The South by Southwest conference in Austin once again proved to be a fantastic opportunity to feel the pulse of the industry and see where the bleeding edge is and how much catching up we have to do. I will happy to discover that this year I didn’t feel at all behind the curve. My own knowledge, my work and the work we are doing at the Fool are progressing if not near the front of the pack, not at all far behind (this website withstanding, it’s stuck in a state of mid-relaunch). That being said, here are ten points of knowledge that I took away from SXSW:

• “Need”, “can’t”, “only”, “easy” and “fast” are five words that can add three months to the scope of a project. Example: It’s only one more feature. We really need it. We can’t launch without it. It should be easy. Can’t you just do it real fast? Boom! Three more months.
• The best way to be successful at making money online is to help other people make money. It comes back to the old principle of greed being one of the two driving forces (with fear) to get someone to do something. While providing information online is helpful (a la Wikipedia), providing an opportunity for others to make money online is when things get lucrative (a la Basecamp).
• The biggest sin on the web is crappy copywriting, which is made even more heinous because of all the parts of the web, words are by far the cheapest thing to fix.
• It’s great that you can read the NY Times on the iPhone but you won’t unless the NY Times provides a light-weight mobile/iPhone-ready version with stripped down content already pre-zoomed (which they actually do, Apple just doesn’t use it in the advertising).
• We are going to look back at this era, when you had to go to a terminal to use the internet, as antiquated. The wheels are already in motion for a day when you can view a Google Map on display at the pump while filling up the tank, and order groceries from PeaPod from your refrigerator.
• Sites like Google Reader get it right with pagination for the mobile/iPhone browser. “First, Prev, Next, Last” is too cluttered on the small screen, just provide the single link to “Next 10 Stories”.
• The Imperial Shuttle wasn’t designed with Wookies in mind. If you look for it, you can find examples of bad (or good) accessibility and user experience everywhere, even in your favorite films.
• The two minute video is turning the corner: no longer being seen as an ad but as a desired part of the site experience. Utilizing short well-made video on your website is a clear next step.
• Clients will naturally gravitate towards the Frankenstein design (a piece from comp A, these elements from this comp B). It’s a designer’s obligation to set the expectation that each design is holistic, and can not be mixed and matched.
• There is a misnomer that websites are being sold on newsstands. The concept of “above the fold” is an antiquated as it is inappropriate in the digital media. People are comfortable with scrolling.