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Do you struggle to track employees’ work hours effectively? Do you often face inefficiencies and errors associated with billing and payroll processing? Do you lack insight into employee productivity because of a lack of proper visibility into employees’ time?

Then, it’s time to shift to timesheets to capture employee work hours and associated activities. 

This blog will uncover the basic use of timesheets and shed light on eight reasons organizations should invest in timesheets for maximum profitability.

What Is a Timesheet?

A timesheet is a tool that keeps track of employees’ work time data at the workplace. 

Many organizations use traditional timesheets, such as paper-based timesheets, punch cards, spreadsheets, and even Excel timesheet templates which are available online to track how employees spend their time and in which activities. However, these legacy systems require manual time entry of employees’ start and end times. These are also prone to errors that can lead to payroll discrepancies, inaccurate client billing, and even non-compliance issues.

“According to an EY report, each payroll error costs an organization around $291 on average to redeem directly or indirectly, and if a company regularly deals with such errors, they could? lose up to thousands of dollars each year.”

But, with the advent of technology, digital timesheets have become more popular options among digitally matured organizations that can capture employees’ work hours automatically without much human intervention and can also generate detailed reports to give a 360-degree view of where employees spend their time in which activities, and for how long. 

This data can help employers ascertain employees’ productivity levels, calculate employees’ payroll, and generate client invoices. Thus, a digital timesheet can be a game changer for organizations by helping them with advantages, as mentioned below.

Why Timesheets are Essential to Your Organization

1. Task Prioritization With Work Time Data

Timesheets serve as a record of employees’ work hours and the time they spend on each task/project. Armed with the timesheet data, employers can ascertain how their resources’ time is being used across various tasks/projects. 

With such analytics, employers can find out which projects consume more employee bandwidth and assess whether these projects are profitable. Among other things, this can help them make informed decisions regarding projects they need to prioritize and decide which ones can be done away with, considering they aren’t serving much value and consuming a lot of resource bandwidth. 

Also, by analyzing the timesheet data, employers can deprioritize the tasks that take longer and are less significant than necessary.

In addition, managers can use timesheet data while assigning tasks, i.e., they can check the timesheets to see who is working on what tasks and who is available to take on some work. Thus, timesheets help in better task allocation and work distribution.

2. Prevent Cost Overruns

The data retrieved from timesheets serves as the cornerstone for future projects.

For instance, if you embark on a new project, you’ll need to estimate the approximate time, cost, and other variables, as an inaccurate estimation can lead to cost overrun, missed deadlines, and delays in project delivery. 

However, organizations that use timesheets to record work time data can also leverage it for forecasting. For example, they can check the data of those projects with a similar nature that they’ve worked on previously to get estimates for future projects. 

Simply put, you can leverage the work time data from previous project timesheets to estimate the approximate resources, time, and cost for future projects. 

Thus, timesheet data serves as a reference for future projects and helps cut down unnecessary costs and labor.

3. Facilitate Client Billing

Clients that charge based on the number of hours can be billed accurately with a timesheet. The timesheet serves as proof for clients to show how much time was spent on their project. 

By accurately tracking billable hours, employers can generate invoices based on the hours spent by resources on these client-specific projects to ensure accurate billing. 

In the absence of such systems, erroneous data tracking can lead to under or over-billing, cost overruns, and damaged reputation, which eventually impacts relationships with clients.

With time-tracking software in place, employers can also generate detailed reports and share these with clients to help them understand how time was spent on different parts of the project and how their money was put to good use. This way, timesheets prevent billing errors, foster transparency, and build trust between employers and their clients.

4. Share Insights Into Employee Productivity

Timesheets help managers and employers ascertain productivity trends and performance levels. 

Organizations often aim for 100% employee productivity levels; however, this goal doesn’t seem realistic. Administrative tasks, training courses, personal leaves, and long meetings often consume a lot of employee bandwidth and thus contribute to lowering their productivity. 

Timesheets flag such areas of lower productivity so employers can discern the reasons behind the low productivity trends, areas of time wastage, and more.

For example, they can check which tasks are taking longer to complete, which ones they are able to do in a brief period, and which ones are insignificant or unproductive. This visibility helps them optimize and prioritize the tasks for better efficiency. For example, if some tasks are insignificant and consume a lot of employee time, they can consider deprioritizing such tasks to utilize employee time and bandwidth in a better way.

In addition, with the help of timesheets, managers can identify those resources who perform excellently in certain types of projects and use them where their skills are required.

On the other hand, employers can also identify those resources that are less skilled and usually take more time to complete certain tasks and can provide them with the necessary training to improve their performance.

5. Ensure Uniform Distribution of Workload

Timesheets provide a holistic view of the employee’s time, bandwidth, workload, and tasks allocated. Thus, employers can use this data for uniform work distribution. 

For instance, if some employees have more workload, managers can delegate some tasks to the employees with available bandwidth. 

In addition, if managers ascertain that the bandwidth of all resources has been used to its full potential, they can seek other ways to manage the workload, such as recruiting additional resources or hiring temporary freelancers. 

Thus, a timesheet helps in fair workload distribution and addresses the organization’s staffing requirements.

6. Provide Visibility Into Absenteeism Pattern 

Timesheets also show ‘time off data’, i.e., the number of days employees didn’t appear at work in a planned or unplanned way. Equipped with timesheet data, managers can try to identify the absenteeism patterns in employees by assessing if unscheduled absences have started becoming a trend.

