While I was in the Mix 07 Sandbox,
Tricky came up to me and asked, "How do you define 'interactive design'?" He was filming people's responses and apparently received every type of response from interaction between a person and a website to someone acting out what it meant to him. To me, we are on the verge of a major change in what is possible, so we can actually create a situation where multiple people can interact through a common medium or mechanism. Devices can vary, from PC to phone to television. People will be able to interact with each other in live or stored manners, as well manipulate and customize design elements that convey information. We're people after all and we love to communicate.
We don't have the ability to transit smell across these communication devices yet, but we can get a lot closer to being able to access information on demand. The Silverlight Major League Baseball demonstration during the Mix 07 keynote was a fantastic example of a commercial organization being able to transmit baseball games to its dedicated audience no matter where they are - radio, TV, PC, Smartphone. People can get stats, replays, and watch live games.
But Blogger, My Space, You Tube, and many other pop-culture sites prove to us that interactive design is not commercial only. These are real people behind these sites. Money and advertising isn't the only reason for success - although it is a reason that other businesses learn and mimic them. People love activity and communication. They love to get new information. Appreciate reinforcement of good decisions or support when there are problems.
In my MEDC and Mix ramblings post,
Josh Bancroft from Intel replied with a question that I think is directly related to Tricky's with the addition of being
specifically about Ultra-Mobile PCs:
Hypothetically, if you could do anything you want with the site/domain UMPC.com (e.g., turn it into any kind of community or resource you could imagine), what would you do?
Let me know if you have any ideas. There just might be an opportunity to do something cool there.
Me have ideas? Always! I'll answer specifically about UMPC.com as well as UMPCs in general.
Last winter when I first saw UMPC.com, I thought the idea was fantastic. Intel is finally going to get involved and people can finally reach them. Having been an Intel Channel Partner since the beginning of that program, I was painfully aware of how end-users constantly seek contact with Intel. UMPC.com gave me hope.
But the site used a brand new version of Community Server. It looked to me like the vendor hired to pull the site together gave up on about the third or fourth restore and dedicated Intel reps were unavailable to participate, for whatever reason. Even as the site decayed, I thought there might be ways to rejuvenate it so would visit it from time to time, but by then the traffic was lower and no one wanted to only see posts from "Lora", "LPH" (my brother Layne), or the other handful of people trying to stimulate some sort of conversation without having control of the actual community site. Lost opportunities. I relay this for context and as a reminder of how not to build a community.
Communities are fun to build and there are many ways. We've learned lots of right and wrong and these change depending on the elements of the times. Plus, it really is different for a corporate community versus a grassroots community. The standards people hold the sites to is dramatically different. Nevertheless, here is my free advice:
- Just do it. Can the ecosystem really afford for the most logical UMPC domain name to sit empty? Use it or let it go. My preference is to use it and start today.
- Create a new design. If you want to change umpc.com, which it sounds like you want to do, create a design offline then batch upload the changes. First, you'll have to decide whether you are keeping Community Server or building something totally new. We can talk about our CS experiences offline.
- History is important to a community.
- History is important for search engine optimization.
- Intel must be dedicated to this experiment and realize that it will evolve. It shouldn't be something that is cut in 3 months. Intel employees with primary information will need to interact. There will need to be some resources applied.
- Realize that community is presales and post sales customer support.
- Have a plan about how UMPCs reconcile with MID / Smartphones and whether or not you'll have sections for these other mobile products. My suggestion is that you have clear sections for them so you're directing the people to the information they seek.
- Community is more than a forum. It's more than a place for enthusiasts. It's a place for a conversation. Be ready to do something with the feedback you receive. People are already saying a lot about UMPCs. Is Intel really listening to what is already being said? Or will Intel listen to retail and OEMs in spite of feedback users may provide? It's OK if that is so, just make sure you know ahead of time, so you personally are not disappointed if others do ignore you. Keep fighting for consumers anyway.
- Be honest. No one likes lies. Worse yet, they dislike corporate paternalism.
- Help people understand and plan. The planning part is one that Intel does well with partners. Help people understand roadmaps and Intel's role. This will build trust.
- Provide lots of examples of how people can use UMPCs. Write, record, stream, link.
- Know your audience. If I were Dr. Neil this would be #1 on the list. This list is stream of consciousness though and not priority order. Today you'll be talking to early adopters, who may be small business people purchasing a UMPC to use for a little work and a lot of fun. We'll buy the next new model when available - always seeing something more usable. We will help new buyers. New buyers aren't so forgiving. So again, be ready to listen and act.
- Be clear about Linux and Windows.
- Be ready to answer, "Will there be an Apple UMPC?"
- Build interactive widgets. How about some cool mini-apps that help with battery management, connectivity, or some casual games -- shall we say Silverlight?
- Be a portal for partners. Help people find product specific information easily.
- Demonstrate thought leadership.
- Host a umpc.com treasure hunt connected to a retail contest.
- Focus on ecosystem weaknesses, like consumer appeal. But still have a section for verticals, like education, which bridges business and consumer.
- Be passionate. Prove that Intel cares. Don't forget to keep smiling.
Mom and Dad were in Vegas with Loren and I and would have liked to have met you too. (Dad writes
The Tablet PC Education Blog.) Dad would tell you as he tells us frequently, "Remember who you are. Do your best. Have fun doing your best." His is a much more simple answer to my quick list of 20. But he is right - have fun doing your best.
Share this post: email it! | bookmark it! | digg it! | reddit! | kick it! | live it!
What Is New in Tablet PCs and UMPCs.