Sitback Blog

Photo source: Kelly Samuel

Based on the current dominating trend of smart home devices such as Google Home and Amazon Echo, or virtual assistants such as Apple's Siri, it seems almost certain that voice interaction is here to stay. In fact, it is believed that by 2030, 30% of searches will be done without a keyboard or screen within a home and personal context (Gartner,2017).

But is voice interaction ready for the prime time? Or more importantly, are we ready for voice interaction?

Running Service Design Workshops

Human-Centred Design (HCD) professionals are broadening their scope beyond straight-forward interaction design to focus more on strategy, business, and services. This is something we have increasingly had the opportunity to do at Sitback. Many of our projects now have the Service Design philosophy deeply embedded in them, and increasingly we are incorporating various layers of Service Design to our UX projects with our clients.

Because of this, we have created a Service Design Workshop Toolkit to assist our fellow Human-Centred Design professionals in practicing and incorporating Service Design in their day-to-day work.

It is very much an 'alpha' version, and consequently we would love to hear your feedback so that we can continuously improve it, making it even more useful for everyone that uses it!

For those of you out there who work in software development, you will likely be well aware of the ongoing and often heated debate over Agile and Waterfall development methodologies. Which is best? Will one mean success where the other spells certain doom? And just what is the difference anyway?

The truth is, they’re both great when you play to their strengths, but you should always let the project determine which approach you take, rather than leading with the methodology. In particular, Agile is not a one-size-fits-all solution and instead should be tailored to fit the size and structure of the company you're working with.

To help you on your Agile journey, we’ve put together five essential tips for successful Agile web development. Ready? Let’s dive in.

At Sitback, we have had the opportunity to work on a wealth of products and services across different brands and industries. It’s perfect for us since we have an endless curiosity about how people think and do things and how we can design better experiences for them.

Deliver exceptional user experiences by ensuring your digital services are simple, clear and fast.

Here at Sitback, we’ve worked with agencies on Human-Centred Design projects across all areas of Government, from DoE to ASIC, and one thing has become very clear. Departments who are truly focused on their customers are driven to deliver exceptional experiences. But simply wanting it isn’t enough. Fortunately, there are a number of techniques and concepts that, when applied correctly, will ensure that the digital services you deliver are simple, clear and fast, resulting in reduced customer complaints, increased customer satisfaction and improved departmental efficiency. 

Human capacity to perceive and process information is limited. If you think about how many thousands of stimuli we come into contact with each day, it's a wonder we can function at all!

To cope with this overload of information, we as humans have evolved a number of strategies to help us function within our busy world. As Experience Designers, understanding these strategies can help us conduct better research resulting in more accurate observations, and design interfaces that are easier to use and require less mental effort (i.e. cognitive load).

This article focuses specifically on cognitive biases, what they are, and how we can address them.

As a Marketing Professional, I was recently asked by an acquaintance back in the UK, "How do you choose the right Digital Agency to build a website? What should I look for and what questions should I be asking?"

Choosing a Digital Partner to build your website is an important decision. The result can consume a considerable portion of your annual Marketing budget, it can have a huge impact on customer perception of your brand, and it can help advance your career as a Digital Marketer.

While I don't pretend to have all the right answers, and a lot of the time the decision could well come down to going with whatever your gut tells you, I thought others out there might also find the advice interesting, since it doesn't centre on the considerations I often see mentioned.

But first, let me tell you a little story...

It's been a busy few months for new starters here at Sitback, what with Rebeka last month and Leigh the month before. Now, I'm pleased to add Annick Kessels to that list!

As has become the custom in these parts, we start the welcome wagon with a brief introduction - Annick tells me she doesn't like to be the centre of attention, so don't tell her you've read this, OK?

So, without further ado... 

Continuing our recent round of introductions to new Sitback faces, I'd like to introduce you to our latest member of the team, Rebeka Hall.