Wandy's Blog

Runners-up Award for Best International Campaign at the B2B Marketing Awards '10

Richard.Wand — Mon, 29 Nov 2010 17:50:00 GMT

On Thursday night I attended the B2B Marketing Awards 2010. Myself and Mike Crossman were delighted to be invited as guests to this event by Kate Bresnan, Digital Marketing Manager at Colt. We (Colt and EMC Consulting) were shortlisted in the category of Best International Campaign for the campaign ‘Choosing to Turn Left’.

It was a great night, bringing together 700 people, to celebrate some of the best B2B Marketing of the last 12 months. Ego’s were left at home, and it was a fantastic atmosphere, with everyone there certainly getting in to the party spirit. Tim Minchin hosted the event in his unique style, ending his initial routine with a poignant song about children!!! Wonderful stuff.

438 Marketing were the winners in the Best International category for their campaign for TNT Express. Colt & EMC Consulting received the well-deserved runners-up award for the ‘Choosing to Turn Left’ campaign.

Choosing to Turn Left

Colt was not particularly well-known by SMEs throughout Europe. Brand awareness, as well as number and quality of leads, needed to be boosted. The campaign included a web site that made it easy for businesses across Europe to research and select products online and choose their preferred way to contact Colt. Colt engaged EMC Consulting and we worked with them to deliver a portal to engage customer primarily through the online channel, and to dramatically increase the number & quality of leads and drive higher conversion rates through better qualification

Colt fully understood the value of our user-centric design approach, and we went on a 6-month journey with them, putting their customer firmly at the centre of all the design decisions. The resulting campaign was extremely successful. Average weekly visits to the site touched 6000, dwell time was an impressive 3 minutes, 18 seconds and 25,000 online enquiries were generated.

Carl Robertson, chief marketing officer at Colt, said “The ‘Choosing to Turn Left’ campaign was a pan-European integrated campaign that catapulted Colt in to the new age of digital marketing. It was delivered in a record 6 months, and exceeded all expectations in terms of leads and wins. It is a shining example of a dedicated team working together and staying focused on results.”

The project was delivered in 6 months, and as part of the team I was witness to the blood, sweat and tears that a dedicated team, both EMC Consulting and Colt, put in to this project. It was fantastic work delivered by all involved and given the hard work put in to this by a very dedicated team it was all the more appreciated when it received the deserved recognition.

Credit: some of the content was ‘borrowed’ from the official B2B Awards Supplement.

Buy Cheap, Pay Later (revisited)

Richard.Wand — Sun, 17 Oct 2010 21:38:00 GMT

Over four years ago I posted ‘Buy Cheap, Pay Later’, which warned of the perils of purchasing from discount retailers that sell cheap and support their low profit margin by a ‘sod you’ customer services policy. After 4 years of mostly positive online shopping experiences, it’s easy to get complacent and start drifting away from those online retailers with a reputation for premium customer service, being tempted away by the aggressive pricing of a discount retailer. Even more so during these economic times.

And then comes the rude reminder as you fall foul of a discount retailers poor customer service!

The villain this time is Camerabox, an online company set up in 2004, that sells cameras and equipment at competitive prices. Their online experience is satisfactory, and the order fulfillment is efficient. All appears well at first. It's only when there is an issue and you need to contact their customer services team that the cracks appear and you discover that Camerabox doesn’t value their customers or understand the value of customer loyalty and retention through high-quality service.

Operating on a low profit margin, it’s not surprising that some retailers such as Camerabox are reluctant to invest their profits in customer service. Unfortunately it’s also common during downturn management that some retailers skimp on staffing further impacting their ability to deliver a high level of customer service.

So should I really act surprised when I stray from those retailers that uphold a high-service level, and get burnt by a discount retailer without a reputation for customer experience?

At the date of the original purchase the cost difference between the item purchased at John Lewis and Camerabox was £30. As an anecdote to buying cheap and paying later, here’s what this saving gave me by comparing the level of customer service across these two retailers...

Communication

John Lewis’s response to my initial query regarding a faulty item was apologetic for the inconvenience.

“I was sorry to hear of the problems that you have experienced with the xxxxx which you purchased..”

Compare this to Camerabox’s response, which went on the offensive by raising the question of whether the item is covered under the warranty.

