:: Wii vs. PS3 - Part 2 of the 2007 Holiday Blog Special

At the beginning of the 2007 winter holiday season, I had my mind set on acquiring a Nintendo Wii, the video game console with the revolutionary, motion-sensitive gameplay. I am an interaction designer who focuses on designing intuitive interfaces for interactive applications. That being said, the Wii seemed to be an appropriate, electronic accessory for me to own. As I stated in my earlier blog entry, I joined the masses in trying to track down my own Wii console. In fact, I became obsessed with the pursuit of this machine, and was willing to pay double its market value to own it.

Like so many others, I was unsuccessful in my efforts to purchase a Wii. I grew weary of the chase. Having grown up a believer in Sony technology (after all, the Sony Walkman was one of the most influential gadgets that I ever owned), I decided to purchase a Playstation 3.

The Playstation 3 targets a completely different audience than the Wii. The PS3 persona is the hardcore gamer, the technophile, the multimedia enthusiast, the early adopter, etc. The Wii targets "everyman"....and "everywoman." (That is, after all the secret to its mass market appeal) I happen to fit into both companies' behavioral target profiles. I like videogames, yes, but I certainly can't hang with the Halo 3, Worlds of Warcraft, Gears of War crowd. I am a novice, at best.

Was the PS3 the right decision for me? Absolutely. Here's why:

1. I love to watch movies - The PS3 has a Blu-Ray DVD player that also up-converts regular DVDs to better resolution (if you have a high-definition TV).

2. I love to listen to music - Like the Xbox 360, and the Wii, actually, you can set up a remote media server using Windows Media Player, Orb, or TVersity, and stream your media files directly to your console.

3. I enjoy eye-popping graphics - Like the Xbox 360, again, PS3 games usually have stunning graphics, suited for high-definition televisions.

4. I'm a "twitch" "arcade" gamer - Like most novice gamers, I gravitate to "button mashing" affairs that require the gamer to merely "hammer" one or two buttons in order to execute beautiful fighting moves, or blast away 3-D rendered asteroids.

5. I'm an ex-"goth" - Sony, thankfully, has no problem licensing games that can be dark, violent, and cinematic. I designed the initial user experience of FEARnet.com, the internet's premiere, online horor portal, and the PS3 has plenty of games that satisfy my craving for this type of entertainment.

My current, guilty pleasure, is a game called "Heavenly Sword." Heavenly Sword is a gorgeous, sword-fighting game that fills my plasma tv with stunning, high-definition beauty. It also requires the user to understand a few, basic, controls....and even utilizes the Playstation 3's "Sixaxis" motion controller...making those of us who didn't get a Wii feel a little better about our Playstation 3 purchase!


Jonathan Lupo
VP / Information Architecture - Empathy Lab

:: Three Ways to Gather End User Insights When Primary Research Isn't Possible

Web design is always better when informed by primary research. First-hand exposure to end-user behavior, visited websites, and target audience lifestyle always produce insightful "nuggets" that make for more meaningful, online experiences. That being said, anyone who has ever worked on a real-world web project will tell you that primary research is not always possible. Timelines and project budgets are often prohibitive. Clients are also, often convinced that they know all there is to know about their target audience.

What is an information architect supposed to do when he/she is not able to gain first-hand exposure to end-users?

Here are three ways to gather insights about a target audience when primary research is "out-of-the-question":

1. Google Keyword Tool - The folks at Google have a great keyword association tool that they offer for free, because they want advertisers to use their service to launch "pay-per-click" advertising campaigns. The Google Keyword Tool is also terrific for research purposes, however, because it enables users to enter a topic, keyword, or URL, and get back the most relevant and popular keyword queries related to the search term that was entered. Why is this information useful? Let's say you are designing a healthcare-related website about the general topic of "pregnancy." You'd probably like to know what type of information is most sought, related to the topic. That's exactly what you'd find if you entered the word "pregnancy," into Google's tool. Imagine developing a taxonomy that facilitates access to the most commonly searched for topics related to the topic of "pregnancy." You'd also be one-step closer to optimizing your website for likely Google searches related to the topic.

2. Internal Search Logs - Web analysts often overlook internal search (site search) logs, when performing site analytics. Often, the types of keyword searches entered on an existing website can give clues about difficulties that end-users are having locating information. Try looking at the top 100, internal, site searches for a typical 3-month period of time. Categorize the types of searches being performed in a spreadsheet. Once you can generalize about the most popular types of searches (e.g. - "contact," "product," "service," etc.), you will better be able to design a taxonomy and architecture that facilitates access to the things that users are looking for via site search.

3. Competitive Research - You don't always have to reinvent the wheel. Your client may be so focused on innovation or internal processes, that they forget to look over their shoulder at what the competition is doing. In any given industry, there are taxonomy and UI (user interface) patterns that emerge as a result of SOMEONE's research or through conventions established from years of offering a particular online service. It is ok to leverage these patterns as a starting point...it isn't cheating.

The above techniques can help you get started desiging an intuitive user interface when research isn't possible. I still recommend performing usability testing, however, to ensure that your "informed assumptions" hold true.


Jonathan Lupo
VP / Information Architecture - Empathy Lab