Contributed Post | Mike McRitchie | Resume and LinkedIn Profile Writer | Telecom Marketing Content Writer

Why A Great UX Is A Must For Product Startups

November 22, 2018 by Contributed Post Leave a Comment

UX Design There is no underestimating how important the design of your company’s ‘product’ is – i.e. your website, mobile application, or software. This does not only relate to what it looks like, but also how long it takes to load and whether navigation is easy and effective. Unfortunately, there is no magic formula when it comes to getting the design right. However, there is a path that most designers seem to be going down, and that is user experience design – commonly abbreviated to UX design. Keeping that in mind, read on to discover why all product startups must invest in a great UX design…

What is UX design?

Before revealing the significance of UX design, it is first imperative to reveal what it actually is. It is a discipline that is centred on designing the end-to-end experience of a certain product. In essence, this design centres on addressing the needs of your users at every stage of your product life cycle. Business owners are too commonly telling their users what they want them to know, instead of considering what the user needs. When it comes to UX design, everything from receiving an email invoice to the usability of the home page is considered with the user in mind. Several years ago this style of design was considered a niche, but now it is a well and truly a necessity.

Compete with big industry players

There are many reasons why UX design is so important. When it comes to start-ups, it gives you the chance to compete with the bigger players in the industry. Good design and user experience is not something that can be duplicated easily. Therefore, if you manage to achieve this, you can really set yourself apart from the competition – including the mature products in your industry. Using the ASK method is a good way to go about this. This is all about finding out what your audience, i.e. potential customers, really want. By getting to the bottom of this and delivering a user experience that caters to this, you have the winning formula.

Break down the trust barrier

Moreover, one area where startups also face obstacles is in relation to trust. After all, why should a consumer trust you when they don’t know anything about you and you have no track record? Design and UX helps to create the atmosphere of confidence you require. Quality website builders can help you to achieve this. You won’t be able to keep a loyal consumer base without it. Whilst a consumer may purchase a product based on its features, this will not keep them interested in the long-run. They will only keep coming back if the experience is a good one.

Further benefits associated with effective UX design

It is evident that users are at the heart of UX design, and therefore to gain the advantages that have just been mentioned, it becomes imperative for you to get to know your clients if you are going to integrate this approach effectively. You need to be able to spot the problem of your future users. You need to define it and determine the issues it causes, and most importantly, you must eliminate it. This is the recipe for successful UX design. Yet, it means that you need to take a different approach to the one you are likely to have now. You need to actually talk to your clients and get to know them. If you fail to do this, you are merely guessing what your customers’ feel, and thus you fall back into the trap of providing them with what you think they need, rather than what they actually need.

To conclude, the boom in UX design is no coincidence. If you want your product to stand tall against mature products in the industry, you need to embrace this approach. It will build trust and confidence in your brand, and ensure that you create a consumer base that keeps coming back for more. However, developing a design with good user experience is a lot easier said than done. It takes a lot of research and testing so you can determine your consumers’ pain points and address them in the most effective manner.

6 Tips for Creating a Successful Business Strategy with Vulnerability Management in Mind

November 21, 2018 by Contributed Post Leave a Comment

Successful business strategy

Strategy is important for any business large or small. Check out these 6 tips for creating a successful business strategy today!

Every 39 seconds there’s a cyber attack costing individuals and companies millions of dollars and destroying reputations.

There’s nothing that undermines management more than a breach of security. No matter how successful your management is or how clearly defined your organizational structure is it can all be wiped away with one well-timed attack.

If you don’t want this to be your company then you need to think long and hard about how management will deal with security vulnerabilities.

Luckily we’ve created a plan to help you make a successful business strategy for your company with vulnerability in mind.

1. Make Cybersecurity Part of Your Vision Statement

Your vision statement declares your objectives as a company. It tells the world what your focus is and what your goals are. As well as how you plan to shape your actions to achieve those goals.

If you want to tell the world that you value cybersecurity and privacy spell it out in your vision statement.

2. Review Your Strengths and Weaknesses

The hardest part of making a successful business strategy especially if you’ve been in business a long time is giving an honest assessment of your strengths and weaknesses.

One good thing to look over is whether or not your company has FFIEC compliance. This is a set of online banking standards that help ensure data safety.

3. Know Who to Hold Accountable

Once a security breach happens everyone scrambles to find out who they should blame. This’ll lead to a nearly endless game of pass the buck.

