SAN MATEO, Calif., — March 19, 2007 — Keynote (Nasdaq: KEYN), the global leader in Internet and mobile test and measurement services, and Mauro Usability Science, a leading user experience design and testing firm, are working with MTV Networks to better understand how viewers are interacting with MTVN’s own Virtual Laguna Beach virtual world. Mauro Usability Science and Keynote, using the Keynote WebEffective solution, began working closely with MTV Networks’ internal research executives prior to the launch of Virtual Laguna Beach in September 2006 and are continuing to do so to help develop and test the online user experience. Virtual Laguna Beach is based on MTV’s hit franchise “Laguna Beach” and transports viewers directly to Orange County, Calif., where they can live out the same themes and story lines they see on-air.
“As leading companies develop ever more complex and interactive Web sites and properties, and even bring their products, services and brands into virtual worlds, user experience research and testing will become increasingly important,” said Don Aoki, general manager and senior vice president of Customer Experience Management at Keynote. “Keynote WebEffective and Keynote Competitive Research are the cutting edge tools the world’s leading companies turn to for those all-important insights.”
“Our goal in launching Virtual Laguna Beach was to create a deeply engaging and first-of-its-kind platform for our young, Web-savvy viewers that integrates emerging virtual world technology with television franchises – and we think we created that with both VLB and now with Virtual Hills, which is based on our popular show ‘The Hills’,” said Todd Cunningham, senior vice president of consumer technology research for MTV Networks. “The importance of conducting robust user experience research and testing to ensure a quality user experience cannot be understated. Keynote and Mauro Usability Science were critical to our ability to better understand these new virtual worlds.”
MTV has announced that it is developing virtual reality properties for a number of its television programs, creating a highly-compelling online user experience tied in directly with its most popular programs. The first push into this new world of virtual reality online experiences is Virtual Laguna Beach (wwww.vlb.mtv.com).
“MTV is pushing the envelope in tying their viewers’ television and online experience more closely together. With Virtual Laguna Beach, MTV enters new media territory and delivers one of the most compelling user experiences available on the Web,” said Charles Mauro, president of Mauro Usability Science. “And as MTV Networks can testify, as the user’s experience online deepens, the need for more robust and effective user experience research deepens.”
The level of interactivity and complexity of these properties cannot be easily tested or researched using traditional Web research methods. To uncover the deep understandings of how users related to and interacted with Virtual Laguna Beach, MTV Networks’ in-house research group and development team worked with Mauro Usability Science and Keynote to conduct in-depth research on the users’ online experience in their new virtual worlds’ business model.
The research consisted of combining specialized user experience testing methods from Mauro Usability Science using the Keynote WebEffective solution. Keynote WebEffective is an on-demand customer experience/UX solution designed to help companies improve their Web site effectiveness and online business performance by conducting in-depth, online customer experience research studies.
Keynote WebEffective is able to capture both the attitudes and behavior of users as they interact with a Web site, combining the benefits of market research, usability labs and Web analytics into one integrated solution.
Using Keynote WebEffective, the Mauro Usability Science and Keynote team was able to deliver deep levels of insight into the user’s interactions and responses to Virtual Laguna Beach. MTV Networks employed the research findings to refine their understanding of how such virtual properties can be optimized to improve the overall user experience.
About Mauro Usability Science
Founded in 1975, MNM is a specialized consulting firm focused on solving business-critical problems where users, customers, or employees intersect with technology. We help make complex systems simple and simple systems empowering. Product development and brand management groups world-wide rely on our expertise and support.
Our professional staff employs principles and research methods from the cognitive and biomechanical sciences to identify problems and develop creative solutions for issues related to the “Complexity Problem.” Our services include user interface analysis, design, testing and total customer experience optimization for a wide range of technology platforms and industry sectors. We have undertaken major projects for many leading corporations and have solutions running at the heart of the world economy. We are based in New York City and can be reached at 212-343-2878 or by email at Cmauro@MauroUsabilityScience.Com. Our web site is at www.maurousabilityscience.com
About Keynote
Keynote (Nasdaq “KEYN”) is the global leader in test & measurement solutions that improve mobile communications and online business performance. As an independent and trusted third-party, Keynote provides IT and marketing executives with an unbiased view into their Internet services from around the world. For over a decade, we have been providing measurement data and testing capabilities that allow companies to understand and improve their customer’s online and mobile experience. Keynote has four test and measurement businesses: Web performance, mobile quality, streaming & VoIP, and customer experience/UX. In addition, our industry analysis group called Keynote Competitive Research publishes proprietary studies measuring customer experience and service levels across a wide range of industries.
Known as The Mobile and Internet Performance Authority™, Keynote has a market-leading infrastructure of 2,400 measurement computers and mobile devices in over 240 geographic locations around the world. Keynote also maintains one of the most representative panels of online users consisting of 160,000 consumers. Our on-demand, hassle-free infrastructure allows businesses to access services they need, when they need them to pinpoint and fix mobile quality and Internet problems before they impact customers.
We help over 2,600 corporate customers become “the best of the best” by helping them improve online business performance and mobile communications quality. Our customers represent top mobile and Internet companies including American Express, BP, Caterpillar, Dell, Disney, eBay, ESPN Mobile, E*TRADE, Expedia, FedEx, Microsoft, SonyEricsson, Sprint, T-Mobile, Verizon and Vodafone.
Keynote Systems, Inc. is headquartered in San Mateo, California and can be reached at www.keynote.com or by phone in the U.S. at (650) 403-2400.
Keynote, The Internet Performance Authority, The Mobile and Internet Performance Authority and Perspective are registered trademarks of Keynote Systems, Inc. Other trademarks are the property of their respective owners. © 2007 Keynote Systems, Inc.
Editorial Contacts:
Dan Berkowitz, Keynote Systems, (650) 403-3305, dan.berkowitz@keynote.com
Dan Cahill, Roaring Communications, (415) 552-3999, dcahill@roaringcommunications.com
Charles L. Mauro CHFP, Mauro Usability Science, (212) 343-2878 Ext. 101, cmauro@maurousabilityscience.com