“Please send the item back to us; we will need to investigate to see whether there is a fault, or whether your item has suffered some form of accidental damage, which is not covered under warranty “

John Lewis’s subsequent email was a positive response to resolve this quickly, with a solution that best works for me, the customer.

‘I am quite happy to arrange to send you a quantity of xxxxx with my compliments, however this may only prove to be a short-lived solution. Alternatively, I can supply you with xxxxx in the hope that these would prove more satisfactory. if you feel that you have lost confidence in this product I shall be happy to take them back so that you could select an alternative xxxxx. In any event I would be prepared to reimburse you for any subsequent xxxxx fees incurred.’

This is in huge contrast to Camerabox. My first two emails were ignored. A customer service representative eventually responded to my 3^rd email, and that wasn't until 2 weeks after they’d received the returned item. The response stated

‘unfortunately due to the fact that your item is just over a year from your original date of order…’

Fortunately I kept the post office proof of when Camerabox received the camera which confirms that they received it 10 days before the year had expired.

Response Time

The John Lewis process was quick and painless. From the time I initially contacted them, a working replacement was with me within 9 working days.

With Camerabox the story is very different. When I returned the faulty camera, I was reassured by the Online Response Manager (ORM) that he would ensure a speedy resolution. Every time I contacted the ORM he reassured me with the same promise that he'd do everything he could to ensure the speedy resolution. There was no evidence that he did little more than offer me lip service and he shouldn't make promises unless he intends to deliver upon them.

7 weeks later I received a refurbished replacement that had an even more significant fault. It has been returned a 2nd time, and now an additional 4 weeks has elapsed and I’m still waiting to be contacted with a progress update.

Inconvenience

John Lewis ensured that I suffered minimal inconvenience offering me several options and ensuring a fast resolution

A different story with Camerabox. The camera has been faulty from day 1, and spent 25% of the 12 months being investigated and attempting a resolution with Camerabox.

The Cost

The financial cost suffered through my John Lewis shopping experience was negligible.

The costs suffered through Camerabox were significant; two lots of carriage, to return the original item and the replacement item which was also faulty. I had to purchase a cheap replacement camera for £49.99 to cover the lengthy periods that the faulty camera has been in repair. But more important than the financial cost has been the inconvenience of missing out on capturing valuable family photos by being without a working camera.

What all this worth it for a saving of £30? Certainly not.

A study by Collect+ found that 58% of online shoppers will steer clear of a trader whose delivery or returns service falls short. The findings also suggest that 30% of customers hold the retailer directly responsible for poor delivery or returns. Mark Lewis, Collect+ chief executive, said, “the hassle and cost of online returns has been the dark secret of retail for too long, with our research showing that shoppers are abandoning outlets that fail to get it right.

So ultimately the retailers loses out, but in the meantime many frustrated customers are caught out by buying cheap and paying later. Paying more offers no guarantee of a better level of customer service, but often those online retailers that are known for providing a high-level of service don’t compete solely on price as they value the importance and investment in service excellence.

So when you next make your purchase, consider the retailers service reputation and whether you are willing to take a gamble. It’s been another costly reminder for me, and probably another 4 years before I stray away from those retailers I trust again!

Perks that make jobs better

Richard.Wand — Fri, 15 Oct 2010 14:01:00 GMT

Earlier this week I stumbled upon the article, Top 20 Perks That Make Jobs Better, an interesting compilation of perks, benefits and incentives that make some jobs even better. This included Quicksilver employees being encouraged to make time for surf sessions during their workdays, and Target’s ‘wellness coaches,’ who help employees to lose weight, quit smoking, eat healthily, and de-stress.

This got me thinking along the line of what are those ‘extra’ characteristics of a great working environment? There are of course the fundamentals that define your work and role, such as doing work that’s interesting, working with great people, a working environment that fosters innovation, relevant training, recognition & rewards etc

However, there are many benefits and incentives which often go overlooked and taken for granted, yet play a significant role in creating a successful work environment by keeping your staff happy and attracting new talent. The average employee spends over two thousand hours a year at work so these finer touches can play a significant role. These are often the unsung heroes of a thriving work environment and it’s these benefits that can really make a difference.

