The Biz

Ever wondered how other developers create their web apps? I've scanned in sketches from the initial development of Voices.com

Seeing as I haven't discovered anywhere else on the web that actually reveals the designers' initial layouts and how their ideas evolved, I though these sketches might be of interest to new developers getting started.

Like with most good ideas, they start with a brainstorm. Stephanie, my partner, and I wrote some notes on a paper napkin. The napkin turned into an entire book where we wrote down all the features and functions that we thought would be important for our future customers.

Web 2.0 App Brainstorm on a Napkin

Next, I organized those thoughts into groups. I tried to limit the groups to around 5 or 6. To avoid feature creep, some of the features were put on the back burner or eliminated completely. The group headings turned into the tab titles. The result was 5 tabs across the top navigation bar, and an "Account & Settings" link, as well as a "Logout" link, located in the top right hand corner.

Features and Functions of our Web App

Before jumping into sketching multiple screens, I split one page into four areas, then photocopied the page about 20 times. This saved me from re-drawing the header and logo multiple times per page. Plus, I felt that each activity on the site should require no more than 4 steps.

Blank Design and Sketch Sheet

The core of our web application surrounded the personal websites of each member. Your website URL would be http://yourname.voices.com . I mapped out a basic page and the fields to be included in the Profile.

Since we would be hosting MP3 files, specifically voice-over demos, we needed a separate area to manage the uploading, downloading, editing and ordering of multimedia files. We call this the 'Studio'.

Uploading, downloading, editing and recording of multimedia files in the Studio

Finally, I put myself in the shoes of a client who was visiting the website to hire a professional to record a podcast commercial. He needed to search for an 'authentic' voice, without getting bogged down in advanced search fields.

Searching by keyword for voice talents at Voices.com

The search results page included the name of the voice talent, description, location, and MP3 demo that would be played using a Flash player. Once the client clicks on the voice talent's name, they can view their website. From there the client can send the talent an email. After the email has been sent, the client lands on a 'thank you' page which provides them with the option to either search again or access different parts of the service.

And here's the live layout of search results and the My Account area.

Polished search result at Voices.com

My Account at Voices.com

Do you follow a similar process? Leave a comment below.

Best,

David

Technorati Tags: web 2.0, Web Applications, Web-Apps, web design, Development, screenshots

So, you have an idea for the next killer Web 2.0 app. That's great, but where do you go from here? Learn how we attack product development and how you can follow a simple and fool-proof system.

The idea for Voices.com emerged 5 years ago when we were a recording studio operating in downtown London. Although work was keeping us busy, we wanted more. We wanted to serve many more customers, reaching out to a global audience. At the same time, we recognized that there are many other recording studios, production houses and freelance voice over talents that could make use of a single destination to promote their services directly to clients in need of voice-overs.

The vision: An online marketplace where anyone with a professional studio, vocal training and experience could create a profile, upload sample MP3 recordings of their voice and audition for voice-over jobs. In turn, the clients could use our search engine to find voice talents by keyword or post jobs requesting that voice talents reply with an cost estimate for the projects.

OK, that's our story, but how did we actually go about taking the idea from the concept stage to an operating business? Here's the answer, in the form of a plan that you can use to start your own Web 2.0 company.

1.The Opportunity
To start you'll need to do some initial planning. Jot down the problem that you are going to solve. This will help you stay focused on your solution.

2. The Solution
Now, brainstorm all the ways you can solve the specific problem or obstacle. There may be more than one solution, and certain solutions may be easier to build than others. Write them all down and elaborate on the steps involved, including first time visitors discovering your company, trying out your web application, and making a purchase.

3. Your Customers
Picture the customers you are going to serve. Even go as far as creating a character sketch. This will help you understand your customers and why they will use your web application. Think of this as your market research. For example, Sally is the creative director at a national advertising agency. She's busy, works on 5 projects at any given time and appreciates quality when she finds it. Her activities are governed by simplicity and likes when things "just work".

