We’re excited for the new competition and hope to get more design awards than ever this year! Should be one of the best competitions yet. Good Luck and we’ll see you in the book!
Let’s face it, nerds are hard to buy for…unless of course, you’re a nerd yourself. That said, from my nerd ness to yours, I’m proud to share my nerd wisdom with the top 11 techtastic gifts designed to evoke joy and rapture from the geek guy or gal in your life.
1. Ctrl + O Bottle Opener- because keyboard short cuts rule
2. Heat Activated Color Changing iPhone Case -because they remind me of those hyper color shirts that changed color in the sun
3. Outlet Faces- because my outlets do in fact need mustaches (no sexual innuendo intended)
4. Rock Em Sock Em Robots - because this is a legit throw back – you’re welcome
5. Made an iPhone case out of your own Instagram Pics – because your instagram pictures should live both in and on your phone
6. 80s Cell Phone Case -because this existed just 3 decades ago
7. QR Code Made of Wood- because you can just buy 1000 sets of Jenga
8. iCade – because this is awesome and our office has one
9. Brain Freeze- because who wouldn’t want to drink a frozen brain that will freeze your brain
10. Patch O Grass iPhone Charger -because well…. this needs no rationale
11. Kodak Usb Drives – because these are a perfect blend of throwback and nerd
I am currently a member of the Entrepreneurs Organization and it never ceases to amaze me how much I get out of being a part of their network. One of the small perks is receiving Octane Magazine which is chock full of interesting and informative articles relative to all facets of business. Recently my new LinkedIn friend Angela Randall (from EO Houston) wrote a great article about user experience that I felt obligated to share (with her permission of course). She says some pretty basic and very smart things we sometimes lose sight of and I think it makes for a quick and interesting read. Enjoy!
Want to know what really ruins a web site’s user experience?
Bending over backwards in an attempt to please each customer. Many eager Business owners conclude that the only way to satisfy a customer is to cater to his every whim. The result is ambiguous, be-everything-to-everybody customer experiences. Product teams try to incorporate every feature ever requested, while service teams try to be so flexible in their offerings that it’s no longer clear what the company specializes in. Of course, this ends up being counter-productive.
1. Reduce the amount of choices:
Choices give customers the illusion of being in control, but they’re actually a cognitive burden. having to decide between too many choices becomes work. Here’s an example: A design-it-yourself shades and blinds company couldn’t figure out why so few customers chose their feature-rich product line, when their competitors offered far fewer customization options online. After investigating, we found that the sheer number of available options overwhelmed and intimidated potential customers, making the competitor’s simpler experience more manageable. Removing the least-used options and hidings others under “Advanced Features” on their Web site helped the company streamline its offerings.
2. Tell your customers what to do:
Seriously order them about. When I tell my clients this, they look at me funny. Thing is, most people know what to do in a store, but on the Web, it’s not always obvious how to take the next step. Don’t expect customers to hunt around on your site for a phone number or e-mail. that’s too much work. instead, take the work out of navigating by using clear calls to action like “Learn more,” “Request a free evaluation” and “Buy now.” One of our client, a continuing education provider, didn’t understand why people weren’t signing up for their coursed. We added a prominent “Register now” button to the course-description page. Problem solved.
3. Observe, don’t listen to your customers:
What customers want and what they say they want are two different things. the only way to learn the truth is to watch their behavior. Basic analytics software will tell you you which of your site’s pages people visit most and how long they spend there. there are also more sophisticated tools that track user’ movements to give you an idea of what people are reading on your site, and where they’re getting stuck in forms. ultimately, sitting next to customer performing prescribed tasks on your Web site or application is the best way to discover reasons why users call customer support instead of searching the documentation, or why so many of them quite on the las step of the process.
For example, an African national oil company had built an oil-trading application that was intended to track US$160 billion worth of oil annually…but nobody used it. Since the users had meticulously described their workflow, the developers assumed the problem must be technical– “We need more servers!” User testing revealed, however, that the users’ workflow wasn’t really sequential as they had described. instead, they saved up all their orders for entry in a single batch at the end of the day. After modifying the interface to facilitate batch, adaption skyrocketed.
Of course, we would never advocate treating customers with anything less than dignity and respect. but we realize that an entrepreneur’s primary role is to be a steward, not a butler. We don’t pander…we lead. Customers will follow.
Sphere: Related Content
A few Friday’s ago the entire Jacob Tyler team met at the top floor of Symphony Towers, at San Diego’s University Club for our annual agency retreat.
As we grow and evolve, we want to ensure our commitment to client service remains front and center. A client of ours, New Brain for Business led a rousing workshop focusing on how we can make sure the crux of what we do falls in line with this goal. We want you, our clients, to feel an unparalleled level of customer service, in addition to experiencing our pristine suite of creative and communications services, 100% of the time.
Some of you may remember the personality testing that was common in the workplace in the the 1970’s. Then, it was intended more for weeding out who employers might consider “problem employees.” Interestingly enough, in terms of accuracy and what perspective it can offer business owners, corporate personality testing is on a different plane today. Each employee took a personal evaluation, allowing us to see our agency’s unique personality prototype, based on the collective results. What a shocker- we had an overwhelming number of creative, left-handed, right-brained oriented professionals!
We each brainstormed in small groups and focused on what we want Jacob Tyler to be in the years to come. Each group agreed that customer service and client relationships are without a doubt, the most important objective. Armed with all of this information, we have returned to our work bonded as a team, and more committed than ever to make sure we make you happy.
And then… we went to happy hour 
