That was a fun roller coaster ride. Our teams have been working around the clock to help resolve some of the technical issues that caused the slow loading or errors of the past two days. Looks like we have things stabilized and the site is performing as intended. So feel free to explore without delay again...and please remember to buckle up. It's the law.
Well that didn't take long.
If you've been trying to visit the new look new feel NikonUSA.com site you might have noticed it has been pretty slow today. Not part of the plan I assure you.
It appears there were some technical glitches when things went live that were exposed with a much higher than anticipated rush of traffic to the site. We're making adjustments and working to make sure it's running normally as soon as possible. In the meantime we ask for your patience as we go through these unexpected growing pains. Hey more time to spend on the blog…
Speaking of the blog, so far so good. We’ve received some really good comments and ideas. We’ve actually adjusted some content already based on a feedback – a good call on a misplaced product image, some broken links here and there.
Also, some constructive commentary about the flash intro piece. Finding the right balance on these types of designs elements is always a bit of a high wire act. Design, like photography, is subjective so we do our best to provide various pathways for consumers based on their needs and expectations. We’ll dig into that feature in a topic soon but for now keep the comments coming.
I’m off to Japan for some meetings so look for a faster site later today and a post from the headquarters of Nikon this weekend…
…as I would like to have a word about this law of his; it really makes projects like this infinitely more difficult. Despite that we are now live with our new site; a new site that has been in the making for some time now.
About 18 months ago we made the decision to rethink our site from the inside out. We tore apart every aspect of how our web environment functions so that we could better meet the needs of those interacting with it. We gathered insight from a variety of places – specifically thousands of registered Nikon owners, business partners, industry experts and a guy named Pete.
With all of their help we have crafted a roadmap for creating a place where you can learn, explore and get inspired. So here we are, launching our new website that is the first step in achieving that roadmap.
The site is also launching with a twist; this NikonUSA.com development blog entitled Your Shot. We’re excited about the first step but we also know that a forum of thousands will deliver a greater depth of ideas and insights on how to move forward. Fact is the site will really never be finished. If we say that it is, well then we should probably be fired. It will continue to evolve, to grow, to challenge and to change. And with this blog, the course that it takes is now in our collective hands.
Before we get underway here, a couple of words on the ground rules. This blog is focused on the NikonUSA.com website and how it can be made better for you. If you have questions about products, services, careers or other company related topics you should visit the Contact Us page of the site for the appropriate contact information. And like a prize heavy weight fight we’ll try to keep this somewhat clean, so please no trash talking – specifically about competitors.
In an effort to keep the blog focused on the site we’ll review comments to ensure they are within scope – we’ll do this as quickly as possible. We’ll post the ones that stay on point and incinerate the ones that break the rules. Actually our accountants say the price of gas for the incinerators is way too expensive right now so we’ll have put those comments aside for now. We’ll do our best to forward those comments to our customer service team but again you can contact them directly for help.
Your feedback on the site is going to be something that we’re taking seriously. We’ll be taking comments you leave and using them as the foundation for future posts. After all the site is about you, and you’re probably not the only person who had that question, or had that thought or had that suggestion in mind. But you might have been the only one who brought it up, so the community can be that much wiser by turning your comment into a launching pad for a future post.
So here we go. We already have a list of a ‘gagillion’ (technical term) things we want to change, edit or build, but we want to hear from you. We’ll try to address various aspects of the new site with each post. And over time we’ll start to filter in ideas as we begin development of new features. To start let’s tackle general impressions and thoughts about the design and functionality of the site.
Let the games begin…
Joe, the Corporate and Internet Communications Manager at Nikon Inc, has combined his professional experience with his personal passion for photography to lead the NikonUSA website redesign initiative.
This blog is a conversation about the NikonUSA.com site redesign and how it can be made better for you. Your feedback on the site is something that we’re taking seriously. We’ll be taking comments you leave and using them as the foundation for future posts. This will help make our collective understanding of the site that much stronger.
The blog is not about Nikon products or the Nikon brand. It's also not about our competitors. So we’ll be reviewing comments to ensure they are within scope, and we’ll do this as quickly as possible. We’ll post the ones that stay on point and incinerate the ones that break the rules. Actually, our accountants say the price of gas for the incinerators is way too expensive right now, so we’ll have put those comments aside for now.
If you have questions about products, services, careers or other company related topics you should visit the Contact Us page of the site for the appropriate contact information.
