Internet Strategy, Social Networking, Video

It’s Time. You Can’t Ignore the Power of Online Video Any Longer. April 8th, 2010

Owl Image: An example of a successful online campaign, requesting users to create and upload a music video for the artist, Moby. Please watch and vote for a fellow NavigationArts' contractor!

The Power of Online Video

I’ve been repeating this mantra for the past 2 years with ever increasing strength: “Video. Video. Video.” If your organization is looking for a better way to communicate a message, reach a broader audience, increase relevancy to a brand, or simply update your Web site with modern content, video can help.

Not yet convinced? Let me share some stats.

Video, Visual Design

My Stop-Motion Experience March 8th, 2010

It’s been almost three months since we completed our stop-motion holiday card, and I’m just now coming around to M&M’s again. It’s amazing to think that for just 50 seconds of video, we had to manipulate thousands of those little chocolate-coated candies and take over 700 photos, and since this was the first time any of us had ever made a stop-motion video, we had to hit the ground running and learn as we went. So here’s what I learned:

1. Stop-motion video take a lot of planning
2. Stop-motion video take a lot of planning and patience
3. M&M’s don’t melt in your hand (but it’s best not to leave your lighting source on for too long because it will melt them)

Internet Strategy, User Experience Design, Video, Visual Design, Web Development

Learn More About the NavigationArts’ Team January 19th, 2010

Leo Mullen:

“Our strategy practices is designed to help our customers look around the corner a little bit and understand what’s coming and help them to prepare for that.”

Internet Strategy, Video

Founding NavigationArts January 18th, 2010

“We founded NavigationArts in 2001 and we did that after conducting a great deal of research in the market. And it was research that was done at the C level. We went out and spoke with senior executives at businesses, in healthcare organizations, in associations.”

“NavigationArts was conceived as an organization that would be an advocate for the user. We try to understand the major issues that businesses and organizations were having around the Web.”

Usability, User Research, Video

User Research and Usability Testing January 12th, 2010

“We always tell clients you don’t have to go overboard with either user research or usability testing, but not to do any is a big mistake.”

“The thing about usability testing and the iterative approach to solution development is actually, ultimately, if you take the long view, is actually much more cost effective.”

Internet Strategy, Video

Era of the Website Redesign is Over January 11th, 2010

“I tell customers today that the era of the website redesign, for all intents and purposes, is over. And what I mean is that in 2010 if you’re thinking about redesigning your website, chances are you have not put in place the kind of platform necessary to allow your site to just chronically evolve forward.”

User Experience Design, Video

User Experience Design in the Google Era January 8th, 2010

“The people in my group, the user experience group, are really by nature Jacks-of-all-Trades. And so they are really involved in the full life cycle of a project. In the early stages we’re really focused on researching to find out more about actual user needs and actual user goals. And we’re also involved in the formulation of business strategies and business requirements.”

Video, Web Development

CMS Evaluation January 7th, 2010

“When NavigationArts starts doing a CMS evaluation what we really have to focus on is why we’re there. What is the evaluation is really meant to uncover, and what the toolset is to answer that question. Is it a distributed publishing model? Are there a lot of users that have to get in, do you have a Web team? We have to get to the actual need.”

User Experience Design, Video

Smart, Informed Web Design January 6th, 2010

“A design made up of much larger things needs to reconcile three key areas. And they are often competing, so that’s the challenge that we face.”

Video, Web Development

Web Standards Based Development January 5th, 2010

“When we’re talking about Web standards we’re not just using the technologies such as JavaScript, CSS, and HTML. We’re also talking about using those technologies correctly.”

“We’re talking about maintaining that separation between the presentation, and the content, and the behavior. And then also we’re talking about where those sorts of technologies interact with content management and application development on the back-end on any sort of website or Web application.”

Internet Strategy, Video

Business Transformation Through the Web January 4th, 2010

“Business transformation through the Web is much more difficult than it appears and it has almost nothing to do with the technology and it has everything to do with the issues of culture, issues of ownership, issues of policy, issues of governance within organizations.”