I’ve neglected to update the site for quite awhile, but since my last post I’ve been working on a number of projects including the redesign of chamilia.com.
The new Chamilia site offers an updated brand presence and easy filters to help users browse the 500+ beads available (which is not a small task.) We also implemented Google Analytics to track user behavior and offer insights into the popularity of bead styles, colors, etc. This “browsing” data combined with other sales data will help Chamilia evolve their bead collection toward their customers’ interests…which is the ultimate goal, isn’t it?
Since the initial redesign we’ve continued to expand the site including country specific sites for the UK and Germany that have localized content and languages (more are on the way).
My Roles: Site Structure, Interaction & Visual Design, Web Metrics, Project Management & Image Production
Project partners: Lisa Pope (Strategy), Analog Interactive (Programming)
Recently I worked with Starkey to launch their first e-commerce site for ListenHear, a Starkey brand that sells custom headphone/headset products. The solution was designed using a phased approach to content and functionality with the current implementation representing phase 1.
Using Shopify.com we were able to develop a full functioning e-commerce site within weeks, minimizing Starkey’s initial investment and on going monthly costs. The platform has some limitations, but overall it’s a powerful way to create an online store quickly with full order processing/tracking, configurable tax calculations, and SEO/SEM features built in.
My contributions to the project included the visual design, info architecture, and implementation. And like always, your feedback and comments are welcome.
Today I received an email about a friend of mine who will be doing the 2009 IRONMAN in Louisville, KY. So I went to the City of Louisville’s website and was welcomed by the image above. Not a great first impression. I can see how this can happen given the two competing audiences of residences vs visitors, but did it need to? Granted it’s a city managed site that has limited resources etc etc, but there is probably a better way to communicate the junk pick up info effectively for the residence without the negatively impacting any potential tourist/visitor.
In general, it made me think about how important it is to always remember the audiences of your website when adding content…the “s” is important. Website’s usually have multiple audiences (primary, secondary and tertiary audiences) so the content authors/editors of each need to consider the positive AND potentially negative impact a piece of content (and or it’s format) may have on one of the other “non-related” audiences - especially on high-traffic pages such as the home page. It’s a no-brainer in some regards but probably one of the harder things to manage once a site is live and content is added by a variety of people.
I was viewing a web based photo album this morning and it had a link saying “CoolIris can be used on this Gallery ” So I clicked it and found a pretty cool firefox plug-in that turns image, video galleries and even search results into an interactive visual wall.
Overall the interface and interactions are a continued expansion of the itunes tile interface Apple introduced a while a go. But the shift in perspective to give a users an idea of the length of the results is visually “cool” but more importantly it has purpose for the user. Time will tell if I will actually use the “discover” and “shop” functionality provided by the plug-in but I am interested in exploring the use of their “embed wall” flash version (shown below with their sample images)
I also might try and use it when searching for inspirational material for design projects.
Yes, there are a few blog entries missing…if for some strange reason, someone out there loved my last few posts so much that you have the text, please send it my way. My ISP switched servers and I didn’t read the notices close enough…yada yada yada and poof some entries are now MIA. I will be working to recreate those and a few new ones when I get a moment.
I just realized it’s been more than just a few days since I last wrote a posting…the new year has come and gone…and almost all of winter. But I’ve been keeping busy with projects, continuing to enhance the Starkey websites, but nothing I can share yet. I’m also working with Carol.com, but there is nothing I can share yet there either.
But I can share a volunteer project I just completed for the Iowa City Youth Hockey Association. Both of our sons play hockey here in Iowa City so my wife and I have gotten involved to help grow the program. The site is very basic for now, but we will be adding lots of new content over the summer as we prepare for the fall season.
One of the clients I’ve been doing a lot of work with over the past year is Starkey Laboratories, and last Monday we launched a new consumer site. Here is their official announcement:
We’re very excited to officially unveil the all new Starkey.com website for the U.S. It has been completely redesigned to make it easy for site visitors to learn about the effects of hearing loss and the benefits of hearing aids.
The Starkey.com site was created with current as well as prospective hearing aid users in mind. In addition to clear, intuitive navigation, the site features a rich media video experience where a number of people share personal stories about hearing loss. Many of the faces are celebrities you may recognize such as Marlee Matlin, Arnold Palmer, Norm Crosby, Leslie Nielsen and Peter Marshall. The site also provides a very fast and easy dealer locator to drive inquires to the hearing health professionals who are authorized to fit Starkey products.
I worked as part of a collaborative team of independent consultants and internal resources. I was involved in defining the ux strategy and lead the information architecture, design, and metrics for the site (as well as implementing a flash based video player with closed captioning). Earlier this year we also launched Starkeypro.com which is a site for hearing professionals which includes very detailed technical product data and account management.
So have a look and tell me what you think! (Feel free to ask me any hearing aid questions as well)
I’m really looking forward to the MIMA event tomorrow night (11/14) where Jamie Roche, President of Offermatica, will be speaking on Web Analytics, Testing and Optimization. » Event Info
I spoke with him last week to finalize things and it sounds like he will be sharing a lot of “what we’ve learned to be good tests and bad ones” and focusing on the methodologies of how to make tests meaningful.
I’ve been receiving the GrokDotCom’s newsletter for a while now and it usually has a lot of good articles. I thought Jeff Saxton’s latest post 2 Pieces of Bad Writing Advice — And What to Do Instead was a pretty good. I particularly like his analogy that illustrates the need to focus on the fundamentals not style.
And I have to admit that I’m a fan of articles that criticize (rightfully) Jakob Neilson’s over generalized, authoritative rules for designing for the web that muddy the waters day after day. (Did I just say that out loud?)
Today was the long anticipated launch of the new redesigned “Products” page for Sun.com. This page was originally just an index page that was limited in content and depth, with some prime real estate being given to a “Big Top” banner ad.
So we reallocated that banner space for a visual icon based interface with layered hover menus that offer users quick and easy direct access to the sub-categories below. The new design also gives Sun the entire body area to keep users up to date on new products as well as increasing awareness of Sun’s full offering including Solutions. I’m excited to see how it performs.
