1. involutionstudios
Brand Experience
and the World Wide Web
A presentation for WebVisions 2004
July 16, 2004
Dirk Knemeyer
Involution Studios LLC
July 2004 Brand Experience and the Web 1
Dirk Knemeyer :: WebVisions :: Portland

2. involutionstudios
Introductions
:: The View From 30,000 Feet
:: Brand Experience
:: User Experience
:: Brand Experience and You

3. About Me :: dk
involutionstudios
Founding Principal of Involution Studios LLC
Former Chief Design Officer of Thread Inc.
Former college professor, television analyst, and radio personality
Currently serving on the boards of three international industry associations
Planned to be a philosophy professor
Begin in advertising on the account side
Moved into business strategy and then into creative
What am I now? Designer? Experience Strategist? Catalyst?
July 2004 Brand Experience and the Web 3
Dirk Knemeyer :: WebVisions :: Portland

4. About Me :: dk
involutionstudios
Big goals…
“To measurably
increase the happiness and
well-being of the human species.”
July 2004 Brand Experience and the Web 4
Dirk Knemeyer :: WebVisions :: Portland

5. About Involution Studios
involutionstudios
Involution Studios LLC is an innovation company, “A digital IDEO”
We provide design, consulting, and training services
Offices in Silicon Valley and Boston
Involution
In`vo*lu"tion, n.
[L. involutio: cf. F. involution. See Involve.]
1. The act of involving or infolding.
July 2004 Brand Experience and the Web 5
Dirk Knemeyer :: WebVisions :: Portland

6. involutionstudios
:: Introductions
The View from 30,000 Feet
:: Brand Experience
:: User Experience
:: Brand Experience and You

7. The Internet
involutionstudios
Revolutionary access to
knowledge and information
Re-definition of human
communication
July 2004 Brand Experience and the Web 7
Dirk Knemeyer :: WebVisions :: Portland

8. Globalization & Internationalization
involutionstudios
The center of business has
shifted from local to global
Brands operate in cultures they
are not designed for
There is a push-and-pull between
global business and local culture
July 2004 Brand Experience and the Web 8
Dirk Knemeyer :: WebVisions :: Portland

9. Marketing Pollution & Information Smog
involutionstudios
We are being overwhelmed by
marketing pollution: a constant
assault of too many worthless
messages and interactions
We are being overwhelmed by
information smog: a staggering
amount of relevant or valuable
information that we cannot easily
discern between
July 2004 Brand Experience and the Web 9
Dirk Knemeyer :: WebVisions :: Portland

10. The Paradox of Choice
involutionstudios
The more choices that people
have, the more difficult it
becomes to make decisions
The more stimuli that people
experience, the less memorable
and impactful all of it is
July 2004 Brand Experience and the Web 10
Dirk Knemeyer :: WebVisions :: Portland

11. involutionstudios
:: Introductions
:: The View from 30,000 Feet
Brand Experience
:: User Experience
:: Brand Experience and You

12. Brand Defined
involutionstudios
“The emotional and intellectual associations people make with a
specific person or thing.”
dk
“A brand is a person’s gut feeling about a product, service, or
organization.”
Mary Neumeier :: author, The Brand Gap
July 2004 Brand Experience and the Web 12
Dirk Knemeyer :: WebVisions :: Portland

13. Experience Defined
involutionstudios
“What our senses and mind perceive of the world.”
dk
“The elements that contribute to superior experiences are knowable
and reproducible, which makes them designable.”
Nathan Shedroff :: author, Experience Design I
July 2004 Brand Experience and the Web 13
Dirk Knemeyer :: WebVisions :: Portland

14. Brand Experience Defined
involutionstudios
The strategic organization of all
interactions that people have with an
organization, person, or product.
July 2004 Brand Experience and the Web 14
Dirk Knemeyer :: WebVisions :: Portland

15. Traditional Business Structure
involutionstudios
Business
Management
Finance Legal/HR IT Marketing Sales Product Distribution Customer
Dev Service
July 2004 Brand Experience and the Web 15
Dirk Knemeyer :: WebVisions :: Portland

16. Brand Experience Business Structure
involutionstudios
Experience Business
Strategy Management
Own Customers Own Employees Own Market
Experiences Experiences Experiences Finance Legal
Information Information Information
July 2004 Brand Experience and the Web 16
Dirk Knemeyer :: WebVisions :: Portland

