Each week, we share the top five articles that caught our attention. Here are your must-reads, published here and abroad, for the week of February 20th 2017.
“You have 99+ notifications”
How can designers create digital ecosystems that allow users to be fully connected, at all times, without plaguing them with noise and useless notifications from their devices? John Saito, UX writer at Dropbox, believes that focusing on user behaviour and minimizing the need for consumer-tech interactions can make for more seamless, harmonious experiences.
→ Read it on uxdesign.cc Pocket
Brand sponsorships are so 2010
The Super Bowl, among other hype events, can seem like the perfect marketing opportunity to impress consumers with sponsored creativity and innovation. That said, most advertisers are aware that their target market—in this case, Millennials and Gen Xers—value brand authenticity above all. With this in mind, how can we create distinct and genuine brand moments that resonate with the public, and that won’t have to compete with a football game for attention?
→ Read it on Adweek Pocket
Canada Goose, Hollywood up-and-comer
Oh, Canada, country of snowy fields, hockey, moose and polar bears. It’s easy to see how this romantic image might work as a powerful marketing tool to sell winter gear, but is it responsible for the rising popularity of Canada Goose jackets on the American screen? Considering The North Face and Patagonia’s previous domination of the U.S. technical outerwear market, what strategy enabled the Canadian cult brand to stand out and get noticed by Hollywood?
→ Read it on The New Yorker Pocket
Understanding the sharing economy
While the sharing economy might seem like a recent idea popularized by companies like Uber and Airbnb, it was actually implemented in a handful of sectors as early as the 13th century! What can we expect from this model in the 21st century? Lucie Piqueur, a journalist at URBANIA, discusses potential challenges and opportunities associated with the economic concept with Jacques Nantel, Professor emeritus at HEC Montreal.
→ Read it on URBANIA (In French) Pocket
Underwater VR: A whole new world
No matter how crisp the image or sound of a virtual reality headset may be, if the experience produced is set in water or in the air, the user won’t even confuse it with reality. Why? A simple VR helmet can’t reproduce what it feels like to swim or soar. In order to take the computer-generated moment to the next level, Stephen Greenwood, Director of Creative Development at Seeker, and Allan Evans, Technologist and Co-founder of Avegant, have already begun building a headset that works underwater.
→ Read it on MIT Technology Review Pocket
In your earbuds: The Infopresse podcast
For the second official episode of the Infopresse podcast, Denis Dubois, Director of Programs at Télé-Québec, Suzane Landry, Senior Director of Channels and Programming at Groupe TVA, and Luc Doyon, Executive VP and Chief Operating Officer of Groupe V Média, examine the effects of digital media on the TV industry.
→ Listen to it on Infopresse
This week’s favourite thing
Feeling a little uninspired lately? Take a look at this list of creative must-reads compiled by The New Yorker’s legendary design team. Your inner artist will thank you.
Image from Deloitte University Press
