Category Archives: Great Ideas

Visual Search Apps Offering Real Life Solutions

18th May 2011

If you know anything about me, you might know that I’m obsessed with anything Google and that that company pretty much runs my life. A few updates to two of my favorite Google apps are now making my life on the go easier as well.

The Google Shopper app, similar to other apps on the Market such as the Amazon app  allows users to easily compare product prices and make simplified purchasing decisions in-aisle. I found myself using this app often while Christmas shopping this past year, comparing product reviews, prices, etc. all while in store.

Google Shopper app now allows users to employ visual search to identify products. By scanning a barcode, or even the product itself, users are given information such as price, reviews and places to buy. After a recent scan of a DVD, I was even more impressed to see a link to a YouTube trailer of the movie right in the interface. Shopping made simple.

Not to leave visual search to shopping, the  Google Goggles app has been a favorite of mine for quite some time. The basic premise is to perform a Google search through a photo scan. Examples of items that work best include products, logos and even paintings hanging in a museum. However, the most recent update to this app really catches my  heart, translation. Simply scan any foreign text and the app will utilize Google Translate to give feedback into the desired language.

Though I don’t use these visual search apps as often as I should, this could be the next step to connecting our digital and real world experiences. As much as I love QR codes, I would much rather like to scan a photo, ad or product directly to be rewarded than scan a group of boxes. What do you think? Have you been satisfied with the accuracy of visual search apps so far? Do you think apps like these could ultimately replace our use of QR codes?

PS…if these examples didn’t win you over, this one from a few months back should do the trick. Yes, visual search can solve “real life” problems as well.

Klout Gets a Makeover

26th April 2011

Klout, the popular social influence score platform, has undergone a makeover, offering users a cleaner profile, direct access to Klout Perks and incentives to raise your score.

Take a look at the new homepage below:

In this improved version of the site, users are greeted with their score history highlighting information such as “You’re score dropped 2 points in the past 30 days, create more interesting content, engage with the topics that interest you.”

Quick access to Klout Perks in the top navigation allows users to see any current incentives as well as a glimpse into past promotions. Prior to this design, Klout Perks and their use were difficult to find.

The influencers and achievement tabs on the homepage allow users to easily see an expanded list of those in their network they interact with the most, while achievements show statustics for things like how many ReTweets or Likes a user has generated over time.

While the overall feel of the site is a great improvement, small nuances such as those mentioned above leave users with a distinct call to action on how to actually use and improve their score. Klout can often be mistaken as an arbitrary number and it’s clear they are looking to change that. Great step in the right direction Klout, I know I’ll be checking in more frequently to keep myself engaged.

Facebook Deals Debut

26th April 2011

A few weeks ago, I wrote a post about Facebook Deals coming our way, and as of today, they have made their debut.

If you are curious as what a Facebook Deal is or where to find a deal, check out this post. For now, let’s take a look at some of the platform’s more interesting features.

  • How to find Deals: Facebook has added a Deals tab to the left rail of every user’s homepage. Here you can click to see current deals as well as any unused or past deals you have bought or received from a friend.
  • How to pay for a Deal: Use your credit card (which will remain on file within your Facebook account until you remove it from your account settings) or pay with Facebook credits. This is perhaps one of the most interesting features as Facebook clearly pushes to make the realm of social commerce a reality. Facebook has not revealed whether revenue will be greater for the merchant or Facebook depending on the method of payment.
  • Sharing a Deal: Users can Like or buy a Deal directly from the Deals page, which will also generate a News Feed story automatically. This also allows a user’s friends to directly buy a deal from the News Feed.

Aside from another group deal service, what does this mean to users, brands and the multitude of existing deals services?

Ease of use, the power of the Facebook News Feed and the allure that we could see a deal platform to cater to all audiences. As the group deal playing field continues to evolve, we will all keep a close watch on how Facebook can capitalize and integrate into the space.