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Finally finished watching the TechCrunch50 presentations by 50 startup companies. It’s great to see all the UI/UX innovation coming from these startups, and interesting to find a lot of these companies spending their limited time and resources into creating pleasurable user experiences. It’s evident that attention to great UI design is essential to all businesses in today’s age…perhaps even more so to young companies vying to get a foothold in the market. 

Anyways, in honor of the recent Olympics, just wanted to hand out my gold, silver, and bronze prizes to my favorite TechCrunch50 companies as it relates to UI design. Congrats…you get a shout out on methink.com!

TOWNIZEN GOLD

Company: Swype (www.forwordinput.com)

On TechCrunch50: Company Details

Verdict: Impressive! The trend towards Mobile as the next big wave of applications development is huge. This company sets out to alleviate a big problem associated with mobile devices…their small screens and small inputs. Swype hopes to revolutionize the way text input is done on mobile devices. It will be exciting to see mobile hardware devices adopt such foundational technology…hopefully in the near future! 

TOWNIZEN SILVER

Company: FitBit

On TechCrunch50: Company Details

Verdict: A great example of the convergence of a physical hardware product and a web application. FitBit is a little device that helps people log their fitness levels throughout the day and track their results in the cloud. Great design in form and function! My only minor gripe would be that it could be totally wireless to communicate back to my computer…or just have an integrated USB plug that flips out of the device. Can’t wait to get my hands on one of these things!

TOWNIZEN BRONZE

Company: iCharts (www.icharts.net)

On TechCrunch50: Company Details

Verdict: Ok, charts…it’s not the most exciting thing. But this shows me how attention to user experience…to make it even easier for people to create something as mundane as charts…to create an experience to help people be more productive and rock…is worthwhile!

Charts aren’t new. Charts aren’t sexy. But this company aims to revolutionize charts by helping users create better charts…easier. I think they’re onto something. 

A lot of users hate the “new” Facebook UI. I admit, I was highly anticipating the new look for several months, but also couldn’t embrace it when it actually came out. I was among the minions seeking to protest this great injustice called the “new Facebook”. Why change a good thing?…but the better question…why give users a choice to switch back and forth between the old and new, rather than just forcing us to use the new? Does that mean that you guys aren’t really convinced about the new Facebook too? Are you guys just “testing out” this new interface as some kind of pilot program, and perhaps roll back to the old once you find users hate it?

I think Facebook users are confused. Case in point, as of today, 1,834,841 members in the “1,000,000 against the new facebook layout” group, 1,302,468 members in the “Petition Against the New Facebook” group, and 1,159,068 “I Hate The New Facebook” group.

Did Facebook shoot themselves in the foot by actually giving a users a choice in user interface options? What exactly was your goal Facebook?

Well, the above interview with Scoble and Facebook Mark Slee (lead project manager @ Facebook) answers a lot of the questions (props once again to Robert Scoble for the insightful interview). As revealed in the interview, the option to choose between old and new interface was not truly to give users an option (as evidenced by the eventual discontinuation of the old interface), but it was seen as a way to give user an opportunity to do A/B testing and see the new rich features built into the new interface that can’t be done with the old. 

With this in mind…I tried the new Facebook with a renewed perspective to see the A/B comparison between old vs. new features. I was sold pretty quickly to the new interface. Through the noise of the masses, it seems that once again, Facebook has managed to help user’s rock. 

Verizon…GET YOUR ACT TOGETHER! I’ve been using the Verizon FIOS package for a year (this is their PREMIUM home service of internet, phone, and TV), and have been underwhelmed to say the least. I’ve honestly never experienced a more frustrating customer service experience in my life! I cannot believe this is a big company! Tonight I’ve decided to cancel my Verizon FIOS service (if I can get through to a service rep that is). If you are trying to decide if Verizon FIOS is right for you, let me save you some headache…don’t do it! Actually, if you are trying to decide on ANY Verizon service…turn back while you can! If their PREMIUM service is this horrible, I really don’t think good service exists for ANY of their services. 

Anyways, although I flame…Verizon, PAY ATTENTION! Even though you’ve been nothing but a pain, and your customer service reps rude and unhelpful, I will give you some some FREE UX advice:

1. Use Relevant Phone Numbers…You’re a Phone Company!

It doesn’t matter what number you call published by Verizon, it all goes to the same phone queue. Tech support…same phone queue. Sales inquiries…same phone queue. Billing questions…same phone queue…you get the idea. Verizon, are you running out of telephone numbers or something? You can’t afford to dedicate a unique phone number for specific purposes? Sure, have a general phone number that can route users, but why not also have dedicated 800 numbers for specific user goals? When I call billing, I don’t want to talk to a computer going through 6 menus items, 3 levels deep, with totally irrelevant service options…I just want to talk to someone about billing! How about 800-VER-BILL for billing? Or 800-VER-TECH for tech support? You’re a phone company, you can make it happen! I just got a message on my Verizon FIOS TV, which says a channel is locked and to call 888-553-1555 to unlock it. Guess what? That’s the general phone queue…FAIL.

