A shelf, but not as we know it..
Rather nice project to collaborate on in my first few weeks working at Tesco.com in innovation. Kudos to @nicklansley @ribot @AngelaMaurer @luke_hickton & @harrybetteridge for the impressive Endless Aisle, a beautiful 80" touch screen + bespoke interface allowing customers to browse, search and buy from a range of 11,000 toys.`
More: Tesco CIO talking about Tesco Innovation inc Endless Aisle.
lovemoney.com>MOO.com>Tesco.com Innovaton
Just a quick one. (I fully intend to blog properly again at some point though.)
After 5 years with my previous employer (and co-founding lovemoney.com, lovefood.com and Runpath Digital) I have been acting Head of Product with MOO.com for almost a year. MOO is a fantastic business that's groing fast, I thoroughly enjoyed my contract there and am pleased to say I have left on great terms with the awesome MOO Crew.
Very soon I am off to work at Tesco.com, in innovation. I am really excited at the prospect and am hugely looking forward to the experience. I'm certain the move will ignite my blogging again! (he says.)
maiden app launch
Very excited and relieved to say that my first iPhone project has gone live. Feel like I worked mighty hard on this one, collaborating on the design and managing the process from inception to delivery.
Must say, this was a fairly steep learning curve in terms of planning, learning new design conventions and dealing with Apple (our app review took 6 weeks!) But, overall, it has been really satisfying.
The app itself is all the best content and social elements of lovemoney.com, in one. The main bonus for users is the offline mode which means that lovemoney.com content can be enjoyed while folk are on their commute, even when connectivity is poor.
Beyond that, we really hope the app extends our reach and creates another successful path to discovery for the lovemoney.com brand. Certainly, the UI efficiencies make the app infinitely easy to use (in my opinion) and shows the lovemoney.com product in a new and exciting light.
The lovemoney.com Knowledge app is available on subscription for £2.99 and available now through the app store.
Apple, Innovation, Mobile, UI no neon anywhere
My first impression of poker websites was bad. Lots on lots of poor design, confusing bonus jargon and casino clichés. I was a bit perplexed and lost in a world of crap stock images and neon.
So, when I was asked to think about a poker website my initial reaction, naturally, was that I wasn't sure.
Every website I have ever worked on I've advocated brand values, decent usability and genuine service. It's a policy I would argue has worked well. 12 years on and I can't think of one site I've worked on that doesn't still exist in some form (CompuServe doesn't count, it was technically an ISP!)
Tantalisingly, the challenge lay in working out how to apply this 'career policy' to poker.
I needn't have worried though. I spoke to numerous poker players and industry insiders who more or less unilaterally agreed with my initial synopsis that poker websites are generally pretty clichéd affairs.
When I suggested we move away from neon, weak stock imagery, spammy seo copy, black backgrounds e.t.c... I met very little resistance at all.
And so is born the new www.onlinepoker.com - a website that provides:
- relevant content and tailored landing pages for both newbie and intermediate players.
- a Q&A forum where newbie players can find information from other newbies and more experienced players.
- poker room reviews that will give a responsible and helpful account of where to go and play online poker safely.
And it all comes with no neon anywhere! Smashing.