tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-43582737183649802572024-02-22T11:58:31.960+00:00Alex GuestAGhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02428194246306616167noreply@blogger.comBlogger79125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4358273718364980257.post-27854178731608047192017-12-21T22:07:00.000+00:002017-12-22T18:28:47.123+00:00My 2017 Journey Back to Fitness<h4>
Setting the scene, setting goals</h4>
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Towards the end of each year, I do a little exercise reflecting on what was important to me in the previous twelve months, and where I want to focus my attention and effort in the following year. I call these 'directions'. They are definitely not SMART goals, nor are they resolutions. A SMART goal would be something like 'run the Berlin Marathon (on 24 September) in a time of 3:15 or faster', while a resolution might look like 'run five times a week'. Instead, they mark a direction I want my life to take.<br />
<br />
Here's one of them from last year's exercise:<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq" style="text-align: center;">
<span style="color: #666666;"><b>Get super fit; especially prepare for Berlin Marathon</b></span></blockquote>
After a couple of years of injuries, I was feeling in a rut with regards to exercise. What had been an essential part of my self-identity throughout my life was missing. I do sport, I am a sportsman. I'd somehow forgotten to be me, and I wanted to get back on track.<br />
<br />
Signing up for the Berlin Marathon set me off on my new journey. My previous best marathon time was 3:32, and I thought - with the right training - I was capable of beating 3:15. I was relatively unfit a year ago, but with the right training over the nine months ahead, I believed I could get there. I determined to hit a 45-minute 10km in March, a 90-minute half marathon in June and then the 3:15 marathon at the end of September. Spoiler: I failed in that specific goal.<br />
<br />
Running was only part of my ambition. I wanted to 'get super fit', a deliberately vague term, which I intended to mean make progress across a range of fitness standards: strength, speed, stamina, flexibility, agility.... And to be able to participate in whatever physical activity came around, just as I always had.<br />
<br />
I'd been a member of a gym for aeons, but on average I was only going about once a month. In the distant past, when I was playing rugby, I loved going to the gym. I found an excellent personal trainer, and we enjoyed working together. But fastforward to a year ago, working alone and without a specific objective, I was finding the gym boring.<br />
<br />
My gym was a couple of miles away. I'd joined it years before when I lived nearby and I went along quite regularly. When I moved home in 2014, because it was very cheap, it was hard to give it up, even though my attendance was now very poor. At £15 a month, if I just went once a week, I figured, the cost would be down to about £3.50. But in the dark of winter, my motivation to run up to the gym where I would be bored was lacking. I began to take a look around at gyms closer to home.<br />
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Idly browsing through Netflix, before I cancelled my subscription, I came across an awe-inspiring documentary about the CrossFit Games. So yes, on the one hand, I discovered CrossFit through Netflix; on the other, I inhaled 65 hours of <i>Breaking Bad</i> in just four weeks. I'm almost in tears thinking about all that I could have done during those 65 hours.<br />
<br />
In January, I noticed a CrossFit gym less than half a mile away from home. I must have seen it before but I had never taken any interest. I signed up to a free taster session. There were just two of us giving it a go. We did Jackie, one of the girls. The girls are a series of standard workouts with girls' names. Yeah, I know how it sounds to an outsider, just as I was at the time. Jackie consists of:<br />
<ul>
<li>1000m row</li>
<li>50 Thrusters @ 20kg</li>
<li>30 Pull-ups</li>
</ul>
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This high-intensity, short workout makes you sweat hard and it's fun. 'Scaling' is an important concept in CrossFit. You take a workout and if you're not up to the prescribed standard, you can modify the movement, the measure and the volume. For example, 50 thrusters at 20kg, could be scaled to 25 (lower volume) squats (easier movement) without load (reduced measure).</div>
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I got hooked. I signed up for the next introductory sessions, and soon I was paying ten times for my gym membership to what I was paying before, but I was attending 13 times a month.</div>
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<h4>
What is it about CrossFit?</h4>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">London Box Battles April 2017: working towards 1RM Thruster</td></tr>
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For me there are a number of factors that make it highly addictive.<br />
<br />
Every session is coached. You book a one-hour timeslot, and a coach guides you through the WoD - Workout of the Day. They prepare you for the actual workout, guide you through the technique to maximise performance and avoid injury, and keep an eye on each person, providing feedback as you go.<br />
<br />
Gradually - actually pretty quickly - you begin to notice the effect. And as you progress in fitness, you begin to learn more, so that the movements that you scaled down, you begin to do in earnest. This year, amongst other things, I've learned to do handstand pushups - pushups while in a handstand - and double-unders - skipping with the rope passing twice under your feet between jumps. I'm still not 100% proficient but it feels exciting to improve in ability and to learn new movements, even at my 'masters' age. But because there are scaling options for every movement, and the coaches will take you through the progression from easiest to hardest, anyone is capable of starting.<br />
<br />
There's variety in each workout. Part of the CrossFit ethos is to be able to take on whatever physical challenge is thrown at you. Jackie has three fairly different movements in it: rowing, thrusters and pull-ups. Kelly is quite different, involving running, box jumps and wall balls, although the running gets harder with each round as the box jumps and wall balls take their toll.<br />
<br />
I'm looking forward to testing myself again on Fight Gone Bad on Boxing Day. This is a tough workout that consists of three rounds of one minute of each of the following:<br />
<ul>
<li>Wall balls</li>
<li>Sumo deadlift highpull</li>
<li>Box jumps</li>
<li>Push press</li>
<li>Rowing</li>
</ul>
<div>
The idea is you put one minute maximum effort into each of them then move straight on to the next movement. At the end of the five, you take a one minute break and then go again, for a total of three rounds. There's also a five-round version. None of the movements is difficult, even if they have these obscure names. You quickly learn what they are: at the start of the session the coach will take you through the movements and prepare your for the specifics of each one.</div>
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Because every session is coached and limited to a specific number of people, and generally people will attend sessions at roughly the same time, you get to see the same people and form something of a community. You also get to know the coaches. Our box had a Christmas party, to which all clients were invited. I've never before been a member of a gym that does that. </div>
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<br /></div>
<div>
At our box, you sign up for a session, and if you don't attend or cancel three hours before the session, you lose the appointment. You have a limited number of sessions per month, and you don't want to lose them. When 7pm comes around and you feel a bit tired, you don't have to drag yourself to work out, there's a pull coming from your fixed appointment. So, at the start of the year, in the cold and dark of February, when I was supposed to be training for a 10km race, I was going to CrossFit much more than putting on my running shoes.</div>
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<h4>
So how did the running go?</h4>
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<br /></div>
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I ran the Regent's Park 10K on 2 April in 44:20. That's a long way off my best, but was below the 45-minute target that I'd set myself. I'd been on a grand total of six runs in the two months coming up to it but I was doing CrossFit three times a week.<br />
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A month later, at the start of May, I ran the same course again. I upped my training to about 5 times a week, with a minimum of two runs a week, except around Easter weekend, which I'll come back to later. I felt fitter going into the race, and so it proved. I knocked nearly two minutes off my time, finishing in 42:38. Still not a PB, but well on track.<br />
<br />
And then at the start of June, right when I should have been starting my 16-week marathon training plan, I went away on holiday for two weeks.<br />
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<h4>
Corsica: hiking the GR20</h4>
<br />
The GR20 is well-known in France as a particularly gruelling hike of nearly 200km over the beautiful Corsican mountains. I'd first heard of the route ten years ago, while on an active holiday of scuba diving, hiking and eating. The desire to complete the route had been lying dormant in my imagination all this time, until I was inspired by a dozen intrepid adventurers recounting tales of their expeditions at an event in March appropriately named A Night of Adventure. I booked my flights at once. </div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Pen y Ghent</td></tr>
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<div>
On Easter weekend, I got my old kit together, plus a new backpack, and hiked 80km of the Pennine Way in the Yorkshire Dales. One of my tent poles snapped, as I was pitching my tent on the first night in driving wind. I was able to repair it. On the second day, I could barely see where I was going as I was lashed by horizontal rain for about 20km. It was miserable; it was perfect. I thought, if I can do this, Corsica will be a breeze. By the end of the third day, my old boots were falling apart.</div>
<div>
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<div>
Corsica was not a breeze. Physically and mentally, it was very testing. I was quite often terrified of falling, and it was reported that one man fell 15m on the section that I was to be doing the next day. Carrying around 20kg on my back up and down steep tracks, with very uneven ground was challenging. By the end of the trek, I'd lost 10% of my bodyweight. Too much, too fast. While I looked lean, I'd almost certainly lost some of the muscle I'd gained in the previous months.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
The question now was whether all that physical work, the mental break and stimulation, and the Vitamin D boost would pay off for running.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<h4>
<b>The Road to Berlin</b></h4>
<br />
I got straight back into running on my return with a couple of gentle little runs. I had to cut short a CrossFit session with knee pain, but I was ok to do a 10km training run two days later. Within a week of completing the GR 20, I'd been on three runs totalling 20km. The week after I ran three times totalling 33km, as well as going to CrossFit three times.<br />
<br />
And a week later, I ran the North Downs Way half marathon. It was an arduous trail, and it was hot. My stomach was cramping by the end, and in the last few hundred metres I was overtaken by lots of runners. The time was irrelevant, and wouldn't allow me to gauge how fit I was. It was the wrong race: a mistake in my training plan. Yet it somehow felt good, once I'd eaten about 2kg of Haribo.<br />
<br /></div>
<div>
</div>
<div>
Entering the sixth week of the 16-week training plan, I was off course, and didn't know where I stood in relation to my goal of hitting a sub-3:15 marathon time, and gaining guaranteed entry into the London Marathon. I had a goal, and a plan, and I needed to execute it. Now, at the half-way point, it was crucial to be upping the mileage. But due to the half marathon over uneven ground, with a few short and sharp ascents and descents, I was suffering niggles that could easily become a full-blown injury, and rule me out of the marathon altogether. </div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
I cut right back. My training log is full of entries with cancelled or abandoned training runs due to 'niggles'. In place of a 10K, I noted a 5K 'being careful'; for a 24K, 8K 'being careful'. But I didn't stop altogether. I ran shorter; I ran slower. July was largely a write-off but I still had time.</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Burnham Beeches Half Marathon 2017: the last stretch</td></tr>
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The pains slipped away, and I entered another half marathon in the middle of August. This time Burnham Beeches. Far from a flat course, on another warm summer day, I set out with a reset objective of running 1:33:31. I felt strong from the start. Too strong, actually, too much endorphin. I ran the first 10km in 43 minutes, just a few seconds slower than the 10km race back in May. The second half taught me a lesson. I finished in quite a lot of pain, that final uphill mile seeming never-ending. I finished in 1:35:54. Outside my goal; outside my PB. </div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Six weeks to go to take 18 minutes off my previous best over marathon distance. By now I should have done a couple of 20-mile runs, but the longest were the two 13-mile half marathons. I ran a 15-miler the week after Burnham Beeches, but an 18-miler a week later was cut short to 16, after I tried running on the hottest day of the year without water. Another lesson learned. At the end of week 13, I got up to 20 miles, but it was now time to cut back in order to hit the start line fresh. I ran 13 miles the following Sunday, and 6 miles the week after that with seven days till the starting gun.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
I had switched out of the high intensity CrossFit activities, and it was absolutely the right thing to do. There is no real stamina work in CrossFit. While it helped me with my 5K, 10K and to a lesser extent half marathon, the marathon is a different beast altogether. Instead, I was doing much more cross-training, especially long rowing efforts, which continue to train the legs for long distances without the impact of running on a hard surface. Some elite ultra-marathon runners are now advocating no cross-training at all. </div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<h4>
Berlin Baby</h4>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Berlin Marathon 2017: you're smiling now</td></tr>
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<br />
I didn't break 3:15. On a rainy day at the end of September, I ran a PB of 3:22. It felt good to have run a better time, but I had missed the main goal. My training had been less than perfect. The conditions on the day were less than perfect. My start position in the 3:30-4:50 pod was less than perfect. Some of this was outside my control, but the major factor was inadequate training, and I could have done better.<br />
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And yet...</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
The direction I'd set myself was principally 'get super fit', and I was progressing along that journey. Not only had I just run the best marathon of my life, aged 42, I had done so while also improving my overall fitness, learned some new skills and I'd undertaken a challenging and memorable hike.<br />
<br />
I am also pleased with the specifics of my pre-race preparation. I'd given my body time to recover from training. I ate correctly, ensuring adequate calories. I'd been for a little jog the day before to loosen up and to recce the start line, so the shambles of 40,000 people milling about wouldn't faze me. I brought the lesson from Burnham Beeches, and slowed myself down in the first half to ensure I could make it to the end. My fueling during the race was good too.</div>
<div>
<br />
<h4>
What next?</h4>
<br /></div>
<div>
The experience of Berlin had me hyped. The major shortfall in my training had been long runs. Well, now I had a 26-mile long run in the bag. So I looked for the next marathon to hit my target and I signed up to run Valencia six weeks after Berlin. I was advised by a more experienced friend to be cautious, but I ignored the advice, which proved to be right. My body hadn't recovered, and I felt sluggish in training. So I didn't fly to Spain, and I haven't run another marathon. Another lesson learned.<br />
<br />
The CrossFit Open runs from the end of February to the end of March. I'm now preparing to do as well as I can. Will I run another marathon? Maybe... I haven't yet settled on the specifics, but in 2018 I will definitely continue along the journey to get super fit.</div>
AGhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02428194246306616167noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4358273718364980257.post-73993066289904225942017-11-28T15:47:00.000+00:002017-11-28T15:57:21.071+00:00A man walks into a bookstore...<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Junot Diaz - <i>Drown</i></td></tr>
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I had 17 minutes until my train departed, so I went to the bookstore on the station concourse and began browsing. I've seen two authors, whose previous works I've read and enjoyed, advertised on the Underground recently, Arundhati Roy and Zadie Smith. So I thought I'd have a look at their latest creations. But quite quickly I picked up Christopher Berry-Dee's <i>Talking with Psychopaths and Savages</i>. Something about the cover grabbed me: maybe it was the sub-title <i>A journey into the evil mind</i>, or the sub-sub-title <i>A chilling study of the most cold-blooded, manipulative people on planet earth</i>. She can't possibly be in this. Can she?<br />
<br />
As I scanned the shelf for a second title, the shop assistant asked: "Are you looking for something similar to that one?" and quickly we were engaged in a conversation. We discussed authors and genres, and she even read out an extract from a novel. Then she suggested the Pulitzer Prize-winning <i>The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao</i>, one of the most enjoyable novels that I've read in the past five years. She hadn't like Junot Diaz's later work <i>This is how you lose her</i>, which I thought was also insightful and entertaining, but she recommended nevertheless <i>Drown</i>, a collection of short stories that pre-dates both. I paid and ran for my train, hopping on as the doors closed.<br />
<br />
The conversation I had on that day in that store with that woman is different to the conversation I had on a different day, in another store with a man. They are human and have the qualities that are uniquely human, each time distinct, yet familiar. Today, AI can't replicate this: your voice assistant doesn't even get close. And I don't want it to. I don't want a machine to do this human thing: I don't want <i>Blade Runner</i>. But I do want it.<br />
<br />
One time: "What's your favourite book?", she asked. "The Hobbit", I conceded, a little coy. Alternatively: "Do you have The Sellout?", I enquired. "We've sold out, I'm afraid", he replied, suppressing a snicker. And most recently: "I could swear that horse had a name", she said as I approached the counter. "What do you think was the horse's name?" "Bob", she suggested.<br />
<br />
Are you enriching human interaction and experience, or chipping away at it?
