Web2forFJM Sep27

Web 2.0 and what it means for business: 

Web 2.0 and what it means for business Rich Miller Research Scientist LexisNexis New Technology Research RE Web 2.0+ Working Group September 27, 2007

Background and Focus: 

Background and Focus Background Ph.D. in Experimental Psychology (1988) with intention to go into software industry Human Factors and UI design AT&T Communications (1985-1991) LexisNexis (1991-1999) Structural Dynamics (1999-2000) Research Scientist LexisNexis (2000-) Recent Focus User experience, HCI, advanced UIs Web 2.0 and computing trends Visualization Rich Media

What is web2.0, anyway??: 

What is web2.0, anyway?? A collection of new technologies and approaches Network as platform Continually-updated software and services A change in behavior more than technology The “read/write” web The “you” era The web 2.0 video describes it well Supermarket 2.0 not quite as good It’s just the web – the newer parts

The web 2.0 tag cloud : 

The web 2.0 tag cloud From wikipedia

Web 2.0 visualized: 

Web 2.0 visualized

Web 2.0 is the web evolved: 

Web 2.0 is the web evolved

Web 2.0 site/application types: 

Web 2.0 site/application types Knowledge sources – wikipedia, GoogleMaps, del.ico.us, technorati Tools and Office suites - google, thinkfree, zoho, zimbra, writely Collaboration - socialtext, basecamp, Lotus Connections Dashboards/homes/portals - netvibes, google, ms live/spaces Places to put your stuff (PKB) – box.net, gmail, basecamp, flickr, S3 Integrators and Organizers – get your stuff together and connect it to other people’s stuff – del.ico.us, blummy, pocketmod, rememberthemilk, lastfm, lala, Clubs and networks – myspace, facebook, linkedIn, lastfm Blogs and self-expression platforms - technorati, youtube, jumpcut, digg, or any site that promises 15 minutes of fame TV-replacements and other less-useful offerings blogs that interest only the author advertisements disguised as something else anything that my kids are using for superflous communicaton with their friends – (meebo, myspace, xanga)

Web 2.0 behaviors: 

Web 2.0 behaviors Consume Asking questions Looking it up Monitoring, counting and organizing Create Expressing oneself - as yourself or your cyberself Creating and remixing Self-improving Connect Sharing Discussing Pontificating

The web2.0 triangle: 

The web2.0 triangle create consume connect/share As applications mature, they move toward the middle, e.g. GoogleMaps adding mymaps

Web Trends 2007: 

Web Trends 2007

Who is participating in web 2.0?: 

Who is participating in web 2.0? By now, every user by now has participated in some form Web 2.0 approaches are permeating the web Huge growth of participatory web sites 668% increase in last 2 years Now account for 12% of the web! Not just for youngsters Wikipedia:18-34 tend to consume what 35-55+ produce Youtube: 18-24 less likely to upload than are older users Participation is viral (like viral marketing) Example: RE Revolve blog site Usage patterns continue to emerge e.g. top 3 Youtube users (source: Hitwise/Claritas) Young Digerati Money and Brains Bohemian Mix

How web 2.0 is changing the user experience: 

How web 2.0 is changing the user experience Networked applications provide more context and continuity – apps depend on one another AJAX-enabled interactions Staying in place Preservation of task flow Rich internet applications (RIAs) are emerging, displacing the page metaphor Powerful, smoother, visually-stable applications Animation provides more engaging experience Line between desktop and online blurring For the “occasionally connected” Users want more applications online Metadata-driven navigation Tagging and faceted browse (e.g. TotalSearch) Applications are now increasingly visual

Brave New World of online communities: 

Brave New World of online communities The “participatory web” is now 12% of the web itself Where’s LinkedIn? Is there such a thing as “web2.0 participatory hangover?”

The web 2.0 social conundrum #1: 

The web 2.0 social conundrum #1 The pressure to make friends My last.fm social network: Nathan A. W. from Canada Elin from Sweden me < friends nearest neighbors > My daughter buddy from cinci Dayton campus buddy

The web 2.0 social conundrum #2: 

The web 2.0 social conundrum #2 Wondering if they will pay attention and like it Reactions to my youtube video: friend stranger daughter friend 7 people rated it 3 actually linked to it! approaching 1000 views Now 8 ratings, 1100+ views, 5 links, and 16 favorites

new sites appear every day, e.g….: 

new sites appear every day, e.g…. Q: What does this have to do with anything? A: It demonstrates the “lowering barrier of entry”

The lowering barrier of entry: 

The lowering barrier of entry The barrier of entry for competing on the web is approaching zero Anyone wanting to start a web-based business can do so with very little startup costs Hosting services are getting ridiculously cheap and it’s not just space you are getting for your money tons of tools come along with the space

Now how much would you pay?: 

Now how much would you pay?

