Wednesday, December 12, 2012
Wednesday, November 28, 2012
Unit 8 Reading
Icon design is crucial when designing an application in the iPhone platform. Some important components of designing an icon are to not include words, do not use their standard gloss when you can create the effect yourself. Simple is good because simple is clear. Simple does not mean plain looking, however. Details are important. Consistency between icons in an app is professional, clean, and will come across as a legit app.
When it comes to creating your first iPhone app, it is important to first start with making a goal clear to yourself and your team. Then get a handle on your expectations by talking to existing app developers and finding out how much they make. Finding out where you should begin is starting by having your idea evaluated. Develop a monetization and marketing plan, sign up for a developer account, sketch your application, identify the work to be outsourced. Then hire your team!
When it comes to creating your first iPhone app, it is important to first start with making a goal clear to yourself and your team. Then get a handle on your expectations by talking to existing app developers and finding out how much they make. Finding out where you should begin is starting by having your idea evaluated. Develop a monetization and marketing plan, sign up for a developer account, sketch your application, identify the work to be outsourced. Then hire your team!
Lo-Fi for Book Website
 |
| An eye will be the big box, and the type will be stretched to fit the eye lid. |
 |
| This is once you click on the eye to enter the site, this is the next window. |
Wednesday, November 14, 2012
Unit 6 Reading
Don't Make Me Think
Chapter 10
There is a reservoir of goodwill when it comes to people's patience with your website. If they can't navigate, find what they're looking for easily, their reservoir slowly depletes and they will leave the site. Things that diminish goodwill are hiding information they want, punishing them for not doing things your way, asking them for their information when they don't really need it, shucking and jiving, putting shizzle in their way, and having the site look amateur.
Things that increase goodwill are knowing the main thing people want from the site and providing it, telling them what they want to know, saving them steps wherever possible, putting effort in, knowing the questions the customer is likely to have and answering them, providing printer-friendly pages, making recovering from errors easy, and apologizing where necessary.
Chapter 11
Designers come up with the interface while developers code and provide usability. As they present their work to their clients, they fear hearing criticism about the design because they have put effort into usability. It could mean more work & compromised design. Five things you can do right now is fix the usability problems that confuse everyone, read an article, read a book, start cascading style sheets, and go for the low hanging fruit.
Chapter 10
There is a reservoir of goodwill when it comes to people's patience with your website. If they can't navigate, find what they're looking for easily, their reservoir slowly depletes and they will leave the site. Things that diminish goodwill are hiding information they want, punishing them for not doing things your way, asking them for their information when they don't really need it, shucking and jiving, putting shizzle in their way, and having the site look amateur.
Things that increase goodwill are knowing the main thing people want from the site and providing it, telling them what they want to know, saving them steps wherever possible, putting effort in, knowing the questions the customer is likely to have and answering them, providing printer-friendly pages, making recovering from errors easy, and apologizing where necessary.
Chapter 11
Designers come up with the interface while developers code and provide usability. As they present their work to their clients, they fear hearing criticism about the design because they have put effort into usability. It could mean more work & compromised design. Five things you can do right now is fix the usability problems that confuse everyone, read an article, read a book, start cascading style sheets, and go for the low hanging fruit.
Possible Books to Promote.
Far From The Tree
http://www.amazon.com/Far-From-Tree-Children-Identity/dp/0743236718/ref=zg_bsnr_books_19/177-5329370-3202613
Mastery
http://www.amazon.com/Mastery-Robert-Greene/dp/0670024961/ref=zg_bsnr_books_36
Hallucinations
http://www.amazon.com/Hallucinations-Oliver-Sacks/dp/0307957241/ref=zg_bsnr_books_37
http://www.amazon.com/Far-From-Tree-Children-Identity/dp/0743236718/ref=zg_bsnr_books_19/177-5329370-3202613
Mastery
http://www.amazon.com/Mastery-Robert-Greene/dp/0670024961/ref=zg_bsnr_books_36
Hallucinations
http://www.amazon.com/Hallucinations-Oliver-Sacks/dp/0307957241/ref=zg_bsnr_books_37
Wednesday, November 7, 2012
Kayce & Corey's E-commerce Site Re-design
 |
| Every Page Wire-frame |
 |
| Home Page Wire-Frame |
 |
| Once clicked on a catgory |
 |
| The sub groups of the category |
Unit 5 Reading
Don't Make Me Think
Chapter 8
Everyone who works on web sites have one thing in common-we're also web users. We all tend to have strong feelings about what we like and don't like about web sites. This tends to lead rooms full of individuals with strong personal convictions about what makes a good website.
