Recently we looked at the latest innovations from Toshiba who were taking the mobile touch screen phone experience to the next level. This week we look to researchers from Dartmouth University who are hoping to take things to another level or at least in a different direction.
Dubbed the ‘eyephone’ they have managed to create a mobile system that can be operated simply by the users’ eyes. Using eye tracking technology users don’t even have to touch their phones to make calls and navigate through their phone menus.
As well the question of why people would want to navigate using their eyes, there is still some major technical barriers to making the system accessible and seamless. However, it is a good demonstration of what is possible with the latest technology and could still prove useful in future. The technology could provide another element to mobile experiences such as gaming or potentially deliver a vital function for users with disabilities.
People are already checking in and broadcasting their lives through the likes of Twitter, Facebook, and Foursquare. Many of these check ins are at business locations such as restaurants and shops. Currently the vast majority of this activity goes unrewarded, with the most users can hope to gain is a foursquare badge or recently perhaps even a free drink. New service WeReward is looking to change all that and let users literally cash in on their check ins.
The service is open for any business to sign up to. Users can search a data base of businesses on the service and then earn rewards whenever they visit and check in on their mobiles. For people currently using foursquare it sounds like an easy way to make a bit of money without changing their behaviour. However, as things stand checking in isn’t particularly easy. To check in users have to go to the trouble of taking a picture, in order to earn points that are only worth a penny (US) each. Business can set the amount of points they want to give, but based on the current offering it will take a while to earn much cash from the service.
Despite it’s shortcomings the service already has 15 million businesses on board. With relatively limited risk and the chance to have a loyalty points programme without huge costs could be very appealing to small businesses. Not that the idea of rewarding people for check ins should exclude larger businesses, but they might want to wait for a more seamless experience or perhaps even build their own like Pepsi.
Since the arrival of the iPhone the touchscreen phone has gone from strength to strength. However, many people still don’t like the idea of pressing buttons that they can’t actually feel. The latest technology from Toshiba not only hopes to satisfy peoples’ desire to feel buttons, but hopes to take touch screen experiences to a whole new level.
The video above demonstrates a revolutionary screen that provides sensory feedback to a range of touch screen experiences. The technology known as a “New Sensation UI Solution” provides feedback without using mechanical vibration, but by controlling the electric charge on a film affixed to the touchpanel. This technology allows users to experience the feeling of real buttons to that of wood or stone on a flat screen.
The technology could allow for richer mobile experiences adding an extra element to gaming, or mobile shopping, perhaps allowing users to experience something like the feel of a new carpet before they buy online. At a simpler level feedback could improve the user experience for those who prefer the feel of a tactile keyboard, and allow people to use a touchscreen phone without them having to actually look at it.
Of course as with all new technology the key will be whether it will actually work as it is supposed to, and how people react. Should everything go to plan, the technology could have major implications for the way people use touchscreen devices in the future.
As usual it’s a little late, but here’s the round up of my most popular tweets from April. As you can see Farmville is big news these days! As always thanks to Hootsuite for providing me with with the tools to make this possible. Feel free to follow me on twitter here if you like.
It wasn’t too long ago that there was only a handful of brands on Twitter and of these only a few were doing anything remotely positive with the service. Many brand profiles were just making random product announcements or simply spitting out an RSS news feed from their main site, very few brands were being very social with the social media tool. However, a lot has changed in the last year or so and brands are starting to engage people through Twitter by using the service in ways that customers appreciate.
These changes have largely been brought about by a few brave brands that saw the social potential of Twitter as an opportunity and not a threat. One of the first brands in the UK to truly embrace Twitter was the RAC, who saw people were talking about their brand and set out to engage with these people. There were some nice examples of the RAC sending messages to those who had been happy with the service.
Other brands started to take note, and began reaching out to their customers, on the other hand customers started to contact brands through twitter. Of course it wasn’t just people saying how much they loved the brand and service, more often than not comments were negative. Many brands were scared off but a few remained focused on the opportunities and started to respond constructively to negative comments. As a result it hasn’t taken long for Twitter to become an established customer service channel.
In the UK the mobile phone networks were among the first to take Twitter seriously and O2 and Vodafone are good examples of how the tool can support customer service. Both networks have set up accounts that are manned by real people who actively respond to people who want to contact the brand through Twitter. Originally Vodafone and O2 were broadcasting general messages and announcements alongside the odd reply, however, as more and more users began to ask questions via Twitter now almost every tweet is an @ reply to a twitter user. This demonstrates a real understanding of the service, O2 and Vodafone know the brand doesn’t decide what content to provide on Twitter, the customer does. Vodafone have ensured they can dedicate the VodafoneUk account to customer service, by creating a separate account to broadcast exclusive news and latest deals called VodafoneUkdeals.
A lot of brands that have very active customer service departments are really starting to see the benefits of Twitter, not just to improve customer relations and improve the brand, but to actually take some of the weight off the customer service department. The likes of BT, and Virgin Media also offer great services, but it’s still very clear that not everyone is embracing the opportunities. Many brands that rely on customer service simply don’t even have a profile and some have a profile but aren’t exactly making the most of it.
Edf energy seem to be aware that twitter can be used as a customer service channel, but they certainly haven’t understood how or why. They have created a Twitter profile aimed at customer service, but have declined to actually engage with twitter users, in fact to date they are actually yet to post a single tweet. Opposed to actually using Twitter so far they’ve decided to simply set up a page and direct people to their website and call centre. This isn’t what twitter or any social media channel is about, if customers want a phone number they’ll use google or your website. Perhaps this is just a temporary measure, but for the time being the profile is probably doing more harm than good. Users will have certain expectations after they’ve searched for and found a brand Twitter profile, they won’t appreciate finding no one at home and having to go all the way back to where they started. Having no Twitter page is like not answering a customer phone call, but having an empty profile is like answering then simply hanging up.
Of course customer service isn’t the right purpose for every brand, for some it will be about entertainment (see redbull) for others it will be about the most efficient way to post special offers (see Dell). The key is that brands listen and respond to what their customers want, and if they’re sending you @ replies every hour with complaints then it might just be a customer service channel they’re after. If it’s customer service they’re after, then make sure you can deliver, you need dedicated staff with real knowledge of the brand and the etiquette of Twitter (see habitat), and remember an abandoned profile with a phone number is not customer service.
Gone are the days that billboard adverts offered a one way channel of communication with an audience. Digital technology means billboards can accommodate user interaction.
A great example comes from McDonalds in which they combined the latest technology with the facts that most people have a phone with a camera on them at all times, and that people tend to engage when they can be rewarded with something for free. The digital billboard gave the audience the chance to win McDonalds products. All they had to do was take a photo when the right item flashed across the screen, then present the image at the McDonalds down the road to receive their award.
As well as providing the customer with an engaging fun experience, McDonalds can gain a real measure of advertising impact via the measure of photo voucher claims.
