Stock photography vs. reverse image searches

For companies with respected online brands using stock photography can be a terrible disservice to all Web site visitors and your online reputation. In user tests at Interface Guru, we have found the more tech-savvy users (like engineers and programmers) are particularly intolerant of stock photography and will think less of a brand if they see it used on a Web site.

Stock photography recognition is no longer a skill limited only to the more fluent Web users. There are now tools called reverse image search engines available to all users. With these specific search engines, users can instantly discover the source of an image on a Web site as well as find other Web sites using a particular image.

Caption: A sample Tin Eye search found 77 uses of this image

Here is a quick breakdown of the more popular reverse image search engines:
1) TinEye (http://www.tineye.com/) - Exact match of an image uploaded or image URL linked by the user. Arguably the most popular of the reverse image searches, it even provides plugins for Firefox and Chrome browsers. With a simple right-click on an image, users can check to see if your graphics are used elsewhere on the Web.
2) Byo (http://labs.ideeinc.com/) - Searches for images based on similar colors.
3) Gazopa (http://www.gazopa.com/) - This engine will search based on color and shape similarity.
4) RevIMG (http://www.revimg.net/) - This reverse image search is focused more on art and architecture. It looks for the exact image (just like TinEye), but users must specify the artistic category that applies to the image before they can conduct the search.
5) Google's Similar Image Search (http://similar-images.googlelabs.com/) - While less robust than specific reverse image search images, this functionality is now built right into Google Image search returns.

Caption: Another sample search from Tin Eye

Chris Barton, photography blogger, has an entry where he uses a reverse image search to find all instances of sites using a particular employee stock photograph: http://fairtradephotographer.blogspot.com/2010/03/microstock-why-would-reputable-company.html

In a follow-up entry Chris provides a risk assessment breakdown of all your available options for providing images on your Web site:
http://fairtradephotographer.blogspot.com/2010/04/microstock-how-to-avoid-poisonous.html
He rates stock photography as the highest risk to your organization and creating your own images as the lowest risk.

At Interface Guru, we agree that using stock photography is a risk - you do not know what other Web sites have purchased the image and are using it on their site. Your images on your Web site should be as unique as your company; create your own graphics and images on your Web site and tailor them to match your content.

- by Kyle Kulakowski

So, how were your e-sales this year? E-com usability

So, how were your e-sales this year? E-com usability may be easier to discuss in recent hindsight, after the dust has settled and the wishful thinking has stopped. How well did you do? What sort of ROI (return on investment) are you seeing?

E-commerce success can be measured in many ways; gross sales numbers are just a start. A more critical number in our view: Abandonment rates. How many people abandoned a shopping cart? Do you know exactly when and where it was abandoned? Most importantly - Do you know why someone abandoned a transaction?

The UK firm userfocus recently discussed "Nine tests for a usable checkout" which certainly merit a look. It's great to see another firm reiterate what we've been observing - and telling our clients - for years. "Ask the minimum number of questions. Use consistent and standard form controls. Place error messages next to the entries that need correcting." Truly commonsensical advice.

While the Nine Tests checklist is a great contribution, we still need to understand our users on a more specific level. The Amazon one-click book shopper is not the Playboy online club member, who is not the engineer joining IEEE online. Mental models, and the reasons for our purchases, play a role. The Amazon book shopper has learned to trust one-click ordering and needs little else. The Playboy user may like the added thrill of the chase that results from "teaser" screens. The engineer at IEEE will grumble if date entry fields don't enforce formats (he's an engineer!).

User experience is about seeing the world through the user's eyes, even if briefly. The personal interaction that comes from user involvement - be it as advisor to the design team, or simply as usability test subject - is irreplaceable. Feel-good aside, sincere understanding of - and concern for - your user is the key to successful business online.

You can and should know how many transactions were abandoned; that's tactical. Understanding that user and designing to his needs is strategic.

Coda: I was about to join an association I really admire last week. They lost me at unenforced date format for my date of birth. Why did they lose me? Because I know they're smarter than that.