<br />
<br />
And as for those books? <i>Psychopaths</i> I found deadly dull; but <i>Drown</i> buoyed me up again.AGhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02428194246306616167noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4358273718364980257.post-20805614721277416192017-07-07T15:59:00.001+01:002017-07-07T15:59:28.703+01:00Getting straight to the Punkt<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJUqCl5mbRntrdi_Ivfe3T-ZgxlMR3vdu1fyAoPM7B3bOYhEdNZrnSDX-GhRsBVeMqjCil_Wx5e7sYIlvAofSRovBPOCReHJ7gP4Ar5y-5e0odfraP01ZJw5T0eKUw6ayyPrADv_qOcN3Z/s1600/Punkt.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="280" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJUqCl5mbRntrdi_Ivfe3T-ZgxlMR3vdu1fyAoPM7B3bOYhEdNZrnSDX-GhRsBVeMqjCil_Wx5e7sYIlvAofSRovBPOCReHJ7gP4Ar5y-5e0odfraP01ZJw5T0eKUw6ayyPrADv_qOcN3Z/s400/Punkt.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
As I slipped the SIM card into the <a href="https://www.punkt.ch/en/products/mp01-mobile-phone/">Punkt MP 01</a>, I was fully aware that my other assorted devices still had wifi connectivity. Only if I left them behind would I be truly bereft of the myriad digital services that punctuate my day with information, entertainment and connections.<br />
<br />
Punkt is a Swiss company based in the beautiful region of Lugano, and the MP 01 is a mobile phone capable of… well, not a great deal really: calls and SMS, alarms and reminders. It has less functionality, in other words, than the <a href="https://www.nokia.com/en_int/news/releases/2002/11/04/nokia-introduces-classic-form-and-function-in-a-compact-shape">Nokia 6100</a> that I’ve had for about 15 years. The makers call it a ‘dumb phone’.<br />
<br />
<a href="https://uk.linkedin.com/in/mjpawlowski">Marek Pawlowski</a>, founder of MEX, had passed the phone to me shortly before Christmas, and I was delighted to receive a device that I thought might help me break from obsessive phone checking: I can’t tell you how often I catch myself picking up my iPhone seconds after I’ve put it down, just to check on… who knows what?
Punkt has this to say: “The more our phones do, the more they demand of us. Sometimes it’s good to take a break. But until now, the only alternative to hyper-connected smartphones has been the kind of phone you find at the back of a drawer. The Punkt MP 01 is a stylish, well-crafted mobile phone which focuses on modern simplicity, inside and out. It makes phone calls and sends texts. That’s all.” Perfect, I thought.<br />
<br />
As I unboxed the phone, noting the 1970s retro-styling, I opened up the fat little instruction manual and turned to the heading “Inserting a SIM card”. Immediately, I encountered the first problem: “the MP 01 is designed to be used with a Micro-SIM (3FF) only… Incompatible SIM cards can damage the card or device…”. My iPhone 7 uses a Nano-SIM.<br />
<br />
So Christmas was a digitally-enhanced event. Taking my iPhone along to the family gatherings, I was able to take various pictures, and share them instantly with one or two friends over WhatsApp and iMessage. And I was able to book a cab home using Uber.<br />
<br />
Then Marek informed me that there was a Nano- to Micro-SIM converter somewhere in the packaging. I had missed it, although it had been hiding in the same little black envelope in which the SIM tray opener pin (does this thing have a name?) was to be found. To be fair to Punkt, the manual does also say: “Permanent use of SIM adapter is not recommended.” However, the omission of the definite article (“the”) leaves some ambiguity.<br />
<br />
A short time passed and I found myself back at work, unable to relinquish my smart device. The MP 01 remained in its box. Until last weekend. I was going to see a <a href="https://whatson.bfi.org.uk/Online/default.asp?doWork::WScontent::loadArticle=Load&BOparam::WScontent::loadArticle::article_id=BF19376F-A42C-4198-AD00-7062603BC25A&BOparam::WScontent::loadArticle::context_id=F762DBDD-743E-4747-BF6B-1232C26D3122">preview of the film Fences</a>, followed by a Q&A with Viola Davis, who plays the principal female character. The plan was to put the SIM into the MP 01, and head down to the BFI. Who needs a phone at the cinema?<br />
<br />
But I couldn’t do it. Despite the fact that my iPhone always goes into airplane mode before a film starts, and remains so for the duration, I still felt the need to have it with me. The moments around the viewing are where it plays a leading role. At <a href="http://www.mobileuserexperience.com/?p=4099">MEX/16</a>, Apala Lahiri Chavan of Human Factors International, made reference to the term ‘unwaiting’, the act of shifting, through a mobile device, to another world. Like many others on the tube, I find myself so immersed in my phone that I would struggle without it: whether it’s communicating via email or text, picking up a signal at each station along the way; or listening to music, from my own library or downloads on Spotify; or scrolling through Twitter and Instagram; or, quite frequently, using the time to compose my own words on the tiny keyboard.<br />
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Before I even get on the tube, I’m checking Citymapper to ensure I optimise my time by standing at the ideal end of the platform for the exit at the other end. And on this specific occasion, after the film, I took out my phone and snapped a couple of photographs of Viola Davis, which I shared on Facebook and Instagram on my way back home.<br />
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A <a href="http://www.wired.co.uk/article/ditch-the-digital-detox">recent article in Wired UK</a> rails against the notion of the digital detox: digital devices are not <em>de facto</em> bad for us, and I find myself agreeing, while noting, on the other hand, that there are potential side effects. The huge utility that my device, with the various applications running on it, brings to me is so obvious that to say so seems superfluous. Modifying notification settings is important to avoid being repeatedly distracted while in mid-flow. However, the compulsion just to pick it up and to have a speculative look is more problematic. So is setting out to take some specific action and being drawn elsewhere, whether by a visual notification such as a banner or a badge, or an another, unconscious motive.<br />
<br />
The solution might be to take short breaks from the iPhone, coping with the Punkt alone. But when? Perhaps I don’t need it when I go to do my groceries, perhaps I don’t need any sort of phone. Then again, I have my shopping list on it, and often make use of the time to listen to a podcast. I don’t carry any sort of device when I’m out running, but on a ramble? Well, in that case I like to take pictures of things I see, and occasionally take notes, but I would have to carry a notebook, pencil, camera… Ironically, I could handle being without the telephony, or the messaging.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlPMd-RKV-Irjpi-i2fWpY67tnBVB1YEaB4aKqTBJ3YdwmFekAWLs1okOdVaI1Semkson4VFA7rTlOZdXOFxhNInRykmtAQ9Y1nIBCEGBKXa69jI4Wd1wmKmCt6NhWlx-BOUzU81hrDZOz/s1600/IMG_6062.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlPMd-RKV-Irjpi-i2fWpY67tnBVB1YEaB4aKqTBJ3YdwmFekAWLs1okOdVaI1Semkson4VFA7rTlOZdXOFxhNInRykmtAQ9Y1nIBCEGBKXa69jI4Wd1wmKmCt6NhWlx-BOUzU81hrDZOz/s320/IMG_6062.PNG" width="179" /></a></div>
To make good on my promise to Marek, I finally made the switch. First, I set a reminder. With an iPhone, you can ask Siri to remind you to do something at a particular date and time, at the press of the home button. But when you take away voice activation and a touchscreen interface, you’re left with multi-level, hierarchical decision trees. While these are logical, they are not natural. Yes, of course, we see them in biology: trees, veins etc. But in our daily activities, the rigid, linear paths rarely occur. So the simplicity of the device engenders a particular kind of complexity arising from the unfamiliarity of the system.<br />
<br />
Creating a contact follows a similar process, and is not particularly difficult. Press the contacts key, scroll to ‘add contact’, ‘create new’, and follow the rest of the steps… But being used to having all the fields visible and appropriately sized, it felt strange to step through each one individually. Of course, with regular use, this sort of thing could become more natural.<br />
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Next, try typing a text message that says “I’ll call you in 10 minutes”. The lack of a full keyboard on the MP 01 means you input this: 4550225509680460######10#06467*HOME. The multiple # strokes toggle the input mode to enable numerals. I realised it would have been quicker to write “ten” (08360 – zero is a space). There is predictive text, but it is no surprise that txt spk came into existence, along with emoticons, during Nokia’s reign. To send the thing, you have to go through a whole decision tree again, unless you select the contact first, and go down the path before composing the message.<br />
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Now to make that call. It’s fairly easy to assign numeric keys 2-9 to speed-dial favourite numbers. But you’ll have to remember which is which, because it dials the number instantly, rather than giving you the opportunity to confirm the selection. It is simpler, when you have just one contact in your phone, to press the contacts key, select the contact and hit the ‘send’ key.<br />
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I will find opportunities to use the MP 01. Perhaps meeting up with friends in the evening. I’ll need to make sure I know where I’m going and how to get there before setting out, but otherwise all should be good. Unless they communicate a last-minute venue change on the WhatsApp group.<br />
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There are certain things that I instantly loved about the device. The styling first of all is gorgeous. While you might feel ashamed to pull out a 15-year old phone in public, the MP 01 makes a statement. I love the silk matte finish on the chocolatey brown. The shape of the back, with its dimpled surface, is unusual, but it fits very snugly in the hand, and is quite delightful to hold. At 88g it is only slightly heavier than the Nokia 6100, and 50g lighter than the iPhone 7. The screen is big enough for its limited functionality; while the typeface and the range of type sizes are good, albeit in monochrome. It has a micro-USB socket for charging, synchronising with your laptop, and using the handsfree earpiece. Just like the iPhone 7, there is no dedicated headphone jack, and it is Bluetooth-enabled.<br />
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A few design choices seem strange to me. The mic is at the bottom, off to the right, which could affect call quality. The USB socket has a cover with a rather flimsy looking hinge. I can’t see it withstanding much use. And while I like it that the volume and lock buttons are flush, it would be easier to change the volume during a call if the buttons had some shape for the thumb to find.<br />
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A moment ago, I picked up an email on my iPhone (over wifi), sent via Paperless Post, inviting me to an event. With one tap, I accepted the invitation; and with two taps, I added all the details to my calendar. Shortly, I will go for a run. When I get back, I will log the time and distance in <a href="https://www.strava.com/">Strava</a>, and the data will then be imported, via the Health app, to <a href="http://zingy.life/">Zingy</a>, in which I’ve been logging today’s food, so that it can calculate my energy expenditure and modify my nutritional requirements for the day.
