Why the need for UX talent may drive more ‘acqui-hires’
by Shane Schick — Aug 12 '13
COMMERCELAB REVIEW
Shopify buys Jet Cooper, gamification in philanthropy and more useful news and events.
It takes more than a shopping cart symbol to create a great online store, which is why one of Canada’s most promising e-commerce startups recently made an important strategic purchase of its own. That news kicks off this week’s CommerceLab Review of useful news stories, links and events.
Ottawa-based Shopify, whose platform powers online transactions for clients like Gatorade and Tesla Motors, acquired user experience (UX) design firm Jet Cooper in Toronto. In this case, it might be better described as a move to “acqui-hire,” because what Shopify is buying are not products and services but talent that can improve its core offering. The company’s founders told ITBusiness.ca that after running into Jet Cooper on multiple occasions, ‘We just thought, okay, we can achieve our goals faster and more effectively with having this incredible group of 25 join us.” Look for similar M&A activity as more organizations realize the importance and difficulty of having UX expertise in-house.
In a blog post on the Calgary Herald, Dexity Consulting’s Gena Rotstein poses an intriguing set of questions based on a session she attended at a recent industry conference about the use of gamification in philanthropy: “By gamifying philanthropy (through mobile apps and websites) are we negatively affecting the way that children/youth brains develop? AND by incentivizing giving through these same platforms are we risking the possibility of removing the overall health benefits that voluntary (i.e. non-rewarded) community engagement provides in the long run?” These aren’t easy to answer, but definitely worth further discussion.
Richmond Hill, Ont.-based iSign launched an intriguing product it called the Smart Player, which can not only manage the content that gets broadcast to digital signs but simultaneously to wireless mobile devices that happen to be in a nearby location. The company said customer responses to interactive ad campaigns can be captured instantly and would cost as little as .001 of a cent per message. Full details are available at Mediacaster magazine.
Elsewhere:
Jenn Webb notes the shift in UX from designing for software to designing for systems on O’Reilly Radar.
At Mashable, Sarah Ang has put together a list of 40 events about gamification and digital marketing that may be worth considering this fall.
Samsung’s director of channel marketing for enterprise business talks about what companies should look for in a digital signage provider on Channelnomics.
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