So what have we got here at EMC Consulting? There’s the Government cycle scheme which enables you buy a tax-free bike. And once you’ve purchased your bike there’s our basement which provides plenty of safe parking for your bike. We have initiatives to create a healthy environment such as the daily fruit bowl, wonderfully balanced by initiatives to create a happy but unhealthy environment such as chocolate-on-tap and the espresso machine. We don’t just kit the studio out with the latest technology & gadgets but you get to take them home and impress your friends. And the list goes on…

I’d love to hear about those benefits and unsung heroes that makes a difference to you, or what perks and benefits would you like to see?

Why do we Sketch?

Richard.Wand — Wed, 13 Oct 2010 16:32:00 GMT

Last week I asked our Interactive Media team, Why do we Sketch? Sketching plays such a heavy role in our daily activities but why are we so eager to pick up a sharpie before diving in to the pixels? I've noticed that more and more people are going back to pen & paper, and no longer rushing to their computers. Superb, but why?

Ideas were brainstormed and here's a brief summary of the team's responses:-

To visualise and communicate ideas to others; because doodle is worth a thousand words.

Shows the Design evolution. It's good to be able to look back at the original sketches that the final designs evolved from.

A quick way to develop ideas and to explore different ideas. Even the fastest Omnigraffler can't beat pen & paper!

It’s collaborative; sketching is a good way of bringing people together and getting a faster feedback loop.

A sketch frames an experience without getting caught in the detail. Engage client in the broader meaning of a solution and not the detail/minutiae.

A straight line implies order and therefore, something considered or perhaps final where the wobbly hand drawn line is open, flexible, to be aesthetically ignored.

It breaks down barriers. Is a good way to engage clients; client can be amused (in a good way) by sketches if they aren't used to them. It feels like a way of breaking down barriers and not trying to impress with science.

It's fun.

Puts you in to a creative mindset. Simply picking up your sharpie can put you in to the creative mindset.

It's a more natural way of expressing oneself.

You can do it anywhere... train, toilet, bed!

Carrying a sketchbook looks cool!

Promotes feedback. Because it looks rough, persons are often less afraid to criticize or offer suggestions.

A sketch is democratic, in its creation and in its understanding. Anyone can do it.

It’s all about nudity. Showing a sketch is naked idea presentation which can show confidence in your process and concept; there’s nowhere to hide...

The feeling of unfinishedness puts the focus more on the idea and the essence rather than inaccuracies or omissions.

Did we miss anything? Are you using sketching for any interesting or different reasons?

Core Skills of a Successful User Experience Team

Richard.Wand — Mon, 04 Oct 2010 17:18:00 GMT

As User Experience matures as a discipline and the mainstream gets and values UX this has made us think harder about recruiting User Experience talent. I look back at my CV of old and remember my previous job applications, and now that I’m looking from the inside out and recruiting for our UX team, it seems that things have got a whole load harder. Is this a good time to mention that we’re recruiting?

Why is recruiting getting harder?

It’s hard to describe the core skills we’re looking for in a User Experience Consultant. Why? Because it depends on a mix of factors such as complimentary team skills, emerging techniques, current work, business pipeline, and a vision of where we want to take the team. Many User Experience Consultants have crafted a rich toolkit of User Experience techniques. At times such a broad skillset is preferable, and other times more in-depth specialist skills are a better fit. That isn’t to say, that I’ve no idea what type of individual we need to recruit, but ask me in 3 weeks or 3 months and my response will be different. At any moment in time a multitude of factors can change my recruitment needs.

What skills does the team need?

To help inform this decision I’ve compiled a list that describes the core skills of our user Experience Team. This list was created by looking at the skills of our User Experience team and brainstorming,, and then grouping these skills. The skills were then weighted based on the demand for them. So hopefully providing I keep this document up to speed, at any one time I can get a pretty darn good snapshot of where we’re at and what we need. It enables me to quickly assess the current team’s skills versus our needs, and to identify those gaps which we need to recruit in to maintain a successful UX team.

Core skills of a User Experience team

Below is the first draft of the core skills of a User Experience team that I’m working from. Like any lists there are bound to be surprise inclusions and shock exclusions, so please let me know what you think and identify any gaps?

