Foolproof blog

Original blog by former Foolproofer Rachel Orton.

The research world has seen increased numbers of people making research participation a paid hobby. While the majority of reputable online panels have processes in place to prevent respondents from being over used, they cannot control the number of surveys provided by other companies that the respondent may choose to participate in.

It would seem that every marketing or e-commerce team in the country is being challenged by the board (or senior executives) to “get them an iPhone app”.

More worrying is that “Just get me one” seems to be the most common reason for having an app right now. In a panic not to get left behind, the normal rules are being bent, and everything we have learned about sensible, evidence based web development has been thrown out of the window.

On my recent travels to Brazil I was able to experience working with a local UX agency and also had the chance to meet two other Brazilian UX agencies.

I’m a great fan of being able to both book and check-in online for flights. I’m less of a fan of turning up at the airport to find my flight is significantly delayed without prior knowledge.

I’ve posted previously about Facebook grabbing a major share of pay-per-click advertising revenue once better campaign targeting and optimisation tools are widely available. But my suspicion is that Facebook has grander ambitions than this.

At this time of year, when seasonal colds and flu are common place, attention is also turning to the types of virus your computer may catch.

Our design philosophy at Foolproof is co-creation: the development of elegant, effective digital experiences through close collaboration with customers. I came across this interesting start-up which has the same perspective.

It’s no good. This terrible article from the Observer makes me want to share a few views on Facebook and its real significance to the marketing world. Here’s the first of a number of posts I’ll make on the subject.

Not only is the Sao Paulo city subway clean and timely it is also particularly well thought through. Although I can’t speak or read Portuguese I had no difficulty with getting from place to place as a number of clever design elements had been incorporated to make my life easier.

You’d have to have been living on Mars for the last year not to have noticed the hype raging around the iPhone, and more specifically the power of the mobile app.