By Milissa Tarquini Director, User Interface Design and Information Architecture at AOL

We are all well aware that web design is not an easy task. There are many variables to consider, some of them technical, some of them human. The technical considerations of designing for the web can (and do) change quite regularly, but the human variables change at a slower rate. Sometimes the human variables change at such a slow rate that we have a hard time believing that it happens.

This is happening right now in web design. There is an astonishing amount of disbelief that the users of web pages have learned to scroll and that they do so regularly. Holding on to this disbelief – this myth that users won’t scroll to see anything below the fold – is doing everyone a great disservice, most of all our users.
First, a definition: The word “fold” means a great many things, even within the discipline of design. The most common use of the term “fold” is perhaps used in reference to newspaper layout. Because of the physical dimensions of the printed page of a broadsheet newspaper, it is folded. The first page of a newspaper is where the “big” stories of the issue are because it is the best possible placement. Readers have to flip the paper over (or unfold it) to see what else is in the issue, therefore there is a chance that someone will miss it. In web design, the term “fold” means the line beyond which a user must scroll to see more contents of a page (if it exists) after the page displays within their browser. It is also referred to as a “scroll-line.”
Screen performance data and new research indicate that users will scroll to find information and items below the fold. There are established design best practices to ensure that users recognize when a fold exists and that content extends below it¹. Yet during requirements gathering for design projects designers are inundated with requests to cram as much information above the fold as possible, which complicates the information design. Why does the myth continue, when we have documented evidence that the fold really doesn’t matter in certain contexts?

Once upon a time, page-level vertical scrolling was not permitted on AOL. Articles, lists and other content that would have to scroll were presented in scrolling text fields or list boxes, which our users easily used. Our pages, which used proprietary technology, were designed to fit inside a client application, and the strictest of guidelines ensured that the application desktop itself did not scroll. The content pages floated in the center of the application interface and were too far removed from the scrollbar location for users to notice if a scrollbar appeared. Even if the page appeared to be cut off, as current best practices dictate, it proved to be such an unusual experience to our users that they assumed that the application was “broken.” We had to instill incredible discipline in all areas of the organization that produced these pages – content creation, design and development – to make sure our content fit on these little pages.

AOL client application with desktop scrollbar activated

As AOL moved away from our proprietary screen technology to an open web experience, we enjoyed the luxury of designing longer (and wider) pages. Remaining sensitive to the issues of scrolling from our history, we developed and employed practices for designing around folds:

• We chose as target screen resolutions those used by the majority of our users.
• We identified where the fold would fall in different browsers, and noted the range of pixels that would be in the fold “zone.”
• We made sure that images and text appeared “broken” or cut off at the fold for the majority of our users (based on common screen resolutions and browsers).
• We kept the overall page height to no more than 3 screens.

But even given our new larger page sizes, we were still presented with long lists of items to be placed above the fold – lists impossible to accommodate. There were just too many things for the limited amount of vertical space.

For example, for advertising to be considered valuable and saleable, a certain percentage of it must appear above the 1024×768 fold. Branding must be above the fold. Navigation must be above the fold – or at least the beginning of the list of navigational choices. (If the list is well organized and displayed appropriately, scanning the list should help bring users down the page.) Big content (the primary content of the site) should begin above the fold. Some marketing folks believe that the actual number of data points and links above the fold is a strategic differentiator critical to business success. Considering the limited vertical real estate available and the desire for multiple ad units and functionality described above, an open design becomes impossible.

And why? Because people think users don’t scroll. Jakob Nielsen wrote about the growing acceptance and understanding of scrolling in 1997², yet 10 years later we are still hearing that users don’t scroll.

Research debunking this myth is starting to pop up, and a great example of this is the report available on ClickTale.com³. In it, the researchers used their proprietary tracking software to measure the activity of 120,000 pages. Their research gives data on the vertical height of the page and the point to which a user scrolls. In the study, they found that 76% of users scrolled and that a good portion of them scrolled all the way to the bottom, despite the height of the screen. Even the longest of web pages were scrolled to the bottom. One thing the study does not capture is how much time is spent at the bottom of the page, so the argument can be made that users might just scan it and not pay much attention to any content placed there.

This is where things get interesting.

I took a look at performance data for some AOL sites and found that items at the bottom of pages are being widely used. Perhaps the best example of this is the popular celebrity gossip website TMZ.com. The most clicked on item on the TMZhomepage is the link at the very bottom of the page that takes users to the next page. Note that the TMZ homepage is often over 15000 pixels long – which supports the ClickTale research that scrolling behavior is independent of screen height. Users are so engaged in the content of this site that they are following it down the page until they get to the “next page” link.

