How Mozilla finally made me change browser – or the Ubiquity Effect

In case you’ve been away from the Internet for some time, Mozilla has recently developed a new app that allows users to, via the simple input of strings of text, command their browser to perform an action it could not previously via the usage of language based instructions- and they named it Ubiquity. Think old school adventure games applied to a browser! (Leisure Suit Larry anyone?)

Basically you can perform actions you once thought – like “Wouldn’t it be cool if I could just email this picture I found without having to save it to my computer, open Gmail, attach it and add an address to send it to?”. Well, now you just select a picture you come across online and write down “mail to EMAIL” on the Ubiquity console – it will open your GMail account and have an e-mail ready with the address filled out and the image attached. Or better – you want to know where the nearest McDonalds is? Just write “map McDonalds Portugal” and it will open Google Maps with the McDonalds available.

And the best part is the possibilities are never ending – users are invited to create their own strings. All that is required is some basic code knowledge. So an entire library of direct inputs can be created by the users to create what I consider to be one of the most ingenious mashups created until now.

What is the learning we can take? Instead of inventing completely new stuff, why don’t you think of ways to improve current experiences by combining elements and giving the user the power to develop the rest by themselves? Think of Ubiquity, think of Spore (without the DRM controversy, please), think on how can your consumers engage with your Brand and improve it while giving them the feeling that they are actually helping themselves. It’s Free Love meets UGC!