by KLI | Feb 10, 2015 | Archived Press Releases
by Kelly Nercess
We had the opportunity over the past couple months to better define who we are as a company and what we represent. What do we stand for? Key Lime Interactive is pleased to announce our new vision for the future and the values that def who we are at the core.
Our vision
is a world where clients turn to us to perfect the user experience and develop outstanding products that change the lives of their customers.
Our mission
is to bring clarity to the thought leaders, trailblazers and innovators who seek new ways to enhance the user experience.
Core Values
Relationships:
Business is personal to us. We thrive only when our clients and staff succeed.
Trust:
You can always rely on us to be transparent, honest and objective.
Intellectual Curiosity:
Our favorite questions are “Why?”, “Why not?” and “What’s next?” We blend new approaches with past experience to find forward-thinking solutions.
Drive:
We are doers. We consistently find creative, innovative ways to understand and interpret the user experience.
High Quality:
We know you have high expectations. We approach every single project with care and rigor.
Fun:
We believe laugher and levity should come standard with everyday.
by KLI | Feb 10, 2015 | Archived Press Releases, UX
by Kelly Nercess
They say time flies when you’re having fun, but it really flies when you spend your days solving business challenges with smart targeted research. Key Lime Interactive started as just an idea that our CEO, Ania Rodriguez, was inspired at a UX conference to start her own firm by a strong professional woman. Today, Key Lime Interactive works with some of the world’s leading brands to uncover new ways to bridge the gap between user needs and business goals. You may know the story of how our company started, but it sprouted from the idea that if you have a dream and you put your mind to it you can succeed at anything.
Whether you have had first hand experience with us, or just heard great things through the grapevine, we’ve truly enjoyed every minute of the last six years. We’ve been fortunate to work with some of the most intelligent, driven and forward thinking professionals in the industry. We’ve partnered with our clients and worked hard to develop innovative UX research methods. We view ourselves as leaders in the modern workforce and implemented polices to support that vision such as our new vacation policy that gives our employees unlimited vacation hours. Today’s team takes pride in our work and are committed to bringing their A game each and every day, whether they’re at their desk or at the beach.
We’re proud of our culture. We have a phenomenal team of talented professionals who are committed to quality and our clients. We’ve evolved over the past six years growing from two to over twenty-two. We’ve come a long way and look forward to the future.
Here are just a few fun facts we’ve collected over the years:
- In 2009 KLI had 1.5 employees. Currently, KLI has 22 employees and an extended network of contractors to field projects in their area of expertise.
- Our revenue goals have grown 10 fold in 6 years, and we’re meeting them!
- Our client list has grown from 2 to 92.
- We’ve conducted over 4,800 moderated users and 15,000 unmoderated users have helped KLI shape products across 13 industries in a global market.
- Every single team member has received personal accolades from our client partners. We are appreciated and respected by our clients, partners, peers and colleagues.
- Selected to deliver a keynote presentation on KLI’s eye tracking study at the 16th annual Human Computer Interaction conference in Crete, Greece.
- In June 2014 our CEO was named to the South Florida Business Journal’s 40 Under 40 list.
- This month she’s being honored as an emerging woman entrepreneur in Enterprising Women of the Year Awards.
- In 2015, we expanded our Competitive Research division. We will release five new syndicated reports this year in addition to our established products for Auto Insurance, Mobile Banking and Premium Cruise. Our inaugural Mobile Credit Card Competitive Index report was released in January 2015.
by KLI | Jan 20, 2015 | Archived Press Releases, Social Media
Last year was an amazing year for Key Lime Interactive. Our beloved CEO, Ania Rodriguez, was named South Florida Business Journal’s 40 Under 40, we expanded our team and attended some really great conferences and networking events. We’re proud of the work we did for our imaginative clients and look forward to doing more of the same in 2015. Thanks for being part of our 2014.
by KLI | Oct 7, 2014 | Archived Press Releases, e-commerce platforms, ipad, iPhone, mobile, mobile banking, Simple Bank, usability
by Kathleen Henning
Last month, Apple released two new iPhones, both of which represent a significant size increase over the last model. The iPhone 6 and the iPhone 6 Plus both come in gold, silver, and space gray models and with capacity of 16 GB, 64 GB, or 128 GB. Apple has improved the camera on both models, though only the 6 Plus has optical image stabilization. Battery life is increased on both, but the 6 Plus offers nearly double the battery life for calls.
I received mine in the mail on release day, and it’s been more of an adjustment than I would have expected. The size is still startling at times, though I opted for the ‘smaller’ 6. The power button has been moved to the side, a big departure from its location on all previous iPods, iPhones, and iPads. Hitting power on the side is still not a natural maneuver, though I now sometimes find myself trying to do it on my iPad. The expanded screen size is more significant than would be immediately apparent. Mobile web browsing is smoother, and it is much easier to read email attachments like PowerPoint and Excel files.
The more rounded shape of the phone is striking, but it’s surprisingly slippery in your hand. Carrying it around with you is somewhat of a challenge, as neither the 6 nor 6 Plus fits in the same places the iPhone 5(S) would have. I found myself purchasing a new small bag so it would fit, since it is definitely not a phone I can keep in my pocket! While I enjoy the new screen for browsing, I sometimes find myself missing the manageable size of the 5S I had before. I had contemplated purchasing a 6 Plus, but I’m very relieved I decided against it.
