Best Practice in UX - Ideal Airlines

Airline websites are well known for being a User Experience (UX) nightmare. Those hard-to-navigate menus, 'best offer' pop-ups and terrible colourschemes are enough to put anyone off air travel. This clever agency has shown the way to change all that, with their fantastic concept video.

None of the suggestions are ground-breaking, but when well-executed with good design they would make booking a flight an altogether more enjoyable experience. Well played.

Introducing 3D screen covers for the iPhone - EyeFly3D

I've never been that excited by 3D, mainly because of the requirement for ridiculous glasses. But this innovation does seem pretty cool.

EyeFly 3D is a (relatively) cheap screen protector for your smart phone, which, when applied, enables the viewer to see 3D effects on the screen without the need for glasses. A cool, simplistic, concept which will, in their words "transform your mobile device into your own portable 3D screen".

 

The product has had some trade press attention (MIT Technology Review, CNet Asia, Gizmag) and, as it bypasses what I reckon has been the main barrier to mainstream adoption of 3D (those damn glasses) it may just be a success.

The only barrier I can really see with this, is the lack of 3D mobile content available. EyeFly 3D have produced an app to "render content for viewing on your device" but this seems a little long-winded and has earned bad reviews. As well as existing 3D films, EyeFly 3D need innovative organisations to come up with original 3D content specifically for mobile and it's uncertain whether this will happen. 

But, as they saying goes "build it and they will come"...

We shall see!

Moo Cards - the calling card of the Tech Professional. (Plus 10% off for Digilance readers!)

Ok so this post isn't purely about digital - more about the 'real-world' paraphernalia even we digital professionals sometimes need, and our provider of choice!

In 2008 I was working in Old Street. This was before the term 'Tech City' was coined, but it was still a hive of digital activity and tech start-ups and I'm sure I remember the phrase 'Silicon Roundabout' being bandied about. Back then I worked in a shared office with other digital types and I saw lots of funny little cards exchanging hands. These weren't the traditional size of business cards (how did those become globally standardised by the way? Who decided that? Must have been a ploy from someone who wanted to produce a business card holder...). These were small rectangles, which sort of reminded me of the space a tweet would occupy (yes, I was a Twitter addict even then!) and had the most wonderful selection of colourful images printed on them. Each one seemed to be different and personal to the techy type that proffered it.

When I enquired I was answered with great enthusiasm: "why they're mini Moo cards!", "We love Moo, great little company" and "Everyone in digital has them. In fact, I know people who won't take you seriously as a tech start-up if you have the old business cards!".

When I moved away from Old Street I didn't see many Moo cards and assumed they hadn't managed to go mainstream and move away from being a tech geek's calling card. But I did see the odd advert online which meant they must be ticking over ok...then one day recently I overheard someone in a non-digital setting comment "what cute little cards" and I knew the Moo card was back!

As I'm branching out into doing more freelance work, Moo were my fist point of call for cards. A natural choice and I'm glad to see they're doing so well. I ordered the cards pictured above (and a few other designs), and then (as Sod's Law would have it) discovered that attendees of Digital Shoreditch also get 100 free Moo cards. No problem though, I've ordered even more!

And, for my lovely digilance readers - a 10% discount off all Moo orders when you order via this link. Enjoy :)

Could it be...a good example of a QR code? I'm as shocked as you are.

I'm normally pretty skeptical of QR codes. It's one of those digital fads which seems to have come out of nowhere, yet been embraced over-enthusiasticly by any company that wishes to appear cool and up-to-date.

The problem is, most companies don't seem to have grasped the basic requirements:

1. People need to be able to scan them with a phone
2. People will need internet access to connect to the page you are sending them to

This makes them wholly unsuitable for, say, an advert on the underground which regularly disappears behind a train, or a motorway hoarding. Some uses just seem absurd. There's no way I'm getting my phone out to scan a bananna (more of these ones on wtfqrcodes.com)!

