Archive for February, 2012

Well, maybe not famous, but definitely talented.

Since we pride ourselves on having such smart, motivated, etc. etc. employees, it’s only expected I share her “SpongeBob’s Super Bouncy Fun Time HD” iTunes app.

While studying at Parsons School of Design, Chris interned at MTV. While there, she worked on the designs for an array of game apps. This one, in particular, just so happened to launch. For this app design, Chris worked alongside a team of developers and designers, conducting research and creating mockups for the design of the application.

See it here.

watch the video

Breakdown:

Throughout the past 50 years, “we’ve been innovating the way we innovate” through different approaches. These different approaches are both intuitive as well as counter-intuitive.

The intuitive approaches to innovation are obvious: In a collaborative fashion, encouraging smart people, who have intelligent and creative ideas, to share and create ground-breaking change.

The counter-intuitive approaches are not so obvious, as it requires understanding that many large break throughs do not come through large insight; rather they come through small steps such as prototyping and ultimately figuring out how to make something truly valuable for the community and team.

It’s crucial to pull people with an array of skills, as “there are a billion IQ’s out there if you know how to tap into them”

Here’s the funny thing with social innovation:

• If you don’t measure it, it doesn’t operate very well
• It’s difficult to manage and unless you manage properly, you won’t get what you want from it
• It’s hard to figure out if you’re on the right track or if you’ve gone askew

The organizations that do it well measure 4 things:

INPUT: measuring people and assessing whether or not they have the right tools or materials to consider for the future; are the quality of ideas appropriate?

PROCESS: generating and selecting the best ideas and moving at a fast speed, especially because “moving slow can be death to an idea”

OUTPUTS: are these ideas coming out? are projects being launched? are results obtained from the projects?

OUTCOMES: measuring the net benefit and creating a whole new market through innovation

Was there an important measurable benefit in health and welfare (in terms of social innovation)??

I’ve attached an info graphic on “should you send that email?”

As I was confirming details for our newly established JAM Sessions, I felt the need to be inspired. Upon fulfilling that need, I came across a blog post about UX thinking for start-ups. It was posted by a user experience professional, who has worked in the web industry for over a decade.

His name? Rather keep it private, as I didn’t ask permission to share it. Oops!

I asked this professional:

On your blog a bit ago, you discussed UX Startups and that UX is a new way of thinking about the customer engagement. Can you elaborate on this? Also, I’d love to hear what you think is the best way to get these new ventures to dominate their customer experience, specifically the tools, etc.

This professional commented:

“Basically start-ups tend to be engineering or business focused… thinking about the end product / service and getting it shipped / launched. UX is best served as a philosophy ingrained in the business’s culture (see Apple) putting user needs as a priority (see Zappos) which are balanced between technical requirements and business objectives. To do this they need to understand who their users are and what they want (see NYT article on Target), then their product or service needs to be tested with users (see The $300 Million Dollar Button). Ignoring this would be a disaster (see Netflix). If a start-up focused on UX in this fashion they will win over the competition hands down (see UX Fund).

Since I had no idea what UX Fund was, I looked it up. It was an investment experiment inspired by Jeneanne Rae and the Design Council. They invested $50,000 USD (about $5,000 in each company) on November 1, 2006. Shares had to be held for 1 year. They believed companies that deliver a great user experience will see it reflected in their stock price.

Commentary by the experimentalists: “as promised :http://www.teehanlax.com/blog/?p=122 we’ve put our money where our mouths are. Last night and this morning we purchased about $50,000 worth of stock in companies that we feel have great user experiences. We’re working on live feeds for our fund tracking page.”

Breakdown of the outcome

In fact, I double dare you!

This summary of an excellent article I found on Co.Design will help you successfully complete the dare:

First and foremost, your manager is not the boss. THE CONSUMER IS THE BOSS.

Secondly, innovation means finding problems customers can’t successfully solve today.

“The customer rarely buys what the company thinks it sells him… nobody pays for a ‘product.’ What is paid for is satisfaction.” Companies think they are selling products and services, but in reality people hire those products and services to get jobs done in their lives.

Most beneficial way to spend time in the marketplace in order to identify innovation opportunities? Lets break it down.

• Get to CONTEXT

Next, it’s very important for companies to spend time in the marketplace in order to really learn who the consumer is because “even the most well-intentioned people lie”.

Know your customer better than they know themselves.

• Watch for WORKAROUNDS

If consumers are going out of their way and inconvenienced by a product (i.e. a particular jean fits different in every size, thereby forcing them to try on at least 10 pairs) DO SOMETHING ABOUT IT.

“Carefully studying current and potential customers often highlights workarounds that customers create to make up for the limitations of existing solutions.”

• Focus on NONCONSUMERS

Identify and key in on people who encounter constraints “that inhibits their ability to solve a pressing problem they are facing in their lives.”

Too many good quotes in this article, I can’t help myself:  “It takes some mental discipline to look to markets that don’t exist. But that discipline can pay off in the form of growth opportunities that are hidden in plain sight.”

Check it

I’m going to add my two cents and say I’m not a fan and agree with the supporting reasons (many of which I’ve listed below)

“The publishers are placing ad revenues above the user experience, which is a risky strategy”

Concerns with this, you ask? It’s pretty obvious…

• Obnoxious amount of ads results in VERY slow page load speed
• By clicking on a link, which in return takes you off the page, you better be taken to a page that’s clean and strictly content. Nope, not the case… many sites will take you to pages with huge ads, everywhere
• It’s difficult to read the content because the ads distract users’ eyes
• Overlays… enough said
• Auto play videos drive users nuts. Unless you enjoy hearing random voices while trying to enjoy some excellent tunes on Spotify (personal experience, sorry)
• Pagination- having to click an incredible amount of pages to view one medium sized image
• There’s more- click the link below

When everything is said and done, it comes down to money. Agree? Disagree?

please read

Generation of Innovators, at your service!

