Author: John Ayers

[VIDEO] Love em or hate em… Google knows what they’re doing. #UX

/ John Ayers / Leave a comment
This is my personal call to STOP MAKING BAD WEB SITES.

With years in design, art direction and creative direction, I am focusing much of my attention on User Experience [Interaction/Interface design]. Utilizing my knowledge of core grid systems, incorporating the user’s needs and motivations and fully realizing the potential of the medium and the platforms we have available to us. Not to mention those to come. I hope we can all agree we can make web sites… but making truer tactile digital experiences, that is the goal.

If you don’t like how Google is doing some things or maybe you think they’re taking over the world, demanding all others to follow their tracks. Well you may be right.  BUT, it must not be forgotten what else they have brought to the globe. And this is a list that is long and growing.

Case in point.

I have been very fortunate to have experienced many countries and traveled to most of our United States. Along these travels, I have often visited art museums, but many don’t have that ability – until now. To see what greatness is found throughout the world. What we beleive to be great, to learn about these works of art and to share them with others.

As a creative professional with a focus on UX and the social media platforms, I look to the future of how we are going to be using digital content to inform and connect. As a parent, I am encouraged when I find sites like the GOGGLE ART PROJECT. My kids and yours, and those across the globe, with access and the click of a mouse or a point of a finger can go to the TATE in London, The Vang Gogh in Amsterdam or the Kampa in Prague.

Would love to chat further, but I am headed to the Van Gogh Museum in Amsterdam.

[VIDEO] Love em or hate em… Google knows what they’re doing. #UX

/ John Ayers / Leave a comment

This is my personal call to STOP MAKING BAD WEB SITES.

With years in design, art direction and creative direction, I am focusing much of my attention on User Experience [Interaction/Interface design]. Utilizing my knowledge of core grid systems, incorporating the user’s needs and motivations and fully realizing the potential of the medium and the platforms we have available to us. Not to mention those to come. I hope we can all agree we can make web sites… but making truer tactile digital experiences, that is the goal.

If you don’t like how Google is doing some things or maybe you think they’re taking over the world, demanding all others to follow their tracks. Well you may be right.  BUT, it must not be forgotten what else they have brought to the globe. And this is a list that is long and growing.

Case in point.

I have been very fortunate to have experienced many countries and traveled to most of our United States. Along these travels, I have often visited art museums, but many don’t have that ability – until now. To see what greatness is found throughout the world. What we beleive to be great, to learn about these works of art and to share them with others.

As a creative professional with a focus on UX and the social media platforms, I look to the future of how we are going to be using digital content to inform and connect. As a parent, I am encouraged when I find sites like the GOGGLE ART PROJECT. My kids and yours, and those across the globe, with access and the click of a mouse or a point of a finger can go to the TATE in London, The Vang Gogh in Amsterdam or the Kampa in Prague.

Would love to chat further, but I am headed to the Van Gogh Museum in Amsterdam.

Do you have a SMART telephone? If you don’t most believe the whole world will soon. #cisco

/ John Ayers / Leave a comment
Was on Linked-in navigating through some of the new tools they are rolling out and noticed in the lower right hand corner of the page a survey being conducted by Cisco. Though I generally would not participate… the subject being assessed was quite interesting.

Not sure how long this has been running, but noticed it had over 1200 votes and will be going for another 3 months.

Cisco has long been a player in the tech sector, but they, along with other big hitters are really ramping up while at the same time are forced to constantly assess if they are ramping up in the right direction.

Certainly not an exhaustive, scientific study, but it was rather alarming that smartphone ran away with the first place position. Is it that we can only see a few months behind and in front of us with technology? Smartphones are the craze currently. But with the intro of the new Google Laptop – CHROMEBOOK – is real ‘cloud computing’ going to take it’s place?

What’s next? Flying cars and jet packs?

:•)

Cisco_survey

Do you have a SMART telephone? If you don’t most believe the whole world will soon. #cisco

/ John Ayers / Leave a comment

Was on Linked-in navigating through some of the new tools they are rolling out and noticed in the lower right hand corner of the page a survey being conducted by Cisco. Though I generally would not participate… the subject being assessed was quite interesting.

Not sure how long this has been running, but noticed it had over 1200 votes and will be going for another 3 months.

Cisco has long been a player in the tech sector, but they, along with other big hitters are really ramping up while at the same time are forced to constantly assess if they are ramping up in the right direction.

Certainly not an exhaustive, scientific study, but it was rather alarming that smartphone ran away with the first place position. Is it that we can only see a few months behind and in front of us with technology? Smartphones are the craze currently. But with the intro of the new Google Laptop – CHROMEBOOK – is real ‘cloud computing’ going to take it’s place?

What’s next? Flying cars and jet packs?

:?)

Cisco_survey

MOMS: Authentic Cause Marketers in the Purest Form. #mothersday #cause

/ John Ayers / Leave a comment
If my mom were a marketing campaign she wouldn’t be selling anything, she would be sharing information.Moms are like that aren’t they? They tend to guide their consumer, don’t they? Helping, caring, providing support, bridging the gap, being there for the need at hand. 