Don't Make Me Think
Chapter 9
Usability testing needs to be done throughout the process, not at the very last minute before launch. If you want a great site, you've got to test. Testing one user is 100 percent more effective than testing none. Testing one user early in the project is better than testing 50 near the end. When conducting tests, do them with people who are like the people who will be using you site. Testing is to inform your judgement, not to prove or disprove something. You need to test, fix, and test again. Review the test results right away. You'll have the triage, which is reviewing the problems people saw and deciding which ones needed to be fixed, and also figuring out how to fix them.
Some typical problems you will face is that users are unclear on the concept, the words their looking for aren't there, and there is just too much going on.
Chapter 8
Everyone who works on web sites have one thing in common-we're also web users. We all tend to have strong feelings about what we like and don't like about web sites. This tends to lead rooms full of individuals with strong personal convictions about what makes a good website.
Don't Make Me Think
Chapter 9
Usability testing needs to be done throughout the process, not at the very last minute before launch. If you want a great site, you've got to test. Testing one user is 100 percent more effective than testing none. Testing one user early in the project is better than testing 50 near the end. When conducting tests, do them with people who are like the people who will be using you site. Testing is to inform your judgement, not to prove or disprove something. You need to test, fix, and test again. Review the test results right away. You'll have the triage, which is reviewing the problems people saw and deciding which ones needed to be fixed, and also figuring out how to fix them.
Some typical problems you will face is that users are unclear on the concept, the words their looking for aren't there, and there is just too much going on.
Unit 4 Reading
Don't Make Me Think
Chapter 7
A homepage has to accommodate site identity and mission, site hierarchy, search, teases, content promos, feature promos, timely content, deals, shortcuts, registration, show me what I'm looking for, and what I'm not looking for, show me where to start, and establish credibility and trust. The home page is the one place almost every visitor sees, so things promoted on the home page get much more traffic. The home page is what everyone will have an opinion about and the home page will interest everyone, so one size must fit all.
Conveying the big picture is important and must not be forgotten in the compromises of constructing a home page. The "tagline" is a phrase visually connected to the ID. It's generally a description to what the site is about. The "welcome blurb" is a description of the site, displayed in prominent block on the homepage and it visible without scrolling. A couple of guidelines to keep in mind are using as much space as necessary, but not any more than necessary. Keep it short, but enough to get the point across. Do not use a mission statement as a welcome blurb. Always test the welcome blurb on others to ensure you made the right design choices.
A tagline is a phrase that characterizes the whole enterprise. Its a summary. Good taglines are good and informative. They convey differentiation and a clear benefit. They are personable, lively, and sometimes clever. Taglines are not needed for companies with established household word status. The trouble with pull-down menus is that you have to seek it out,they are hard to scan, and they're twitchy. They do save space however.
Chapter 7
A homepage has to accommodate site identity and mission, site hierarchy, search, teases, content promos, feature promos, timely content, deals, shortcuts, registration, show me what I'm looking for, and what I'm not looking for, show me where to start, and establish credibility and trust. The home page is the one place almost every visitor sees, so things promoted on the home page get much more traffic. The home page is what everyone will have an opinion about and the home page will interest everyone, so one size must fit all.
Conveying the big picture is important and must not be forgotten in the compromises of constructing a home page. The "tagline" is a phrase visually connected to the ID. It's generally a description to what the site is about. The "welcome blurb" is a description of the site, displayed in prominent block on the homepage and it visible without scrolling. A couple of guidelines to keep in mind are using as much space as necessary, but not any more than necessary. Keep it short, but enough to get the point across. Do not use a mission statement as a welcome blurb. Always test the welcome blurb on others to ensure you made the right design choices.
A tagline is a phrase that characterizes the whole enterprise. Its a summary. Good taglines are good and informative. They convey differentiation and a clear benefit. They are personable, lively, and sometimes clever. Taglines are not needed for companies with established household word status. The trouble with pull-down menus is that you have to seek it out,they are hard to scan, and they're twitchy. They do save space however.
Wednesday, October 31, 2012
Wednesday, October 24, 2012
Worse Websites
http://www.baronbelts.com/
Belts
http://www.wholesalebyatlas.com/
Wholesale by Atlas
http://www.weavequeen.com/
Not an e-commerce site but I couldn't resist.
