Dubai and Saudi Arabia are at the forefront of bitcoin technology in the Middle East, according to a report by Accenture entitled: "How the Middle East can unleash blockchain's transformative potential". Financial services companies in areas such as payment, supply chain financing and trade, reporting, compliance and operations could gain the most ...

There's a lot of talk nowadays about what the best apps are, the best intranets and the best browsers. Therefore, I was interested to read another article from Nielsen Norman Group (NNG) on the best intranets, 10 Best Intranets of 2019 by Kara Pernice and Patty Caya on January 6, 2019 Topics: Intranets Summary: Winners are from large and medium-siz...

Happy New Year. I've taken a break over the past fortnight as I've been cooking, and visiting, family and friends. This time of year is full on but it's soon over and then all goes back to normal. I've also got a sick mother, who came out of the care home for the day but we all found the day trying and traumatic. It's never easy. This email come in...

It's been a week since I wrote something for this blog. I've been shifting house and all that entails- what a performance. I've also managed to put out one press release, on a new data company in New Zealand that focuses on insurance. The release is attached with a few bits added, such as the exciting times had by the executives in Las Vegas.

Press Release

 Vallum on road to international expansion

 26 March 2018, New Zealand New Zealand InsurTech start-up, Vallum, was one of 25 international early-stage businesses chosen to pitch at the Global InsurTech Roadshow, which was held in Frankfurt, Germany earlier this month.

 The prestigious Goethe Business School organised the event in cooperation with InsurTech Asia.

Fintech is an interesting area and lots is happening. This is both with the extranet and intranet. Jakob Nielsen has put together this list of the best intranets to look out for this year and it makes for enlightening reading.

 10 Best Intranets of 2018

by Kara Pernice, Amy Schade, and Patty Caya on January 7, 2018

Topics:

Summary: The winners of our 17th Intranet Design Annual came from smaller organizations, had smaller intranet teams who relied on internal resources and external help to create the best intranets.

Frequently, I have had to write predictions about different topics. Most recently, I had to write about Mergers and Acquisitions (M&A) in the Middle East and then write predictions for M&A- mainly the countries that will see the biggest deals and the factors driving them. It's all a "stab in the dark" and if any of the predictions are true it's a bit of oil-fashioned good luck mixed with some knowledge.

Many of the predictions cross my desk and they are too numerous to mention. Most will not come to anything. I believe one of the exceptions to this, is the “Top 10 UX articles in 2017” list compiled by Jakob Nielsen based on the most hits an article has garnered. Here is the list.

 Top 10 UX Articles of 2017

The following articles published in 2017 were the ones our audience read the most:

Flat UI Elements Attract Less Attention and Cause Uncertainty Flat interfaces often use weak signifiers. In an eyetracking experiment comparing different kinds of clickability clues, UIs with weak signifiers required more user effort than strong ones.UX Research Cheat Sheet User research can be done at any point in the design cycle. This list of methods and activities can help you decide which to use when.UX Mapping Methods Compared: A Cheat Sheet Empathy maps, customer journey maps, experience maps, and service blueprints depict different processes and have different goals, yet they all build common ground within an organization.Mega Menus Work Well for Site Navigation Large, rectangular menus group navigation options to eliminate scrolling and use typography, icons, and tooltips to explain users' choices.The Most Hated Online Advertising Techniques Modal ads, ads that reorganize content, and autoplaying video ads were among the most disliked. Ads that are annoying on desktop become intolerable on mobile.Comparison Tables for Products, Services, and Features Use this versatile GUI tool to support users when they need to make a decision that involves considering multiple attributes of a small number of offerings. Consistency in content, scannability, and a simple layout are some of the most important qualities of successful comparison tables.Date-Input Form Fields: UX Design Guidelines Date-entry fields must be unambiguous and support task completion by using the right design pattern. Small design changes can prevent big user errors.Personas vs. Jobs-to-Be-Done Jobs-to-be-done focus on user problems and needs, while well-executed personas include the same information and also add behavioral and attitudinal details.Don’t Use Split Buttons for Navigation Menus Menu on hover, category landing page on click: we discuss challenges and solutions for replicating this pattern on touchscreens.Flat-Design Best Practices Flat designs often suffer from usability problems and cause click uncertainty because of lost signifiers. Avoid these negative side effects by consistently and clearly differentiating between clickable and unclickable elements.

Bonus Articles

Insurance Technology, known as Insurtech, is a subset of financial technology (fintech) and is increasing, according to InsurTech Insider, a podcast by Deloitte (UK), the management consultant.

I listened to the first three episodes of the podcast, July August, September, which is produced monthly. I learnt a lot from the episodes I listened to. Go to https://www2.deloitte.com/global/en/pages/financial-services/articles/tune-in-insurtech-podcasts.html

The points I learned from the podcasts were:

(Episode 1)          

-       That it’s possible to buy car insurance by the hour, which means you can borrow a friend’s supercar.

I've been a party to a fair bit of discussion recently about artificial intelligence (AI). Most of it seems to be about AI in manufacturing and urban contexts, and there seems not to be much in the context of publishing. Therefore, i was surprised when I came across this article which puts AI into the context of the media.

Report: How artificial intelligence will impact journalism

The future of technology and how it affects us, as companies and individuals, are important issues we ought to think about. In this article, James Manyika, Director, McKinsey Global Institute gives his opinion of what technology means for us.

It's always important to know what might happen in the year ahead and there are many ideas in various sectors. Here are some predictions for Customer Management Services.

_{This article was sent through to me at the end of last year. Some of the links are useful.}

All the best for 2017