content strategy for slow experiences at uxlx
DESCRIPTION
Driving from Lisbon to Golega, we'll look at the opportunity to design slow experiences. Online experiences can be fast, efficient, easy, orderly—and sometimes, that’s all wrong! Users click confirm too soon, miss important details, or don’t find content that aids conversion. In short, efficient isn’t always effective. Not all experiences need to be fast to be functional. In fact, some of the most memorable and profitable web engagements employ “slow content strategy,” content speed bumps, and surprising content types that aid interaction. We’ll examine examples of content strategy in action that demonstrates how to identify and control the pace of user experience, adding value for both our users and the businesses that engage them. Presented at User Experience Lisbon, #uxlx, 6 June 2014.TRANSCRIPT
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© 2014
Margot Bloomstein
@mbloomstein #UXLX
User Experience Lisbon
6 June, 2014
CONTENT STRATEGY
FOR SLOW EXPERIENCES
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anticipation
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discovery
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© Scott A. Miller for Chevrolet
These people are waiting
in a line.
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These people are delighting
in a line:
they’re engaged,
anticipating,
discovering,
creating memories.
They’re in the moment.
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Content affects experience…
and a user’s perception of an
experience.
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You wait longer, but you’re engaged
before you get there. You’re invested in
the experience.
Keri Maijala (@clamhead)
Content supports
experiences for
different media,
devices, and
users.
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When people have a frustrating
experience, they rate the checkout as
slow.
When we ask people what’s ‘slow,’
it’s the frustrating experiences.
What’s fast? They say delightful
experiences.
Jared Spool (@jmspool)
Frustration, not speed, drives
the perception of slowness.
That was horrible
and it took forever,
no matter how fast it was.
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© 2014 © jonandallie.blogspot.com
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Little content
supports the
experience and
one size fits all.
Is it enough just to speed it up?
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Efficient isn’t always effective.
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Efficient isn’t always effective.
Users say frustrating activities
take forever.
But are time-consuming
activities also inherently
frustrating?
© Charlotte & Kristian Septimius Krogh
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Is the nature of the transaction so
small and insignificant that it shouldn’t
require a second thought?
Don’t get in the way. Or will the
consumer get to the final transaction
after plenty of preliminary research?
Again, don’t make them rethink it.
Jared Spool (@jmspool)
Users can appreciate slow
experiences:
they’re engaged,
anticipating,
creating memories.
They discover, learn, and pay
attention to act deliberately.
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Why do this?
•Drive exploration & discovery
•Encourage deliberate choices
• Focus users’ attention
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How do you slow down users?
1. Editorial style and structures
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Users can appreciate slow
experiences.
they’re engaged,
anticipating,
creating memories.
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Users can appreciate slow
experiences.
they’re engaged,
anticipating,
creating memories.
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“Choosing a lens can be a daunting task
for all of the reasons mentioned above,
so I pulled together some info from my
own experiences, as well as those of
other Crutchfield shutterbugs.”
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“Springtime shaded belays at the creek, predawn starts in the Canadian Rockies and hut tours in the High Sierra: Anywhere brisk, the Down Sweater delivers featherweight, superbly compressible warmth. The polyester ripstop shell on this down jacket does more than look sharp; it’s tear-resistant, windproof, and made from 100% polyester.”
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How do you slow down users?
1. Editorial style and structures
2. Discovery- and comparison-
oriented content types
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Courage in our convictions
Empirical proof
Validation Deliberation
Time & space to interact
with it
Engaging, informative
content
How do you slow down users?
1. Editorial style and structures
2. Discovery- and comparison-
oriented content types
3. Longform content
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• Slow down
• Act deliberately
• Focus
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But does it work?
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The outdoor recreation economy
grew 5% annually 2005 through 2011—
during an economic recession when
many sectors contracted.
Outdoor Industry Association
Source: Outdoor Recreation Economy Report 2012;
http://www.outdoorindustry.org/pdf/OIA_OutdoorRecEconomyReport2012.pdf
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2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011
REI
industry average
Source: REI Financial Information reports 2005 – 2012; http://www.rei.com/about-rei/financial-information.html
The outdoor recreation economy
grew 5% annually… while REI averaged
11% year-over-year growth
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Store growth fuels content availability
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Our content strategy is pretty simple:
we stay as close to our core market as
possible.
Patagonia’s always had a literary,
storytelling component to the brand. It’s
in line with what we say: buy less stuff
and make sure what you buy lasts.
Bill Boland, Patagonia
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On a short-term basis, it doesn’t help
us move product. It doesn’t meet your
weekly sales goal. It’s not about short-
term ROI. It’s something we enjoy and
the people we build clothes for enjoy.
Bill Boland, Patagonia
Attention must be paid
© Viking
Attention must be paid
but only if we can
respect our users,
brands, and content
equally.
© Viking
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Be here now
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Be here now
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Be here now
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Be here now?
Are we willing to
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Obrigada!
Margot Bloomstein
@mbloomstein
slideshare.net/mbloomstein
amzn.to/CSatWork
All Portugal photography © Margot Bloomstein; all other images property of their owners as noted.