Image Source: Mashable

The Zuck has spoken, Facebook Home is upon us, but what is it and would I use it?

Facebook Home is an app that is integrated into the operating system of your android phone, so that all Facebook communication tools are at the front of the device. Tools such as 3G calling, messaging and email are all integrated into the ‘skin’, which makes Facebook the first thing users see when they turn on their mobile.

Without having actually tried Facebook Home I can’t pass too much opinion, but what I will put forward is my natural assumption, that Facebook is well and truly taking over our lives! The Facebook business model, I’m almost certain, must contain the term ‘intrusion’ somewhere within its core principle. I know there have been periods in my life where I can only liken my dependency on Facebook to crack addiction. I’ve even notice my thumb takes on a life of its own once my iPhone is unlocked, it’s drawn as though magnetised to the little blue square, even though it was my voicemail I wanted to check in the first instance.

Well now, instead of my overworked thumb having to make SUCH an effort to navigate, I simply press the ‘home’ button on my android to see a stream of friends’ posts on my news feed. How amazing! Just lighting up my phone at work will present me with an instant update of my friends travelling the world, basking in glorious sunshine while I sit here admiring what a lovely Winter we are having this Spring, or that there’s another baby, puppy, engagement or marriage. Yep fantastic, sign me up.

Or not.

I really can’t imagine anything worse. Recently, the intrusive/schizophrenic nature of my own iPhone has lead me to question my loyalty to the Apple cult, manifested by the more simplistic, nostalgic memories of my old Nokia with it’s dot matrix screen and snake game. Life was so simple then.

“With Home, everything on your phone gets friendlier”… that just sounds creepy.

“…you see a steady stream of friends’ posts and photos”… I see enough as it is, thanks.

I love the thought of sitting in a meeting and pressing the home button to check the time and lets say, for demonstration’s sake, ‘Dave’ (we’ve all got one) has gone and posted another of his classic drunken weekend arse shots. Unfortunately, the poignant lack of Facebook censorship I have noticed recently leads me to question, just why would I want to openly display associates posts and photo’s for people in my immediate space to witness?

“Keep chatting with friends, even when you’re using other apps” This is where I’m coming from with the Schizophrenic thing.

schiz·o·phre·ni·a  Noun informal “behaviour that appears to be motivated by contradictory or conflicting principles”

Switching constantly from one medium to another makes me feel dizzy.  It also completely switches me off from reality, lessens my productivity and Facebook itself forces me to compare my life to others in a way I never would in the real world.

Waking up early on a Saturday morning, feeling great, then before you know it, it’s noon. Where has that 3 hours of Internet/Facebook trawling just got me in life? What could have done in that 3 hours? The answer is quite simple…. Live.

I’m being completely duped into believing that I am living, yet here I am sat on my bed, completely and utterly detached from life’s beautiful simplicities.

Whilst I appreciate the complexity and power of Facebook as a marketing tool, I firmly believe that Facebook is a problem. It’s a problem to productivity both in and out of the workplace.

I will most certainly not be integrating this socially hindering tool further into my life than it already is.

VERDICT: FACEBOOK HOME FIRMLY OPPOSED.

The post Facebook Home, Why I’m Against. appeared first on hedgehog lab.

We worked in conjunction with Jamie’s production company Fresh One Productions to design and develop a companion iPad and iPhone app to his television series, 15-Minute Meals. Using innovative technology like augmented reality, we created a unique experience that compliments Jamie’s overarching digital strategy. We designed the app in line with Jamie’s distinctive brand, with tactile textures, realistic charm and highlighting Jamie’s rich, colourful photography.

We’ve got some more exciting Food & Drink projects in the works, so watch this space!

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Not only is it my first day, this is my first marketing strategy and my first time working in a digital based agency, executing what I’m learning as part of my CAM Digital Marketing diploma. I’m nervous. I try not to show it, but this is a big deal here, I have to get this right. Where do I start?

After having read through the 2012/13 sales and marketing strategy about 5 times, I noted a few simple typos (hedgehog lab always has lower case H) and more poignantly the lack of digital marketing methods.

