Articles

There are numerous benefits of having a unified advertising mechanism for the business of an organisation. Today, most of the advertising that is done across various media is disparate and not having a unified mechanism for generation, distribution, maintenance, reporting, or collection. To bridge this gap, I conceptualized and coined the term Meld Advertising (Referred to as ‘It’). Meld Advertising brings out all of these in the form of providing tools to automate most of these processes and to directly connect with all unique advertising channels. The tools help in the creation, beta, subscription, payments, real-time reporting, cost-effectiveness, and overall maintenance of the advertisements.

It helps all types of users including the end contractors who work on actually putting up advertising for diverse media. These include all tools which facilitate the entire workflow of advertising. It also recognizes that usage of effective tools, which are simple to use and create advertisements online, will lead to a faster execution of marketing campaigns. Also, ready-made templates, tie-ups with other advertising tools, and online expert help will allow for a more efficient generation of advertisements.

Source de l’article sur DZONE

Robotic Process Automation, better known as RPA, is an exciting issue among the C-suite and is rapidly making progress across many businesses. Innovation has filled up rapidly in the past few years, as have debates regarding automation and other related breakthrough advances, including Artificial Intelligence.

The concept is expectable, considering how automation tools and technologies are closely linked. RPA has always been destined to be the future of automation. If you are continually feeling stressed over your business operations’ efficiency, utilizing RPA could be the ideal decision.

Top Robotic Process Automation Trends for 2021

In this section, we will explain some of the top RPA trends businesses should look out for in 2021 and beyond.

Source de l’article sur DZONE

The concept of coroutine must be familiar to everyone now. After all, not only LUA, Go, and Kotlin but also C++ all support coroutines.

But different languages have different implementations. Such as LUA, coroutines will be scheduled when someone called yield() or resume().

Source de l’article sur DZONE

Don’t drop the ball on these website design trends for the new year. All of the trends featured here this month are visual in nature – not as many user interface elements as previous months, but all just as stunning and usable.

Here’s what’s trending in design this month.

1. 3D Scenes on White (Light)

Three-dimensional scenes are not just a trend this month but are likely to be one of the biggest website design trends that you see all year.

They offer a great way to show off product imagery, design something with illustrations or animation for visual impact, and provide usability and understandability cues for users.

It’s a versatile technique that can work with real or created images and are also “COVID-friendly,” something designers have had to think a lot about in the past few months. (Appropriate imagery in design is a real concern, as is trying to design projects without the ability to produce traditional photoshoots.)

What’s neat about all of these projects – and plenty of others – is that they root the design in white or light backgrounds. The light effect creates an easier visual mood that’s clean and emphasizes the imagery.

This website design trend solves a lot of those problems and looks good doing it.

Google’s Cloud design uses 3D illustrated animation on a white background with plenty of depth elements. The primary color palette of illustrated objects pulls it all together and guides the eye through each of the callout labels.

The red words on the screen Crystal Pure fit perfectly with the white-on-white 3D imagery of this design. Red accents pull you into different places on the screen, and it all has a clean feel.

Hofmann & Hofmann uses the same concept with a slightly different approach. The background is still light with a realistic feel and 3D objects, but it is a lot less stark and white. The feel is a little warmer and more inviting than a flat white aesthetic.

 

 

2. So Many Stacked Capitals

If you don’t have great artwork or imagery, make your own with typography.

This trend seems like it might be yelling at you just a little, but it still works for the most part — well, as long as you don’t land on too many of these website designs in a row!

What’s interesting about this trend is that many of the designs feature all caps type and serifs. These styles have been making a bit of a comeback, but this use is interesting for many reasons.

The hardest part when using all caps is maintaining readability. That’s why you see some variances in regular, italics, and bold weights, as well as the use of multiple typefaces. The goal is to create a good reading flow with a stunning visual presence.

This trend works best when you have “easy” words on the screen to facilitate scanning. Too many long or complicated letter combinations can get challenging quickly.

Make sure to look for the Easter eggs in each of these projects:

Emotion Agency has tiny “waving” illustrations next to each word (which doubles as the navigation) when you hover over them.

Mill3 Studio has a few animations, from the text flying in and out on load and scroll to subtle movements in the emojis.

Bizarro has this fun little cat video with a tiny warning not to hover over it, but you definitely should.

 

 

3. Empty Places

The final trend in this roundup is a stark reminder of current times. Each of the website design features empty places or locations.

This style of imagery would have been avoided pre-pandemic because tourism locations would want visitors to feel like a part of a bustling environment. Not today. If you travel, chances are you may feel safer or want to be in a more secluded environment.

All of the images and videos from these locations show just that.

Designers are doing this with new stark imagery that stands alone for the design or inserting a few empty place frames into video clips or among images that show more populated times. Even scenes that contain people show very few people and focus on more solitary activities.

Paragon Oak does this by showing a beautifully lit location at night. Note that using a nighttime photo eliminates questions about where the people are or what they are doing. (This is a clever option when showing imagery of an empty place.)

