Developing Usable Experiences

Engagement Platforms Require Interaction

February 17th, 2010 7:23 am —  25 views

On January 18th I cleaned up my work bench area in the basement and put up this canvas and set out these tubes of oil paint. That was nearly a month ago to this day. And there they sit. Since then, there has been no engagement. It’s a matter of priority I tell myself. School, work and home stuff have the upper hand for the time being.

The marketing strategy class I’m taking has me working on a white paper whose purpose is to identify areas of engagement in a certain business or industry, the value gained from those engagements, and how to increase the value to those involved. These areas of interaction can be with customers, other businesses, other business units, departments, teams, and coworkers. You get the picture, the blank canvas.

This blog is an engagement platform. It is an unfolding story where we can co-create value. Granted, it’s in the form of page reads and the coveted comment, but there can be value in both writing and reading a blog…and not always at the same time. These types of ramblings aren’t entertaining to everyone. Writing has a certain voice…and some voices are just annoying.

Getting back to creating valuable experiences through things that allow people to connect…

The experience of interaction, the accessibility of information, the structure of an interface, these things  play a critical role in creating valuable experiences. An equally critical role, and dependent upon the aforementioned, is the coming together of interface with interested party.

That’s when cool things happen. That’s when an engagement platform becomes the structure to a more meaningful experience, be it a blog, a web site, a portal, a program, computer, a mobile device. At that point they are vehicles connecting people, allowing experience to unfold, allow value to be created collaboratively.

Or it might be a white canvas of potential, waiting patiently for time and attention to come together in a way that engages the soul. It’s a tall order. But being the viewer, and being engaged, should be enough to start with.

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Comments

2 Responses to “Engagement Platforms Require Interaction”

  1. Dawn on February 17th, 2010 5:08 pm

    LOL. I have my stuff sitting in the breakfast room. It’s trying to engage me but I just don’t feel motivated. I picked up the book “Trust the Process; an Artist’s Guide to Letting Go.” by Shaun McNiff today from the library. Someone had recommended it to me. Haven’t started reading it yet, but I hope it’s inspirational! You’ll be able to paint this spring once you’re FREE!

  2. Spike on February 17th, 2010 11:04 pm

    Funny that there is a book like that, though I understand some of the barriers to being creative.

    We must paint! Connect through old school pigment!

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