Fast Talk Response -

Karen McGrane — Fri, 23 May 2008 12:08:14 -0400

I've worked on several major website redesigns (like The New York Times and Fast Company) and have come to accept that there will always be some vocal dissenters. When people use a product frequently and grow accustomed to a particular layout, any change can be hard to get used to. But that's not a reason to just let designs stagnate. Another common response: "I hated it at first, but once I got used to it, I realized I really liked the new design!"

Fast Talk Response -

Karen McGrane — Thu, 08 May 2008 10:56:43 -0400

License its superior user interface to the cable providers.

Fast Talk Response -

Karen McGrane — Mon, 28 Apr 2008 14:06:58 -0400

If by "save themselves" you really mean "retain the same business model and margins" then the answer is clearly no. Their business was artificially propped up for a decade by digital media, as people replaced their old cassettes and vinyl with CDs. Now they're just reaping the downside of the digital revolution.

Comment on Node ant

Karen McGrane — Mon, 28 Apr 2008 13:57:36 -0400

I'm Karen McGrane, and I am one of the partners at Bond Art and Science, an interactive consulting firm. We do strategy and design for clients in the media, publishing and financial services industries. I led the redesign of Fast Company, and have also worked with The New York Times, Conde Nast, The Week, and The Atlantic.

Fast Talk Response -

Karen McGrane — Thu, 24 Apr 2008 11:21:35 -0400

I pay more for my power through a green program with my electric company. I'll pay slightly more to buy locally grown produce from the greenmarket instead of commercial produce from the supermarket. So, yes, if I thought it was really making a difference.

Comment on Node ant

Karen McGrane — Tue, 01 Apr 2008 12:28:24 -0400

I am surprised that this article does not mention all the people working in the fields of user experience, human-computer interaction, information architecture, and interaction design. I agree that technology needs more people who focus on the "human side" of things, but specialists who focus on designing better experiences for people have been working for decades -- they aren't crawling out of the primordial ooze now.

Comment on Node ant

Karen McGrane — Fri, 28 Mar 2008 15:31:07 -0400

I was lucky enough to work with Dan Roam a few years back, and especially lucky to get the benefit of some of his easy-to-understand and charming graphics to explain complex concepts to our clients. I hope everyone who liked this article will pick up a copy of his book.

Fast Talk Response -

Karen McGrane — Tue, 15 Jan 2008 11:51:36 -0500

Smart! An existing relationship can smooth out some of the rough spots in getting a business off the ground. If you already respect each other, trust each other, and enjoy each other's company, you're more likely to work well together.

Comment on Node ant

Karen McGrane — Tue, 15 Jan 2008 11:05:21 -0500

I agree with his point about hiring "T-shaped" people. Unfortuantely those people can be hard to find, and traditional organizations don't do enough to nurture them.

Fast Talk Response -

Karen McGrane — Mon, 14 Jan 2008 19:40:49 -0500

I disagree that Google is the most important WEBSITE in the world, because Google is a broader set of services and tools that live in a variety of places. When users access Google search from the browser toolbar, or send a query from a mobile phone via SMS, they aren't visiting a website. Facebook still (mostly) requires the user to go to facebook.com to access its content and features. Whether Facebook will replace Google is, I think, dependent on whether it can develop services that extend beyond the .com site.