Non-designer talk about design (i): Fat Hu Fei Talk about Apple revision

Design is a thing that seems to be understood by everyone, so often designers complain that "bosses dictate" and "customers pretend to understand". We believe that design is a very comprehensive and highly integrated discipline. It can be said that everyone can understand, but, we are all from their own point of view. The designer said "the user experience" said "the visual" said "the style", the customer, the boss said "the business" said "the operation" said "the marketing", the development engineer said "the technology" said "realizes". These are designers to understand, to listen to, to understand the reality, a "user experience" design is not a good design, unless the purpose of this design is to show the "user experience." For the vast majority of commercial design, "user", "Business", "technology" of the perfect combination to produce a perfect design.

From this point of view, we decided to carry on this blog a number of non-designers to talk about the design of the article. Of course, we will start from Taobao's cattle colleagues (Waterloo easy to eat ^_^). The first phase is our super cute fat Hu Fei, he is Taobao senior marketing experts, advertising countless, doing countless activities, to design how to support the business goals have a unique experience and insights, known as "Taobao design outside the most cow b designers."

Hu Fei This article on Apple's revised version of the article divided into two parts, the first half of pure talk about the design, the latter part from marketing talk about design . It is hoped that designers will see a different understanding of design in the eyes of a non-designer

I never deny that Apple is a God in my eyes because it is a godfather brand and likes apple with faith. Just like I was going to look over the phone for the last two days, I didn't think of a product that could be made like this, and I didn't think that a product ad could be so clear about the consumer's interests with a simple product. The iphone TV commercials look here .

Today, Apple's website has been revised. Exactly is found this morning, when the specific changes I am not clear, a week ago when the visit has not changed (later confirmed to be Beijing time 12th, and WWDC2007 together). I am used to apple.com a lot, because there are always many places to learn, such as the way to express the product's selling point, such as the angle of the product photo shoot, such as the arrangement of the page layout, etc. Apple's web site and Taobao content may be several one out of 10,000, almost static, but the number of visitors has been TOP100 within. Many people apple.com like Apple's products as artwork to appreciate.

First look at the home page, the biggest change is here, simply said, turned into a black, that is, leopard style. I compare the current apple.com.cn website (basically this is the original Chinese version of apple.com). It looks cooler, doesn't it? At first glance the color is changed, but the change is very large.

• First, the page gets fatter. Taobao before the time to become fat when our ued also have an article record . Apple's actual width was 800 pixels in the past, and now it's full screen 1024 wide and more spacious. Can put more things.
• The navigation has been redesigned, which is the biggest change. This is not just a redesign, but the most important thing is to rearrange the navigation. Let's look at the following, which used to be level 2 navigation, and then there is another layer to choose from. Not now. On the first tier, Apple follows the main product category, that is, in the minds of users, mentions Apple, which will come up with a product: Mac, IPod, IPhone ... Very simple very intuitive.
  After a year of activities, and the gentleman summed up, "classification of information" should be the most important link. It's designed to help users find what they want faster and more easily.
• Search was added to the navigation. This should have been a long time ago. The Mac-style search bar is simple.

• Always think Apple's home page is very good-looking, a simple painting of a home page Iboard (the interpretation of the Dalson of Taiwan GG and I said the word, generally I said page layout and visual route). We will find that it has a good graphic design, good web design must be the key conditions.
  Only a visual route: we agreed that the Web page can guide the user's view, users do not know where to look, do not know when to pull the scroll bar. At the same time, let the user spend the most time on the most important information, understood as the most important elements of the visual route longest.
  There is only one visual center: the visual center of the Apple Web site is too obvious, the big picture in the middle, often changing, always pushing their most important products.

Next, we look at the content page. On the first page of the Mac computer in, we see the same content of the interface. My impression is that the white version of the Mac homepage is already getting fatter. After getting fat, the way of the column is changed to the average score, which was left 7 right 3 before. Remember Seung-Chi said, the Web page made 1024 wide, the breakdown is particularly important, divided into 4 columns, users will not find anything. So 163, Sina facelift after the use of 3 columns. We found that Apple is now 2 columns, you can realize that pulling the scroll from the top down, the eyes do not need to sway, not like 3 columns or 4 columns, which will make users more relaxed.

An important change is found in the content page. The bottom of the page is placed in the navigation area, like the following. Includes all the relevant content navigation. Some sites have done this, like Flickr. It's not easy to put together dozens of lines of text and be so beautiful. Did you notice the classification of his information? Here the Mac is divided into hardware (Macs), software (Mac OS X), network services (. MAC), Applications (applications), attachments (acceseries), and then separate each item. It looks a bit like our class, but it's clearer. It's probably the most important consideration in design when you can't get your users lost.