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<br />
The world has adapted to the smartphone: many pre-existing systems have been uprooted. It is difficult to do things the way we used to do them. It is not only the phone that has changed, but the world itself, both society and individuals. We do things differently, and many of the processes and objects that we once used have disappeared. There was a time when the A-Z was many people’s most helpful possession, residing in handbags, jacket pockets and glove compartments all over the country. Attempting to turn back the clock is about as easy as choosing to heat your home from time to time with coal.<br />
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The MP 01 is a philosophical statement: it is not a phone.<br />
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<i>This piece originally appear at <a href="http://mobileuserexperience.com/">mobileuserexperience.com</a>. </i>AGhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02428194246306616167noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4358273718364980257.post-34757702830465239742016-02-13T10:40:00.001+00:002016-02-13T10:42:03.612+00:00Is Myers-Briggs up to the job?The FT asks the question this morning and gives a summary of the debate: <a href="http://on.ft.com/1V5PqT8">http://on.ft.com/1V5PqT8</a> It seems to me, however, that both sides of the table have it slightly off. <div><br></div><div><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">Taking the example of the husband and wife at a party, saying that one of them wants to leave the party early because they're an introvert is the wrong way to look at it. 'Introvert' is merely the tag you give someone who wants to leave a party early. So explaining the behaviour as the outcome of the tag is simply saying 'you want to leave the party early because you want to leave the party early'. <br><br>Nevertheless, that does have its uses. Once you begin to pay attention to personality types, you are, in fact, paying attention to personality, thereby accepting certain aspects of personality, which might include wanting to leave the party early. Accepting differences in personality, even if by the proxy of artificial personality types, can result in negotiating compromises, hence more effective relationships. <br><br>The danger, however, arises from stereotyping, as well as the excessive emphasis placed on the I-E axis. My LinkedIn timeline is full of superficial, trite analysis and recommendations on the differences between I and E types. These are often simply wrong; but also fail to take into account all the many different aspects of personality. One of the important points of all the different introspective exercises that we undertook at IMD was the multitude of layers that might influence personality: culture, family, travel... <br><br>In sum, using structures can help to understand differences in behaviour, thereby assisting in developing better relationships. But it's vital to avoid placing undue emphasis on the descriptor, and drawing superficial conclusions that stereotype, otherwise you miss the point, which is to better relate to each individual. </span><br style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;"></div>AGhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02428194246306616167noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4358273718364980257.post-69682652725802013562015-08-26T15:55:00.002+01:002017-01-06T10:30:36.244+00:00Ten PR Tips for Tech StartupsFor startups, understanding how to get coverage in the media is often a source of frustration. Every startup I ever mentored has asked for advice on PR. By following a few simple steps, you can make a lot of progress in getting your news reported. News stories are an important part of your PR armoury and you should achieve significant success if you keep the following in mind. Just be aware that your story might not get covered simply because there's something bigger going on. <br />
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<b>1. Research your media</b><br />
<br />
Fundamentally,
you should be tracking which journalists write about topics relating to
your company, industry, markets etc. Note that the journalist is more important than the publication: contacting the 'newsdesk' is rarely a successful strategy.<br />
<br />
Be aware that journalists are
frequently freelancers and will often write for more than one news
outlet, sometimes about a broad variety of subjects. They don't always
to stick to the same broad subject matter. I knew a journalist who went
from writing about architecture to eyeware. While both are strongly
design-led, none of her previous sources were of any relevance anymore, and conversely, from a professional perspective, she was no longer of any use to architects. Yes, architects do PR too.<br />
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<b>2. Get to the point</b><br />
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You are one of many people trying to contact a journalist. Forget the niceties: it might go against your upbringing but the opening line should get straight into the pitch rather than ask after the journalist's wellbeing.<br />
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"Geoffrey, following the news that bears have been caught defecating in the woods, grrrizz.ly has launched a smartwatch app to keep you from stepping on the stools, while out strolling."<br />
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<b>3. Make it topical</b><br />
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In the above example, the pitch is linked to some news that has recently broken. Journalists get interested in a subject for a little while then move on to another subject. Your challenge is to ensure that your story relates to a current topic of interest. Nobody cares that you launched an app. But if your app solves something that is topical and significant, then you have a story.<br />
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<b>4. Be concise</b><br />
<br />
Whether or not you write a press release - <a href="http://mbites.com/2015/07/01/the-press-release-is-dead/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">some journalists hate them</a>, others like them - keep your pitch brief. Get rid of any puffery - vague, unsubstantiated claims like 'leading', 'defining', 'brilliant'.<br />
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Many journalists want a quote they can lift from your press release and drop into a story. Make it useful rather than formulaic. I often see bland statements like: "Wizzooo is delighted to be partnering with Wazzooo on this project", said Bonita McGonigal, founder. Try instead something like: "The combination of Wizzooo's tinting technology and Wazzooo's leather-cutting devices will create the bluest suede shoes you ever danced in."<br />
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<b>5. News is new</b><br />
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Is it happening now? It's news. Anything else isn't. <br />
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<b>6. Don't ask for permission to send information</b><br />
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Just send it.<br />
<b><br /></b>
<b>7. Don't ask journalists to promote you</b><br />
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Journalists write stories of interest to the readers of their publications, for money. Every day they have competing opportunities. If yours didn't make it, too bad. Try to work out why - without asking the journalists. Maybe you'll get some success next time.<br />
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However, never ask a journalist to tweet or retweet or do any other form of promotional activity on your behalf. That's what friends and family are for. If your product's any good, your customers will do it for you too.<br />
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<b>8. Offer exclusives</b><br />
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Every journalist wants an exclusive. They can be useful for securing coverage from certain outlets but they aren't always necessary and, of course, the flipside is that you reduce the number of outlets covering you. Be clear that the exclusivity has an expiry date eg for the next two days.<br />
<b><br /></b>
<b>9. Don't give 'exclusives' to multiple journalists </b><br />
<br />
If you tell more than one journalist that you're giving them an exclusive, you will never get written up by them again. Unless there's some bad news; then they'll tear you apart and you'll have deserved it for lying and manipulating.<br />
<br />
<b>10. Use embargoes for major news</b><br />
<br />
If you want to coordinate a major news story across multiple outlets so that they appear simultaneously but not before a certain date, you can release the news in advance under embargo, which should be clearly stated at the top of your news item, including the time and date before which it shouldn't be published. Be aware that a small number of journalists don't adhere to embargoes but they usually publicise the fact. If you research them properly, you'll know what to expect.<br />
<b><br /></b>
<b>BONUS Be responsive</b><br />
<br />
If you're putting out a story make sure that you're available to communicate immediately with any journalist who responds. If you leave it even a couple of hours to reply to an email, you've probably wasted the opportunity.<br />
<br />AGhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02428194246306616167noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4358273718364980257.post-29173124639506517362015-08-19T10:14:00.001+01:002015-08-19T10:14:33.269+01:00How to improve mobile user experience to simplify creating: the example of iOS Photos<i>As part of the exploration that Marek Pawlowski and I have been conducting around the user experience at the intersection between consumption and creation, we looked at how various services handled the transition. This is part of a series of articles that we are publishing here and at <a href="http://www.mobileuserexperience.com/">www.mobileuserexperience.com</a>.</i><br />
<br />
The iOS Photos app now delivers a more fluid UX for photo editing. The editing functionality in the app itself is quite powerful and will fully meet most users' requirements. For those, like me at times, who want more tools or are used to tools available in desktop software, iOS now enables easy access to the editing functionality of third party apps. For example, I use ProCam. What is particularly striking here is that the app functionality appears to load directly in the Photos app.<br />
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1. Tapping on a photo within the Photos app brings up the top and bottom frame elements, which show where the picture was taken and options for returning to an album, editing, sharing (actually quite a bit more than that), marking as favourite or deleting.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinHucY_NZche8Ra15PBWQuVX-Jvhdp-vKqVSri7OBlb2S_DeLoijUpZSfVlNt9S-NZ1uzQ4-C1SL1pJbk60lAmao8vnyKoLoEh87T-1XxqB6RheqXdfLWNM7kc843WSDU36B2qMcX2IiR7/s1600/IMG_4082.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinHucY_NZche8Ra15PBWQuVX-Jvhdp-vKqVSri7OBlb2S_DeLoijUpZSfVlNt9S-NZ1uzQ4-C1SL1pJbk60lAmao8vnyKoLoEh87T-1XxqB6RheqXdfLWNM7kc843WSDU36B2qMcX2IiR7/s320/IMG_4082.png" width="320" /></a></div>
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2. Tapping on Edit loads the editing interface. In the bottom left is an icon, a circle with an ellipsis within it.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg83ErJ0JQ0gMaNN7oSo27bL1NiV9xbRqqzCwsSmMZfQtgGgyWfsq7xo_1aw-FXiTWP4KDCUTyTgcro9jFwBqNG0c0oamzsPOn6qwO6jh35NN0z7tDRuAEDDmlJ1ciAkHrOl8DUXd42QuCZ/s1600/IMG_4083.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg83ErJ0JQ0gMaNN7oSo27bL1NiV9xbRqqzCwsSmMZfQtgGgyWfsq7xo_1aw-FXiTWP4KDCUTyTgcro9jFwBqNG0c0oamzsPOn6qwO6jh35NN0z7tDRuAEDDmlJ1ciAkHrOl8DUXd42QuCZ/s320/IMG_4083.png" width="320" /></a></div>
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3. Tapping on the icon brings up a menu of apps that have access to the Photos app for editing. Tapping More will reveal further app options that can be switched on to appear in the menu. I have other photo-editing apps, like Lenca and Hipstamatic, but they don't have access to the Photos app.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOadl_9C723mXp0SD0u9y4VEYDgUpiJZ8XpENLqcoi3P7p9mONfZn8a1hW6JiqTIVQv7tpTrPRWTBj6dlhl4nsOGMPFNFKa1ot5BKtUOrHtrj8LPNc_Gq_c31DvZCRKqLz7ArQgmKC3rwy/s1600/IMG_4084.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOadl_9C723mXp0SD0u9y4VEYDgUpiJZ8XpENLqcoi3P7p9mONfZn8a1hW6JiqTIVQv7tpTrPRWTBj6dlhl4nsOGMPFNFKa1ot5BKtUOrHtrj8LPNc_Gq_c31DvZCRKqLz7ArQgmKC3rwy/s320/IMG_4084.png" width="320" /></a></div>
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4. I then simply tap on the ProCam icon and the ProCam editing interface loads immediately - no switching between apps. There is some loss of functionality. Within the ProCam app there are various options for cropping, realigning and altering perspective, which don't load in the Photos app.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhB0jEmotY71Pqdirr_5_Occ_n9lg_2W0waM0w2V0hAFux68MkQ6gYGQM6LxHUj35xe9s64GPnPqxc2Oh7MYd-yDTMJo0IjEXJ7DMjW01uEONTx4YGwkW7ck2yRy94UMQFJhzaCaHBmF-6z/s1600/IMG_4085.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhB0jEmotY71Pqdirr_5_Occ_n9lg_2W0waM0w2V0hAFux68MkQ6gYGQM6LxHUj35xe9s64GPnPqxc2Oh7MYd-yDTMJo0IjEXJ7DMjW01uEONTx4YGwkW7ck2yRy94UMQFJhzaCaHBmF-6z/s320/IMG_4085.png" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
Video editing works in a similar way. Since there is no video editing functionality in iOS, one step is removed. Instead of Edit on the first screen, there is the circle icon, which on tapping shows third party video editors. For me, that means 8mm.<br />
<br />
There are some slight differences to how iOS handles photos and videos that are edited within Photos as opposed to being accessed through third party apps. For one, the editing interface is streamlined, without some of the app designs. Also, the edited image is then stored 'on top of' the original rather than as a separate entity. With regards to the latter, there is some benefit to this approach, in that it is possible to re-edit the picture or to revert to the original, taking up less 'space' in the app. However, it is not possible to keep the edited version and to make a new version from the original. Ideally, edits versions could be kept in a set, as is possible in desktop software.<br />
<br />
The trout was delicious.<br />
<br />
We'd very much welcome any comments or thoughts around this exploration. AGhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02428194246306616167noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4358273718364980257.post-52017314636626531812015-08-11T15:09:00.000+01:002015-08-11T15:09:42.127+01:00How can UX improvements encourage users to pivot from consuming to creating?<i>This essay</i><i><i>, which I have written with <a href="https://uk.linkedin.com/in/mjpawlowski" target="_blank">Marek Pawlowski</a>,</i> is the first in a series on the intersection between digital consumption and creativity. The original is at </i><i><i>mobileuserexperience.com. </i>To follow the forthcoming stream of articles, UI concepts and examples, track <a href="https://twitter.com/search?f=tweets&q=%23uxintersection&src=typd" target="_blank">#uxintersection</a> on Twitter, bookmark the '<a href="http://www.mobileuserexperience.com/?cat=295" target="_blank">Intersection</a>' category at mobileuserexperience.com or <a href="http://www.mobileuserexperience.com/?page_id=3157" target="_blank">sign-up</a> for the weekly email newsletter. More importantly, this is an invitation for you to get involved in the discussion - we'd love to hear your feedback and ideas for taking this topic forward.</i><br />
<br />
Do you see yourself as a digital creator? Or more of a consumer? Most people will find themselves on a continuum, sometimes creating, now consuming. At times, the consumption of content - be it text, video, static image or audio - will directly prompt creativity. This 'moment of intersection', as we defined it, occurs when the consuming of content engenders creativity. It is not the inspiration itself - the instance of 'aha!' - but rather the decision to act upon it.
