Fortune names BJ Fogg one of the next generation of management gurus.
In what should be considered earth-shaking news for usability practitioners everywhere, one of the most remarkable researchers of human computer interaction has been labeled a “next generation management guru” by Fortune magazine.
Why is this big news? Because BJ Fogg’s research has been required reading for any serious usability practitioner for years, and his research into the use of persuasive technologies directly impacts usability and how best practices are applied on web sites, and now on mobile devices such as cell phones. I can’t help but feel that if the Fortune magazine readers, business kings and queens of industry and part of the establishment, are now paying attention to someone we usability practitioners pay attention to, then that’s a clear indication that usability and the art of persuasion using technology will get even more serious attention from businesses in the near future.
But, I hear you thinking, “Well, that’s all fine for BJ Fogg, but what does that have to do with me? I’m just a regular usability practitioner, ya’ know?”
Ahhh, but it DOES have to do with you!
First, it can’t hurt to refresh your memory on some of the more critical findings Fogg and team have identified from a usability best-practices perspective. I’ve listed a few of my favorite studies below, please feel free to add yours if they’re not there.
Second, by taking this information and using it to persuade your business leaders or clients that Fortune is really on to something here, you can maybe, just maybe, get more attention on your usability projects than you used to, and might, just might, find yourself with a host of new usability projects!
So, here’s a few suggestions just off the top of my mind for how to make this news help you promote usability in your organization. Collect them, trade them or even better, add your own ideas or suggestions!
1. Be sure to forward the Fortune article to your boss or clients, and any marketing folks you may know. Nothing gets attention from business leaders faster than a mention in a well respected publication such as Fortune, or Business Week, or the NY Times, etc.
2. Brush up on BJ Fogg and the research his lab is working on. Do visit the Stanford Persuasive Technology lab website and read every page carefully, perhaps twice. There’s plenty of information there and it can’t hurt to brush up on not only the past research, but the latest Facebook and cell phone research they’ve been working on too.
3. It couldn’t hurt to spend time reading BJ Fogg’s book, “Persuasive Technology, Using Computers to Change What We Think and Do” if you’ve got some down time.
4. It also wouldn’t hurt to read his latest book, for which he was editor and co-author by the way on “Mobile Persuasion, 20 Perspectives on the Future of Behavior Change.” And in my opinion this is mandatory reading if you work in the Telecom industry by the way.
5. Wanna really impress your boss and/or co-workers? Give one of the above books to them as a Hanukkah or Christmas gift. Well, ok, maybe not. But it couldn’t hurt if they express some interest in the subject I guess! While you’re figuring out what to get your boss or co-workers for a gift, you might as well drop by BJ Fogg’s personal website and see what’s up with the latest Management Guru.
Smart companies have already figured out that humans use computers and websites to buy their products. Really smart companies have figured out that they a vested interest in making sure they do the best job they possibly can to provide a user-friendly experience for users who are using the company’s website to shop for products. With the advent of eCommerce on cell phones (did you know, by the way, that you can check in for your flight on American Airlines using nothing but your cell phone – no boarding pass print-out required?) it’s earth-shaking for us usability practitioners.
Here’s a few of my favorite BJ Fogg and team websites and studies. Please feel free to add yours if you don’t see it listed here:
Mobile Persuasion – Changing people’s beliefs and behaviors with mobile technology.
Stanford Facebook Class – Understanding the psychology of Facebook, and how applications and developers morph and in turn are morphed by users.
BJ Fogg’s Website – Just in case you missed the link above. Find out what BJ Fogg is up to, see his email and phone number, feel free to call him, but don’t expect him to answer your call, at least not right away.
BJ Fogg & Team Blog – Captology Notebook blog.
Stanford Web Creditibility Project Publications – Your one-stop shop for a listing of Stanford creditibility papers.
Prominence-interpretation theory: Explaining how people assess credibility online. Proceedings of CHI’03, Extended Abstracts on Human Factors in Computing Systems, 722-723. (2003)
Abstract – Four years of research has led to a theory that describes how people assess the credibility of Web sites. This theory proposes that users notice and interpret various Web site elements to arrive at an overall credibility assessment. Although preliminary, this theory explains previous research results and suggests directions for future studies.
ACM Digital Library or the Persuasive Technology Lab Report
How do users evaluate the credibility of Web sites? A study with over 2,500 participants. Proceedings of DUX2003, Designing for User Experiences Conference. (2003)
Abstract – In this study 2,684 people evaluated the credibility of two live Web sites on a similar topic (such as health sites). We gathered the comments people wrote about each site’s credibility and analyzed the comments to find out what features of a web site get noticed when people evaluate credibility. We found that the design look of the site was mentioned most frequently, being present in 46.1% of the comments. Next most common were comments about information structure and information focus. In this paper we share sample participant comments in the top 18 areas that people noticed when evaluating Web site credibility. We discuss reasons for the prominence of design look, point out how future studies can build on what we have learned in this new line of research, and outline six design implications for human-computer interaction professionals.
ACM Digital Library or the Expanded Consumer WebWatch Report
Experts vs. online consumers: A comparative credibility study of health and finance Web sites. Consumer WebWatch Research Report. (2002)
Abstract – Consumers are faced with important decisions about the information sources that they choose to believe for making important health or financial decisions. Do these everyday people know which Web sites are really credible, especially in vital areas such as finance and health? What do industry experts say about the credibility of sites in their fields? And, finally, how do the experts’ assessments compare to how the average person decides which sites to trust? To answer these credibility-related questions, Sliced Bread Design and Consumer Reports WebWatch produced this expert study, titled Experts vs. Online Consumers: A Comparative Credibility Study of Health and Finance Web Sites, in collaboration with Stanford University’s Persuasive Technology Lab (Stanford PTL).
Consumer Reports WebWatch Report
