Hire this website: Why websites need to mind their manners. :: Presentations :: Interaction10

Session Title

Hire this website: Why websites need to mind their manners.

Presenter

Abby Covert, Draftfcb

Session Type: Presentation

You have a job interview, and you know the drill. Look sharp. Be polite. Don’t interrupt. Bring your A-game. These are no-brainers, right? We all know the importance of basic etiquette when making a first impression in the business world. Websites, especially those with a marketing focus, have much in common with prospective new-hires. They must be able to immediately build trust, credibility, and a comfortable report with the user — and they often have one, brief chance to do it.

So why are there so many bumbling, ill-mannered, disheveled websites out there?

In this session, we’ll explore how online experiences fall victim to the five most common job-interview blunders, including:

* Looking like a slob
* Improperly introducing oneself
* Interrupting for no good reason
* Having nothing to show for past experience
* Not bothering to follow up

Biography

Having worked in the design field for eight years, Abby specializes in user-experience planning and information architecture. She develops user-experience strategy for clients ranging from consumer goods to healthcare.

Prior to her current role at Draftfcb, Abby helped create a user-experience practice for a strategic healthcare-marketing firm. She has also worked as a consultant in creating optimal user experiences while implementing Microsoft technology for large enterprises. Early in her career, she was a key member of a team charged with innovating a new set of HR self-service web applications for Fidelity Investments. Some of Abby’s past clients include Kraft Foods, Bank of America, The Hartford Insurance, BlueCross BlueShield, PricewaterhouseCoopers, the United States Postal Service and Home Depot.

Abby has a dual degree in Multimedia Studies and Graphic Design from Northeastern University and volunteers at the Information Architecture Institute. When she’s not working, she’s riding her bicycle around Chicago.