As of today I still have not traveled farther south than Washington D.C. (a city I would not consider southern) in this country, and like all things which are unknown the south remains a mysterious place for me. I, of course, sometimes choose to feed my curiosity with television. I started watching True Blood when the pilot first aired, knowing it took place in Louisiana and when the pilot for FX's series Justified (a show about a US Marshall in Kentucky) aired I watched that too.

The first thing anyone sees when they watch a TV show is the opening title sequence, these sequences set the tone for the show -- it's an opportunity to set expectations in the minds of the audience. Having now watched opening sequences for both Justified and True Blood...I am lead to believe that the south either has a certain aesthetic. An aesthetic which storytellers and designers are possibly intent to maintain.

True Blood

Click here to view the embedded video.

Justified

Click here to view the embedded video.

The Similarities

The similarities between these two titles are both obvious and extreme...both are beautiful pieces employing rustic type, high contrast, colorful, mildly polaroid-esque photograpy coupled with some jerky cuts.

Justified stills on left, True Blood stills on the right:

Why True Blood Does it Better...

As far as aesthetic quality goes, for me both title sequences are beautiful. The typography is thoughtful, the imagery is well executed, and the editing/pacing of these pieces seems to work nicely with well chosen music. While I have a preference for the visuals used in the True Blood sequence as I think the attention to detail in that sequence is better -- from a purely technical standpoint for me they stand on fairly equal ground.

Where the True Blood sequence really leaps in front of the Justified sequence is on a thematic and story-telling level. While the Justified sequence alludes to the idea that the show will be about a cowboy in a small town who works to fight crime the story told and mood created does not even come close to approaching the depth of the True Blood sequence.

The True Blood sequence can essentially serve as an establishing shot for each episode. It establishes not only the setting of the show (a fictional town in Louisiana called Bon Temps¹ ) but also the themes and moods worked into each episode. Digital Kitchen did this by drawing on the issues and dichotomies upon which the show is built. Pulling from these dichotomies allows the sequence thematic contrast and tension (ex: life/death, carnality/piety, light/dark, day/night, intimate/public) which, served up with some gorgeous visuals, smart motion and well chosen music creates one seriously kick ass title sequence.

The Origin?

The True Blood sequence was created a full 2 years before the Justified sequence. This simple fact leads me to believe that Elastic was likely inspired by Digital Kitchen's work on True Blood. I'm not sure I would call the sequence a rip off as some have suggested. Good work always inspires derivatives, this is a simple fact of life in the advertising and design community. We can't all be original all the time and at the end of the day...original ideas and executions are rare. There's always some sort of origin or source of inspiration even if it's subliminal.²

Of course Digital Kitchen had to gain their inspiration from somewhere right? They did. In fact the first nine seconds of the sequence are seemingly based directly on a movie called Searching for a Wrong-Eyed Jesus. Digital Kitchen talks in their case study for the sequence about the effect the film had on their creative process.

We also give big thanks to the wonderful film Searching for a Wrong-Eyed Jesus. It gave us the courage to dig deeper into the swamps and back alleys where the real color can be found.³

Searching for a Wrong-Eyed Jesus stills on left, True Blood stills on the right:

Moral of the Story?

Great works inspire good work. The question is....do you want to be good (inspired by the derivative) or great (inspired by the origin)?

Click here to view the embedded video.

For some reason while viewing this exhibit the experience of looking seemed much more intense. Not all of the art was beautiful, some of it was outright grotesque. It all had a certain undeniably human, mortal, fleeting quality to it. The sort of quality that gets under your skin...and perhaps that is the point.

The exhibit title "Skin Fruit" is interesting. On the outside there is the skin, possibly tough, possibly rough protecting the sweet fruit inside. And with the pieces in the exhibit, you are skinning the fruit with your eyes. Each additional second spent looking reveals more  to you, until you finally reach something sweeter...a conclusion, realization or fresh perspective you didn't have before.

My favorite piece in the exhibit was All by Maurizio Cattelan. The work was sectioned off in it's own room; the room itself and the room before it had the lights lowered slightly -- compared to the stark white and bright rooms of the rest of the museum this really shifted the atmosphere. From a distance you see nine body bags lying in a row in the next room. At first you're apprehensive: death, decay, the reminder of your own mortality float to the top of your mind. At this point my friends were ready to turn around having seen enough to be satisfied. If it weren't for my natural inclination to question EVERYTHING I likely would have too, instead I moved closer.

