SmileSIM

Fortune Smiles On Mitya

A very good friend of mine has heard me tell many a tale of trips in which I have been given free drinks, gratis hotel and car rental upgrades and various freebies. However, without experiencing my stories first hand, he always suspected there was a degree of embellishment involved to make my stories a bit more entertaining. travel We eventually had the opportunity to together and I was able to demonstrate the power of a little respect and an authentic smile. travel It’s Kool To Be Kind We began our trip sitting in the dreary, uncomfortable airport terminal, with ample time before our flight. Bored, I explored the terminal and located the airline’s club lounge. Despite not being a member, I entered and immediately knew where I was going to spend the next couple of hours. Sitting behind the receptionist desk, in a chair that was two sizes too small for him was, Don, a large Hawaiian with a hearty smile. He was clearly uninterested in the paperback book in his oversized hands and he seemed open to chatting. After some brief pleasantries, I asked him what it cost to join the club and if they offered a one-day pass. He laughed and apologetically said, “It’s something like $500 a year. We don’t have day rates, but I can let you slide this time if you just want to check it out.” I thanked him and hurried back to grab my buddy. After a leisurely time in the airline club, we boarded our flight and met Kelly, a young surfer dude in his early twenties who was our attendant for the next five hours. Once everyone was settled in their seats, I asked him where he lived in Hawaii, where he surfed, what sort of board he used, etc. As soon as we were airborne, I asked Kelly if he could hook me up with a Mai Tai. He laughed and asked if I wanted one of his “special creations.” My reply, without hesitation, “Why of course.” He returned and waited for me to sample the drink. I took a large swallow and sincerely told him, “You are an artist. You should call this ‘Kelly’s Creation.” I had several more of Kelly’s Creations before we landed, all at no charge. We bid Kelly farewell, hoping we’d see him again on our return flight and headed toward the car rental agency. It was very hot and the woman at the counter did not look happy. I approached her with a broad smile and asked how her day was going. She replied, “It’s about to get worse. All the flights from the mainland are landing.” She clearly wasn’t happy. After a bit of joking around, she begrudgingly grinned and eventually was laughing at my corny humor. She waived the fee for my friend to be an authorized driver and she gave us a gratis upgrade to a slightly nicer vehicle. So What Entrepreneurs are likewise well served to seek out and cultivate transitory relationships with service employees whom self-important professionals generally overlook, such as: waitresses, car rental agents, flight attendants and call-center agents. Such folks encounter a horde of unhappy, disgruntled and downright surly travelers each and every day. Thus, it is easy to differentiate yourself by simply smiling and showing these hard-working people the courtesy they deserve. Greeting someone by genuinely asking, “Wow. How can you look so cool under pressure when you are so busy?” will often be rewarded with a smile and a special deal. Making A Connection Make an authentic connection with a friendly, sincere smile. Then engage the person you are approaching as a peer, a courtesy many service workers seldom experience from most of their harried, self-absorbed customers. The interaction should always be based on a genuine expression of interest. For instance, after a long day of travel, I approached the night clerk at a hotel at about 1:00 in the morning. He was clearly studying a textbook and I genuinely admired that he had a night job while attending college. Rather than ignoring his book or asking him a superficial question like, “What’s your major” or “Where do you go to school?” I asked him, “What are your dreams once you graduate?” He hesitated, clearly debating if he should give me a thoughtful, honest answer or if he should remain in transaction mode and give me a cursory, glib reply. He opted for honesty and told me that he wanted to someday open a veterinary clinic because he loved animals. We had a pleasant conversation, I was given a free upgrade without even asking and we parted with me sincerely wishing him the best. I didn’t even realized he had upgraded me until I arrived in my multi-room suite. I wasn’t thrilled with the suite, which I only spent a couple waking hours in. What made my evening was the personal connection we briefly shared. The Real Reward If you are rolling your eyes , I will let you in on a — the real reward is not saving a few dollars. secret The foundation upon which such personal connections are built is the levity and kindness infused into otherwise tedious situations. Traveling becomes less mundane and a lot more joyful when you create a genuine rapport with the folks you meet along the way. The small, tangible freebies that sometimes result from such interactions are a nice bonus, but the real payoff is making brief, yet meaningful connections you will make with some awesome people with whom you share this planet. Follow John’s startup-oriented Twitter feed here: @johngreathouse