The UX skills were grouped under the following 6 labels:

User Research
Information Architecture
Information/ Experience Design
Interaction Design
User Testing
General

The core skills in each group are as follows:

Research

Competitive Review
Ethnography
Field research
Heuristic Review
Eye tracking
User interviews & contextual enquiry
Mental models

Information Architecture

Taxonomies
Folksonomies
Ontologies
Card Sorting
Affinity diagrams
Site Map
Navigation patterns

Information/ Experience Design

Experience Architecture
Experience Principles
Persona design
Scenario design
User Journey development
Scamping ideas
Visual storytelling
Wireframe production

Interaction Design

Interaction/ behaviour definition
Experience prototyping
Design Patterns

Testing

User testing scripts
Conduct user testing
Usability test analysis
Concept testing

General

Customer requirements gathering
Stakeholder interviews
Facilitation of workshops
Brainstorming
Client presentation skills
In-depth knowledge of UCD process
Estimation

Oh, in case you don’t already know, we’re recruiting User Experience Architects or Senior User Experience Consultants.

Calling all User Experience Rockstars....

Richard.Wand — Fri, 01 Oct 2010 19:46:00 GMT

Do you want to work with awesome brands including Tesco, Virgin Media, BBC & Barclays?
Do you have an inherent belief in applying User Centered Design techniques to create intuitive, usable and inspired experiences?

If so, we have several opportunities available for talented, experienced, UX rockstars, as either User Experience Architects or Senior User Experience Consultants.

We’re looking for exceptional individuals with core capabilities around conceptual design, user profiling and task analysis, information architecture, interaction and experience design.

Our Senior User Experience Consultants have the additional responsibility of leading clients and project teams in the concepting and execution of world-class customer experiences.

The UX Role

User experience design of high profile big brand web sites and applications.
Translate a users objectives into an intuitive end to end digital experience
Deliver big ideas and the magic details.
Communicate and collaborate with the big brains that make up our in-house capabilities, such as creative designers, copywriters, developers and business analysts,
Communicate effectively at a high level in client organisations.

Experience & Qualifications

Core capabilities around conceptual design, user profiling and task analysis, information architecture, interaction and experience design.
A degree in HCI or similar.
3+ years industry experience; 6+ years for senior user experience consultants.
Most importantly, you must be extremely passionate about creating an experience that meets and exceeds the rule of best practice but also creates a new and improved benchmark for our others in our industry

Rewards

Work for a company that strongly values your work-life balance and offers a fantastic work environment, generous pension options, BUPA, bonuses, share options, cycle scheme (inc bike parking in the office and a shower), fresh fruit, Monmouth coffee, Friday beers & nibbles, regular Borough market lunches, charity bike rides, chance to be office DJ and more.

We need passionate User Experience specialists to deliver compelling customer experiences that fulfil consumer goals and align to key business drivers. If you have what we need then please get in touch.

London IA - Wednesday 11th November... don't miss out

Richard.Wand — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 20:44:00 GMT

The London IA event on the 11th November is not to be missed. For newbies, this is a celebration of all-things IA (that is, Information Architecture).EMC Consulting is delighted to be hosting this event – so head over to our offices (address below) for what promises to be a great event.

For those of you who unfortunately can’t make the event then follow what’s happening on Twitter - #londonIA . And don’t forget to follow @london_ia to keep posted on future events and competitions.

When: Wednesday, November 11th. Doors open at 18:00 and it goes on until around 23:00.

Where: EMC Consulting, 36 Southwark Bridge Road, London, SE1 9EU

Who:

19:00 Max Gadney, Commissioning Executive in the BBC Vision Multi-Platform team
- What’s the Point? IA with Purpose?

20:00 Richard Sedley, Director of the cScape Customer Engagement Unit (CEU)
- Principles of Persuasion in On-site Behavior Change

21:00 Jason Mesut, Experience Director at The Team
- Play in User Experience

22:00 Oliver Reichenstein, runs Information Architects in Tokyo
- Future of News

Thanks to Zebra People, for keeping attendees fed and watered (well, beers and wine that is)

Read more about the event at http://iapresentation.wordpress.com/2009/10/20/london-ia-november-11-mini-ia/

Below the Surface

Richard.Wand — Fri, 09 Oct 2009 20:33:00 GMT

I regularly get asked the difference in designing for gesture-based interfaces. I recently addressed this in an article for a .net Magazine supplement. This may appear somewhat lazy but why rewrite the written? So here’s a reproduction of the article:-

With a wave of gestural mobile devices and gaming systems flooding the market, more and more people are interacting directly with digital content - click is fast being replaced by tap, flick and pinch.

