Archive: January 2010

Often as web developers and designers we forget that we are not a typical web browsing laymen. Even though we’ve created the handy, stunningly good looking help section on a site, a user shouldn’t have to use it. By simply observing a few users in the beginning of a project we can find countless ways to improve a site’s functionality and ease of use.

Recently one of our clients asked us to conduct usability studies to ensure that our wireframe and creative directions would be enticing and functional for their website’s users. Below is a brief summary of the two processes we conducted: focus groups and user testing.

Focus Groups

Website focus groups are critical in understanding how a site is used by a target audience and how a site’s conversion rate can be improved. By conducting focus groups on various design directions we were able to determine what our users would think and feel when they visit our redesigned site. We were able to compile feedback that can then be used to enhance the site’s user experience, increasing the site’s overall appeal and functionality and ultimately drawing in new users.

A website focus group study begins by outlining specific goals. For example, one of the goals of the focus groups may be to determine what appeals more to the target audience: images of people using a given product or just the product itself. Another goal may be to determine the response to a given page structure: Are users able to easily locate the site’s main navigation? Does the primary promo space engage the user or is another portion of the page grabbing their attention?

One of the most crucial aspects of a focus group is the selection of the participants. At this point the client has revealed the site’s target audience: age spread, demographics, etc. The number of participants for each session is intentionally kept relatively small to encourage open discussion and to promote a comfortable environment.

To ensure the conversations remain on topic a moderator is present during the entire process. Using a Moderator’s Guide, we balance the encouragement of free discussion with the underlying focus of the meeting – the outlined goals. Balancing the use of the script and free-form discussions the moderator guarantees the information received is kept relevant. Others involved in the focus group process observe the study, including note-taking and digital video and audio recording of the session.

Depending on the goal of the focus group, we are able to gather opinions about the site, including information on the site’s usage or what the participants need in order to use the site more efficiently. This information adds to the understanding of the site’s target audience, helps plan the site’s strategy, and helps to identify any areas for improvement.

User Testing

In addition to our focus groups our team conducted usability testing on key areas of functionality using a protoype. Our userbility testing involved interviewing individuals who were representative of the target audience and leading them through a series of predefined scenarios. By asking them to accomplish specific, representative tasks to determine ease of use and recommend improvements, we gathered first-hand information about how users would behave and their opinions towards each workflow.

The advantage of user testing is you learn what the target audience can and can’t accomplish, understand why users are having trouble, how to correct it, and receive direct feedback. The disadvantages are obvious: it can be more expensive to test individuals, especially when you’re dealing with multiple user types and a large number of test participants. In addition to a testing facility and moderator costs, there are also costs to recruit and compensate test participants.

Determining whether a website is compelling is the ultimate goal in user testing. During our most recent user testing session we used a variation of MultivariateTesting. This allowed us to use several variations of product pages to test the users understanding and usage of each variant.

The beauty of Multivariate Testing is that it offers the ability to isolate and assess the performance of virtually every element of a web site, landing page, or application. From page layout, to headline text, to complete color palette variations, Multivariate Testing can be highly effective in identifying what works and what doesn’t from a user’s perspective.

With our focus groups and user testing complete, we created a consolidated feedback document to pass on to the client. With recommendations in hand we allowed to client to form their own opinion of what may need to be changed and we go from there. Though the process can be extensive and tedious the results are worth it. Within one week we were able to make our site that much more user friendly and attractive to new customers.

Would you pay $193.50 for a small figurine of the Russian saint of extremely fast dancing? The Significant Objects Project proves that “narrative transforms the insignificant into the significant” and people pay big bucks for tall tales.

NY Times contributor Rob Walker and author Josh Glenn challenged a group of writers to find random objects and create fictional stories that added a certain je ne sais quoi to them. Between July and November of last year, $128.74 worth of these dust collectors sold for $3,612.51 through eBay auctions.

(It should be noted that the founders said they “did not set out to hoax eBay customers” and that they took care to avoid the impression that the stories were in any way true. A second phase of the project is underway that focuses on charitable fundraising.)

Whether you’re selling an HDTV or a sea captain pipe rest, just know that engaging narrative helps move merchandise.

We’ve got mobile on the mind. We love all of the possibilities that exist when marketers can reach their target at exactly the point they’re making a purchase decision. Whether it is a local small business or a big national advertiser, all companies need to pay attention to mobile. 