So, I thought I would use my experience to share some points with you on adjusting your marketing plan to incorporate a digital strategy. I hope this blog helps any other first timers out there, so that you can formulate your own plan of attack. I often think it helps if you think of your favourite computer or super hero when doing so.

Kapow!

Here are the steps to help you formulate and audit and plan for your organisation;

• Take it to the doctor. Perform a health check on what is currently in place, also known as an Audit, not to be confused with a financial audit. To keep it simple think of an audit as being a situation analysis. A digital marketing audit is a health check on what is currently being carried out online, it looks at what you are doing in order to gain a diagnosis of where you are so you can clarify what to do next.
• McKinseys 7 S’s framework for business can be applied to your audit when considering what is currently in place
  1. 1. Strategy
  2. 2. Structure
  3. 3. Staff
  4. 4. Style
  5. 5. Skills
  6. 6. Systems
  7. 7. Superordinate Goals

  Marketers may not need to use all of the points above, they were devised to aid your situation analysis as you formulate your plan using the more familiar SOSTAC model by PR Smith. If you are unfamiliar with this, don’t stress, just read on…

• Competitor analysis Part of your audit should include a competitor analysis. Look at the strengths and weaknesses of the online offerings of your competition, this can be on a local, national and international scale. Although, how in depth you want to go with this really is up to you, but it will help you to understand how your competitors work online,. You can’t lose out by having a nosey, can you?
• At this point you may ask me, “What is the point of a situation analysis, why not simply execute our email marketing and social media use in order to uplift customer interest?” More often than not, managers are executing their online marketing without thought, planning and sufficient measuring. The audit aims to identify all strategic opportunities or current inefficiencies which would be missed if purely focusing on the tactical.

So, we have looked at the Situation Analysis which forms the first part of SOSTAC analysis, the remaining parts are used to help you plan your strategy for the coming year.

• Objectives (the O in SOSTAC) Set them. Make them clear! They will help you to measure your ROI. Marketers may want to use the SMART model if, like in my case, there are softer objectives being set.

• Segment & Target Customers (the S & T in SOSTAC) To help you choose the right tools, look at where your customers are online. Use a profiling technique and segment by profile. For example, B2B may want to segment into industry; gaming, publishing, education, tourism then look at where the key decision makers are online. If an organisation is B2C they may want to segment by demographic such as age or gender.
• Action (the A in SOSTAC) Execute your plan! The key to this is having the plan in place so you have can work to deadlines, meaning work is more likely to get done. A detailed plan is wise as part of your contingency planning as it will act as ‘work instructions’ for others who may need to execute the plan on your behalf, should you fall ill or, god forbid, leave the company.
• Control (the C in SOSTAC) this includes monitoring action, measuring the process and measuring the results. You may need someone else to monitor the result for you, however, in my case, it’s just me! I will be holding regular meetings to review the plan with my boss, and I aim to review the plan at each quarter to see where the organisation can improve.

A couple of points I think are also rather important as an online marketing manager or assistant;

• Always consider new tools.In the audit you have looked at what online tools you are using. As you move on to plan for the coming year, explore the online options available to the organisation. An online shoe store, currently using Facebook and twitter may want to extend to Pinterest to drive traffic, via links in each pin, to the product in the online store. Always keep an open mind about where to move on to next, digital media is constantly changing, keep on top of the trends. Here’s some interesting sources to keep you up to date:
  • Mashable Social Media
  • Social Media Examiner
  • Brand Republic
  • TechCrunch
  • emarketer
  • Smart Insights < great tips and ‘how to’ guides on all aspects of digital marketing from Dave Chaffey et al.
• Don’t ignore, add to: So, now I’m left with the task to bring the marketing strategy up to date by adding the digital plan. If you are lucky enough to be handed a marketing strategy like me, do not ignore the traditional method by which the company markets itself. What is used in the current marketing strategy should be reflected online. Online tools are another tactic, by which your marketing manager can reflect the core values and company personality, gain custom and build relationships.
• When you do come to execute your plan, remember Quality over Quantity. Organisations often create presence on every available online medium and often don’t have the resources available to update regularly. You wouldn’t launch your company webpage with no content, so why do the same on social media? I feel having an online presence is only beneficial if you update with a steady stream of interesting content and you are actually targeting your customers, otherwise your time could be wasted.
• Set a start and end date for your marketing plan, if not, the audit stage could go on and on!