Belts
http://www.wholesalebyatlas.com/
Wholesale by Atlas
http://www.weavequeen.com/
Not an e-commerce site but I couldn't resist.
Bad Websites
http://evuk.co.uk/
This e-commerce site is an Electric Vehicle site. For as progressive as the vehicles they are selling, their website is ancient.
http://www.lowpriceskates.com/
Low Price Skates will provide you will skates as long as you are willing to deal with the overwhelming, noisy, distracting purchasing process.
http://www.lanza.com/
This is an e-commerce site that has products but nowhere is there an option to purchase the products. Apparently they are just for looks.
This e-commerce site is an Electric Vehicle site. For as progressive as the vehicles they are selling, their website is ancient.
http://www.lowpriceskates.com/
Low Price Skates will provide you will skates as long as you are willing to deal with the overwhelming, noisy, distracting purchasing process.
http://www.lanza.com/
This is an e-commerce site that has products but nowhere is there an option to purchase the products. Apparently they are just for looks.
Unit 3 Reading
Don't Make Me Think
Chapter 6
If your website isn't easily navigable, people won't use your site. Coming up with a way finding system to easily lead users through your content without overwhelming, confusing, or frustrating them is key. When you access a website, usually you are trying to find something.When you're on a website, there isn't a store representative standing there waiting for your every question, so this is where a search box comes in. When people are browsing, they are relying on hierarchy to guide them through the content. The menu bar is similar to a direction/location sign in a store. When you enter a section, subsections appear. Just like walking around a store; if you can't find what you're looking for you will eventually leave.
People feel as if they are in a physical space when they are exploring in the web. Websites are missing some information we are used to obtaining subconsciously on a daily basis. There is no sense of scale on a website. Does the website have 50 pages or 10,000 pages? Also there isn't a sense of direction on a website. We talk about moving up and down in a website, but these terms are based strictly on hierarchy. When we move around in a physical space, we get knowledge about the space. We learn where things are and also learn shortcuts.
When navigating the web, you are relying on links to take you places. Home pages are important because they are fixed places, where you can always navigate back to. Navigation is the website, it is not just a feature.
Nobody likes feeling lost. Navigation can give us something to hold onto, leaving us feeling grounded. Navigation also tell us what a site contains by revealing content. Revealing the site may be ven more importnt than guiding or situating us. Navigation lets us know how to use the site. Done right, you should instinctively know where to start and what your options are. Navigation also gives the user confidence in the company who owns the website. "Do these people know what they are doing?" A website should reflect the quality of the business!
Web Navigation Conventions are the appearance and location of the navigation elements so we know what to look for and where to look when we need them. Putting them in a standard place lets us locate them quickly and it allows us to distinguish them from everything else. It can frustrate users and lose clients by having a convention that is broken. A persistent navigation is used to describe the set of navigation elements that appear on every page of a site. This gives users confirmation that they are in fact on the same website.This is also an indicator that users will only figure out how to navigate the web site once. The only times this is not put on every page is when you are dealing with the home page, and also when you are inputting information to a form. Persistent navigation on forms can be a distraction. A Site ID can be the companies name, or logo displayed on absolutely every page, in the same location. The Site ID represents the entire site. The Sections is a term known for the primary navigation. It's the top level of the site's hierarchy. The Utilities are the links to important elements of the site that are not part of the content hierarchy. A way to search for things can clear up confusion for some users. Implementing a search bar for easy navigation is important when building an e-commerce site. A search bar could be taken out of context. Are they searching the entire web or strictly this website? Spell it out if necessary. When designing a website, keep in mind that the person who is reviewing the usability issues wants to see more than four levels deep in your flow chart. They are interested in lower-level navigation just as much as they are the top-level navigation. Pages names have specific rules. Every page needs a name, that is in the right place. The name needs to be prominent and the name needs to match what you click. "You are here" indicators are important when a user is trying to navigate through a website or menu bar.
The term "Breadcrumbs" is used because it is a trail of where you are and where you went to get there. Breadcrumbs show you the path from the homepage to the page you are on. Breadcrumbs should be put at the top of the page, use this symbol ">", use tiny type, and the place you are should be bold-faced. They should never replace a page name.
