Atlantic Business Technologies, Inc.

Author: Atlantic BT

  • Lean UX Workshop with Jeff Gothelf

    Jeff Gothelf Lean UX Atlantic BT Raleigh
    Jeff Gothelf, author of Lean UX, will be leading a Lean UX workshop at Atlantic BT on March 26.

    Atlantic BT is excited to host an all day workshop on March 26th with Jeff Gothelf, author of Lean UX. The workshop titled “Lean for Enterprise Teams: Combining Agile, Lean and User-Centered Design in large companies” focuses on ways to “structure and incentivize teams to discover, design and deliver the best products for your existing lines of business.”

    Jeff will explore what to do with existing customers, brand expectations, competing corporate priorities and legacy product lines and business. You will leave with specific techniques you can put to work immediately.

    Don’t miss out on an insightful hands-on workshop with renowned UX author, Jeff Gothelf.

    Event details
    March 26, 2015
    9:00 AM – 5:00 PM
    4509 Creedmoor Road, 1st floor
    Raleigh, NC 27612

    For more information and to register, visit this page: http://www.eventbrite.com/e/lean-for-enterprise-teams-raleigh-full-day-workshop-tickets-15697920904

  • Why Your Website Needs to be Mobile Friendly Right Now

    There’s a fairly significant change coming next month to organic search and it has the potential to cause some major disruption in how your site performs in the search engines. Google announced at the end of February that it was increasing the use of “mobile-friendliness” as an organic ranking factor for a Web site. So, the main question you need to consider: is my site ready for this change?

    Why Mobile Friendly Sites are Important to Google

    It’s no secret that mobile devices are quickly overtaking desktop as the primary way we connect to the Internet on a regular basis. Smartphones now make up nearly 76% of all mobile devices according to the latest comScore data. And with all those devices come lots and lots of mobile searches.

    Google reports that it handles about 3 billion searches each day. And while Google doesn’t tell us exactly how many of those searches are mobile (some estimate it is as much as 50% of all searches), we can be pretty confident that mobile search is a fairly significant share. Why? Consider the rise of the “virtual assistants” like Siri, Google Now and Cortana. Owners of smartphones are increasingly turning to these tools to conduct searches and those take place through mobile devices.

    With that in mind, Google needs to display search results in a way that will provide the best experience for the user. And if the user is searching on a mobile device, they want to provide a result that will work well on that user’s device. Google, for some time now, has used “mobile friendliness” as a ranking factor in organic search. But with the growth in the use of mobile, Google needs to give more weight to sites that have been optimized for mobile. And that’s what’s driving the change next month.

    Will Google’s “Mobile Friendly” Change Impact Your Site?

    While no one can say for certain whether or not your site will be impacted by this change, there are a few things you can check to see if you are ready for the transition:

    1. Test your site using Google’s Mobile Friendliness Tool. Google has created a tool to test your site for mobile friendliness. The test is simple and straightforward: enter your site’s URL in the search box, Google conducts a quick analysis, and lets you know whether your site is mobile friendly or not. If it is not mobile friendly, Google provides a link to a technical guide you can follow to improve your site. If you’re not comfortable with Web design/development, you’ll need to reach out to a Web developer to help you get the site ready.

    2. Ask: Is mobile search important for your business? Depending on the type of business, mobile search may be very important to your visibility in the search engines. Retail shops, restaurants, venues and pretty much any place with a location where customers come to you will need to provide a great mobile experience. Engaged in eCommerce? Mobile commerce (called mCommerce) is on the rise, so providing shoppers with a good mobile experience is more important than ever. Bottom line: if being found on mobile devices is important, you need to make sure that your site is mobile-friendly.

    3. Find out: Do you get a significant number of visitors through mobile search today? Take a look at your Google Analytics data. What percentage of your organic traffic comes in on mobile devices? How is that data trending? If your mobile audience growing? If so, you need to create a great user experience for them while also getting your site ready for a greater emphasis on being mobile friendly.

    What You Need to Do if You Believe Your Site Will Be Impacted

    1. Be prepared to act quickly. The April 21 deadline is approaching quickly, so you do not have a lot of time. Every day you delay taking action puts you at risk for the potential to fall in organic rankings.