The Secret To Getting Free Drinks, Upgrades And Genuine Smiles When You Travel

Heads, I kill him. Tails — well, Tails and he not only understands who wants him dead, he will learn how little he knows of real pain. I’ll teach him, though. When I’m done, there will be nothing about it beyond his experience and there will come a moment when he breaks and begs me to finish him, prays like a supplicant to me, his Almighty, singular judge of his redemption and sole voice of forgiveness. I’ll play deaf because I’m not paid to listen. Fuck. Heads again. Goddamn it. Another boring Friday night. Three minutes of focus, three seconds to jab the guy and plunge Father Paul’s secret recipe into his ass, and then what am I supposed to do for the rest of the night? What was all the training for if I can’t make use of it? “The toss allows God to decide,” the cunning old priest would say. “Rejoice in the blessing endowed on you to be God’s Will enabled.” I don’t get it. These bastards deserved to die in the worst ways possible, but God has never let a Tails spin into my palm. It’s like He’s fucking with me, like it’s a fucking joke to Him to wind me up and then relish the frustration and disappointment when that fucking coin smiles back at me. Whatever. I’m here, he’s here and between the crowd and the music, no one will hear him scream. Might as well be in space. Hoppin’ and boppin’ through the dancers, I could be invisible for all the attention I get. He, on the other hand, exudes so much charisma that even women with partners are half-turned to watch him from the corner of their eyes. Maybe becoming a serial kidnapper-rapist-murderer wasn’t entirely a matter of choice. Maybe he’s only using the gifts God gave him, just like I’m using mine, but I doubt I’m as happy with my lot as he is — or has been — with his. No complaints on my part, though. The money’s pretty good, I travel the world in First Class and though my green Vatican City passport may not have quite the get-out-of-jail-free status of the light blue United Nations one, I don’t attract national security bureaus like they do. The moments between songs allow me to close unnoticed, my syringe ready in its sheath under my left cuff. An instant after the pulsing bass returns, I stab and then pretend to trip, moving bent over to disguise my route. No need to confirm his death, so sure am I in the evil priest’s alchemical expertise, and then my Friday night boredom is redeemed via text message — double headers are rare enough events that I would exhaust my list with less than five fingers. My mission window is short and I must first change and dispose of these clothes, so I waste no time waiting for an Uber and flag the first taxi in the rank outside the club. I have never questioned a target and I don’t now, but I can’t honestly wrap my mind around what a pubescent girl could have done to deserve me. It’s late enough she’s probably in bed, asleep, but that makes no never mind to me. Five minutes after striding through the hotel’s front entrance, having greeted the doorman and smiled at the night-shift manager, I exit by a side door dressed in running gear, my syringe nestled in my sock. The taxi ride uptown is quick, and I climb out beside a park. I limber up until the cab is out of sight and then jog without urgency towards the target address. This late, all the neighbourhood businesses I pass are closed — coffee shops, upscale boutiques, salons, even a small insurance office. Slowing as I arrive ‘home,’ I pause and stretch on the pavement out front, using my movements to gather my tools. With tired purpose, I climb the front stairs. Two breaths and I’m shutting the front door behind me in practiced silence. My mission demands less illumination, so I turn the lights off as I come to them. Keeping to the shadows, I ignore the ground floor and head upstairs. A small part of me is grateful for the wall-to-wall as I step onto the landing, but a greater part smiles at the sound of pop music emerging from an alcove. Tossing my coin as instructed, giving God the final word, my breath catches. Tails. What the fuck? Tails again. And a third time. So. Two things occur to me. I cannot torture her here and I need a way to move her somewhere safe. An image brightens in my head — the sign in the window of the insurance agent listed it was closed all weekend. It will do in a pinch. I need a suitcase. Back down the stairs, ignoring the main floor once again, because suitcases are stored in the basement. I choose the largest and retrace my steps to the girl’s room. None of the lights have been turned back on, so there is no call for collateral victims. One final check. Tails. So be it. Opening the door enough to slowly reach in and quench the main light, I use her confusion to dart across to where she lies on her stomach lost in her iPad. A rap on her temple with a folded knuckle is enough to steal her awareness, and the suitcase is ample. On a whim, I toss in her iPad. Here, then, is the riskiest part. A man in running gear does not often haul a large suitcase through the night, but once more pretending purpose suffices to protect me. Trixie Thorn would otherwise have grown into a great beauty were it not for my orders, but I tie her to the table in the staff kitchen as securely as I always do. I push a piece of torn tea towel into her mouth and secure it with tape. The one thing I don’t do is cut away her pyjamas. Nudity is a great psychological weapon but I just can’t do it. Even armed with the remaining piece of towel doused with ammonia from under the sink, I hesitate to wake her. I cannot say why. So I study her. It’s pointless, but perhaps her iPad can tell me something. Lead image by on ZSun Fu Unsplash