There can be several reasons behind the absenteeism pattern, such as burnout, disengagement, poor health, lack of flexibility, difficulty in finding daycare for children, etc. Thus,  management can have a session with employees who are showing signs of absenteeism, understand and vet their issues, and take necessary measures to reduce absenteeism and improve engagement.

7. Provide Analytical Data on Project Progress.

A timesheet gives visibility into the time and resources invested in a particular project and managers can compare it with the planned timeline to understand the project’s progress. 

With the timesheet data, project managers can analyze if some of the tasks are taking too long or if there’s any bottleneck that is causing a delay in the project delivery. Thus, they can assist in addressing the potential roadblocks, optimizing the resources, and adjusting the workflow to ensure timely project delivery.

8. Facilitate Payroll Processing

Many organizations pay employees based on the number of hours they work, especially consultants and freelancers, who are paid on an hourly basis. 

So, timesheet data serves as a record of how many hours employees worked in a day/week/month. This way, the administration can process an accurate payroll based on the employees’ work hours retrieved from the timesheets. 

Also, timesheet data helps calculate how much employers should pay to contractors on a weekly or monthly basis based on the hours they worked for the organization. With timesheet software, employers can also meet payroll-related regulations around overtime, shift-based pay, and more, which helps them with compliance.

Bottom Line

Timesheets benefit employers in several ways, including payroll processing, accurate client billing, analyzing productivity trends, tracking project progress, etc. Many organizations have been using legacy timesheet systems, such as paper timesheets, spreadsheets, etc., to capture employees’ work hours. However, these timesheet systems are time-consuming and are prone to errors and even time theft.

Thus, many organizations are pivoting to time-tracking software that can accurately capture time spent by employees across several tasks/projects with minimum manual intervention. You can also leverage this software to avoid discrepancies in time tracking, billing, and payroll processing and make data-driven decisions to optimize workflows and enhance efficacy.

Featured Image by ijeab on Freepik

The post 8 Reasons Why Timesheets Are Essential to Your Organization appeared first on noupe.

Hey all you wonderful developers out there! In this post, I am going to take you through creating a simple contact form using semantic HTML and an awesome CSS pseudo class known as :focus-within. The :focus-within class allows for great control over focus and letting your user know this is exactly where they are in the experience. Before we jump in, let’s get to the core of what web accessibility is.

Form Accessibility?

You have most likely heard the term “accessibility” everywhere or the numeronym, a11y. What does it mean? That is a great question with so many answers. When we look at the physical world, accessibility means things like having sharps containers in your bathrooms at your business, making sure there are ramps for wheel assisted people, and having peripherals like large print keyboards on hand for anyone that needs it.

The gamut of accessibility doesn’t stop there, we have digital accessibility that we need to be cognizant of as well, not just for external users, but internal colleagues as well. Color contrast is a low hanging fruit that we should be able to nip in the bud. At our workplaces, making sure that if any employee needs assistive tech like a screen reader, we have that installed and available. There are a lot of things that need to be kept into consideration. This article will focus on web accessibility by keeping the WCAG (web content accessibility guidelines) in mind.

This pseudo class is really great when you want to emphasize that the user is in fact interacting with the element. You can change the background color of the whole form, for example. Or, if focus is moved into an input, you can make the label bold and larger of an input element when focus is moved into that input. What is happening below in the code snippets and examples is what is making the form accessible. :focus-within is just one way we can use CSS to our advantage.

How To Focus

Focus, in regards to accessibility and the web experience, is the visual indicator that something is being interacted with on the page, in the UI, or within a component. CSS can tell when an interactive element is focused.

Always make sure that the focus indicator or the ring around focusable elements maintains the proper color contrast through the experience.

Focus is written like this and can be styled to match your branding if you choose to style it.

:focus {
  * / INSERT STYLES HERE /*
}

Whatever you do, never set your outline to 0 or none. Doing so will remove a visible focus indicator for everyone across the whole experience. If you need to remove focus, you can, but make sure to add that back in later. When you remove focus from your CSS or set the outline to 0 or none, it removes the focus ring for all your users. This is seen a lot when using a CSS reset. A CSS reset will reset the styles to a blank canvas. This way you are in charge of the empty canvas to style as you wish. If you wish to use a CSS reset, check out Josh Comeau’s reset.

*DO NOT DO what is below!

:focus {
  outline: 0;
}

:focus {
  outline: none;
}

Look Within!

One of the coolest ways to style focus using CSS is what this article is all about. If you haven’t checked out the :focus-within pseudo class, definitely give that a look! There are a lot of hidden gems when it comes to using semantic markup and CSS, and this is one of them. A lot of things that are overlooked are accessible by default, for instance, semantic markup is by default accessible and should be used over div’s at all times.

<header>
  <h1>Semantic Markup</h1>
  <nav>
    <ul>
      <li><a href="/">Home</a></li>
      <li><a href="/about">About</a></li>
    </ul>
  </nav>
</header>

<section><!-- Code goes here --></section>

<section><!-- Code goes here --></section>

<aside><!-- Code goes here --></aside>

<footer><!-- Code goes here --></footer>

The header, nav, main, section, aside, and footer are all semantic elements. The h1 and ul are also semantic and accessible.