Maurizio Cattelan, All, 2007. White Carrara marble, 9 parts each: 11 7/8 x 39 3/8 x 78 3/4 in. Overall: 11 7/8 x 78 3/4 x 339 1/2 in.

I see some very slight gray markings on the bags, at first I think it's dust -- these are white body bags on a floor after all. I bend closer: it's marble. All at once I get it. This is not just about death, it's about what death brings or more importantly what you do in life. The form:body bags a reminder of our body's mortality. The material: marble a reminder of our life's actions and the potential immortality of our legacy. More importantly it seems to make one question what a country's actions will allow the legacy of those who die for it to be. In that moment, a work which was possibly grotesque, definitely morbid becomes something so beautiful to me. Not only because the craftsmanship is absolutely stunning but because of the gorgeous layered idea behind it. For me the work went from banal to profound in less than a second.

Our lives are so hurried. It's so easy to be content with assumptions and first impressions. I feel like it's easy for us to let ourselves off the hook for not understanding or knowing something when all we really need to do is embrace our inner curiosity. We don't give ourselves enough time to allow ourselves the luxury of being surprised. This exhibit reminded me of that. Despite the extremely adult nature of the show, I felt like a child wandering through the unexplored -- constantly curious, constantly questioning. At the end I walked away feeling refreshed and totally inspired. The simple act of looking closer allowed me the privilege of knowing more. It was wonderful and I loved it.

I should also say that I really loved the curation of the exhibit, Jeff Koons really did a great job. If you haven't seen the Skin Fruit exhibit it will be up until June 6, 2010 - take the time to go check it out.

Anyway you frame it, women are always made to feel as though they must suppress the more human parts of themselves (we don't fart, we don't burp, we cover imperfections with make-up, holster our breasts lifting them to societies standards and we certainly don't bleed). Don't get me wrong, I LOVE being a woman but sometimes this box of lady-like-ness is exhausting. Kotex and the folks over at JWT must have felt the same way, because the new campaign for U by Kotex taps into this sentiment.

The Myth

Click here to view the embedded video.

Our Reality

Click here to view the embedded video.

Breaking the Cycle

What U by Kotex does really well is establish a distinct difference between myth and reality. Both the Reality Check and the So Obnoxious broadcast ads (seen above) paint all other menstruation product ads as dispensers of unrealistic ideas about what menstruation is (or rather what it could be if you used their product). Enter U by Kotex. Kotex acknowledges the myth we all bought into then invites us to rethink our relationship with our feminine hygiene products.

Next Kotex takes charge re-educating us with their U by Kotex website takes charge. This is a website built on facts. The homepage carousel cycles through facts about periods such as:

• "79% of girls don't see what dancing in white dresses has to do with periods."
• ..."83% of girls are uncomfortable talking to their parents about periods"
• ..."85% of girls are afraid to be seen with a tampon"

Upon digging deeper on the site you'll find a page full of statistics titled "It's time to Break the Cycle" about women and their feelings/thoughts towards vaginal health and menstruation. Fueled by a survey of 1,607 North American women between the ages of 14 and 35³, these stats do two things.

Firstly, they inform. Based on these statistics I personally think our culture has a long way to go before we're at an acceptable place when it comes to understanding the vaginal health of women. I believe most women who read these stats would not be surprised at the results the survey yielded, instead I think they would be more surprised that anyone bothered to bring up the matter of vaginal health or menstruation at all.

Most women claim to be knowledgeable about vaginal health issues,
but more than 1/3 cannot dispel some basic myths.

Secondly reading statistics such as the one above levels the playing field, we can all stop pretending we have our vaginal health under control and admit the more we talk the more we'll learn.

One insight to rule them all

Anyone could have created an advertising campaign based on assumptions, in fact that is what feminine product advertisers have been doing for years. Assuming all women feel disgusted by their periods (or themselves while on their periods) and therefore wrapping products in pastel colors and flowers selling women the idea of of beauty and being carefree while enduring a monthly reminder of their womanhood.

In actuality, this assumption isn't entirely incorrect. According to Kotex's study approximately 47-67% of women say they feel dirty when they have their periods⁴. This statistic would be a great insight if it wasn't absolutely devastating that a majority of women feel dirty once a month because of something completely natural. Rather than moving forward with an insight is hinged to women feeling poorly about themselves Kotex's survey digs deeper and really gets to the heart of what is going on when it comes to vaginal health, menstruation and advertising.

