Intelligent web design
When you've finished planning - plan again.
When designing web-enabled business systems, we should leverage all of the tools at our disposal. Interface designers and programmers can work hand-in-hand to create a finished system that is not only easy to use, but one which gets better as it “learns” what is required from it. This is what real web design is – not just pretty pictures and driving as many visitors as possible. Of course these things are important – but often, too little attention is paid to the user experience. Effective web design is not only graphical, but functional.
I remember my biology teacher explaining how harmless animals and insects would evolve markings that made them appear similar to more dangerous counterparts. How the hover fly for example, mimicks the alternate black and yellow striping of the wasp. Biologists say that this evolution gives it’s host “survival value” in that they are less likely to be eaten by predators.
It wasn’t until driving to work recently that I realised humans do the same thing. I noticed a familiar flourescent orange striping in my rear-view mirror which I took to be a Police motorcycle, but which was, as I could tell when it passed, just a similar-looking bike with similar markings. Even a modest distance, it was very convincing and I watched as other motorists moved aside slightly to let the impostor pass, no doubt careful (as I had been) not to give this particular wasp the opportinity to sting.
Like his insect counterpart, this behaviour no doubt gives the motorcyclist survival value. His artificial markings though can “evolve” far more quickly, since by observing the reactions of other motorists, he is able to fine tune his appearance for maximum effect. Information management systems are also beginning to evolve and they too have the capacity to evolve very quickly, changing their “markings” according to the reactions of users. But they have another, key advantage – unlike the insect who presents just one set of markings to potential predators (users), the new generation of information management systems are able to present different interfaces to different users, generating interface objects “on the fly” as they are needed. By “remembering” the reactions of users to interfaces and acting on this information, it is possible to fine-tune the interface to suit the needs and desires of the user.
Marketeers are using this approach to test the effectiveness of their sales messages, letting the system figure out which approach works best under which circumstances. Why not capture some information about the user along the way? The trade-off is that the user gets a more accurately targeted interface in return for a little information that allows the system to “categorise” him. A simple fact such as people in the North like a blue background and people in the South prefer white is worth money to marketeers. But this simple paradigm has broader implications. If we can present user-specific interfaces to users, why not user-specific content? The same trade-off applies – in a world where relevant information is becoming increasingly difficult to find, it isn’t hard to persuade users to invest a little time in providing a profile of their information requirements in return for information which is more relevant to them.
When designing a business system for the web, consider that the more data the system gathers about its users, the more useful it becomes, first by filtering unwanted information and later, as it builds it’s database, by proactively searching for information which matches the profile it has built for each user. This is true software evolution, a constantly changing set of rules, filters and requirements profiles which change as the needs of the user change. The system starts to become less of a toolkit and more of a handyman with the skills to apply the available tools. This is more than a simple “assistant”. In fact, before I manage to get across the concept of true information management, people often draw an analogy to assistants such as the Microsoft Word paper clip. How I hate him and his inappropriate intrusions.”It looks like you’re writing a letter” he enthuses, “would you like some help with this?”. Yes, I’d love some. I’m on the verge of winning a major contract, but I have to persuade my potential client to invest three times what he would like to spend, can you suggest some suitable approaches? Hmm, that’s what I thought – you just want to format the address for me in a different font. I think I can manage that on my own thank you.
True information management is dynamic. It is a collection of information built over time, honed by constant revision, addition and subtraction which is drawn upon to make what I see on my screen more relevant. Like a true assistant, it watches me carefully for signs of disapproval and tries harder next time. It is not only reactive, but proactive, It welcomes me home, guards me from my frequent errors and tells me if I should take a different route home to avoid a road accident. Soon, I will hardly ever want to perform a manual web search by using a search engine directly – Poring over huge lists of returned results based on a combination of my skill (or lack of it) in phrasing the search terms and the widely differing search engine methodologies. isn’t it far easier to let my software buddy do this for me? After all, he has been with me for a while now, learning my likes and dislikes, my business needs and my personal interests. He even knows which style of documents I prefer and that I am always drawn to information which has been written with a sense of style and humour. He even knows where to store my information on my PC. After all, what do I care which directory it’s in as long as when I need it, it is dutifully delivered?
The authors and publishers of the information I receive also benefit from this evolution by having accurate statistics with which to modify their future efforts. While at present circulation figures and media ratings are largely based on intelligent guesses, they will soon be absolutes – and provide the kind of consumer demographics that will have marketing managers spending long romantic evenings alone with their reports. By then, the evolutionary process will have spread to content itself, enabling authors to provide exactly what their audience desires. Beyond this things slow down by a few million years while we wait for the human evolutionary process to catch up…unless of course, we dispense with the messy organic hardware and interface directly with the data. I wonder what Darwin would have made of this?
Published by the Journal for Work Process Improvement.