Microsoft recently announced Project Natal, a sensor-based interface that responds to contact-free gestures such as a wave and a nod. And while we eagerly await this technology to come to market there’s plenty to be excited about already with the launch of Microsoft Surface.

Surface incorporates the naturalness of hand-gesture recognition but also blends reality and virtual reality by enabling users to interact with digital content using ‘real’ physical objects. From a design perspective there are a lot of new principles to master. Designing a Surface experience is not the same as designing for traditional websites.

The key is to avoid retrofitting existing experiences and introduce new ways of thinking that enable new interaction models. For those looking to get involved in this new era of interaction here are some pointers:

Make it finger-friendly

Fingers don¹t have the same level of precision as a mouse, so make sure all interactive elements are sized and spaced to optimise gestural interactions.

Encourage active exploration

Don’t make users memorize how to do things. Make the experience discoverable and reward the user for exploring. Always nudge and entice users to do more.

Enhance the user’s sensory experience

Don’t just focus on visual experiences. Surface doesn't just encourage but mandates a fuller sensory. Use sound to reinforce user interactions and create fuller sensory experiences.

Encourage social participation

Surface moves beyond solitary desktop experiences. Design your application to invite people to join in and encourage person-to-person interactions. Consider the challenges of multi-stranger versus multi-friends scenarios and different levels of task coupling. For example, how do the actions of one user affect the other? What happens when new people approach the table from a different side?

Make it alive

Ensure every action has an immediate response, regardless of how subtle this feedback is. Even if no-one is interacting, don’t let the Surface device sit there lifeless.

Make it magical

Add a certain amount of realism but then augment it further with something that doesn’t exist in the real world. For example, use real-world behaviour such as acceleration but then disrupt the physics in a way that only a digital experience can.

Make the interface invisible

In a Surface experience, the interface shouldn’t be visible as the content becomes the interface. Design an interface-free application that enables users to directly manipulate the digital content.

Remember the enjoyment factor

Playfulness can manifest itself in many forms, such as through copy or interaction design, not to forget playfulness through interaction with other people. Don’t ignore this important dimension in designing engaging and immersive experiences.

Where do we go from here?

Different gestural interfaces will bring different design philosophies and with this fresh and exciting challenges. Erase your mind to a world without GUIs and design with no preconceptions of interactions models that have been. Don’t underestimate what appear to be simple applications - often the simplicity masks the complexity.

For those interested in learning more about Microsoft Surface then I recommend grabbing a copy of the October edition of .net magazine. In the Microsoft Expression Supplement are some excellent articles including a 'Guided Tour of Expression' by our very own Paul Dawson, a guide to 'Building a Prototype using SketchFlow' and many more interesting articles...

“The ear is totally neglected. Everything is centred on the eye”

Richard.Wand — Tue, 30 Jun 2009 11:33:00 GMT

I borrowed this quote from Daniel Barenboim’s talk on the Nature and Power of Music. Most technological experiences, especially online, have been primarily visual experiences. The web gives us a visual workout but few online experiences stimulate our hearing to create fuller sensory experiences. With the Microsoft Surface interaction paradigm it’s time to prepare for an audio assault as sound is getting the consideration it deserves. Interaction Designers are digging deep in to their auditory and visual toolkit as sound gets crafted in to the Surface experience. The ear is back in vogue.

OK, so the gaming industry has been treating our senses to full immersive experiences for some time but most other technological experiences have relied heavily on visual alone.

Surface doesn't just encourage but mandates a fuller sensory experience. But are agencies ready to build auditory experiences and are clients ready to pay for sound design?

If you can communicate the return on investing in sound design to your clients then they will pay for it. Sound is not there just to titillate the senses. It is used to enhance a brand, stir emotion, create immersive experiences and communicate information. When users manipulates digital content, information is revealed through sound, visual feedback and movement. Sound is not simply about providing a fuller sensory experience but acts as another information layer.