<br />
<blockquote>
The intersection is the fulcrum about which the individual pivots from consumer to creator, and allows for - and enables - the return to consumption.</blockquote>
In discussion, we noticed how little had been said about the user experience of this intersection. Both '<a href="http://www.mobileuserexperience.com/?cat=66" target="_blank">Create</a>' and '<a href="http://www.mobileuserexperience.com/?cat=68" target="_blank">Consume</a>' have been individual themes at MEX but we wanted to go further and investigate the relationship between them.
The motivations and the states of mind inherent in media consumption have been thoroughly explored, both at MEX and in other fora. At the March 2014 <a href="http://pmn.co.uk/mex/" target="_blank">MEX</a>, Alex facilitated a group to investigate user experience design principles to maintain focus during the consuming of digital media. A by-product of that exercise invoked <a href="http://blog.alexguest.me/2014/03/five-user-modes-in-digital-consumption.html" target="_blank">some interesting modes of consumption</a>, where the purpose of consuming was specifically to prepare for creating. While it remained tacit, the existence of the intersection was implicit: whether it leads to inspiration or is informed by it, media consumption will frequently result in various forms of creativity.
Not quite as much is said, outside the worlds of art and of creative enterprises, about the creativity and the range of forms that it takes when 'ordinary' individuals turn their minds to producing new works. Nevertheless, it seems relatively well understood. Perhaps where there is a need for greater discussion is at the intersection - the transition zone - between the consumption of content and the subsequent creation of new forms.
While the technological potential of mobile devices such as smartphones, tablets and wearables advances rapidly, their interaction models continue to favour passive consumption at the expense of nurturing users' creative impulses.
<br />
<blockquote>
We believe that the creative customer segment has been underserved, giving rise to an opportunity for media owners, device manufacturers, platform providers and software developers to win new users by improving the experience of transitioning between modes of consumption and creativity. In all cases, there is almost certainly sufficient capability to enable more frequent and more deliberate acts of creativity in response to consumed content.</blockquote>
Except in the most trivial cases, the moment of intersection is often poorly handled by app designers. In our view, even the act of sharing media is a form of creativity, however simplistic that might appear. The retweet, therefore, could be considered the most transient and low-input form of creativity that exists in digital media today. If we consider the evolution of retweeting as an action over time, we find this function of Twitter has improved the user experience around an important example of intersection.
A more immersive journey might transport a user from a social media item (such as a pin, post, tweet or status update), via a web link, to a piece of content, which might itself sit within a dedicated app. The viewer, whose attention has been grasped on the social media platform, might wish to respond to the content in a more creative way than simply tapping a retweet 'button'. For example, a reader of a blog post might wish to comment; a viewer of video might produce a visual response; a music listener might create a playlist. Two points are worth noting:
<br />
<ol>
<li>None of these seem examples seem like excessively strenuous activities, yet people who attempt them frequently will know that the user experience as it stands today can be convoluted and poorly designed.</li>
<li>These methods of response have come into existence only in the past few years and some more traditional media companies have not have fully realised the myriad ways in which this creative loop could influence their content.</li>
</ol>
<b>An example to discuss</b>
<a href="http://www.mobileuserexperience.com/wp-content/uploads/splitscreen-creative-transformation-storyboard1.jpg" target="_blank"><img alt="UX concept storyboard for creative transformation at the moment of intersection" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-3502" src="http://www.mobileuserexperience.com/wp-content/uploads/splitscreen-creative-transformation-storyboard1.jpg" height="360" width="640" /></a>
In the interests of prompting a conversation, we developed a rough user interface concept to show how a moment of intersection between consumption and creativity might be enhanced. What do you think of the storyboard above (you can click on it for the full-size version)?
The work was grounded in 3 rules:
<br />
<ul>
<ul>
<ol>
<li>User relevance. Addressing a common task already familiar to users rather than trying to project too far into the future. We chose the act of extracting and adding context to an image embedded in a news article.</li>
<li>Technical viability. Referencing techniques available today, or in the near future, across a range of platforms. In this case, we took particular inspiration from the introduction of multi-window features in iOS 9, Windows 10 and future versions of Android.</li>
<li>Fluidity. The transition from consumption to creativity should be seamless. We try to show how a single touchscreen gesture can initiate and enrich the moment of intersection, thereby kickstarting the creative process.</li>
</ol>
</ul>
</ul>
Our investigation focuses as much on such moments, wherever they lie on the spectrum of creativity, and from whichever mode of consumption they arise. The degree of intent on either side of the intersection is wide-ranging, and both the profound and the fleeting are valid avenues to informing the intersection. If a retweet lies at one end of the spectrum, then, for example, adapting an image to create a textured surface for a product design, is found towards the other.
The research necessarily discusses behaviours associated with both consumption and creativity, but is primarily tasked with finding design principles for the distinct transition zone between these two states. The ongoing project draws on user observations, comparative research in fields ranging from medicine to art, analysing existing interaction models, original interaction prototyping and material from the MEX archive of user experience insights.
We'd like invite anyone with a view on this aspect user experience of this, whether directly or tangentially, to get involved with feedback by adding your comment on this post. Some questions to get you thinking:
<br />
<ul>
<ul>
<ul>
<li>Which aspects do you find painful in your own experience of switching between consuming and creative digital media?</li>
<li>How do you go about moving back and forth between the states of consuming and creating?</li>
<li>What apps, tools and behaviours have you observed in other users?</li>
</ul>
</ul>
</ul>
<i><br /></i>AGhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02428194246306616167noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4358273718364980257.post-46684733816264465292015-05-19T09:40:00.002+01:002015-05-19T09:43:07.475+01:00Is ad blocking immoral?The FT reported last week that <a href="http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/7010ae7a-f4c6-11e4-8a42-00144feab7de.html?siteedition=uk" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">mobile operators plan to block online ads</a>, with one - unnamed - European operator planning to switch on adblocking before the end of 2015. Given that the software it will use was developed by Shine, an Israeli company back by Li Ka-shing's Horizon Ventures, it would be unsurprising if it turned out to be the operator 3.<br />
<br />
Martin Bryant, editor of The Next Web, responded stating "<a href="http://thenextweb.com/insider/2015/05/17/adblockers-are-immoral-and-mobile-networks-should-know-better/" target="_blank">Adblockers are immoral</a>... proud ad-blocking folk out there are happily starving sites (that they
rely on for information and entertainment) of vital income." How can anyone argue with the need to compensate those who provide us with the information - and other content - we consume?<br />
<br />
And yet...<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://pbs.twimg.com/media/Bx5Vf3EIcAAORUM.jpg:large" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://pbs.twimg.com/media/Bx5Vf3EIcAAORUM.jpg:large" width="180" /></a></div>
<br />
When my reading of an article is so severely impeded by advertising, I find myself with two choices, either I stop reading that content or I block ads. That example, from nearly a year ago, is relatively innocuous compared with some of the more recent display formats. So my question for publishers is: do you want to lose revenue because your readers can't abide the awful experience and walk away; or because they block your ads?<br />
<br />
I mostly consume text media on my phone and I don't run an
adblocker on it. Instead, when I find a publisher repeatedly using
overly intrusive advertising, I stop reading, unfollow them on Twitter
and permanently abandon them. That means publishers with better user experience policies get more attention from me. Am I the only one who does this? <br />
<br />
As Martin Bryant says, advertising fuels much of the web. Much of the work I have done in the past ten years has relied largely on advertising revenue. Yet the "give-and-take" of which he speaks too often is not correctly set. Ads should at most feel like passing through security but sometimes feel like a trip to the back room and an unwarranted cavity search.<br />
<br />
Readers should not block ads; ads should not block readers. <br />
<br />
The Next Web has apparently been working on developing 'ads so good you want to share them'. Says Martin Bryant:<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
We’re still perfecting the format, but I’m proud that the company I work for is trying to create ads that people won’t want to block in the first place.</blockquote>
As I said last week, <a href="http://blog.alexguest.me/2015/05/experience-as-competitive-advantage.html" target="_blank">user experience is a source of competitive advantage</a>. AGhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02428194246306616167noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4358273718364980257.post-8202257519263180162015-05-13T10:55:00.002+01:002015-06-12T10:43:58.657+01:00Experience as the competitive advantageUser experience, customer experience... these mean different things in business but for the consumer - the individual, the person - who encounters a business, it's all just the experience of dealing with your company. <br />
<br />
I received an email today from the <a href="http://www.moneysavingexpert.com/cheapenergyclub" target="_blank">Cheap Energy Club</a>, part of Martin Lewis' Money Saving Expert. This is how it started:<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<h3 style="line-height: 22.5pt; margin-bottom: 13.5pt; margin-left: 0cm; margin-right: 0cm; margin-top: 0cm;">
<i><span style="color: #484848; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 16.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">You asked us to tell
you when you’re paying too much on your energy bills</span></i><i><span style="color: #484848; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 16.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><br />
<i><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">So here goes: “YOU’RE NOW
PAYING TOO MUCH!”</span></i></span></i></h3>
</blockquote>
<br />
About 7 seconds later, I was looking at a list of energy companies and the amount I would save, compared with what I pay today, as well as other bits of information.<br />
<br />
Crucially, it also told me what other Cheap Energy Club members were saying about aspects of their experience when it fell outside the norm, either good or bad; or if the provider had too few customers for a reliable reading.<br />
<br />
There is a good piece by Seth Godin today about <a href="http://sethgodin.typepad.com/seths_blog/2015/05/imperfect-substitutes.html" target="_blank">becoming unsubstitutable</a>. Put simply, if there's no discernible difference between what you and someone else is offering, the customer will opt for the cheaper. However, when you're in the business of providing a commodity like gas or electricity, you can only compete on price up to the point where you aren't providing a worthwhile return on investment. So the trick is to differentiate, to stop being a commodity. I switched to <a href="https://ovoenergy.mention-me.com/m/ol/ncu-alex-guest-1" target="_blank">Ovo Energy</a> a year ago, when I moved home, not only because it was cheaper than the alternatives but because consumers rated the experience highly.<br />
<br />
Today, as I looked down the list of cheaper alternatives, the decision was easy. I was not prepared to give up the excellent experience of buying energy from Ovo in return for a cheaper price. Effectively, I'm prepared to pay something like 10-15% more for it, so that I don't have to deal with the problems of other utilities:<br />
<ul>
<li>"<span class="tariff-message"><span style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal;">in recent months our users have reported major issues with its switching process and customer service."</span></span></li>
