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.

The founding brothers where I work used to have their own weekly call-in show on NPR where they learned the art of answering the caller’s question:

• Keep it brief,
• Answer the question and
• Move on.

Their reasoning was that whatever question a single individual brings to the table is typically relevant only to that person and a handful of others. Therefore, to avoid losing the majority of the group, you address their question, but not expand or pontificate, just answer it to the best of your ability and move on to the next question.

Traffic on I-95 in Delaware has always been surprisingly terrible, made worse by the fact that you have to pay a two dollar toll for the privilege. So, when driving home from Delaware yesterday, I was excited to see this billboard:

DelDot is stepping up to improve the experience, dial down the congestion. I am on board. What’s the new plan? What’s the 5th lane? Upon arriving home, I quickly went to my computer to see, and disappointed and embarrassed found this:

Let’s go through what’s wrong here…

THE HOME PAGE
What it should be: A synopsis of what the project is, a map of the area it will impact and a timetable of when work will be ongoing, as well as an area for breaking or current news, such as where and when to expect construction delays.

What it is: An oversize version of the same horrid logo used on the billboard (it takes a rare stroke to make a logo that works equally poorly on both a black and white background).

THE INTERIOR PAGES:
What they should be: Presuming we want to keep the six links to different areas of known congestion in Delaware (which isn’t the best navigation, but works effectively), the subsequent pages could be a more focused look on how and why each of these areas will be impacted by the project, an explanation of where they fall in the overall timeline, and a map or diagram of what the results should look like.

What they are: Photo galleries. Each page has a series of photos of the current state of that area. No context (as in “Before” with “Projected After (coming soon)”), no explination and of no value to anyone.

I take that back, the photos and the information buried somewhere on the site about the winning bidder on the project are likely relevant information for contractors who want to ascertain as much as they can before they put in their bid. But, if the site is for contractors, then WHY BUY OUT A BILLBOARD ON 95 TO PROMOTE IT?

The costs of even one of those billboards (and there are more than one) for just one month will cost well beyond the cost of hiring a freelance web designer to properly architect, redesign and add real value to this site. And if you were thinking that perhaps DelDot will add that information once it has it defined, I will link you to this 43 page Powerpoint proposal in PDF format, buried on the site that includes relevant information, diagrams, maps, timetables and details that people will actually want to know about The 5th Lane Project.

On page 11 of the PDF it is mentions that this current state of I-95 is Level of Service F (for failing). I have to submit the same grade for current state of the I-95 DelDot website. I hope that as they put millions of dollars into fixing the former, they think to put a few hundred dollars into overhauling the latter.

Edward Tufte is the pre-eminent leader in the field of analytical I attended last fall with high expectations that were met and surpassed. In Tufte I found a voice that could eloquently describe the vital need to focus on the analytic aspects of design and presentation, areas all too often considered too intangible or unimportant; areas that can not be properly addressed using PowerPoint.

One of the most surprising elements of Tufte’s seminar for me was his strong aversion to PowerPoint. I could concur that the product is considerable misused, but never really grasped the full impact of improper implementation of PowerPoint.

Since Edward Tufte is en route to DC, making his annual trip to provide his one-day seminar in mid-November, I figured I’d take the opportunity to reference two very contrasting examples of PowerPoint misuse, one very humorous and one hauntingly tragic:

• The Gettysburg Address
  Years ago, the Google uber-designer Peter Norvig created an alternate history where Abraham Lincoln had the convenience of Powerpoint at his disposal when giving the Gettysburg Address.
• The Columbia Tragedy
  With the help of Tufte, the NASA’s Accident Investigation Board was able to focus in on exactly where in the process things went offline that resulted in the Columbia tragedy in 2003. The derailing resulted from a under-informative Powerpoint presentation. The full details available in this Washington Post article.