By Nicholas Pagonis Social media has completely transformed the way that public speech, protest, and power interact in the modern world. A smartphone may now naturally produce what formerly required centralized leadership, physical presence, and access to traditional media. The Arab Spring, a wave of upheavals that showed both the potential and the limitations of…

By Nicholas Pagonis The most valuable currency in the crowded, fast-paced world of social media is attention. Every scroll, like, and share reveals a momentary choice about what merits someone’s attention. In this context, “stickiness” has become a key component of successful material. The term “stickiness” describes how well a piece of material draws in…

By Nicholas Pagonis In retrospect, the Kony 2012 campaign seems like a snapshot of the early power of social media—raw, emotive, and a little unrefined. Whether you viewed it when it first went viral or are watching it years later, the experience usually has the same effect: it draws you in quickly, evokes strong emotions,…

By Nicholas Pagonis Take a moment to scroll. With purpose, not aimlessly. Consider the last time you paused in the middle of scrolling—perhaps a video, a hashtag, or an image that caused you to pause and experience something. Nevertheless, social media activism starts with that little bit. The act of speaking up for a cause…

By Nicholas Pagonis Social media is frequently blamed for propagating false information, promoting comparison, and fostering negativity. Although these worries are legitimate, they don’t tell the complete picture. Social media has great potential to spark change, build stronger communities, and motivate action worldwide when used wisely. It’s worth thinking about how these platforms may be…

By Nicholas Pagonis Research on user experience is most useful when it results in significant enhancements for actual users. The Barebells website had a thorough UX study during this project to see how well it serves users who are attempting to browse products, learn about nutrition, and eventually buy protein bars. The final report is…

Assumptions come into contact with reality during usability testing. This moderated usability testing session was a crucial check point after a semester of studying and reviewing the Barebells website. What is the real user experience of the site? The testing methodology, participant behavior, results, and what the data show about usability strengths and pain points…

By Nicholas Pagonis Intro The collaborative workshop approach used by the hot air balloon UX design approach is used to determine the factors that support or obstruct a product, service, or experience. By picturing progress as a hot air balloon ascending into the sky, teams can identify both positive factors (wind and lift) and negative…

By Nicholas Pagonis Stories are a favorite of product teams. We discuss intended workflows, personas, and user journeys. However, intent is a poor indication of how well real goods may be improved. The most important thing is to empirically measure how people utilize a product—by methodically observing, documenting, and analyzing how they truly interact with…

By Nicholas Pagonis Teams frequently have trouble making choices with clarity and alignment in the fields of product strategy and user experience (UX) design. What criteria do you use to determine the relative importance of different features? What are the most pressing requirements of the users? What are the most important problems? The 2×2 Matrix…