Content Strategy: The Philosophy of Data

Not that familiar with "content strategy?" That's ok. Many people have no idea what it means, but even more people bring their own (wrong) assumptions to the conversation. Usually they think it has something to do with writing copy. That’s not entirely false, but it’s kind of misleading.

Perhaps the problem is that, because content is so pervasive, everyone thinks they know all there is to know about it. If you can read and write, you can make content, right? (Nearly 60 million blogs may prove that.) But the fact is, as interactive experiences become more complex, so does the nature of content. A superficial understanding of content isn’t going to cut it anymore.

Learn More

From Complexity to Simplicity

Everyone wants to be the next iPod. It doesn’t even matter if the project in question has nothing in common with this ubiquitous device. The whole world seems to aspire to Apple’s benchmark design, but in reality very few people really understand the magic behind iPod’s success.

On second thought, it’s actually inappropriate to call it magic... It seems obvious to attribute iPod’s universal appeal to intuitive interface and simple, beautiful design. However, simplicity doesn’t come by chance. In order to achieve the perfect balance between form and function, brand voice and market demand, we must go through a rigorous process to distill complexity into simplicity. It’s an organizational challenge beyond just the design realm.

Learn More

Video Tagging
An Introduction & Vendor Overview

Image sharing sites like Flickr have long provided the functionality of allowing users to assign tags or keywords to images - both those that they've uploaded themselves and images uploaded by others in the community. Video sharing sites such as YouTube allow people to assign tags to the entire length of a particular video asset. But the simple fact that video, unlike still images, tends to be a linear experience that unfolds over a duration of time limits the usefulness of a tag applied to the entire clip, especially with longer clips.

Video tagging provides a simple form of interactivity and affords the user a much greater level of control over a video than what they're used to - which tends to be limited to play, pause, rewind & fast forward. This enhanced level of control will be key to a more satisfying user experience - people expect full control of any and all digital content, and tags combined with deep linking begin to provide that control.

Learn More