Unless there is a custom component that needs to be created, then a div is fine to use, paired with ARIA (Accessible Rich Internet Applications). We can do a deep dive into ARIA in a later post. For now let’s focus…see what I did there…on this CSS pseudo class.

The :focus-within pseudo class allows you to select an element when any descendent element it contains has focus.

:focus-within in Action!

HTML

<form>
  <div>
    <label for="firstName">First Name</label><input id="firstName" type="text">
  </div>
  <div>
    <label for="lastName">Last Name</label><input id="lastName" type="text">
  </div>
  <div>
    <label for="phone">Phone Number</label><input id="phone" type="text">
  </div>
  <div>
    <label for="message">Message</label><textarea id="message"></textarea>
  </div>
</form>

CSS

form:focus-within {
  background: #ff7300;
  color: black;
  padding: 10px;
}

The example code above will add a background color of orange, add some padding, and change the color of the labels to black.

The final product looks something like below. Of course the possibilities are endless to change up the styling, but this should get you on a good track to make the web more accessible for everyone!

Another use case for using :focus-within would be turning the labels bold, a different color, or enlarging them for users with low vision. The example code for that would look something like below.

HTML

<form>
  <h1>:focus-within part 2!</h1>
  <label for="firstName">First Name: <input name="firstName" type="text" /></label>
  <label for="lastName">Last Name: <input name="lastName" type="text" /></label>
  <label for="phone">Phone number: <input type="tel" id="phone" /></label>
  <label for="message">Message: <textarea name="message" id="message"/></textarea></label>
</form>

CSS

label {
  display: block;
  margin-right: 10px;
  padding-bottom: 15px;
}

label:focus-within {
  font-weight: bold;
  color: red;
  font-size: 1.6em;
}

:focus-within also has great browser support across the board according to Can I use.

Conclusion

Creating amazing, accessible user experience should always be a top priority when shipping software, not just externally but internally as well. We as developers, all the way up to senior leadership need to be cognizant of the challenges others face and how we can be ambassadors for the web platform to make it a better place.

Using technology like semantic markup and CSS to create inclusive spaces is a crucial part in making the web a better place, let’s continue moving forward and changing lives.

Check out another great resource here on CSS-Tricks on using :focus-within.

Accessible Forms with Pseudo Classes originally published on CSS-Tricks, which is part of the DigitalOcean family. You should get the newsletter.

Writing is by far at the heart of everything. In school, at work, or in business, being able to deliver your ideas clearly and effectively in written form is crucial for success and growth. No wonder people say that writing is the most transferable creative skill.

Still, despite its importance, many people have a love-hate relationship with writing. Professionals tend to procrastinate on tasks that involve writing in the workplace. Students are constantly seeking professional essay writer services to avoid such tasks, too, and so on.

But what if you could master this art without a hassle?

Without a doubt, it would help you achieve more in school and at work. But how do you do this? – We believe that reliable writing tools can help!

What Are Online Writing Tools?

This is a generalized term used to describe all kinds of apps, software, and tools that provide writing aid. These can include grammar checkers, editors, writing services, and many others.

Although the types and purposes of such writing tools can vary significantly, their core aims remain the same. These tools are there to help you write faster, easier, and better.

Who Needs Online Writing Tools?

If you are wondering whether you should actually seek cutting-edge tools to assist you with your writing, in most cases, the answer is yes. In today’s digitized world, written communication plays an enormous role. Thus, whenever you are texting a friend, writing a business email, making a resume, or crafting an academic paper, you want to ensure that your writing is error-free. After all, mistakes and typos can create a poor impression of you and harm your reputation.

Given it all, we can confidently state that online writing tools can come in handy for everyone. Yet, they are must-haves, in particular, for:

• Professional writers;
• School and college students;
• Business people;
• Professionals who deal with lots of written communications, etc.

If you fall into any of these categories, a solid writing tool can improve the quality and efficiency of your writing. At the same time, it can automate repetitive tasks and, hence, boost your productivity.

Online Writing Tools: Top 5 Picks for 2024

Now that you know what they are and why you need online writing tools in your life, work, and studies, you must be wondering how to find tools that will actually help. Unfortunately, making a well-informed choice is quite hard due to a large pool of available options. But we have you covered!

We have carefully analyzed the most trending tools to pick the top five you can count on in 2024. Read on to learn more about each of our top-rated solutions.

1. Grammarly

(Source: Grammarly.com)

Grammarly is a product offered by a Ukrainian company that went viral all across the globe. The app was launched in 2009, aiming to help people of all ages and statuses to communicate effectively and simplify writing.

Today, the app is used by over 30 million users. It seamlessly integrates with web browsers and various tools, including Gmail, Microsoft Word, LinkedIn, X, and many others.

The app enables you to detect and correct mistakes as you write, proofread, and edit ready-made texts. It boasts a wide variety of features, such as grammar check, punctuation check, style analysis, and many others.

Grammarly Features

• Instant, in-depth text analysis
• Grammar, punctuation, and spelling check
• Style and tone of voice suggestions
• Plagiarism detection
• Generative AI
• Integration with popular sites, apps, and software

Prices

• Free – Can be used forever with some functionality limitations.
• Premium – $30/mo or $12/mo if billed annually.
• Business – $25/mo per member or $15/member/month if billed annually.

