Microsoft — You’ve Got My Attention September 22nd, 2010

I was duly impressed this evening. Brett Brewer, the GM of Microsoft Live Labs put on a kick-ass demonstration of Microsoft’s latest web browsing technologies. The event was hosted by MITX, and was held at Fidelity’s Center for Applied Technology (who knew Fidelity even had a center for applied technology?) It was a beautiful venue with environmentally-friendly decor mixed with high-tech gadgets.

Microsoft is bucking the system with Live Labs. Their approach is almost like a web-browsing bill of rights. Brett repeatedly voiced his dissatisfaction with how data is provided online, and how poor online image quality is. The reason for his impatience is because Microsoft has found a way to solve this with three products ready for prime time now; Pivot, Seadragon, and Photosynth.

Pivot lets a user view large quantities of data in a useful and easy to understand way. Pivot can dynamically display data according to any number of criteria, and it does so in real-time, without having to wait for loading bars, or placeholder image blocks. Check out this introductory video.

Seadragon, (or Zoom.It as it is now called) eliminates the need for low-res, crappy quality images on the web. Every image online can be super high-resolution. Sound like a dream come true? It does this by loading only the data needed at each magnification level. See it work on their website. Goodbye 100px thumbnails!

Photosynth digitally stitches separate photos together to create a seamless scene where you can rotate, advance into, or zoom out of. The complex software identifies the hard corners in the photos and them lines them up. It even warps areas that are wrapping around corners. And it displays online in real-time as if it were a pre-made zoom or pan.

See all three of these technologies presented in this demo:

While Microsoft’s Silverlight plugin enables and enhances these tools, some of them can also be incorporated without a plug-in via their API and AJAX. And it does it all in real-time over the Internet. Microsoft is helping us rethink the way we use the Internet and data online in a positive and proactive way. Big brother, now I’m watching you.

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Does Your Website Pass The 4 W Test (In 4 Seconds)? August 16th, 2009

website usability 4 W TestWebsite design is an art. Website development is technology. Often the two don’t connect on a site. Great websites combine layout, imagery, and type with technology to deliver clear, concise and compelling messaging.

Stop reading for 4 seconds. Take a look a your (or any website). Put it to a test.

The 4 Second, 4 W Test:

1. Who are you? Is the logo or company name legible and prominently placed?

2. What do you do? What’s your message/tag line? Short and to the point — quicker than even an elevator pitch. Avoid marketing jargon and boil your unique value proposition down to a few engaging words.

3. Where. Hello SEO! Let search engines know where you are by listing your industry or target audience specific key words. Hint: This will also help convert viewers to buyers.

4. When should I do anything with the info I just learned? Umm, today please! Add a prominent call to action. Get started now. Contact us today. Have a rep contact me now. (Add your phone # and an email address here too!)

Time’s up! Did the site pass the 4 W’s, or after 4 seconds were you left wondering who, what where and when? But wait, there’s more! Did you have to wait for a huge or ugly flash animation to load, or even worse, an annoying talking website actor barking about quality, comfort and price?

Actually, your site might not be that bad after all. Website design and development were divorced before before starting the Rocky Creek ATV Trail site.

So, what sites have you seen that don’t pass the 4 W test (reply via comment box below)? I could list 10 in 10 minutes. Don’t get me started.

PS. Give your site a second opinion. A Metropolis Creative designer will put your website to the 4 W Test and reply with results to see if you make the grade. Send an email with “4 W Test” in the subject line to: manager@metropoliscreative.com.

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Branding with Keywords at Salem State College November 25th, 2008

I had the privilege of co-critiquing Mary Melilli’s graphic design class at Salem State College yesterday with Jose Nieto of Square Zero. I was immediately impressed with the process the students went through on their logo design projects, and their professional presentations. Its virtually identical to how we work.

The most difficult part of the re-branding process is defining the client’s brand. Students used a list of keywords to describe the different aspects of the company. And based on those words, found some images to further illustrate those concepts. These images and words were the foundation of each company’s brand.

For example, if we were to define Domino’s Pizza’s brand using keywords, we might use “pizza, hot, fast, coupon, tastes good, college, easy, delivery, fun, bright”. To be honest, we probably wouldn’t include “healthy, gourmet, or even inexpensive” – unless the client told us that is where they want the brand image to go. The name Domino’s is kinda fun and so was that “dot guy” they used to use. Good branding should evoke most of these ideas and emotions – not just “good pizza”.

Another way to get there is by answering questions like “Why would you buy a Domino’s pizza instead of one from the little shop around the corner?” or even “Why do you like Domino’s?” These give honest brand answers rather than what you THINK the brand is about. Your’s is just one opinion of course. You can spend a lot of time on this and involve a lot of people if you choose to.

At every step in the process, its important to read through these words to remind us what the overall brand is. Focus on the “feeling” words and not so much the factual. Domino’s chose a domino rather than a pizza for a reason! By always focusing on the brand, the end result – whether its a logo, a magazine ad, or a web site, will consistently communicate the right message.

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