Maybe it’s not fair to use a celebrity gossip site as an example. After all, we’re not all designing around such tantalizing guilty-pleasure content as the downfall of beautiful people. So, let’s look at some drier content.
For example, take AOL News Daily Pulse. You’ll notice the poll at the bottom of the page – the vote counts are well over 300,000 each. This means that not only did folks scroll over 2000 pixels to the bottom of the page, they actually took the time to answer a poll while they were there. Hundreds of thousands of people taking a poll at the bottom of a page can easily be called a success.

But, you may argue, these pages are both in blog format. Perhaps blogs encourage scrolling more than other types of pages. I’m not convinced, since blog format is of the “newest content on top” variety, but it may be true. However, looking at pages that are not in blog format, we see the same trend. On the AOL Money & Financehomepage, users find and use the modules for recent quotes and their personalized portfolios even when these modules are placed well beneath the 1024×768 fold.

Another example within AOL Money & Finance is a photo gallery entitled Top Tax Tips. Despite the fact that the gallery is almost 2500 pixels down the page, this gallery generates between 200,000 and 400,000 page views depending on promotion of the Taxes page.

It is clear that where a given item falls in relation to the fold is becoming less important. Users are scrolling to see what they want, and finding it. The key is the content – if it is compelling, users will follow where it leads.

When does the fold matter?

The most basic rule of thumb is that for every site the user should be able to understand what your site is about by the information presented to them above the fold. If they have to scroll to even discover what the site is, its success is unlikely.

Functionality that is essential to business strategy should remain (or at least begin) above the fold. For example, if your business success is dependent on users finding a particular thing (movie theaters, for example) then the widget to allow that action should certainly be above the fold.

Screen height and folds matter for applications, especially rapid-fire applications where users input variables and change the display of information. The input and output should be in very close proximity. Getting stock quotes is an example: a user may want to get four or five quotes in sequence, so it is imperative that the input field and the basic quote information display remain above the fold for each symbol entered. Imagine the frustration at having to scroll to find the input field for each quote you wanted.

Where IS the fold?

Here is perhaps the biggest problem of all. The design method of cutting-off images or text only works if you know where the fold is. There is a lot of information out there about how dispersed the location of fold line actually is. Again, a very clear picture of this problem is shown on ClickTale. In the same study of page scrolling, fold locations of viewed screens were captured, based on screen resolution and browser used. It’s a sad, sad thing, but the single highest concentration of fold location (at around 600 pixels) for users accounted for less than 10% of the distribution. This pixel-height corresponds with a screen resolution of 1024×768. Browser applications take away varying amounts of vertical real estate for their interfaces (toolbars, address fields, etc). Each browser has a slightly different size, so not all visitors running a resolution of 1024×768 will have a fold that appears in the same spot. In the ClickTale study, the three highest fold locations were 570, 590 and 600 pixels—apparently from different browsers running on 1024×768 screens. But the overall distribution of fold locations for the entire study was so varied that even these three sizes together only account for less than 26% of visits. What does all this mean? If you pick one pixel location on which to base the location of the fold when designing your screens, the best-case scenario is that you’ll get the fold line exactly right for only 10% of your visitors.

So what do we do now?

Stop worrying about the fold. Don’t throw your best practices out the window, but stop cramming stuff above a certain pixel point. You’re not helping anyone. Open up your designs and give your users some visual breathing room. If your content is compelling enough your users will read it to the end.

Advertisers currently want their ads above the fold, and it will be a while before that tide turns. But it’s very clear that the rest of the page can be just as valuable – perhaps more valuable – to contextual advertising. Personally, I’d want my ad to be right at the bottom of the TMZpage, forget the top.

The biggest lesson to be learned here is that if you use visual cues (such as cut-off images and text) and compelling content, users will scroll to see all of it. The next great frontier in web page design has to be bottom of the page. You’ve done your job and the user scrolled all the way to the bottom of the page because they were so engaged with your content. Now what? Is a footer really all we can offer them? If we know we’ve got them there, why not give them something to do next? Something contextual, a natural next step in your site, or something with which to interact (such as a poll) would be welcome and, most importantly, used.