17. Considering Brand Experience
involutionstudios
1. Shared vision
2. Corporate culture
3. Information experience
4. Communication touches
5. Across the value chain
July 2004 Brand Experience and the Web 17
Dirk Knemeyer :: WebVisions :: Portland

18. Considering Brand Experience
involutionstudios
1. Shared vision
2. Corporate culture
3. Information experience
4. Communication touches
5. Across the value chain
July 2004 Brand Experience and the Web 18
Dirk Knemeyer :: WebVisions :: Portland

19. Considering Brand Experience
involutionstudios
1. Shared vision
2. Corporate culture
3. Information experience
Increasing Levels of Engagement
4. Communication touches
Digital Media
5. Across the value chain :: Internet, Intranet
Traditional Media
:: Advertising, PR
Physical/Indirect
:: Brochures, Direct Mail, Remote
Service Calls
Physical/Direct
:: Trade Shows, Sales Calls, On-Site
Service, Internal Docs
July 2004 Brand Experience and the Web 19
Dirk Knemeyer :: WebVisions :: Portland

20. Considering Brand Experience
involutionstudios
1. Shared vision
2. Corporate culture
3. Information experience
4. Communication touches
5. Across the value chain
July 2004 Brand Experience and the Web 20
Dirk Knemeyer :: WebVisions :: Portland

21. Considering Brand Experience
involutionstudios
1. Shared vision
2. Corporate culture
3. Information experience
4. Communication touches
5. Across the value chain
July 2004 Brand Experience and the Web 21
Dirk Knemeyer :: WebVisions :: Portland

22. Brand Experience and Design
involutionstudios
Brand experience is the strategic,
holistic business approach to the
application of various design and
media
Principal It represents the upward growth
Designer
and convergence for designers of
all types
Business Researcher Brand Design Content Visual Web Project
Strategist Strategist Strategist Strategist Designer Developer Manager
July 2004 Brand Experience and the Web 22
Dirk Knemeyer :: WebVisions :: Portland

23. Knowledge Jobs and Offshoring
involutionstudios
Customer service
Financial analysis
Programming
Visual Design
Usability “I don’t think this has been fully understood by the United
States[.]…If you look at India, China and Russia, they all
have strong education heritages. Even if you discount 90
percent of the people there as uneducated farmers, you still
end up with about 300 million people who are educated.
That’s bigger than the U.S. work force.”
Craig Barrett, CEO Intel
July 2004 Brand Experience and the Web 23
Dirk Knemeyer :: WebVisions :: Portland

24. involutionstudios
:: Introductions
:: The View from 30,000 Feet
:: Brand Experience
User Experience
:: Brand Experience and You

25. What is a ‘User’?
involutionstudios
A user is a person who is interacting
with a specific design.
The term ‘user’ is outdated and
dehumanizing…
…but, it is understood and accepted
by most organizations in our industry
July 2004 Brand Experience and the Web 25
Dirk Knemeyer :: WebVisions :: Portland

26. Why ‘Experience’?
involutionstudios
People are increasingly demanding rich, multi-sensorial experiences
Why?
Because…user’s overwhelming number of choices has increased their
sophistication and selectivity
The Internet and CRM have conditioned them to expect personalization
They are tuning out traditional communication media messages
July 2004 Brand Experience and the Web 26
Dirk Knemeyer :: WebVisions :: Portland

27. Defining ‘User Experience’
involutionstudios
“Design of a particular product with special attention to the people
who will be interacting with it.”
dk
“An emerging field concerned with improving the design of anything
that people experience: a website, a toy or a museum.”
User Experience Network (UXNet)
July 2004 Brand Experience and the Web 27
Dirk Knemeyer :: WebVisions :: Portland

28. Experience Needs Good Design
involutionstudios
“Creation in or alteration of the physical world to meet the needs and
desires of people.”
dk
“Everything is design. Everything!”
Paul Rand
July 2004 Brand Experience and the Web 28
Dirk Knemeyer :: WebVisions :: Portland

29. Experience Needs Good Design
involutionstudios
Must address the needs and desires of people
Must affect both their intellect and emotion
July 2004 Brand Experience and the Web 29
Dirk Knemeyer :: WebVisions :: Portland