The QR code above, however, makes a bit more sense. The bit of card which allows me to remove a tabag already has a practical use, is branded on the other side, and therefore has a small square space which would otherwise be blank. Whilst you could try to write something on there, or stick a URL or Twitter handle, I think a QR code isn't a bad call really. If making a cuppa at home, you probably have time to investigate or if you have a takeaway tea like I did from Waitrose, it's an interesting 2 minute activity while drinking it (yes I still did feel a little silly scanning my tea, but pretended I was texting and hoped no-one noticed!).

The link goes through to a page about their tea selection, which is fine, but for me it would have been more appealing if it had some sort of gamification element, such as an offer, or hidden page that only the teabag QR code took me to. Nevertheless, I think Twinings should still be applauded as a case study for a good practical use of the QR code, where so many others are failing miserably to do so.

Digital technologies in retail: House of Fraser 'online concept store'

Retail is always keen to harness new technologies in order to sell more. While for some companies this just means an e-commerce branch of their real-world shop, the real cutting edge innovations are occurring where retailers try to combine the two.

Tesco made the headlines last year for it's innovative tube station virtual shop in Korea, where customers could scan images of products on a giant billboard using their smartphones and add them to an online shopping list. As well as being a media grabbing gimmick, the idea also appeals to the time-poor communter who wants to make use of the frustrating time spent waiting on the platform (although something gives me the impression that train services are pretty regular in Korea!).

Although we are clearly light-years behind this level of innovation in the uk - widespread wifi on the underground would be a start - there ars till some companies who are looking to merge the physical store with the virtual. House of Fraser has been steering its attention towards digital, yet professes no desire to reduce the number of stores. Instead they have opened two 'concept stores' with display-only merchandise and portals from which to browse and buy online.

Image Courtesy of Harpers Bazaar

So, I'm sure you're asking, why would you bother to go out to a 'shop' if you can do the same activity at home on your PJ's with a mug of tea or glass of wine? Harper's Bazaar answers this with:

Here’s why; the store has been designed around a hotel concierge experience, so help with a lost order, a late delivery or an unsuitable item will be instant – and personal.
If something doesn’t suit, get a refund there and then, if an order hasn’t arrived, the store will take care of it. Plus there’s a complimentary coffee bar, which of course you won’t get at home.

I'm not quite sure I understand what they're offering here. If my order (that I've already placed elsewhere) is lost, late or unsuitable, I want to talk to customer services, not go to a room full of computers. The same with a refund. Finally, if an item hasn't arrived I'm not sure how they will "take care of it" if they don't house any physical stock.

The coffee bar sounds nice I must admit, but other than that it seems House of Fraser have created a bizarre hybrid between a customer services desk and an internet café!

However if, rather than a place for online shopping, what does emerge is a dedicated team that understand online orders, can track them and resolve any issues, and be an in-person point of call for online customers needing help, then that's a really positive development. This is something frustratingly absent from ecommerce as a whole - the only options are an email address, a call centre, or a Twitter account that will direct you back to either of the above in a friendly tone of voice. This usually just leads to elongated miscommunications and an ongoing saga of order numbers and non-returned calls.

When online orders go wrong there is all manner of heartache trying to to sort them out, but I for one would be very happy to incorporate speaking to a specialist e-commerce adviser into my next trip to the High Street and maybe even be supplied with the product which was absent from in my late/lost/missing delivery. We seem to be getting closer to this, but for now it will remain wishful thinking...
  

HTC Elevate

Good news - For everyone fed up of me prattling on about my phone, I now have a different forum in which to do it!

I saw a random tweet asking for 500 people to join the HTC Elevate program, and, given my geeky obsession with the little green robot, I signed up. They are (were?) after people to be part of a community, who share tips, beta test, give feedback and enter competitions. 

Unfortunately there was a confidentially agreement as part of the signup forms, so don't expect any exclusives here, but I will still keep the blog updated on anything that's in the public arena, and any handy hints and tips that I learn.