<li><span class="tariff-message"><span style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal;">"</span></span><span class="tariff-message"><span style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal;"><span class="tariff-message"><span style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal;">difficulties contacting by phone or email and in some cases it has not completed requested switches</span></span>"</span></span></li>
</ul>
So whether you're responsible for the handling of calls or the design of an
app, you are today fundamentally implicated in the long term value of
your customer. <br />
<br />AGhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02428194246306616167noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4358273718364980257.post-17825860304920667112015-05-06T16:59:00.000+01:002015-05-14T13:54:34.750+01:00The EC Digital Single Market Strategy and the British Television IndustryToday, the European Commission published its strategy on the <a href="http://ec.europa.eu/digital-agenda/en/digital-single-market" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Digital Single Market</a>. As was to be expected, there was both abundant support and vehement opposition to the idea.<br />
<br />
As I scrolled through Twitter looking for reactions I came across these two items:<br />
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-cards="hidden" lang="en">
<div dir="ltr" lang="en">
EU digital single market geo-lock clampdown could spark <a href="https://twitter.com/BBCiPlayer">@BBCiPlayer</a> funding issue <a href="http://t.co/xYy9R2fjec">http://t.co/xYy9R2fjec</a> <a href="http://t.co/a6nILRudkJ">pic.twitter.com/a6nILRudkJ</a></div>
— The Drum (@TheDrum) <a href="https://twitter.com/TheDrum/status/595959139345522688">May 6, 2015</a></blockquote>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" lang="en">
<div dir="ltr" lang="en">
iPlayer on your holidays? EC looks to make it possible: The European Comission wants to make it possible... <a href="http://t.co/ayprxEEicF">http://t.co/ayprxEEicF</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/IPTV?src=hash">#IPTV</a></div>
— TV Connect Event (@tvconnectevent) <a href="https://twitter.com/tvconnectevent/status/595961540953550851">May 6, 2015</a></blockquote>
The European Commission absolutely believes that content available online in one EU country should be available in all. The first article, with commentary from a leading law firm, implies that it would be unfair for UK licence fee payers to subsidise access to the BBC iPlayer for other EU citizens. The second states that the BBC supports the strategy and is beginning work on how to implement it.<br />
<br />
However, the Digital Single Market could benefit the BBC - and deliver further revenue, so that the iPlayer is, in fact, subsidised by EU viewers outside the UK. Today, in the UK, watching the iPlayer is free of advertisements. There is nothing in the EC strategy document that suggests that for other EU viewers, the BBC couldn't generate revenue from ad placements. Meanwhile, clearly UK citizens will benefit from access to content from other EU countries.<br />
<br />
The objectives ('Pillars') of the Digital Single Market strategy are:<br />
<ol>
<li>Better access for consumers and businesses to digital goods and services across Europe.</li>
<li>Creating the right conditions and a level playing field for digital networks and innovative services to flourish. </li>
<li>Maximising the growth potential of the digital economy.</li>
</ol>
Whether you support or oppose the idea, in the end, it's really a question of outlook. Do you seek opportunity when there is change? For British business, the Digital Single Market will deliver rewards to those that eagerly embrace it.<br />
<br />
The strategy contains 16 initiatives. For the TV industry, there are two that are particularly relevant. The Audiovisual Media Services Directive underpins much of the law concerning linear broadcast and on-demand streaming. The Commission will consider how to adapt the rules to new business models for content distribution. The Satellite and Cable Directive will also be reviewed to consider the inclusion of broadcasters' online transmissions within its scope.<br />
<br />
It seems highly likely that the Digital Single Market strategy will force the TV industry to change the way rights are bought and sold across the European Union. The implications are not trivial. For instance, the rights to sporting events, which are sold on a country-by-country basis will have to change, if viewers across Europe can access television broadcasts from anywhere within the EU. The cross-border portability of copyright-protected content services is a stated aim of the strategy, as well as to boost cross-border access to broadcasters' services in Europe.<br />
<br />
So, if we are to have in the UK an 'in-out' referendum on EU membership in 2017, will the Digital Single Market strategy encourage the British people to stay or go?<br />
<script async="" charset="utf-8" src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js"></script>AGhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02428194246306616167noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4358273718364980257.post-86648144364540356162015-03-31T15:07:00.001+01:002015-03-31T15:07:42.260+01:00Secrets of St Pancras and UX revealedLast week, while exploring the theme of <i>proximity</i> at <a href="http://pmn.co.uk/mex/" target="_blank">MEX</a>, my group went on a little field trip to St Pancras. While related to the theme of <i>location</i>, the concept of proximity is a subtly different beast and deals with the user's relationship to an object, space, location or event with regards to 'nearness'. <br />
<br />
As we observed people in the station, one of the notions that came to mind was that the station was merely a stage in the approach to, or retreat from, some other destination. And yet, within the context of proximity, the passenger arrives at, passes through and departs from it, in its own right. So, while there is ample space to pass quickly through it, some careful thought has been given to the architecture and furnishing of the station, which correspond with the activities of its visitors, however transitory.<br />
<br />
A broad passage leads through the station to allow quick entry and departure. Along the sides are a number of retail outlets, including several cafés that are always packed, and some clothing, luggage and souvenir shops that are slightly less busy. These wide, glass shop fronts sit about a metre behind a colonnade, that separates the idle window shopper from the rapid pedestrian thoroughfare. Escalators and electronic information panels are placed centrally and offer the opportunity to alter the flow around the concourse.<br />
<br />
By now, Londoners will be familiar with the pianos in the station, and elsewhere around London. That the pianos at St Pancras, after so much time, remain largely in tune, suggests a careful maintenance and, therefore, value to their continued residence. For many passengers moving through the station on their way to or from continental Europe, the pianos offer surprise and delight: they also create the opportunity for social interaction. <br />
<br />
Our conclusions from our research, exploring interactions with a range of objects and places in differing contexts, led to the development of six design principles to draw people emotionally closer to their physical environment through the use of technology. In the refinement process, a lot of material and thought is forcibly discarded. However, it is fascinating to review this material after the event and notice how much insight is evolved in such a short space of time.<br />
<br />
Amongst the ideas that found their way to my phone's camera roll via scribblings on a flipchart, one derives from the pianos in St Pancras and I suggest here an additional principle: mitigate linger time in transition by offering unobtrusive elements for distraction and delight.<br />
<br />
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AGhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02428194246306616167noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4358273718364980257.post-21312045678965923402015-02-13T12:20:00.000+00:002015-02-13T12:20:28.955+00:00Tapping, swiping and consistency in the language of user experience I bang on about the language of UX. Most people refer to it as 'conventions' but for me, it's a language. The motions and interactions that a user has with a device to execute commands is a language, in the same way that we talk of programming languages.<br />
<br />
Languages, of course, evolve. The same is true of UX languages. New commands come into play as the operating systems gain new functionality. For example, on a phone, tapping a picture magnifies it to fill the screen. This is true whether you're looking at socks on eBay, fish on Facebook or houses on Rightmove. Likewise, Twitter. It's the equivalent of a green light on your traffic lights. It's a universally applied command. If your spouse says, "Take out the rubbish!", you don't load the washing machine. <br />
<br />
But closing a picture hasn't had a universally applied language. Historically, coming from the world of non-touch PC screens, a little cross in the corner of a picture was a prompt to close it. Actually, some people didn't know that and Facebook, for example, changed the little cross to a 'Done' button. But this is the world of touch screens, where physical interactions - taps, swipes, shakes etc - are prevalent and intuitive. Intuitive, that is, until one service breaches the rules of the language. And Twitter was the culprit.<br />
<br />
A little like saying "I went for a run tomorrow", meaning "I will go...", Twitter was - as far as I know - the only service that used tap both to open and to close a picture. Facebook and the rest followed a different rule: tap to open, swipe down (or up) to close. Once open, tapping enabled the user to show or hide text overlay or written commands.<br />
<br />
Yesterday, it seems, Twitter came into line. Tap open, swipe closed.<br />
<br />
Why does this matter? Because if we go back to the question of "eliminating distraction and restoring focus to digital media consumption", which was explored at the last <a href="http://pmn.co.uk/mex" target="_blank">MEX</a>, minor inconsistencies in UX language disturb the user from enjoying an immersive experience.<br />
<br />
There's a term I learned from reading Daniel Kahneman's <i>Thinking, Fast and Slow</i>, a psychological principle known as "stimulus response compatibility". Essentially, it means that a cue suggests a certain behaviour. Like the green traffic light. Kahneman talks about the expectation that a door handle triggers the response "pull" but this is violated by architects time and again. How often do you find yourself pulling then pushing a door because there's a handle. I did it two days ago at a conference in the Shard. To confuse things further, one set of doors required a pull; the second, a push. <br />
<br />
Whether opening a door or looking at pictures, we should not be required to switch to slow thinking. Maintaining consistency across stimuli should be a goal of the developer, so that the user can more fully engage with the content: the device and the app should become, to all intents and purposes, invisible.<br />
<br />
So, thank you, Twitter, for making the change. I can no longer use your iPhone app as an example of stimulus response compatibility violation.AGhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02428194246306616167noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4358273718364980257.post-32186112315000435802015-02-05T09:25:00.000+00:002015-02-05T09:25:26.766+00:00A brief history of the UK mobile telecoms market for the uninitiated<br />
BT created Cellnet, which became BT Cellnet and, as part of BT Wireless, was spun off and listed as mmO2, operating as O2. Later O2 was bought by Telefonica (of Spain).<br />
<br />
Then there were Vodafone, Orange and Mercury.<br />
<br />
Vodafone was born from Racal, a UK maker of military radio technology.<br />
<br />
Orange was launched by Hutchison Whampoa (of Hong Kong). Later it was sold to Mannesmann (of Germany). Vodafone acquired Mannesmann and then sold Orange to France Telecom (of France, of course).<br />
<br />
Mercury was a subsidiary of Cable & Wireless. It became One2One and was then sold off to T-Mobile (of Germany) and rebranded T-Mobile.<br />
<br />
In the meantime, 3 was set up by Hutchison Whampoa.<br />
<br />
Then Orange UK merged with the UK division of T-Mobile to create EE.<br />
<br />
Telefonica has put O2 up for sale. BT was in the running but has just acquired EE instead. Hutchison Whampoa is in the running for O2. The O2 network in Ireland has already been acquired by Hutchison Whampoa and merged with 3.AGhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02428194246306616167noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4358273718364980257.post-22570067168057729342014-03-22T12:57:00.003+00:002015-05-08T10:08:41.875+01:00Five user modes in digital consumptionThe fourteenth <a href="http://pmn.co.uk/mex/" target="_blank">MEX</a> took place this week, investigating ingredients of user experience across the themes of Create, Consume, Control, Communicate, Locate and Trust. I was fortunate to be invited by Marek Pawlowski to facilitate the creative sessions on the theme of Consume, where, over the course of four one-hour sessions, we sought to answer the following challenge:<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
"Illustrate 5 design techniques to eliminate distraction and restore focus to digital media."
