Hi Friends,

So we’ve created a series of animated videos we want to share with you. They’re called Planeguage (the language of traveling by plane). We hope you enjoy these videos and find some humor in these experiences that we’ve all shared.

Finally, and most importantly, we’d love to hear from you and get your “Planeguage” ideas. We’ll toss them around with our team and maybe your experience will be our next video!

So check it out, here’s our first video….and stay tuned, we’ve got more on the way!

Jaime
General Manager
Marketing

Hi,

I’m Abby Stephenson, manager of usability at delta.com.

We’d like your input on the organization of the Profile section of delta.com. We are going to restructure this area and one of the best ways to do that is to have our customers group items into groups that make sense to them.

That’s right - Delta’s usability team is making a big push to include customer input wherever possible.

The exercise is called a card sort and takes 15 minutes. Ten years ago the items you were sorting were written on index cards and placed into piles. Now, you still group items but instead of using index cards you drag and drop into piles using a web-based tool.

After we have enough participants we will aggregate all of the data to come up with a more intuitive organizational structure.

To participate, go to:
http://websort.net/go/Profile

Thanks in advance for you participation!

Abby Stephenson
Manager, Usability
delta.com & self-service

I happened to mention in an earlier post that Delta’s roots are in Southern hospitality…and then I remembered that sometimes there’s this negative perception of Southerners that I, being born and raised in Atlanta, think is somewhat undeserved.

Sure, we talk funny. We speak slowly and drop the g’s off the end of our words. And, at times you may hear a Delta flight attendant or gate agent from Atlanta use words like “y’all.” So, I said to myself (in my very best Southern drawl, of course), “Self—in the interest of bridging the cultural gap, perhaps you should explain.” Here we go…

The Drawl
It’s just hot down here. And, it’s really humid. In the days before central A/C, if you did anything too quickly, you might just expire on the spot! That included communication. The pace of life, including speaking, varies based on climate. Ponder that for a moment…and you may agree. Also, in spite of whatever accent you may encounter, some of our folks speak multiple languages, and all of us are encouraged to remember that we serve customers all around the globe.

Y’all
This one’s just the product of a basic flaw with the English language. Human nature makes us uncomfortable with the ambiguity of “you” being singular and plural. I’ve studied Spanish, French, and Russian just enough to know that they’ve successfully solved for this. In English-speaking countries, we create workarounds. There are some workarounds that I can’t even spell, so in defense of “y’all,” at least it’s a proper contraction of two words: “you” and “all.” It’s the Southern solution for second person, plural. Makes perfect sense, right?

You may find our ways a little strange, but on the upside, we Southerners are raised to say “Ma’am” and “Sir” and be respectful, and the hospitality thing is no lie. It’s in our DNA to stop to lend a hand or advice if you let us know you need help (and oftentimes, even if you don’t!)

So, there’s a little glimpse into why we are the way we are “down here.” I hope you found it enlightening, thought-provoking, or at the very least, vaguely amusing. If so, let me know and I’ll shed some light on other mysterious terms like “fixin’ to.”

Julie Palmer
Manager - Website Content
delta.com & self-service