Women are frustrated, but not with their periods – seven out of ten (70%) women agree
that it’s about time society changes how it talks about vaginal health issues. Women are
insulted by blue liquid advertisements and snarky jokes, and they are tired of skirting
around honest discussions regarding a natural, normal, and healthy process.⁵

Great advertising campaigns are built on insights surrounding a target demographic like the one above. Kotex did their research and delivered a campaign that answers the desires of their demographic to stop pussy-footing around vaginal health issues and get real.

Why I LOVE this campaign

When it comes down to brass tacks this campaign does the same thing all other feminine hygiene products ads do, it sells an idea. Where this campaign differs is in the type of idea that it sells. This campaign has nothing to do with feeling better while you have your period it's about feeling better about your period and your self while you have your period. It's about ending our censorship⁶ of women's health issues to obtain a greater good and the ideas put forth in this campaign move towards affecting a larger social and cultural change. In a way the idea this campaign sells is that women shouldn't need to feel embarrassed by the very things that make them women...their vaginas! I love this campaign for the same reason I love Eve Ensler: both acknowledge that having a vagina does not make you less, nor should it strip you of power, your entitlements or respect -- instead it simply makes you woman and that's a beautiful thing.

Click here to view the embedded video.

Lyrics for Are You Fucking Kidding Me?

They say every one should have their heart broken
...at least once
That that is how you grow emotionally
Well, I have been misused by many, many, many men,
but nothing can compare to how you treated me
At times it really felt as though the pain was here to stay
And though it's many years ago, I feel it to this day

And now you wanna be my friend on Facebook...
Are you fucking kidding me?

All the memories are flooding back to me now
All the ways you stole the light from my eyes
I traveled so far just to get away from you!
Till this mornings friend request surprise

At times it really felt as though I'd never smile again
You narcissistic ass hole, oh you nasty nasty man

And now you wanna be my friend on Facebook...
Are you fucking kidding?

I don't wanna know what kind of cocktail you are
Or which member of The Beatles or which 1950's movie star
I don't give a toss if you're a ninja or a pirate,
I'd suspect you'd be a pirate but I don't wanna verify it
And I don't give a shit what your stripper name is
Or if your Kitty had a litter

Look, just follow me on twitter
I don't care about your family tree
and I certainly don't want you poking me!
...again

And now you wanna be my friend on Facebook...
Oh you fucking fucking fuck.

Click, ignore....

Episodes play in parts on the mobile website, in other words: each episode is broken up into about 4-8 Quicktime videos with a commercial baked into the front of each part. Since an episode is not one large video file, there is naturally time between the end of one part and the beginning of the next. When this happens there is a screen letting the user know the next part of the episode will begin soon. This is the trouble spot.

Before

Epic problems are bound to occur when you have a design, UX and development team who don't communicate -- I expect this was what lead to the following screen being implemented.  UX and design probably thought the developer would use the iPhone's native GUI, when really this was not the case at all. Instead of a developer pushing back and asking his/her design/UX team to re-think the approach to this screen or better yet suggesting solutions for the screen, they said nothing or worse yet...perhaps they weren't involved in the design/UX process at all. The screen below is the result  (Below image each problem is addressed individually)

1. In case you thought that because the image above is a JPG and that in the actual screen grab the spinner was actually spinning, you would be wrong. Under no circumstance does that spinner spin. Nope, instead it just sits there, dead, teasing us with its' spinner like appearance. WTF NBC, if you have a spinner on a page....well then make sure it spins! I have no interest in looking at a static picture of something that is suppose to move -- that's like sitting in a car that's not on: completely pointless.
2. Do you see a mouse on this screen? NO! Under no circumstances would you need to click on anything. On an iPhone (or any touch screen device really) you TAP not click. Copywriters take note.
3. Episode Part? Really?....really? Could you not have found a better way to say that?
4. Why is this in a box, I don't get it....it's not iPhone UI, it looks like crap...get rid of it.
5. Again...using native iPhone UI elements as an image in the hopes of providing a seamless experience doesn't work here, so don't do it.

Beyond using a single image static image, a multitude of copy flubs and implementation faux-pas, the image used is pixelated...the kind of pixelated that is like nails on a chalkboard to a designer's eyes. I'm going to file the pixelation under the 'lazy developer' files for now and move on.

After

In my re-design I had a couple of goals.