    2. Explore a temporary solution. Depending upon the type of content management system you are using, you may be able to put in place a mobile switcher or mobile-friendly theme. If this is an option for your site, it is one you may want to put in place while working on a better, long-term solution.

    3. Redesign your site to use a responsive design. The best, long-term solution is to redesign your site with a mobile-first philosophy. This approach allows you to create a site design that is responsive to the device your visitors are using (mobile, tablet or desktop) to give them a better experience, while also helping you maintain (or even improve) your organic mobile search rankings.

    Need Help Getting Started?

    Need help determining if your site could be impacted? Not sure how to get started with making your site mobile friendly? Atlantic BT has helped hundreds of businesses create sites that are mobile friendly and are prepared for the upcoming transition. Use our contact form or call us at (919) 518-0670 x6 to talk with a consultant about your situation and what we can do to help. We’ll explore your situation and help you develop a strategy that will position your site to perform well on mobile devices.

    *photo courtesy of Karlis Dambrans on Flickr

  • Uber, Ethics and Mobile App Development

    It didn’t take long for the news of Uber’s conduct to come to my attention. One of my colleagues, Mike McTaggart, wrote a post about it on LinkedIn titled “Uber and Ethics in Technology.” As a mobile application developer for Atlantic BT, I soon found myself being approached by my colleagues wanting to know my perspective.

    If you aren’t familiar with Uber, they’re a service that is essentially a crowd-sourced alternative to a taxi. It’s cheap, efficient, and they have a mobile app to go along with it that makes it easy to use the service to get around. It is also a mobile app that can track users in the background and allegedly has a “God View” tool that lets the company track the movements of their users.

    At Atlantic BT, we pride ourselves on ethical conduct. We need to balance what’s possible with what’s the best position for the client. At times, that can make for some difficult conversations, but they are ones we believe in having because it results in a better end product.

    Avoiding an Uber Situation: Ethics Guidelines in Mobile App Development

    In my career, I’ve gotten requests as part of projects to track a user’s location in a mobile app. On Android, all the permissions an app requires are presented to a user up-front. Sometimes, there are completely valid reasons to request fine location access, such as displaying a map with directions to your destination. But there must always be a balance. In my role as a mobile developer, it is my job to provide guidance to our clients on where that balance is. To help, I use a few simple guidelines:

    • If the application will do something in the background, let the user know, and let them turn it off.

    • Always use the least-invasive method of collection possible. If knowing what county the user is in is good enough, there’s no reason to use GPS.

    • Properly disable invasive data collection when it is not needed. If you aren’t looking at a map to see your current location, I will actively disable location collection.

    • If information is collected, store it securely. If it doesn’t have to leave the phone, store it locally in a protected area.

    • If collected information must be stored “in the cloud” let the user know. Tell them what you are collecting, and when you will store it. Again, let the user choose to turn it on or off.

    What concerns me about Uber and their handling of this situation is that it shakes faith in the mobile application industry. If people decide that they can’t trust mobile app developers, then they will simply find alternatives. A website may be slower and less efficient than a mobile app, but it can’t run in the background. By nature, mobile apps have more access to your device, and in turn, more access to you. It is absolutely imperative that all mobile developers make an effort to retain trust in our industry. When a company like Uber violates that trust, it doesn’t just hurt them and their users, it hurts all mobile developers.

    Maintaining Trust in Mobile App Development

    As I mentioned, I am a mobile developer. I love what I do, and I take pride in my work. I treat every project that I work on with care. I am writing code that users trust enough to install on their mobile  phone, and I strive to always do my utmost to be worthy of that trust.

    I don’t want to  take the same approach as Uber in my work at Atlantic BT. In that interest, I have begun to consider what I can do to prevent that from happening. I will keep the story of Uber in mind, and I will make sure to discuss it if clients ask for something similar. It may be difficult, but if the time ever comes, as Mike said in his post, sometimes “we have to say ‘No.’”

    What other considerations do you think we should have when considering users’ privacy? What can we do to keep your trust?

    *photo credit: IntelFreePress on Flickr

  • 3 Takeaways from Forrester’s Digital Advertising Report on the Decline of TV Advertising

    Yesterday, the team at Forrester Research released a report (detailed in an article on Ad Age) that projects digital advertising will overtake TV advertising by 2016. In fact, digital advertising is expected to reach a whopping $103 billion by 2019, compared to TV advertising spends that will total about $86 billion. What’s driving the change? Forrester says marketers are committing more ad dollars to digital because they can prove that it works. Basically, you can measure performance in digital advertising more easily than you can with TV advertising.