I really hope this all makes sense to you, there are many sides to digital marketing that can be baffling, but planning and preparation, for the long run, should see you through. I urge you to remember that the digital world is always changing, I should refer to it as a universe, as it’s never ending. Change with it, don’t be scared by it. Embrace it, you can’t lose out. Most online facilities are free to use and there is a wealth of information out there to support you as you take your business forward.

Sophie
@digidoodah

The post Let’s get digital appeared first on hedgehog lab.

January

An exciting month for us, as we established the companies vision for the year ahead and began work on some exciting pitches. We also started interviewing candidates to increase our design team.

February

In February, our technical team were working on the final stages of Dice Life, testing it and getting everything ready for the launch. Our Technical Director, Mark started work on improving our development process and Sarat attended the Figaro Digital Seminar in London. We also had our first new team member of the year start with us, Jon, as a Designer.

March

As well as all our ongoing projects, we landed a big pitch this month, working with The Financial Times on an app for The Banker which was an exciting win for us. Another major part of our growth this year happened in March, when we set up our office in India, with the appointment of a Director and three developers.

April

Growth continued in April, with the hiring of our Executive Assistant, Emma. We had various projects on the go, including work for Tombola, Financial Times and Loreal. Sarat was busy with multiple trips to London to visit potential clients and discuss projects and attendance at the DIBI (Design it Build it) Conference at the Sage in Gateshead.

May

Another new member of our development team joined in May, Adam, which was a welcome sight to our current developers, as we were gearing up to start (and finish) multiple projects. We had our strategy meeting for 2012-13 which was a positive review of our growth over the last 12 months. We also started to look into moving office.

June

This month we had the wonderful Keith Moss in to take some new photographs of the team at hedgehog lab which made for a fun day, our Head of Design, Lauren and our Technical Director, Mark, attended a BBC Connected Studio in London with other digital teams and we had our lab night out at The Stand Comedy club in Newcastle.

July

Amongst traveling down to London for various meetings with potential clients, work on current projects, including starting on a very exciting project for Channel 4 and completion of The Banker Top World Banks 2012 (access on your mobile or tablet device!) , we managed to squeeze in interviews for a new position we were looking to hire, Client Partner.

August

Our new Client Partner, Sarah started this month, which took our total to 8 members of staff, and we signed the documents on the new office at Generator Studios and agreed our moving date of October. Work continued on a variety of projects.

September

An exciting month for us, which saw us being nominated as one of Mobile Entertainment’s Top 50 Mobile Innovators, which involved a trip down to London to attend a swanky party, packing up our old office at Hoults Yard combined with lots of trips to our new office to check on progress and doing interviews for a Graduate Intern Developer position.

October

October saw our move to our new offices at Generator Studio and the arrival of our new Graduate Intern, the start of an exciting new project with a local company and an in-house blog workshop for all the members of staff. Sarat attended the iDigital Summit in Brighton and the North East TechTogether. Our Head of Design, Lauren, did a talk about Design at SuperMondays in Newcastle.

November

We started another exciting project with a big client this month. Sarat had a very busy month in sales with a week’s trip to Dubai courtesy of UKTI, attendance at the Autumn Business Conference for the Entrepreneurs Forum in Gateshead and Digital Podge in London. Lauren attended the D&AD Creative Brief-In Event at Northumbria University, talking to students about a career in Design and we invited Keith Moss back in to take some photographs of our lovely new office and new staff. And last but not least our Junior Designer, Kate started at the lab!

December

The last month of the year was a relatively quiet one for us compared to the rest of the year! As well as cracking on with current projects, we held interviews for our Digital Marketing Assistant position, went on our Christmas “do”, clay shooting, and all had some well deserved time off over Christmas and the New Year.