Do you play the game or does the game play you?

Over the past weekend, I had the opportunity to use my Nintendo Wii and explore a game called Silent Hill: Shattered memories. I found the game's use of the the interaction capabilities of the console noteworthy. I won't give a review of this game here; however there are many user experience and interaction concepts that are set forth in this game.

WARNING - major spoilers ahead for anyone looking to play the game.

1.) Adaptive psychological personalization. Before you get to the main menu, the game will give you the following warning:
The game tracks how you respond to certain criteria (as well as the in-game psychology tests) and alters major elements based on that data. The game’s monsters, major locations, even how secondary characters look and act will vary for each person that plays it.

2.) Wii Remote interaction. The biggest problem I have had with the majority of Wii games is that few titles fully integrate the Wii Remote capabilities into gameplay. This is not so in SH:SM. The main use for the Wii Remote is as the game’s flashlight (if the player waves the Wii Remote around, the main character will mimic the action in the game)…but that is not all. The Wii Remote also functions as a cell phone (the player will have to hold the speaker in the Wii Remote to their ear in real life to hear phone calls in the game – just like they would a real cell phone).

3.) Attention to realistic detail. You can also place calls in the game – if you see a phone number anywhere in the game the character can dial out to it. Very few of these phone numbers are directly related to the game’s main plot. They are simply there to increase the realism of the game environment. BELOW: The player can call something as unnecessary as a toy recall hot line.


4.) Natural actions. In SH:SM, a majority of the Wii Remote actions are natural actions. If a monster latches on to you from the side, you will have to make a sideways push motion with the Wii Remote to get it off of you.

5.) Cueing user interactions. The player is given control cues at the appropriate time in which they are relevant. The player is not overburdened with memorizing all possible Wii Remote uses at once. BELOW: The player is cued how to answer a call only when the phone rings.


6.) Real-world benefit. At the game’s end, the game’s psychologist will transcribe a detailed profile of the player’s personality. If you play through the game honestly, it is a fairly accurate representation of your psychological profile. BELOW: The start of a multi-page analysis of the player that runs over the game’s credits.

Silent Hill: Shattered Memories was released on December 8th, 2009 and bears a Mature ERSB rating (with good reason).

View a full walk-through of the game at this user's YouTube account.

- by Kyle Kulakowski

How rules of engagement protect your brand online

The common definition of "Rules of Engagement" (ROE) is a military one. From wikipedia: "Actions a military commander may take without consulting a higher authority, unless explicitly forbidden (sometimes called 'command by negation') and second, actions that may only be taken if explicitly ordered by a higher authority (sometimes called 'positive command')."

What the heck does that have to do with your Web presence? Everything.

Note the definition: Actions that may be taken without consulting a higher authority, and actions that may only be taken if explicitly ordered. Given the freewheeling nature of the Web, companies and organizations must create some sense of order so that - as my colleague Sean Fitzpatrick is bound to say - there is "freedom within structure."

We commonly find that companies that are otherwise well-run have never created Rules of Engagement for their digital media teams. The result: Dilution of brand values, and a lack of consistency that is obvious to the user. In other words, lack of ROE leads directly to poor user experience - or worse.

Companies that allowed the Web to grow "organically" - which is to say, with no rhyme or reason - struggle the most with ROE. Managers are loath to approach staff who have become accustomed to doing whatever pleases them on the company Web site. This is a serious mistake.

The ROE conversation (here are the rules we all need to abide by, in terms of workflow, approval, tone) is not an easy one, but it is crucial. Avoiding the conversation, and the subsequent rules, will inevitably damage your brand.

The Web is rife with embarrassing missteps that companies would never have allowed to see the light of day in print or broadcast. Protect your brand by creating ROE, and enforce those rules. The issue is serious enough to merit a signed agreement, with termination as a consequence if staff deliberately ignore the rules.

ROE are a natural byproduct of Web strategy. Let us know if you need help establishing them.