I think it's a great way of rewarding natural brand ambassadors and also very a good move for HTC itself. The community is giving them honest insights into the product's strengths and weaknesses and even suggesting improvements. It has the feel of market-research-meets-think-tank and members are engaged on a personal level, rather than disintrested focus groups. 

HTC is a company that's really listening, in an honest yet professional way, yet they aren't constantly shouting about it either. Quietly brilliant....

HTC One X camera review

Today was a great excuse for an Easter stroll, and to try out the One X's 8mp camera.

It behaved well (and once I have the right shortcuts setup, will be very easy to use) although quite disappointingly, after opening the application a few times it did freeze on a black screen and had to be restarted. Considering the immense processor power behind it, and the advertised camera capabilities (including 'best shot' - take lots in quick succession and choose the best) I was upset it crashed so soon, but time will tell whether it's a regular thing.

Otherwise, the photo quality was good, and I'll let you judge for yourselves below :)

HTC One X review - pretty damn good so far!

I'm writing this review from a brand spanking new HTC One X on O2. So new, in fact, that the shop in Portsmouth hadn't seen one 'unboxed' (cue great excitement from shop staff). They also hadn't got any of the new HTC accessories set up on their till system, probably a blessing in disguise for my bank account anyway ;)
So, first impressions:
- fast. Very, very, fast. Given that my last phone was an HTC hero circa 2009, I was expecting to see good things from the quad core processor. What I wasn't expecting, was the phone to synch all 260 something of my contacts in well under a minute. Having tried everything in great excitement once it charged, it still hasn't crashed or hung, and all the apps are very responsive. This thing's got power!
- user friendly. The lovely cursive HTC font floats over all the functions the first time you use them, explaining what to do. I also wasn't expecting to be gently guided through transferring contacts, but after selecting my old phone's make and model, detailed instructions followed and contacts and texts were sent across via Bluetooth.
So it seems pretty damn good so far. My only current gripe is that O2 claimed it would take 2 hours to connect my account, and so far it's been 7 and still no signal. Thankfully I have WiFi at home so can still play, and will report back again soon...

HTC - leading with an Edge?

You may not be surprised to find that I'm still deliberating over which mobile phone handset to get next. My HTC hero is lovely, but after 2.5 years it's dying a slow death, and the hunt is on for a replacement.

Of course, there is the great iPhone vs Android debate I had a few posts ago, and thought I might finally be leaning towards apple...but a part of me doesn't want to give up on android just yet. I'm proud to have been an early adopter and have a certain amount of brand loyalty for the geeky underdog. 

So before I make any hasty decisions, I'm just going to hang out for new releases announced at the February Mobile World Congress. A little digging around has unearthed rumours about quad core processors and I found this on techleash.com:

The first high-end smartphone to be announced by HTC at Mobile World Congress is going to be dubbed Edge. Among the HTC Edge’s features analysts suggest a 1.5 GHz quad-core Tegra 3 processor, 1GB of RAM, a 4.7 inch touch-screen and an 8 mega-pixel camera.

HTC Zeta is supposed to be the second release that HTC will present this year to the market. Some analysts suggest that due to the leap in performance compared to HTC Edge, Zeta cannot be unveiled at the same event and a later release would be more reasonable. HTC Zeta is expected to feature a 2.5 GHz quad core processor, 1 GB of RAM and 32 GB storage space, a 4.5 inch touch-screen and an 8 mega-pixel camera.

Not sure I can hold out for the Zeta but the Edge already sounds like a giant leap from the antiquated Hero and I so I looked into it a bit further:

• No micro SD slot (but 32g on board memory)
• 1080p HD camcorder
• Additional 720p front facing cam
• NFC (near field communication) capacity (TBC)
• It's PRETTY: 

Altogether now...oooooh! Put it in your diaries people 27th February 2012 the Edge is revealed at the MWC, and android may be firmly back on my list.