</blockquote>
In the investigation phase, during which the team explored elements of distraction and ways of inducing immersion, we considered some need states and user modes in the consumption of digital media. Since our final presentation largely dealt with the outputs of our work, I felt it would be worthwhile to indulge briefly here in relaying just five user modes in digital consumption, as identified by the team. These modes should in no way be considered to be complete and are not even necessarily the most common modes of consumption but they serve to illustrate a range of times, places, devices, channels and objectives in consuming digital media.<br />
<br />
For a long time, I was dissatisfied by the near ubiquitous definition of TV consumption modes of <i>lean forward</i> and <i>lean back</i>. When these modes were first described, they sought to differentiate between the viewing of long-form, professionally-created, linear broadcast and that of short-form, user-generated, on-demand streaming. Last year, a study carried out for Thinkbox, produced a more textured landscape, in which TV-viewing need states can be classified across the six categories of Unwind, Comfort, Connect, Experience, Escape and Indulge. Whether you agree or not that these adequately encapsulate all need states, the study prompts us to consider the variety of user modes in digital media consumption, which clearly is extremely broad and probably impossible to index entirely.<br />
<br />
Without further ado, here are five user modes of consuming digital media. <br />
<br />
<h2>
1. Commute</h2>
Occuring during the twice daily journeys to and from the workplace, this London-centric finding considered the need for distraction from the confines of the Underground and the other passengers pressing upon the commuter. Using a smartphone - or tablet - to skim over, for example, the Evening Standard's iPhone Newsstand app, the reader dives into the content as a distraction from the unpleasant reality but will have forgotten almost the entirety of the content by the time he reaches his destination.<br />
<br />
<i>Time</i>: morning and evening commutes<br />
<i>Place</i>: Underground<br />
<i>Devices</i>: smartphone, tablet<br />
<i>Channels</i>: news apps <br />
<i>Objective</i>: distraction<br />
<br />
<h2>
2. Business</h2>
With emphasis on the need for timely information in the financial markets but applicable to a range of roles and industries, this consumption mode is about receiving information, data and analysis at the start of the day and at times throughout to ensure that the individual has the knowledge and understanding required to perform their business tasks. While print media still plays a role here, tablets and PCs are pre-eminent with specific articles accessed via dedicated apps, such as the FT, or from email news alerts.<br />
<br />
<i>Time</i>: start of work day; throughout the day<br />
<i>Place</i>: workplace<br />
<i>Devices</i>: tablet, PC (alongside print media)<br />
<i>Channels</i>: news apps; email alerts <br />
<i>Objective</i>: to be expert in chosen field of business<br />
<br />
<h2>
3. Inspiration</h2>
Of importance to those involved in creative industries, the <i>Inspiration</i> consumption mode is a lengthy, highly-engaged period of time viewing the work of other creators. It entails full immersion into videos on, for example, Vimeo, without distractions in order to ready oneself for one's own creative indulgence.<br />
<br />
<i>Time</i>: daytime<br />
<i>Place</i>: workplace, usually<br />
<i>Devices</i>: PC/laptop ie larger screen<br />
<i>Channels</i>: video, especially Vimeo <br />
<i>Objective</i>: full immersion and preparation for creativity<br />
<br />
<h2>
4. Evening Escapism</h2>
Much like the <i>Unwind</i> TV need state, <i>Evening Escapism</i> is a release mode, shaking off the shackles of the day's labour. In this mode, the individual might indulge in multi-screen consumption of different forms of media, from broadcast TV to social media, without there being any relation between the media consumed.<br />
<br />
<i>Time</i>: evening, after work<br />
<i>Place</i>: home - living room/bedroom<br />
<i>Devices</i>: multi-screen - TV, laptop, tablet, phone<br />
<i>Channels</i>: any<br />
<i>Objective</i>: de-stress/unwind<br />
<br />
<h2>
5. Learning</h2>
Younger members of the team talked about a growing trend in casual learning. It's an individual activity but is likely to be discussed with other members' of one's social circle. In a slightly disengaged state of mind, the individual might watch - or merely listen to - typically short YouTube videos on how to do or make something. One example given was how to make an origami swan, for which several videos exist, including the one embedded below that has been seen close to 3 million times.<br />
<br />
<i>Time</i>: evening<br />
<i>Place</i>: home - bedroom/living room<br />
<i>Devices</i>: laptop, tablet<br />
<i>Channels</i>: video, especially YouTube<br />
<i>Objective</i>: casual learning as a form of entertainment<br />
<br />
<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/f0zTNCRg-Uc" width="560"></iframe>
AGhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02428194246306616167noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4358273718364980257.post-58435365257095222672013-06-12T15:48:00.000+01:002013-06-12T17:29:54.755+01:00Has ITV got its premium player pricing wrong?<div>
<a href="http://cdn-static.cnet.co.uk/i/c/blg/cat/software/itv-player-logo-1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img alt="" border="0" height="110" src="http://cdn-static.cnet.co.uk/i/c/blg/cat/software/itv-player-logo-1.jpg" title="ITV Player logo" width="200" /></a>ITV has released a new version of its ITV player for iOS, within which it offers an in-app upgrade for £3.99. </div>
<br />
Some commentators are challenging the very notion that consumers would pay for ITV content.<br />
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
Big move for ITV: £3.99 for advert-free ITV Player for 30 days. From ad-funded to user-funded is flipping the entire model. Is there demand?<br />
— Patrick Smith (@psmith) <a href="https://twitter.com/psmith/status/344770915386654720">June 12, 2013</a></blockquote>
ITV Player Premium gives you:<br />
<ul>
<li>Live streams of ITV3 and ITV4 (and Live Events stream)</li>
<li>No advertising around catchup programmes.</li>
</ul>
Pricing is complicated but the nub of it is that it communicates value to the customer. The consumer will view the £3.99 price tag as consisting of its two elements: ITV3 and ITV4; and 'no ads'. The consumer will attach some value to each element.<br />
<br />
ITV3 and ITV4 have very low <a href="http://www.barb.co.uk/viewing/weekly-total-viewing-summary?" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">viewing figures</a>: about 2.4% and 1.8% respectively, including +1 channels. The comparable figures for ITV and ITV2, are 17.0% and 2.9%. Put simply, ITV3 and ITV4 are of little value, for some zero value.<br />
<br />
Therefore, consumers will have to consider whether they will accept paying for ITV3 and ITV4 in addition to paying to remove ads. ITV says the value of removing ads is less than £3.99. What matters is if the consumer decides that removing ads is worth more than £3.99.<br />
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AGhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02428194246306616167noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4358273718364980257.post-16404114085559533182013-05-02T17:38:00.001+01:002013-05-02T17:38:56.790+01:00Breaking: Apple responds to Google Glass with iBallGoogle Glass naysayers have my sympathy. More than that, I wholeheartedly support their point of view, even though I disagree. See, when people say "that's never going to happen", they're really saying "I hope that never happens" and I, for one, sincerely hope that Google Glass never happens.<br />
<br />
Except it's already happened.<br />
<br />
Google Glass is not a product. Those product reviews complaining that it slips down the nose or tilts to the right or is uncomfortable, don't get the point. The privacy advocates complaining of intrusion don't understand. Google Glass is the realisation of a concept, not a piece of hardware. Of course the product design aspects aren't quite right but it doesn't take a clairvoyant to see where it's headed.<br />
<br />
The concept I'm talking about is none other than the one that has been doing the rounds since the whole Web 2.0 malarkey got going. It's the notion of enhancing reality with a virtual overlay in order to enrich life. And is that any different to what you've been doing since the birth of the Apple App Store? Location-based services, song tagging, instant photo sharing... they're all just part of the same idea that leads inevitably to ever more biologically-proximate devices.<br />
<br />
We're all familiar with the rush to decide an argument by checking the facts on our portable devices. How difficult it is to resist that urge to see what's new on social media! Don't we have an incessant and insatiable appetite for combining what is happening here and now with what might be elsewhere at another time?<br />
<br />
While today it's difficult to get used to a lopsided, ugly device that slides awkwardly down your nose and whose operation depends on spoken commands, we're not so far away from effectively invisible implants that function seamlessly with our conscious minds.<br />
<br />
So is it surprising that many people fear what Google Glass represents? And perhaps that fear will be sufficient to slow down the trajectory upon which humanity finds itself. Slow down, not halt. The Google Glass product might fail but you read it hear first, beware the Apple iBall!<br />
<br />
<div class="zemanta-pixie" style="height: 15px; margin-top: 10px;">
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AGhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02428194246306616167noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4358273718364980257.post-43444050852605744432013-02-01T14:14:00.000+00:002013-02-02T11:56:09.255+00:00Taxi app wars waging on the streets of England<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img alt="Kabbee logo" class="decoded" src="http://www.kabbee.com/img/logo.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" title="" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Kabbee facing competition</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
This week I heard of yet another cab app. Minicabit revealed itself at the Wayra Demo Day, joining a line-up of taxi and minicab apps that includes Hailo, Kabbee, and Anycabs, amongst a whole bunch of others.<br />
<br />
In my mind, the world was divided three ways:<br />
<ul>
<li>Hailo for instant <a class="zem_slink" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hackney_carriage" rel="wikipedia" target="_blank" title="Hackney carriage">black cabs</a></li>
<li>Kabbee for pre-booking <a class="zem_slink" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Taxicabs_of_the_United_Kingdom" rel="wikipedia" target="_blank" title="Taxicabs of the United Kingdom">minicabs</a></li>
<li>Uber, when you want a chauffeur-driven car </li>
</ul>
It seems I was wrong. There was already a bit of an overlap in the positioning since both Hailo and Uber are for immediate pick-ups, while Kabbee can also provide luxury transport and minicabs can be pre-booked for 'now'.<br />
<br />
It turns out that the space that Kabbee seemed to occupy - pre-booked minicabs - is filled with other contenders. So I asked how do they differ from each other?<br />
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
How is @<a href="https://twitter.com/minicabit">minicabit</a> different from @<a href="https://twitter.com/kabbee">kabbee</a>? Or @<a href="https://twitter.com/anycabs">anycabs</a>?<br />
— Alex Guest (@AlexGuest) <a href="https://twitter.com/AlexGuest/status/296627040336097282">January 30, 2013</a></blockquote>
Apparently they're "all very different", says Anycabs. Here is how they each described themselves:<br />
<ul>
<li>Kabbee: "instant quotes covering all of London from carefully managed fleets"</li>
<li>minicabit: "UK wide service that can instantly compare quotes with no wait for cabbies to bid"</li>
<li>Anycabs: "users compare real-time quotes & book their licensed minicab using app or website" </li>
</ul>
So I get that Kabbee is limited to London but from the consumer's perspective, I just don't see any other substantive difference. In each case, you enter details, select a quote and book your cab. With illegal minicabs posing risks to passengers, especially lone women at night, these apps ensure that you're booking with licensed firms. So each of them is providing safety and convenience.<br />
<br />
I had a look on the App Store and found that there are several other alternatives offering a similar service. I'd forgotten that I have previously used ubiCabs too. I can't help but think that some of these businesses should be collaborating, working off the same tech platform and pooling resources to get UK-wide coverage fast, then expanding overseas. As it currently stands, there are few barriers to entry into this market, profit margins are likely to be thin and all it takes is for one well-funded foreign competitor to turn up and upset the handsome cab.<br />
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<div class="zemanta-related" style="clear: both; margin-top: 20px; overflow: hidden;">
<h4 class="zemanta-related-title">
Related articles</h4>
<ul class="zemanta-article-ul" style="clear: left;">
<li class="zemanta-article-ul-li"><a href="http://www.gizmodo.co.uk/2013/01/how-to-get-home-when-youre-drunk/" target="_blank">How to Get Home When You're Drunk</a> (gizmodo.co.uk)</li>
</ul>
</div>
