Needmore Notes

On Sandwiches, Defaults, and Choice

2009-07-08T15:18:00Z

The other day, a family member offered to run to Subway, and Kandace was excited. She didn’t have time to go herself, and while it might not be her favorite, it would certainly have been nice to have lunch.

The only problem is that Subway does not have a “default configuration” of their sandwiches. Let’s say that you want the “Cold Cut Combo.” This sandwich features turkey, bologna, “turkey ham” and “turkey salami” - strange enough already - but as for the vegetables and toppings, nothing is specified. If you go in and ask for that sandwich, you’ll be hammered with at least a dozen more questions. Do you want onion? Do you want tomato? What kind of bread? Mayo?

Now most folks evidently feel drawn to a plethora of choices. That is a big part of Subway’s advertising campaigns - you can have it your way. But Kandace never did get her sandwich. It was just too painful to figure out what to order, since there are no defaults at Subway. You simply cannot specify the “Cold Cut Combo” and be done with it!

For lunch today, we went to a local sandwich shop called Bunk. I ordered their “Italian Cured Meats with Provolone Picante and Hot Peppers.” This sandwich is amazing, and there is not a single choice. I think probably you CAN ask for changes or substitutions, but why would you? The way they prepare this sandwich is the way it SHOULD be prepared. They are the experts, they’re using wonderful ingredients, and it would be stupid of me to change things around for no good reason.

That’s the problem with not having a “default configuration,” in sandwich choices or most anywhere else. In our choice-filled society, we often forget the value of having the expert choose the configuration. But why? They’re the expert. They’re the chefs, the designers, the curators. These people spend an immense amount of time studying the choices, experimenting with the options, and coming up with the best of all possible worlds.

Trust them.

Uptime

2009-07-02T15:19:00Z

Uptime is a measure of the time a computer system has been “up” and running. It came into use to describe the opposite of downtime, times when a system was not operational. The uptime and reliability of computer and communications facilities is sometimes measured in nines (similar to the unit of metallic purity). “Five nines” means 99.999% availability, which translates to a total downtime of approximately five minutes and fifteen seconds per year. [Wikipedia]

Uptime is increasingly important. For some sites that we’ve developed and that we maintain, there are “incidents” with uptime. We host a recipe site, and every so often something pops up that needs to be dealt with right now. That’s just the nature of high traffic websites. You come to expect it.

We now use a lot of services on the web, and those often require a ton of work to keep up and running at top performance. Some folks do a great job of it, like Google and 37signals. Some companies fall flat on their face, despite running a service that you’re paying good money for, and that you expect to just work.

Like GoFaxer.

About a month ago, we signed up for this promising service. They are one of a number of companies that will provide you with a fax number, and let you send and receive faxes via email or the web. It’s a great idea, because I hate fax machines with a passion. The problem is, as you might be able to see from the above link, is that they’ve been down for 23 days now. The service has not functioned almost the entire time we’ve been paying for it. The same vague message has been shown this whole time.

All of us are working hard to quickly resolve this issue so that we can bring our services back online. However this process may take some time and we apologize for any inconvenience that this unforeseeable issue has caused you.

Maybe we just don’t need a fax service after all.

On Line

2009-06-26T16:27:00Z

We’ve mentioned to you how over the moon we are about Amy Tavern’s jewelry. That’s no secret - the girl is a metal artist (we’re especially excited about her June jewelry of the month, East Meets West). This week, we’re equally impressed with Amy’s online presence. After taking a self imposed month off from online activities, Amy is back with unparalleled enthusiasm. Whether she is putting out here summer newsletter, Twittering up a storm, or organizing her links page – Amy is completely present and enthusiastic about her online presence. And, from her summer news, it is obvious that she is plenty busy offline as well. Kudos, Amy.

Twitter Matters

2009-06-19T17:45:00Z

I met with a potential client the other day, and as with many such meetings, I probably spent more time giving advice about marketing and promotion (and Twitter) than I did “pitching Needmore.” Funny thing is, I hear this a lot, in many different industries. You spend a surprising amount of time when you first meet with a client just giving them advice which is more or less free. And then you hope they decide to work with you!

This client offers a service business that shares the same building with Needmore. Many folks in the building are on Twitter, and we “broadcast” to each other by adding a #omcc “hash tag” to our messages. This is a quick, simple, and effective way to talk to the people around us. For example, we decided to invite everyone down for drinks a past Friday, so we sent a quick tweet out. We had a great turnout.

One of my suggestions was that if there was a break in her appointments that she wanted to fill (quickly), she could send out a message to the building offering $10 off if they were willing to use that empty slot in her schedule. This benefits everyone - potential customers would save money, become more aware of her business, and she would be able to spend more time working with clients.