1. Make sure the user knows something is happening and that their content is being queued up
2. Correct the epic copy failures of the previous screen
3. Remind users they're being afforded the luxury of viewing TV shows on their mobile device because of NBC
4. Keep the file size reasonable, we are on mobile -- no one wants to wait for a loader to load
5. Use the peacock: NBC you have a fucking peacock as your logo...embrace the peacock! If I was NBC that peacock would load EVERYTHING. It's one of the most recognized logos in America, use it, remix it, animate it, love it.¹

By embracing the peacock (5) I am able to inform the user their content is being queued up with the animated NBC logo (1). This logo is also a way of reminding the user where they are, and that what they are watching is NBC programming (3). I adjusted the copy and hierarchy of the type to more accurately inform the user of what is going on (2). The final file size of the GIF NBC would use in their HTML is nearly half the size of the image they are currently using: NBC's image is 20KB compared to mine which is 12KB (4). That's right NBC, I pimped out your loading screen and brought the file size down.....what now?!

Taking it a step farther

While the design above reflects a change to the current DESIGN of that screen I actually feel that this screen is a missed opportunity for earning some advertising dollars. NBC could easily place a small advertisement on this page to generate additional revenue, the user is waiting anyways, popping an ad on the screen isn't going to hurt.

How to not make a user's eye's bleed and an advertiser's heart break

1. Don't assume that just because something is on screen for only 5 seconds that it can be dismissed. Five seconds is a LONG time online and it seems even longer when you're on a mobile phone because you don't have other windows open to browse while waiting.
2. Since 5 seconds is a long time, don't let your user think that nothing is happening. Inform them or entertain them with an animation or piece of trivia. Waiting is no fun, would you want to stand in a waiting room instead of sit in a comfortable chair?...I didn't think so. Don't be a douche bag to your user, if they have to wait anyways make the experience less unbearable.
3. If you have a screen that requires a user to wait anyways, why not earn some additional revenue from that time by showing them an ad. Advertising sucks, but since NBC is providing free quality content with probably 70% less advertising than a viewer watching on TV, they are well within their rights to collect ad dollars here.
4. Be careful writing copy for mobile. Many mobile devices no longer allow a user to click...instead user's tap. Also make sure you're writing copy that will makes sense to a user and if you can, don't be afraid to spice it up a bit.
5. Rub some 'Make my logo bigger cream' on it (kidding!). Don't make your logo huge, but make sure the experience is tastefully branded throughout.

A Message to NBC

Like all broadcasting companies, you too have your moments of weakness and this was clearly one of them. Since I enjoyed using your mobile website so much I'd like to provide the animated GIF I created (re-designed) to you (see 12KB animated GIF here), should you require source files as well simply contact me and I'll send them over as well. More importantly, take some pride in your work and embrace the gritty details as an opportunity to shine. While I was at the airport I probably spent about one whole minute looking at that ugly screen ya'll implemented, now you go look at that screen for a minute. Was it enjoyable? No, of course not. Now in the words of Tim Gun 'make it work'.

A glance at a successfully curated museum experience

I began at the Jewish Museum to see the Alias Man: The art of reinvention exhibit. This exhibit was easily one of the most well curated exhibits I've seen in a long time. It was well thought out presenting Man Ray's work in a relatively chronological order, hooking it to the artist's biography and world events allowing the spectator to understand the 'why' of the art with considerable ease. The text accompanying the exhibit was well written, so well written in fact that it almost stopped traffic flow as even I (like many others) read to find out what came next in this artists life. Artworks that were relevant to one another, were presented together leading visitors to draw conclusions on their own (what I like to call 'ahh ha' moments).

In my opinion the curation was flawless, but more importantly it was accessible. The visitor did not need a fancy pedigree or a background art history or philosophy background to understand the core tenants of why Man Ray's work was important. There was no need to struggle for understanding or focus, this made it easier for myself (and I'm sure many other visitors) to remain receptive when viewing works such as The Enigma of Isidore Ducasse¹ an object (we don't know what kind of object) wrapped in cloth and bound with string. Artworks like this often turn people off of art, but in this exhibit the sterile, unfeeling, lack of thought was stripped from the object. It was presented in context with Gift², one of my personal favorites, the juxtaposition of the objects I felt helped with understanding: it was much less object in the center of a white box without a plaque fuck you we normally see in museums.

For me the reason I loved this exhibit is that I could tell that a lot of though and effort went into sharing Man Ray's legacy with the public in a way that allowed ANYONE from the public to understand. I could feel the love and passion of those who worked to create this exhibit and their passion to share that with the museum's visitors. It was very delightful.