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AGhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02428194246306616167noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4358273718364980257.post-23914563770954754862012-07-13T14:43:00.000+01:002012-07-20T12:05:58.971+01:00Three reasons why people search sucks<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://tattoosdayuk.files.wordpress.com/2010/05/image9.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://tattoosdayuk.files.wordpress.com/2010/05/image9.png" width="155" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Tattoo Bible <strike>not</strike> by Alex Guest</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<b>I am not a holidaying establishment.</b><br />
<br />
The Alex Guesthouse. Google and other search engines are inept when it comes to
distinguishing between a holidaying establishment and a person.<br />
<br />
<b>I was not portrayed by Andie MacDowell. </b><br />
<br />
Alex (guest star Andie MacDowell)... They are rubbish at detecting punctuation that fundamentally alters the meaning of the result.<br />
<br />
<b>I did not write The Tattoo Bible.</b><br />
<br />
And useless at evaluating two or more people sharing the same name: it is a different Alex Guest who can take credit for The Tattoo Bible.<br />
<br />
There have been attempts to deal with this but they are all equally useless. <br />
<br />
You think it's just me and my slightly quirky name?<br />
<br />
A friend of mine, a doctor, shares her name with a writer, a model, a wedding photographer and a few other doctors. I can tell the difference between each of these. I could manually group the results by individual and serve up the results as clusters relating to each one. As a human, it is easy for me to tell the difference between an oncologist based in Ireland, and a writer of trashy novels, whose agent is in New York City.<br />
<br />
<h3>
Six steps to fix people search</h3>
<ul>
<li>First, consider the links coming in and out of the page and especially links between those pages. </li>
<li>Next, look for clues such as title: Dr, Mrs... </li>
<li>Go further and consider some of the words that appear specifically in some results and not others. My doctor friend practices in a different field to the other doctors with the same name. Indeed, it appears that each one of them - on a quick analysis - have unrelated specialties.</li>
<li>What geographical locations are referenced? </li>
<li>Some names, like Alex, are given to both men and women. Look for gender clues in pronouns. </li>
<li>Consider that some names are words with everyday usage: Guest, Brown, Parkinson. Alex (guest star...) should be trivial to detect as it has punctuation between Alex and guest; guest is all lower case; and guest star is a common word pairing.</li>
</ul>
<br />
Finally, the word Tattoo, an indelible mark on the skin made by inserting pigments in punctures, is clearly not the same thing as Zattoo, the live TV-streaming business for which I was the UK Country Manager. <br />
<br />
It should not be difficult for a machine to cluster search results for individuals, yet, as far as I know, there is currently no solution that does this adequately. If you can write code and are irked by this problem, get in touch. Please.AGhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02428194246306616167noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4358273718364980257.post-56137257437034995992012-04-11T16:18:00.000+01:002012-04-11T16:21:22.340+01:00How Instagram beat Hipstamatic to the $1 billion prizeThree weeks ago, FastCompany <a href="http://www.fastcompany.com/1824797/exclusive-hipstamatic-instagram-partnership-api-import-photos-social-network-kevin-systrom" target="_blank">broke the news</a> of a new partnership between photo app darlings <a class="zem_slink" href="http://hipstamaticapp.com/" rel="homepage" target="_blank" title="Hipstamatic">Hipstamatic</a> and <a class="zem_slink" href="http://instagr.am/" rel="homepage" target="_blank" title="Instagram">Instagram</a>, which essentially meant that Hipstamatic was the first service that could post to Instagram. The suggestion implicit in the article was that Hipstamatic and Instagram, winners of Apple's iPhone app of the year award in 2010 and 2011 respectively, should work closer, perhaps even merge.<br />
<br />
In the short time that has passed since then, Instagram - with heavy VC backing yet not a cent of revenue - has been acquired by Facebook for $1 billion, while Hipstamatic - entirely bootstrapped and profitable since the second week of its existence - is left on the sidelines (for now).<br />
<br />
So how is it that Instagram has won, while Hipstamatic makes money?<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: right;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2z5DfVeprDNq6o4wdGpgLxKnH5jGqUHMmI6vXV9DXJRv_mbvM8aIYAkXUXKTqQ6p43iag5QHpwQEl2LUz004P_AW2B1LgtJPxuoIjI0sS-anZr8jBhdgnGLviSnqaJLvB07rtbO4EWNqt/s1600/iPhone_0918.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2z5DfVeprDNq6o4wdGpgLxKnH5jGqUHMmI6vXV9DXJRv_mbvM8aIYAkXUXKTqQ6p43iag5QHpwQEl2LUz004P_AW2B1LgtJPxuoIjI0sS-anZr8jBhdgnGLviSnqaJLvB07rtbO4EWNqt/s200/iPhone_0918.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
Hipstamatic is fundamentally a camera app, which post-processes images taken with the iPhone camera, using selections prior to taking the picture. It mimics to a degree the pre-digital photographic experience, which did not (easily) allow for the manipulation of images after they'd been captured. In simple terms, you choose a film and a lens then take your picture. If you don't like the effect, you reselect a combination and retake the picture. You can share your pictures on various services like Facebook, Flickr and, now, Instagram. The app was born of a desire to recreate the cheap and unexpected effects of the original Hipstamatic, a plastic molded camera that had a very short life, and was in turn born of a love of the <a class="zem_slink" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Instamatic" rel="wikipedia" target="_blank" title="Instamatic">Kodak Instamatic</a>. <br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: left;">
<a href="https://s3.amazonaws.com/distillery/media/2011/08/28/aca14e6bca704f4dbe1f306f681709ae_7.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://s3.amazonaws.com/distillery/media/2011/08/28/aca14e6bca704f4dbe1f306f681709ae_7.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
Instagram, meanwhile, is a social network. You take a picture and share it with your friends directly within Instagram, and cross-post to Facebook, Twitter and a number of other services. Yes, you can alter the image after taking it by selecting from a number of effects. However, that is not the main aim of the app. The name - Instagram - tells you all you need to know about the intended purpose: you use a simple image to tell the story of your occasion, instantly.<br />
<br />
So while Hipstamatic has about 4 million users, who have paid for the app and many of whom have paid for further lenses, films and flashes, Instagram has around 30 million users, who haven't spent a single penny on it. Instagram allows you to share and see your friends' pictures easily with the app; and Hipstamatic forces you to choose the (far more sophisticated) camera filters prior to taking the picture. The ease-of-use of Instagram and the social connectivity built into it are worth far more than the sophistication of the Hipstamatic app and the clever business model.<br />
<br />
Once again, success depends on being free, simple and connected.AGhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02428194246306616167noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4358273718364980257.post-66816345655963406232012-02-13T11:08:00.000+00:002012-04-11T16:22:08.837+01:00Interactive or distracting? The RBS 6 Nations Live Challenge Social TV App<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiI1qaxsS1cCjT7fwjLP8PAWOb4YNebgQlhCcyoSLVycDN-fw5UTj1P8prQ_SVxo-VwvHC1IXeIQCqVyKOIF_svWw4DfeEMJPXUAqjHn0Q8RoOHWViR4o-BWLQUK6DX5X6YrRk4y8_cftcG/s1600/RBS6Nations+Live+Challenge.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiI1qaxsS1cCjT7fwjLP8PAWOb4YNebgQlhCcyoSLVycDN-fw5UTj1P8prQ_SVxo-VwvHC1IXeIQCqVyKOIF_svWw4DfeEMJPXUAqjHn0Q8RoOHWViR4o-BWLQUK6DX5X6YrRk4y8_cftcG/s200/RBS6Nations+Live+Challenge.PNG" width="133" /></a></div>
I'm more than just a fan of rugby. I've played and coached the game for nearly 30 years. I have a folder on my iPhone home screen dedicated to it. So I was particularly pleased when I learned that the RBS 6 Nations app would be accompanied by a Live Challenge app, challenging the viewers' knowledge of the sport and getting their predictions on the outcomes of every conversion and penalty kick. <br />
<br />
We're in 'social TV' territory again. <br />
<br />
The app seeks the engagement of the viewer with the game and gets him to interact with it on both a general level - facts about rugby - and a specific one - will he make the conversion? Essentially, we are asked multiple choice questions and given a few seconds to give our answers. The app's mechanics include the ability to pit players against their Facebook friends.<br />
<br />
We begin with a warm-up in the 40 minutes before the match kicks off. A few questions, quickly answered and away we go. When the match gets under way, the app keeps asking more questions, like this one during Scotland v Wales this weekend:<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
Which of the following Scottish coaches was born Scottish?</blockquote>
Then another question. And another... and soon, I'm closing down the app because I've come to watch the rugby not participate in a pub quiz. Each time I look down to read the question and select my answer, I'm missing something that's happening on the field.<br />
<br />
The app is quite highly rated on the App Store but I wonder for how many rugby fans does the app add to the experience.AGhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02428194246306616167noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4358273718364980257.post-15339471154884195302012-01-31T12:25:00.001+00:002012-01-31T13:11:51.819+00:00Twitter isn't saving TVThis morning at the <a href="http://www.westminsterforumprojects.co.uk/forums/event.php?eid=342" target="_blank">Westminster Media Forum</a>, Sir Peter Bazalgette stated that social media, far from competing with TV, has assisted TV.<br />
<br />
Yet Tess Alps, Chief Executive of Thinkbox, the marketing body for commercial TV in the UK, provides a different viewpoint. She says that there is a lack of perspective about social media and TV; data from online chat is used unscientifically and leads to a false analysis of TV audiences.<br />
<br />
If 40% of primetime tweets are about TV (as Alps says), is Twitter saving TV? <br />
<br />
Social media experts will point to an increase in TV viewing over the last couple of years, from around 3.75 hours per person per day to just over 4 hours. That increase coincides with the growth of social media, especially Twitter. Hence, Twitter has grown TV audiences. <br />
<br />
I see flaky analysis like this every day. There is no evidence of a causal relationship.<br />
<br />
The TV industry is also somewhat deluded. In her editorial in Broadcast last week, Lisa Campbell says "We've been treated to quality drama, breakout comedy and hit entertainment. It's no wonder TV viewing remains stubbornly robust". Again, there is a lack of causal evidence.<br />
<br />
There are two things we know for sure:<br />
<ol>
<li>Average TV viewing time has remained close to 4 hours for years.</li>
<li>People are spending less money, going out less often.</li>
</ol>
My hypothesis is that TV viewing has increased almost entirely due to the current economic climate; and that TV viewing has in large part fuelled the growth of Twitter, not the other way around.<br />
<br />
As I pointed out in my previous <a href="http://blog.alexguest.me/2012/01/does-zeebox-flop-sound-early-death-of.html" target="_blank">piece about Zeebox</a> - hardly an earth-shattering revelation - TV has always been social. People have always talked about it, even while watching it. Twitter is just another medium for people to share their thoughts and emotions about what they're watching on the screen, in real time with far more people.<br />
<br />
Game shows and reality TV <i></i>are fighting for audiences with online interaction: voting on <a href="http://tvpixie.com/tv-news/category/tags/big-brother" target="_blank"><i>Big Brother</i></a>; play along with <a href="http://tvpixie.com/tv-news/2010/05/25/million-pound-drop-live-review" target="_blank"><i>Million Pound Drop Live</i></a> etc. Social media isn't saving the TV: social media is the latest theatre of war for broadcasters chasing armchair-bound consumers.AGhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02428194246306616167noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4358273718364980257.post-58178002953584852672012-01-20T15:52:00.001+00:002012-01-20T15:56:40.019+00:00Does Zeebox flop sound early death of Social TV?<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipdejMAp-u3cW7UgGNXbFfPk2nxyCsivALXL_s0CR-k3fb23M7yFLBao2_Yw71rcBHa6aZdumKy_Qgb8XD5zfgWKIxzJHGMsXLrJBNhnTIbzY_w7e6MXJwvAaRNJ_i8hWnoxiYKlRMCElC/s1600/Desperate+Scousewives+group+shot+embargoed+till+Nov+22nd+2011.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipdejMAp-u3cW7UgGNXbFfPk2nxyCsivALXL_s0CR-k3fb23M7yFLBao2_Yw71rcBHa6aZdumKy_Qgb8XD5zfgWKIxzJHGMsXLrJBNhnTIbzY_w7e6MXJwvAaRNJ_i8hWnoxiYKlRMCElC/s320/Desperate+Scousewives+group+shot+embargoed+till+Nov+22nd+2011.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>News this week that Zeebox has received a lukewarm response from users might announce the stillbirth of Social TV.<br />
