Posts Tagged Quora

Build an Experience

Feb 17

Posted by Andrew Machado in Brand Advertising | 8,735 Comments

I recently watched The Inception at my Uncle’s on his 127 inch screen with his beautiful handcrafted speakers.  As the subwoofers were rumbling to an ungodly decible level I thought to myself this isn’t just a movie…it’s an experience.

I think the same can be said for internet startups and companies.  Don’t just decide to build a great piece of software or product, but give it that special something where the user looks at you with a bit of awe.  You create that moment where the consumer has that “magic” moment wondering for a second if this was even possible.

A few that come to my mind.

Square

Every time I walk by Sight Glass in San Francisco I remember my first time paying with @square.  I signed the iPad with my finger and instantly got a receipt detailing my transactions.

square-receipt

Killzone 2

Killzone 2 was a PlayStation 3 game that came out back in 2008 that simply blew me away.  The intro alone is so epic in feel, look and interaction that I couldn’t help but be jaw dropped when it was an actual video game.  From the game engine to the sound it was simply the most impressive game I’ve ever played.

Facebook & Quora’s Search

I’ve written previously about Quora’s Search.  I think Facebook and Quora both offer the best search experience on the web when it comes to typing text in a box.  On both site’s its my primary way of getting around.  I’ve never felt something as fast as their search products.  It’s literally like magic.
facebook-search
Shoe Dazzle

Shoe Dazzle delivers a pair of shoes to your girlfriend every month for $39.99 a pair.  They are tailored to her liking and feel unique and of high quality.  My girlfriends first pair arrived last week and she can’t stop talking about them.  They knew her tastes without ever meeting her…amazing.  They arrive in a beautiful box to boot.
shoe-dazzle
Xbox Kinect
Microsoft decided to reinvent the wheel when it came to console gaming especially in the living room with the Kinect.  Who would’ve had the balls to come up with a product that knows your every move, can control the Xbox with your voice and to boot is affordable.  I was hesitant on this device when it was announced, but after playing with it a few times I hate to say it…it’s a hit.
Epic Meal Time
A hilarious cooking show on YouTube filmed with high-def cameras, top flight editing and excellent characters.  They release a new video every Tuesday.  The constant camera changes and audio are what take it to that next level.
What are some of the services/products that you think hit that level of being an “Experience”?

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Quora, Faithless and Stats Reports

May 19

Posted by Andrew Machado in Personal, Technology | 8,606 Comments

As I mentioned last week I’m going to try and do one of these posts every week.

1.  Quora

I’ve covered Quora before.  I think their search is fantastic.  This week I’ve found myself late at night asking questions and getting answers to things I’ve always wondered from Search Engine Optimization to debating Instrumental Groups.  Well this week I asked a question to the community if Firefox would have Double Digit Marketshare in 3 to 5 years.  Within a day I had received countless replies from the current CEO of Mozilla John Lilly to the Co-Founder Blake Ross.  It was a pretty “magical” experience to have people directly related to the product responding, but was even crazier was TechCrunch found the question and wrote a story about it…sadly not giving me credit :(

2.  Faithless

The new Faithless CD dropped yesterday titled “The Dance“.  It’s pretty terrible.  I’m really dissapointed how a group can make so many epic songs then release something as derivative as this.  Luckily the lead single is great.

3. We are finally mailing stats reports to user of the Apture Search Bar.
What is cool about this is delivered to our customers every week is a detailed report showing them pageviews, popular queries, share numbers and engagement provided from Apture.  We’ve gotten lots of praise and only one complaint…make it less wide :)
statsformaynewsletter

If you haven’t signed up your site for the Apture Search Bar what are you waiting for?

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How Important Speed is in Applications and the Web..

Jan 22

Posted by Andrew Machado in Technology | 8,619 Comments

Over the last few weeks we have been investigating speed at Apture. I’ve been most curious in the effects of speed when a user browses the web or interacts with applications. Today I wanted to focus on a few applications and sites I’ve noticed where speed makes me not only use the product more but really wonder how they did it.

1. Quora.com
Quora.com has the single fastest search engine I’ve ever seen. The way it recommends data in real time to me is astounding. I found myself typing random phrases into its system just to see it keep recommending topics. Let’s take a look at it.

Apture CEO Tristan Harris recently inquired on Quora’s site how they got the search engine so quick and accurate. Their response from Adam D’Angelo, Quora Founder “It’s a service written in C++ designed to be fast and designed for prefix matching. Normally autocomplete interfaces on websites are backed by database queries, or by search engines like Sphinx or Lucene that weren’t originally designed for prefix matching or designed for speed, which makes them slower. There’s a lot more that goes into the autocomplete results than just the query to our backend service though”

This type of speed and presentation makes the service feel so game like. It can not be understated how important it is.

2. MyTown (iPhone Application)
MyTown is an iPhone game with over 500,000 users. It is designed by ex-Blizzard employees and centers around Checking into venues ala foursquare or gowalla, but with a twist. You can buy the properties you often check into and get rewarded money and powerups as your level up and people check into your owned properties.

What made me fall in love with this app besides it being game like was the speed at which you could navigate the UI and quickly check into places. My friend Kirk recently completed the game over the last 3 days due to addictability, but without the speed at which he was able to navigate he wouldve given up.  With simple finger swipes you can navigate through properties, results for local business’ load quickly and the experience feels seamless.  The game has gotten so popular even TechCrunch covered it recently touting that Booyah’s game has received 31 million checkins to business’.  Amazing.

3.  Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2

Modern Warfare 2 recently topped $1 billion in sales equaling over 15 million copies.  Astounding.  What blows me away the most about this game from the fun combat, clever leveling system is the speed at which you can get into a game.  I dont just mean how fast from the title screen till when you are in the battlefield, but the speed at which the game boots up on my PlayStation 3.  I’ve never seen a game of this caliber with such speed from boot to playing.

Whats really impressed me is mind share wise I find myself when having a free 10 minutes convincing myself that I can get a game in because I know how fast the game boots and is ready for me.  This has lead me to put in over 40+ hours on this game since getting it in November.

Speed is imperative to consumer success.  Just ask Google.  In tests they conducted reducing the average search results by .400 ms caused a drop in searches of .6%.  You spread that number out of over time and it can matter. Speed changes how people think of your product.  Make sure you are quick.

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