Tabs are a physical metaphor in a user interface that actually works. Tabs divide the content into sections, and make it easy to open that content. Tabs are self-evident, hard to miss, slick, and suggest a physical space. Tabs that are successful are drawn correctly, are color coded, and one is selected when you enter the site to specify exactly what page you are on.
Chapter 6
If your website isn't easily navigable, people won't use your site. Coming up with a way finding system to easily lead users through your content without overwhelming, confusing, or frustrating them is key. When you access a website, usually you are trying to find something.When you're on a website, there isn't a store representative standing there waiting for your every question, so this is where a search box comes in. When people are browsing, they are relying on hierarchy to guide them through the content. The menu bar is similar to a direction/location sign in a store. When you enter a section, subsections appear. Just like walking around a store; if you can't find what you're looking for you will eventually leave.
People feel as if they are in a physical space when they are exploring in the web. Websites are missing some information we are used to obtaining subconsciously on a daily basis. There is no sense of scale on a website. Does the website have 50 pages or 10,000 pages? Also there isn't a sense of direction on a website. We talk about moving up and down in a website, but these terms are based strictly on hierarchy. When we move around in a physical space, we get knowledge about the space. We learn where things are and also learn shortcuts.
When navigating the web, you are relying on links to take you places. Home pages are important because they are fixed places, where you can always navigate back to. Navigation is the website, it is not just a feature.
Nobody likes feeling lost. Navigation can give us something to hold onto, leaving us feeling grounded. Navigation also tell us what a site contains by revealing content. Revealing the site may be ven more importnt than guiding or situating us. Navigation lets us know how to use the site. Done right, you should instinctively know where to start and what your options are. Navigation also gives the user confidence in the company who owns the website. "Do these people know what they are doing?" A website should reflect the quality of the business!
Web Navigation Conventions are the appearance and location of the navigation elements so we know what to look for and where to look when we need them. Putting them in a standard place lets us locate them quickly and it allows us to distinguish them from everything else. It can frustrate users and lose clients by having a convention that is broken. A persistent navigation is used to describe the set of navigation elements that appear on every page of a site. This gives users confirmation that they are in fact on the same website.This is also an indicator that users will only figure out how to navigate the web site once. The only times this is not put on every page is when you are dealing with the home page, and also when you are inputting information to a form. Persistent navigation on forms can be a distraction. A Site ID can be the companies name, or logo displayed on absolutely every page, in the same location. The Site ID represents the entire site. The Sections is a term known for the primary navigation. It's the top level of the site's hierarchy. The Utilities are the links to important elements of the site that are not part of the content hierarchy. A way to search for things can clear up confusion for some users. Implementing a search bar for easy navigation is important when building an e-commerce site. A search bar could be taken out of context. Are they searching the entire web or strictly this website? Spell it out if necessary. When designing a website, keep in mind that the person who is reviewing the usability issues wants to see more than four levels deep in your flow chart. They are interested in lower-level navigation just as much as they are the top-level navigation. Pages names have specific rules. Every page needs a name, that is in the right place. The name needs to be prominent and the name needs to match what you click. "You are here" indicators are important when a user is trying to navigate through a website or menu bar.
The term "Breadcrumbs" is used because it is a trail of where you are and where you went to get there. Breadcrumbs show you the path from the homepage to the page you are on. Breadcrumbs should be put at the top of the page, use this symbol ">", use tiny type, and the place you are should be bold-faced. They should never replace a page name.
Tabs are a physical metaphor in a user interface that actually works. Tabs divide the content into sections, and make it easy to open that content. Tabs are self-evident, hard to miss, slick, and suggest a physical space. Tabs that are successful are drawn correctly, are color coded, and one is selected when you enter the site to specify exactly what page you are on.
Unit 2 Reading
Don't Make Me Think
Chapter 3
There are five important things to remember when creating and designing a website. Make sure to create a clear visual hierarchy on each page, take advantage of conventions, break pages up into clearly defined areas, make it obvious what's clickable, and lastly, minimize noise.
Creating a visual hierarchy is necessary to show what is most important, what is in relation with another, and it gives the reader a chance to think as little as possible about navigating through the content and more focus to comprehend the content. Conventions are general style guides, that enable users to figure out a lot about a web site, even f they can't understand a word about it. Newspapers, magazines, websites, and brochures all use conventions to make navigation feel as natural as possible. Breaking up pages into clearly defined areas allows users to decide quickly which areas of the page to focus on and which areas they can safely ignore. Making it obvious what is clickable saves users from hovering over every piece of text to see which will lead them elsewhere. This is a way to keep users focused on the information on the page and not so much about how to navigate the page. One of the enemies of any design is too much visual noise. If your web page feels too busy, it can confuse users and also annoy them. Distraction is our enemy!