Vienne to Paris shows boats on the water with a beautiful background. While you assume there are people on the water vessels; you don’t see them and get the feeling that everyone is separated in their own “pod,” a pandemic-friendly option for travel.

The Maryculter House shows various images without people – the resort’s location on beautiful grounds; empty, but immaculate rooms, and a few images of a person alone on the grounds. Again, the empty nature of the place feels more appropriately welcome for the time we live in.

 

 

 

Conclusion

One of the things that we’ve seen with design trends in the past year is pandemic-related. The composition of images to the way elements are arranged on the screen influences every aspect of our lives.

While the empty place image and video trend is big now, it may fade post-pandemic. Although, it could still be relevant for quite some time. It will be interesting to see what happens as the year progresses with this trend – will it hold on or fade away?

These trends might continue to hold well into 2021.

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Source de l’article sur Webdesignerdepot

Over the years, experts have repeatedly discussed the possible impact of mixed realities on web design. Concepts like AR and VR are expected to have the potential to change the way that we interact with websites on a fundamental level.

Now that we’re in the year 2021, however, discussions about AR aren’t just observational anymore. The age of mixed-reality interfaces is here, in everything from Pokémon Go, to Snapchat filters.

The question is, how do web designers create incredible user experiences in a world where there are now multiple digital realities to consider?

The Benefits of Experimenting with AR

Before we look at some of the steps that web designers can take to enhance their projects with AR, it’s worth examining the benefits of interacting with augmented reality in the first place. 

While virtual reality replaces the typical world around us completely with digital components, AR augments it. This means that developers and designers need to learn how to thrive in an environment where the real world and the digital one work together. 

The most common AR application for website owners is to provide a solution for real-time and remote product visualization. Imagine being able to try on a pair of shoes before you buy them online. That’s a service that the Vyking brand can deliver by creating technology that “reinvents” the digital shopping experience. 

This test functionality plays a massive role in purchasing decisions. In a world where people can’t see a shade of make-up in person when they’re shopping online, or check how an item of furniture looks in their home, AR has a crucial role to play. 

In simple terms, AR helps shoppers to make more informed purchases. 

Here’s how you can use augmented reality to deliver incredible UX. 

1. Focus on Real-Time Feedback

Augmented reality is all about connecting the real world to the virtual world. 

Doing this provides users a unique experience – one that’s filled with real-time feedback that can deliver crucial and insightful information. For instance, an augmented reality system in a GPS app can calculate the average time before reaching a destination based on previous trips.

Another option is for an augmented reality to use solutions like face-mapping to help customers determine how a certain makeup product will look before they buy it. For instance, that’s the case for the Mary Kay Mirror Me app, which simplifies the process of shopping for make-up. 

When designing for AR, experts need to consider how they can provide customers with real-time information that they can use to make better purchasing decisions. 

2. Define input and output

Although you’ve probably performed similar exercises when designing for traditional websites and applications in the past, defining inputs and outputs of UX in AR environments can be tough.

Defining inputs and outputs allows you to determine which elements of an interface your user can actually interact with, in your interface. This gives you a better idea of what to “augment.” For instance, you might decide that physical gestures like a swipe of the hand will be essential for AR inputs. However, you’ll also need to consider how each mobile device offers different input possibilities. 

Outputs are a little simpler. For instance, you could offer a three-dimensional model of a product that your customers are interested in. Once you have that output, you can think about how the customer will interact with it by changing colors or position.

3. Embrace Customer-Friendly Performance

Another feature at the heart of AR applications is interactivity. 

Good designs in the augmented reality world need to be simple to access and use, otherwise customers will end up avoiding them. For instance, 60% of customers say they want to use AR when they’re shopping for furniture. However, they’re only going to use your app if it actually works. 

The Décor Matters website and app mix gamification with home decorating features that help customers get a better view of the home goods they’re planning on buying. The website even has inspiration pages available to help users find and try new design options with their AR technology. 

When designing for AR, think about how you can make your applications or technology as simple to use as possible, so customers actually want to interact with it. 

4. Address the Environment

In augmented and virtual reality applications, it’s important to remember that interfaces aren’t bound by physical screens. The viewport will move with the user, shifting perspectives in response. Most AR designers will use four different signifiers to describe AR environments:

  • Public environment: The entire body of the user is involved as a controller, like with the Xbox Kinect or Nintendo Wii;
  • Intimate environment: Where a user can be seated – often in a desktop environment;
  • Personal environment: AR on smartphones, mobile devices, and tablets, like Pokémon Go;
  • Private environments: Completely private spaces, such as with wearable technology like the Google Glass solution.

The environment that you’re designing for will be crucial for your project outcomes. Remember, spatial considerations need to be carefully considered when accounting for how users will interact with objects in a frame. 

5. Remember User Fatigue

Another thing to keep in mind when designing for AR technology is that user fatigue is likely to be a much more significant consideration. After all, people interact with websites and applications in a much more intimate and in-depth way when AR is involved. 

