Naming Principles and Process (Working Document)

The name we choose for the new system must be as clear to the user, as effective and as fully leveraged as possible. To meet this goal, we've identified a number of key guiding principles and a multi-step process. These principles and process will lead to a name and tagline that will become powerful components of the communication strategy.

Naming Objectives

The new name will be based on the following principles:

• Be relevant to the system's functionality and uses
• Reaffirm the system's association with the MyUCDavis portal
• Appeal and be intuitive and meaningful to the folks who will be using the system.
• Achieve differentiation from existing systems
• Project a positive, quality, professional image.
• Capture the rich potential of the new system (incl. collaborative learning)
• Project seamless integration with other campus functions, processes and services
• Project system's ability to grow beyond the traditional teaching/learning environment
• Represent a refreshing change from other course/learning management systems
• Provide a deep well of marketing and advertising images going forward

Characteristics and Criteria

In addition, the name should have the following characteristics:

• Easy to pronounce and remember (should not be "too cute" or will be confusing to users)
• Short
• Evoke positive connotations/concepts
• Map back to teaching, learning and collaborative research
• Distinctive
• Eye-catching
• Forward thinking

Naming Criteria
The following criteria will guide the selection of a name for the new system:

Appearance - Simply how the name looks as a visual signifier, in a logo, an ad, on a poster, etc. The name will always be seen in context, but it will be seen, so looks are important.
Distinctive -Being distinctive is only one of the elements that will make the name memorable, but it is a required element. If the system's name is not distinct from other names, it will not be memorable. It will be important to consider the name in the context of the services it will provide.
Depth - Layer upon layer of meaning and association. A name with great depth will not reveal all it has to offer all at once, but will keep surprising users with new ideas.
Energy - The name should be dynamic and full of life. It should have 'buzz' and be able to carry the publicity campaign.
Humanity - We're looking for a name that is warm ("humanness" vs. cold, clinical, unemotional names).
Positioning - Need a name that is relevant to the positioning of the new system, the new services that will be offered. The name should also map to several relevant messages.
Sound - Again, while always existing in a context of some sort or another, the name WILL be heard, from formal presentations to casual conversations. Sound is twofold - not only how the name sounds, but how easily it will be spoken by those who matter most: the users. Word of mouth is a big part of the marketing approach for the new system. If people aren't comfortable saying the name, the word won't get out as quickly and confusion might spread.
Buzz - That's the word-of-mouth buzz that the name is likely to generate. It's that certain something that makes people lean forward and want to learn more about the system, and to want to share that information with others.

Naming Process

The naming process was broken down into several steps:

Competitive analysis
A competitive analysis is an essential first step of any naming process. As part of this step, we researched how other institutions positioned themselves relative to the Sakai Project. We looked at the types of names they have adopted, and at whether those names project a similar approach or provide a basis for our own naming process.

Of the universities preparing to implement Sakai, several have retained 'Sakai' in the name of their pilot programs. Others have adopted a new name.
Examples:
UCMCROPS (Merced)
BSpace (UCB)
OnCourse (Indiana)
Etudes (consortium coordinated through Foothill College)
CourseWorks
YaleClasses
TRACS (North Carolina)
Samla (Portland State)
etc.

This analysis also included taking a look at names given to other UC Davis projects and systems.

Positioning
Our next step was to define our brand positioning. The more specific and nuanced our positioning is, the more effective the name will be. All great names work in concert with the positioning of the business or product they speak for. Ideally, our name and positioning will help find a way to reinvigorate or change the conversation that our campus has been having with faculty and students. The resulting naming process will be based on a forward-looking positioning strategy.

A major goal of our naming strategy will be to ensure that the new system is perceived as simple, user-friendly, different, and essential. We must distance the new system from the current MyUCDavis system (often perceived as unreliable and overly complex) while at the same time reassuring current MyUCDavis CMS users that the transition will be as simple as possible.

Name/Brand Development
Next we looked at what we want our new name to do for our communication and advertising efforts. This will allow us to narrow our name search to a certain category of name. Four categories of names were considered:

Functional/descriptive name. The system's name could be used to describe or clarify the function and nature of the system. For instance, in the web portal space, descriptive product names include Infoseek, GoTo, FindWhat, AllTheWeb, etc.

Invented name. The name for the system could be developed using basically two types of invented names. First, we could select a name built upon Greek and Latin roots (e.g., Acquient, Agilent, Alliant, Aquent). This would enable us to come up with a name that is free of negative connotations and would sound serious. On the other hand, because the name would be built on Greek and Latin morphemes, we would need to mount a huge advertising campaign to imbue it with meaning and get people to remember it. A second possibility would be to select a poetically-constructed name that is based on rhythm and the experience of saying it (like Snapple, Oreo, Google, Kleenex). By design, these types of names are highly memorable, emotionally engaging, and rich with potential marketing energy.

Experiential name. A third way to think of the new system's name is to think about experiential names. Those offer a direct connection to something real, to a part of direct human experience. They rise above descriptive names because their message is more about the experience than the task. For instance, experiential names of web portals include such product names as Explorer, Magellan, Navigator, and Safari. These types of names tend to make sense to the users and require little explanation.

Evocative name. An evocative name could be used to evoke the positioning of the system in abstract ways (rather than describing a function or a direct experience). Evocative names are not used as often and therefore tend to be more powerful. They are non-linear and multi-dimensional, making them engaging. An evocative name would help create a brand image that is bigger than the tools and services the system offers.

Creative/Testing
As part of our naming process, we will produce creative support materials to help flesh out our recommended name(s). These may include stories, ad treatments, or graphic layouts. These same materials could be presented and tested with focus groups.

Name and Tagline
Once the name is chosen, we will more fully develop a range of taglines, images and language to help convey our branding messages. For example, here are a few ad lines and taglines that the name Sakai brings to the table (for discussion only!):
Sakai. Get over the hump.
Sakai. Bringing your teaching to life.
Sakai. When collaborating is a breeze.
Sakai. Talk of the town.
Sakai. The other course management system.
Sakai. Never say never.
Sakai. It's all yours.
And on and on and on.

Evaluation chart

Assign up to 10 points in each of the categories above for each proposed name. The more points, the better.