It goes without saying that Twitter is a Big Deal for businesses. I follow a lot of local businesses, and I can tell that many other users nearby do as well. Sometimes a business owner will joke that if they were to start using Twitter, they wouldn’t have time to actually run their business. I think this is a bit disingenuous, since the beauty of Twitter is how little time actually takes to post an update! Saraveza does so all the time; it probably takes one minute to mention the new beer specials for the week, and plenty of folks are interested - and probably come down to taste. That’s a big win for everyone.

Don’t doubt the power of Twitter to help your business. If nothing else, it will surely make it more interesting.

Savoir Flair

2009-06-16T15:10:01Z

Did you know that Rachel Zoe has a Twitter account or that coral is the color of the season? Whether you are wondering who Rachel Zoe is or you are already swimming in coral, Savoir Flair is set to be your new best fashion friend.

Founded by Haleh Nia, Savoir Flair is an online fashion magazine and daily free e-mail. Haleh makes it easy to keep up-to-date with Twitter, Facebook, articles and a free daily e-mail.

Urban Fiber Studio

2009-06-12T21:32:00Z

Introducing Urban Fiber Studio, a new venture and website for the talented Leslie Cumming. Launching just in time for TNNA, the project is a collaboration with the ever delightful Sonia Jones, of Sonia Jones Design.

Getting the Word Out with Flair

2009-06-08T16:05:00Z

We are working away on an exciting project for Savoir Flair, a stunning new fashion magazine built for a global audience. While we’ve been enjoying crating the website and newsletter for the magazine, founder Haleh Nia has been stunning us with her approach to getting the word out about her project before it is even launched.

Haleh has set up an active Facebook page (with 75 followers and counting to date). Her fans are already brimming with excitement for the magazine to launch, “I love it!” they’re saying. Savoir Flair also has a Twitter page where followers can see a countdown to launch as well as glimpses of what the magazine will be covering.

If all of this isn’t enough, you can also head right over to Savoir Flair’s website and sign-up for their newsletter now.

Waiting for iPhone 3.0

2009-06-04T15:48:01Z

Well, I guess it’s that time again. We wait until early next week to see what Apple has in store for us, both on the iPhone and in the desktop Mac OS. There have, of course, been plenty of rumors, but there are two features I don’t expect, but would really like to see.

1. Guest accounts. Sometimes you want to loan someone your phone for a few minutes - or hours, or days - and it would be nice to have a “guest account” like the desktop OS does. They wouldn’t be able to see any of your customizations, applications, or personal data. The user would only be able to use the basic iPhone applications and features, and when you got your phone back and turned that mode off, it wiped all the data. This is one of those features that seems like you’d never need it, but then you do, and you would be quite grateful.

2. Reminder sync. I’m calling it this for lack of a better name. The problem is that I have a MobileMe subscription, and so my calendar stays in sync between my two Macs and my iPhone. Problem is, last night was “garbage night” and I needed to remember take out the trash. My iPhone reminded me, then I got a reminder on my laptop. When I got into work this morning, I got a reminder on my desktop Mac. It’s not a big deal, but why can’t MobileMe remember that I was reminded - and acknowledged that reminder - once already?

At any rate, I’m pretty excited about the new phones, and while I don’t expect to wait in like like I did for the one I have right now, I am definitely hoping to get my hands on one as soon as I can!

Remembering the Basics!

2009-06-02T14:51:00Z

We’re doing our best to keep this all in mind these days, as we do some big-picture thinking about Needmore Designs!

Web Designs in Twitter Times

2009-05-28T15:24:00Z

Times have changed. I know it’s a cliché, but they have. It’s no secret that any potential client of ours no longer needs our help to get their voice on the web. If they are motivated, they can get a Twitter account, set up a Facebook page for their business, or use Google or software that comes free with their Mac to create a basic website. All of this without paying a cent to a designer.

And in fact, we ourselves would recommend at least signing up for a Twitter account. It’s a great way to keep in touch with your customers, a small segment of the marketplace who is genuinely interested in what you have to say. I follow a ton of local businesses, from grocery stores to restaurants to other design studios, and I feel much more connected to them. I also know when they’re going to be closed for the day, when they’re having specials, or when they just have inspiration to share with the rest of the world.

There is still a place, however, for the humble web designer. If you are a restaurant, for example, you might enjoy the “ambient intimacy” of Twitter, or like passing along photos of your customers on Flickr, but what if you want to convey just a bit of the atmosphere of your business, or keep an updated copy of your menu for folks to read, or share your thoughts with a bit more depth, uninterrupted by blinking ads on the sides of the page?

Why, that’s where Needmore comes in.

For years we’ve built every website with some sort of content management system, to allow all of our customers to easily update their websites. But that is no longer enough for many of our projects. The future of web design is becoming more and more social, which means that your website will need to be “social” as well. It will need to play well with Twitter, and Flickr, and lots of other such websites.

And that’s where we’ll be. That’s where a lot of great designers will be, embracing all those technologies as they come along!