AR applications can often use the entire body of a customer as a controller. Because of this, designers need to be careful about exhausting interactions. High-effort and repetitive interactions could tire the user out mentally and physically, causing them to give up on the interaction. 

When designing, you’ll need to consider how you might over-stimulate the user with too many interaction-focused elements at once. Keep it simple.

6. Remember the Essential Principles of UX Design

Remember, just because you’re tapping into a relatively new technology doesn’t mean that you should abandon all the basic tenets of user experience design that you’ve come to understand over the years. Although UX is constantly evolving and changing, it’s always going to keep a few fundamental principles in mind. 

For instance, you’ll always strive to give users the best digital experience in exchange for the lowest amount of effort on their part. Additionally, you’ll need to think about how you can make end-users as comfortable as possible when they’re interacting with new types of technology on websites and apps. 

For instance, since AR is most commonly associated with gaming in the current environment, it might be a good idea to implement gamification concepts into your AR design. What can you do to make sure your customers are having fun?

For instance, Inkhunter is an app that allows users to try on tattoos just like using a filter on Snapchat. The experience feels familiar, comfortable, and exciting.

Unlocking the Potential of AR Web Design

Augmented Reality technology has come a long way over the years. Today, developers and designers can access simple plug-in tools like WordPress VR, allowing designers to upload 360-degree videos into WordPress sites and other unique web extensions. 

Augmented reality is becoming much more readily available on sites and apps of all shapes and sizes. Additionally, customers are accessing more ways to unlock AR’s power through everything from headsets to mobile interfaces. 

However, just like any new technology in the web design world, designers need to think carefully about how they will overcome the challenges in user experience that AR can present. For instance, though AR can offer more information for a customer and help them make purchasing decisions faster, there are also risks. For instance, add too many interactive features to a single website or application, and you could scare users off with too much information. 

In the short-term, web designers need to explore the new tools that are available to them and think about the customers they’re designing for. Only this way will we be able to make any considerable advances in the possibilities of AR. 

Are You Ready to Embrace AR?

Designing for augmented reality applications and websites can be an intimidating concept – even for seasoned designers. However, this is just another technology that creatives can use to drive better experiences for end-users. 

Learn how the latest technology works and get an insight into your customers’ needs, and you’ll be amazed at what you can accomplish in the AR world.

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Source de l’article sur Webdesignerdepot

User experience is one of the most important aspects of web design, but many experts overlook that UX doesn’t just apply to web pages. User experience as a concept encompasses all aspects of end-user interaction with a company.

That means you need to discover the right UX strategies for everything from your homepage to your email marketing and even your listings on Google.

Today, we’re going to explore some of how you can apply UX principles to your client’s image on search engines.

Why Your Search Engine Listing Matters

Let’s start with the basics: 89% of customers start their purchasing process with a search engine. That means that whether you’re creating a portfolio to sell your services or building a website for a client, the first connection a customer has with your design isn’t on the homepage.

Most of the time, you’re driving a specific experience for an end-user before you even realize it. Before you can wow an audience with a beautiful site design or an amazing CTA offer, you need to convince them to click on your Google link.

When you invest in user experience, you think carefully about the journey that an end-user goes through when interacting with a brand. This often means considering things like the user’s intent, their needs, and their pain points.

Those same principles apply to create an impressive search engine listing.

UX on a website is all about giving your audience what they need in an informed, and strategic manner; UX in the search engine results works the same way.

How to Make Your Search Listing Stand Out with UX

So, how do you begin to apply the principles of UX to your Google Search results?

It’s much easier than you’d think.

Step 1: Show Immediate Value

Delivering an excellent experience on a website often means providing end-users with the information they need as quickly as possible. Imagine designing a landing page; you wouldn’t want your audience to scroll forever to find what they need. Instead, you’d make sure that the value of the page was immediately obvious.

When creating an image for your search engine listing, you’ll need to take the same approach. This often means thinking carefully about two things: your headline and your meta description.

Around 8 out of 10 users say that they’ll click a title if it’s compelling. That means that before you do anything else to improve your SEO strategy, you need to make sure that your web page’s title is going to grab your audience’s attention.

The best titles deliver instant value. These titles tell the audience exactly what they’re going to get when they click onto the page. The promise drives action, while clarity highlights the informed nature of the brand.

The great thing about using an excellent title for a page is that it doesn’t matter where you’re ranked on the search results. Whether you’re number 2 or number 5, your customers will click if they find something they want.

It’s just like using a CTA on a landing page. Make sure your titles are:

  • Informative — show your audience value immediately;
  • Optimized for mobile — remember, your audience might not see your full title on some screens; this means that you need to make the initial words count;
  • Easy to read — keep it short, simple, and clear, speak the end-users’ language.

Step 2: Build Trust with Your URLs

Trust factors are another essential part of good UX.

When you’re designing a website for a new brand, you know that it’s your job to make visitors feel at ease. Even in today’s digital world, many customers won’t feel comfortable giving their money or details to a new company.