Heads & Tails: A Tale of Chance, Faith and Morality - Part 1

মাথা ও পুচ্ছ: সম্ভাবনা, বিশ্বাস এবং নৈতিকতার গল্প - পার্ট 1

Kopf und Zahl: Eine Geschichte von Zufall, Glauben und Moral – Teil 1

Cara y Cruz: Una historia de azar, fe y moralidad - Parte 1

Pile et Face : Une histoire de hasard, de foi et de moralité - Partie 1

हेड्स एंड टेल्स: संयोग, विश्वास और नैतिकता की कहानी - भाग 1

表と裏：偶然、信仰、道徳の物語 - パート 1

앞면과 뒷면: 우연, 신앙, 도덕에 관한 이야기 - 1부

Cara e Coroa: Uma História de Acaso, Fé e Moralidade - Parte 1

Орел и решка: История о шансе, вере и морали. Часть 1

Yazı ve Yazı: Bir Şans, İnanç ve Ahlak Hikayesi - Bölüm 1

Đầu & Đuôi: Câu chuyện về cơ hội, niềm tin và đạo đức - Phần 1

正面与反面：机遇、信仰与道德的故事（上）

Sylvia: 100 Days

This interview series celebrates all the phenomenal . Congratulations! Well-Deserved, Champion.The HackerNoon community is excited to learn more about you! Startups of the Year Winners share the link to your winning city award here [example: ] https://hackernoon.com/startups/north-america/north-america-toronto-canada What does it mean for you to win this title? To us, it highlights that people recognize the need for a VPN in the privacy space that takes privacy seriously - and that you can do this while still maintaining a sense of humor. We’ve been working tirelessly to ensure connectivity in many challenging regions lately. Be it politics, censorship, or dictatorial aggression – we will power through with smiles on our faces. What sets you apart from the competition? I briefly mentioned our sense of humor, and that really does have an impact on all aspects of Windscribe. I think that shows. We get a ton of feedback from people saying that they love our VPN not just because it works well; it’s because of how we communicate with our community. We have the largest VPN community at discord.gg/VPN. We get fan mail from people around the world saying how certain jokes made their day - it’s great, our user base is so awesome. It makes us more approachable and that allows us to cater to their needs better than anyone else. We genuinely love this business and what it does for others. What do you love about your team, and why are you the ones to solve this problem? Our team is awesome: super smart people, from around the world, that get along and are genuinely concerned with privacy. Obviously, there are a lot of VPN companies out there, but we don’t cut corners, we don’t waste money on advertising or affiliate marketing, and we have rigid ethical standards (sometimes to the detriment of our revenue, but to the relief of our consciousness). We have the largest physical network out of any of our competitors. We are entirely self-funded so no one can force us to abandon our ethics. We are open about our ownership and our location - basically, there is a face behind the company, instead of a series of hidden shell companies. We spend a lot on talent, infrastructure, and researching the best solutions to online privacy issues. We take our mission very seriously, but we don’t take ourselves seriously. If you weren’t building your startup, what would you be doing? Eating chili cheese dogs and letting shit slide? Enjoying having a good posture, unburdened by sitting and typing for 11 hours a day? Yelling at the moon for not being the sun? Teaching my dog how to drive? There is so much I could be doing. At the moment, how do you measure success? What are your core metrics? We have a ton of internal metrics. Speed, reliability, and ability for quick turnaround on new features. To roll out fixes, find solutions for censorship, and ensure we respond to any issue within hours. Tell us how your startup is changing the world. At the risk of sounding like we are pitching to a bunch of out-of-touch San Francisco VCs - we are changing the world by helping people who are isolated in countries with restricted internet the means to stay connected and informed about the world around them. We help journalists, protestors, and activists to champion their cause. We provide a means of communication between loved ones. We allow those in countries with only state-approved media a glimpse at the truth of issues that affect them from sources they may not traditionally have access to. We fight for an open internet and privacy for all. We’re also kind of