30. Design for All Five Senses
involutionstudios
1. Sight :: sense currently most utilized by designers
2. Sound :: easy to integrate with most designs
3. Smell :: sense with the strongest relationship to memory
4. Taste :: the least utilized by designers
5. Touch :: the most intimate of the senses
July 2004 Brand Experience and the Web 30
Dirk Knemeyer :: WebVisions :: Portland

31. A Brief “Pleasure Pause”
involutionstudios
July 2004 Brand Experience and the Web 31
Dirk Knemeyer :: WebVisions :: Portland

32. User Experience is…
involutionstudios
…complex & multi-disciplinary
It requires:
A re-definition of problems and solutions
A broad knowledge-base across many
disciplines and a deep knowledge-base
through at least one discipline
Collaborative methods and mindsets
July 2004 Brand Experience and the Web 32
Dirk Knemeyer :: WebVisions :: Portland

33. Central Disciplines of User Experience
involutionstudios
DESIGN SCIENCE
Marketing Research Methods
Information Architecture Psychology
Writing Sociology
Visual Design Biology
Computer Science Physics
Usability Anthropology
July 2004 Brand Experience and the Web 33
Dirk Knemeyer :: WebVisions :: Portland

34. Web Design Process
involutionstudios
EXPERIENCE STRATEGY USER EXPERIENCE
Business need Project management Programming
Research and analysis Design direction Network engineering
Innovation and brainstorm Information architecture Quality control
User research and human factors Content collection/creation Production
Design strategy Visual design Maintenance methods
Usability testing
July 2004 Brand Experience and the Web 34
Dirk Knemeyer :: WebVisions :: Portland

35. Experience Strategy
involutionstudios
Business need
Research and analysis
Innovation and brainstorm
User research and human factors
Design strategy
July 2004 Brand Experience and the Web 35
Dirk Knemeyer :: WebVisions :: Portland

36. User Experience
involutionstudios
Project management
Design direction
Information architecture
Content collection and creation
Visual design
Usability testing
Programming
Network engineering
Quality control
Production
Maintenance
July 2004 Brand Experience and the Web 36
Dirk Knemeyer :: WebVisions :: Portland

37. involutionstudios
:: Introductions
:: The View from 30,000 Feet
:: Brand Experience
:: User Experience
Brand Experience and You

38. Why BE matters to you
involutionstudios
More and more of our jobs and functions are being commodified
Makes us more valuable to our employers and clients
Represents new challenges and deeper understanding of what we do
Increases our earning potential
July 2004 Brand Experience and the Web 38
Dirk Knemeyer :: WebVisions :: Portland

39. How can I get started?
involutionstudios
Expand your skills horizontally
Expand your skills vertically
July 2004 Brand Experience and the Web 39
Dirk Knemeyer :: WebVisions :: Portland

40. How can I get started?
involutionstudios
Continue your formal education
Stanford University “D” School
Harvard Business School - Advanced Leadership
Program for Design
Bentley College
Interaction Design Institute Ivrea
July 2004 Brand Experience and the Web 40
Dirk Knemeyer :: WebVisions :: Portland

41. How can I get started?
involutionstudios
Accelerate your personal education
Digital Publications
Digital Web Magazine (www.digital-web.com)
Boxes and Arrows (www.boxesandarrows.com)
A List Apart (www.alistapart.com)
Design Interact (www.designinteract.com)
Digital Resources
Design by Fire (www.designbyfire.com)
InfoDesign (www.informationdesign.org)
Nathan Shedroff (www.nathan.com)
GUUUI (www.guuui.com)
July 2004 Brand Experience and the Web 41
Dirk Knemeyer :: WebVisions :: Portland

42. How can I get started?
involutionstudios
Collaborate
Join groups, make relationships with passionate and
interesting people
Shape the next generation: engage with academia, mentor
young professionals
Find your unique voice
“Sharing knowledge is better than having it.”
Peter J. Bogaards
July 2004 Brand Experience and the Web 42
Dirk Knemeyer :: WebVisions :: Portland

43. How can I get started?
involutionstudios
Take Control
When you design, provide rich experiences
Buy from and invest in good experiences
Insist on a healthy brand experience where you work
“Become the change you want to see in the world”
Gandhi
July 2004 Brand Experience and the Web 43
Dirk Knemeyer :: WebVisions :: Portland

44. involutionstudios
dirk@involutionstudios.com