16.12.08

Pricing Tables: Examples And Best Practices

Pricing tables play an important role for every company that offers products or services. They are a challenge from both a design and usability standpoint. They must be simple but at the same time clearly differentiate between features and prices of different products and services. A pricing table should help users pick the most appropriate plan for them. A company should carefully examine its product portfolio and pick the most important features to present in its pricing plans. Visitors should be given only the information they would be interested in: available features, options and costs. The rule of thumb is: every unnecessary cell in your pricing table increases the probability of losing potential customers, because you make it more difficult for them to compare various plans and select the best one. Once you have identified the most important features, go ahead and create a more detailed list of features for users who are interested in a particular plan. Users must know what kind of a product they are spending their money on and all of the features associated with it. For a good grounding in exactly how to design and present a pricing table, let’s examine some that other designers have created and analyze them according to the following important criteria: Design: colors, style, typography, icons. Usability: What happens if we turn off CSS and JavaScript? Is it still usable? You may also want to take a look at the following related articles: Navigation Menus: Trends and Examples Web Form Design: Modern Solutions and Creative Ideas Block Quotes and Pull Quotes: Examples and Good Practices Footers: Creative Ideas and Examples Pagination Gallery: Examples and Good Practices Tag Clouds Gallery: Examples and Good Practices Shopping Carts Gallery: Examples and Good Practices

Unlimited taxi rides for 48 euro a month.

Gyms use it, broadband providers use it, DVD rental schemes use it, subways use it... Now it's time for taxis to adopt a flat-rate charge. Swiss start-up Taxmobil is planning to offer unlimited taxi use for a EUR 48 monthly fee. Customers will be able to buy a Taxmobil card online or from sales points around the city, and can call for a car to pick them up at whatever time they choose, travelling to any destination in the city. If two strangers are travelling in the same direction, Taxmobil may combine their journeys. The key to Taxmobil's strategy is the fact that it doesn't own the cars it uses. Instead, it buys the time of idle taxis that are already out and about, creating a service that's affordable and convenient for customers, and could decrease congestion and parking problems if city dwellers trade in their cars for a Taxmobil card. Böblingen in Southern Germany is likely to be the first town offering the service, starting early 2009, with other towns across Europe to follow. Travel is only permitted within a city, although members will be able to catch a taxi in other participating cities, too. As well as expanding the service’s reach, Taxmobil will soon be extending its package options by complementing its standard EUR 48 subscription with cards for businesses and families. Discounts and member benefits will be made possible with the cards in future, too. While public transport and bicycles are usually pitched as the green alternative to car ownership, there's something to be said for adding affordable taxis to the mix, offering people the option of individual door-to-door transport around the clock. How the system will work on rainy days, and whether EUR 48/month will leave any room for a profit, remains to be seen. One to watch! Website: www.taxmobil.ch
Contact: www.taxmobil.ch/cms/front_content.php?idart=13 Spotted by: Susanna Haynie

2.12.08

Regus launches subscription programmes for travelling business people.

Regus, a multinational provider of flexible office space, has a subscription programme developed for mobile professionals. So they can use the Regus services in all 1000 business centers in 450 cities and 75 countries. The Businessworld programme exist out of four different cards and changes the working methods for everyone who find themselves for professional reasons from time to time outside his or her usual office. This program exist out of 4 cards namely:
1. Businessworld Blue: intended for employees who wants from time to time an office, a meetingplace or a studio for videoconferences reserving when they are underway. They offer a 10% discount as well as an administrative service. This card is free.
2. Businessworld Gold: This card has been intended for mobile workers who have no fixed office (tele-workers, sales people, etc.) and in search is of a workplace. With this card they obtain indefinite access to all 1000 " business lounges" equipped with Internet. Furthermore, this card and the relating administrative services offers a 10% discounts on the renting of an office, a meeting place or a studio for videoconferences. This card costs only 200 euro per year.
3. Businessworld Platinum: intended for business travellers who move themselves regularly for their job (both nationally and internationally). Beside all advantages of the Gold Card this card offers free office use of 10 days per month in all Regus centers worldwide. You already have this card for 200 euro per month or 2000 euro per year.
4. Businessworld Platinum Plus: This card was devised for all professionals who spend the bulk of their time on business trips. Beside all advantages of the Gold Card this card offers an indefinite access to their own office in all Regus offices worldwide. This card costs 350 euro per month or 3500 euro per year. More information on: http://www.nl.regus.be/businessworld/default.html

Regus, een multinationale aanbieder van flexibele kantoorruimte, heeft een abonnementsprogramma owtwikkeld waarmee mobiele werkers gebruik kunnen maken van de Regus diensten in alle 1000 business centers in 450 steden en 75 landen. Het Businessworld programma bestaat uit vier verschillende kaarten en verandert de manier van werken voor iedereen die zich om professionele redenen af en toe buiten zijn of haar gebruikelijke kantoor begeeft. Dit programma bestaat uit vier kaarten namelijk: 1. Businessworld Blue: bestemd voor werknemers die af en toe een kantoor, een vergaderzaal of een studio voor videoconferentie willen reserveren wanneer ze onderweg zijn. Ze biedt 10% korting op dit aanbod alsook een administratieve dienstverlening. Deze kaart is gratis. 2. Businessworld Gold: Deze kaart is bedoeld voor mobiele werkers die over geen vast kantoor beschikken (telewerkers, sales men, enz.) en op zoek zijn naar een werkplek. Met deze kaart krijgen ze een onbeperkte toegang tot alle 1000 "business lounges" uitgerust met internet. Verder biedt deze kaart 10% korting op de huur van een kantoor, een vergaderzaal of een studio voor videoconferentie en de daarbijhorende administratieve dienstverlening. Deze kaart kost slechts 200 euro per jaar. 3. Businessworld Platinum: bestemd voor zakenreizigers die zich regelmatig verplaatsen voor het werk (zowel nationaal als internationaal). Naast alle voordelen van de Gold Card biedt deze kaart een gratis kantoorgebruik van 10 dagen per maand in alle Regus centers wereldwijd. De businessworld platinum kaart heb je al voor 200 euro per maand of 2000 euro per jaar. 4. Businessworld Platinum Plus: Deze kaart werd ontworpen voor alle professionals die het grootste deel van hun tijd besteden aan zakenreizen. Naast alle voordelen van de Gold Card, biedt deze kaart een onbeperkte toegang tot een eigen kantoor in alle Regus kantoren wereldwijd. Deze kaart kost 350 euro per maand of 3500 euro per jaar. Meer informatie op http://www.nl.regus.be/businessworld/default.html