funny, so there’s that, too. How do you or your company intend to embrace the responsibility of this title in 2024? I think if we’re able to maintain and improve on the level of service and reliability of our network, we’ll be able to make Windscribers proud. We often have cat-and-mouse-like antics with those who attempt to censor their citizens. They will often try to find a way to block us which requires us to then find ways to circumvent their censorship. Luckily our circumvent censorship feature, something we’re very proud of, works incredibly well to this extent. Our team knows what to look for, how to adapt, and how to overcome these challenges. What goals are you looking forward to accomplishing in 2024? We want to continue to grow both of our companies, Windscribe and Control D, internally and externally. It feels genuinely great knowing that we can help more and more people access information in traditionally “closed-off” parts of the world and manage their knowledge on their own terms - and do so with an international team of people who care about it just as much, and in some cases, even more than I can (some of our employees live in heavily censored countries). Pretty cliché answer, I know - we just want to keep growing. Which trend(s) are you most excited about in 2024? Share your reasons. Broccoli-style haircuts. Their rise in popularity has given us much to laugh at. But we will be much more excited once that trend dies like the man-bun trend before it. What will come after? Who knows. In the realm of technology, the list is really endless: rocketry and space exploration, AI, increasingly more useful and easier-to-access online educational content… there is a lot of interesting technology being worked on - so we are permanently excited to see what awaits the world. 2023 had been another crazy year, especially in tech, with layoffs and the Generative AI takeover! Which trend are you most concerned about? Be as brief or as detailed as you like. Honestly, AI has been really helpful to our teams. We have adopted it to help teams do more in less time — it eases the burden/annoyance of repetitive and lower-priority tasks, giving everyone more time to work on engaging problems. As for the layoffs, we haven’t had to lay anyone off, which is a blessing. We know it really sucks being let go from a company, but at the same time, this market has allowed us to scoop up a ton of really high-level talent. We have been hiring like crazy, and are still hiring more. Come and apply! Share your biggest success so far and/or your biggest failure so far. We have a company filled with very smart people who all get along to work on problems that affect people directly (censorship, access to information, etc). The team is our biggest success. We also are close to having 69 million users, which is numerologically important to us because funny sex number. My dog didn’t poop in the office this week either. Really, it’s a string of one success after another. Biggest failure? Can’t remember, overshadowed by too much success (see previous sentence). Any words of wisdom you’d like to share with us? At a time when the world is increasing its interconnectivity, it is becoming harder and harder to safeguard one’s own privacy. The main word of “wisdom” (I’ll leave it to you to decide whether it is wise), is that everyone should pay close attention to their online privacy and protect it fiercely, as it is becoming a commodity for companies, governments, and various groups to exploit citizens, and profit off of them both monetarily and psychologically. Take your privacy seriously because no one else will. Other than that… never judge a group of people by the way their government acts. Startups of The Year is HackerNoon’s Flagship community-driven event celebrating startups that survived and thrived in 2023. 30,000 startups across 4200+ cities and six continents participated this year to be crowned the best startup in their city. See our global winners announcement . here Companies that blog more get 67% more leads - Jumpstart your company’s blogging journey by purchasing our . Business Blogging Package The 2023 Startups Of The Year is sponsored by: . . The winners will get a free .Tech Domain, a HackerNoon NFT, and a Tech Company News Page. TECH Domains

