The Concept of Brand: A Lesson from Edward “Blackbeard” Teach
Edward Teach, the pirate better known as Blackbeard, is one of the most infamous pillagers in history. More relevant to our interests, however, is that he was also a man who understood the importance of creating an enduring impression. In short, he understood the value of brand.
Before a siege, Blackbeard dressed himself in a dark heavy coat and captain’s hat to accentuate his domineering stature. He strapped pistols to his chest and tucked lit, smoking fuses under his hat and in his beard to create an image reminiscent of the devil himself having just emerged from some smoky brimstone...
The distinction here is an important one, and goes well beyond the narrow view of qualitative as “open ended” as in an open-ended survey question. Rather, studies that are qualitative in nature generate data about behaviors or attitudes based on observing them directly, whereas in quantitative
Why is it important to understand the components of brand, and to differentiate brand from its common misinterpretation as simply a logo, a figurehead, or a website, among other things? Only when all three brand components — visuals, tone, and behaviors — are present and true to the core brand
For example, one link from Emory University’s homepage reads, Restoring vision and hope. What does that mean? Hope for what? Vision for the future? The meaning only becomes clear when the text below the link is read. That descriptive text is necessary for the reader to understand that the link
IoT solution to supply chain management
Currently, IoT startup space is getting to the point of being saturated with each aiming to provide solutions in niche areas. Tive, Evrythng and Discovery are few of the IoT based solution providers in the supply chain. While Tive focuses solely on providing SCM solution using a tracker and a
Why Mobile Games and App Stores Should Opt for Blockchain
Blockchain solutions can pave the way to new business models, which go beyond the current free-to-play (F2P, FtP) video games and premium pricing models. With increasing competition (many quality games, leading to lower attention span and retention rates), higher development costs, and higher
CSS conversion of my Radio weblog
I’ve done a re-design of my Radio weblog, using CSS. Look ma, no tables! Yes, it’s now a tableless design. I’m doing my bit for the web standards cause, although I haven’t yet achieved 100% XHTML validation. For my re-design I used a CSS Zen Garden design by Michael Landis
What the Erroneous Hawaiian Missile Alert Can Teach Us About Error Prevention
Could a more intrusive type of confirmation for a live alert have helped? Perhaps it could have required users to reenter their passwords — not for added security against intruders, but to make it clear to users that they were about to do something unusual with serious consequences. Many banks
center brand is experience in the digital age customers
Top 10 Application-Design Mistakes of 2008
Users will most likely fail if you deviate from expectations on something as basic as the controls to operate a UI. And, even if they don't fail, they'll expend substantial brainpower trying to operate something that shouldn't require a second thought. Users' cognitive resources are better spent
Overloaded vs. Generic Commands
For mobile apps, it's usually a good idea to have an "application home" that users can return to as a safe base after exploring the apps various areas. This is particularly important for content-rich apps, such as magazines or newspapers. Used this way, the "home" button serves as a generic
Why Personas Fail
Personas are my jam. I teach a full-day training course on them: what they are, why they work, how to create them, and how to use them to do great work. I love teaching this course because personas are one of the most abstract components in the very analytical discipline that is UX. I love
Wishlist or shopping cart? Saving products for later in ecommerce
Anthropologie.com confusingly offered both a Move to Wish List and Save for Later options for shopping-cart items. Move to Wish List required the user to either log in or create an account, both of which derail the checkout process. Save for Later, however, did not require registration and
6 Ways Ecommerce Sites Can Compete With Amazon
She said, “Wow, that was way too hard to get to, and what if I don’t want to talk to them right exactly now? They still won’t show their phone number, that’s crazy. I bet if I went to their Investor Relations page and I wanted to give them money, I’d find a phone number right away.” She
WP Engine CEO Heather Brunner Named DivInc Executive of the Year
Heather’s leadership at WP Engine has been instrumental in helping the company build an enduring, predictable business, particularly after a key investment from Silver Lake last January, as well as the recent acquisition of StudioPress. Heather also heads a diverse leadership team and has
personal brand is experience in the digital age choose
WP Engine All Hands Spring 2019: EMEA
Last week, WP Engine employees from our Limerick and London offices came together for the bi-annual All Hands event in Limerick. All Hands is a 2-day event where employees come to engage with, collaborate, and strategize with employees from other offices. This year’s theme was “Boldly
Fortune Names WP Engine a Best Place to Work in 2018 .
