Paul Rouke and PRWD on User Centered Design

Google’s famous motto ‘do no evil’ seems to be in conflict with the terms and conditions of their new browser Chrome – Google stated that they can use any of your copyrighted material posted to the web via Chrome. This has since been retracted but inevitably makes me question Google’s true agenda. The other thing which strikes me is the similarities between the Microsoft and Google chrome logos.

Impressive Look, Speed and Ease of Use

Ignoring my initial hesitance I downloaded the browser and I have to say I’m impressed with the look, speed and ease of use.
I’m also please to see Google have created a URL box which also works as a search function, called the omniBox. A great example of applying user centered design. The browser is a lot less cluttered also meaning that more appears above the fold and its faster to load. Another nice feature is that you can grab tabs to open them up as new windows.
Chrome, which is still in beta version, has had a few teething problems; its unable to use some plugins and is currently only available for Windows. Also if you type :% into the search bar it makes Chrome crash, but I’m sure these will all be ironed out in the near future.

Google, The Big Brother

My real shock was when I opened up my history. It had listed my history pre-Chrome, showing information such as who’s profiles I had viewed on Facebook, emails I had sent and documents I had opened on my desktop (with exact times) and the option to open them direct from the browser. Its a useful feature and there is the option of ‘incognito mode’ but it a little too scary to think what people could do with such information if they got a hold of my laptop, not to mention what Google can do. I’m all for intuitive search but for me however, it’s a little too far - I think it’s time to de-Google.

If you have already tried it, how are you finding this new web browser, and what are your views on the advanced history functionality that can track your daily activity to such depths?

Yahoo and Intel have just unveiled plans to make a television “Widget Channel” allowing online features to be added to shows and advertising. Quoted as the end of TV as a “passive experience” this move could prompt some very exciting opportunities for advertising, e-commerce and media planning.

It will be interesting to see how and when these features such as following a sports team or chatting with friends will appear without compromising the viewing experience. The move is an indication of how consumption and buying behaviours are changing. E-commerce will greatly benefit from applications such as this, which offer new channels of opportunity to sell and communicate with their consumers.

A precise launch date has yet to be determined, but the list of companies developing widgets for the channel includes Twitter, Toshiba, Samsung, eBay, CBS, Blockbuster and Disney-ABC Television Group.

E-commerce has broken down barriers to trade – it’s not uncommon to order your wine directly from France or order books from sellers in America. But e-commerce has brought some rather unusual services and products to an even wider audience.

Early last week it was reported that eccentric Lord David Piper was selling his title and property on eBay which attracted bids of over three million pounds. This is nothing in comparison to some of the weird and wonderful items listed over the years on the likes of eBay. In fact there appears to be some sort of competition to think up even more bizarre sales.

Here’s a list of some of the more interesting online sales of recent times

1. A man willing to fly anywhere in the world and let anyone punch him in the face for one million dollars
2. Virgin Mary Grilled Cheese Sandwich. The item was purchased for $28,000
3. Ghost in a jar
4. 18 Year old British Girl’s Virginity
5. Doritos Cheese Pope Hat
6. The meaning of life which sold for $3.26 however the seller would only ship within the U.S.?
7. Stuffed squirrel in mini racing car dressed in racing outfit
8. John F Kennedy Assassination Shooters Perch Window: the winning bidder paid $3,001,501.00
9. First name of a couple’s unborn child
10. Singer James Blunt’s sister. Listed as a damsel in distress seeking a knight in shining armour. Her Knight flew her to Ireland after she couldn’t make a relatives funeral. She married her hero last year!

It’s easy to forget just how quickly Facebook has risen since bursting onto the British scene (as a measurable force) in the summer of 2006. It may now hold 45% share of the market but with its drastic overhaul of its user interface will it manage to maintain this share?

I’ve recently taken my first look at the new Facebook design and I’m instantly unsure.
Firstly the interface is much wider. Looking at the positioning of the columns on the homepage I can’t help but feel it’s unbalanced. I’m not sure I like not having a border to contain the news feed section in either. I like the changes to the navigation - I have to agree that it does offer an easier set of route options.

Moving to my profile page the first thing I notice is that all this new white space has been irritatingly filled with two sectioned off adverts on the right hand side. Their new prime position on the actual profile page simply means these ad’s really stick out - great for advertiser, really irritating to me (even though I admire the targeting intelligence).

One clear advantage I have found is when looking at ‘application addicts’ profile pages. These pages have resorted back to a loadable page, just like pre-application days. On saying this, to my dis-appointment they have removed the ability to write on your own wall, which was always fun to mock as newbie Facebooker’s learnt to use this feature.

I really don’t like the fact that they have combined news feed updates with ‘the wall’. I think this subtracts from their attempts to simplify the interface, and simply makes its look messy. I’m not really sure what advantage this gives, when the homepage is specifically for this purpose?
There are a few aspects of the new design that I think will really enhance the users experience of Facebook, but overall it’s too much too fast. Look out for petition groups and campaigns to restore it to the original design!

You don’t need to be a Wall Street trader to work out we’re going through a bit of an economic sticky patch. Businesses and consumers alike are finding it hard in the current climate. So how can you make your online business work as hard as it can in these times of woe?

Firstly, turn down the panic button; online spending is on the increase (sales in the first quarter of 2008 are up 50% on last year, NMA 15.05.08), so there’s currently a good opportunity to earn your keep, but you’re going to have to work extra hard for your share, as competition online is hotting up.

Here’s my 3 primers on how to do it

1. . Position your business for long term growth and opportunity. Many businesses go the wrong way by not taking advantage of opportunities they would have otherwise snapped up. Don’t forget things can only get better! You’ll need to be ready to swoop in and pick up all the business your competitors won’t be prepared for after this period by pushing forward with your business growth instead of shying away.
2. Invest but wisely. There’s no point simply having an e-commerce website unless it is efficiently converting your traffic. Ensuring the usability of the site is at its best so that consumers have a problem-free shopping journey is a must. But spending your pennies to make improvements can seem like a hard call in times like these. That why here at PRWD we drive cost savings by using the open source web frameworks built with PHP. Investing in web improvements using such technology will save you money whilst providing substantial return on your investment, if a User Centered Design approach is used.
3. Take advantage of marketing you business online for free by using social networking and blogs to stimulate interest in the online world. According to research by Hitwise (Hopkins, 2006), social networking site MySpace is responsible for more Traffic flow into the HMV.co.uk music portal than both the Yahoo and MSN UK search engines.