Web Strategy Micksup

ReGeneration

Originally uploaded by bigmick

So many opportunities exist to change your website from a single-point application to a social-freeway. And most of the time it’s not about creating something completely new, it’s about opening up the dead ends and letting the people and the story keep on moving.

I saw a tweet by Jerimiah Owyang about Dell’s regeneration site and I clicked through. You answer a simple question “What does green mean to you?” and fill in a few details then your message flashes up on the page for a second and then it moves on to someone else’s message.

Cool! Nice little app, well put together and I liked it.

But that was it. The ride had stopped. My message was gone. I couldn’t even get a screen shot. :-( So I closed the window and went somewhere else.

What a missed chance to build something more? And it wouldn’t be hard either. They already made my cool chalk-board writing message on the wall. Just give it to me in an image that links back to this site. Voila!

That’s a simple solution, but I’m sure you could do more…

Everyone was putting their city in, so how about a map mash-up that I can embed in my blog?

Lots of the words would have been common, so a good tag cloud would have let me explore more or even put people in touch who share a common goal.

What about some actions? “OK, that’s what green means to you, why don’t you do something about it - join a group, write a post, host an event.”

There could definitely have been a twitter feed of all the quotes.

So the dead-end could easily have been avoided. Yes, I can hear you saying that the beauty is in the simplicity. I think that is always true, but I also believe that with good design you can keep the simplicity and make the next step a non-aggressive option.

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Lessons;
1. On every page and in every part of your application always ask - “And what does our wonderful customer want to do next?”. If you really believe in looking after your customers there is always a next.
2. Simplicity is about great design and removing options helps, but a good next step can also be beautiful if done right.

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