Information Age has published a great article about the importance of accessibility. As well as summarizing the legal requirements and the WCAG 2.0 ratings system it goes on to point out that accessibility is beneficial to all and therefore must be a driving force behind the design rather than a late consideration.

Our very own Brad Haynes discusses his experience whilst working on the design of Ocado. The Ocado team were determined to "do the right thing for consumers". This meant not only being compliant, but also considering accessibility in a far more thorough way as a core goal of the design process. Brad cites  examples from Ocado including copy length, page layout, technology choice, processes & story structure, site structure and page 'weight'.

If a site is truly accessible then it's truly usable

Flow believes that accessibility is a positive design decision which achieves far more than legal compliance.

We seldom discuss mediocre experiences with our friends. The ones which do get mentioned are the exceptional - both great and bad.

A bad experience is one where:

• My needs and desires are not provided for.
• The product itself doesn't deliver as promised or is confusing / hard to learn.
• The interaction (at POS and afterwards) is confusing, patronizing, inflexible, or unusable.

A great experience is one where:

• The concept is utterly relevant for me.
• The product itself exceeds expectations and allows me to focus on the task in hand.
• The interaction (at POS and afterwards) is simple, fast, accessible and structured appropriately for me.

Countless online communities & blogs have built up around recommendations and many ecommerce sites have integrated a recommendation network into their shopping experience e.g. Amazon. Many books have been written about the power of recommendation in marketing including The Tipping Point by Malcolm Gladwell and Buzzmarketing by Mark Hughes. Terminologies have developed around the roles individuals play in such recommendation networks (Connectors, mavens & salesmen in the Tipping Point). If you want to know more you can get the books... suffice it to say that recommendations work best the closer the source is to you... or the most highly respected the source.

The power of a recommendation is undeniable - it creates buzz which is the marketing holy grail.

The first step in getting recommendations is to create outstanding experiences. In designing any product or service the 3 key questions are:

1. Is the product/service relevant for the target market? Does it address the real needs and desires and will it fit effectively into the context in which it will be placed?
2. Is the product/service marketed effectively to enable customers to fully understand its potential whilst retaining clarity? Is it intuitive, accessible and enjoyable?
3. Do the sales and post sales processes support customers' behaviour? Will they allow them to engage in the optimal way to ensure a great experience?

As a producer of such experiences the only way to ensure you are getting this right is to involve the end users throughout the design process from concept development through functional specification and visual design to marketing and post sales. See the Flow case studies for numerous examples across different industries and product types.

It's great to hear people being positive about something which went right to such an extent that they make conversation of it. Let's learn from some of the positive experiences out there. Please add a line or two on your great experiences.

Thanks to Pierre Lenfestey for the use of his artwork.

The unprecedented economic situation means that many products, services and entire businesses are now based on an understanding of their market which is outdated. There's a real danger of businesses providing square pegs for their customers' metaphorical round holes.

In a previous life, I was a recipient of the famous 1995 Bill Gates sea-change email. From that day on, the strategy at Microsoft changed. BillG echoed many business owners around the globe who hurried to adapt their business plans to incorporate online channels and internet connectivity. This simple change in direction has shaped the commercial landscape ever since. Those who adapted successfully and who understood the commercial opportunities and changing customer requirements have been the most successful.

The latest sea change is not one led by technology innovation, but by a dramatic shift in consumer behaviour. In all walks of life attitudes are changing, compounded by the constant media barrage of stories of economic doom and gloom.

"Deep recessions deliver more than just an economic shock: they can shock an entire social system into new ways of thinking and organizing." NESTA (2008) Attacking the recession: How innovation can fight the downturn.

It is all too easy for businesses to focus inwardly to drive efficiencies, or to focus energies on increasing revenue through additional marketing. These energies will be wasted, and even potentially damaging, if the product or service has become fundamentally out of line with the customers' needs & expectations.

We will see...

• Motivations to spend and interact changing, driven by a focus on essentials, economizing, escapism & networking.
• Brand loyalties are shifting as people openly look towards cheaper alternatives and shun luxury goods.
• Trust is no longer a given with established brands... Trust must now be earned in other ways and the risk / reward balance for the customer must be carefully considered.
• The decisions people make and the process by which they research options will be different. The network will play an ever increasing role as people search out value.
• The susceptible moments when customers may be open to up-selling or cross promotion are likely to shift.
• Market segments will rearrange themselves based on potentially new criteria related to goals.
• The list could go on...

Although the effect of these changes varies across sectors, businesses can no longer believe they ‘know' their customers based on old research, results or instinct. While companies focus inwardly on reducing the impact of the recession, the distance between their customer insight and the real customer attitudes and behaviour is growing. Their products and services run the risk of being upstaged by competitors who innovate based on a new understanding of the changing market and user requirements.

This is not a short term situation... these changes will have a lasting impact regardless of the duration of the recession. You only have to look at the attitudes of a generation who have passed through previous economic downturns to see the way it affects their long term attitudes as consumers.

What can be done?

At Flow, we believe that you need to get under the skin of your customers in order to develop and improve products & services. Many of our own case studies illustrate where this user centered approach has led to increased turnover and profits, and reduced costs.

We've previously blogged about a 3 pronged approach to designing in an economic crisis. All 3 require a fresh understanding of your customers:

1. Innovate: The situation provides real opportunities for companies willing to innovate based on fresh user insight. History has shown that recessions are ultimately great drivers of innovation. He who dares wins... UCD enables innovation with minimum risk because you know you're building the right thing from the start.
2. Optimise: It may well be that your existing products and services need a little adaptation for the changing market. Some small improvements can lead to large rewards. Fresh user insight will point you towards some optimizations which are likely to range from simple messaging changes, through to new ways of navigating.
3. Cut costs: A cross channel view across your complete customer will highlight some areas for cost cutting whilst enhancing the total customer experience. Online retailers are currently reaping the rewards whilst their high street rivals are struggling to maintain expensive, and less convenient, channels to market.

User centered design is available in shrink-to-fit. It doesn't need to be expensive, but it must be included if you want to capture the attention of a rapidly changing market.

- Meriel Lenfestey, CEO & founder of Flow