Pros and Cons

Pros:

• Intuitive and easy-to-use interface
• The possibility to use the app for free
• Fast and efficient editing
• Handy additional features
• Over 500,000 available integrations

Cons:

• Limited functionality in the free version
• Not all detected mistakes are accurate
• No 24/7 customer support chat

Customer Reviews

Grammarly boasts thousands of customer reviews and fairly high ratings across trusted review sites – 4.5/5.0 on Sitejabber and 4.6/5.0 on Trustpilot. Overall, more than 70% of users rate the app with 4.0 stars and higher. This indicates a solid reputation and customer satisfaction.

2. Hemingway Editor

(Source: Hemingwayapp.com/desktop)

The Hemingway Editor or Hemingway App was launched in 2013. Initially, it was designed as a free online writing editor that helps users make their texts clear, bold, and easy to read. Today, the tool is also available in a desktop version, which you can purchase with a one-time payment.

Unlike our previous suggestion, Hemingway doesn’t check the grammar, punctuation, and other mistakes in your text. Instead, it analyzes your text for readability. The app highlights weak writing, including excessive use of passive voice or adverbs, overly complicated constructions, etc.

Hemingway Editor Features

• Distraction-free writing and editing
• Readability score assessment
• Suggestions on complex phrases, passive voice use, hard-to-read sentences, and adverbs
• AI rewriting tool
• Basic formatting features

Prices

• Web version – Completely free.
• Desktop version (Mac or Windows) – A $19.99 one-time payment.

Extra note: If you want to use AI-powered Hemingway Editor Pro, the cost varies from $10 (5K sentences) to $15 (10K sentences) per month. The price decreases if you pay annually. The team plan costs $15 per month per user.

Pros and Cons

Pros: 

• Simple and distraction-free writing space
• No monthly subscriptions or extra charges
• Customized settings
• If you want a Pro plan, there is a free trial
• Great for improving readability

Cons:

• AI assistance requires a subscription plan
• No grammar, punctuation, or style suggestions

Customer Reviews

For some reason, the Hemingway App doesn’t have too many reviews on the web. It has a 3.1/5.0 rating on Trustpilot based on 2 reviews and 4.4/5.0 on Getapp based on 11 reviews. Based on customer testimonials, we could see that many users just don’t get Hemingway. Nevertheless, those who have mastered the tool give it quite positive reviews.

3. EssayService

(Source: Essayservice.com)

Our next pick, EssayService, is not like the previous tools on this list. The company was founded in 2012 and has been helping students nail their academic papers and homework tasks for over ten years already. 

As you can see, EssayService is a professional academic writing service. The company provides writing, rewriting, and editing assistance with different types of papers and tasks, including essays, dissertations, lab reports, multiple-answer questions, and many others. It covers all academic levels and nearly all disciplines. All these perks make it a perfect choice for students, in particular. 

Nevertheless, though EssaysService specializes in helping students, its services can come in handy for other customers, too. For example, the company can help you write a business plan or proposal, marketing plan, letter, speech, etc. The site can also help you prepare a PowerPoint presentation or handle any other creative writing task.

EssayService Features

• Help with writing from top-rated writers
• Professional rewriting and editing assistance
• Time-bound task completion and a guarantee of timely delivery

Prices

The cost of EssayService depends on multiple factors, including the type of help you request, the type of paper/task you need to handle, the selected deadlines, and the number of pages. The company has a convenient online calculator that will let you estimate the cost of your order. But here are some starting rates for you to understand EssayService better:

• Writing – From $11.4 per page;
• Rewriting – From $7.98/page;
• Editing – From $5.7/page.

Extra note: The service offers bulk discounts on all orders. So the more pages you include in your order, the bigger the discount (up to 40%) you will get.

Pros and Cons

Pros:

• A versatile tool for different academic and professional needs
• A large pool of expert writers with advanced degrees and years of experience
• Fast delivery
• The possibility of choosing a suitable writer
• Around-the-clock support
• Flexible deadlines that start from only 3 hours

Cons:

• Using EssayService, you will get many bids from writers, which can challenge the choice of a suitable expert
• Sometimes, you may want to change something in your order; luckily, the company offers free and unlimited revisions

Customer Reviews

EssayService boasts an incredible reputation. The company receives high ratings on trusted review sites – 4.8/5.0 on Sitejabber, 4.8/5.0 on Reviews io, and 4.9/5.0 on NoCramming. The site is trusted by over 700K customers, the majority of which give it positive feedback, emphasizing the company’s professionalism, affordability, and reliability.

4. PaperTyper.AI

(Source: Papertyper.ai)

Our next top choice for 2024 is PaperTyper.Ai. The entire site is more academic-focused, which makes it a great choice for students. It contains a full set of AI-powered tools aimed at helping you write better and easier. Namely, the available tools include a grammar checker, AI essay writer, plagiarism checker, etc. All tools can be used free of charge.

On top of free tools, PaperTyper. offers users custom help with writing, proofreading/editing, and calculations. The site also has examples of how to avoid plagiarism if you use text-generation services for essays.

Extra note: Although the site is primarily academic-focused, we believe that its tools and features can also be used for other purposes.

PaperTyper.Ai Features

• AI paper generator
• Advanced plagiarism checker
• Grammar checker
• Citation generator
• Custom academic writing from qualified writers

Prices

All writing tools are free of charge.

