Innovation through practicality

I’ve personally experienced Google glasses, and to be honest although I enjoy looking out for new innovative technologies I do wonder if this is a red herring, or is there something more here? I agree with the Mashable article the glasses are clumsy and it is interesting to read what other experts have to say about its potential future. I can see the technology intertwine with fashion and there seems to be several new examples of this already happening.

However what fascinates me even more at the moment, is watching my kids and their adoption of technology. In my opinion, it’s a warning to Facebook. How kids use 5 different platforms across several devices simultaneously to consume content and connect with each other is extraordinary. They’re more versatile with multiple platforms than us Gen X’s. Platforms quickly become commodities and the question should be, “Who is going to win?”

At the moment LinkedIn is my bet. It acts as a business driver and provides users with reasons to come back day after day. LinkedIn has reinvented itself and  Is becoming more of a content provider. you can know you connect with others and consume content that is relevant to you. People and organisations generate that content. The LinkedIn platform remains central to the business, person and digital life.

My answer to ‘who is going to win’ is to ask yet another question which is, ‘what are users experiencing’? This will ultimately determine the evolution and destination of our current social media platforms.

2 years ago it was about user experiences through desktop, now mobile, tablets and wearable devices atomising content. They don’t need to go to destinations any longer. Google is becoming more of a portal where users get to consume content across the internet and this ultimately impacts our traditional views of information architecture. Augmented reality brings content to the user via multiple platforms as an example, hence my warning to facebook and information architects!

So I challenge conventional thinking with information architecture. I can imagine walking into a branch of HSBC (or any other bank) and my experience is virtual. As I enter, they know who I am and the content that comes my way is relevant. You don’t have to experience information through traditional means. We’ve passed the tipping point, content is now above everything else we considered king.

6th June Update:

I came across this interesting article on the future of facebook  which confirms my sentiments on the youth’s decline of engagement – http://www.siliconvalley.com/ci_23393500/you-may-not-like-facebook-much-anymore-but Only time will tell if Facebook will be a Yahoo! in a few years time…

What’s so Pinteresting?

I am a bloke. I don’t really care about the latest Spring skirt fashion or how to plait someone’s hair. But Pinterest, launched in 2010, has collected a 10 million strong user-base of people who do. It’s got to the point now where I can’t avoid it; from an advertising and marketing perspective the site’s predicted monetization is rather attractive. Recently it was reported by VentureBeat that numbers around the $500 million mark are stirring.

The concept of a ‘pinboard’ behind consumers is intriguing for the marketing industry. After all, the stuff you pin is all stuff you can buy. So what you would get is a board that provides the most delicate demographics possible; people promoting stuff from giants like Amazon and eBay but also pinning things – goods from shops, small businesses – local to them. And it’s not transient, either. Pins can be aspirational: what you wish you could buy, which could provide a rather interesting way of predicting trends.

I’m not saying that the future of market forecast in 2012 lies in stalking Pinterest, but I think there is certainly a scope for exploring a site that exposes future desires alongside present ownership. In terms of usability, a person’s context for using Pinterest doesn’t extend beyond fun and organisation. I reckon this means consumers are going to be more honest on the site – you don’t feel like you’re addressing the masses, like on Twitter.