Within the website that you design, you can implement trust symbols, reviews, and testimonials to enhance brand credibility. On search engines, it all starts with your URL.

Search-friendly URLs that highlight the nature of the page will put your audience’s mind at ease. When they click on a page about “What is SEO” in the SERPs, they want to see an URL that matches, not a bunch of numbers and symbols

Use search-friendly permalink structures to make your listing seem more authoritative. This will increase the chances of your customer clicking through to a page and make them more likely to share the link with friends.

Once you decide on a link structure, make sure that it stays consistent throughout the entire site. If a link doesn’t appear to match the rest of the URLs that your audience sees for your website, they may think they’re on the wrong page. That increases your bounce rate.

Step 3: Be Informative with Your Meta Description

To deliver excellent UX on a website, you ensure that your visitor can find all of the answers to their most pressing questions as quickly as possible. This includes providing the right information on each page and using the correct navigational structure to support a visitor’s journey.

In the SERPs, you can deliver that same informative experience with a meta description. Although meta descriptions often get ignored, they can provide a lot of value and help you or your client make the right first impression.

To master your meta descriptions:

  • Use the full 160 characters — make the most of your meta description by providing as much useful information as you can within that small space;
  • Include a CTA — just as CTAs help to guide customers through the pages on a website, they can assist with pulling in clicks on the SERPS; a call to action like “read about the” or “click here” makes sense when you’re boosting your search image;
  • Focus on value — concentrate on providing your customers with an insight into what’s in it for them if they click on your listing.

Don’t forget that adding keywords to your meta description is often helpful too. Keywords will boost your chances of a higher ranking, but they’ll also show your audience that they’re looking at the right result.

Step 4: Draw the Eye with Rich Snippets

You’ve probably noticed that the search engine result pages have changed quite a bit in the last couple of years. As Google strives to make results more relevant and informative, we’ve seen the rise of things like rich snippets. Rich snippets are excellent for telling your audience where to look.

On a website, you would use design elements, like contrasting colors and animation, to pull your audience’s attention to a specific space. On search engines, rich snippets can drive the same outcomes. The difference is that instead of telling a visitor what to do next on a page, you’re telling them to click on your site, not a competitor’s.

When Google introduced rich snippets, it wanted to provide administrators with a way of showcasing their best content. Rich snippets are most commonly used today on product pages and contact pages because they can show off reviews.

Install a rich snippet plugin into your site if you’re a WordPress user or your client is. When you enter the content that you need into the website, use the drop-down menu in your Rich snippet tool to configure the snippet.

Ideally, you’ll want to aim for the full, rich snippet if you want to stand out at the top of the search results. Most featured snippets have both text and an image. It would help if you aimed to access both of these by writing great content and combining it with a relevant image.

Step 5: Provide Diversity (Take Up More of the Results)

As a website designer or developer, you’ll know that different people on a website will often be drawn to different things. Some of your visitors might immediately see a set of bullet-points and use them to search for the answer to their question. Other visitors will want pictures or videos to guide them. So, how do you deliver that kind of diversity in the SERPS?

The easiest option is to aim to take up more of the search result pages. Google now delivers a bunch of different ways for customers to get the answers they crave. When you search for “How to use Google my Business” on Google, you’ll see links to blogs, as well as a list of YouTube Videos and the “People Also Ask” section.

Making sure that you or a client has different content ranking pieces for the same keywords can significantly improve the experience any customer has on the search engines. Often, the process of spreading your image out across the SERPs is as simple as creating some different kinds of content.

To access the video’s benefits, ask your client to create YouTube videos for some of their most commonly asked questions or most covered topics. If you’re helping with SEO marketing for your client, then make sure they have an FAQ page or a way of answering questions quickly and concisely on articles, so they’re more likely to appear in “People Also Ask”:

Step 6: Add Authority with Google My Business

Speaking of Google My Business, that’s another excellent tool that’s perfect for improving UX in the search results. GMB is a free tool provided by Google. It allows business owners to manage how information appears in the search results.

With this service, you can manage a company’s position on Google maps, the Knowledge Graph, and online reviews. Establishing a company’s location is one of the most important things you can do to help audiences quickly find a business. Remember, half of the customers that do a local search on a smartphone end up visiting the store within the same day.

Start by setting up the Google Business listing for yourself or your client. All you need to do is hit the “Start Now” button and fill out every relevant field offered by Google. The more information you can add to Google My Business, the more your listing will stand out. Make sure you:

  • Choose a category for a business, like “Grocery store”;
  • Load up high-quality and high-resolution images;
  • Ensure your information matches on every platform;
  • Use a local number for contact;
  • Encourage reviews to give your listing a five-star rating.

Taking advantage of a Google My Business listing will ensure that your audience has all the information they need to make an informed decision about your company before they click through to the site. This means that you or your client get more warm leads and fewer people stumbling onto your website that might not want to buy from you.