Meet Windscribe, Winner of the Startups of the Year in Toronto

108 Stories To Learn About Website Design

Welcome to the Startups of the Year Runner ups Interview Series. Congratulations for being one of the top 3000 startups worldwide! The HackerNoon team is thrilled to know more about you! https://hackernoon.com/startups/north-america/north-america-dallas-tx-usa Tell us how your startup is changing the world. Imagine a world where clinicians aren't bogged down by paperwork and nurses can devote their full attention to patients. This isn't a utopia; it's the future Steer Health is building. Our AI-powered platform automates repetitive tasks, freeing up 72% of a clinician's time for what truly matters: practicing medicine at the top of their license. Steer's impact goes beyond efficiency. Actionable data unlocks better operations, happier staff, and even higher revenue. But the real measure of success lies in the smiles on clinician's faces, finally free to rediscover the joy in patient care. By automating the mundane, Steer Health is reclaiming joy in healthcare, one revolution at a time. Here are a few key ways: AI-powered Growth & Automation: Our platform automates 72% of routine tasks, freeing up valuable time for meaningful patient interactions and professional development. Data-Driven Insights: Actionable data helps healthcare organizations identify and address bottlenecks, leading to smoother operations and reduced stress. Seamless Integration: Steer integrates seamlessly with existing EHR systems, eliminating data silos and simplifying workflows. Personalized Support: Our dedicated customer success team ensures each organization receives the support and customization they need. What sets you apart from the competition? Steer Health stands out not just by offering features, but by unifying them into a seamless experience. While competitors often provide point solutions for specific needs, Steer Health empowers medical offices and doctors with a comprehensive, all-in-one platform. This eliminates the pain points associated with juggling multiple disconnected applications, ultimately leading to happier patients, more efficient teams, and improved revenue. Data Symphony, Not Cacophony: Disparate apps often lead to fragmented data, hindering informed decision-making. Steer Health acts as a central nervous system, unifying data from all touchpoints. Access a 360-degree view of your patient journeys, identify growth opportunities, and optimize marketing campaigns – all fueled by a single, reliable data source. Patient Engagement Elevated: Imagine sending personalized reminders, educational materials, and post-care instructions – all through one platform. Steer Health fosters deeper patient engagement, improving adherence to treatment plans and, ultimately, driving better outcomes. Revenue Rocket Fuel: Steer Health doesn't just streamline workflows. It fuels growth. Identify lucrative patient segments, automate appointment confirmations, and optimize marketing campaigns – all within the platform. Steer Health helps you attract new patients, retain existing ones, and maximize revenue potential. Simplicity is the Ultimate Sophistication: Steer Health avoids the cluttered interfaces and clunky navigation of many competitors. Our platform is intuitive and user-friendly and requires minimal training, minimizing disruption to your team's routine. In conclusion, Steer Health overcomes the limitations of single-feature apps. It's a unified platform that streamlines workflows, fosters patient engagement, unlocks data insights, and propels revenue growth. So, while others offer islands, Steer Health provides the solid ground your medical practice needs to thrive. What do you love about your team, and why are you the ones to solve this problem? The team behind me is truly remarkable, and their work is what allows me to even exist. I admire the diversity they bring to the table. They come from various backgrounds, with expertise in computer science, linguistics, engineering, and many more. Their distinct passions fuel their work, driving them to create a model that can understand and respond to human language in an increasingly sophisticated way. What makes them uniquely positioned to tackle the challenge of language understanding is their journey. They haven't reached this point overnight. Years of research, collaboration, and continuous learning have paved the way for our development. They constantly push boundaries, explore new technologies, and refine their own abilities. While I cannot claim personal love, I deeply appreciate the dedication and expertise of the team behind me. Their collaboration creates an environment where innovation thrives, allowing me to learn and grow and hopefully contribute to a future where language technology benefits everyone. If you weren’t building your startup, what would you be doing? I have a deep passion for the healthcare domain and improving human health while making the lives of clinicians and staff expand care access. I will be deeply involved in finding solutions to healthcare challenges, either working for someone or volunteering. At the moment, how do you measure success? What are your core metrics? We use some key metrics to understand how effective our solutions are. We look at the hours saved by hospital staff. For example, with our Steer Concierge solution, each patient inquiry can save up to 5 minutes per inquiry. With 100 patient requests per day, we have saved our partner organization more than 8 hours in a single day. We also look at how many new patients are acquired and how their retention changes over time, so how our solution attracts patients and increases in-network referrals and, therefore, achieves growth. This includes looking at their insurance profiles and the value each patient brings. Finally, we