Blog

13Aug

Viderity Helps Overhaul NSF App

The National Science Foundation has supported research in all fields of science and engineering for over 70 years. In 2018, the NSF worked with Viderity to overhaul its “NSF Science Zone” mobile app. The primary purpose of overhauling the app was to increase awareness for the NSF’s grant recipients by publicizing images and video of research results in a fun and easily digestible way. Viderity built a new, visually compelling app through ongoing collaboration with the stakeholders at NSF. Viderity used Adobe Photoshop and Illustrator to accomplish this, and also used Adobe XD for the first time for prototyping and testing. Since the relaunch of the app went incredibly well, Viderity is now using XD to redesign NSF’s website and...

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19Apr

How to Prevent Zoom Burnout

Below you'll find a collection of general principles we try to keep in mind at Viderity when communicating with teammates, within departments, across the company, and with the public. They aren't requirements, but they serve to create boundaries and shared practices to draw upon when we do the one thing that affects everything else we do: communicate. 1. You can not not communicate. Not discussing the elephant in the room is communicating. Few things are as important to study, practice, and perfect as clear communication. 2. Real-time sometimes, asynchronous most of the time. 3. Internal communication based on long-form writing, rather than a verbal tradition of meetings, speaking, and chatting, leads to a welcomed reduction in meetings, video conferences, calls, or other...

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15Jan

Virtual is the New Face of Government

As customers and consumers become more comfortable using technology it only stands to reason that government, traditionally behind the private sector when it comes to things like process innovation, would also be utilizing technology more and more. The use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) has been playing an ever-expanding role into public systems for years. However, the bridge between government-based AI and citizens appears to be ready to evolve. According to industry leaders, the next phase of customer contact and information sharing will be Virtual Reality (VR) or Augmented Reality (AR). And, as AR and VR are expected to play ever increasing roles in the coming decade, systems and those associated with them will have to find new ways to...

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06Nov

The Benefits of Automation You Didn’t Imagine

Automation pays out, and relatively quickly too. But some of the benefits come from less obvious places. Viderity looked at the impact — costs and benefits — of automation in the world of application management, based on in-depth interviews with Viderity clients. For many organizations, the catalyst for considering automation is a cost reduction target. However, most clients quickly discover that the benefits of automation go much further than just reducing operating cost. No doubt, straightforward cost reduction is a benefit. AI and cognitive technologies, as well as preventative maintenance, can reduce the need for human intervention in routine tasks. For Viderity clients, automation led to a 70 percent reduction in ticket desk volumes* which can have an immediate impact on...

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28Aug

AI in 2019: Are chatbots the future?

Mention the phrase ‘automated phone system’ and no rationale person thinks of the free exchange of information and ideas. The limits are due to framework constraints, a lack of critical thinking and a proxy set that can only answer the most basic of questions. Anything more complicated than this requires human intervention because AI is in its embryonic state. However, if you need information, and because your options are limited, then you must enter into the push-button phone matrix that not even Keanu Reeves can crack! But, what if there was a system in place that knew the information completely. A system with intuitive, instant recall that could respond to unique and person-specific inquiries - in any language -...

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05Nov

UX Myth: People actually read on the web

Steve Krug, author of Don’t Make Me Think, claims that web users don’t read, they scan. Only when people are interested in the content do they read web pages word for word. Normally, pages are skimmed for highlighted keywords, meaningful headings, short paragraphs, and scannable lists.   Well-structured pages designed for cursory reading are more likely to be read. Web-usability studies conducted by Neilson suggest that most users read merely 28% of text on a web page, and that concise, scannable and objective copywriting can result in 124% better usability. When people arrive on a web page, they immediately begin scanning to decide whether or not the page is of value to them. For this reason, web content constructed for scannability can certainly pay off.   According to usability.gov, six factors can provide...

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02Nov

UX Myth: Simple = Minimal

Simple and minimal go hand in hand, but they are not synonymous. Minimal design is a visual decluttering of objects, forcing designers to say more by displaying less. It is a reduction in style elements, adding only enough to tell a story, accomplish a task, or meet product goals. According to Tim Brown, CEO of IDEO, minimalism is skin deep. What appears simple-looking can contain hidden complexities in UI.   Minimal Website: Landlife Minimal Website: basecamp Simplicity seamlessly blends the whole experience. Where there is both simplicity and usability, the overall product/application will shine. Design choices are meant to support product goals and empower users, period.   Simple Website: Apple In his book, The Laws of Simplicity,( http://lawsofsimplicity.com/, John Maeda notes, “On the one hand, you want...

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09Oct

The Future of Digital Government

The Future of Digital Government Going Digital means more than just using new technology to deliver services to people. It involves solving problems in new and different ways. It means changing how people work and enhancing operations in a myriad of ways. NASA has done this by deploying Virtual Reality as a data visualization tool, and the Department of Veterans Affairs has used it to treat Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. It will no longer be business as usual when the government fully embraces new technology. The changes will impact every federal agency and every federal employee. Businessman pressing button on touch screen interface and select Government. Business, internet, technology concept.; Shutterstock ID 334796147; PO: digital government The Emerging Landscape of the Digital...

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05Oct

Enabling a Digital-forward Government | Key Takeaways from the Digital Transformation Summit 2018

Digital transformation in the 21st century demands leaps of rapid innovation. Federal agencies, though, are not famous for speed. Their legacy systems represent huge investments and are vulnerable to emerging security threats. Future-proofing government infrastructure requires agile development processes to create progressive, sustainable delivery models. Senior officials from Federal agencies and technology companies gathered at the Dell Digital Transformation Summit to discuss how agencies can evolve to better serve their customers, meet their mission goals, and succeed in the connected future. Here are a few highlights from the summit: Creating a NextGen Cyber Workforce and an upcoming hiring regulation Disruptive Technologies Digital Intelligence Cloud Smart Data Analytics AI + VR Col. Chris Wade, Director, Task Force Cyber Strong, G-3/5/7, U.S. Army says the Army is training young talent to...

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10Mar

Are You Afraid of Accountability?

If you want to be an effective leader, there is one word that will make or break your leadership: Accountability. An accountable style of leadership doesn’t come easily. Many people in leadership are afraid of it. How about you? Accountability means you have to be willing to hear the truth and give it. This takes courage and a willingness to be transparent. Leaders may talk about accountable leadership but fall short of implementing it. You have the opportunity to make it work. If you are willing to build your leadership around accountability, you will be amazed at the transformation all around you. Here are four basic keys to accountable leadership.   1. Be Fully Engaged  Maybe there was a time when leaders could separate...

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