All that’s left to say now is that we hope for an equally successful, busy and productive 2013! Wishing you all the same.

The post 2012 Round-Up appeared first on hedgehog lab.

In November, I attended an event run by the Service Network called, “How to become a confident and effective networker”. I figured it was time for me to face my fears, I mean how bad could it be?

Queuing up to get into the event with Sarah (I didn’t go on my own, I took our Client Partner with me for moral support) we sneaked a peek into the room, which was very posh and had a mild panic attack. It all looked so formal and we were worried we may get split up. Our fears were confirmed when we got to the front of the queue and they assigned us each with a different table number and name badge. We walked across the room with lots of eyes on us, scoping us out and went our separate ways, the fear apparent in our eyes.

I sat down at my table and smiled at the 6 or so people who were already seated and was pleasantly surprised to receive smiles back! Maybe this wasn’t going to be as bad as I thought. After a few brief introductions round the table, things like “Where do you work?” and “Do you actually work with hedgehogs?!” I began to relax. Before I knew it we were all chatting away about cakes and Great British Bake Off, good times.

Now, the general consensus of the people I was sitting with was that we weren’t sure what to expect from an event like this and that was confirmed by the whole room when the first question we were asked by our trainer, Will Kintish, was “What are you looking to get out of today?”. Answers varied from gaining business contacts to meeting new people and improving confidence.

Then, the ultimate question for the day – “What are your fears when networking?” – this was met with all kinds of negativity from the group – being ignored, not knowing people, sounding stupid or out of your depth, the conversation running dry, forgetting someone’s name, making a bad impression and the most repeated thing, approaching a complete stranger. I think it’s worth pointing out, that at this point, I was feeling a bit skeptical as to whether it was possible to cure the fears of so many people, however, onwards.

I’m not going to talk you through the next 4 and a half hours of what we did, as we could be here a while. But I do want to share with you some of the useful and helpful things I learnt….

• Remember, everyone is in the same boat – the majority of people at an event will not know anyone else either
• Prepare for the event in advance if you can – who? what? where? when? which? why? how? This will help you to arrive at the event feeling confident
• Think of some ice-breaker questions in advance that you are comfortable asking, such as “This is a nice venue”, “Have you come straight from work?”, “How did you get here today?”, “Where did you come from to get here?” and if all else fails, revert to an age old classic – comment on the weather!
• A very important one now, listen to the other person. Let the other person do most of the talking and encourage them to talk about themselves.
• You’re not there to sell, you’re there to network – this means getting to know the people you are talking to, not bombarding them with information about your product or services.
• SHINE (Smile, Handshake, I contact, Name, Enthusiasm, Energy, Excitement) – maybe not all at once though, don’t want to go scaring people.
• Observe the room whilst you’re grabbing a cuppa – pick out groups that have the potential to be “interrupted”, look at body language and how these people are standing. If you’re really worried then start off by approaching someone who is also on their own.
• Think about what you would like to talk about before you attend an event – find some common ground to have a conversation about.
• Ask the right questions – use the following words when asking questions to elicit the right answers – Exactly, Specifically, Particularly, Explain, Describe, Tell
• Don’t just walk away from a conversation with a group or individual because you are bored, find a way to end the conversation naturally, like “It was really nice to meet you, I’m going to get another drink”.
• Spot the AHAA moment! This is when you are in conversation with someone and they mention something that you feel will be of benefit to the both of you. This is why it is so key to listen to what the other person is saying and ask the right questions.
• If you are interested in chatting further with someone then simply ask for their business card! Don’t make it more complicated than it is. Comment on something on their business card, no matter how ordinary, to show you’re interested.
• Ask them if you can call them to arrange another meeting, then write down what you have agreed, even if it is on their business card somewhere, then make sure you put it somewhere safe and transfer it to your diary when you return from the event!

One thing I did realise afterwards whilst chatting to Sarah, was that some of the things I had learnt, I did naturally throughout the day without thinking. I used the SHINE technique when I approached my table at the beginning of the event, we all found common ground chatting about baking and when we did our group activities, we all listened to each other and asked questions to find out more about what was being said. Lightbulb moment! Maybe I’m actually more confident when networking than I thought! Plus, we both came away with business cards from people at our tables. Result.

