This quarter’s meetup featured mobile web and app professionals from Portland. They each took a segment of the hour-long presentation to discuss their company’s methodologies on mobile web and app solutions, as well as their personal principles or takes on projects.

There was also a ridiculous breakfast of lox, bagels, and coffee. I was all smiles.

Whether you’re a professional or student, or something in between (aren’t we all?), this quarterly presentation is worth the time. Read my notes, but also see what other attendees say by following on Twitter at #pdxdms.

Some highlights.

Experiencing the presentation from the perspective of a content strategist led to some interesting highlights from all of the panel members.

Gene Ehrbar of ISITE Design reminded us that when working with mobile web and app solutions, to focus on completing successful “transactions” among other things. This means actually getting the person using your app or solution to be happy that they did so, whether it’s buying something, learning a thing or two, or registering for something fun, etc.

He encouraged everyone to start small with an app. Do something basic. The next and advanced features typically follow, along with happy users with excitement and willingness to test and use them.

Take advantage of this iterative process. Don’t forget to plan ahead for it as well.

Jeanne Turner of what was formerly Small Society spoke swiftly about something that I hold dear to my heart– making people (users) happy with content. She briefly explained her computer human-interaction background and gave us a glimpse of her methodology. She encouraged great user research, identifying ways to be empathetic, and connecting these results with solutions and experiences that bring value to people.

In short, she prescribed the mantra of “happy users = good business.” With most successful web projects, it’s all about the people, is it not?

Marcelino Alvarez used to work for wieden + kennedy, but ventured out on his own to form Uncorked Studios. His client list is broad across the entire spectrum of businesses sizes. From EA, to Sprint, to even three-person startups, like Barbird. Regardless of client, Alvarez encouraged us to always be testing, testing, testing our solutions. Measuring and improving key features leads to influential and engaging mobile web and app experiences.

Remember: the goal is to serve the people who love you and what you do.

Lastly, Ben Storm of Knuckleheads reminded us that mobile web and app solutions are much more than making cool things. A business may be the first to put out an app of its kind. Without strong methodology and practices of improvement, their competitor can easily do the same. They might even do it better. Competitive lunch: eaten.

Storm recommended establishing clear goals for measurement and success with any mobile web or app project. This way, the businesses and professionals involved can work towards improving key features to get projects to the finish line and to achieve the all important “win.”

Breakfast for thought.

An interesting part of the discussion was near the end of the panel on the topic of enterprise apps.

Our clients and their customers aren’t the only people who can make the most of mobile web and app solutions. They aren’t just for marketing and communications. Enterprise-type apps are also a growing solution that’s helping improve life in the office, warehouse, workshop, kitchen table, or wherever you get stuff done and serve customers.

Enterprise-type solutions require similar user value methodologies as their consumer-facing siblings. They also require just as much content strategy, development, and maintenance. These challenges are different, and are refreshing in that the same solutions that inspire and inform consumers can also do the same within the workplace.

With less time spent on tasks we wish were simpler, we can spend more on bettering our businesses, ourselves, and bringing the most to the people who believe in us.

Jones began by diving into why digital is so darn complicated as of late. It used to be just a site and people who use it. Maybe some videos and audio embedded here and there.

Turns out that content drives this recent complexity, with technological advances riding shotgun. Jones implies in her book, and in her presentation, that as communications professionals of all types, it’s our duty to take action and tame this complexity. We could leave it to run amok, but it would leave the web in confusing, irresponsible ruin, wouldn’t it?

Imagine the most spammy, content farm-y site. Now multiply that by some huge number. That might be what the web could look like if there weren’t responsible, hard-working web communications smarties out there doing the right thing, applying strategy, planning, swift execution, and governance to content.

Braaainns…

After a brief encounter with zombies, where Jones used the Center for Disease Control’s zombie blog campaign as an example, we began to discuss what makes influential content tick.

Turns out that influential content has CLOUT. Here’s a quick look:

C for Credible: people trust and believe in credible stuff and the businesses that make it.
L for Likeable: we love doing business with people we like.
O for Outstanding: we love experiencing unique and differentiating content.
U for Useful: the best content is the useful stuff, isn’t it?
T for Triggers attitude or action: our clients love it when content accomplishes an objective.

“The only way to thrive in the digital landscape today is to have influential content.” -Colleen Jones, and then a zombie eating some brains appeared.

After that, we discussed methods of measuring the effectiveness of content. Jones recommended that we evaluate content by measuring qualitative data, quantitative data, and by connecting these results to overall campaign goals.

My takeaway.