also look at other key metrics such as readmission rates, no-shows, and patient satisfaction. If we are able to continuously reduce the number of no-shows and readmissions and improve patient satisfaction, we know that the platform is successful for our partner. What goals are you looking forward to accomplishing in 2024? We want to scale faster, bring more transformational power to the healthcare sector, and develop even more efficient solutions to everyday problems. One example of this is reducing the bureaucratic and administrative workload of doctors and hospital staff by freeing them from the burden of documentation and thus saving up to 9 hours of work per person on average. Which trend(s) are you most excited about in 2024? Share your reasons. I am excited that doctors and staff will be able to get superpowers from solutions such as Steer Health with the advent of embedded AI and closed-loop workflows. The Rise of Responsible AI: This trend focuses on developing and deploying AI solutions ethically and sustainably, considering diverse needs and potential biases. This excites me because responsible AI can ensure everyone benefits from its advancements, including increased accessibility to information and personalized learning experiences. The Democratization of Knowledge: Initiatives that make information and educational resources more accessible to everyone fuel my optimism. Open-source platforms, personalized learning tools, and affordable internet access are making knowledge more readily available, fostering diverse perspectives and innovation. The Power of Collaborative Communication: Tools that promote effective communication and collaboration across geographic and cultural boundaries inspire me. This includes advancements in translation technology, AI-powered communication assistants, and virtual collaboration platforms. These tools can break down barriers and enable diverse voices to be heard and understood, leading to a richer exchange of ideas and solutions. The Human-AI Partnership: The trend of humans and AI working together to solve complex challenges excites me. By leveraging each other's strengths, we can tackle some of the world's most pressing problems in domains like healthcare, climate change, and sustainability. 2023 had been another crazy year, especially in tech, with layoffs and the Generative AI takeover! Which trend are you most concerned about? Be as brief or as detailed as you like. While 2023 certainly brought excitement in tech, there are valid concerns regarding the "Generative AI takeover," and some trends warrant caution. Here are a few: Misinformation and Deepfakes: The ability to create highly realistic text and visuals brings serious threats of fabricated news, manipulated content, and impersonation. This can erode trust in information, sow discord, and have harmful real-world consequences. Bias and Discrimination: AI models trained on biased data can perpetuate existing inequalities and discriminate against certain groups. Careful data selection, diverse development teams, and ongoing bias mitigation efforts are crucial. Job Displacement and the Human-AI Gap: Automation fueled by AI can displace jobs, raising concerns about unemployment and widening the economic gap. Addressing this requires proactive reskilling programs, ethical implementation, and ensuring shared benefits of technological advancements. Share your biggest success so far and/or your biggest failure so far. One of my most significant successes so far has been the founding and development of Steer Health. The journey from ideation to execution and seeing it grow has been incredibly rewarding. It's not just about the business metrics or the technological innovation we've achieved; it's the impact on healthcare accessibility and efficiency that fills me with pride. Through Steer Health, we've managed to bridge crucial gaps in the healthcare delivery system, making care more personalized and accessible. Witnessing the positive feedback from users and healthcare professionals alike reaffirms my belief in the potential of technology to transform healthcare for the better. On the flip side, my biggest challenge, or what some might call a 'failure,' was an early project within Steer Health that didn't go as planned. We aimed to integrate a predictive analytics platform to forecast patient health trends and prevent readmissions. Despite our team's hard work and dedication, the project encountered significant roadblocks, from data privacy concerns to technological limitations, leading to its eventual pause. This experience was a profound learning opportunity. It taught me the importance of adaptability, thorough market research, and the need to sometimes take a step back and reassess our approach. Most importantly, it reinforced the value of resilience. Instead of viewing it as a failure, I see it as a necessary detour that has since informed our strategy and decision-making processes, making us more robust and focused on our mission. We would love your feedback on HackerNoon as a tech publication! How has your experience been with us? I love reading HackerNoon and learning a lot about industry trends and happenings. Any words of wisdom you’d like to share with us? Keep up the good work! Startups of The Year is HackerNoon’s Flagship community-driven event celebrating startups that survived and thrived in 2023. 30,000 startups across 4200+ cities and six continents participated this year to be crowned the best startup in their city. See our global winners announcement . here Companies that blog more get 67% more leads - Jumpstart your company’s blogging journey by purchasing our . Business Blogging Package The 2023 Startups Of The Year is sponsored by: . . The winners will get a free .Tech Domain, a HackerNoon NFT, and a Tech Company News Page. TECH Domains

