{"id":150622,"date":"2019-10-30T06:15:00","date_gmt":"2019-10-30T11:15:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.ict-pulse.com\/?p=150622"},"modified":"2019-10-30T05:20:31","modified_gmt":"2019-10-30T10:20:31","slug":"ictp-079-community-chat-user-experience-studies-testing-blockchain","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/ict-pulse.com\/2019\/10\/ictp-079-community-chat-user-experience-studies-testing-blockchain\/","title":{"rendered":"ICTP 079: Community Chat on user experience studies and testing, and blockchain"},"content":{"rendered":"

In this our October 2019 Community Chat and with members of the Caribbean tech community, Simone Pasmore and Trevor Forrest, the panel discusses user experience studies and testing: the missing ingredient in generating conversions (sales), and how blockchain technology can help Caribbean countries reduce corruption and increase global competitiveness.<\/em><\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

<\/iframe><\/p>\nThis episode is also available in\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/itunes.apple.com\/us\/podcast\/ict-pulse-podcast\/id1373550291\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Apple iTunes<\/a>\u00a0and on\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.stitcher.com\/podcast\/ict-pulse-podcast?refid=stpr\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Stitcher<\/a>!<\/strong><\/p>\nFrom both life and experience, many of us have come to realise that although an approach or process might be ‘efficient’, it does not mean necessarily mean that it is also ‘effective’. Once again, having discussed two seemingly disparate topics in our October 2019 Community Chat, some common ground still exists.<\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_150626\" style=\"width: 310px\" class=\"wp-caption alignright\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-150626\" data-attachment-id=\"150626\" data-permalink=\"https:\/\/ict-pulse.com\/2019\/10\/ictp-079-community-chat-user-experience-studies-testing-blockchain\/simone-pasmore-s-pasmore\/\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/ict-pulse.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/10\/Simone-Pasmore-S-Pasmore-e1572378244102.jpg?fit=513%2C585&ssl=1\" data-orig-size=\"513,585\" data-comments-opened=\"1\" data-image-meta=\"{"aperture":"1.8","credit":"","camera":"iPhone XS Max","caption":"","created_timestamp":"1556643398","copyright":"","focal_length":"4.25","iso":"32","shutter_speed":"0.0081967213114754","title":"","orientation":"0"}\" data-image-title=\"Simone Pasmore (S Pasmore)\" data-image-description=\"\" data-image-caption=\"Simone Pasmore<\/p>\n\" data-medium-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/ict-pulse.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/10\/Simone-Pasmore-S-Pasmore-e1572378244102.jpg?fit=263%2C300&ssl=1\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/ict-pulse.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/10\/Simone-Pasmore-S-Pasmore-e1572378244102.jpg?fit=971%2C1024&ssl=1\" class=\"wp-image-150626\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/fgd.dfv.mybluehost.me\/.website_c81a1e61\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/10\/Simone-Pasmore-S-Pasmore-e1572378244102.jpg?resize=300%2C342&ssl=1\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"342\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/ict-pulse.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/10\/Simone-Pasmore-S-Pasmore-e1572378244102.jpg?w=513&ssl=1 513w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/ict-pulse.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/10\/Simone-Pasmore-S-Pasmore-e1572378244102.jpg?resize=263%2C300&ssl=1 263w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/>Simone Pasmore<\/p><\/div>\nOur first topic was on user experience studies and testing of websites, and the fact that frequently, it is the missing ingredient in businesses generating increased sales conversions, and in getting a good return on their investment to develop a website in the first place. This topic was submitted by <a href=\"https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/in\/simone-pasmore\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Simone Pasmore<\/a><\/strong>, who is the Chief Executive Officer of <a href=\"http:\/\/www.webstylze.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Webstylze<\/a>, a web and mobile applications development firm, based in Barbados. In addition to being CEO, Simone\u2019s areas of expertise include, data science, artificial intelligence, web development, and app development to name a few.<\/p>\nUser experience studies and testing are considered a crucial steps in the website development process. Generally, and early in the development process, a business ought to engage potential website users and customers to determine the elements that ought to be included in the website, in order to improve its overall effectiveness, along with the user experience. However, in the Caribbean region, Simone noted that the effort to either implement user experience studies and testing exercises, or at the very least, draw from well-documented precedent or best practice, seldom occurs. As a result, many websites do not perform as well as should, especially as a channel through which to realise sales conversion.<\/p>\nAt the other end of the spectrum, our second topic, which was submitted by <a href=\"https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/in\/trevorforrest876\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Trevor Forrest<\/a>, <\/strong>out of Jamaica, was on blockchain technology. Trevor is the Chief Executive Officer of <a href=\"https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/company\/876-solutions\/about\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">876 Solutions<\/a>, a managed technology provider serving the Caribbean market. His specialty areas include but are not limited to, web design and development, blockchain, e-commerce, big data, and network\/cyber security.