When Mark Weiser coined the phrase “ubiquitous computing”, he wasn’t thinking only on the pervasiveness of computational devices. He was mainly concerned about the age of calm technology, when technology recedes into the background of our lives.
Fast forward 2 decades and we can’t help realizing how physical computing has become a part of the lives of the western world. Yet … we still have a long way to go in creating the kind of experiences that make us calm instead of driving us (consumers) mad. That’s were UX (User Experience) kicks in. From the more traditional field of interaction design, the discipline is now making waves in other fields. From digital ethnography to service design, UX is the missing link between technology and business, and were brands (do i really need to say Apple) have a chance to create a sustainable advantage.
Give customers/users a seamless, no friction, calm experience and they will become your salespeople. Don’t just focus on technology, for hype’s sake. Even if the video above seems really cool with their great use of augmented reality, i can’t help wondering: how complicated would that experience might be out of the lab? How could we make it easier for non-digerati to enjoy it? Our task as experience designers, is to create new ways of interaction that make technology a quiet, invisible servant.
When the best newspaper in the world gives the key to their online platform to a bunch of geniuses, you get things like the Article Skimmer. Some kind of mix between a homepage and an RSS feed reader. Hit space or down arrow to browse next section, press on shift when hovering over an article to see it larger.
NY Mag had an article a couple of weeks ago about the guys behind the online lab of the Gray Lady well worth reading.
The other day, I saw an ad for Polo Ralph Lauren on the back of my NY mag, featuring one of those bar codes that I believed had never crossed the Japanese borders. Since I’m a sucker for marketing experimentations, plus I’ve been wondering about these for a while, I decided to give it a try. I grabbed the magazine and my iPhone, ready to dive in the wonderful world of real-life shortcuts to the Internet!
Unfortunately, I wasn’t so lucky. It took me 15 minutes to go from that ad to where Ralph wanted to take me. A quarter of an hour when I had to struggle with broken web pages and far-from-optimized layouts. For an insulting result… being sent to the site’s homepage! The 21 steps I had to take are detailed in the slideshow above.
I know, we need to be “educated” before actually seeing some interesting marketing applications, but you can only make one first impression. So please, marketers, if you want consumers to use new technologies like QR codes, make sure you make it effortless for us. Because it’s gonna take a while before I take a picture of one of these again! And dear people at Polo’s Interactive Marketing Department, if you need an agency that can develop a gorgeous, premium, advanced iPhone/mobile-optimized site, drop us a line and we’ll give you a sneak preview of a pretty awesome example we’re about to launch for one of our client!
The TrendWatch is the collective postings of some of the FullSIX Group’s designers, strategists, and consultants on new media and marketing trends. It is meant to be an impromptu think-tank, and is a way for us to share theories and beliefs about how we think communication and connectivity is evolving.
We work for The FullSIX Group; a leading full service marketing agency with digital DNA. From our 15 international offices with over 600 employees, we constantly embrace and encourage innovation to make integrated marketing and communication campaigns that are more accountable and efficient for our clients.
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