Ridiculously cheap hosting services: 

Ridiculously cheap hosting services It can get as cheap as $4 !

What does it mean for business?: 

What does it mean for business? Web 2.0 is raising the bar of user expectations Users bring life experiences into the workplace Better applications are being created at an increasingly faster rate To compete, traditional businesses must selectively embrace the more nimble approaches Prepare to face difficult tradeoffs Strategy must include… How to leverage the participatory nature of the web behind the firewall How to leverage the “free web” without compromising quality, security, and profit making Overall, fostering a web 2.0 mentality e.g, Can’t beat em, join em

Using analytics to guide decision-making : 

Using analytics to guide decision-making Required reading for New Technology Research staff Formula for success = leverage the web + be more nimble + use analytics-driven decision-making process? See also: pre-book article

RE Web 2.0 projects and products: 

RE Web 2.0 projects and products LexisNexis Patents and sentiment analysis applications offering “rich user interfaces” and charting/visualization Several projects in the works around social computing Elsevier Engineering Village – for patents researchers Scopus 2collab – beta offering collaboration tools for researcher del.icio.us-like interface includes bookmarks, tags, user-groups, and comments.   Plans for rich internet applications Reed Business Information Hotfrog – self-publishing business directory

What does it mean for UX? : 

What does it mean for UX? The best UIs are coming out of web 2.0 e.g. Google Maps, flickr, del.ico.us, etc. Designers should live the web2.0 life Go ahead, it’s fun! The designer’s toolbox is being greatly expanded to include many more options e.g. AJAX enables a whole set of new interactions Tools are becoming easier to use Designers can get closer to implementation

6 themes of designer role change: 

6 themes of designer role change See article: Web 2.0 for Designers Writing semantic markup transition to XML) Providing Web services moving away from place) Remixing content about when and what, not who or why) Emergent navigation and relevance users are in control) Adding metadata over time communities building social information) Shift to programming separation of structure and style) #7 candidate? – design for placelessness or ubiquitous computing

Task-oriented UIs (3): 

Task-oriented UIs (3) The interface changes slightly to let you focus on likely tasks From tutorial by trulia

Task-oriented UIs (4): 

Task-oriented UIs (4) The interface guides you along a list of tasks From tutorial by trulia

Task-focused UI example: lala: 

Task-focused UI example: lala

Task-focused UIs at work (4): 

Task-focused UIs at work (4)

Task-focused UIs at work (6): 

Task-focused UIs at work (6) From tutorial by trulia

Task-focused UIs at work (8): 

Task-focused UIs at work (8) From tutorial by trulia

Task-focused UIs at work (10): 

Task-focused UIs at work (10) From tutorial by trulia

Slide32: 

From tutorial by trulia

Task-focused UIs at work (12): 

Task-focused UIs at work (12)

Slide35: 

From tutorial by trulia

Remember Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs: 

Remember Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs Companies that best satisfy human needs will win but don’t skip the more basic needs – e.g. security See Rolf Skyberg (ebay) presentation Blogs, LinkedIn, Youtube MySpace, wikis 4-hour work week Privacy, Vidoop

The 7 original web 2.0 “memes”: 

The 7 original web 2.0 “memes” Rich User Experiences Harnessing Collective Intelligence The Web as Platform End of the Software Release Cycle Lightweight Software and Business Models Software Above the Level of a Single Device Data as the next “Intel Inside”

Rich user experiences #1: 

Rich user experiences #1 Definition and importance More engaging, interactive applications through leveraging improved capabilities of the web A more “desktop-like” experience – drag/drop, highly interactive, smooth morphing of display Rich components can be embedded in HTML pages Related concepts, technologies and issues Transcending the page metaphor Visually disruptive Rich Internet Applications (RIAs) AJAX and eliminating page-refresh delays Stability of “place” and preservation of “flow” Adobe Flash/Flex/Apollo and MS Silverlight (WPF/E) Widgets and components – widgetbox.com Charting, visualization, and animation

Slide39: 

