Faux Partners for Real UX Demo

UX Design for Software Demo at Event

Thales Avionics developed an application that enables airlines to manage their partner advertising. In order to demo the software, they needed faux brands and ads; that’s where we stepped in.

The client provided us with a list of partner categories that would be meaningful to their airline customers – such as car rental agencies, resorts, and entertainment.

Their requirements:

  • Faux ads needed to be delivered in English and Deutsch.
  • Ads needed to be fun for the users and avoid content that might not be appropriate across all cultures.
  • They needed to meet specs for real advertising that would be presented in a live deployment of the software.

As is frequently the case, there was a tight timeframe for deliverables due to an upcoming major industry event where the demo needed to be ready. We met the deadline and had quite a bit of fun doing this project!

Split Types

Sigh. . . it’s always unfortunate when partners break up. We were saddened to hear about the Hoeffler Frere-Jones split. At this point, it looks like the case will grind through State of New York courts for some time to come.

Read more Split Types

The Long View

  • Scanning the Horizon

    Looking out at the “lay of the land” to see what is nearby and out on the horizon.

    Scanning the Horizon
  • Focused on You

    Turning the focus on you, to see how you can take advantage of the surrounding opportunities.

    Focus on You

One of the things I enjoy about the great outdoors is how frequently it reminds me of good practices for business and relationships in general. I’m sharing these snapshots taken while out on a hike in a coastal preserve yesterday afternoon for that reason: while I observed, this osprey repeatedly looked out, and then turned his/her focus on me — in this case, I was nearby with a camera and the osprey wanted to keep an eye on me to make sure I wasn’t a threat.

Since ospreys fish for their dinner, the osprey must look carefully to see below the surface; I suppose they’re scanning for anything that disturbs the surface of the water.  But they must distinguish between surface ripple caused by a passing breeze and surface disruption caused by some fish (there’s my dinner!) swimming near the surface.

There are obvious parallels between the osprey’s behavior and essential practice for a business. First, the organization’s leadership must regularly scan the horizon to see what’s coming that will affect their operations, while also keeping an eye on what the competitors are doing, and what might become a threat to their continued success. Second, there’s a need to determine whether a situation or event primarily presents an opportunity or is a threat; frequently an event, situation, or trend possesses both qualities.

In my practice as a designer, I work with each client to understand the specific “surroundings” of their business so I can identify both opportunities and threats. Every business has its share of each, but the response helps shape any situation into an opportunity.

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