Pros and Cons

Pros:

• An all-in-one set of writing, editing, and citing tools
• Academic-focused tools perfect for students
• The possibility to request custom help from professional writers
• Affordable rates
• A special discount for new users

Cons:

• The company doesn’t showcase its writers and their backgrounds
• Support is only available via email and is not 24/7

Customer Reviews

PaperTyper.Ai boasts 100K active monthly users with over 30K customers who come back for custom writing services. The company has a fairly good reputation on the web. On Sitejabber, it has a rating of 3.8/5.0 stars based on 68 reviews, whereas Trustpilot rates it with 4.6 stars based on 29 reviews.

5. Liner

(Source: Getliner.com)

Finally, the last recommendation on our list is Liner. This tool is much different from the others we shared with you here. Liner is a full-fledged AI-powered agent. The tool was founded back in 2012. It was designed to help users streamline their everyday tasks and boost productivity.

Featuring the latest version of GPT-4, Liner can perform a variety of things, including answering your questions, conducting research on your behalf, making compelling summaries for articles or documents in seconds, and much more.

The tool can be used online or as an extension. Speaking about writing, the tool can come in handy for generating ideas, proofreading and editing your texts, and even creating new pieces of content with no effort.

Liner Features

• AI summarizer (for videos, articles, PDFs, and documents)
• PDF assistant that helps summarize PDF files and extract key insights in no time
• YouTube video summarizer
• AI chatbot
• AI image reader
• AI writing assistant that provides suggestions on grammar, tone, and delivery

Prices

• Basic – Free
• Essential – $25.99 per month or $19.58 if billed annually
• Professional – $35.99/month or $27.08 if billed annually
• Workspace – Custom price

Extra note: If you choose to switch to a Professional plan, you can test it with a 14-day free trial. Unfortunately, the trial period is not available for other paid plans.

Pros and Cons

Pros:

• Versatile AI-powered tool
• Wide selection of features for all users and purposes
• The possibility to use the tool free of charge
• Free trial for the Professional plan
• A convenient mobile app and browser extension

Cons:

• High prices for paid plans compared to other tools on our list
• No free trial for the Essential plan

Customer Reviews

Liner isn’t quite as famous as Grammarly, EssayService, and other tools on our list. Nevertheless, it boasts a whopping 10M+ users across 200+ countries. The service has a fairly high rating of 4.6 stars out of 5 on ProductHunt and good reviews across other trusted platforms.

The Bottom Line

Writing is a crucial art that comes in handy in studies, work, and many everyday situations. Nevertheless, the majority of people tend to struggle with it throughout their entire lives. But we believe that it doesn’t have to be like that.

In today’s digital era, writing is made simple with the help of cutting-edge writing software and apps. Now, you have a list of our favorite online writing tools for 2024. Be sure to give them all a try and finally take your writing to the next level while also saving your time and boosting productivity!

Featured Image by Nick Morrison on Unsplash

The post 5 Best Online Writing Tools In 2024 appeared first on noupe.

In today’s dynamic and highly competitive market, the concept of brand experience is a key aspect of customer engagement: designers, take note.

Brand experience refers to all customer interactions and engagements with a brand, encompassing various brand channels, products, services, and encounters from the company website to unpacking its product. It involves following the user each time she comes into contact with the brand and ensuring that her experience is consistent and pleasant.

Beyond merely designing products or services, the designers or design team (along with the marketing department) must strive to create memorable, emotional, and immersive interactions with their customers. A compelling brand experience attracts and retains customers while reinforcing the brand promise.

Achieving this goal can be daunting but not impossible as long as designers follow specific principles. Recently, I attended a tea ceremony in the Japanese city of Kyoto, where I was introduced to Rikyu’s timeless wisdom. With fascination, I saw that such wisdom and insight could be applied to the principles of a compelling brand experience in the following ways.

The Japanese Tea Ceremony, According to Tea Master Rikyu

The seven principles of Rikyu were developed by Sen no Rikyu, a revered tea master of the 16th century. Each principle encapsulates the essence of the Japanese tea ceremony, emphasizing not only the preparation of tea but also the creation of a harmonious, meaningful experience.

During my own captivating tea ceremony experience, I gained valuable insights and a fresh perspective on how designers can help create meaningful connections between brands and their audiences, much as the tea ceremony has done for generations.

Rule One: Making a Satisfying Bowl of Tea

The first principle of Rikyu goes right to the heart of the tea ceremony: preparing a satisfying bowl of tea.

This deceptively simple principle reminds designers that everything we design for a brand should be able to provide a memorable experience for the final user. We should aim to go beyond simple brand and customer transactions and instead focus on crafting experiences through products and services.

Examples:

• Airbnb,
• Duolingo.

Both of them facilitate extraordinary experiences beyond the basic user interaction of “rent a house for my trip” and “learn a foreign language.”

Airbnb: Redefining Travel Through Experience

Compared to competitors like Booking.com, Airbnb has completely redefined the experience of travelling, adding a strong storytelling aspect.

From the beginning, the brand has offered a way for travelers to truly immerse themselves in the culture and lifestyle of their destinations.

Today, Airbnb’s website shows the brand offering the possibility of “living” in an extraordinary place, from cozy apartments to extravagant castles. We can see that their brand isn’t just about finding the right accommodation but also about creating enduring memories and stories.

Their services have been significantly updated in recent years, offering customers great flexibility to book in total safety from qualified hosts (called Superhosts) with homes that have been reviewed and reflect Airbnb quality standards.

