ASP.NET
This is a Microsoft framework that is used for building websites. Some developers prefer to use other frameworks like Linux. If a developer uses Linux, they usually cannot work in ASP.NET too. Unless they are complete geniuses of course.
Tag Archives: websites
Bing-a-ling!
2 Jun
So along with the sun, something else bright and shiny recently made an appearance in our lives; Bing – the new search engine from Microsoft.
I’ve had a little look. It seems pretty good and there have been some positive reviews of it.
In terms of relevancy, it returns quality results, which is a good start!
There are also little additions that make it easier to use – for example, I like the fact that you don’t need to click on a link to see the contents of a web page.
There’s also a handy map search tab which features a multimap partnership – I am forever typing in ‘Google Maps’ to Google…..
The image search allows you to choose the types of pictures you want to see filtered by e.g. people, colour
The only thing is, like Lena, I wonder when we’ll be able to personalise it, like you can with Ask !
Interesting to see how Bing will fare in the search engine standoff…..
Is Google wrong to rely on data?
14 May
Coming from a company that carries out a lot of user testing, I was interested to read this article, passed on by my colleague Sara.
It’s about the departure of a top designer at Google, who claims that the way they develop their sites – by using data about how customers use the site – limits the freedom of the designers. But surely this is a sensible way to develop a site like Google?
Looking to users for direction, not only on design but also on site development has proven to be pretty useful for us.
When we’re building a new section of the site (or even a new brand), it’s more a question of presenting users with ideas and getting their thoughts (although aware that sometimes what they say they would do and what they actually do can be two different things!) before we start thinking about what we need and this gives a good idea of the key points that we need to prioritise.
Then, as we develop the ideas on how the site/brand is going to look, we test our ideas with them and use their feedback to improve and refine the journey.
The challenge with developing any new work on a website is balancing the user feedback and requirements with the business owners who have their own reasons and objectives for that piece of work.
Working out what is actually possible technically and within timeframes also impacts the work. So part of the process is finding some middle ground which satisfies all stakeholders.
Once the finalised version of the part of the site we’re working on is built and live, we look at the activity and continue making tweaks in order to optimise it. For example, if conversion drops on a certain page, we can change the order of the pages or amend the information or layout of the page to see if that affects activity.
As far as design is concerned therefore, as the designers are involved at every stage of this process they are able to use their skill, guided by all sets of stakeholders, to produce a design that’s going to help the site do what it needs to do.
So the aim is to use design alongside all of the other elements of the site to make it a success – for us it’s an integral part of the site development process that is guided by a large number of factors, but customer activity and feedback is one of the most important.
All change
15 AprWe’ve recently undergone a big change so I thought I’d make a few notes on how we went about it.
The Motley Fool used to comprise a mixture of personal finance and investing content. It was decided to separate this content into two specific sites – investing would be the main area of focus for The Fool and personal finance would be the main offering from the other site.
Initially, the challenge for us was to develop a new name and brand for the new site – I’ve written some details about how we did this here.
We also needed to communicate the change to our users and here is how we did it.
By the time we needed to begin communication, we had already put up a temporary site in order to build link equity and it looked like this:
As you can see, it was pretty basic, but featured comparison tables – Lena’s speciality, which are key to the site in terms of revenue and article churn, which contributed to the freshly updated content that Google loves. Carl also started a blog which added a nice human touch to the site.
On The Fool site, meanwhile, the messaging was done through the About Us section:
Emails also went out to our customers explaining the change.
A few weeks later, we moved to the second phase of the change. This involved changing some areas on The Fool site to incorporate the lovemoney.com site and make it clear to customers that lovemoney.com is the new offering from The Fool, whilst emphasising the differences in focus.
Here’s what the homepage looked like before:
…and here’s what the homepage looked like once the details about the new site had been added:
As you can see the homepage gives significant focus to the new site, which is all part of the signposting and managing user expectations. There were also tool tips, written by Sara, which floated above the article titles on hover over, explaining that they were being sent to a different site.
The About Us page was also updated to outline the forthcoming changes:
Then the next step was the launch of lovemoney.com. For this, we built a new site in the background which featured all the bits from the original lovemoney.com site plus a registration box for people interested to learn more about the new features, new navigation including a top bar for comparing products and extra bits like home and car insurance. This is what it looked like:
Then, on April 1st, it blossomed into the current green and luscious looking site. Profiling details, comments on articles and Q&A were also added to this release:
Of course the grass/growing concept is related to the ‘nurturing’ philosphy behind lovemoney.com.
I think a nice ‘paradise’ background would also look good as paradise is probably quite a nurturing place.
Love lovemoney.com!
7 Apr
Ta da! lovemoney.com, our sparkling new site went live recently.
And it’s not just a pretty site.
It’s designed to help users grow richer and offers useful tools which aim to motivate and support users to get their finances in order. With personalised content and tools like Q&A, the idea is that users will be able to get access to relevant content that will help them get to where they want to be financially.
As it will be a site that people use as a tool, the challenge is to make sure that it’s easy to use, with logical user journeys and clear messaging.
This is still very much a work in progress with new bits being added regularly and I think that will keep it looking and feeling fresh as the grass in the background.
Carl has been tweeting about the site and we’ve had some positive feedback from users. What do you think?
Snow pretty!
2 FebThe view from my window
View from kitchen
Transport for London site is good – I liked the travel map, but noticed a small thing – you ‘pull’ the map around like you can when using Google map. I also thought they would have changed their front page to show the travel updates because this would just be easier for everyone.
Transport for London site
Communication
30 Jan
At work, we are currently in the process of separating out our offering and it’s been really interesting to see how it’s been communicated out to our customers. On the new site that is being launched, there’s a blog which has detailed the stages of the site launch. It creates an informal commentary of what’s going on when the nature of the work means that it’s ongoing and difficult to pinpoint a time when it’s ‘complete’. So customers get reassured and accustomed to the change in plenty of time.
Twitterific
29 JanThe world is going twitter mad! it’s been a day of discovery – I think I can feel the need for a seminar coming on!
My lovely colleagues Sara and Lena sent me these great links
How to use Twitter
http://mashable.com/2009/01/21/best-twitter-brands/
How not to use Twitter
http://mashable.com/2009/01/24/how-to-destroy-your-twitter-brand-in-minutes/
Monitoring your brand online – all about Google reader
http://www.chrisbrogan.com/grow-bigger-ears-in-10-minutes/
Twitter tips
http://blog.ogilvypr.com/2008/11/faqs-about-twitter-strategy-and-public-relations/
Nice site
29 Jan
Came across this site that I found really enticing. Was drawn to the design of it and the quality of the content. Really nice info on web branding. Also liked the way that the author used the site as a showcase for his work and then presented an opportunity to buy his book. He’s also using lots of social media tools to promote his work. Very nice.
Regular reads
27 JanSome good sites…
Personal Finance and investment site with advice and comparison tables
A great personal finance site 
I love the design of this marketing site – I like the way the information is organised.
Functional design and reliable content
All the latest news on the web
I love Leo’s Zen Habits site – it’s really nice, not preachy, with loads of ideas on how to simplify your life in all areas. I always look forward to reading the feeds in the morning