If you want to build a strategy that’s effective you have to know how to hold accountable and potentially fire someone if an emergency happens.

When developing a business strategy you should have a clear chain of command so that each employee knows who to answer to.

4. Create a Rolling 3-year plan

A key part of developing a business strategy is knowing where you supposed to be at any point in time. This should also extend to vulnerability management.

You should use the rolling 3-year plan to anticipate your security needs and plan solutions for any upcoming security threat.

The fact that it’s a rolling plan means that each you change and readjust the plan each based on what has already happened.

5. Performance Management

No matter how good we are at writing a business strategy and creating a plan it will all be ineffective if you don’t constantly make sure that you follow through.

This means writing quarterly or annual reports, making sure project managers are up to date on the latest threats and being sure you’re hitting your goals in a timely fashion.

6. Do a Risk Profile

When asking how to create a strategic plan that includes vulnerability management you need to know how to asses your risks. The best way to do this is to build a profile or outline of all the risks your vulnerable to.

When working with strategy development you need to factor cost into how you handle these risks. You need to understand what vulnerabilities you cannot afford to fix.

We’ll Help You Create a Successful Business Strategy!

Building a successful business strategy is a challenge but it will set your company apart. And will make it seem like a safer option than the competition. But there’s more to running a business like setting up payroll and dealing with clients.

If you want more help running your business feel free to contact us!

How to Kick-Start Your Career as a Family Practice Lawyer

November 21, 2018 by Contributed Post Leave a Comment

Family Practice Lawyer Career

Have you always wanted to work in the law? Make sure you take a look at this guide to learn how you can kick-start you career as a family practice lawyer.

If your top three TV shows include Matlock, Law and Order, and Suites, chances are you are interested in becoming a lawyer.

And you’re not alone. in 2018 there were 1.34 million lawyers in the United States. Being a lawyer is a noble career choice that brings prestige, intellectual challenges, and allows you to help others.

Have you always wanted to work in the law? Make sure you take a look at this guide to learn how you can kick-start your career as a family practice lawyer.

If you’re looking at leaving your current dead-end job or trying to decide where to start, here’s what you need to know.

What a Family Practice Lawyer Does

First things first. Before we talk about becoming a family practice lawyer let’s talk about what they do to make sure you are still interested.

A family attorney deals with a wide range of issues including:

Divorce
Adoption
Domestic violence
Prenuptial agreements
Child custody

A family lawyer has to deal with everything from handling the financial side of settlements to defending a child in a domestic abuse case. These are sensitive issues that must be handled with care and confidentiality.

An average workday would include meeting with clients, researching cases, and investigating the evidence, and attending hearings. To get a better idea of what this job requires, visit this attorney’s website.

If this is something that sounds appealing to you, keep reading to find out how to qualify for this job.

1. Get Your Bachelor’s Degree

The first thing is to finish a Bachelor’s degree. It doesn’t matter too much what you get your undergraduate degree in, you just need a 4-year degree to get into law school.

Experts do agree though that your undergraduate degree should be rigorous. Don’t choose a degree just because it looks easy. Also, choose something that will develop critical and abstract thinking skills.

2. Take Your LSAT

The LSAT is the Law School Admittance Test and it is required to get into any law school. And not to scare you, but it is unlike any test you’ve ever taken.

The LSAT is a skills-based exam to test your critical reading and analytical thinking skills that are essential for law school. There are 5 sections of the test that are timed for 35 minutes each.

Be prepared for the LSAT by taking practice exams and prep courses.

3. Attend Law School

Most law students earn their law degree in about 3 years if they are attending school full-time.

Courses taken in law school include:

Criminal law
Property rights
Civil procedure
Contracts
Constitutional law

Students will also learn how a courtroom runs by participating in mock court proceedings.

4. Pass Your Bar Exam

The bar exam is given in each state. Every lawyer, regardless of the specialty, must pass the bar exam to obtain a law license. You must be able to show proof of education and have a background check to take the bar exam

The bar exam consists of a series of tests taken over the course of 2 or 3 days. These tests include both multiple choice and essay questions.

5. Practice Law

Once you have passed the bar exam you free to do what you wish with your law degree. Most new lawyers will choose to work for a firm to gain experience. Others will take the plunge and open their own firm to be a family practice lawyer.