(After reading the comments added this paragraph, thank Mimiqiao): The first in NetEase to see an article, said this tabbed Breadcrumb navigation ( see here ), and found the original . That's what Yahoo did, but I'm sure Apple is a better one.

The original text introduces: Tabbed Breadcrumb navigation, the original look this, the Chinese comment see here .

Then, see the store also made a small change. The page after widening is divided into three columns, namely product navigation, product price and picture, shop information. This is a brand product sales page, it is not possible to make a strong sense of promotion, but I really do not want to understand that such a large number of white, like to do the same as the flat draft of the page seems difficult to directly promote sales, but Apple does not expect this place to sell.

Ipod+itunes This page has changed so much that it has become very beautiful. I really have no language to describe this page except cool. It's worth noting that the product appears with a horizontal scroll bar, see? The first time to see horizontal, is in a Russian website, but far from this feeling. Once someone said a taboo, is not to let users down and pull to the right, it is very shit things. To be honest, Apple is a bit bold, and this horizontal scroll bar is not the user's usual tool. Users do not know, they will feel indifferent, know, or feel good cool, or feel rubbish. So if our design doesn't reach Apple's water products, think about the risky things.

Another place, IPod Shuffle II's homepage, in fact, the old version of the, there is a very attractive place. will also talk about marketing products, "charm attribute", that is, there is a product attribute, if not, users do not think should not, but if there is, users will feel quite thoughtful, further, if the original has later, the user will think you are extremely sb. Just like this one, each refresh will randomly appear a color shuffle, the upper right corner can choose the color, the Super large picture will show your shuffle, and then the following buy-now and product packaging pictures will then become your chosen color. It's fun and you'll love Apple again.

To put it another way. It's a design, and here's the thing to see Apple brand management and integrated marketing communications.

Apple is a well-deserved "fast brand" ("Fast Brand" is a book, details , buy ), from the first ipod listing in 2001, Apple began its strict to BT brand management. Everyone who has contacted Apple knows that every single page in the Apple Store is mailed directly from the United States, and that China and any foreign company are not qualified to print or distribute any homemade material. This is where we see Apple stores in any place that are the same, and the single page of any product is the same. This is what we call "the consistency of communication". For fast brands such as Apple, which have been in the 199x years of "decline" of the brand, the rapid development process must be done is to strictly maintain the consistency of communication. Apple wants to do it, anywhere, to see any part of it, to make it clear to consumers (recognize) that this is Apple. Hundred years old brand to do so, high-speed growth brand more so, otherwise it will grow up after losing the foundation.

To be consistent, so we saw that the ipod did not change for 5 generations, so we saw that the Mac computer was "simple" no matter how it changed, so we saw that Apple's mouse looked just like one key anyway ... Because Apple has to ensure that its brand essence penetrates every part of the product. ipod is also a brand, box in the middle of a circle of the basic shape will never change, because in the hearts of consumers, this is the ipod, any one with a pencil 10 seconds to draw the ipod is like this, in the dissemination of time, consistent than innovation is more important.

To keep the spread consistent, Apple must maintain a consistent spread at every point of contact. Contact point is an important concept in IMC (intergrated Marketing Communication Integrated Marketing communication), which is the place where the brand can establish communication with consumers. At the same time, it is important to maintain consistent communication at different points of contact. So, Apple in WWDC2007 launch Leopard, will Apple website revision, changed to Leopard appearance. Because the website is the important contact point which communicates with the consumer. WWDC can communicate with more than 3,000 engineers at the same time, but with hundreds of millions of people around the world who like Apple, only through websites and stores. So when Apple puts the Aqua-style Mac into history, it's time to make the Aqua Web site a facelift. This tells the consumer two things: 1. Leopard is Apple's most important product, and all of our images are changing because of it. 2. It's time to say goodbye to your aqua. In other words, the Web site revision is far more meaningful for Apple to spread than it really is.

One inconsistency is that the content of the dominant navigation is changing too much, and many people are speculating that Apple's organizational structure is also changing. This doesn't matter, the key is that this is from the consumer's point of view of the classification, the original more inclined to product classification. It also spreads to consumers a message: all of the things you think about Apple: Store, Ipod+itunes, IPhone, Mac ... At least, I used to want to see the Mac computer must be from the two level of hardware products in order to see, not now, because I do not care about Mac in Apple's eyes is hardware or software? In other words, the revision, so that Apple and consumers communicate more smoothly, closer to the distance.

Come here, there are so many things that you would like to share a group of ads. Next.