Back to the Basics

I came across an interesting article today called “Why I Will Never, Ever Hire A “Social Media Expert” featured on Business Insider by Peter Shankman. In addition to being quite hilarious; it also covers the serious subject of current social media and how it can get in the way of what organizations NEED to do – deliver customer services and products people really want to buy.

Peter brings up a great point about the use of social media stating that at the end of the day a company’s success is not based alone on Facebook page likes or Twitter posts but is really about a simple basic driver - “It’s about generating revenue through solid marketing and stellar customer service, just like it’s been since the beginning of time.”

While social media outlets can create buzz, they should not be the only thing in your marketing toolkit as they do not make up for the basic marketing principals. As Peter states, “Do you know your audience? Have you reached out to them? I’m not talking about “tweeting at them.” I’m talking about actually reaching out. Asking them what you can do better, or asking those who haven’t been around in a while what you can do to get them back. It’s not about 10 percent off coupons or “contests for the next follower.”

The question is: How do you marry the latest buzz creating social media with direct customer interaction, innovation, and market research?

The answer is: icanmakeitbetter

I know this may seem like a cheesy plug for my own company (which it sort of is), but this article and this type of discussion is one of the main reasons we created icanmakeitbetter. While social media is a great tool, customers want to be heard and feel their feedback is shaping the products and services offered to them. We created icanmakeitbetter as a solution to do just this.

Please check out the platform and see how Dell and City of Austin are using social media to innovate, engage and actually do more of what works and less of what doesn’t. And if you have any questions, comments or ideas, I would love to hear from you!!

Sentient Services UX client City of Austin launches new acclaimed site

We had the pleasure of doing the end-user citizen UX (usability and IA) research for the City of Austin's completely redone website. Steel Advertising and Interactive did the design and knocked it out of the park.
Check out the City of Austin website here.

And the MuniNetGuide article here. Where they state "To say Austin's revamped municipal website is "impressive" is like calling a giraffe a tall animal." Read it and see why usability research pays big dividends!

icanmakeitbetter.com 2.0 released!

My apologies for the lack of recent posts. We have been extremely busy launching new clients on icanmakeitbetter.com and building our 2.0 release - announced today!

This release includes many tweaks for speed and stability, but also takes the platform to an entirely new level with these key features:

1. Facebook app: In 30 seconds add our app to your Facebook page and start innovating and conducting market research.
2. Customization: Customize "How can you make it better?" text, customize Forum text and more.
3. Public Discussions: Create open "town-hall" meetings.
4. Customize all system emails.
5. Improved discussions: Super cool new expanding features and user flow, makes the user experience way better!
6. Private Communities: That's right, create completely private online communities for innovation and research with employees, partners, you name it. Limit by invite, IP or email address.
7. Enhanced security: SSL, email validation.
8. Updated website: icanmakeitbetter.com - scroll down and check out the new "how this works" and "key features"
9. Improved Forums: make Forums private, choose where Forum ideas show and more.
10. Feature Box: Promote a Forum, Idea, Survey, or Discussion in one click to your home page.
11. Surveys!: Now create quick and easy question-of-the-day or full surveys and promote right on your home page. Integrated reporting and unique ability to allow respondents to see how the community answered if you choose.

A few screen shots are below, but please contact us with any questions or needs at all. Thank you!

Change By Subtraction

I read a great quote in the most recent issues of FastCompany: "It's so much easier to change things through addition than subtraction." This was in regards to an organization needing to change by subtracting due to budget constraints. While it may be "easier" to affect change through adding or doing, it may not always be the best, most enlightened or most sustainable form of change.

On a personal level I began thinking of these differences in how I attempt change. Most of us always have some "change" we want in our lives to produce a desired outcome - I assume that is typically some form or "happiness" and "peace". But, we try to do that through adding, not subtracting. "I will take more vacation time", vs. "I will work fewer hours each week". One ramps up the need for money, luggage (a personal love of mine) and other items, while if one were to do subtraction those actions may return the same desired results for less money, effort and stress.

As market researchers much of our research is on "what's next", "what new features do we need to add", and what else do we "do". Perhaps more of our research should focus on "what do we remove", "delete", "not do" in order to increase usability, reduce costs, increase customer loyalty and drive meaningful change instead of just additive actions that may look like progress but do not create meaningful change.

While Apple may be too easy an example to use, I think they are the best. Take the iPod "one button for all my music, no way will that work!" and now the iPad - both created a massive shift in the market as much for what they did as for what they did not do or have. Summed in an Apple ad here:

Let us know your thoughts. How can you innovate and grow personally and in your business by subtracting instead of adding?

Research Less, Know More

We have just launched icanmakeitbetter, a new innovation and market research platform. Our platform enables companies and communities to create, share, and act upon ideas to drive innovation and make everything, and every day better. In a nutshell we built a platform that allows businesses, government and organizations to:

• Innovate: Community driven idea portal.
• Research: Conduct primary market research that is faster, cheaper and more actionable than ever before.

Check out this quick video overview:

What can you do on the platform?

1. Get great new ideas from customers and the community.
2. Gather feedback on bugs and improvements for your website, products, software, services, you name it.
3. Provide a single place for your community to provide innovation and feedback - don't lose feedback across Twitter, Facebook, etc. where ideas get lost, are not vetted or researched.
4. Build a CAB (Customer Advisory Board).
5. Conduct online focus groups.
6. Build a panel/market research online community cheaper, quicker and of higher quality.
7. Conduct market research - usability, creative testing, product development...

We hope you like the platform. We already have Dell and the City of Austin on the platform. Let us know how you think you could use it!