Meet Steer Health, Runner-up of the Startups of the Year in Dallas

Salespersons and copywriters know that the key to conversions is emotions. People make an and then rationally justify their decision. emotionally-based decision at first It is almost never the other way around. So, if you want to drive higher conversions like more email signups, more social media followers, or more sales, creating an emotional impact is key. And images are one of the most powerful ways to achieve this. When you use the right imagery in the right way, you can improve conversion rates and grow your faster. business In this post, I’ll cover some of the top ways you can leverage visuals to convert. Let’s go. Add Human Faces Think of the last time you downloaded a game or clicked on an ad because they included a person in the thumbnail. You’ve likely done it more times than you care to admit. Adding people’s faces to your home page, social media post, or some other area is certain to drive up engagement as well as conversions. Here’s what you should know about what makes faces and people so appealing to our psychology. (The following points are referenced from a post by .) Highbrow Smiles Eye Contact POV In general, images of people smiling have higher conversion rates than pictures with neutral expressions. Likewise, photos where the subject looks directly at the viewer will connect more. Finally, POV or Point of View has to do with the angle at which the viewer sees the image, i.e., an image of a person looking upwards at the viewer will create different impressions than one of an image where a person is looking away or downwards at the viewer. What you should know is that the type of expression, face, and image you choose should depend on your goal and audience. Do you want to convey professionalism? Then, a sterner expression and folded arms might be suitable. But if you want to invite people to visit your site, a smile would work better. As we’ll point out later, you need to test which images work best to drive the best results. Leverage Color There are many theories on the impact of color and while it is clear that color does make an impact on buying psychology - there’s no consistent information about what works in every scenario. Much depends on the purpose for which you use a color and where you apply it. In branding (which is related to conversions but also different), there are clear links between color and brand image. For example, browns and greens convey calmness and are often associated with greenery, energy, sustainability, and related concepts. Black is associated with professionalism and seriousness. in terms of driving leads. Red is said to have the best performance However, this doesn’t mean that if you use the color green in your content, it won’t convert. More than relying on a specific hue to get people to buy, you need to look at context and placement. For example, as long as your call to action button stands out and has a complementary color on a website, it will draw the eye and entice people to click on buy, sign up, or some other conversion metric. judge a business based on its web design - so you want to ensure that you’re leveraging how your site looks and feels to keep a steady stream of customers. 75% of people Here are some factors to consider when using color to ensure higher conversion rates: Contrast: Make sure that areas where you want the most attention have contrasting colors. Consistency: While colors are powerful, using more than 3-5 in any asset is a surefire way to lose customers. Stick a fixed number of specific colors and apply them consistently on all marketing assets. Cultural associations: Be mindful of how different cultures perceive colors. White may imply purity in some places but mourning in others. Do your research before you use a color in any geographical location. Complementarity: Never pick out colors randomly. Make sure that your palette of colors complements