    “So what,” you might say. “That’s great for big brand advertisers. But how does this affect my business? We don’t do a lot (or any) TV advertising.” Well, friend, there are some really good nuggets in this report that apply to you, even if you do nothing with TV advertising.

    3 Takeaways from Forrester’s Digital Advertising Report

    There were three key points that stood out to me from this research, each of which has direct application to anyone engaged in digital marketing today.

    1. Measurable media is preferred. If you have limited advertising budgets, you have to pick and choose where you’re going to spend those dollars. And if you’re under pressure to produce positive ROI, you’re unlikely to spend those dollars in a place where you can’t measure the results. This is where digital has the clear advantage over TV. With digital, you can track every impression, every click, every path and every conversion (and failed conversions) to find out just how strong a performer that advertising spend was.Key takeaway: when considering advertising options, look for ways you can measure performance and develop a measurement strategy.

    1. Paid search is still king of the mountain. The Forrester report compared different forms of digital advertising spends and found that, by dollar volume, search marketing gets the lion’s share of the budget. Why? Because it is measurable. Notice a theme here? With search, you have a wide variety of options including standard search (text-based ads), display networks, shopping/product ads, video ads and more. And each of these ads is triggered by something that is intended to make the ad relevant to the searcher. And that’s a win for you and your marketing budget.

      Key takeaway: evaluate the variety of search advertising options available. More than likely, one of these options will be a strong performer for your advertising and marketing efforts.

    1. Email remains a strong performer. Compared to the other channels examined in this report, Forrester noted that email marketing is relatively inexpensive, but still quite effective. As I’ve written about previously, email marketing can be a very strong channel for marketers as part of your overall digital marketing strategy.Why? It is measurable (there’s that word again!). You can track performance within your email campaigns to a high degree of detail. And as a bonus, email marketing fosters long-term relationships with customers, which keeps them returning to you time and again. And who’s going to argue with that?

      Key takeaway: invest in a strong email marketing program, especially if you are involved in eCommerce.

    What’s Next for Your Digital Advertising Strategy?

    The advertising world is rapidly moving towards measurable, accountable ad buys. No matter if it is paid search, paid social advertising, email marketing, or the like, you must find ways to measure your efforts to ensure that you’re getting as good a return on that investment as needed. At Atlantic BT, we work with many of our clients to help them develop a digital marketing and advertising strategy to achieve the results they are looking for. Interested in learning more? Call a member of our consulting team at (919) 518-0670 x6 or use our contact form. We’d be happy to help you explore the options that work best for your company to help you get the results you need from your digital advertising.

     *photo courtesy of Bonnaf on Flickr via Creative Commons License.

  • E-Commerce – Is it safer than retail?

    E-Commerce or retail: which is better for data security? I just published a post on Linkedin where I take a look at recent POS malware-based security breaches – Target, Home Depot, Dairy Queen, Jimmy John’s, Goodwill Stores, K-Mart… The list seems to go on and on. In essence, the proliferation of web-connected point of sale (POS) systems – those checkout machines that suggest related products, offer discounts on future purchases, and more – has gone up like  flare announcing “easy pickin’s!” for sophisticated hackers.

    In fact, these POS systems often utilize run-of-the-mill Windows operating systems vulnerable to a variety of attack vectors, including one that’s been available to the public since 2012 (called BlackPOS, developed by a Russian teenager). There have also been 3rd party payment system breaches – like the one that impacted Goodwill stores for around 18 months. Stolen data ranges from an identity thief’s dream haul (names, addresses, payment info, and more) to “only” payment card data – but “only” payment card data would still let a criminal “clone” your credit card.

    Combine these digital vulnerabilities at your local grocery checkout with physical ones like increasingly advanced “skimmers” made to capture your credit card info as you swipe it, and a lot of people are growing increasingly nervous shopping retail – and perhaps more confident online than in-store.

    E-commerce developers like Atlantic BT have been security-focused for years – the public has demanded it. Can brick-and-mortar retailers catch up? I’d love to hear your thoughts!

