Monday, February 28, 2005
Nielsen's new usability report on intranets is out: http://www.useit.com/alertbox/20050228.html
Last year's was a good one; this one, I am sure is great, too.
Posted by Reid
6:36 PM
0 comments 
From AdAge:
Retailer unveils teen-oriented online site
Understanding that teenagers are most interested in lifestyle trends, Federated Department Stores' Macy's has launched www.thisit.com, which is a marked departure from the more staid Macy's.com and is geared towards teenage girls. However, the new site is not necessarily designed to accelerate online sales, but focuses on trends and music as a means to entice young shoppers to its stores.
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Reid's editorial comment: This site makes the mistake (and frequent assumption) that teenagers prefer the overuse of Flash, hide-and-seek navigation and the departure from consistent navigation. Many brands also like to hide their brand from this segment to make the site feel "third-party and therefore "insider" and "hip."
A tremendous amount of research has gone in to this consumer segment recently (because they are soon to be the next generation of disposable income) and refuted the fact that kids are more Internet-sophisticated than adults and can therefore figure out difficult navigation - see Jakob Nielsen's useit.com for the specifics. Research also shows that this segment is in a hurry, the slow load-time of this site will put off many of the intended target; and additionally, these kids can sniff through the BS and feel that the brand, if not prominently displayed, is trying to hide something and they will likely not trust the information within.
This site has a long way to go to really hit home with its intended target; however, I love the concept of target market specific Web sites. I think that more brands should take this risk - just do your research first.
Posted by Reid
4:31 PM
0 comments
Wednesday, February 23, 2005
The McKinsey Quarterly: Automated self-service comes to telcos:
"Customers complain that they can't get adequate information and services from the Web sites of many telcos. Improving their online presence to provide more of both will save them money in the long run."
Posted by Kelly Abbott
9:05 AM
0 comments
Friday, February 18, 2005
Good Portal Design
The McKinsey Quarterly: The Online Journal of McKinsey & Co.
XHTML/CSS only layouts.
Very clean mark-up.
Stylish and informative at the same time.
Content in screen and print formats.
Posted by Kelly Abbott
9:38 AM
0 comments
Wednesday, February 16, 2005
Reversal: Next IE divorced from new Windows | CNET News.com:
"SAN FRANCISCO--Reversing a longstanding Microsoft policy, Bill Gates said Tuesday that the company will ship an update to its browser separately from the next major version of Windows."
This release seems like it will be more about security than standards compliance. Wait and see . . .
Posted by Kelly Abbott
8:53 AM
0 comments
Tuesday, February 15, 2005
Tuesday, February 08, 2005
Friday, February 04, 2005