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Zeebox ran a trial with E4 show <i>Desperate Scousewives</i> but found that only 100 Twitter updates were made via the service out of 80,000 posted during the series, despite promotion and close collaboration between the program and the app.<br />
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The app is just one of many in the Social TV landscape, dominated by fast-built American offerings such as Fav.tv and a host of others including Clicker, which was acquired by CBS Interactive in March 2011.<br />
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Zeebox was founded by ex-iPlayer CTO Anthony Rose and former EMI board director Ernesto Schmitt with $7 million of seed funding. It is perhaps most similar to GetGlue, which started off life as a service to show you who's visiting what on the web but refocussed its business on social check-ins and has partnered with a whole host of channels, including the UK's Channel 4, in 2011.<br />
<br />
Last year, 31,000 people checked in to the Oscars on GetGlue. While the figure is supposed to demonstrate traction, it's a tiny percentage of the people who watched the Oscars. How can such small user numbers ever generate significant revenue for the services?<br />
<br />
So is Social TV dead?<br />
<br />
Perhaps that's the wrong question. TV has always been social. From its origins as a box in the living room to the present day, TV has generated conversations between its viewers. And it seems the predominant app today for interaction in real time is Twitter.<br />
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The question then arises, is there any need for a conversation platform that is dedicated to TV? or even a Twitter app for it, a Tweetdeck for TV?<br />
<br />
BSkyB thinks so. Murdoch's business acquired a ten percent stake in Zeebox not two weeks ago for an undisclosed multi-million pound sum, according to the FT. It transpires part of its intention is to sell advertise alongside BBC programming in the Zeebox app on the companion screen, be it smartphone or tablet.<br />
<br />
For that to work, scale is required. It doesn't cost much to buy eyeballs - no one has used the term since 1999 - but what's required is engagement - can we say stickiness and get that 90s feeling again? - for users to keep returning and advertisers spending. Is a Twitter app, albeit with some bells and a couple of whistles, sufficient to do that?<br />
<br />
Wait and see.<br />
<br />
In the meantime, a few million pounds is a small punt for the Murdoch empire that could result in substantial returns if Zeebox takes off.<br />
<div class="zemanta-pixie" style="height: 15px; margin-top: 10px;"><img alt="" class="zemanta-pixie-img" src="http://img.zemanta.com/pixy.gif?x-id=5994ccdc-4bac-40dd-9541-1c2d5d3ba32b" style="border: medium none; float: right;" /></div>AGhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02428194246306616167noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4358273718364980257.post-62283857957773478892012-01-14T18:35:00.000+00:002012-02-15T22:46:46.762+00:00Viral marketing is as much about context as contentSaturday and @Madeupstats is running another #madeupstaturday for Fyneales. This weekend's theme: the Internet.<br />
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Sadly lacking in creativity today, I was amused by some quite clever quips.<br />
<br />
Then I saw this:<br />
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet tw-align-center">
1 sperm has 37.5MB of DNA. An ejaculation is a data transfer of 1587GB in 3 seconds - via @<a href="https://twitter.com/bsiscovick">bsiscovick</a> & @<a href="https://twitter.com/nivertech">nivertech</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/search/%2523BigDataForTheWeekend">#BigDataForTheWeekend</a><br />
— Michael A. Jackson (@MAJACKS0N) <a data-datetime="2012-01-14T13:22:17+00:00" href="https://twitter.com/MAJACKS0N/status/158177115764822016">January 14, 2012</a></blockquote>
<script charset="utf-8" src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js">
</script><br />
Nothing to do with #madeupstaturday, it was a bunch of numbers and vaguely Internet-related.<br />
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So I appropriated it.<br />
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet tw-align-center">
1 sperm has 37.5MB of DNA. An ejaculation is a data transfer of 1587GB in 3 seconds. <a href="https://twitter.com/search/%2523madeupstaturday">#madeupstaturday</a><br />
— Alex Guest (@AlexGuest) <a data-datetime="2012-01-14T13:24:56+00:00" href="https://twitter.com/AlexGuest/status/158177781333753856">January 14, 2012</a></blockquote>
While Michael Jackson's tweet got 8 retweets and 1 favourite, mine received 50+ tweets in moments. Twitter won't tell me the exact RT count but it looks like 100s and over 20 favourites within 4 hours. As I stood chatting to a potential new flatmate, my iPhone was going insane with notifications from Twitter with replies, retweets and new followers. <br />
<br />
Also, Michael has been informed that his information is a @madeupstats! <br />
<br />
So what?<br />
<br />
Getting a tweet to spread - and to spread all over the world from South America to Russia - in quick time, is not just about the content. My taking the tweet and associating it with a different hashtag, with far more watchers, meant that it propagated far outside my usual Twitter network. Let's call it 'reproduction marketing', taking content and repurposing it in order to disseminate it far and wide.<br />
<br />
Meanwhile, you may well be curious to know if the original information is accurate. <br />
<br />
I ran a search for 'MB of DNA in sperm' and discovered that Reddit had the exact same information back in 2009! And it's been repeated over and over in various corners of the Internet. But it appears to be false.<br />
<br />
According to <a href="http://www.utheguru.com/fun-science-how-many-megabytes-in-the-human-body" target="_blank">UTheGuru.com</a>,<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
approximately 21.45 megabytes of ‘data’ is transferred during each act of human sexual reproduction in the form of gametes.</blockquote>
So the figures really were @madeupstats.<br />
<script charset="utf-8" src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js">
</script><br />
<div class="zemanta-pixie" style="height: 15px; margin-top: 10px;">
<img alt="" class="zemanta-pixie-img" src="http://img.zemanta.com/pixy.gif?x-id=19b15e36-67de-4ee3-a6f8-c3413e7f4357" style="border: medium none; float: right;" /></div>AGhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02428194246306616167noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4358273718364980257.post-52561724190542156552011-12-13T15:10:00.000+00:002011-12-13T15:10:20.095+00:00Social media: ubiquitous but not quite there yet<b><span style="font-size: large;">IKEA UK YouTube Store</span></b><br />
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I came across a presentation recently from The Social Practice, which talked about the trend for social media to go from being a destination to a dispersed network. In particular, it touches on the nature of 'Social' as ubiquitous, intuitive and dynamic.<br />
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A nice illustration of the ubiquity of Social, which the presentation mentions, is in the <a href="https://www.youtube.com/user/ikeauk" target="_blank">IKEA UK YouTube Store</a>, which we are told is powered by Facebook data. I thought this was fascinating, so I took a closer look. And was a little disappointed. As The Social Practice state, "We're not quite there yet".<br />
<br />
I compared the experience of a user who logs into the YouTube store with Facebook credentials with that of one who doesn't. Taking the latter first, we are asked "who's in your bedroom?" and asks you to click and drag an icon of a man, a woman or a baby into a circle. It allows for single sex couples with a child but you can't have a <i>ménage à trois</i>. If you go for a childless couple, whether gay or not, you are then asked "How long have you lived together?"<br />
<br />
After that IKEA brings you a video exposé of 'the bedroom that might be', albeit without any options to pause rewind or fast-forward. You can then click on one of several items to be taken to its page on the IKEA online store. Altogether quite a nice idea.<br />
<br />
So what's the difference if you log in with Facebook? Well, you'd think it would pull your relationship status and length of time since you were together, along with whether you have one or more children and their ages. That would neatly populate the questions that the app requires.<br />
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But it doesn't do that.<br />
<br />
All it does is take your name and mine some text from your newsfeed then puts it into a little box that shows up while the bedroom of your dreams (<i>sic</i>) is pulled together. Like this:<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiovkZr9SFX96DKWAIwfWnLeEEwU7mwPRDq_xgZg8JkpX-1UVbum5dEjrrT2JW0NlPql8CpMEC_9HGhItLJrHVZ-pwVS4WBNVNFVK6DM8513h28UsNhiXlYRXPaXYqqxh4NdjCtc0sAnSqd/s1600/IKEAUK.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="268" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiovkZr9SFX96DKWAIwfWnLeEEwU7mwPRDq_xgZg8JkpX-1UVbum5dEjrrT2JW0NlPql8CpMEC_9HGhItLJrHVZ-pwVS4WBNVNFVK6DM8513h28UsNhiXlYRXPaXYqqxh4NdjCtc0sAnSqd/s400/IKEAUK.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">(I've airbrushed out friends' names)</span></div><br />
So, The Social Practice seems to have it right: we're not quite there yet, to which I'd add, ever so close. <br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: small;">What irks me, however, is the misalignment of the video window and the navigation menu above it.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span><br />
Here's the presentation:<br />
<br />
<iframe frameborder="0" height="355" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" scrolling="no" src="http://www.slideshare.net/slideshow/embed_code/10215890" width="600"></iframe> <br />
<br />
<span id="goog_505192700"></span><span id="goog_505192701"></span>AGhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02428194246306616167noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4358273718364980257.post-31597676007280697952011-12-09T15:38:00.000+00:002014-03-25T15:17:36.959+00:00New Twitter UI is a car-crash waiting to happenThere are all sorts of reasons why the new Twitter UI is just as bad as the last new UI. Why are direct messages buried in a drop-down menu? Why is there an option to 'Open' tweets that provides almost no additional detail.<br />
<br />
One, slightly arcane UI tomfoolery is the rearranging of the columns.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhge93benJpW8X82NvyQR9DKSuzTdFv-2ZZsN4GzUK_nXJjHtX35IOkfEKW2xH_r-P8TelvTnHMVl19SWdkY1t2TgmQ5snzMzkLvmXhLzZeaJHPXDNkXSIScQ1gWiiJnOz-Q5XzEsD1kbQh/s1600/Twitter+layout.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="385" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhge93benJpW8X82NvyQR9DKSuzTdFv-2ZZsN4GzUK_nXJjHtX35IOkfEKW2xH_r-P8TelvTnHMVl19SWdkY1t2TgmQ5snzMzkLvmXhLzZeaJHPXDNkXSIScQ1gWiiJnOz-Q5XzEsD1kbQh/s400/Twitter+layout.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
Left-hand navigation columns have been common since the very earliest days of the WWW. Later, it became standard to have a main section in the middle column and on the right-hand side, further links and details. The placement of the content in this third section is so typical of online media that it has become convention.<br />
<br />
<b>Guardian</b><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5eJ2R4tWApXQfPIJ_5Y0aN1SLv3uYwX1EtK2c70Z95nnTD_4FH-6lPvSEZ15cWcbEFodpovJe1oScqTJtvu81WfKD759tFZhRzQwkey_nUsfzWFV6GZhCdjqYyiEitrqWMwkWTUaC0DF3/s1600/Guardian+layout.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="338" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5eJ2R4tWApXQfPIJ_5Y0aN1SLv3uYwX1EtK2c70Z95nnTD_4FH-6lPvSEZ15cWcbEFodpovJe1oScqTJtvu81WfKD759tFZhRzQwkey_nUsfzWFV6GZhCdjqYyiEitrqWMwkWTUaC0DF3/s400/Guardian+layout.jpg" width="400" /> </a></div>
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<b>Telegraph </b><br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOznuqAX6XqmHS941QJ9BCmHGrTgPx6wAm3Urh-6zuOXOa0aPu15Gr9MgKNT2jYfcNJ7QDREUbBoQGKbDm1Sob6fGbBVPekljIGMzmFifYTdRY0quu9jkkuGPeOzDvG8_Jb0npYjEorxiq/s1600/Telegraph+layout.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="351" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOznuqAX6XqmHS941QJ9BCmHGrTgPx6wAm3Urh-6zuOXOa0aPu15Gr9MgKNT2jYfcNJ7QDREUbBoQGKbDm1Sob6fGbBVPekljIGMzmFifYTdRY0quu9jkkuGPeOzDvG8_Jb0npYjEorxiq/s400/Telegraph+layout.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
It isn't just online newspapers with their millions of pageviews that adhere to this unwritten dogma. Facebook adopts this principle too, with navigation top and left, the main content in the middle and extra gubbins to the right.<br />
<br />
So, should we blindly follow what everyone else has done before? Well, actually, in this case, yes. Conventions are good for User Experience. A word on a page, which is underlined and in a different colour, we know by convention links to another URL. By the same token, we know that stuff on the left is navigation and stuff on the right is your side salad.<br />
<br />
Twitter is asking us to drive on the wrong side of the road. <br />
<div class="zemanta-pixie" style="height: 15px; margin-top: 10px;">
<img alt="" class="zemanta-pixie-img" src="http://img.zemanta.com/pixy.gif?x-id=b3192b09-dbb5-4d90-87c5-bc3aa10ffe9f" style="border: none; float: right;" /></div>AGhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02428194246306616167noreply@blogger.com