Perks Incentive Blog

Just this last week Facebook came out with a new interface for it’s mobile apps (I use the iPhone and iPad app) and I commented that while the added features were cool from a techie standpoint it felt very cluttered from a user standpoint.   I had to take a few minutes to figure out how things had changed.  While it didn’t take long I must admit I was a little frustrated that I had to take the time to deal with it…it feels to me that they’re starting to stray from their simplistic approach that in my opinion gave them a huge edge over MySpace.    Why do I need to know in real time that Sally just liked John’s picture of the dinner he just prepared?  Why does Facebook get to put what they think is the most relative in my news feed?   What happened to the news feed button, etc.?  The ads on the web site I realize are necessary as I don’t want to have to pay for it but I must admit I was a little insulted at the ad for a CPAP machine that came up recently…they seem to know things about me that I’m not willing to accept.  Granted there is a lot of information that is being processed but their approach has always been to keep it simple and those days are gone.

What does this have to do with Perks or incentive programs in general?    The answer is simple.   Yes I said simple…consistency would apply as well.  For example, Perks’ platform has the ability to take in data from multiple sources and formats, in real-time or batch, and apply algorithms that turn all this data into a single view for the user.   In the first 5 years of our existence we ran very complex sales campaigns for a major computer manufacturer that at times ramped up to 10-15 campaigns a month.   Users began to get fatigue from all the contest and qualifiers and eventually just started checking out.   I remember being so proud at how our platform could push so much information at a single user but the truth is it was information overload.  Just because you have the technology doesn’t mean that you have to use it.  As Perks has evolved we’ve stressed the importance of keeping a simple consistent view for the user (even if there is tons of data that back up their numbers).  Also, keeping the program fresh doesn’t mean changing the look and feel every month or quarter.   The real trick is to update and refresh campaigns to meet the changing needs of a client while still using the same format, navigation, and data points.   The only way to do this efficiently is to have a complete understanding of the clients goals both short term AND long term so that and changes to the site are minimal.   I’m sure Facebook has done an exhaustive amount of user experience testing but I have to wonder if they’ve truly listened to the feedback.

So all of this just boils down to a “simple” fact.  Perks is smarter than Facebook.

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