Examples Google – Gmail/Office, Google Finance EditGrid, Thinkfree, ZOHO, office apps Backbase, Wrike PIMs Sales bubble chart (visual i/o) Flex Store (Adobe) LN TotalPatent Amazon book browser What it means People like them Broader canvas/toolset for design Break out of page metaphor, but seek optimal combinations of HTML + RIAs Option for more types of richer interactions Stability of “place” and preservation of “flow” Keep issues in mind: link structure, usage analytics, lack of GUI standards Rich user experiences #2

Rich Internet Applications (2): 

Rich Internet Applications (2)  Apparent performance gains Smaller chunks of the page load faster than the whole page

Rich Internet Applications (3): 

Rich Internet Applications (3)  Instant feedback: minimized reloads

Harnessing collective intelligence #1: 

Harnessing collective intelligence #1 Definition and importance The most important, defining meme of web 2.0 Empowering user community to contribute its intelligence …using links, user-provided content, and comments on content Leads to software that “makes itself smarter the more people use it” Generating information from “the wisdom of the masses” Majority of people sharing common experience tend to be better than experts Related concepts, technologies and issues collaboration user-generated content “network effects” “database of intentions” and “architecture of participation” the long tail blogs and wikis tags and folksonomies

Harnessing collective intelligence #2: 

Examples Wikipedia de.lici.ous and Flickr MySpace, Facebook, LinkedIn Amazon tags / Yahoo myweb Elsevier Engineering Village & RBI Hotfrog What it means Consider how user contributions might enhance new or existing applications Anticipate a new set of interactions Tagging, uploading, commenting, navigating via user-generated data Look for opportunities to Harness intelligence behind the firewall Use “free web” intelligence to enhance “subscription web” applications Harnessing collective intelligence #2

Architecture of Participation: 

Architecture of Participation Slide: Dion Hinchcliffe

Web as platform #1: 

Web as platform #1 Definition and importance Building apps on top of web resources The place where our software and data is moving to Products and services of all types are increasingly connected to the web Related concepts, technologies, issues Web services – e.g. amazon S3 Mashups, remixability Open APIs

Web as platform #2: 

Web as platform #2 Examples Yahoo Pipes blog FlashEarth mashup Youtube video embedding Amazon S3 What it means Think bigger New aspect of design is how to leverage and integrate networked resources How do opportunities change when your product requires authentication for access? Learn about and play with APIs and web services

End of the Software Release Cycle #1: 

End of the Software Release Cycle #1 Definition and importance A departure from traditional, discrete release cycles in favor of gradual rollout and improvement of applications The “perpetual beta” has been enabled by the web and SaaS (software as a service) Related concepts, technologies, issues Software as a Service Constant, 2-way connection to users Users as co-developers Users willing to accept accompanying imperfections Uptime and scaling very important

End of the Software Release Cycle #2: 

End of the Software Release Cycle #2 Examples Google the master Flickr has new builds every 30 minutes What it means Less reliance on pre-release usability testing and more reliance on collecting and analyzing usage analytics User expectation is one of gradual improvement, not “big bang” releases with list of “what’s new” features More frequent, intimate interaction with users …likely in cyberspace

Lightweight Software and Business Models #1: 

Lightweight Software and Business Models #1 Definition and importance Simplicity and nimbleness over completeness The result of 15 years of web experience Simplicity of technology and standards leads to ease in understanding and compliance Related concepts, technologies, issues Arms race – newer companies have advantage with newer tools and standards 10-20X productivity increases achieved Open-platform business models > “self-distributing ecosystems” + “building on the shoulders of giants” Spreading product beyond the boundaries of its site Through APIs, widgets, badges, syndication

Lightweight Software and Business Models #2: 

Lightweight Software and Business Models #2 Examples RSS PHP and Ruby on Rails Declarative programming what something is like, rather than how to create it, e.g. HTML, Adobe Flex MXML Blogs and wikis Microformats What it means Easier tools means better teamwork between designers and developers Designers can get more technical Quicker and more frequent design iteration Trading off feature depth for development speed?