4. Understand The Revenue Model
Too many companies start without a clear picture of how they'll make money. Boot-strapping is OK, and is even recommended. With limited financial resources, you'll be forced to make good decisions. Once revenues start coming in the door, you will have developed a sense of discipline in your business spending habits that will ensure future profitability. Common models include; advertising supported, subscription based, pay-per-use and by donation. We'll discuss each of these models in more detail in a future post.

5. Create the User Experience
Before 37Signals came out with their eBook "Getting Real" which I would recommend to any web developer, we had been applying many of the same strategies such as starting with the UI ( User Interface ) and then developing the code to make everything "work". Personally, I'm not a programmer, but I'd like to believe I have an eye for design and can think logically, so creating the UI first was easy to do. With Voices.com, I mapped out the header, the tabs and gave the tabs names. Each tab name represented a different part of the web service. Within each section you could have more options. For example, our "Account & Settings" section includes sub-sections on "Preferences", "Account Details", "Statistics" and "Upgrade Account". By knowing the customer, understanding the specific problem we were going to solve for them, then seeing a sketch on paper, our idea came to life faster than you can say Web 2.0.

6. Develop a Working Model
Create HTML versions of your screens. From there, you can program the back-end to execute the dynamic functions like submitting online forms, uploading files and displaying information pulled from your database.

7. Test, test, test
Once you launch, there's no turning back and first impressions mean everything. With that in mind, you'll want to test your web application on every machine, operating system, browser and Internet connection possible.

8. Provide Outstanding Customer Service & Support
Prepare for a number of questions before you launch. By developing a FAQ ( frequently asked questions ) page you can eliminate answering the same questions over and over. Plus, FAQs can be used to help explain how everything works.

9. Launch Your Web 2.0 Application
Write a press release ( or hire a PR firm ) to craft an announcement introducing your new Web 2.0 application. Email everyone you know to come check it out and ask them the pass along the message to their colleagues. On the day of your official launch, you may be in public beta mode, so people will understand if everything isn't working correctly. The key though, is to answer peoples' questions and listen to their feedback. With many visitors using the application for the first time, they will have a fresh perspective and will think of things you haven't yet considered.

10. Enjoy The Journey
Find something you're passionate about and dedicate your time and resources to making it the best in the industry. The evidence of your hard work will be present in your attention to detail, the visual representation and general user experience. After you've launched, you'll be reflect back on the good times when you were doing the initial development, so enjoy it while it lasts.

This was the story of how we built Voices.com, but it can also be how you build your Web 2.0 application.

Post a comment about your development method.

All the best,

David

Technorati Tags: web 2.0, Web Applications, Web-Apps, web design, Design

As promised, we'll discuss the concept of Web 2.0. My definition for Web 2.0, in short, is the next generation of Internet applications, business strategy and the underlying technologies that enable conversations and contribution to the online community.

It may be helpful to quickly sum up the first generation of websites.

They were typically produced and maintained by independent webmasters who updated the websites' content only when the information became dated or was no longer aligned with the business goals.

The vast majority of websites pre-2000 websites were "read only", meaning you could only look at the content without changing it. If you wanted to suggest a change, correct or add information you would have most likely been redirected to a contact form or email address of the webmaster who controlled the contents of the website.

So what happened next?

Plenty of things. Open-source software, particularly web server and web development software such as PHP and Perl, and database software such as MySQL enabled rapid development of online applications for a fraction of the cost. The barrier of entry has been lowered to the point where anyone with an idea can build a powerful web service and open its doors to the world.

Web 2.0 and its meaning has been debated at length. With much conflict, and lack of a definitive definition, I thought today we could explore how various key players interpret the meaning of Web 2.0

Technologists see Web 2.0 as the technologies, programming languages and the scalable infrastructure that powers a new breed of online applications known as web services.

Marketers use Web 2.0 services and see them primarily as platforms where they can reach out and connect with customers on a more intimate level. Yet, to call the group of people "customers" may not be the correct term. In the Web 2.0 era, the customers are the creators.

The creators build web pages, upload audio, video and images, and tag multimedia files providing other users with useful information about their creations. This material is known as "user-generated content".