Step 7: Use Structured Data Markup to Answer Questions

If you’re already using things like rich snippets in your Google listings, you should also have a structured schema markup plan. Schema markup on Google tells the search engines what your data means. This means that you can add extra information to your listings that will guide your customers more accurately to the support they need.

Providing additional schema markup information to your listings gives them an extra finishing touch to ensure that they stand out from the competition. You might add something like a “product price” to a product page or information about the product’s availability.

Alternatively, you could provide the people who see a search result with other options. This could be an excellent option if you’re concerned that some of the people who might come across your listing might need slightly different information. For instance, you can ask Google to list other pages along with your search results that customers can “jump to” if they need additional insights.

Baking structured data into your design process when you’re working on a website does several positive things. It makes the search engine’s job easier so that you can ensure that you or your client ranks higher. Additionally, it means that your web listings will be more thorough and useful.

Since UX is all about giving your audience the best possible experience with a brand, that starts with making sure they get the information they need in the search results.

Constantly Improve and Experiment

Remember, as you begin to embed UX elements into your search engine listings, it’s important to be aware of relevant evolutions. Ultimately, the needs of any audience can change very rapidly. Paying attention to your customers and what kind of links they click on the most will provide you with lots of valuable data. You can use things like Google analytics to A/B test things like titles, pictures, featured snippets, and other things that may affect UX.

At the same time, it’s worth noting that the Google search algorithms are always changing. Running split tests on different pages will give you an insight into what your customers want. However, you’ll need to keep an eye on the latest documentation about Google Search if you want to avoid falling behind the competition.

Like most exceptional UX aspects, mastering your SERP position isn’t a set it and forget it strategy. You’ll need to constantly expand your knowledge if you want to show clients that you can combine UX and SEO effectively.

It’s easy to forget that there’s more to UX than making your buttons clickable on mobile devices or ensuring that scrolling feels smooth. For a designer or developer to deliver wonderful UX for a brand, they need to consider every interaction that a company and customer have. Most of the time, this means starting with the way a website appears when it’s listed on the search engines. Getting your SEO listing right doesn’t just boost your chances of a good ranking. This strategy also improves your reputation with your audience and delivers more meaningful moments in the buyer journey.

 

Featured image via Unsplash.

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Source de l’article sur Webdesignerdepot

By the end of the year, the number of global smartphone users is expected to reach 3.5 billion. That’s a significant 9.3% increase over the last 12 months.

In a world where everyone is constantly connected to their mobile devices, it makes sense that web developers and designers would need to consider new rules for how they create engaging experiences. After all, most of us find browsing from our smartphones to be much more convenient than sitting down at a laptop each day.

With a little luck, you’re already taking steps to mobile optimize your website but standards are changing all the time. To make sure your website is up to scratch, here’s your guide to prioritizing your site for mobile, ready for the new year.

Understanding Mobile-First Design

The first step in updating your web design and development principles, is understanding the concept of mobile first design, and how it’s changed.

With a responsive website, you create something that adjusts to the screen size of any device; with a mobile-first site, you’re focusing first-and-foremost on the user experience that people get when they’re on mobile, taking that as your starting point, and building from there. Instead of building your website for the desktop and using mobile as an afterthought, you start with a consideration of mobile.

Even Google is highlighting the demand for this process lately, with the mobile-first indexing algorithm. If you can’t design for mobile-first, then you could risk your clients being unable to rise up the search engine ranks.

So, how do you get started?

1. Start With the Right Tools

Web developers and designers are nothing without a great toolkit.

The good news is that there are solutions out there that can help you to master the right skills for a mobile-focused user experience. For instance, Skeleton is excellent for small-scale projects that require fluid grids and minimal compiling.

Alternatively, Bootstrap can offer a one-size-fits-all solution for the front-end development for mobile devices. There’s a default grid system available, plenty of components, and JavaScript plugins to work with.

With the right tools, you can minimize and prioritize the content that’s most valuable for your website projects. This is crucial for maximizing website speed and creating clarity when it comes to content and imagery.

For instance, check out the ESPN website; it’s split into very easy-to-follow categories of content that are perfect for scrolling on a smartphone. The grid of videos makes it feel like you’re using a tool like YouTube.

2. Prioritize Mobile-First Elements

Once you have the right tools to assist you, it’s time to begin building your mobile-first website from the ground up. Rather than jumping straight into considerations of the latest design trends, it’s important to start with the foundations.

For instance, navigation within a mobile page is usually hidden under a hamburger button. However, you can take this concept to the next level too. For example, the Shojin mobile website only demonstrates the most important website options within the navigation bar to avoid overwhelming users.

The key here is to keep things as simple as possible, without restricting what your audience can do when they visit your website. Although you want to keep the number of interactive elements on your site small, you also need to ensure that those elements are easy to find and use.

All buttons and CTAs should be clear and tappable. Fonts need to be large enough to read from any screen, and your navigation system needs to be 100% simple, without slowing anything down.

On average, we recommend making all clickable elements at least 48 pixels in height.

3. Use Responsive Imagery and SVGs

Images are a crucial part of any website. They add context and appeal to your design. However, they can also seriously slow down your website if you’re not careful.