A user of a digital experience, a consumer of a retail store, a customer to a service provided… should these not all be treated the same way? Ideally the best in UX design goes hand-in-hand with honest, cause related marketing. Provide the information for an individual or a group (target demo) to make good decisions. A best choice option for themselves will likely also be better for the world around them and the greater good.

In honor of Mother’s Day and moms around the world.  I thought it would be a nice time to share some of the finest cause marketing sites and campaigns with you.

Don’t shout or oversell. Just simply share emotionally, heart-felt support or solutions to the user experience, to your customer, the consumer in all of us… and you will be moving someone to action. And THAT is the goal. To move someone to feel or do something because of the communications provided to them and it’s a powerful message when it is positive all the way around.

Here are a few great sites to start with:

All things about the “cause”

What is the Halo Award?

MOMS: Authentic Cause Marketers in the Purest Form. #mothersday #cause

/ John Ayers / Leave a comment

If my mom were a marketing campaign she wouldn’t be selling anything, she would be sharing information.Moms are like that aren’t they? They tend to guide their consumer, don’t they? Helping, caring, providing support, bridging the gap, being there for the need at hand. 

A user of a digital experience, a consumer of a retail store, a customer to a service provided… should these not all be treated the same way? Ideally the best in UX design goes hand-in-hand with honest, cause related marketing. Provide the information for an individual or a group (target demo) to make good decisions. A best choice option for themselves will likely also be better for the world around them and the greater good.

In honor of Mother’s Day and moms around the world.  I thought it would be a nice time to share some of the finest cause marketing sites and campaigns with you.

Don’t shout or oversell. Just simply share emotionally, heart-felt support or solutions to the user experience, to your customer, the consumer in all of us… and you will be moving someone to action. And THAT is the goal. To move someone to feel or do something because of the communications provided to them and it’s a powerful message when it is positive all the way around.

Here are a few great sites to start with:

All things about the “cause”

What is the Halo Award?

Information Junkfood: Are you in a BUBBLE and don’t even know it? A TED talk you should watch.

/ John Ayers / Leave a comment
I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE Ted Talks.

And, on occasion I will stop by and check out a recent talk. Sometimes I do so because I am on their email list, sometimes I check to most recent video, the highest rated, or even a TALK about a specific topic or issue – say “education”.

In the world of mass, instant media and information, that you control, when, where and how you get it… I was intrigued by this discussion.

We all know we are targeted by ads. Right?
But are we being filtered in other ways… and is this good?

Here is the TED TALK I suggest you watch.

Information Junkfood: Are you in a BUBBLE and don’t even know it? A TED talk you should watch.

/ John Ayers / Leave a comment

I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE Ted Talks.

And, on occasion I will stop by and check out a recent talk. Sometimes I do so because I am on their email list, sometimes I check the most recent video, the highest rated, or even a TALK about a specific topic or issue – say “education”.

In the world of mass media, instant media and information – that you are supposedly in control of, when, where and how you get it… I was intrigued by this discussion.

We all know we are targeted by ads. Right?
But are we being “filtered”… and is this good?

Here is the TED TALK I suggest you watch.

[VIDEO] Tweets in Realtime. Social media, new technology and breaking global news.

/ John Ayers / Leave a comment
With the news that Osama Bin Laden is dead, comes with it emotions from one side of the spectrum to the other. There is also the news media, the talking heads, the political jockeying, and there is also the ‘real time’ world of dialogue seen in social media.

Although at times it is one-way communication more than two way or group discussion… the entire earth is slowly becoming part of the conversation.
As more and more developing countries and cultures move into the digital age… this will only continue.

I found this event and the hashtag #osamabinladen and others – as noted in the screenshot to be rather amazing.
The social in social media is growing. The world is becoming flatter as we moving into cloud computing, mobile technology and instant global communications.

Screen_shot_2011-05-01_at_8

Just captured this video using Jing and posted it to screencast…
Check it out… to follow these tweets in real time is difficult as you will see in the video.

http://content.screencast.com/users/Ayers/folders/Jing/media/9e43a826-ad87-4bdd-9429-9d1bc6765434/jingswfplayer.swf
View on screencast.com »

If you are interested in what is being said and who is saying it… you can tap the pause button on lower left.

[VIDEO] Tweets in Realtime. Social media, new technology and breaking global news.

/ John Ayers / Leave a comment

With the news that Osama Bin Laden is dead, comes with it emotions from one side of the spectrum to the other. There is also the news media, the talking heads, the political jockeying, and there is also the ‘real time’ world of dialogue seen in social media.

Although at times it is one-way communication more than two way or group discussion… the entire earth is slowly becoming part of the conversation.
As more and more developing countries and cultures move into the digital age… this will only continue.

I found this event and the hashtag #osamabinladen and others – as noted in the screenshot to be rather amazing.
The social in social media is growing. The world is becoming flatter as we moving into cloud computing, mobile technology and instant global communications.

Screen_shot_2011-05-01_at_8

Just captured this video using Jing and posted it to screencast…
Check it out… to follow these tweets in real time is difficult as you will see in the video.


View on screencast.com »

If you are interested in what is being said and who is saying it… you can tap the pause button on lower left.