Software above level of single device #1: 

Software above level of single device #1 Definition and importance Supports ubiquitous computing from anywhere using any device Related concepts, technologies, issues Server-side office suites Vertical vs. horizontal models Vertical – vendor-controlled ecosystem Horizontal – open, cooperating ecosystem under no central control (e.g. blogosphere) Mobile 2.0 Mobile devices getting smarter and more sophisticated, accounting for more net traffic New opportunities to serve, attract customers

Software above level of single device #2: 

Software above level of single device #2 Examples Google office iTunes – not just for the ipod Sony Connect Zune Marketplace Adobe Flash The Blogosphere What it means Design above a single device Think server-side tools Anticipate various remote usage scenarios Users will increasingly expect device-independent designs

Data as the next “intel inside” #1: 

Data as the next “intel inside” #1 Definition and importance Information is the core value, more than software Databases are behind the market-leading products The “race is on” to own major classes of online data Many classes on data unclaimed – e.g. identity, public calendar events, parental control data, etc. The best way to establish and maintain control of a hard to recreate set of data is to let users do it. Related concepts, technologies, issues Data-driven applications User-generated content

Data as the next “intel inside” #2: 

Data as the next “intel inside” #2 Examples Images, charts and graphs Geo maps and overlays – e.g. NAVTEQ People Bookmarks – del.ici.ous Books and merchandise - amazon What it means Remember that data can be the differentiator Use data to define and enhance the UI e.g. surface data interesting to individual user rather than display same links everyone gets e.g. create emergent navigation structures - navigation by tags or other user-generated metadata

Web 2.0 gravitational effect: 

Web 2.0 gravitational effect Slide: Dion Hinchcliffe

Common elements of success: 

Common elements of success Data-driven Decentralized ecosystems Leveraged the user to add value Platforms, not applications Focused on The Long Tail Monetized successfully Motive force: collective intelligence source: Dion Hinchcliffe

The long tail: 

The long tail Studying and servicing micromarkets Requires an automated customer self-service source: Dion Hinchcliffe

Essential Web 2.0 Ground Rules: 

Essential Web 2.0 Ground Rules Ease of Use is the most important feature of any Web site, Web application, or program. Open up your content and services as much possible. There is no future in hoarding information, only facilitating it. Aggressively add feedback loops to everything. Pull out loops that don’t matter and emphasize ones that do. Continuous release cycles. The bigger the release, the more unwieldy it becomes. Organic growth is the most powerful, adaptive, and resilient. Make your users part of your products. They are your most valuable source of content, feedback, and passion. Understand social architecture and Architectures of Participation. Give up non-essential control, or your users may go elsewhere. Turning Applications Into Platforms. Original uses of software, services, and content are just the beginning. Don’t create social communities just to have them. But do empower inspired users to create them. source: Dion Hinchcliffe

Enterprise 2.0 #1: 

Enterprise 2.0 #1 Enterprise adoption of web 2.0 fueled by Seminal 2006 article by Andrew McAfee Web 2.0 tools as solution for collaboration “Emergent, freeform, social applications for use within the enterprise” 2 main problems w/ channels & platforms: Many users unhappy with email/IM channels and intranet/portal platform Current tools not good at capturing knowledge Solution: make the practices and outputs of knowledge workers visible through the use of blogs, wikis and other tools

Enterprise 2.0 #2: 

Enterprise 2.0 #2 SLATES Search Linking connect information together into a meaningful information ecosystem using the model of the Web Authorship low-barrier social tools enabling users to easily make content consumable by others Tagging allows users to create meaningful, useful, and emergent organizational structures Extensions spontaneously provide intelligent content suggestions similar to Amazon's recommendation system Signals let users know when enterprise information they care about has been published or updated, such as when a corporate RSS feed of interest changes “…authoring creates content, links and tags knit it together; and search, extensions, tags and signals make emergent patterns in the content visible, and help people stay on top of it all”

Why is enterprise 2.0 different?: 

Why is enterprise 2.0 different? forces conspire to provide resistance to productivity - tools and process require too much effort maturation of techniques that leverage how people work best realization of the power of emergent solutions over pre-defined solutions nearly zero-barriers to use

Enterprise 2.0 Products : 

Enterprise 2.0 Products Blogging Movable Type Wiki SocialText, Confluence RSS Attensa, NewsGator, SimpleFeed Suites ConnectBeam, Blogtronix, KnowNow Lotus Connections Webex Connect Thinkfree, Zoho, Zimbra

Connectbeam: 

Connectbeam Demo video

Product development 2.0: 

Product development 2.0

What’s next?: 

What’s next? User expectations will continue to grow Dominant player and “federation of losers” for each major service Big shakeout of blogging/social sites Way too many offerings Offline/Online boundary continues to blur RIAs and HTML coexist in various appropriate combinations Web 2.0 hits the enterprise in a big way Watch out for mobile Virtual worlds continue to emerge Second Life continues to draw attention from businesses

Questions?: 

Questions?