Remember, different devices have different demands when it comes to imagery. A desktop page may need a 1200px wide image, while a mobile-only needs the image to be 400px wide at most. The old way of making your images work was to load a large resolution image and use the same file on every platform. Unfortunately, this slows downloading time significantly.

Instead, it’s better to have at least two different versions of the same image for your mobile and desktop solutions. You can also consider SVG.

SVGs are incredibly scalable – more so than bitmaps. With SVG, you can ensure any icon or graphic continues to look sharp and clickable across all devices. Because these files are often smaller, your site loads quicker too! Hubspot is great at using SVGs.

Intricate illustrations are a massive component of HubSpot’s brand. If those images were saved as PNGs or other alternative files, then they would take forever to load. Because they’re all SVGs, you can enjoy the same consistent experience across desktop and mobile.

4. Get the Typography Right

It’s not just the big graphics and images that make a huge difference to your website when it comes to mobile-first design. You also need to think about the legibility and clarity of your website across all devices and platforms. If people can’t read the value proposition of the company that you’re designing for, you’re going to have a major problem.

Focus on making your content as easy to read as possible. Look into the typefaces that seem most appealing on a range of devices.

Remember to balance the body and heading font sizes for the device size too. You’ll need to ensure that the experience feels consistent and smooth as your users scroll through each page. Just take a look at the mobile version of the IMPACT website, for instance.

The headings aren’t as huge as they are on the desktop version of the website, and they’re displayed below, rather than above the featured image. However, this helps to give a more immediately eye-catching and structured experience to mobile users.

There’s even a handy “Search Engine Optimization” tag included, that users can click on if they want to find more related articles.

When it comes to typography, remember that it’s not just size and clarity that matter, but how things are structured throughout your website too. Your type should naturally guide your visitors along the page.

5. Master Available Device Features

Finally, on smartphones, you can accomplish a range of amazing things that you might not be able to do when using a desktop device. Your users can make calls, open apps, send messages, and more, all from within their mobile browser. They can also move their smartphone around a room, taking advantage of concepts like AR and VR.

Taking advantage of the unique capabilities that smartphone design can offer gives you a chance to get unique with your user experience.

Making the most of the mobile experience can be much simpler than you’d think. For instance, on a desktop site, you could list your phone number on a contact page. On a mobile site, the number can begin a call when clicked. You can also take the same approach with email addresses, and social media icons too.

Depending on how experimental you feel, there’s also plenty of opportunities to go above and beyond with your mobile features. You may decide to create a mobile app version of a website that your customers can download onto their phones.

Alternatively, you can look into things like AR technology. This could allow your users to practice placing items of furniture that they may be thinking of buying from an online retailer into their house, so they can see how well they work with their other interior design choices.

Making the Most of Mobile-First Design

Ultimately, having a responsive website that works on both mobile and desktop devices is mandatory in the modern world. However, going above and beyond with mobile-first design is a great way to get ahead of the game.

If you can focus on building a website that puts the experiences of mobile users first, then you can create something that’s much more likely to grab audience attention and deliver amazing experiences.

If nothing else, showing your clients that you have what it takes to design for mobile is an excellent way to ensure that you can gain as many new project opportunities as possible.

Source


Source de l’article sur Webdesignerdepot

Les innovations technologiques permettent à l’industrie européenne de relever de nouveaux défis, dont la relocalisation de la production et la maîtrise de l’empreinte environnementale. Place à la quatrième révolution industrielle !

Les trois grandes révolutions industrielles sont toutes liées à des innovations majeures :

  • 1re révolution industrielle, le passage de l’artisanal au mécanisé, grâce à la vapeur.
  • 2e révolution industrielle, une production de masse standardisée, grâce à l’électricité.
  • 3e révolution industrielle, la flexibilité des automates programmables, grâce au numérique.

L’Industrie 4.0 s’appuie non pas sur une innovation de rupture, mais sur un package d’innovations : robotique avancée, Machine to Machine, IoT, réseaux 5G, impression 3D, jumeaux numériques, Blockchain pour la traçabilité, mais aussi Machine Learning et Intelligence Artificielle.

Au cœur de cette révolution se trouve la data. Plus précisément la capacité à collecter toutes les données de l’usine, puis à les faire remonter, généralement dans le cloud, avant de les traiter, en mode big data, puis enfin de transformer ces données en décisions, le data to action.

Lancé en 2011 par un ensemble d’acteurs, dont SAP, le concept d’Industrie 4.0 offre l’agilité et la résilience nécessaires pour répondre aux exigences de l’économie d’expérience et aux aléas, devenus hélas de plus en plus fréquents. Il permet également de basculer d’un modèle de production de masse, initié avec la seconde révolution industrielle, vers une stratégie de personnalisation de masse, répondant mieux aux besoins des consommateurs actuels.