An article on AdAge.com highlighted 5 ways that the author sees mobile changing the game this year.  Here are two areas that we think are particularly important for direct marketers to consider:

1. Your potential customers are checking up on you, at the point they’re making a purchase decision. With sites like ShopSavvy, Red Laser, and Amazon Mobile, they can compare prices on the fly. With apps like BazaarVoice’s MobileVoice, they’re hearing what others are saying about you.  At the very least marketers should be monitoring these sites. The real possibilities lie within creating a positive brand impression at the point-of-sale.

2. You have the power to shift brand preference at POS. As direct marketers know, delivering the right offer at the right time is the key to winning a sale. There couldn’t be a right-er time than point-of-sale. With sites like Zavers and Cellfire (to name a few), marketers can take advantage of this powerful POS moment by not only getting in the consideration set, but with the right offer, shifting brand preference.

You’ve all had that moment. You’re in one of your favorite stores, you’re making your purchase, the clerk asks you if you have your loyalty card with you.

Doh. Of course you don’t. If you had to carry all of your loyalty cards in your wallet…well let’s just say that yes, all of that customer loyalty does make your derriere look big.

Motorola to the rescue, with their convenient and slimming mobile loyalty solution . In this press release, Motorola details how their solution will allow retailers to digitize loyalty programs on consumers’ cell phones. We’re all for it; this would make the programs more convenient, satisfying and valuable for the members, ultimately racking up more sales and loyalty for the retailer. 

On our blog we focus primarily on topics related to direct marketing strategy. Test design, targeting, marketing analytics, media strategy. Less often we talk about creative strategy.

Creative Strategy, we’d like to apologize. We haven’t ignored you on purpose. And we’d like to make it up to you. Without you, we wouldn’t be able to move our prospects to action quickly, enthusiastically and profitably. 

Today we’d like to talk about the copywriting aspect of creative strategy. This post from the excellent copyblogger.com reminds us that “Copywriting is one of the most essential elements of effective online marketing. The art and science of copywriting involves strategically writing words that promote a person, product, business, opinion, or idea, with the ultimate intention of having the reader take some form of action.”

This post doles out lots of great info for writing effective online copy, but there are plenty of lessons that can be transferred to all channels.

Please enjoy. And then go hug a copywriter. 

We’ve been spending some time on Pat LaPointe’s Marketing Measurement Today blog. There’s one post in particular that struck a cord: Making The “Best” Case For Marketing Investments. It’s worth a read if you find yourself in this list below:

•  Using aggressive, moderate, and conservative labels on business case scenarios to show how even the most conservative view provides a strong potential return, and anything beyond that is gravy?

• Identifying the always-low break-even point at which expenses are recaptured fully, and showing how this point occurs even below the conservative outcome scenario?
• Taking a “haircut” in assumptions to show how, “even if you cut the number in half, the result is still positive.”

 Mr. LaPointe can help you understand the effects of this behavior and how to correct it.You know you want to; none of us has ever felt good uttering the line “even in f you cut the number in half…”

We’re well into the second week of the new year. Enough time has passed to have made resolutions, tried them on and then abandoned them. We can’t sit by and watch this happen! The opportunity for self improvement is passing you by!

To get you back on track, we offer up this gem, which we found out about from this gem.

It is perfect for helping you achieve your resolution to become a more analytic marketer, one who makes decisions based on data, one who can find “the proverbial needle of insight in the haystack of data”.  That’s a quote from Avinash Kaushik at Occam’s Razor.

(Yes, our Avinash blog crush continues in 2010)

SolutionSet has been carefully watching the browser market share for IE6 and there’s a promising trend: IE6 has lost more than 1% of the market every month in 2009. With only 5% of the market in the United States, IE6 now has fewer users than the latest version of Safari and an old version of Firefox. Globally, IE6 is faring much better, but even with 13% of the market it still dropped the same 1% per month that it did in the US. It will be interesting to see if the trend continues throughout 2010. Keep an eye on the Windows 7 market share as an indicator of what’s in store for IE6.

This news means that SolutionSet is now ready to phase IE6 off our list of browsers we support. Unless a project has IE6 as a specific technical requirement, supporting IE6 should be seen as an additional development cost that could potentially be avoided. Already it makes sense to deliver a degraded experience to IE6 for certain design elements such as rounded corners and drop-shadows. As major corporations start the slow upgrade to Windows 7, 2010 is shaping up to be the year that IE6 finally becomes a thing of the past.