  • Should You Use Social Media Logins on Your Web Site?

    If you’ve visited a Web site recently that requires you to login to a customer account, you’ve likely been given the option to use one of your social media accounts to complete the login process. Using a social media login is fast, easy and fairly common. In fact, a recent study confirmed that in the U.S., 77% of Web site visitors have used a social media account to login to the site at least once and 65% use that option “always or often.” Here are a few additional highlights from the survey:

    • 53% of those surveyed say they use social media logins because they don’t want to spend time filling out registration forms
    • 47% use the social media login option because they don’t want to create yet another password to remember
    • 46% believe the sites that use social media logins will sell the data they collect
    • 42% say they believe the site will post to a social network without the individual’s permission
    • 86% feel that data collection companies should be more heavily regulated by the government

    In reviewing these numbers, there seems to be something of a paradox: Web site visitors are willing to use social media logins even though they believe the companies will misuse that information in some way. And many would be right to say that this doesn’t make sense. But it does seem to point out that in the online space, convenience and simplicity rule the day. And if you are building or running a Web site today, this should be your take away: your customers expect you to make social media logins available.

    Let’s take a look at four benefits of using social media logins within your site.

    4 Benefits of Using Social Media Logins Within Your Web Site

    1. Simplicity for the End User. As the study data points out, a majority of site visitors want to use social media logins because they believe it will save them time. You may have a lot of data you’d like to collect as part of your customer profiles, but your customers have already set the expectation: keep it simple. They do not want to answer all your questions and provide all the tiny bits of data you want to collect. If you make your registration process complex, they will likely abandon your site and move on elsewhere. So, if you want to retain those site visitors, providing a social media login option can improve your retention of customers.

    2. More Data/Better Data on Your Site Visitors. When you offer visitors the chance to use a social media login, you instantly gain access to a lot of profile data (depending on how you setup the permissions for your connection). For example, by allowing a visitor to use his/her Facebook account to login, you now have the potential to connect your visitor, your site and your own Facebook Fan Page together. This will allow you to see better audience demographics. It also improves targeting options for content and advertising. By using a standalone visitor registration process, you would forgo these options and your data would be less valuable.

    3. Identification of Customer Social Network Preferences. If you’ve tried to build a following on the various social network available today, you’ve likely encountered a common problem: finding out where your customers like to hang out. Sure, Facebook is a popular choice, but how much of your audience uses Twitter? Google Plus? LinkedIn? By offering a social media login option, you are, in effect, polling your audience to find out which social networks they prefer. You can use this data to refine your social media efforts and build a better connection with your customers.

    4. Lower Development Costs. Building a Web site with a registration process can be expensive. And the more you ask for from your site visitors, the more you’re going to pay for development. One way to minimize some of your development costs as it relates to the account creation process is to use social media logins. In many instances, the social networks have pre-packaged code ready to use that requires minimal effort by a developer to fit it to your Web site. This will save you time and money. All while providing your visitors with what they were looking for to begin with.

    A Word of Warning About Social Media Logins

    As noted above a large number of site visitors prefer to use social media logins. But that doesn’t relieve you of any responsibilities when setting social logins up for your Web site. We strongly recommend that you respect your customers and make clear the ways in which you will use the data gathered from their social network account. Your customers are already leery of companies that collect this data. Show them that you can be trusted by providing clear policies and practices within your Web site that respect their privacy while providing them with a good experience.

    Getting Started with Social Media Logins

    Social media logins can be very beneficial for your Web site. Not only do they make it easy for your visitors/customers to connect with you, they also lower development costs and provide a wealth of data and insight into customer behaviors. If you’re thinking of implementing social media logins within your Web site, feel free to contact us and let us help you through the process. Atlantic BT has experience helping sites of all sizes implement a social media login strategy that provides the benefits you’re looking for.

    About Jon Parks

    Jon Parks is a Sr. Consultant with Atlantic BT. With more than 15 years in the digital marketing and communications fields, Jon’s focus has been in  helping companies develop digital marketing strategies to achieve their online marketing goals. You can follow Jon on Twitter (@jonparks), circle him on Google Plus or connect with him on LinkedIn.

    *featured image photo credit: mkhmarketing on Flickr