Takeaway: Aim to create experiences that stay with people long after they have interacted with your brand.

Duolingo: Language-Learning as a Playful Adventure

Language learning is often considered a daunting task, one that pushes us out of our comfort zones. But Duolingo, with its playful and gamified approach, is changing that perception.

Their app has transformed language learning into a delightful adventure that anyone can join, even for just five minutes a day.

By creating characters that team up with Duo (the owl mascot), Duolingo injects a sense of companionship and relatability into language learning, making it feel like taking a journey alongside a helpful friend.

Takeaway: Break down complex tasks into enjoyable, bite-sized experiences that improve the long-term experience.

Rule Two: Efficiently Laying the Charcoal for Boiling Water

As I took my place in the tea room, just opposite the tea master, he explained that charcoal plays an extremely important role in the ceremony. It must be precisely placed to encourage airflow, prevent the fire from extinguishing prematurely, and prepare tea at the perfect temperature.

For designers, this translates into creating a comprehensive set of guidelines and rules that dictate how every brand element should look, feel, and behave.

Much like the precise arrangement of charcoal, a well-designed brand system is the foundation of consistent and efficient brand representation that ensures harmony and coherence across every touchpoint.

This may seem obvious, but it is only in the last decade that technology companies have started creating elaborate and complete brand guidelines.

Examples:

• IBM,
• Atlassian.

IBM: Consistency Breeds Loyalty and Recognisability

When we think about the connection between brand and technology, it’s natural to think immediately of Apple and Steve Jobs. So you could be surprised that in fact, IBM was one of the first tech companies to hire a professional graphic designer.

Acclaimed graphic designer Paul Rand designed the iconic IBM logo in 1956. The collaboration between Paul Rand and the company went on for many years, becoming a benchmark for the integration of design principles into the corporate identity of a tech company.

Even today, IBM’s design system Carbon is a testament to the power of simplicity and consistency. Focusing on clarity and functionality, IBM’s brand elements work seamlessly across a diverse range of products and services, including events and workplaces. The Carbon design system is also open source, meaning anyone can contribute to improving it.

Takeaway: A consistent and well-designed brand identity allows for organic growth and expansion without diluting the brand, reinforcing brand loyalty and recognition.

Atlassian: Guiding Future Decisions

Atlassian is a software company with a diverse product portfolio. Their design system promotes scalability and flexibility, while their brand elements are designed to adapt harmoniously across various Atlassian applications.

This adaptability ensures a unified brand experience while accommodating the unique characteristics of each product. It serves as a compass, helping designers navigate the vast landscape of possibilities and ensuring that each design decision made for each Atlassian product aligns with the brand’s essence.

Takeaway: A strong design foundation serves as an invaluable guide as brands evolve and expand their offering through more different products and services.

Rule 3: Providing Warmth in Winter and Coolness in Summer

In the art of the Japanese tea ceremony, the provision of warmth in winter and coolness in summer is a delicate balance, attuned to the emotional and physical states of the participants. This is well-reflected in the tea room’s decoration, and the tea served, depending on the hour and the season, in a bowl chosen by the tea master.

When I attended the tea ceremony, the room was decorated to reflect the spring season. The sweet was also inspired by the blooming cherry blossoms, which were pink and light green. The door to the garden was left open so that we could appreciate the scent of fresh blossoms in the gentle spring breeze.

In the design world, this rule translates into the profound understanding and adaptation of experiences to align with customers’ ever-changing needs and emotional states throughout their journey.

Understanding the natural flow of emotions during the user journey allows brands to create responsive experiences that feel personal.

Examples:

• Nike,
• Netflix.

Nike: Versatility in Style and Experience

Nike, better than any other brand leader in sportswear, exemplifies mastery in tailoring brand experiences.

The brand recognizes that customers engage with their products across diverse activities.

For this reason, Nike offers a wide range of products, sometimes presented with mini-websites and beautiful campaigns, each with its own distinct style and purpose.

Takeaway: By catering to their users’ varied tastes and needs, brands can tailor experiences to individual preferences and emotions, fostering a deeper connection and resonance.

Netflix: Personalised Home Entertainment

Netflix has deftly pioneered the use of advanced algorithms and artificial intelligence to tailor its content recommendations. These are not only based on geographic location but individual user preferences.

The platform dynamically adjusts preview images and trailers, aiming to match each user’s unique taste.

Their latest update includes Dynamic Sizzle Reel, short personalized clips of upcoming shows that offer each member a unique and effective experience.

It is worth noting, however, that while Netflix puts effort into yielding greater engagement and enjoyment for their members, the subjective nature of taste can sometimes lead to surprises, where a preview may align perfectly with an individual user’s taste, yet the show itself varies in style.

Takeaway: When customizing experiences, designers should create an interplay between familiarity and novelty, tailoring content to individual tastes while respecting the user’s need for both comfort and discovery.

Rule 4: Arranging Flowers as Though They Were in the Field

As I stepped into the tea room, there was a sense of harmony and tranquillity infused by nature forming part of the interior environment.

The flowers were meticulously arranged in a pot as though plucked directly from the field at that very moment. According to Rikyu’s principles, their composition should be an ode to nature’s simplicity and authenticity.

For designers, this rule echoes the importance of using aesthetics to create a visually captivating brand experience that authentically reflects the brand’s values and mission.