A glance at a museum experience gone wrong

My delight at the Jewish museum I fear may have lead me to expect the same from the world renowned Guggenheim Museum. After waiting in line for 15 minutes in front of the most annoying and pretentious European pricks I finally was inside the museum. The line inside the museum to get tickets was non-existent. Instead the bevy of potential ticket holders loitered around not knowing who was next to make a purchase. I usually can overlook chaos at a museum's entrance but this seemed slightly more ridiculous than usual.

Once I was in the ground level I could see the Tino Sehgal³ performance in the center: a couple making out. This performance was awesome, in fact it may have been my favorite thing I saw all day. As I wound my way up Wright's spiral I noticed a shocking absence of something relatively important in an art museum: ART. The spiral was void of the very thing it was intended to display. I am not entirely sure why this is, I am not so secretly hoping this absence is actually part of an idea or artwork that I completely missed (if so please let me know), in any case I felt cheated.

If you've been to the Guggenheim before you'll know that each level of the spiral has galleries off the main path. These galleries each contained different exhibits. I want to tackle them each separately since I was disgusted by each for different reasons. PLEASE NOTE: The museum was crowded, loud, and frustrating to begin with -- my disgust and inability to feel at ease really made a poor experience even worse.

Malevich In Focus: 1912-1922⁴

First off, the lighting in this gallery was terrible, secondly the Guggenheim took arguably one of the least accessible (and possibly most innovative) artists of the first half of the 20th century and failed to explain to someone who has never seen Russian avant-garde why Malevich was one bad ass dude. Great, I'm a first time visitor who has never seen Malevich before, what the hell is this guy doing with all of these red and black triangles and squares? Further more even if there were placards explaining all this (and there were a few, the ones I read were boring as hell and not exactly my idea of well done) I would not want to read them since it was a space that was way too small and poorly lit. It was clear that this exhibit was not designed for the general public but for the art history buffs, who not only know what Cubisim, Italian Futurism and the Russian avant-garde are but can write an essay outlining their importance to modernism.

Paris and the Avant-Garde: Modern Masters from the Guggenheim Collection⁵

There is no disputing that the Guggenheim has an awesome permanent collection, but the title of this exhibit lead me to have a few expectations:

1. The fact that the exhibit is centered around Avant-Garde artists who worked in the same city (Paris) leads me to believe that I will learn something about which of these artists influenced each other, spent time together or better yet despised each other.
2. Since these artists were working in the same city, I would expect at least one pair of paintings by two separate artists depicting the same Parisian subject matter in different ways. They're all working in the same city, surrounded by the same things: I want proof.
3. I want to know what was so avant-garde about these paintings (I know, but I want the average Joe to know too: I'm tired of explaining to Grandma why Norman Rockwell is not a better painter than Marc Chagall or Pablo Picasso)
4. Tell me why they're masters, these paintings are obviously important as they are owned by the Guggenheim -- but nothing has been done to convince me why their works are important or why these men (there may have been a woman in there, but I didn't notice any) were masters.
5. As a museum nerd I really want to know where these pieces came from, why they were purchased and more importantly some cool facts about them. The Guggenheim as guardian of these works must have the most complete history, and know the full importance of each of these works, they should share that: I paid $18 for you to tell me.

Needless to say, none of these expectations were met.

Anish Kapoor: Memory⁶

In the time I was at the museum I saw one piece (a gigantic piece) by Kapoor called Bombay, it was cool, but if there was more than one piece there was no apparent way to get to it, see it and there certainly weren't any signs pointing to it. I was surprised because I honestly expected Kapoor's work to adorn the spiral. I was disappointed.

Contemplating the Void: Interventions in the Guggenheim Museum⁷

Possibly the most accessible exhibit at the museum due to designer/artist/architect documentation of their submissions to this exhibitions, but the exhibit read something like my high school art show. I am unsure of how much I like this, on one hand it was not pretentious and therefore much more approachable. On the other hand there were no names next to the artists work -- instead the visitor had to pick up a newspaper like pamphlet (super awkward format for a gallery setting, and the supply was running low when I grabbed mine) and match the number next to the piece with the number on the paper to see who the piece was created by. For the love of God I don't want to play a game of match-the-numbers when I am looking at art, save that shit for kindergartner worksheets and multiple choice tests. More importantly save yourself the hassle of printing multiple copies of the same thing when you could make one damn copy and hang it on the wall. What were they thinking?

