A quick post with very little analysis — just some commentary from personal experience. I just had the urge to share these sites because they are truly fun to browse and they make it easy to enjoy art, music, and literature — something that many many retailers, publishers and artists don’t seem to really get. Why do we make it so difficult for people to simply enjoy themselves while experiencing culture — especially the experience includes a potential purchase?
Why is it so difficult for creative industries and to some degree, retail, to understand that the process of exploration is time-consuming? For those that do understand — is it so challenging to simplify? Perhaps … but let’s take a look at these three that are making it happen!
Amie Street [Music]
Anyone who is well enough acquainted with me will understand be familiar with how much I enjoy or to a greater degree, am addicted to browsing or exploring for new music on this website. How do they make browsing enjoyable and to some degree social?
1. Hassle-free AJAX login.
2. Reward exploration through dynamic pricing and recommendations.
3. Let users not only download their music, but take it with them wherever they go online. If I log on to someone elses computer, I can log into my account and play all the music I’ve purchased.
4. Scrobbing all music to Last.fm — simple enough concept wise
5. If i’m not on the site, they send me an email informing me of some music I may actually be interested in. So far — pretty good accuracy.
DailyLit [Literature]
Those who might point to the very recently-launched Shortcovers or the mobile Google Book Search should stop right away — Shortcovers is innovative but it doesn’t make the experience easy. My experience with DailyLit wins hands down — why should I waste time going to an application to look at one free chapter of a book or a website to read the book when it can be delivered to me at a time and place I specify?
1. Universal formatting for email or RSS. No extra steps for mobile devices.
2. Books are either free or not. If not, usually more than one chapter is free.
3. Forget chapters — think installments based on short convenient intervals (also customizable). After reading one installment, I can demand the next or wait.
4. Big simple design. Navigation is clean and solid. Colour-coded tags for exploration (shading based on quantity).
5. Book delivered by RSS, Email and can be customized to the specific days and times when I know I’ll be for example: reading emails. Might as well read a bit of a book too right?
20×200 [Visual Art]
I just came across this today thanks to the Globe and Mail and I am hooked. Not only is the concept brilliant — $20 dollar art? What a great way to find new art that won’t eliminate my savings account. I also don’t have time to visit the Art Gallery of Ontario every single week so this gives a good dose for me to enjoy.
1. Just a nice clean site to enjoy visual art.
2. Can the sign-up process get any easier?
3. A single click on “More Great Art” just keeps the art flowing in front of the user.
4. Set expectations for when the user should expect new art to be live on the site.
5. Introduce a ridiculously affordable concept that is rewarding for both the artist and any kind of potential customer — limited edition of 200 prints for $20 each / limited edition of 20 prints for $200.00 each [example]
One similarity across the board. All of these sites don’t overload or overwhelm the user with choices and selections right off the bat — something that online and brick + mortar retailers do way too often.
The key is whether the user is enjoying their intake of art, literature, or music online — it’s not just about the sale conversion. If they know they can view, read or listen to this content unhindered and they have a good time of it — they will return and they will eventually find something they truly like.
{ 2 comments… read them below or add one }
Hey man, thanks for including us in your post. Looks like we are in good company! We have lots more in store too, check out beta.amiestreet.com/recommendations to see just one of the projects we have cooking!
Nels
Thanks for dropping by Nels and for the heads up on the beta project! I will definitely check it out.