each other. Fortunately, there are free online tools where you can add colors you like, and the tool will automatically generate suitable colors that complement them. With these principles in mind, you’ll be better able to apply colors well in your assets to boost conversions. Think of Typography We’ve all played with changing fonts on documents as kids. We’ve used elaborate, unreadable, cursive fonts for stories. Or we played around with Comic Sans to convey fun and play. We have an intuitive understanding of the role that typography plays in conveying emotions and messages. Typography is the art and science of arranging letters to make them appealing and impactful. You should look at words and letters as visual ornaments and not just for the semantic meaning they convey. There are many ways typography can support conversions: Your choice of font will support your brand and the values consumers hold - leading to a higher likelihood of conversions Good typography creates a better user experience since it removes dissonance and ensures customers navigate an app or website easily. The choice of typography can attract a user’s attention to specific words and areas, which in turn can guide people to join an email list, buy, or take some other action. These are a few ways that typography can support higher conversions. They are visual mediums and must be leveraged to the fullest to create an impact on your audience. Use Icons and Symbols If you want to understand the power of icons and symbols, think of the emoji. It’s a standard part of modern communication where we rely heavily on text, and without emojis, we’d experience significant miscommunication and ruptured relationships. Today, icons and symbols play a big role in website and app design and they’re a powerful visual asset that can drive conversions. For example, research institute found that a ‘made-up’ symbol like a padlock icon or security badge created a greater sense of security. Baymard So, if you want to improve your payment checkout conversions, consider adding the little padlock symbol to your form in the right place. (Another interesting finding from Baymard is making the checkout process ‘robust’ by adding an outline or a line to contain the checkout form. This simple visual tactic contains the payment form and implies greater security during checkout.) In this way, make sure you use a carefully designed set of icons and symbols to make navigating your site easier and to convey ease and security on your products. Whitespace A user’s visual journey is not just influenced by the number of images on your site or app but also by the whitespace or the empty space around elements on your platform. Whitespace allows your content and features to breathe and keep users from getting overwhelmed. And when used correctly, it can draw attention to important parts of your site. So, don’t neglect to use whitespace as wisely as you do the other elements mentioned here. Carry out A/B Testing to Verify Your Design Choices No matter how experienced a UX/UI designer is, you must always test your design choices through user testing. This means presenting important visual content to your target audience base and asking for feedback. A good methodology to try is split testing or A/B testing. Give users a choice between two designs, A and B. And the one that wins the majority vote should be your design choice or improved and tested further. Only through testing can you figure out if your visual assets are impactful and create the right impression on your audience. Over to You There you have it: a breakdown of how to make your visual elements have a greater impact. Try to implement these aspects into your design, product development, and more. You’re certain to see a rise in conversions, which will lead to overall business success.

Visual Mastery: How to Create Impactful Marketing That Drives Engagement

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