Why the Guggenheim should install an enormous 'Fail Whale' sculpture in their lobby

Some museum experiences are successful, my experience at the Guggenheim just pissed me off -- here's why:

1. Doing something as simple as getting a ticket should never be a cluster-fuck. I don't care about waiting in line, just don't make me wait in line only to be fed into a loitering group of apathetic hipsters who don't know where the hell to go next.
2. If you are a museum, you should display art -- the absence of art in an art museum can only be interpreted as two things: 1.) Someone hasn't done their job and needs to be fired, 2.) an artistic statement that will only be understood by those who write the art theory books...the average tourist from Nebraska will likely not get it (no offense Nebraska, I'm sure you're awesome)
3. I don't want to guess at why an artist created something nor should I need to pick up the poorly design fugly audio guide device to figure that out. Give me a brief well written description so that I don't need to listen to a 5 minute long audio track to get the information I could have gotten by skimming a description in 10 seconds. Seriously, Guggenheim....cut it out with the audio guide only bullshit.
4. I came to a museum, so don't display work like a high school art show or make me play match-the-number. Grow-up Guggenheim, you're people get paid to do a job, make sure they're doing it and doing it well.
5. The day I visited lack of diversity in the visitors was appalling, the Guggenheim should be ashamed. Where was the color? Where was the different point of view? Where were the people reminding me that museums are there to serve the community not just a segment of society? It was sad.

Avoiding the fail whale is easy

Museums should make their art accessible to the general public, this begins at the ticket line and carries all the way through to the placement of artworks and artwork's documentation. In short, I shouldn't need to be an over educated ass to understand art, it's importance or why I should care in the first place.

NY Art Beat provides information on both their website and iPhone application. Both mediums are well designed (though I expect many additions and updates to the iPhone app, I would happily redesign the app for free -- contact me ;)) NYAB even provides an API to developers allowing their information database to basically go anywhere. As a developer, the prospect of doing a visualization of this information is extremely exciting!

Why I've fallen in love...

In NY there are about a million places to go see amazing, cutting-edge, inspiring art. Selecting, curating, and actually going to these events/exhibitions is nothing short of a small miracle at the end of the day. By the end of every year I can name at least five exhibits I missed because I put it off til the last minute and forgot the end date. I hear about exhibits all the time, I never can remember where they are if I remember them at all. NY Art Beat fixes this by allowing me to bookmark events and exhibits to my NYAB Account. Furthermore I can count on reviews of exhibits and up-to-date information about all the important art events in the city. This has become my new go-to place for my art world information.

To add to my absolute love for NYAB is a solid first version of an iPhone app, providing basic information on events around the town (GPS proximity filtering included!). My ONLY disappointments are that I can't sync my NYAB Account to my iPhone or pull the latest information to my device for viewing when internet is not available (pesky subways). That being said, I usually suggest that apps release with a lighter first version and build out from that. I hope to see these features added in the future.

What I expect in the future

Make it social

Much like the rest of my internet hubs (Hulu, Netflix, Twitter, Facebook, etc...) I expect to be able to share what I like, my recommendations, and events I'll be attending with my social network. I also want to see what my friends are doing. Facebook Connect integration would be great to find friends bookmarks, events and recommendations. Integrating Facebook Connect would also afford the iPhone an easy, pre-built login platform to retrieve user information. Another feature I think would be great is an event badge for bloggers who often talk about specific exhibits. This would not only help bloggers provide up to date information on exhibits without having to gather it all by themselves, but it would allow them to point to NYAB driving traffic to the site -- effectivly becoming a relevant in-line ad targeting it's desired demographic.

Make it .mobi

I am surprised when I see major websites that don't have a mobile version of their site, especially when the information on that site pertains to being out-and-about. If I had an android phone I would be pinching and zooming to try and see the information on the site. The extra time it takes to make the site mobile would be completely worth it in my opinion.

Make it intelligent

The more data you have, the more conclusions you can draw. Zappos knows what shoes I like, Netflix knows what movies I like, Amazon knows what books I like, FreshDirect even knows enough to remind me to buy my favorite items before I check out....NYAB should know what kind of art and art exhibits I like. The NY art world is huge, please put the content I'll like on the front page when I visit.

Remind me

If I have an exhibit saved to my account I should get a reminder via text or email before that exhibit ends. Furthermore I should be able to export or sync my NYAB saved events to my iCal or Google Calender. [CORRECTION: Email reminders are sent from NYAB]

Summary

If you're an art lover like me do yourself a favor and jump on this bandwagon. I'm super excited to see how this site grows, I think it really has the potential to become the best of the best when it comes to information, especially as expands into new locations.

