Michael Leis

Moving into its third or fourth year as a Web design / marketing mantra, it seems the people marching to the drumbeat of “Death to Microsites,” has had a confluence with Facebook surpassing 300 milion registered users. To a chorus of rousing applause, more and more large brands are discontinuing the practice of creating microsites [...]

It’s fairly prevalent now to find larger brands ready to jump headlong into a sweeping social media strategy.  “We get it!” or “We know our customers are there!” It feels a lot like when athletes in interviews (or reality TV contestants) say things like, “We gotta step it up.” or “Take it to the next [...]

User Experience as a field, and Website creation in general can stand to learn a thing or two from distinctly old-media craft: namely screenwriting and film theory. This year, I’m lucky enough to be joined by Cindy Chastain in proposing to present the topic at SXSW 2010 on exactly how to do that. To expand [...]

Looking at the major players in social media, contrast in color and user experience controls creates meaning for the creator and the browser. How much is too much, and how can brands take these lessons back to their own Web strategy?

Many times in the world of social media, the concepts that go over biggest in client meeting rooms are the least appealing in terms of what actually helps the brand. Typically, the best ideas fundamentally are the ones that lead people to say, “We need more wow.” Which is followed by suggestions of features that [...]

interaction’09 | vancouver Are you going to interaction ’09? If you have any stake in the future of interaction design (and, really, who doesn’t), then it’s worth your time to read on, and find out more about this event. Happy to re-present this on behalf of tenaciously brilliant Will Evans, who will be there along [...]

Most people reading this post are probably digging back into what feels like a whole new work year. Fresh with the energy of a well-deserved vacation, or at least a long weekend, and ready to take on that inbox full of the new ideas and projects that make up this time of renewal between Labor [...]

Is it time for South By Southwest Interactive 2009 already? It seems like only yesterday, like it was a vivid dream. Thought provoking panels and presentations led by the brightest minds in the world. Bar after bar, live band after live band. Manly interface designers cozied in the back seat of a bicycling rickshaw. The [...]

Been meaning to post a follow-up with insights on Steve Krug’s incredible presentation on usability last week. But really, the way to describe just how eye-opening and validating it was comes straight from Emerge’s own Creative Director Adam Stipanuk — who wasn’t there at all. He picked out the following two passages as completely gratifying [...]

Here in the Aware conference room, before a crowd of about 20 Upshotters and Emergers stands usability super-genius Steve Krug. He’s calling it, Everything you need to know about usability… in 150 minutes or less. Starting with an introduction, Steve lives just outside Boston, and works as a usability consultant. His one-man company, Advanced Common [...]