Overall it really was a very enjoyable event, with some great people, lots of energy and plenty of inspiration. Both of us came away feeling more confident about meeting new people in the future and I think looking at everyone else as they were leaving at the end of the event (all chatting and smiling to each other), they felt the same way too.

For more information on courses run by Will Kintish, visit www.kintish.co.uk and to find out more about the benefits of becoming a member of The Service Network visit their website www.service-network.co.uk or call 0191 244 4031.

The post Tips on becoming a more Confident and Effective Networker appeared first on hedgehog lab.

So (for research purposes, obviously not for enjoyment) I decided that it would be useful to have a nose at a selection of what is available out there.

Jamie’s 15 Minute Meals

For iPad and iPhone

We recently worked on Jamie Oliver’s most recent app for iPhone and iPad – Jamie’s 15 Minute Meals – so I figured it would be a good place to start. The TV series has already landed on our TV screens (Channel 4, weekdays at 5pm). Jamie’s 15 Minute Meals follows on from the highly successful 30 Minute Meals as seen on Channel 4. Jamie has drawn inspiration from all corners of the globe and each recipe has been tested to make sure that it can go from kitchen to table in 15 minutes. The TV show itself is typical Jamie Oliver – funky, bright, loud and punchy. The app is a nice companion to this, with it’s amazing colour pictures of the finished meals and lively video content. There are some interesting features, including:

• Direct access to the recipes from the TV show – these show up on the home screen of the app
• Book scanner tool – allows you to scan a page within the recipe book which then finds the relevant meal card on the app
• 3 free video downloads

All in all a great companion app to the TV show and book I think.

Download from the App Store

For iPad and iPhone

Following on from that I thought it would be good to look at another one of the Celebrity chefs who also has a current TV show, book and supporting app out, Nigella Lawson. Her latest offering is Nigellissima, a series where she cooks up simple, authentic Italian dishes. I am a particular fan of Nigella, as she has a captivating style and grace about her. I love watching her cook and present and she doesn’t disappoint in her TV show. I was also pleasantly surprised by her app, I found it quirky, stylish and informative. With a selection of the recipes from her TV show and book (they call it a taster app for a reason) and lots of other cute little features, it really is a quite enjoyable way to spend an hour.

• Nigella’s Latin Loves – a quirky little section where you can click on interactive icons and discover Nigella’s favourite Italian ingredients – I like the sound effects!
• A small Q&A section on various things – which includes a little video of Nigella chatting, it feels like she is at your kitchen table
• A little section on the making of Nigellissima

Download from the App Store

for iPhone and Android

For all those out there who struggle to find inspiration on what to cook for tea, this may be the app for you. The All Recipes Dinner Spinner is designed to be a quick and easy way to access hundred of recipes on your mobile device. I found the whole idea quite novel, all you have to do is choose a dish type, an ingredient and a “Ready in” time and click “View matches” and the dinner spinner will suggest a selection of recipes. But the even more fun thing is being able to shake your phone (or on the iPad click the spin categories button which granted isn’t quite as fun) and let the spinner decide for you! A lighthearted way to take the pressure away from one of life’s annoying little decisions.

• Each recipe is rated by real people so you can see what people really think
• Favourites section – save all of the recipes you have enjoyed previously so you can access them quick and easy
• A funky scan tool – you can scan an ingredient (the barcode) you want to use in the spinner and it will use it in the spinner

Download from the App Store

Download from Google Play

For iPhone and iPad

This is a similar app to the Dinner Spinner, minus the spinning. Good to Know – What’s for dinner? is a handy little app that gives you an assortment of easy to cook meals in just two steps. Step 1: Choose from 6 ingredient types then Step 2: Choose from 3 time options, then click go! It really is very simple to use, with easy to read text and a user friendly lay-out. I also thought the assortment of recipes was quite nice, it came up with a variety of different things.

