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I'm in the NASA generation... meaning I grew up when space exploration was THE most thrilling news covered in our solar system. It also means that I'm probably a bunch older than you... but we'll proceed anyway.
I recall gathering with my family in the living room, watching our single TV set:
10 - 9 - 8 - 7 - 6 - 5 - 4 - 3 - 2 - 1 - 0 - BLAST OFF!!!!!
ROAR of unbelievably powerful rocket engines. HUGE Saturn V rocket engulfed in smoke and flames. INCOMPREHENSIBLE forces inching untold tonnage slowly upward, breaking away from gantry tubes, somehow going straight upward, hurtling its miniscule human cargo toward exciting exploration and discovery missions in outer space.
Not coincidentally, we all just got past the most famous recurring example of this type of cultural artifact:
10 - 9 - 8 - 7 - 6 - 5 - 4 - 3 - 2 - 1 - HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!!!
Woooo Hooooo! Yelling. Noise-making. Kisses. Champagne. Affection. Reminiscing. Resolutions.
Countdowns are Cool!
Read on and learn how to Rock Your UI! >>
Countdowns are humanizers.
Countdowns translate data into anticipation and emotion... and often enough, stress.
How many days until "still-President" Bush leaves office?
How many days until Xmas?
(here's a picture of my virtual Chumby... the real one is nicer)
Last spring, we at AOL launched some redesigned movie pages on Moviefone. Granted, we didn't get everything we all wanted into the product, but we did manage to get in the UI for countdowns. By happenstance we captured some unsolicited sound bytes of user feedback about this feature during some usability testing sessions last fall. Just play the video to see for yourself.
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Countdowns make perfect sense for Moviefone. Sure, we all want to know that Star Trek is coming out on May 8th (05/08/2009), but what stokes up the trekkie in me is the fact that it is 123 days away and counting down... creeping toward me, slowly, but inevitably... day by day... 122, 121... building anticipation... pestering me to scratch that itch and find out how close it is today!
Did I cook it into the UI of Moviefone for iPhone? You better believe it. And there are plenty of other ways we'll be exploiting this technique throughout Moviefone and upcoming messaging architectures.
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I'm anxious to ensure you fully understand the concept.
EVERY DAY the page gets better and better because EVERY DAY the number gets smaller and smaller.
You don't even have to lift a finger... the technique just works upon us automatically... autonomically?
It's such a little thing, and such a big thing at the same time.
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Of course, there's also the reverse countdown... what I call the "countback."
Facebook has pioneered a system of posting time/date... 20 seconds ago, 20 minutes ago, about 2 hours ago, yesterday, etc. This is quite nice, albeit backward-looking, but still latching craftily onto some trigger in basic human nature... compelling me to be the first wise-acre to add a sarcastic comment onto my friend's carefully worded status update... HAH! Ain't I a gas?
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Lotteries typically broadcast the date countdown alongside the more important rising number of winnings. Both are critical to drive a purchase. Hey, you gotta play to win. Those old New York Lottery commercials really bring back memories.
=============================================================
Does it make sense to execute countdowns on AOL channels?
What about other data humanizations?
=============================================================
I recall gathering with my family in the living room, watching our single TV set:
10 - 9 - 8 - 7 - 6 - 5 - 4 - 3 - 2 - 1 - 0 - BLAST OFF!!!!!
ROAR of unbelievably powerful rocket engines. HUGE Saturn V rocket engulfed in smoke and flames. INCOMPREHENSIBLE forces inching untold tonnage slowly upward, breaking away from gantry tubes, somehow going straight upward, hurtling its miniscule human cargo toward exciting exploration and discovery missions in outer space.
Not coincidentally, we all just got past the most famous recurring example of this type of cultural artifact:
10 - 9 - 8 - 7 - 6 - 5 - 4 - 3 - 2 - 1 - HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!!!
Woooo Hooooo! Yelling. Noise-making. Kisses. Champagne. Affection. Reminiscing. Resolutions.
Countdowns are Cool!
Read on and learn how to Rock Your UI! >>
Countdowns are humanizers.
Countdowns translate data into anticipation and emotion... and often enough, stress.
How many days until "still-President" Bush leaves office?
How many days until Xmas?
(here's a picture of my virtual Chumby... the real one is nicer)
Last spring, we at AOL launched some redesigned movie pages on Moviefone. Granted, we didn't get everything we all wanted into the product, but we did manage to get in the UI for countdowns. By happenstance we captured some unsolicited sound bytes of user feedback about this feature during some usability testing sessions last fall. Just play the video to see for yourself.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Countdowns make perfect sense for Moviefone. Sure, we all want to know that Star Trek is coming out on May 8th (05/08/2009), but what stokes up the trekkie in me is the fact that it is 123 days away and counting down... creeping toward me, slowly, but inevitably... day by day... 122, 121... building anticipation... pestering me to scratch that itch and find out how close it is today!
Did I cook it into the UI of Moviefone for iPhone? You better believe it. And there are plenty of other ways we'll be exploiting this technique throughout Moviefone and upcoming messaging architectures.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
I'm anxious to ensure you fully understand the concept.
EVERY DAY the page gets better and better because EVERY DAY the number gets smaller and smaller.
You don't even have to lift a finger... the technique just works upon us automatically... autonomically?
It's such a little thing, and such a big thing at the same time.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Of course, there's also the reverse countdown... what I call the "countback."
Facebook has pioneered a system of posting time/date... 20 seconds ago, 20 minutes ago, about 2 hours ago, yesterday, etc. This is quite nice, albeit backward-looking, but still latching craftily onto some trigger in basic human nature... compelling me to be the first wise-acre to add a sarcastic comment onto my friend's carefully worded status update... HAH! Ain't I a gas?
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Lotteries typically broadcast the date countdown alongside the more important rising number of winnings. Both are critical to drive a purchase. Hey, you gotta play to win. Those old New York Lottery commercials really bring back memories.
=============================================================
Does it make sense to execute countdowns on AOL channels?
What about other data humanizations?
=============================================================
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