Insights

Businesses, it’s our turn to make a difference

This isn’t political. Really. I know that, at this moment in time, it’s hard for people on both sides of the aisle to set aside blame and emotions and frustration. But commerce, in one form or another, is universal — we all need it, we all want it, and we all participate in it. The...

How to make (and keep) digital accessibility a priority

For some businesses, accessibility is a requirement, for some it’s not, but one thing has been made strikingly clear in recent years: digital accessibility standards are best practices for everyone. They are really human standards. And yet they are often ignored or overlooked once digital projects get going because in most cases there isn’t a...

5 tips for creating effective user personas

Full disclosure: I don’t create user personas. But that’s exactly why you should read this. Because I’m a person who uses them, and that makes me even more equipped to tell you what works. Experts may know how to create personas, but the people who use them know when they really work. First, what is a persona?...

The unintended lesson in communication that I learned from getting t-boned

I was t-boned in the middle of a mild snowstorm after a driver failed to take a right turn accurately. He plowed into me, and my car was in need of significant repairs. I contacted my dealership and got a recommendation for a reputable shop that did high-end work because I wanted the fixes to...

What the content first approach is and why you should use it

Quick Note on the Definition of Content Before we define the Content First approach to creating digital experiences, humor me while I quickly say a few things about the definition of content that I hope we can all agree on: Content is the reason your audience visits your website, downloads your app, gives you their...

The secret to getting a better product faster: user testing

More than ever, it’s essential that the interfaces of digital experiences are easy for people to use. It’s estimated that you only have a few seconds to hook your users. If they  find your website or app confusing or unclear, something better is a just click away. The best way to identify usability issues with...

Digital partnership trends

The digital industry is always evolving, so how we work with businesses is also constantly changing. It is pretty hard these days to think or talk about “digital” and think it only means a website or an app. It’s everything now. Digital solutions are the way back-end operational systems integrate to powerful front-end customer experiences; they create seamless transitions between online interactions and...

Internships: an expert shares how to make them effective and equal opportunity

2016 BrandLab In-House interns at Clockwork. I think we can all agree that access to productive work experiences at a young age is important. They can shape what careers options we see and help us uncover skills that we didn’t know we had. And, given the increasing competitiveness of many job opportunities, these experiences become...

4 ways to improve your digital ecosystem in 2017

It’s not even Thanksgiving and you’re probably already thinking about Q2 of 2017. We hear you. We’re thinking about it, too, and how we help get you set up for the year. Below are some posts we wrote over the year that might give you new ideas or inspire new thinking. And don’t forget, you can always...

Goodbye popups that block content

Imagine this scenario: You’re in line at the store, reading through news items on your phone. You’re interested in more detail on a story, so you do a quick Google search to get more information. After finding a reputable source, you tap on the link, see a few sentences, but then you are immediately blocked...