<\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_150625\" style=\"width: 310px\" class=\"wp-caption alignright\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-150625\" data-attachment-id=\"150625\" data-permalink=\"https:\/\/ict-pulse.com\/2019\/10\/ictp-079-community-chat-user-experience-studies-testing-blockchain\/trevor-forrest-profilepic\/\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/ict-pulse.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/10\/Trevor-Forrest-ProfilePic-e1572378345718.jpg?fit=408%2C561&ssl=1\" data-orig-size=\"408,561\" data-comments-opened=\"1\" data-image-meta=\"{"aperture":"0","credit":"","camera":"","caption":"","created_timestamp":"0","copyright":"","focal_length":"0","iso":"0","shutter_speed":"0","title":"","orientation":"1"}\" data-image-title=\"Trevor Forrest (T Forrest)\" data-image-description=\"\" data-image-caption=\"Trevor Forrest<\/p>\n\" data-medium-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/ict-pulse.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/10\/Trevor-Forrest-ProfilePic-e1572378345718.jpg?fit=218%2C300&ssl=1\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/ict-pulse.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/10\/Trevor-Forrest-ProfilePic-e1572378345718.jpg?fit=408%2C561&ssl=1\" class=\"wp-image-150625\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/fgd.dfv.mybluehost.me\/.website_c81a1e61\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/10\/Trevor-Forrest-ProfilePic-e1572378345718.jpg?resize=300%2C413&ssl=1\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"413\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/ict-pulse.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/10\/Trevor-Forrest-ProfilePic-e1572378345718.jpg?w=408&ssl=1 408w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/ict-pulse.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/10\/Trevor-Forrest-ProfilePic-e1572378345718.jpg?resize=218%2C300&ssl=1 218w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/>Trevor Forrest<\/p><\/div>\nWith regard to blockchain, it would appear that over the past several months, the hype around that technology has died down. However, what has remained is intensive work being done in many quarters to apply and integrate blockchain technology to address real-world problems and processes that can benefit from the key properties of blockchain:\u00a0 a distributed and immutable ledger that is publicly accessible.<\/p>\nTrevor, who is passionate about blockchain and promises that he can talk about it all day, began to highlight how that technology can help Caribbean countries reduce corruption and increase global competitiveness. Although blockchain technology can seem complicated to many, Trevor uses real-life examples to highlight his points, including a powerful one that should resonate with many Caribbean countries that consider their country brand valuable, and have products\/goods that are a point of national pride, which could be subject to counterfeiting.<\/p>\n <\/p>\nWe would love to hear your thoughts!<\/p>\nDo leave us a comment either here beneath this article, or on our <a href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/ICTPulse\/\">Facebook<\/a> or <a href=\"https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/company\/ict-pulse-consulting-limited\/\">LinkedIn<\/a> pages, or via Twitter, <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/ICTPulse\">@<\/strong>ICTPulse<\/a><\/p>\n <\/p>\n<h3>Select links<\/h3>\nBelow are links to some of the organisations and resources that either were mentioned during the episode, or otherwise, might be useful:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/in\/simone-pasmore\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Simone Passmore<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"http:\/\/www.webstylze.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Webstylze<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/in\/trevorforrest876\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Trevor Forrest<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"http:\/\/www.876solutions.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">876 Solutions<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"http:\/\/amazon.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Amazon<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"http:\/\/dhl.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">DHL<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"http:\/\/fedex.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">FedEx<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"http:\/\/ups.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">UPS<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/eugdpr.org\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">The European Union General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR)<\/a><\/li>\n<li>ICT Pulse Podcast episode,<a href=\"http:\/\/bit.ly\/2raCC76\"> ICTP 033: Emerging opportunities in cryptocurrencies, digital currencies and blockchain technology in the Caribbean, with Gabriel Abed of Bitt<\/em><\/a><\/li>\n<li>ICT Pulse article, <a href=\"http:\/\/bit.ly\/2E44wXX\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Blockchain 101: demystifying the technology, and how it will transform all aspects of our lives<\/em><\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\nImage credits:\u00a0 3910743 (<a href=\"http:\/\/www.pixabay.com\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Pixabay<\/a>);\u00a0 S Pasmore;\u00a0 T Forrest<\/em><\/p>\nMusic credit:\u00a0 Ray Holman<\/em><\/p>\n <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"In this our October 2019 Community Chat and with members of the Caribbean tech community, Simone Pasmore and Trevor Forrest, the panel discusses user experience studies and testing: the missing 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