The new operating system represents another small shift for iOS. Health is now a built-in component, and it’s easy to track your steps. I would enjoy a breakdown by location or time, but I imagine that’s what 3rd party apps are for. Voice and video messages are a neat feature, as is the ability to share your location. All of these features are simple to activate and use, which is a critical part of getting users to adopt them.
With iOS 8, fingerprint banking is starting to look like a possibility. Simple Bank, an online-only bank, has enabled login via fingerprint. As using your fingerprint for ID becomes more normal, it will be interesting to see which companies adopt this model. The fingerprint will be the main ID component of Apple Pay, which should help further normalize the feature.
Apple also introduced the Watch. This will come in two different face sizes and with a variety of different band choices. The feature set is still pretty vague. It will be able to receive and respond to at least some calls, text messages, and emails. It will have access to apps to some degree. The battery life is unknown, as is how much it can do away from an iPhone, which is required for some functionality. What is known is that it will be connected to Apple Pay and have some additional check in abilities, like at airports and hotels. The current launch date is ‘early 2015’ so hopefully as that approaches more details become available.
The big question mark still remaining is Apple Pay. When does it launch? Current rumors have the date as October 20th. How quickly will merchants be added? Will it trickle down to smaller companies and businesses? When will Apple allow 3rd party access to NFC? I’m sure I’m not alone in my curiosity here. Our recent series on mobile payments concluded that while there are some better and some worse options, there isn’t a game changer. This is the first real entrant that has that possibility, so I’m excited to see how this plays out.
by KLI | Sep 9, 2014 | Archived Press Releases, ethnio, Personas, Strategy, usability, UX Maturity
by Kelly Nercess
Ever think about the interactions you have with a company? How each precise moment may seem tailored to your needs and catered towards the experience you are looking for? In the UX industry there is a technique used to ensure this end result and it’s called alignment diagrams. I had the opportunity to read a very interesting article on the idea of alignment diagrams and how they serve a perpetual purpose among the growth of companies. , written by James Kalbach & Pul Kahn, shared their discoveries on the business process and provided advice to take full advantage of each customer touch point.
There are three major design avenues that play a component in the user/customer process, those being: Information Architecture (IA), User Experience Design (UXD), and Service Design (SD). Along with these visual techniques to map out the strategic thinking to guarantee customer satisfaction, the idea of alignment diagrams allows a business to visually map out the touch points they have with a customer throughout the business process. Alignment diagrams are created to allow for a structure to reveal the customer touch points and give constructive insights to where the design and business process needs to be altered in order to optimize the experience.
There are two very important components to a successful alignment diagram, the customer behavior and the business process. Common visualizations that are used in the UX industry include: site maps, overview diagrams, workflows, customer journeys and service blueprints. These visualizations are gathered from a number of data collection methods, including: ethnographic observation, user interviews and card sorting. All of these methods play a unique role in gathering insights towards a positive user experience.
“The business focuses on maximizing a target market’s profits and potential for growth. Customer-centered design focuses on maximizing the value of a product or service to the customer” writes Kalbach & Kahn. The idea is to be able to pinpoint the location in the business process where there is an overlap between the consumer and the company. This maximizes the value for both parties and allows for a hyper focus on that exact moment of intersection. Decreasing the noise between the customer interactions and keeping the experience seamless proves to not only be beneficial towards the customer but also increase value for the business. Once the business understands customer perception and loyalty they can begin to align their business goals. Kalbach & Kahn also note, “Mapping the steps in a production and consumption process is the best way to see opportunities for improvement.”
Several other design techniques come into play when mapping out the steps of the business process. Using a service blueprint to help structure the customer journey is the best way for a designer to visually see where the issues occur. Furthermore, mental model diagrams allow you to visualize where your business strategy aligns with the current user experience. Journey maps play a large role in the experience design, allowing to fully map out the beginning to end. This will include the first time a potential customer researches the company to the point where they decide to make the purchase. All these interactions reiterate the idea of ‘touch points’, providing an opportunity to reconstruct that interaction to a more positive one. The journey map defines the customer perception of the company and illustrates the amount of time invested in to their ‘relationship’ with a business. Each touch point may be different for each customer. Someone who tends to spend more time researching the internet prior to a purchase will need a more personalized experience tailored to their specific needs. Someone who skips the research portion and spends an extensive amount of time interacting directly with the company versus purely researching it.
By using these techniques, specifically alignment diagrams, benefits both sides of the transaction – the customer and the business. The PJIM article’s closing statement says, “These visualizations reveal value that can not only aid in the creation of products and services, but also improve changes in the business strategy as well.” The important takeaway is to consider all aspects of the relationship between a business and customer. By leveraging these diagrams, you can discover opportunities that increase your customer loyalty and benefit your business strategy.
by KLI | Aug 7, 2014 | Archived Press Releases, Social Media
Last Friday our Miami office had the opportunity to attend the South Florida Business Journal 40 Under 40 Luncheon to support our CEO & Founder, Ania Rodriguez, on being one of the forty honorees. We had a great time and even met some new friends, like Dan Cane from Modernizing Medicine! The theme of the event was all about selfies, so we rose to the occasion and participated in the selfie contest on Twitter.
If you aren’t following us on Twitter, you should be. Find us @keylimeinteract. Check out some of the fun selfies below and see event highlights from our point of view. Then, go follow us on social media to get regular updates! You can find us on LinkedIn, Facebook and Twitter.
