Who I help How I help Convince the boss UX advice

Podcast season 2: Getting our hands dirty

Author:: Paul Boag
Published:: 23 May 2011
Categories:: News
Reading time:: 3 minutes

I have been recording the Boagworld Podcast for over 5 years now and yet we have never built a website as part of the show. Its time for that to change.

Warning! The post you are viewing is out of date and almost certainly no longer accurate. For more topical posts, check out the “related reading” at the bottom of this page or drop me an email with any questions.

Season 2 of the Boagworld Podcast was going to be about client centric web design. However because of Mike Kus (@mikekus) that is all going to change (so blame him!).

A change of plan

The second season was due to be all about working with clients and I still have every intention of doing that for season 3. However, sitting at FOWD I watched a brilliant presentation by Mike Kus in which he showed a time lapse video of him designing a website.

I love watching how other people work. Nothing is more enlightening even if you are a seasoned professional with years of experience. We all approach web design differently and you can learn so much from seeing how other people solve problems.

Rebuilding a website on the show

As I watched Mike’s presentation I thought how cool it would be to do something similar for the podcast. Obviously that doesn’t work so well in audio format but it got me thinking. What if myself and Marcus went through the entire process of building a website from start to finish. We could tackle everything from defining our business objectives to integrating the design with our CMS of choice.

I’ll get help with my crappy code!

The problem I have is that it has been a long time since I have coded a website myself. I spend so much time advising clients on their web strategy I don’t really spend anytime designing or coding. However, after nearly giving up on the idea it occurred to me that this was the perfect situation to be in. It meant we could interview experts in design and code getting their opinions about the best approach. I could learn alongside the listener!

We are back on the 9th June

I am therefore pleased to announce that on the 9th June we will be launching season 2 of podcast in which we will redesign and relaunch the Boagworld website over a series of weeks.

Rebuilding Boagworld.com

The reason I have selected Boagworld as the site to redesign is simple. First, if you are reading this you are already familiar with the site and so understand at least some of its background. Secondly, it is in desperate need of improvement!

The show will go out every 2 weeks for as long as it takes to complete the rebuild. The reason it is only coming out once a fortnight is to give me time to advance the build between shows.

We’ll make it transparent

I will make the process as transparent as possible showing both my successes and failures. I am also hoping to make it interactive with listeners participating in user testing and maybe even in the process of designing and coding the site.

To be honest I am a little apprehensive about doing such a prominent project so publicly, but I am hopeful that we can learn from each other and it can become a community effort.

So what do you think? Do you have suggestions about how the season should work or how the site can be improved? Would you like to get involved or want to recommend people to get advice from? Post your thoughts in the comments below.

About me

I’m a UX consultant and conversion optimization specialist with 32 years in digital. I help teams create user experiences that work; winning support, improving results, and making change stick.

Contact me

Email: paul@boagworld.com
UK Based – Clients in North America, Europe, Asia, Australia.

how I help

UX Strategy – Spot what’s blocking a great experience and get a clear plan to fix it.
Improving Conversion – Simple, evidence-based changes that make every click count.
Coaching & Leadership – A sounding board to help you lead with clarity and confidence.
Training & Workshops – Hands-on sessions, playbooks, and self-learning so your team keeps improving.

Dylan Valade

Puma

Actionable Insights

Paul has the ability to see what is hiding in plain sight. He validated ideas under consideration and provided new, actionable recommendations. The most valuable insight was illustrating how our issues were symptoms of an inefficient UX project team structure.

Sarah Zama

Oxford University

Genuinely brilliant

Paul is genuinely brilliant to work with. He’s funny, thoughtful, and really good at meeting you where you are. He matches my energy, communicates clearly, and always seems to know how to say the right thing. Working with him feels easy, constructive, and properly enjoyable.

CREATIVE BLOQ

Magazine Interview

Demonstrates his prowess

As we talk, a pronounced pattern in Boag’s patter becomes apparent: he enthuses about a topic, demonstrates his prowess and then knocks himself down with a swipe of self-deprecation.

Gerry McGovern

Author of Transform

Smart & Generous

Paul is one of the smartest, most passionate, most generous people I know in the web / online industry. He is truly committed to helping organizations become simpler and more customer-centric.

RICHARD HURST

QUEEN MARY’S UNIVERSITY LONDON

An inspiration

Paul is an inspiration, I only wish I’d worked with him earlier in my career. His ability to understand and break down problems and offer advice, drawing on his many years of experience is unrivalled. He genuinely wants to get the best out of you and your organisation and you can’t ask for more than that.

NONDAS PASCHOS

MÉDECINS SANS FRONTIÈRES

Invaluable

Medecins San Frontieres, being a decentralised international association, faces challenges in meeting the needs of a diverse global audience. Paul and the team at Headscape have been invaluable in helping us see the potential of digital for doing this. They have helped us recognize the changes needed to engage with our connected audiences, bringing clarity and innovation to our digital strategy.

JENNIFER RUSSELL

THE SAMARITANS

Supportive and Challenging

It’s been a pleasure working with Paul. He manages to be both supportive and challenging at the same time and has a very accessible approach. It’s been a really inspiring process and I would love the opportunity to work with him again.

JOANNA SOUZA

UNICEF

Entertainingly Informative

We can count on Paul to be entertainingly informative. When we bring him to speak at our workshops, people walk out of the session energized and with a better understanding of how a multichannel journey should be assessed and optimized. Thanks Paul!

RIVKIE LIEBERMAN

MOTIF STUDIO

Best investment

You’re the best investment I’ve made thus far in my business, and that includes a previous coach, paid mentors and many courses! Your expertise is absolutely invaluable. Thank you!

Brooke Mills

Beginning Boutique

Moves the Needle

It’s not a question of whether I’d work with Paul again, but what we’re doing next. He takes the time to deeply understand your business and goals, then moves the needle across the growth levers that matter most.