I recently met with Andrew Diey, Founder & CEO of Radium Audio, a leading music and sound design company that have experience in designing sound solutions for Surface experiences. Does Andrew feel that clients are ready?

Andrew doesn’t see such digital auditory experiences as a huge leap. Advertisers know the importance of sound to enhance a brand. This is not about introducing something new but transferring a proven art to a new paradigm. Andrew believes clients are ready but it’s down to agencies to communicate the value of sound. Andrew suggested agencies establish a manifesto which defines the terms on which they approach immersive experience design. The manifesto should outline principles, policy and action plans for future work in immersive experiences. Most agencies have a design manifesto but does it include sound? If you want your client to buy in to sound design then you need to plan for it from the beginning. The task of getting your client to understand the value depends on your belief and recognition that sound is critical to the delivery of a full sensory experience.

Are agencies ready? Yes. It hasn’t been about not having the sound design know-how but more so about not having an environment where sound design is treated with the same importance as visual design. Most agencies that specialise is online solutions may not be experienced in sound but with experienced sound designers such as Radium Audio there is no reason for agencies not to be ready. Sound is part of an interaction designers domain to define audio feedback that complements the interaction and visual design. The brief is then given to the sound designer, internal or external, to weave their magic and create seamless experiences between the audio and interaction.

At EMC Conchango we have in-house sound design capabilities but we are not professional Sound Designers. For superior production and bespoke sound design we look to work with professional sound designers. We employ experienced Art Directors and Creative Designers to achieve our creative vision. Our approach to audio is the same. To craft an immersive auditory experience we need to work with the best.

So there is no reason why we should not be entering a new sensory era of compelling and immersive experience that combine sight and sound. It’s now up to us to be heard...

Designing NUI Experiences

Richard.Wand — Thu, 28 May 2009 16:58:00 GMT

A few months back I posted a collection of Microsoft Surface tips from the Twitter hashtag #Surfacetip. The 140 character limit is somewhat challenging so I'm planning to tackle these tips one-by-one in a tad more detail.

I’ll start with a simple tip, but one that resonates with me from recent projects, and that is ensuring that everyone is on the same page when it comes down to a common understanding of what a Surface experience is.

Tip #1 - Kick off every Microsoft Surface project with a half-day Play & Tell Workshop.

A challenge of natural user interface design is that this is a new paradigm in interface design and development. Surface invites a different way of interacting and manipulating content. This is not a subtle change but a significant change in the way we interface with digital content. For many folk this is a significant paradigm shift so don't expect everyone to take to it so easily. Years of desktop and web applications means some people are understandably institutionalized and will take time to fully down their web way of thinking and enter this brave new world.

Another point is that although multi-touch has been around for several decades we are only now seeing mainstream adoption. The iPhone has accelerated the interest in multi-touch and the mobile market has been busy satisfying consumer demand for multi-touch and gesture-based computing. Although many of us appear familiar with multi-touch, there is still an element of novelty to these gestural interfaces which can mean that other features get overlooked. And a Surface experience is much more than this. There are many new concepts to understand in Surface design such as multi-friends vs. multi-stranger experiences, collaboration, playful design, social interaction, object recognition, superrealism and 360-degree user interfaces.

And this is where the risk lies. If the team (client and internal project team) don't kick-start the project with a common understanding of the Microsoft Surface philosophy then the risk is that downstream you'll find yourself delivering an application that is not optimised for the Surface computing paradigm.

The purpose of the Play & Tell Workshop is to inform the team of this new interaction paradigm through play and discussion. It's a great activity to actually kick off the project as the Surface device plays to its strengths of encouraging social interaction. The objective is to ensure that you share the same vision of a Surface experience. This session is facilitated by a practitioner of multi-touch design. This should be a fun, exploratory session but the practitioner needs to articulate the features of the Surface experience. Some of the subtleties of good design need to be explained as these intuitive, natural and engaging experiences can mask the complexities and thought process that has gone in to them.

Our clients pay us to give them what they want but also for our expertise to guide them and help them make informed decisions. The Play & Tell Workshop kick-starts the project with a common understanding of the principles of Surface computing. These principles must be kept in mind during the entire project to deliver an experience which is true to the spirit of Microsoft Surface.

If anyone wants to suggest further tips then please use the hashtag #Surfacetip