PORT : Prominence, Ownership, Response and Targeting. These are the key elements by which we measure ourselves as it pertains to being able to deliver value to folks who advertise on the CBS Interactive Business and IS/IT properties.
Our design framework has many key elements that are intended to deliver this. They are built into the very fabric of our properties with the intent that the very goodness that is able to deliver this presence to our advertisers, can also be used to bring attention to our own good content, features and topics. By using the strong presence of the combined Super Leader Board / Mantle skin, we are able to schedule highly targeted feature promotions that direct users into our own sections.
The ability to do this brings enormous advantages – Example:
- Early in the day, a small group of folks meet to discuss ways to drive traffic to a hot topical image gallery in ZDNet.
- By mid afternoon a creative has been executed
- By the end of the day it has been scheduled into our rotation using unsold ad inventory. Our solution is live and seen in various spots throughout ZDNet -Â With NO engineering involvement
The beauty of this is in our ability to deploy at a super fast pace – Thus we are able to either succeed or fail quickly. As as result, we can test what will work in real time and modify as needed to find the ways to best move the needle.
I am an avid student and evangelist of user-centered design principles - I have created or overhauled some of the world's largest online Business & Technology properties. My focus has always been on building functional design systems that creatively solve business problems. Solutions that convey brand & messaging, but more importantly, are intuitive to maximize the possibilities of an interactive medium. 