2. If a Technology Isn’t Ready, Don’t Use It!…PS, Computerized Robot Operators Aren’t Ready!

Have you ever talked to a computer and liked the experience? Please leave a comment with that phone number, because I’ve never experienced one that got it right! Not only does Verizon not get it right, they get it horribly wrong! (Don’t believe me?…try calling 888-553-1555). Verizon, I know it costs some money to use real people…but it’s worth it if it keeps your customers happy. Your computerized robot isn’t ready for production yet…get it?! I’ve called and talked to that robot about 15 times.

• 7 of those times I got caught in some kinda of phone loop where I never talked to anyone and never got my problem solved. 
• 3 of those times I finally got a live person (after numerous menus and submenus of options), but ended up with the wrong live person and needed to get transfered anyways. 
• 2 of those times I got to a live human only because I kept choosing the option to cancel my service (apparently you take those requests more seriously). 
• 3 of those times I hung up cause the robot either can’t hear me or understand me. 

If you’re following the count…the success rate for a good user experience doesn’t look good. If I eventually DO get to the right person, I’m probably already frustrated just from your phone menu system, even if my problem does get solved. My advice…your robot isn’t saving you any call center money because whoever ends up answering the phone STILL plays operator by transferring you to the right person. In fact, it is costing you money because this horrible service will cost you customer loyalty. If you still INSIST on using a computerized operator, at LEAST give option #0 on the topmost menu, the “talk to a live operator” option. Computer Robot Operator = FAIL.

3. Keep Your Front End Data Updated With Your Back End Data!…Cmon, That’s Web 101!

I first noticed this because I almost paid the same bill twice. Try this if you are a Verizon customer. Login and pay a bill online. Chances are, they don’t update your new current balance to 0. Depending on where you are in your billing cycle, it might show you still owe that amount you just paid for several days…even several WEEKS! So if you pay a bill, login a week later, you’ll still see the amount there in BOLD RED that you still owe money!

C’mon Verizon…this is Web Applications 101. Have your back end data match your front end data. If a user pays the bill… the current balance NEEDS to be updated. If we pay a bill, we need to see it confirmed that it is paid! When I called in to ask a customer service person about this problem, and to clarify if I still owe any money, they said, “What do you mean? That number you still see in BOLD RED means PAID, cause red means PAID in accounting.” I respond…”No sir, to me and probably most of the population, BOLD RED means STOP and WARNING! Instead of BOLD RED, you guys need to show the balance as 0″. He responds, “Hmmm…you have a point there. Actually, your current balance will update to show 0 in 2 weeks when your billing cycle resets”…FAIL. Oh yeah, forgot to mention…nowhere on the online account details or bill details does it show you the bill’s DUE DATE! …don’t get me started!

Verizon. If you want to stay in business, you need to spend some money and work on your customer experience! For me, I have a “3 strikes and you’re out” rule… and it seems you’re all outta strikes!

I read a lot of blogs…about technology, UI, web programming, web trends, business, guitar, drumming, photography, cooking, restaurant reviews, movie reviews, etc, etc (dang…I have too many hobbies). With this much reading, and RSS feeds clogging up my inbox…I usually end up glossing over any given blog post for about 20 seconds or less.

I’m assuming many of you readers of Methink exhibit similar blog reading behavior…so how do I, a blogger, capture your attention and send you off with valuable & memorable information? I considered the Tumblelog approach to fight short attention spans…but I find it ineffective for informational blogs.

In light of this…I decided to adopt a new best practice for Methink.com blog posts…TOP 5 lists! Being an avid blog reader myself, one of the things my eyes are first drawn to (sometimes first and ONLY) are the lists that bloggers include on their posts. What are the best guitars? … 1. Goodalls 2. Collings 3. Froggy Bottoms 4. Larrivees 5. Taylors. What are the cheapest DSLR camera’s on market? … 1. Canon XTi 2. Nikon D40X 3. Sony A100 4. Pentax k100d 5. Olympus EVOLT. On Amazon…I almost always go straight to the list of other things people bought when looking at a product.

Sometimes, I don’t even care what bloggers write in the body of the post…just get me to your list so I can research stuff myself! Lists can be a great way to quickly deduce the conclusions of authors without reading entire posts. As an informational resource, lists are invaluable for quick reference. Lists also allow readers to expect how much information they are expected to absorb.

