remain the redheaded step child in the world of web design or is that about to change as Usability Expert becomes a hot job as Nemko predicts?

I welcome your comments...and look forward to the next time I see LL in the elevator.

Here is Marty’s Article:
http://www.usnews.com/articles/business/best-careers/2008/12/11/best-careers-2009-usability-experience-specialist.html

At Flightpath, we aspire to deliver web solutions for our clients that go beyond a functional solution and actually inspire surprise and delight in users.  With that background in mind, I’d have to say that I was shocked when visiting the U.S. Department of State’s web site dedicated to passport renewals.

• Messaging and iconography on the site was clear and to the point.

• Form fields were well laid out and error messaging was self-explanatory

• Editing information was hassle free

• It was easy to save and print information

Overall, they took a process that I found incredibly daunting in the offline world (would I have to go to the post office? a passport office? what were the fees? what were the required methods of payment) and used the web’s inherent ability to forge a unique flow based on my own personal needs (expired passport, at my disposal, issued within the past 15 years) to make a bureaucratic experience surprisingly delightful.  Nice work!

I start this piece by making one assumption--everyone is a Facebook  user. 

Isn’t that what makes social communities great? When they have hit a critical mass of users? Your entire community of close friends, family, coworkers, old college buddies, business acquaintances, and that girl you met at the Digital Wednesday’s networking event are all hanging out together in your Facebook friends list.

Now let me ask a rather blunt rhetorical question, “Would you invite all of these people over for Thanksgiving dinner?” Let me put things into my perspective.

My father just recently sent me a friend request, which unfortunately is still sitting in my inbox, after seeing me over Thanksgiving. My girlfriend’s sister rolled her eyes for denying her friend request after I tried to explain, “My Facebook page is really just for work purposes.”

My friends list is quite small, only consisting of coworkers and a handful of close clients. I have deliberately kept my personal   life separate from my Facebook one. This is not out of fear of possibly inappropriate content, but of the calamity that would occur if all the pieces of my social life melded into one unified bucket.

There is a huge opportunity for Facebook to expand its breadth from simple social networking into a true relationship management tool. No one   has just “friends” in his or her life. We dissect our social life mainly into family, work, and play. How are these very distinct aspects of our real social life going to interact in this digital social stew? I understand the argument—interpersonal transparency can be the catalyst for social discovery; however, we manage the relationships in our lives differently than how Facebook currently presents it to us. 

About a year ago, Facebook added a new feature that allowed those of us who have 5,000 friends to manage that immense data slurry into user-created categories. However these user-created categories are little more than a light contact list-building tool. This is the first step in the direction that I propose below. 

Facebook should allow you to designate your own categories for people in your friends list. Each of these created “friend categories” could have a separate sub-profile page where a user could design a page around that unique social interaction. This could simply all boil down to a privacy setting. You allow one category of friends to see a certain module on your profile. If a friend on your other list views your profile page, they would simply not see the module.

If you created a category of friends called “business networking” Facebook could finally be used as a quasi-Linkedin without the fear of your business prospect seeing pictures of you at the MTV beach party in Cabo last summer.

This would open a huge opportunity for Facebook to capitalize on the business side of our social communities. Lord knows as much as we all love Linkedin, there is little "social interaction" beyond the prospect of upward career mobility, which does not usually make for great conversation. 

I wish I could create a friend category called “work” and use Facebook as an internal communication and content management system. Most companies  already use Instant Messenger as a more efficient way to communicate internally than email. IM poses its own set of similar issues. If you use the same IM username for work and at home, while you’re at work your friends outside of the company are just one tempting click away to distract you. To circumvent this whole issue I have created a IM  account specifically for work—but, if my idea happened, I wouldn’t have to.  

Facebook would do the filtering for me, and I could finally become digital friends with my girlfriend’s sister, my coworkers, my clients—and my dad.