No matter what you choose, we’re here for you and all of your career questions. So don’t hesitate to contact us. We can give you the best advice on how to write the best resume, get a job, and then grow your law career to be more successful than you ever imagined.

How to Get the Most Out of Your Staff

November 21, 2018 by Contributed Post Leave a Comment

There’s a common problem that business owners have. It’s not finding people who are interested in taking the job. It’s not getting people eager to accept the position. The problem they have is keeping them engaged once they’re working for the company. There’s a big difference between an employee who puts in the bare minimum and one who really wants to progress and get things right. But if they’re getting paid the same amount of money regardless of how hard they work, how do you get the most out of them? We take a look at five ways below.

Staffing Management

Make Them Happy

It’s becoming accepted as fact that happy employees are more productive. You can usually intuitively sense this when you visit a place of business and take a look at the staff. If they’re happy, there’s a positive atmosphere, and things are moving along nicely. If they’re not happy, then things seem to be a little disjointed. So it’s in your interest to keep them smiling. You can do this by creating a pleasant working environment, offering benefits, and being open to conversations about how to improve things.

Engaged With the Company

Your staff is going to work harder for your business is they’re engaged with all that’s going on. But it’s also true that knowing how to increase employee engagement is one of the great challenges that face business owners. So what can be done? The most important step is to measure employee engagement. If you’re told by a number of your employees that they’re not feeling totally connected to what they’re doing, then you’ll be able to figure out bespoke solutions that address their concerns. How you remedy will depend on your type of business; the key is to monitor and adjust your approach based on the feedback.

Setting Challenges

It doesn’t matter what the task is: if a person is doing the same old task day in, day out, then they’re going to get bored. The longer they do it without a break to the routine, the slower and less creatively they’ll work. So make sure you’re mixing things up every now and again by setting challenges to your team. Giving them something else to work on is a great way to keep them interested in their job, and who knows what might happen if they’re given exciting projects to work on?

Opportunities For Growth

There are many employees who loved their company but had to move on. It’s because they weren’t given any opportunity to progress. No-one wants to stand still for too long. They want to move forward! So make sure you’re creating a pathway for your best employees to get promoted. If you don’t, then they’ll just find a company who can offer them what they want.

More Than a Cog

Finally, remember to get personal from time to time. No-one wants to be treated like a cog in a machine. Treat them as individuals, and they’ll give you their full human experience.

Make A Stand & Get Noticed At Your Next Company Event

November 19, 2018 by Contributed Post Leave a Comment

Attending a corporate event is a big deal for a company. It’s your way to show off who you are, maximise your brand exposure and get your company name in the mouths of new customers and clients. It’s easy to be good at something as a business, but it’s much harder to be the best when you’re pitted against competition in the same room. In an event space, you have your stand right next to all the other competitors that you are trying to beat out. This means that you have to stand out to be noticed by customers.

The good news is that there are a lot of things that you can do as a business to stand right out from the crowd and enjoy your day of glory as you pull in as many customers as possible. You could use such genius ideas as a branded tent, or you could think about the swag bags that your company could use to fill and send away with customers. You want to dominate in your niche, and these tips for making a stand at your next corporate event could make a big difference to your business.

Company Event

Be Focused. While you are establishing a way to make a name for yourself, you could think about something that makes you unique. So, Starbucks have branded coffee collars, you could think about something that you want to hand out that gets you noticed at the event. Branded doughnuts, for example, are an addition to the swag bags you could send out.

Be Recognisable. We mentioned a branded tent; well, when it comes to your event stand, you need a way to be seen and remembered. Instead of a generic stand, make it fun! You can use a tent, an inflatable marquee and even think about giant helium balloons with your brand across the front.

Seek Attention. When you think about how you conduct yourself at an event, you need to consider how you plan to do that. A flash mob may be a big idea to gain some attention during the exhibition, but there are other things that you could do. Offer a service at your stand; a five minute neck massage, a palm reading – anything that can make you talked about.

Speak Up. Make sure that you sign up for a speaking moment at the event. Talk to the attendees about your business and invite questions that make sense to answer about your company. If you speak up, you get the chance to tell people all about you, while allowing them to witness your shining personality!

Give your company the chance to put its game face on. Your event stand is going to change everything, and you can do so well for marketing your company when you get free reign to give your company the chance to be seen. Exposure is everything and if your visual marketing strategy is a solid one, you will pull through more business and even more loyal customers to help you grow.