Le moment est venu pour l’Industrie 4.0

Si certaines technologies de l’Industrie 4.0 existent parfois depuis des années, une conjonction de facteurs permet aujourd’hui de les combiner et de les démocratiser. « L’Industrie 4.0 entre en production, car son ROI est fort, explique Aymeric de Pontbriand, CEO de Scortex. Les nouvelles technologies deviennent en effet suffisamment abordables pour que l’équation économique prenne du sens aux yeux des industriels. Mais le vrai challenge reste celui des compétences nécessaires au déploiement en masse de ces nouvelles technologies. »

« Aujourd’hui, nous avons de la donnée et les technologies sont matures, poursuit Erwin Guizouarn, président d’Evolution Energie. Se pose la question du passage à l’échelle. Les industriels veulent pouvoir rapidement déployer ces technologies, en masse. Il y a un vrai challenge sur la fourniture de plates-formes personnalisables, robustes et sécurisées. Les données sont là. Les infrastructures et applicatifs sont en train d’arriver. »

Le moment est venu de relocaliser la production

L’hyperpersonnalisation des produits est une chance pour l’Europe, car elle se traduit par une relocalisation des usines. Difficile en effet de faire parvenir dans un temps raisonnable un produit personnalisé à un client, s’il doit traverser la moitié de la planète dans un conteneur.

Cette nouvelle industrie ne sera toutefois pas celle d’hier, ne fabriquera pas les mêmes produits et ne fera pas travailler les mêmes types de profils. Elle est plus technique, mais aussi plus affûtée et mieux optimisée. Elle se veut également plus vertueuse d’un point de vue écologique.

« La relocalisation de la production est une opportunité fantastique pour l’Europe, confirme Aymeric de Pontbriand. Cela se traduira par de l’emploi, souvent dans des régions désertées. Tout en repartant sur de nouvelles bases, avec une production moderne et soucieuse de son impact environnemental. » Erwin Guizouarn confirme cette tendance verte : « Les grands industriels français se sont engagés à devenir neutres en carbone d’ici 5 à 10 ans. Il y a un vrai mouvement en France pour aller vers des énergies propres et une production décarbonée. Industrie 4.0 et transition énergétique sont non seulement conciliables, mais souhaitables. »

Scortex et Evolution Energie montrent la voie

Les industriels veulent pouvoir disposer de solutions de type Industrie 4.0 clés en main, au ROI immédiat. Evolution Energie se concentre sur l’exploitation des données liées à l’énergie et son utilisation, avec comme objectif une maîtrise de ces coûts, qui peuvent représenter jusqu’à 80 % des dépenses de certains industriels. Scortex numérise pour sa part le contrôle qualité au travers de techniques d’Intelligence Artificielle. Le contrôle qualité manuel par inspection visuelle est en effet une tâche ingrate, qui peut représenter de 20 % à 30 % des dépenses d’un industriel.

Grâce à ce type de solutions ciblées, les industries peuvent basculer par étapes vers le 4.0. Mais certains enjeux restent plus globaux. « Le traitement massif de la donnée permet de passer par exemple à du vrai temps réel, ou de mettre en place une gestion globale de la production au niveau d’un groupe entier », illustre Erwin Guizouarn.

« Lors du passage à l’Industrie 4.0, il faut toutefois faire attention à ne pas laisser des sous-traitants sur le bord de la route, prévient Aymeric de Pontbriand. L’Industrie 4.0 va s’accompagner d’un véritable enjeu d’homogénéisation de la Supply Chain. »


En savoir plus sur les solutions pour l’industrie 4.0, production


 

The post Industrie 4.0 : une opportunité historique appeared first on SAP France News.

Source de l’article sur sap.com

Les entreprises créent des plateformes ouvertes qui permettent aux clients de participer à tous les aspects de l’expérience, à la fois de manière active et de manière passive.

Le succès des plateformes ouvertes

Les clients ne se contentent plus d’être de simples consommateurs de biens et services, ils font partie intégrante du business model. Lorsqu’ils contribuent à la conception, production, commercialisation et utilisation de produits et services, la participation des clients est active. Quand ils acceptent de laisser les entreprises utiliser leurs données pour formuler et fournir des produits et services qui leur sont destinés, elle est passive.

Quoi qu’il en soit, les entreprises ne peuvent survivre sans créer des plateformes de données qui encouragent à la fois la participation active et passive des clients au développement de produits, de services et à l’expérience globale. Contrairement aux référentiels de données classiques qui ne servent qu’aux entreprises, ces plateformes ouvertes offrent de la valeur aussi bien aux clients qu’à l’entreprise.

Par exemple, plutôt que de devoir atteindre attendre la prochaine version d’une application de suivi alimentaire ou de cuisine, les clients ont accès à des plateformes ouvertes où les utilisateurs peuvent ajouter de nouveaux aliments, de nouveaux produits et de nouvelles recettes que d’autres personnes peuvent rechercher et utiliser. Les entreprises agroalimentaires et culinaires boostent la fidélité des clients et parviennent à développer leur plateforme de manière exponentielle, ce qui nécessite que très peu d’investissements supplémentaires.