Twittering for the Office

2009-05-15T14:00:00Z

Needmore Designs has been in business for about six years now. For the first four-odd years, we worked out of “home offices,” if you will. We were always interested in getting an office, and looked at several before a friend recommended the Olympic Mills Commerce Center. We’ve been here for a year and a half, and we love it.

One of the biggest attractions for us was working around other people. It’s nice to have a quiet place to work in, but it’s also nice to have other similarly-minded people around to talk to. Maybe you can bounce ideas off some of them, maybe you can just chat and get inspired. When we first moved in, there weren’t a whole lot of offices filled, but it quickly became apparent that we didn’t have time to walk around introducing ourselves to everyone we saw, nor did we want to look crazy.

So we decided to set up a website for the building’s tenants to discuss things, make plans, share projects, offer work or things for sale… whatever seemed relevant. The logical choice was to set up forum software and make it look somewhat attractive, which we did. The problem is that there is a non-trivial number of steps actually required to get people to use a resource like that.

First, you have to hear about it. This wasn’t too hard, since the domain name was simple enough, but many people just didn’t notice. Then you have to get an account, a process that takes longer than it should, and requires checking your email, clicking a link, remembering a password, and all the other mental overhead that goes along with registering for a website.

All this is very discouraging for people who might be tempted to participate. And it starts with a “blank slate,” so it’s kind of like you’re talking to yourself. And you have to set up “topics” and “sections” and all that, forcing people to think about what “topic” or “section” their message might be relevant to.

Long story short: after well over one year, we had not much more than a dozen users. It was pretty much a dead zone. I stopped telling people about it; I even stopped checking it myself. I started feeling like I was just waiting around for spammers to stumble across it and give me an excuse to delete it. Pretty depressing.

About a week ago, I decided it was time to scrap that site and start from scratch. Instead of complex and feature-rich and robust… what is the simplest possible thing that would work?

The answer: Twitter. Last week I hung two signs at either end of the building suggesting that tenants post a message on Twitter containing the #omcc “hash tag.” In order to see all messages with that tag, all one has do do is search Twitter. In fact, I made the old website simply redirect to Twitter’s search results page.

Did it work? In one week’s time, we’ve had about fifty people post just such a message, and some lively discussions and ideas have already come about. We’re hosting a party in our office this afternoon, and we’re spreading the word by Twitter alone. When someone has something to sell or give away, they send a tweet. When they need help or just want to chat about the building, they send a tweet.

It’s not perfect, but its strength is definitely its simplicity. A lot of folks were already on Twitter, so this was second nature to them. A few joined just to chat in a group. It’s so fast and simple I find myself checking the group messages before coming in to work, and after leaving for the day.

You never know when that awesome parking space will open up.

Work it Out

2009-05-11T16:46:00Z

Recreate Fitness brings a whole new approach to fitness, based on the novel idea that working out should be fun. You can see it in the faces of members as they workout (actual smiles can be seen). And you can hear it in the way that owner Tina Jeffers talks about the community that has developed among members. Not only does Recreate Fitness offer one on one instruction (and the most hands on group training classes in Portland), but they also foster a thriving community where personal development, friendship, and fun are key.

The folks at Recreate were seeking a website that would act as a living extension of their philosophy. Thus, we had a twofold mission with this site - bringing to visual life the philosphy of the gym and making communication.

We set about designing a website that would portray the vibrance and energy of the folks we met at Recreate Fitness. We could do this best by making way for vibrant photographs of members working out at the gym. The photographs of members enjoying their workouts are like no other gym we’ve visited; they almost make us want to start working out again.

Next, we tackled the abiltiy to easily update the site. We focused on updataeble informational pages as well as the portions of the site that would be changing often, such as the blog and member forums. Looking through their daily workout posts on the blog, one can almost smell the sweat and determination of Recreate’s members. This bunch cares about their workouts. The folks at Recreate wanted to take the community a leap forward and so the member forums were born.

We do hope you enjoy.

May Showers, May Flowers

2009-05-04T22:11:00Z

A quick hello and thanks to everyone who wrote us over the past month with kind thoughts about Zoë! We’re back in the studio now and eager to share our newest projects, a handful of which are launching in the next month or so.

April with Zoë

2009-04-14T15:22:00Z

Needmore is out on maternity/paternity leave for the month of April welcoming Portland’s newest little designer to the world - Zoë Rae Brigleb (born April 9). While we are away, we’ll be updating our blog and Twitter page. Happy Spring!

Saraveza

2009-03-30T14:00:00Z

We’ve just released a website for one of North Portland’s newest watering holes, Saraveza. They say you can never go home, but if you happen to be a Wisconsin native – you most certainly can! With a frequently updated draft list, commitment to delicious pasties made from local ingredients, award-winning salads, and a love of all things Packers – Saraveza is set to become an instant local favorite.

Saraveza has a lot going on – and they make it easy as pie to keep up to date on what is happening with a smorgasbord of choices; follow them on Twitter, sign up for their mailing list, or read their Tavern Talk blog.