Why these metals are innovative

Click here to view the embedded video.

I've taken a pretty close look at the app, and I think for a first version the app stands on solid ground. The design of the app is absolutely beautiful and maintains the Starbucks brand while remaining true to the fact that it is an iPhone application. The base level functionality is solid, it provides some great information to the user as well as including some standards we're used to seeing in branded applications such as a store locator. There are some areas however I feel the application stops short of living up to its true potential. I expect the intent of Starbucks was to launch with ground level functionality and then level up based on demands from the App Store reviews and ratings, customer feedback and (hopefully) metrics.

Design

About 80% of designs for branded applications out there are really disappointing, and of the ones that aren't disappointing, few of them truly excel -- this is a design that excels. The design of this app is a great example of how to do non-glossy, earthy designs for the iPhone. There is an attention to detail and craftsmanship that makes this app feel special. Despite a heavy feature set and multiple views there is a consistency to the style of the app. Further more the design uses unique (non-standard) functionality only to break up monotony (ie.) the Coffees Explore view -- details like this set this application apart.

Key Features

Store Locator & Invite a Friend

Sometimes I question whether early humans were actually nomadic or if they were just lost. As with most well done branded apps today, this app includes a store locator and its one of the best store locators I've seen to date. The app also allows you to easily invite a friend to coffee with you from within a store view, via your preferred method of communication. If you like calling, the app dials their number for you. Selecting email will populate a pre-written email appears for easy customization and sending within the app. Texting brings up an alert view notifying you that it has copied text to your clipboard, so in your Messages app all you need to do is paste and fill in a time. Your lazy bum doesn't need to do much, so you really have no excuse to sit in the corner acting profoundly emo while drinking your chai tea writing poetry.

Drink Customization

For those of us who aren't baristas or never will be baristas this app takes the complication out of the foreign language that is the menu at Starbucks or any other coffee shop for that matter. A menu should not be another version of the Rosetta Stone and I shouldn't need a translator to order in English in an English speaking country. Luckily the application simplifies the task to decoding the menu. The app allows you to easily customize any drink of your choosing. This is an enormous design challenge simply because of all the variables involved but it's was easy to use and well executed. Once you've customized your drink you can save it to your favorites, assign it to a friend (to remember their favorite drink, because you're a good friend) or send it to a friend via Bluetooth.

Bookmarking & myStarbucks

Because this application is information rich and the drill down to that data can be pretty deep having some type of bookmarking system is pretty much mandatory if Starbucks wants people to use their app. Luckily they realized this and provided their users with myStarbucks, you can bookmark just about anything in the app and it will save it here. It's also the first tab, so every time I open the app my preferences are there waiting for me.

Exploring Coffee

The Coffees tab allows you to browse a list of all Starbucks coffees this is great, but Starbucks has a lot of coffees. God forbid you're indecisive, on the run, and need a caffeine fix. Don't worry, Starbucks comes to the rescue allowing the user to select a type of flavor from the explore section in Coffees and it will provide a narrowed down list of coffees matching your preference.

Food Menu

This menu was a surprise to me as I don't think I've ever actually seen this much food in any Starbucks, but its good to see the possibilities I suppose. More important than seeing the possibilities is seeing what that food would pair well with and the nutritional information.

Common Themes

Starbucks is a meeting place

Coffee shops have historically been places that fostered conversation among people dating back to 16th century Mecca.¹ Starbucks realizes this. By implementing functionality that allows you to easily invite your friends, check if the store you visit has WiFi so you can work for a couple of hours, send a drink to a friend via Bluetooth, or save a friends favorite drink so that you can order it and have it waiting when they arrive Starbucks stays true to it's tradition -- not by ignoring newness and technology but by embracing it. And unlike other social technologies (ahem Facebook, Twitter and MySpace) this actually brings people together in a physical space rather than just a virtual one -- there's something nice about that.

Starbucks keeps you informed

You're busy creatures with a complicated life, we don't have time to dig for information about what Starbucks is trying to sell us. Starbucks doesn't know you're on a diet, and they won't open their doors at odd hours just because that's when its convenient for you (don't worry I think you're important). Starbucks at least gives you a tool to build your day around the stuff Starbucks provides for you. Whether it be nutritional information, store hours, menu items, coffee types or in-house amenities, Starbucks wants you to know what you need to when you need to -- they want to make your life easier, not complicate matters. That's what your job, your family, your friends and your lovers are for -- coffee is simple.