The aesthetic choices in design can convey a brand’s essence, creating a harmonious and truthful representation of the brand and its services.

It is important to remember, however, that a visually appealing brand experience is not just about aesthetics alone, but using them to create an emotional and truthful connection with the audience.

Examples:

• Kerrygold,
• WWF.

Kerrygold: Forging Memorable Narratives

The Kerrygold “Magic Pantry” website is testament to the art of visual storytelling, following the brand’s mission to spread authentic Irish recipes and stories from Ireland and its farms.

Through a captivating storytelling game, users explore a recipe or storybook, pick a favorite dish based on their meal, and choose their assistant.

In a perfect story fashion, with a good amount of personalization, users then learn how to cook their chosen recipes using Kerrygold products.

This immersive experience showcases the excellence of Kerrygold’s products and conveys the brand’s commitment to quality and authenticity, while the storybook confers the idea of passing family traditions across the world (so common in the past!)

Takeaway: Through visuals, designers need to be authentic, reflecting the truth about the brand. This truthfulness enhances the credibility of the brand’s narrative and establishes deeper user connections.

WWF: Enhancing Memorability Through Beauty and Truth

WWF employs visual storytelling to raise awareness about environmental issues and species in danger of extinction. Their campaign websites always present a beautiful and immersive visual journey that authentically communicates the urgency of their mission.

While these two websites are grounded in the universal act of eating, WWF prompts users to reflect on their habits’ profound impact on the environment.

Both websites ingeniously guide users to think about food consumption in more detail, fostering a journey toward mindful eating that respects both species and the environment.

The websites adopt a quiz-like approach for users to reflect on and reassess their food consumption patterns, fostering a journey toward mindful eating that respects both species and the environment.

Beyond individual insights, the interactive nature of these platforms encourages users to extend their newfound knowledge to their friends, amplifying awareness of crucial topics such as food consumption, CO2 emissions, and sustainable alternatives.

Takeaway: By infusing elements of discovery and self-reflection, designers can help brands promote their values and missions while empowering their users to become ambassadors for change.

Rule 5: Being Ready Ahead of Time

In the Japanese tea ceremony, Rule 5 of Rikyu’s principles places emphasis on the seamless art of preparation, ensuring that everything is ready for the guests.

For their part, guests are expected to arrive on time for their appointment and be mindfully prepared to attend the ceremony.

Designers should note that this principle underscores the significance of foresight, careful planning, and meticulous attention — both to detail and the user’s time.

For brands, being ready ahead of time is paramount for delivering a seamless and exceptional customer experience.

By proactively addressing customer needs and meticulously planning every touchpoint, designers can create a seamless and memorable brand experience that fosters customer satisfaction and loyalty by respecting the value of time.

Examples:

• IKEA,
• Amazon.

IKEA: Anticipating Customer Expectations

IKEA, the global furniture and home goods giant, is a brand that, since the beginning, has used its vast warehouse store layout to anticipate and plan customers’ needs — even the unconscious ones. In fact, you could well be among those shoppers who plan to buy just a few items but leave the store with a trolley full of things they never knew they needed!

When customers enter an IKEA store, they encounter a meticulously planned and organized environment designed as a circular one-way system.

This specific layout of the IKEA store creates a sense of discovery. It encourages shoppers to keep walking through the different departments effortlessly, anticipating or projecting needs that they may have been unaware of before they entered.

Takeaway: Brands should harness the creative ability to tap into customers’ subconscious minds through environment and product display in a way that exceeds their expectations.

Amazon: A Ready-to-go Shopping Experience

Amazon understands that their customers’ time is valuable, creating seamless online and offline experiences that streamline the shopping experience. Their unique systems strive to avoid inconveniences and provide a quick, ready-to-go shopping experience.

For example, their patented one-click ordering system simplifies the checkout process, reducing friction by saving users the trouble of manually selecting or entering settings (like address and payment methods) that are used repeatedly.

Meanwhile, the brick-and-mortar Amazon Go stores exemplify innovation, offering a shopping experience where customers can grab items and go without waiting in line.

These stores work by using the same types of technologies found in self-driving cars, such as computer vision, sensor fusion, and deep learning.

This technology can detect when products are taken or returned to the shelves, tracking them in the customer’s virtual cart. When customers leave the store with their goods, their Amazon account is charged, and a receipt is sent.

Please note: Even though Amazon recently announced the closure of some of its physical shops, the experience remains an example of innovative and efficient shopping methods.

Takeaways: Ingrain the art of preparation by utilizing advanced technologies in the brand’s operational philosophy to avoid inconvenience and provide an effortless customer experience.

Rule 6: Being Prepared in Case It Should Rain

In the context of the Japanese tea ceremony, being prepared for rain means being prepared for unexpected challenges.

According to Rikyu, when having tea, the host must be intentionally calm and ready to accommodate any situation that arises. Of course, this doesn’t just apply to changes in the weather!

For designers crafting brand experiences, this principle underscores the importance of building resilience and adaptability into the core of their strategies.

Examples:

• Zoom,
• Lego.

Zoom: Pioneering Remote Communication

Zoom was mostly used for business meetings before the Covid-19 pandemic struck. When it did, it forced most companies to digitize far more quickly than they otherwise would have done.