Many young people say they aren’t considering careers in these fields: science, math, engineering, and technology.

Why not? See above!!

Article

In response to our many internship postings, I arrived to the office this morning with a few internship submissions in my inbox.

And then I found this as I was browsing around on GOOD and LinkedIn News

Apparently, according to top Executive Recruiters, there are “only three true job interview questions”:

1. Can you do the job?

2. Will you love the job?

3. Can we tolerate working with you?

In regards to #1: Kevin Kelly, CEO of an Executive Search firm called Heidrick & Struggles, states “…it’s not just about the technical skills, but also about leadership and interpersonal strengths.  Technical skills help you climb the ladder.  As you get there, managing up, down, and across become more important.”

STRENGTHS

#2: This is linked with motivation claims CEO Bill Guy.  Employees (such as myself, I might add) value a company’s environment and the challenges associated with their work. If both align, they will work extremely hard, despite the monetary incentive.

MOTIVATION

#3: Again, Kevin Kelly provides insight on this topic. He claims that cultural fit is of great importance and whether or not a prospective employee fits into an organization, should be a determining factor as to whether or not some one gets hired.

FIT

In in interview, you have an assortment of questions to ask or maybe you’re on the other end being asked a bunch of questions THAT ALL REVOLVE AROUND THESE THREE WORDS: STRENGTH, MOTIVATION AND FIT.

Final insight from the article:

“If you’re the one doing the interviewing, get clear on what strengths, motivational and fit insights you’re looking for before you go into your interviews.”

“If you’re the one being interviewed, prepare by thinking through examples that illustrate your strengths, what motivates you about the organization and role you’re interviewing for, and the fit between your own preferences and the organization’s.”

Really, it is.

“Society is simply better when we pool our resources and skills together”

This post is not only an opportunity for me to introduce a new arm of motivate design, JAM SESSIONS, but also a chance for me to comment on a great article.
follow along here

The main theme throughout is the concept of collaborative consumption and how it’s all about value.

Online peer-to-peer marketplaces are making it simple for people to share and reallocate resources, in return lessening waste.

Of course, with everything, there are pros and cons. so, lets discuss:

Pros include making money in a fulfilling way, meeting super people, borrowing instead of owning (which costs more money), interacting with various people by sharing stories and in return impacting one another, enjoying life, and even making a difference in some way.

Cons include the fact that currently the peer-to-peer marketplaces aren’t communicating with each other. The experience between one good and another is “fragmented.” Think about it… GetAround, RelayRides, Airbnb, Wimdu, etc. Phew!

Lets not forget trust is very important when considering this idea of collaborative consumption. I think it’s pretty self-explanatory.

“The collaborative consumption space is young, though, so we’ll have to wait and see whether the cultural differences between transaction-based and borrowing-based marketplaces survive.”

Alright, now we’re down to the good stuff. JAM sessions here at Motivate Design will happen once or twice a month. I’d rather break it down in bullets.

- FREE

- Specifically for start-ups and nonprofits

- One hour of consumer advising/user experience advice

- “Guest jammers” will be in attendance, providing A-MAZING advice

- Opportunity to have research conducted (that’s not free, sorry)

- Chance for you to check out our sick space in TriBeCa

More details to come.

Motivate Design is looking for A-M-A-Z-ing interns in the fields of Graphic Design and Social Media.

We want someone who has a passion for design, technology, trends and innovation in the digital and social space. Oh, and you should be proficient with Adobe programs (Photoshop, Illustrator, InDesign).

Got it? Great, continue reading on.

Who we are and why you should intern here:

• Motivate Design is a consumer research and design firm.
• We conduct research to help our clients make decisions about how to engage their customers.
• We understand what users need and want, design a solution, and validate it.
• We are set apart by going beyond exposing usability issues and uncovering what users need both rationally and emotionally in order to feel engaged and satisfied.
• Motivate Design aims to assure that the user experience practices have momentum within an organization. Training, workshops and stakeholder interviews all contribute to this goal.

Expected responsibilities for Graphic Design internship:

• Creating infographics
• Project sketches
• Press kit design
• Client identities and personas
• Modifying client deliverables
• Proposing design solutions for Motivate Design and UX Hires
• Performing above tasks and others for projects

Expected responsibilities for Social Media internship:

• Create and maintain a content editorial calendar
• Campaign development on social media platforms
• Day-to-day community management, fan engagement, page and content moderation, monitor and engage on various social media platforms
• Monitoring key online conversations and events to make sure brands (Motivate Design and UX Hires) participating effectively and are being well-represented. Seeding approved content and editorial pieces to key influencers and other identified sites and blogs
• Assist with basic research as needed in order to engage the community and to investigate any trending activities
• Keeping the team informed, and generally helping the Manager complete necessary tasks
• Pull periodical reports on social media & eCommerce statistics
• Perform above tasks and others for projects

This is a start-up, so the ideal candidate also needs to be a person who is very persistent and dedicated. The candidate needs to be self-motivated and ready and willing to do what it takes to make this company successful.

Benefits


• The internship is unpaid, but college credit may be awarded where applicable
• Working alongside intelligent, witty and high-energy individuals (we like to toot our own horn)
• Potential hire (if you impress us, of course)
• Estimated weekly hours are at least 15 hours per week (unless you have more time than that!)
- Minimum 3-month commitment
• Interns can work remotely, on his/her own computer
• Opportunities for increased responsibility, including writing and sales
• Learn social media from someone knowledgeable

Interested? We hope so! Talk to you soon.