Toutes ces données offrent aux entreprises agroalimentaires des informations inestimables sur la façon et l’endroit les plus adaptés pour développer leur activité. La plateforme devient le socle de l’entreprise et fournit une visibilité incroyablement riche sur le client, ce qui permet de définir une orientation
stratégique pour l’avenir.

D’autres entreprises, comme les fournisseurs de matériels agricoles ou fabricants de réacteurs d’avions, créent également des plateformes qui surveillent leur utilisation et encouragent la participation. Au fur et à mesure que ces plateformes deviennent plus intelligentes et que de nouvelles fonctionnalités sont ajoutées, la participation devient plus facile, créant ainsi un cercle vertueux. En échange de leur créativité et de leur expertise, les clients s’attendent à recevoir de meilleurs produits et services, bien sûr, mais apprécient aussi le statut, la reconnaissance, le sentiment d’appartenance et le sens issus de leur contribution à quelque chose qui leur tient à cœur.

Les clients s’attendent de plus en plus à contribuer à leur expérience des quatre façons suivantes :

En tant qu’utilisateurs

Les entreprises les plus performantes intègrent désormais les données client à l’expérience client, ce qui permet aux clients d’en tirer directement parti. Avant, par exemple, les montres connectées constituaient à elles seules l’expérience. Aujourd’hui, ce sont des dispositifs d’entrée qui alimentent les plateformes de données afin que les clients puissent profiter d’expériences beaucoup plus riches qu’ils ne pourraient le faire avec le dispositif seul (par exemple, records personnels, concours collectifs, rencontres et partage d’itinéraires).

En tant que créateurs

Les entreprises mettent des plateformes numériques à disposition du client pour libérer son imagination. Plutôt que de laisser les clients attendre la prochaine version de leur jeu vidéo, par exemple, les éditeurs créent des plateformes ouvertes sur lesquelles les joueurs peuvent créer de nouveaux niveaux et modules à destination de toute la communauté. D’autres permettent aux clients de suggérer de nouveaux concepts de produits.

En tant que producteurs

Les clients contribuent activement à la fabrication de produits. Par exemple, si les systèmes d’énergie renouvelable permettent aux clients qui produisent de l’électricité excédentaire de la vendre au réseau, les fournisseurs de repas en ligne livrent quant à eux aux clients des ingrédients et instructions pour qu’ils préparent eux-mêmes leurs repas à la maison (quoi de plus important qu’un repas fait maison et pris en famille ?).

En tant que soutiens

Les clients privilégient de plus en plus les entreprises qui leur permettent d’être actifs, de participer visiblement aux trois 3 R (réduction, réutilisation et recyclage) et à des programmes de recommerce (ou commerce inversé) (9). Les produits pouvant être facilement reconvertis, revendus, démontés et recyclés donnent satisfaction aux personnes préoccupées par le changement climatique, d’autant plus que les trois R sont en train de devenir un enjeu moral pour un nombre croissant de clients (voir « Les valeurs définissent la valeur »).

Quelles sont les étapes suivantes pour votre entreprise ?

Créez de la valeur à partir de la participation passive

Généralement, les clients acceptent de fournir leurs données en échange de valeur, surtout s’ils n’ont rien à faire. Par exemple, après avoir obtenu l’autorisation des clients d’accéder à leurs données bancaires et de carte de crédit, les sociétés financières utilisent des algorithmes de Machine Learning, des outils d’analyse et d’immenses référentiels de données pour créer des rapports d’investissement pertinents, sans que les clients n’aient à bouger le petit doigt.

De la livraison de produits finis à la mise à disposition de plateformes ouvertes

Appréhendez les clients comme de véritables partenaires, capables de participer à n’importe quelle étape de la chaîne de valeur. Donnez-leur les moyens d’agir avec une partie du produit, comme des jeux vidéo en ligne ouverts ou des services de repas qui permettent aux clients de préparer eux-mêmes leur repas. Engagez-vous dans un concept de copropriété à long terme en collaborant avec vos clients et d’autres entreprises, et en prenant soin de vos clients.

Expliquez la contrepartie

Expliquez clairement au client la valeur qu’il reçoit en échange de ses contributions à la chaîne valeur. L’expression créative, les liens communautaires, la reconnaissance et les expériences personnalisées, en plus de la valeur du produit lui-même, sont des exemples de ce que les clients pourraient obtenir.

Publié en anglais sur insights.sap.com


Références

(9) Alissa Marchat, “Consumers Prefer Reverse Vending Machines for Bottle Recycling, Survey Finds,” The Shelby Report, April 27, 2018, http://www.theshelbyreport.com/2018/04/27/consumer-recycling- preference-survey/. Brandon Gaille, “27 Recommerce Industry Statistics and Trends,” Brandon Gaille, January 22, 2018, https://brandongaille.com/27-recommerce-industry-statistics-and-trends/.

The post L’expérience client future : les clients deviennent contributeurs appeared first on SAP France News.

Source de l’article sur sap.com