Zoom stepped up, improving its features so that everyone, from children to their baby boomer grandparents, found the user interface seamless and easy when connecting from their homes.

One of the most exciting business decisions taken by Zoom was to turn their Freemium tier wholly free and unlimited for K-12 students. This decision was taken during the early stages of the pandemic (March 2020) demonstrating empathy with the challenges faced by K-12 educational institutions.

The program significantly impacted schools, teachers, and students. It allowed for more collaborative and engaging virtual classrooms, thanks to features like Groups and useful interactions like whiteboards, raising hands, and replying with emojis.

As schools gradually returned to in-person learning and adapted to hybrid models, the free program ended. However, the positive impact of Zoom’s support during a critical period underlined the company’s adaptability and responsiveness to societal needs.

Takeaway: Designers should prioritize creating intuitive interfaces and scalable infrastructure that can accommodate surges in demand whilst also considering the impact on society.

Lego: Rebuilding From The Bricks Up

Without continuous adaptability and recognition of the ever-changing landscape of play, even a historic brand like Lego may have closed its doors!

In fact, if you are a Lego fan, you may have noticed that the brand underwent a profound change in the early 2000s.

In 1998, Lego launched an educational initiative known as Lego Mindstorm. This project used Lego’s signature plastic bricks to teach children how to construct and program robots — an innovative concept at the time since Arduino had not yet been introduced.

Lego’s decision to merge traditional play with technology demonstrated their dedication to keeping up with the digital age. Additionally, Lego Mindstorm appealed to a new audience: the broader open-source hardware and DIY electronics community that emerged during the period (and who, in 2005, found a better match in Arduino).

Please note: Even though the program is set to be discontinued by 2024, Lego’s resurgence is often cited as one of the most successful corporate turnarounds.

Lego still continues to thrive, expanding its product lines, collaborating with popular franchises, and maintaining its status as a beloved brand among children and adults alike.

Takeaway: Designers can adapt to change by refocusing on the brand’s core strengths, embracing digital innovation and new targets to exemplify resilience in the face of challenges.

Rule 7: Acting with Utmost Consideration Towards Your Guests

During the tea ceremony in Kyoto, I perceived in every gesture the perfect level of attention to detail, including my response to the tasting and the experience as a whole. I felt the impact of my experience from the moment I entered until long after I left the tea room, even as I write about it now.

This rule highlights the importance of intuitive hospitality and involves creating an environment in which guests feel welcomed, valued, and respected.

For designers, this means facilitating brand experiences that put customer satisfaction first and aim to build strong and lasting relationships.

Brands that excel in this rule go above and beyond to provide uniquely personalized experiences that foster long-term loyalty.

Examples:

• Stardust App,
• Tony’s Chocolonely.

Stardust App: Empowering Women’s Health with Privacy and Compassion

Stardust is an astrology-based menstrual cycle-tracking app that debuted in the Apple Store. It became the most downloaded iPhone app in late June after the U.S. Supreme Court struck down Roe v. Wade (which ended the constitutional right to an abortion and instantly made abortion care illegal in more than a dozen states).

In a world where tracking apps often lack sensitivity, Stardust App emerges with an elegant interface that makes monitoring women’s health a visually pleasing experience. But beyond aesthetics, what really sets Stardust apart is its witty and humorous tone of voice.

Acknowledging the nuances of mood swings and pains associated with periods, Stardust’s notification messages and in-app descriptions resonate with women, adding a delightful touch to a typically challenging time.

This blend of sophistication and humor creates a unique and supportive space for women’s wellness.

Note:

The female-founded app underwent scrutiny from TechCrunch, Vice, and Screen Rant, which questioned their collaboration with third parties and its safety. So on October 29th, 2022, they released a more precise and comprehensive Privacy Policy that explains in a readable way how third parties are used and how the end-to-end encryption works.

They also ensured that all sessions were anonymous so that the app would not be able to associate data with users in case of law enforcement.

Takeaway: Design a brand experience with utmost consideration toward users and that transcends the transactional to foster an enduring sense of trust, empathy, and loyalty.

Tony’s Chocolonely: Sweet Indulgence and Ethical Excellence

In their commitment to fair trade, Tony’s Chocolonely exemplifies acting with utmost consideration towards both consumers and the environment beyond merely offering delicious chocolate.

More specifically, Tony’s Chocolonely has redefined the chocolate industry by championing fair-trade practices. By introducing a sustainable business model, not only do they satisfy the cravings of chocolate enthusiasts, but they also address the broader demand for ethically sourced and produced chocolate.

In every detail, from the wrapper to the chocolate bar itself, Tony’s Chocolonely is a brand on a mission. The intentional unevenness of their chocolate bar is a profound symbol, mirroring the uneven and unjust landscape of the chocolate industry. This urges consumers to choose fairness, ethical sourcing, and a commitment to change.

Takeaway: Designers can elevate brand experiences by integrating thoughtful and personalized elements that speak to their industry and resonate with the values of their audience.

Conclusion

In the gentle and artistic practice of the Japanese tea ceremony, I discovered through Rikyu’s seven principles an illuminated path of consideration that resonates beyond the tea room, offering profound insights for crafting compelling brand experiences.

Rikyu’s ancient wisdom serves as a timeless guide, reminding us that creating a memorable experience is a balanced dance between intention and harmony and, above all, the valuable attention of those we invite into our brand spaces as welcome guests.