So how long should lists be? Too long (let’s say 10), means that nothing on the list is really useful enough to narrow down or the author has no opinion. Besides, I hate David Letterman. Too short (let’s say 3)….means that the author hasn’t done his homework and can only come up with 3 things. So…I will be incorporating some kind of TOP 5 lists on EVERY blog subject I write about on Methink.com. So to start…if you’re a fellow blogger looking to get ideas on how to capture your audience…here’s my:  

TOP 5 Resources for Capturing Your Web Audience

1. Creating Passionate Users
2. Seth Godin’s Books and Blog
3. Malcolm Gladwell’s Blink & Tipping Point
4. Made to Stick
5. Methink.com

I love minimalist designs. The “less is more” philosophy is an important idea in web user experience…so why not translate this onto a business card? 

I recently ran into this business card concept on Guy Kawasaki’s (web startup guru) blog, and thought it was a brilliant example of great UI. Often, the first impression you make with a business card can lead you to a path to getting remembered…or forgotten. Much like websites, business cards must be clear, to the point, and usable…otherwise, it merely becomes pocket garbage. Props to the designer.

For web startups, it is crucial to put some resources into UI/UX (user interface/user experience) development. If you are just starting up, chances are…your website is not a household name (yet), people have no idea what your site is about, users are visiting your site for the first time, and they are one click away from leaving your site. It is essential for web startups to deliver a great user experience from the very beginning…otherwise you can risk joining the web deadpool. 

This is the job of UI/UX professionals. In a nutshell, their mission is to make sure your web site is clear, intuitive, and easy to use for everyone. As important as it is to have great UI, the unfortunate fact is that companies still don’t pay enough attention to this area of design. It is usually an afterthought, saved for the latter stages of product development. Usually, the entrepreneurs and business analysts rush to give their development specs and flow diagrams to their back end programmers…and this crucial step of advocating what the end user wants, is neglected. 

The bottom line is…if your web startup hasn’t gone through some type of UI development…it needs to start asap. The good news is that even if you can’t afford to hire a UI/UX professional, there is much you can do on your own which will have much better results for your launch than not doing anything. All it takes is a little logic, common sense, and patience. Take a look at our Recommended Reading section to get started!

Ok, I wouldn’t exactly call this required reading…how about a highly recommended healthy diversion from your hectic work week? This account of the early years of Pay Pal reads like a fiction, complete with plot twists, protagonists, antagonists…and perhaps even a motif here and there. But a fiction, it is not, since this actually recounts the real-life drama which the young company had to overcome to survive in a such a tumultuous market. Allegorically speaking, this book taught me two very important things:

Lesson 1: Rough Road To Success

Sometimes we see these big web companies like Pay Pal and tend to think that their path to success was paved with gold. This book, however, reminds us that even the best ideas with the best management teams have to fight tooth and nail to survive and become household names. Pay Pal Wars gives us a behind-the-curtains look at the pitfalls and challenges that probably plagues any startup with great market potential. Learning from Pay Pal’s mistakes, decisions, and strategy could potentially save any company time and money. 

Lesson 2: A Bigger Purpose

I can only imagine Pay Pal’s elevator pitch: an auction payment platform allowing sellers to collect credit card payments from buyers. Business model: take a small percentage fee from the millions of auctions performed daily. Simple idea, simple business, easy money. This is probably the pitch that got them financed for many millions of dollars…but this is not what drove their passion to succeed. 

The initial team was driven by a higher purpose: to create a universal currency…to make the world a better place. As an entrepreneur, it’s sometimes convenient to follow the money, but it would be foolish to lose sight of the bigger purpose for your company…the high idea that motivates the company and its employees towards success.

OK…for the reading impaired (or lazy)…just found a great Cliff’s Notes version of the book, The Art of the Start, given by the author Guy Kawasaki. It’s a great video summary of the book, and pretty thorough too.

Get a pen and paper and start taking notes!…better yet, go out and buy the book and study it. 

You know those snarky Apple commercials that contrast a hip young Apple user against an overweight stuffy PC user? To me, that basically sums up the author, Guy Kawasaki, and his book, The Art of the Start…Guy being the hip young Apple user of course. 

This is required reading for any web entrepreneur and tops the list on most VC’s recommended reading. Guy brings years of experience as an Apple strategist, a VC, and an entrepreneur…and basically tells it to you straight on how the game works. Having seen thousands of pitches from startups and witness which ones get funded, he basically tells you what works, what doesn’t, and what VC’s are looking for.

Beyond just coaching young entrepreneurs on the ins-and-outs of the startup business, there is an undercurrent of passion that resounds with most of us entrepreneurs (which is also probably why this is such a page turner for us): to create a product or company that makes the world a better place. I can only imagine the amount of cynicism he must accumulate after seeing so many bad startup ideas pass through his desk…but you can definitely see that Apple idealism shine through in his determination to help the best ideas become reality. 

Related Links:
Guy Kawasaki
Guy’s Blog
Garage Technology Ventures (Guy’s VC Company)