We recently rolled out a new set of tools, which allows Contiki’s customers to check-in for their upcoming vacation and gain access to other pre-and-post trip benefits.
Contiki's new check-in system
24 May 2010
10 Management Truths for the Web Age
13 May 2010
Lisa Welchman describes Web Phrenology as the science of understanding an organization’s strengths and weaknesses by examining their Web presence. This brief ebook clarifies how organizational dysfunction can affect your company’s web site.
Sneak Peek: Contiki Tour Pages / Before and After
4 May 2010
We’ve been rolling out a number of big updates for our client, Contiki Holidays. Earlier today, we pushed out a new structure for their tour product pages. Here’s a quick peek into some of those changes.
Contiki's new regional landing pages
20 Apr 2010
Late-last year, we helped Contiki launch their new search results and have been evolving this interface for them to promote their trips across each of their regions.
Optical Tricks to Make Downloads Seem Faster
12 Apr 2010
A useful design choice that makes our brains think that downloads are going faster than they actually are.
Source: New Scientist
Tic-tac-captcha
28 Mar 2010
I came across this while signing up for a free trial account of Xero. A nice alternative to the annoying captcha.
Happy Birthday Allison!
26 Mar 2010
Self-explanatory.
Don't cut corners
21 Mar 2010
This site shows screenshots from applications that require you to enter data in a specific format without any dashes or spaces. Classic.
Portland saves you time
16 Mar 2010
“According to a survey by Real Simple, the living is surprisingly easy in these urban areas.
Takeout on every corner. Easy access to a doctor. Timed traffic lights. These conveniences can ease even the most chaotic days.”
Portland ranks #2 in the country!
The kids are alright...
3 Mar 2010
My nephew just turned 5 years old, which means that I was recently seeking a birthday gift. Last year, I had taken him to OMSI (Oregon Museum of Science and Industry) where he appeared to have a great time playing and learning. Money well spent.
In the back of my mind, I had been planning to purchase him an annual membership so that he could go more often. As his birthday neared, I began to look into this and was quickly discouraged by their membership packages.
At first glance, this may seem straight forward and reasonably priced. Yet, none of these plans were targetting my situation. You see, my goal was to purchase a membership for my nephew. One that might allow myself, his parents, grandparents, or babysitters to take him. Currently, this isn’t possible because their plans require named adult(s) and a number of kids they can take. I’m sure this works for many people, but I believe that a better option would be one geared towards the individual kids.
When I went to review their plans, I was expectig to purchase something like this:
..but all I could do is purchase a membership for some adult(s). Feeling disatisfied with my options, I decided to get in touch with OMSI. I sent in an email over a month ago to explain my scenario and see if they had a way to setup a special membership. Unfortunately, they never bothered to respond. Perhaps I’ll need to call someone in their offices to inquire, but regardless… I really find their strategy flawed.
Story time…
When I was younger, I had several membership cards to various attractions. One was GoKart license, another for an aquarium, and one for an amusement park. I was proud of my GoKart license and kept it in my wallet as kid. I remember getting newsletters in the mail from the aquarium letting me know about upcoming events. This would motivate me to ask my parents to take me (or find someone else to do it for them). I could imagine that this sort of membership model would be a great way to engage kids and invite them back on a more frequent basis. Kids are great at getting adults to take them to do stuff…
In the end, Micah (my nephew) didn’t get a membership pass and OMSI didn’t convert a ready-to-buy birthday shopper.