Click here for full article on boxesandarrows.com May 2011 Issue

One of the principles of new media and marketing is a strategy called “Launch and learn.”  This method is used to quickly launch products, websites and marketing campaigns to establish brand loyalty and customer communication before the product or website has actually reached perfection. Launching campaigns and websites sooner rather than later allows for consumer response to show you what works, and what doesn’t.  Setting up metrics such as open rates, conversion rates and analytics allows you to inexpensively launch several initiatives at the same time using different vehicles to reach end users.   After analyzing the results you can then allocate monies and resources to what works the best. If you are involved in e-commerce, the numbers will always tell the truth.

Another basic tenet of strategic marketing and planning is transparency.  When promoting products or services, it is absolutely imperative to clearly articulate what it is you are offering.  We believe in advertising as a tool to provide the information necessary for consumers to make intelligent choices.  People want the facts and the research behind a product before making purchases, whereas 5-10 years ago a spectacular image of a product or the promise of a feeling the product or service might provide, was enough to sell it.  Promoting marketing integrity from the start provides a strong foundation by building customer loyalty and satisfaction and also helps the “launch and learn” technique  distinguish between product and delivery feedback and a lack of solid information provided to the consumer.  When testing initiatives, the less variables involved the better.

Its okay to make mistakes, and every new business should be prepared to make them.  By setting up metrics you can launch initiatives and analytics to see what works, and what doesn’t.  The key is to make the fewest mistakes possible in terms of time and money. Because each product will take a different marketing approach, there is no way to know exactly what will work best without first testing the waters. Steer clear of any marketing firm that claims to have a successful marketing approach upfront for your product or service, because this may end up costing you more than just money in the long run. If you would like to learn more, please contact Kompani Group at (786) 594-0435 for a free consultation.

While being remembered is essential, it is becoming harder every day. A strong brand stands out in a densely crowded marketplace. Translating the brand into action has become an employee mantra.  There is substantial evidence that companies whose employees understand and embrace the  brand are more successful.  What began as corporate culture under the auspices of human resources is fast becoming branding, and the marketing department runs the show.

Click Here To See Interesting Commentary From Cristiana Pearson at Millward Brown

www.desantisbreindel.com/whitepapers/content-the-new-creative-desantis-breindel.pdf

Give them a visit at www.desantisbreindel.com and follow them on Twitter

Click Here to Read the Full Article

• It makes you a thought leader, a knowledge powerhouse, with the potential of being perceived a leader in your field.
• It shows the rest of the world that your doors are open for business. Imagine going into a store and all their products are covered with dust. That’s how it looks when you have a blog post or news item dated 2007!
• Allow search engines to get more link juice by finding relevant content and associate that content to your business.

If you commit yourself to write at least one blog post a week.  You will have 4 great articles to post in your newsletter. It’s that easy.  Aim high, even if you only write two posts, that’s great content for your newsletter.

When you are ready to send your blast. Get a small excerpt from each post, the title and a read more link pointing to your single blog post.

Here are all the milestones you reached:

1. This exercise keeps your website current.
2. Not only will you get traffic from the search engines, but the newsletter will remind your prospects and contacts about your existence.
3. If some of your blog posts are helpful tips (like this one) you pay it forward.
4. And finally, the most effective e marketing systems will provide you with an abundance of intelligence and analytics about who actually read your newsletter, who they forwarded it to and what they clicked on in the newsletter.

Like greatest showman on Earth, P.T. Barnum, who turned 200 years on July 5^th 2010, always used to say: “What happens when you stop promoting ………absolutely nothing”

Today with the increasing size of most large corporations it’s become more difficult for them to evolve and take risk when it comes to incorporating new technologies and ideas into their corporate management structure. No one wants to rock the boat. Change can be scary, cost money, and might not work. On the flip side change can still be scary, save a company lots of money, and can open doors that lead to new products or services.

We encourage companies to set aside a portion of money to be invested in small businesses in all kinds of sectors. The amount of money invested in each business can be as little as $20,000. We consider it R&D for management. Just one breakthrough from a company you invested in links you to a new solution to make your corporate management structure more efficient and profitable. Additionally, being on the ground floor provides a first mover advantage as you take this new concept out to market.

Kompani Group believes companies must be flexible by allowing new ideas and solutions that are not the norm to be introduced into the corporate structure. It can be uncomfortable at times but when you’re too comfortable with status quo you’re probably not growing and someone else is going to sneak up behind you and then leave you in the dust.

The complementary nature of non-profit business incubators and for-profit incubators became quite apparent during our meeting with 5 Chilean government sponsored business incubators.