• Create a shopping list from the recipe that you’ve chosen that you can take with you to the shops on your mobile device
• Make the recipe using the step-by-step view, which has a built in timer you can use and a notes section to add anything whilst your cooking
• Share your favourite recipes to Facebook or Twitter with the click of a button

Download from the App Store

For iPhone and iPad

Of course with the baking craze that seems to have gripped the nation, trying out a baking app was kind of a given. Just Cake is relatively new to the market and I really like it’s simplicity. Each screen is interactive, colourful and helpful. You choose a basic recipe but then the app allows you to switch between different screen views – a basic recipe screen with images of ingredients and each step, options to change the flavour of the basic recipe with additional ingredients you can add and a screen to show you the baking process.

• Step by step format on each screen to show you how to get from the ingredients to the finished product
• Information on freezing the cakes
• ‘Chefs notes’ provides useful tips

Download from the App Store

And just to finish, a couple of silly and fun food based apps

Food Dishes Memory Game – a simple but effective way to while away some time whilst travelling on public transport

Food and Drink Quiz – answer random questions about food and drink from around the world

Food fight! – Basically all the food has turned into scary mutants and you are the chef with your copper pot saving the world! So much fun.

The post Top Foodie App Picks appeared first on hedgehog lab.

It became apparent very quickly once the new recruits had joined the lab (myself included), that our current office space was simply not adequate for the companies needs anymore. Not only had the company hired a new developer, they also took on a Client Partner, Sarah Bittlestone to manage the clients and take some of the pressure off the developers and designers.

That was not the end of our plans for expansion however, we also had plans in the pipeline for another developer and designer before the start of the next financial year. Decision made!

Out with the old, in with the new.

The concept of moving office is a daunting process to anyone, but especially when you have 9 people involved. It was a challenging task, as we still had our normal jobs to do, along with packing our desks away. The moving process would have not been as smooth as it was without our ‘Girl Friday’ Emma Bevis coordinating every final detail. On the day we had an elite team of movers (me, Sarah, Jon, Sarat and Lauren) and Mark, who was our white van man. The day went really well as we were fairly organised and everything was packed up and ready to go! It was a rather emotional day as Sarat Pediredla realised that his empire was finally taking place.

After wiping away tears and waving our old office goodbye, we jumped into the car and van and headed towards the new office. Generator Studios, which is situated at the centre of Newcastle, Trafalgar Street to be precise, is going to be our new home for the foreseeable future. We were all so excited to be moving into the new office as we knew it was going to be so much better for us. We had been involved in designing the space from the word go which meant that our new office came equipped with glass partitioning walls, a boardroom to use with our clients, two meeting rooms for the team to use, a reception area and our own little kitchen!

After moving all our of current furniture in, we gladly rewarded ourselves with pizza and tea which was a well deserved break. If anyone knows the challenge of assembling ikea furniture then they’ll know how much we would have needed the break!

Our journey in pictures

As the old saying goes, a picture captures a thousand words:

“Everyone’s getting to work, we should all be part of Snow White!”

“I’ve never seen anyone look so happy assembling Ikea furniture.”

“Having a rest and discussing all of our hard work“

A word from the Team

The new office has brought many benefits for the lab as a whole, but individual staff aswell.

Sarah Bittlestone (Client Partner):

“The facilities at Generator Studios are excellent. The meeting rooms have been an asset to client services and the ladies at reception are always on hand to provide more tea!”

Jon Greer (Designer):

“There’s a really great atmosphere in the new office. It’s so much brighter and the layout has made for better communication across the team.”

Emma Bevis (Executive Assistant):

“To me the best thing about our new office is the space. We were lucky to be able to have the opportunity to build a space within a space – we now have an area to entertain clients and hold presentations, break-out spaces for the team to use to chill out and come up with ideas and finally our own kitchen; the most exciting thing will be putting our own stamp on it. It finally feels like we have our own proper home.”

Houston, we have a problem!

Problems can arise at any point during an office move, which you’ll understand if you’ve ever moved before. The main problem that we had was with the telephone and broadband. The telecommunications company that we were dealing with had problems due to the recent flooding which meant that our order was delayed. Obviously as a company, we rely heavily on these services, so as a temporary solution we had to tether our Macs to our iPhones 3G connection. This had problems in itself due to limited bandwith and the amount of users within the office.

