Site review: Whistles.co.uk
Fashion retailer Whistles relaunched its website last week, and the resulting Flash heavy site is certainly different.
According to Whistles' Jane Sheperdson, 'We spent a lot of time researching best practice online. We then threw out everything we had learned, and just designed something that pleased us visually.'
This is an interesting way to approach the design of an e-commerce site, but what will the result be for the user experience?
The Guardian makes its comments search engine friendly
The Guardian has introduced some welcome updates to its comments system, with comments now handled server-side instead of client side.
This means that the newspaper is not using javascript to display comments anymore, which brings with it a number of benefits, as pointed out by Malcolm Coles:
The importance of visual affordance in hyperlink design
A slightly disturbing new trend seems to be happening in the world of interface design, requiring people to move their mouse around to tell what is a link and what is not.
When you start messing around with the basic building block of the web - the hyperlink – trouble is sure to follow.
TV Everywhere may not be anywhere until 2014
Cable television companies are getting excited about a web push to put all of their content online for subscribers. Called "TV Everywhere," the endeavor will make many television shows available online for free to customers who pay for cable on television. But getting all the major players to cooperate on this project could take quite some time. Five years in fact. At least that's what Quincy Smith thinks.
Speaking at the B&C/Multichannel News’ sponsored "TV Everywhere and Anywhere" panel on Tuesday in New York, the CEO of CBS Interactive put a damper on the feasability of the cable plan, saying that implementation is a long ways off.
Others on the panel estimated that about half of cable viewers will be authenticated by 2010 or 2012, but Smith is more bearish. He thinks there is a lot standing in the way of implementation. And cable providers aren't making it any easier for anyone.
Six rousing user experience presentations
User experience is a complex subject as it crosses various digital disciplines. Here, to accompany the release of Econsultancy’s User Experience Buyer’s Guide, we’ve rooted out six thought-provoking and inspirational slideshare presentations that approach this wide subject from different perspectives.
Ask.com gets returns from NASCAR advertising
Microsoft's new search engine Bing has been aggressively trying to scrape away at Google's search dominance with a $100 million advertising campaign, but Ask.com has found traction betting a smaller ad budget on the racetrack.
Since last December, Ask has put nearly all of its marketing resources into NASCAR sponsorships and events. And early returns show that the strategy appears to be working.
Longer online videos pave the way for increased ad dollars
Online video began as a short form medium, but as creators and audiences become more comfortable with longer videos online, advertising dollars will surely follow suit.
Sites like Hulu and YouTube have been focused on branding partnerships for professional video content online. And consumers are proving that they have the attention span for longer content.
Elderly and low-income homes drop phone and cable for broadband
In the midst of a severe recession, Americans are cutting their monthly bills to the bone. Landline phones and cable television are now nice-to-haves rather than must-have. But a broadband internet connection? Non-negotiable.
We've come a long way since the dial-up era, when usability best practices cautioned against using slow-to-load graphics on Web sites and in email. The Pew Internet & American Life project's Home Broadband Adoption 2009 report indicates home broadband penetration is holding steady at 54-57 percent of households, a healthy 63 percent of adult Americans. But adoption among senior citizens (65 and older) jumped from 19 percent last May to 30 percent in April of this year.
Brands on Twitter: When silence is the best policy
Individuals and brands are flocking to Twitter, but all the employees figuring out how to share their company's message on the new medium might be surprised to learn that often the best thing to do on the service is stay silent.
At the 140 Character Conference in New York on Wednesday, that was the most ardent advice for brands using Twitter. According to Peter Fasano, Principal at Mass+Logic: "The most important thing on Twitter, is knowing when not to Tweet."
Newspapers struggle to balance free and paid content
Newspapers have been let down by online advertising in the past few years. While many have grown the size of their readership online, income online has not eclipsed — or even matched — the loss of revenue in print products. The outlook is getting so bad that many newspapers have discussed banning together to charge for content. But they might not want to abandon their advertising model just yet.
According to PricewaterhouseCoopers, newspapers will see online advertising growth in the coming years. While the numbers are modest (1.8% growth by 2011 and 7.8% in 2012), they are a sliver of sunlight in an otherwise depressing forecast.
PriceWaterhouse expects print advertising to fall over $12 billion, from $36.7 billion in 2008 to $24.3 billion in 2013.
Social media: the best and worst of 2009
Email marketing: six steps to improving customer engagement in 2010
Web 2.0
Graham Charlton
Strategy & Planning