At WP Engine, we believe our people are the core of every success, award, milestone and every achievement. That’s because employees who truly feel empowered and validated by their workplace are energized to delight and inspire the customer in every interaction. When new employees walk through the
Modal & Nonmodal Dialogs: When (& When Not) to Use Them
In situations where the task is not critical, a nonmodal dialog might be appropriate. Nonmodal dialogs are less offensive than modal ones because they allow users to continue their activity and ignore them if they are irrelevant. However, they can still be disruptive, especially if they obscure
UX Retrospectives 101
Product teams are the obvious choice for conducting retrospectives, as team members are working together on a daily basis. As team members start to trust each other over time, retrospectives become more productive and lead to deeper insights. Some meetings may be more focused on what went well than
Design Critiques: Encourage a Positive Culture to Improve Products
Presenting work, whether in a critique setting or not, makes the presenter feel vulnerable, especially if the critique is not established in your organization. Remember to not take feedback personally; instead, keep your mindset on improving your product. This attitude will make it easier to work
A 60-Second Trailer of the 60-Day Report on Cybersecurity
She explained that the original design of the Internet was driven more by considerations of interoperability rather than security, and as a result we are now faced with almost insurmountable issues. Some examples include online criminals who steal our information, mass bandits who have the ability
Why AI and Viztech hold the key to a safer internet
In the same week in June that German lawmakers passed a bill forcing major internet companies to banish “evidently illegal” content within 24 hours or face fines up to $57 million, a conference took place in Harvard University entitled: Harmful Speech Online: At the Intersection of Algorithms
AI Learning Algorithms Find Your New Target Groups
In addition to these simple everyday tasks, the systems are increasingly developing into a digital assistant and a virtual representation of the consumer. A digital assistant has an impact on customer communication and interaction. If the consumer selects his favorites from the hit lists on a
How to Get into Tech Without a Tech Background
If you look at the greatest recent tech companies there are plenty of newcomers that aren’t even considered tech, let alone, high tech. Uber and Airbnb, are less about tech and more about their concept. You can run a tech company without a tech background but find the best tech you can when
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A 60-Second Trailer of the 60-Day Report on Cybersecurity
Melissa Hathaway came across our radar recently when President Obama tasked the former Bush administration aide with leading a 60-day review of Bush’s Comprehensive National Cybersecurity Initiative; a largely classified, purported $30 billion, multi phase plan to address cybersecurity issues
A 60-Second Trailer of the 60-Day Report on Cybersecurity
Finally, Hathaway sees this as a unique opportunity for the United States to work with countries around the world, and with organizations on an extremely local level. “We cannot succeed if our government works in isolation,” she added. It requires “leading from the top” from
Brand Is Experience in the Digital Age | Direct Access vs. Sequential Access: UX Definition
Direct Access vs. Sequential Access: UX Definition
Sequential access is the method of choice if you expect users to access all the content in a prescribed order. It forces users to accept your curated contribution and assumes that most users will be willing to do so. For works of fiction, many articles, or entertainment videos that assumption is
The User Experience of Public Bathrooms
There’s an urgent need to improve the user experience of public restrooms. I address this unrefined topic because I am uncomfortable with the persistent delays at any well-attended venue — be it an opera hall, a baseball stadium, or a trendy restaurant — and I know that you are, too. The
Anchors OK? Re-Assessing In-Page Links
Back-to-top links lead the user to the top of the page from another part of the page. While these links duplicate the functionality of the scroll bar, they can be useful on long pages where a single click will save time over multiple scrolls. Such links tend not to harm users who do not use them