What about corporate types?

Business people and financiers see Web 2.0 as an opportunity to problem-solve for their customers while engaging them in conversation about their products and services.

The Web has allowed businesses to dream up solutions to existing problems, build the technologies to solve those problems, and then allow consumers to turn into contributers by participating through blogs, podcasts, and online profiles.

It's an opportunity that has been in the works for the past decade. The world wide web as we know it took years to build up sufficient broadband capacity for many of the Web 2.0 applications in use today. Web services centered around audio and video distribution simply wouldn't and couldn't exist without high-speed Internet and inexpensive bandwidth costs.

With all of that said, why do I believe that we are a Web 2.0 company?

New additions to the site include RSS feeds that allow individuals to subscribe to the VOX Daily, The Biz, Casting Voices, Buzz and Press blogs, the IV Podcast (also available in the iTunes Music Store), manage voice-over projects, collaborate with colleagues online, use file delivery tools, and implement feedback for other Voices members regarding a relationship forged through business conducted at the website or endorsements based upon the quality of the talent's voice-over demo and qualifications.

From a technological point of view, principles that render Voices.com a Web 2.0 company include the continued focus on a rich user experience by working with technologies such as RSS, CSS and AJAX while using the Web as a software platform.

All the best,

David

Technorati Tags: web 2.0, web-20, web2.0, Web Service

In today's "Special Announcement", Apple once again showed it's expertise to create buzz and delivered an outstanding series of products including new versions of the iPod Video, iPod Nano and iPod Shuffle, as well as iTunes. And the most significant of these? I believe it's iTunes 7.

As a Mac fanatic, I wanted to highlight today's release of iTunes 7.

A few weeks back, the news was out that Apple had scheduled a "Special Announcement" for September 12th. Seeing as they had recently launched a new line of iMac computers with duo-core processors, the rumor-mill let it be known that we should be expecting some updates to the infamous iPods.

Today, I logged into various Apple related website to discover that iTunes has been updated. iTunes 7 is now available as a free download for both Mac and PC.

Apple iTunes 7

Probably the most significant feature was the addition of movies, feature films and games that are now available for purchase in the iTunes Store.

With a few free moments this evening, I downloaded the update for iTunes. The download was quick, however Apple took the opportunity to update Quicktime too. In case you didn't notice, you can't download iTunes separately from Quicktime anymore. Nonetheless, the system rebooted and iTunes kicked into gear.

At first glance, the interface is familiar, yet proves to be noticeably easier. The organization of the menu of the left-hand side is more logical, breaking up the "Library" into Music, Movies, TV Shows, Podcasts, Audiobooks and Radio.

Below the the Library, you'll find the Store. Those familiar with the previous version will recall that Apple branded the store as the "iTunes Music Store". Well, it's dropped the "Music" and is now simply "iTunes Store". And, rightly so. iTunes has exceeded nearly everyone's expectations and is the organizing application for multimedia for newbies and hipsters alike. The iTunes Store sells much more than just music. It just makes sense to refine the name.

I also liked how my purchased music was all organized together, and could easily be found below the link to the iTunes Store.

One of the nicest features was the Downloads screen that lets me see which podcasts are updating. After the download completes, the podcasts area adds to the number of to-be-listened-to shows. From the screenshot, it looks like I've got some catching up to do, listening to 454 podcast episodes to be exact.

Apple managed to add some value by offering to Get Album Artwork for those CDs I ripped from my own collection and match them against the iTunes database. This was a nice touch in helping all iTunes users round out their music collection.

My only beef is that being a resident of Canada, I'm unable to access all of the great new content, such as TV Shows and Movies. Not to worry. I believe Apple will remedy the fact that most of the video content is currently unavailable, sooner rather than later.

Overall, I'd give the update a 9/10. Apple continues to innovate, refine and expand one of most useful applications for creative professionals. Nicely done, Apple.

Best,

David

Technorati Tags: itunes, apple, mac , Mac

I've read blog posts by other entrepreneurs and industry critics raising a question. Does the world need another blog? I'd like to refine that question. Does the world need another web 2.0 blog? My short answer is "yes", and here's why.