On May 16-19, 2010 the National Business Incubator Association, NBIA, celebrated its first 25 years by organizing the International Conference on Business Incubation in Orlando, Florida.   Amongst the more than 500 business incubators from all over the globe were 5 Chilean business incubators who all decided to visit Kompani Group to explore synergies between their non-profit incubator outfits and a for-profit business and strategy incubator like Kompani Group. The explorations trip for the 5 Chilean business incubators was funded by the Chilean Development Minister, and included Mr. Eduardo Aranda M from Gerente Incubadora de Negocios in Santiago, Mr. Etienne Choupay Magna from Pontificia Universidad Catolica De Valparaiso, Mr. Diego Gonza’lez Carvallo from Austral Incuba – Universidad Austral de Chile, Mr. Enrique Roma’n Gonza’lez from Penanova Incubadora De Negocios and finally Alvaro Bustos Torrebalance of SantiagoInnova.

For more information about the NBIA and this year’s International Conference on Business Incubation please visit http://www.nbia.org/events/conf2010/index.php , this year’s conference host University of Central Florida’s business incubation program at www.incubator.ucf.edu , or visit this year’s title sponsor Florida high tech Corridor Council www.floridahightech.com

With shrinking budgets and increasing environmental concerns, CIT has been exploring ways to reduce campus printing costs and consumption of supplies. One suggestion that has been made on several occasions is to use a font that consumes less ink and toner. To that end, we have selected the Century Gothic font for the campus choice award! The Century Gothic font looks good onscreen and on the printed page (at least for general purposes), and it uses 30% less ink than the most commonly used default font – Arial. This is a big deal because ink accounts for about 60% of the cost of the printed page, and it is not cheap — about $10,000 a gallon – with toner cartridges and drums not far behind.

As a result, and after consultation with the Technology Council, we have decided to change the default font for Outlook across campus to Century Gothic. Of course, you may change back to a different default font if you wish, but we hope you will “think green” as you make your choice. This change will occur the next time you reboot your PC.

In addition, we encourage everyone to switch to Century Gothic as their default font in Entourage for Macintosh, Word, and Excel. We did not do this automatically because it would mean wiping out all your other customized application settings. Be aware that changing the default font would only affect new documents and messages. In addition, you can always change the default font for any single document.

Please refer to our eHelp instructions for information on How to change your default font in Outlook, Word, and Excel and How to change your default font in Entourage, Word, and Excel on a Macintosh.

We have had numerous inquiries about how we implemented this change and our resources. Please see the links below for more information:

http://blog.printer.com/2009/04/printing-costs-does-font-choice-make-a-difference/

http://ca.tech.yahoo.com/blogs/the_gadget_hound/rss/article/3751

http://www.printgreener.com/pdfs/GreenPrint%20White%20Paper%20September%2008.pdf

http://pcworld.about.com/news/Aug282003id112199.htm

Source: University of Wisconsin – Green Bay

Hollywood, Florida March 23nd 2010 – Primetime Race Group delivers a podium finish in the American Le Mans Series debut of the Oreca FLM09 Le Mans Challenge car at the 58th annual 12 Hours of Sebring in the newly sponsored and liveried Braille Battery racing machine.

After a long anticipated move to the LMP category of the American Le Mans, Primetime is already writing new chapters in the record books. The team arrived to Sebring Florida 6 days prior to race day in preparation for the start of the 2010 season. Testing began on Tuesday for team drivers Joel Feinberg, Kyle Marcelli, and gentleman driver Tom Weickardt who would join the team as the third driver for the 12 hours. As expected at the start of every new season, glitches needed addressing across the paddock, teams needed to shake off the dust from the winter, and it would be some time before the days would start to flow with consistency.

As usual, Primetime would do what they do best and fight through adversity; in this case it would be the task of running a brand new car that had never turned a race lap on US soil. The Oreca built FLM09 had been adopted by the American Le Mans Series after a successful season of sprint racing in conjunction with the European Le Mans Series and would now be put to the test of endurance racing in American Le Mans.

Five teams would step up and attempt to saddle the new stallion, a highly unforgiving task of determining whether the car could actually handle a 12 hour race would lie ahead. Sebring is historically known for being the most abusive road circuit in the world and would either make or break the addition of the new FLM09. Throughout the pre race practice sessions Primetime along with every team on the grid would battle with limited track time due to repeated closed course conditions for on track incidents that would cut practices by nearly half making it more than difficult to hone in on a race setup.