The current situation with mobile broadband within in the UK is considered poor however, with the latest release of Apple’s new iPhone 5 and EE’s release of their 4G/LTE network, there has been hope that if situations like this came up in the future, the wireless broadband infrastructure would be far more advanced than that of today. If only EE had rolled out their 4G service weeks earlier then the problem wouldn’t have been quite as bad, after all who doesn’t want mobile speeds of up to 40 mb/s?! Personally, I find it interesting to see the advancement of mobile broadband, as it’s narrowing the gap between mobile and home broadband.

Back to the future

We have now been in the new office for a few weeks and we are finally settling in. Exciting times are ahead, as we have a new intern developer coming in at the end of October. Yes it’s been tough and yes, it’s been hard work getting here, but we all feel as if it has been worth it. Right now, we’re all just looking forward to the future.

The post Our Office Move appeared first on hedgehog lab.

My talk was based upon the emotional aspects of user experience design, and how this can affect your customer’s decisions. Designing Personality into your product/website/app can be the tipping point for customers to feel invested and trust your product. It’s basic, but if you want someone to remember your product, you need to make them happy and make a connection with them in order to turn them into return customers. If they don’t feel anything, they’ll forget about you. I’ve signed up for countless services that promise to make my life easier, but I forget about them as soon as I close the tab, because there was nothing about their product that was memorable.

I delved into establishing a personality and how things like tone, typography, colour and photography can play an important part in how people perceive your brand – from the first impression, to perpetuating a ‘happy’ user experience people get as they use your product.

There’s a great quote that sums up the basis of my talk:

“Without emotions, consumers, in making deliberated decisions, are unable to assign values to different options or product attributes. This implies decision paralysis, as consumers will be unable to make up their minds. ”

–  John & Nicholas O’Shaughnessy

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Following on from our recent accolade of being named a UK Top 50 Innovator in mobile, we are pleased to announce that hedgehog lab has now been shortlisted in the ‘Best Enterprise App Developer’ category by Mobile Entertainment Awards.

This is testament to the excellent work we have done with our Enterprise & FTSE 250 clients including our recent work with News International on their Innovation and R&D projects in mobile, and our critically acclaimed & innovative HTML5 app we delivered for the Financial Times. It also follows a period of explosive growth of the company where we grew by 300% over the last year, moved into new offices, and opened offices in London & India.

We are continuing to work on some exciting enterprise and consumer apps that we are looking forward to reveal in the coming few months as we continue our triple digit growth through 2012.

The winner will be announced at the ME awards ceremony on 29th November at the Royal Garden Hotel. Keep an eye on our social media accounts for news on whether we win or not!

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The biggest change we have faced as a business over the last 12 months has been in our team – we have grown from 3 to 9 in our Newcastle office and opened a new office in India with 3 members of staff. To enable us to accommodate this change we have had to review and adjust many of our procedures and practices, from HR to management. This hasn’t been without it’s problems, as we pride ourselves on running an agency that is different, with a relaxed working environment, without piles of policies and rules.

Some of the procedures we introduced are mentioned below, but it is not an exhaustive list. Not to mention that we are still learning from these.

• Interview questions tailored to the specific job role
• Regular feedback questionnaires for existing staff
• An improved induction process for new staff
• Introduced an exit questionnaire for staff who were leaving the business
• Looked at our current procedures for Training and revamped
• Advertised job roles via social media

By implementing these procedures and more we have been able to make sure that the process of employing new staff – from the job ad to the interviews to the induction, has been a much smoother one.

One of the most important parts of the whole process has been involving existing staff in the changes – keeping them informed about interviews and new staff, asking for their extremely valuable feedback and keeping morale high by organising social events.

There are many more changes due at the lab over the next few months, with a relocation to a new office and more staff changes. But instead of looking at it all with a resounding feeling of dread we are going to embrace it! And with the right procedures in place, flexibility and great communication, we should do a pretty good job.

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