Regardless of the size of a business, non-profit, or project, there’s some influencing to be done. The web gives organizations of all sizes a new avenue of doing so. With so many ways to access information nowadays, it seems silly to not to want to create influential content.

It would be in the best interest of anyone involved with communications and informing or influencing large amounts of people to avoid pitfalls like creating content for the sake of SEO, blanket advertising, or shallow social media strategies. Instead, invest in creating influential, market-moving content. Also, invest in your people who are making it happen.

While the scope of a project may seem large when creating a lofty goal like “increase awareness of our widgets to the market,” it’s doable when using content strategy principles like Jones’ CLOUT method.

Like tying your shoes, mentoring, writing a creative brief, or making a sandwich, being influential is a life skill, in my opinion. Tastefully and purposefully creating influence for benefit and for good sounds like a great investment in the self.

The Minimite definition of “technology” doesn’t just include contemporary things like computers and phones, but also refers to any kind of tool or machine that runs on anything besides organic labor (humans, animals, water).

It took the better part of a year and a half for me to finish the book. If you are a person who enjoys introspection and measuring the value of life not by how fat the wallet is, but perhaps by richness of mind and body, you’ll probably nibble on this book the same way.

Brende’s scholarly personality appears in his writing style. It can be heavy at times to read. However, his honesty, breadth of evidence, and attention to detail make his story a persuasive case that life can be quite fulfilling and fantastic living the Minimite way.

Food for thought (parts I love).

The struggle of maintaining the machine.

Brende’s experience as a Minimite-in-training leads to the realization that people often become slaves to the machines that should make lives easier. Automobiles cut travel time significantly, and take us to work to make money. But, how much do we give up just to maintain these vehicles?

His message isn’t to give up all your machinery. I read it as an encouragement to consider how your machinery can better fit your lifestyle. In the book, he states,

“…(some machinery) subjected people to outlandish inconveniences and indignities as they struggled to meet the needs of pieces of equipment.”

For example, do you really need a car in the city if you’re hardly using it?

I asked myself this when I changed jobs and moved last summer. My commute was gone. All that was left was a way to leave the city if I didn’t want to take public transit. Otherwise, it was an insurance payment and auto loan installments that kept me from enjoying other things in life with the same resources.

My answer? I sold the car, got rid of the loan, and bought a bike. My wallet and my health love me for it. Any emergency need for a vehicle is now relegated to the girlfriend’s speedy four-door.

Labor and the time it eats up as social assets.

I enjoyed the way Brende turns labor on its head. Removing machines meant labor was once again time-consuming and required physical work. To the Minimites, this was a time to bond and, in some cases, find romance.

Work stories with other Minimites became ways for people to get to know other people, and for Brende, a way to enrich himself with Minimite culture while forging strong bonds with his peers and mentors.

How much closer could we be with our most inner circle of friends and family if we bonded over handiwork and labor, rather than TV, video games, and other similar things?

The value of reflection.

One of Brende’s simpler lessons on Minimite living is to “meditate before you act.” This sounds contradictory in a world of pocket devices with access to the Internet and troves of data across the world. Why take time to act when we can act more and as much as ever?

Introspection can be therapeutic and has many benefits, both personally and professionally. Following introspection, taking a moment to think before acting is not just a way to live like a Minimite, but to act wholeheartedly. Think, convict, act. I believe those are foundations of most people’s “hustle.”

The takeaway.

I wont be giving up my laptop or phone anytime soon (heck, writing this via iPad), but Better Off is convincing in that learning to appreciate hard work can lead to a fulfilling and autonomous life. We don’t have to give up technology, but should perhaps consider trimming the technological fat. This way, we reduce complication and increase ways we can truly enjoy life.

Aha! moments for me included:

Earn trust, then build trust, then be completely honest.

To get to a point in a client relationship where you can be bluntly and boldly honest leads to meaningful, and much more rewarding business. I dig it.

Keeping it personal and staying personal.

Internal or personal project work can act as a catalyst to promote constant skill sharpening. This in turn makes client work and your main business all that much better. I saw it as a cycle in my head:

Identifying the small idea.

Yeah, there are clients who will hunt for the right team to help them put wings on a big idea and take flight. Sometimes it’s the small ideas that, done well, can lead to very meaningful, successful things. There are plenty of business juggernauts that started as “a couple dudes working on things in a garage.” So true.

You’ve got to try it if you haven’t.

Much thanks to Tsilli Pines and the Creative Mornings PDX crew and supporters for having all of these inspiring presentations. Thanks to JD Hooge for taking the time to speak to a very energetic Portland design crown. It definitely keeps the momentum going through this winter!

Hope to attend next month’s presentation. Until then, I’ll be working the crap out of those small ideas.