Starbucks as a coffee expert

I am not a coffee person, but I think it's really cool that Starbucks breaks down flavor options when selecting your coffee. I love wine and I know how daunting selecting a bottle is -- I imagine a coffee lover selecting their morning cup of joe could be equally as overwhelming. Furthermore allowing you to easily pair a drink to the food you ordered not only provides the customer with information, but should they choose to act on that information it could give them a better experience as well.

Starbucks knows you

Let's face it, Starbucks at the end of the day is a corporate titan. So for those of us who grew up in towns where coffee shops are run by the guy next door, with local art on the wall, live music and lots of couches -- going to Starbucks feels just a little bit like selling out. But at the end of the day the people who work at your local Starbucks are the people you live next door to, and they might very well know what you normally get every morning without you having to say anything. But if you live in a big city like New York, it is easy to feel like the intimacy gets lost with all the people, having a little pocket barista to consult before ordering, who remembers the last drink you customized or what kind of milk your co-worker likes in their coffee is nice.

What I expect from the next version

Facebook Connect

This is an app that is begging to be integrated with Facebook. Imagine if you had all of your friends favorite drinks right at your fingertips without having to manually collect them one by one on the app. One of your BFFs having a bad day? You could be the person who makes it better by getting them their favorite type of lattè customized to perfection.

Contextual Customization

When you add that extra 2 shots of caramel to your macchiato and switch from 2% milk to whole milk it would be great to see how many extra calories you're going to need to burn off at the gym that night, or how much healthier you'll need to eat at lunch to not go over your Weight Watchers points. Or what if you're a teenager and going through the "I'm a non-conformist hipster" stage (though I highly doubt your non-conformist ass would ever be caught dead in Starbucks, but whatever) and you want to be unique and you see via your iPhone that 5 other people at Starbucks while you're ordering are drinking the Caffè Verona but no one's drinking the Komodo Dragon Blend, hell yeah you're going to order that Komodo Dragon Blend. Contextual customization gives you the tools you need to make better decisions with the plethora of choices you're presented with so you can get on with being your bad ass self even if you're still figuring some stuff out.

Some kind of barcoding system

Yeah, that's right, I said barcoding. I'm unsure of why Starbucks would create an app to customize a coffee to the nth degree without at least contemplating the possibility that scanning a barcode would effectively speed up the ordering process exponentially by allowing the customer to do it on their mobile device.

Integration of the Starbucks Mobile Card app

Having the mobile card separate only makes sense now for three reasons:

1. its still in beta, and beta means potentially messy...like powdered sugar doughnut messy
2. there's no barcoding system within the current main application
3. divide and conqure - both apps have their separate challenges development wise, by building these applications separately, it avoids complications, possibly additional bugs and places both applications on a separate timeline.

I would hope once they get their system up and running smoothly they would opt to integrate the two applications.

Rewards program

Your mobile device is probably the coolest punch card you've ever had and yet few are using it that way. By doing the Starbucks Mobile Card, barcoding and ordering all within the same application not only are they are gathering valuable information, but they could be potentially building loyalty. A rewards program might give a person the extra incentive they need to buy what some might consider that extra cup of over priced coffee.

What the future might hold

Paging system for when you've ordered drinks

Okay, I know what you're thinking...a cup of coffee doesn't take that long to make...but a frappuccino on a busy Monday morning with unmotivated workers behind the counter does. When that happens, it would be nice to have a seat rather than standing their in the way or thinking hey that's my frappuccino when really its someone elses. Efficiency is an awesome thing.

Order ahead

While I've never actually worked at a place where I have had to get a metric ton of coffee for co-workers in the morning, I imagine its probably a terrible experience. And it sucks for everyone behind you in line too, because you actually order more drinks than their are people in line, and that pisses people off and its not actually your fault - its Starbucks fault. We have the internet, we have mobile devices, and information gets transferred at light speed. The designated office coffee person should be able to order via mobile phone, select a time they will pick it up at and submit the order so Starbucks employees can pace themselves and other waiting customers don't have to wait so long. Let's face it, if we've sent a man to the moon we most definitely can figure out a way to make this process easier.

Drink gifting

Let's say you make a bet with a co-worker and that bet involved a cup of coffee for the winner...let's say you're a busy bee who really shouldn't be making bets to begin with because you don't have time to go buy a cup of coffee for the winner, let's say you lose that bet? Well what if you could Bluetooth your co-worker their winnings via your iPhone. I bet that would make your life a whole lot easier wouldn't it loser?