Leading up to qualifying, Primetime would suffer a substantial setback after an incident where the car needed to be towed off track and in the process severe damage was caused to the chassis resulting in a 14 hour repair to the carbon fiber monocoque which would keep the team from making it out for the qualifying session. None the less, with a twelve hour race ahead of them the team would keep their eyes looking ahead on the big picture and get the car back in order just prior to the race.

Team owner and multiple 2009 drivers champion Joel Feinberg would take the honours of the green flag start and pilot the #11 car until the first scheduled pit stop. At 53 minutes into the race, just one lap prior to a fuel stop, an electrical glitch had forced the cars computer to apply 70% throttle sending Feinberg as a passenger into a tire wall barrier in turn three causing severe damage that would require nearly 3 hours of repair at the teams trailer. The dedicated Primetime crew would once again rally to get the car back on track.

Once repaired and back on track, co-driver Kyle Marcelli would take the reins and begin what would be a double stint behind the wheel in hopes of turning fast laps and keeping the car out of the pits. Marcelli had set a consistent pace for himself during his 1 hour and 57 minute stint while running times as quick as or quicker than the class leaders before handing it over to Tom Weickardt who would then also pilot the car for a double stint of 2 hours and 20 minutes.

The Primetime crew continued running flawlessly for the remainder of the race with Feinberg in for another stint of 2 hours and 24 minutes and Marcelli running the final 1 hour and 57 minutes to the finish and taking the checkered in P3 of the Challenge class for the teams first of many 2010 ALMS podium finishes.

Joel Feinberg, Team Owner - I am tremendously pleased with the way our team worked this week, as always, Primetime is never done. We work to the end and never give up, in endurance racing anything can happen and you always need to be thinking ahead. Having Kyle in the car with us has been a great addition to the team and I foresee lots of great results for us throughout the season. The addition of Braille Battery as our title team partner has been a great experience. Braille owner Blake Fuller, his staff, and his product are truly success in the making. We look forward to a long and prosperous relationship together.

Kyle Marcelli, Co-Driver - This was a very emotional weekend for me. So much hard work has been put in to get to this point. Joel and the entire Primetime Race Group has made me feel right at home taking me under their wing and I cant thank them enough. We all have the same goals, passion and work ethic which I know is going to lead us to many more podium finishes and race wins. Overall Sebring was a successful weekend and I’m confident that we are only going to continue to grow and achieve more success as the season progresses.

Brent O’Neill, Team Manager – Having run this race under the Primetime banner for the past three years, I can honestly say that this has been the most exciting one yet. Being a racer myself, I have seen everything from all sides and have experienced the highs and lows of endurance racing. We had a winning car this time and just got caught out with something that would have never been a thought. I have to take my hat off to my crew for their commitment to getting the job done, not one person under our awning wasn’t giving it 110% when we needed them. Great job guys!

Blake Fuller, Braille Battery - History of the Sebring 12hr race shows that great drivers need a great team to not only finish, but to be a true contender. The inaugural 12 hr race for the LMPC class shows that the Braille Battery/ Primetime racing team are going to be a real threat in this season championship. The determination of the team to win is evidence in how they recovered from a catastrophic first hour (a flat and contact with the wall) and climbed back to a podium position all within 12 hours!

Multiple professional teams are currently using Braille Batteries in the American Le Mans series. The Braille Battery Primetime LMPC vehicle’s design is a proud testament to the response of racing teams and fans that green technology produces the needed products for the World we live in today.

We look forward to Primetime Race Group promoting Braille’s GreenStart Lithium and AAGM Dry Cell Technology throughout the entire American Le Mans 2010 series. The next round is fast approaching in Long Beach, California which will coincide with the “Race Has Gone Green Conference” that is being held to promote Green Racing within the Long Beach Race Course. This event will bring together industry leaders which are racing toward a change and I will personally be there as part of this event.
The team is now back in South Florida preparing for the west coast swing and round two of the American Le Mans Series in the streets of Long Beach for the Tequila Patron Grand Prix of Long Beach on April 17th with tape delayed coverage on SPEED TV at 8pm EST.

The Primetime duo of Feinberg and Marcelli will pilot the #11 LMPC car for what will be the shortest race of the season consisting of 1 hour and 40 minutes in the downtown streets of Long Beach, one of the most exciting and fan filled venues on the circuit.

Stayed tuned for further Primetime updates!!!!

For more information visit:
www.primetimeracegroup.com
www.kylemarcelli.com
www.americanlemans.com
www.braillebattery.com