Where Are We Going - SXSW 2011

I’m @jw + the hashtag is #wrwgoing WHERE ARE We GOING?Thursday, March 17, 2011

The PrefaceThursday, March 17, 2011

In the BEGINNING...Thursday, March 17, 2011

The following is a brief history of how we accidentally created social travel service, and why we’re making it up as we go.Thursday, March 17, 2011

Iconfactory circa 1999Thursday, March 17, 2011

Firewhîl Design Inspired by Iconfactory’s Pixelpalooza, I got into pixel art, drew hundreds of icons, and met my ﬁrst two co-workers.Thursday, March 17, 2011

BlinksaleThursday, March 17, 2011

Blinksale • Frustrated with our billing solution, we wrote our own and decided to make it fun. And useful. • Thank You Notes were an unusual selling point that resonated with those who used the service.Thursday, March 17, 2011

IconBuﬀetThursday, March 17, 2011

IconBuﬀet • 50,000 people came to collect icons and trade them with friends. • Fewer than 15 percent of those people actually used the icons for a design project.Thursday, March 17, 2011

Causes • Causes was envisioned as a standalone site to encourage social giving. • Causes was re-imagined as a Facebook application and $30 million has been raised.Thursday, March 17, 2011

Thursday, March 17, 2011

Where are we now? PIVOT to the PRESENTThursday, March 17, 2011

PackRat • PackRat was created at a scale that assumed most people would play one hour a day. • We quickly learned our core audience was playing 6-10 hours a day.Thursday, March 17, 2011

PackRatThursday, March 17, 2011

Then Farmvie Ha enedThursday, March 17, 2011

What now?Thursday, March 17, 2011

Viva la iPhone Mobile changed everything.Thursday, March 17, 2011

The EpiphanyThursday, March 17, 2011

Thursday, March 17, 2011

The Totem How do we inspire people to connect with the real world?Thursday, March 17, 2011

Can we use real world connections to inspire people to discover and share amazing places?Thursday, March 17, 2011

LandmarksThursday, March 17, 2011

F tba StadiumsThursday, March 17, 2011

Baseba StadiumsThursday, March 17, 2011

AirportsThursday, March 17, 2011

Walt Disney WorldThursday, March 17, 2011

Add Go to a Wallaby and you get a Gowalla. Really.Thursday, March 17, 2011

Stay true to your vision.Thursday, March 17, 2011

Where are we going? FADS vs. THE FUTUREThursday, March 17, 2011

The Fads • Checking In • Game Mechanics • Badges • Geo-blah-blah-blah...Thursday, March 17, 2011

Check In Overload • Checking In is the status update for the places we go. It has succeeded where other concepts have failed. • Now we’re checking into television, books, video games, states of consciousness, and more.Thursday, March 17, 2011

Game Mechanics • A new wave of services are repurposing ideas from Farmville and World of Warcraft. • Games provide simple incentives for completing ordinary tasks.Thursday, March 17, 2011

Game mechanics are subservient to the usefulness of the service.Thursday, March 17, 2011

“Badges? We don’t need no stinking badges.”Thursday, March 17, 2011

Badges • Badges are the poster child for the success of location-based services, but there’s nothing new under the sun. • Badges and achievements are driving activity around the web, but are they really?Thursday, March 17, 2011

Social validation is the primary driver for activity on today’s web.Thursday, March 17, 2011

Social Validation • We share on Facebook in order to receive comments and likes. • We post to Twitter with the hope of being re-tweeted. • We upload to Flickr to be favorited.Thursday, March 17, 2011

Epic MixThursday, March 17, 2011

FitbitThursday, March 17, 2011

QuoraThursday, March 17, 2011

Gratuitous Hugh JackmanThursday, March 17, 2011

Geo-noise • Every week a new location-based service is born with a vision to cash in. • Location in and of itself is boring. People don’t care about the technology. Nor should they. • Context matters.Thursday, March 17, 2011

Conclusion • Checking in is a temporary solution. • Badges and game mechanics are not the special sauce that magically makes everything tasty. • The industry must become people friendly.Thursday, March 17, 2011

“The Future isnt what it used to be. Im not surprised, Im not surprised. Most of us live on boats of luxury. Were so conﬁned. We’re so conﬁned.” G d Morning by Rogue WaveThursday, March 17, 2011

The Future • Mobile, Background Services and Passive Applications • Community • Social Good • StoryThursday, March 17, 2011

Get oﬀ your a ! • People have visited places nearly 3 million places in every country in the world with Gowalla. • Location is the secret ingredient to amazing mobile experiences.Thursday, March 17, 2011

TrS-80Thursday, March 17, 2011

TrS-80 of the Future Soak this one in.Thursday, March 17, 2011

Pa ive A lications For mobile services to become truly useful, they must not interrupt our daily lives or social interactions.Thursday, March 17, 2011

Gratuitous Hugh JackmanThursday, March 17, 2011

Social G d • Obama’s Presidential Campaign • Iran Election on Twitter • Text Ten Dollars to Haitian Earthquake ReliefThursday, March 17, 2011

What about social good on the web?Thursday, March 17, 2011

The Case Against Corporate Responsibility “The idea that companies have a responsibility to act in the public interest and will proﬁt from doing so is fundamentally ﬂawed... Governments are a far more effective protector of the public good than any campaign for corporate social responsibility.” Anîl Karnani, WSJThursday, March 17, 2011

And to that we say...Thursday, March 17, 2011

With every pair you purchase, TOMS will give a new pair of shoes to a child in need. ONE for ONE. TOMS ShoesThursday, March 17, 2011

“I think many of our problems as a country would be solved if people had thick passports. Theres just no substitute for actually going and seeing things.” Ma DamonThursday, March 17, 2011

Gamification isn’t cool. You know what’s cool? Story is cool.Thursday, March 17, 2011

PDX > PHX > AUS IAH > ORD > CDG Travel StoriesThursday, March 17, 2011

SXSW @ ACCThursday, March 17, 2011

Will your system be alright When you dream of home tonight? There is no message were receiving Let me know, is your heart still beating? Are we human or are we dancers? The KiersThursday, March 17, 2011

Co uni • Flickr and Wikipedia set the example. • Nearly 3 million places crowdsourced on Gowalla (we were naive). • 10,000 daily photosThursday, March 17, 2011

What does this mean for services like Gowalla?Thursday, March 17, 2011

OOO h!!!Thursday, March 17, 2011

Double Rainbow • Find the extraordinary in the everyday. • Surprise and delight people when they check in, tell a story or share a photo. • Inspire people to discover and share the world with their friends.Thursday, March 17, 2011

What does this mean for you and the projects you’re creating for tomorrow?Thursday, March 17, 2011

Surprise! • Creating products that provide real value to real people. • Build a community... then delight it! • Connect people with the real world. • Inspire people to do the extraordinary.Thursday, March 17, 2011

Find me on Twitter @jw Badass Background Illustration by Will BryantThursday, March 17, 2011

http://getbiglittlekid.posterous.com	38
http://lanyrd.com	18
http://posterous.com	13
http://paper.li	2
http://storify.com	2
http://twitter.com	1
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Where Are We Going - SXSW 2011

by Josh Williams on Mar 17, 2011

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Where Are We Going - SXSW 2011 — Presentation Transcript