The Biz, is a different kind of blog. This isn't a commentary on the happenings of the web, nor will I include product reviews or endorse other services.

So what will The Biz be about?

In short, my vision for The Biz will be a blog written by an entrepreneur for entrepreneurs. We'll discuss the various aspects involved with building a web 2.0 company.

In the Business Management category, I'll address business issues relating to strategy, business models and day-to-day operations, while at the same time keeping everything in perspective. Even when it seems as though the sky is falling, I often say, "Listen, it's not as bad as it seems", and it usually never is.

Development is an area that's close to my heart, as it pertains to the development of the web-service itself. Some people may call this product development, but I've learned to approach the development from the notion that we are building a service, and hopefully one that our customers can't live without.

With a product in place, we'll focus our attention on Sales & Marketing, and the most common approaches to generating revenue from web-services, as well as exploring a few unconventional practices too.

Once customers start signing up for your new web-service, you'll need to allocate some time and resources to managing those customers, as well as fielding Service & Support issues. This includes how to create FAQ's, how to address technical support issues, how best to receive feedback, and then what to do about the numerous suggestions that are bound to start rolling in.

After getting your company off the ground, you'll need to consider the prospects of either hiring qualified professionals to round out your team, or seek out partners to help your business grow. All of these posts will fall under the area of Human Resources.

Just like any business plan, this blog will cover the basics on Finance, an often skipped over section that at first glance may not seem interesting, but rest assured, I'll do my best to make creating, analyzing and presenting financial data as enjoyable as possible.

To round out the blog, the over-arching theme is Web 2.0. What is Web 2.0? Well, that will be the discussion of tomorrow's post.

If you have specific questions, post your comments below.

All the best,

David

Technorati Tags: web20, web 2.0, web_2.0, ceo, blog

Here's the behind the scenes story of why our team decided to change our name from InteractiveVoices to Voices.com and how it could help you with your re-branding strategies.

Several months ago, we came across the opportunity to acquire the domain name and website Voices.com. Our initial feeling was that re-branding our ( and your ) website to Voices.com would be the best move, despite the technical challenges that lay in front of us.

However before we made the switch, we decided to consult with various professionals within our personal networks. David spoke with software developers, branding consultants and venture capitalists, while I connected with bloggers and people from the media. We also spoke with you, our members, to ensure that you'd be happy with the move.

The conclusion? We decided to take the plunge and change the name.

Here are some of the reasons why re-branding as Voices.com was and is the best business decision for our team, as well as all of you.

1. It's short.

2. It's memorable.

3. It's easy to spell.

4. Word of mouth will accelerate. It's simple to say "Listen to me on Voices.com" or "My demos are at Voices.com".

5. The word "voices" was already part of the previous name "interactivevoices", so the new name was more of a refinement of the familiar as opposed to the shock of abrupt change.

6. Our top search engine rankings would stay intact. With the change complete, we're confident that Google, Yahoo! and MSN have successfully indexed the new site and will continue to do so.

7. Your website would have a very cool URL - yourname.voices.com

8. The name encompasses the entire industry, not just a portion of it. Many have mistakenly viewed interactivevoices.com as a source for telephony projects such as voicemail, on-hold recording and IVR, which is the abbreviation for "interactive voice response". Voices.com is home to professionals who record for all applications. In essence, we cast a larger net for you.

9. A modest update to our company logo, brighter colors and easier navigation could all be accomplished at once.

10. An opportunity to deliver a new, but familiar layout and move to a CSS-based design. This means that Voices.com works well not only on Mac and PC, but also on Palm, BlackBerry and all mobile phones. Text size can also be increased or decreased to improve the usability.

The better, shorter, more memorable name will help us to tell our story to clients, producers, casting directors and talent agents resulting in more voice-over work for you.

That's the story in a nutshell.

Are you happy with the new name Voices.com?

All the best,

David

Technorati Tags: web 2.0, branding, launch