How to create rich product information, in five simple steps
I’ve been trawling Etsy, the handmade craft website, in search of nice stuff for a friend’s new baby, and I noticed a real variation between the mini-boutiques. Some I’d be happy to buy from straight away, no question. Others are sending lots of worrying little signals that the product or the service simply aren’t going to be up to much. There are a million and one reasons why a physical product may not sell well online. A lot of these (like current trends and your competition) are well outside your control. The one that is firmly in your control is the way...
Read MoreValentine selection: five from the archives
I’m cheating today. On the assumption that you’ll be swamped by Valentine-themed content of all types, I am going to dig through my archives and blow the dust off some older posts that deserve more love. Hopefully something for everyone. Fair warning: some of these are from 2007, which is like 1850 in internet terms. 1. Practical usability How to Evaluate Your Website What it says on the tin. 2. Going beyond the polite and acceptable when talking about internet use Are We allowed To Talk About Downloading Why research may barely scratch the surface: things that people will...
Read MoreTell me what you think. No, really.
I went to a terrible conference some time ago. From the first talk, it was dull and worthy. During the coffee breaks, I talked to other people, who were also driven to comment on the sheer awfulness of the event. If you looked at the public response to this event - the Twitter coverage, for example - you would never guess that many of the delegates felt that the entire day was a waste of time.
Read MoreHow to interview a customer (properly)
Ah, I know what you’re thinking. D’oh! Hah! Easy! Just go ahead and ask them the questions! WRONG! 99% of people asked their opinion out of the blue stammered, blushed and then lied. It’s a highly awkward social situation, and it goes roughly like this: MARKETER: (brightly) ‘So, what do you think of our shop?’ CUSTOMER: (caught like a deer in the headlights) ‘I er what? Hm. I er. It’s ok. It’s errrm, very nice really.’ MARKETER: (writes stuff down in big notebook, is triumphant) ‘They really like it. They think it’s...
Read MoreHow to evaluate your website
I have done shedloads of website usability in my time. Some projects are straghtforward, others are very complicated. This is my guide to thinking about your own assessment – you might still need to do user testing, but this should start to surface the glaring problems. 1. Define your website’s goals Your goals may be many and varied. List them all out before you start. Enabling people to do their banking online Informing prospective students about evening classes Persuading visitors to come to your gallery Providing up-to-date information about genetics research Helping...
Read MoreThe Dark Art of the Telephone Depth Interview
People aren’t very keen on telephone interviews. The phone interview tends to be seen as the (deeply) impoverished relation of the face-to-face interview. There are plenty of obvious negatives: on the phone, you have no eye contact, no body language, and precious little context. It’s true that the lack of visual information is a distinct drawback. There are advantages, though. Personally, I love telephone interviews. They can be direct, freeing, and incredibly stimulating to conduct. People have told me things on the phone that they probably never would in a...
Read MoreManifesto
Some of us find it quite simple to put our real organisations and authentic selves online.
Others - well, let's just say that some of us can't bear to look at our own websites.
My mission is to help you transform your online presence so that other people understand and appreciate what you really have to offer. So that you can achieve what you want - whether that's better engagement, more readers, or more sales.