Don't Make Me Think
Chapter 4
"It doesn't matter how many times I have to click, as long as each click is a mindless, unambiguous choice." -Krugs Second Law of Usability. This is true when it comes to websites. Even though it has been debated over the years because some people believe it was the number of clicks that would frustrate web site users, even though it isn't necessarily the number of clicks, but ensuring each click is functional making sure the user isn't consciously thinking about navigating. Keeping your users on the right track, and not giving them confusing choices is essential.
Don't Make Me Think
Chapter 5
Words shouldn't be space fillers. Omitting needless words enables the users to actually quickly comprehend your point. Try and say exactly what you need to in the most concise way possible. This will reduce the noise level on the page, make the useful content more prominent, it will make the pages shorter, allowing users to see more of each page without scrolling. An introductory text, used as a way of setting the mood to a happy vibe, is completely unnecessary. Happy talk is similar to small talk; they are both content free. Web users are skipping the small talk and moving on with their lives. So skip the happy talk. Instructions are basically useless as well. It is rare anyone will actually read the instructions in full. They are more likely to muddle through the content, and fail at comprehending it. The information on the screen should be self-explanatory.
Chapter 3
There are five important things to remember when creating and designing a website. Make sure to create a clear visual hierarchy on each page, take advantage of conventions, break pages up into clearly defined areas, make it obvious what's clickable, and lastly, minimize noise.
Creating a visual hierarchy is necessary to show what is most important, what is in relation with another, and it gives the reader a chance to think as little as possible about navigating through the content and more focus to comprehend the content. Conventions are general style guides, that enable users to figure out a lot about a web site, even f they can't understand a word about it. Newspapers, magazines, websites, and brochures all use conventions to make navigation feel as natural as possible. Breaking up pages into clearly defined areas allows users to decide quickly which areas of the page to focus on and which areas they can safely ignore. Making it obvious what is clickable saves users from hovering over every piece of text to see which will lead them elsewhere. This is a way to keep users focused on the information on the page and not so much about how to navigate the page. One of the enemies of any design is too much visual noise. If your web page feels too busy, it can confuse users and also annoy them. Distraction is our enemy!
Don't Make Me Think
Chapter 4
"It doesn't matter how many times I have to click, as long as each click is a mindless, unambiguous choice." -Krugs Second Law of Usability. This is true when it comes to websites. Even though it has been debated over the years because some people believe it was the number of clicks that would frustrate web site users, even though it isn't necessarily the number of clicks, but ensuring each click is functional making sure the user isn't consciously thinking about navigating. Keeping your users on the right track, and not giving them confusing choices is essential.
Don't Make Me Think
Chapter 5
Words shouldn't be space fillers. Omitting needless words enables the users to actually quickly comprehend your point. Try and say exactly what you need to in the most concise way possible. This will reduce the noise level on the page, make the useful content more prominent, it will make the pages shorter, allowing users to see more of each page without scrolling. An introductory text, used as a way of setting the mood to a happy vibe, is completely unnecessary. Happy talk is similar to small talk; they are both content free. Web users are skipping the small talk and moving on with their lives. So skip the happy talk. Instructions are basically useless as well. It is rare anyone will actually read the instructions in full. They are more likely to muddle through the content, and fail at comprehending it. The information on the screen should be self-explanatory.
Wednesday, October 17, 2012
Inspirational Websites
http://jump.dexigner.com/directory/13800
I really like how she displays her projects.
Low saturation/white until hovered over
http://jump.dexigner.com/directory/10661
I like how animation is used in the graphic. Simplicity.
http://jump.dexigner.com/directory/14126
The main content is bright and aesthetically pleasing, and the background is solid. It's a nice contrast. Her work is easy to find.
http://jump.dexigner.com/directory/11821
This designer used the same silhouette and reproduced it on different mediums.
I really like how she displays her projects.
Low saturation/white until hovered over
http://jump.dexigner.com/directory/10661
I like how animation is used in the graphic. Simplicity.
http://jump.dexigner.com/directory/14126
The main content is bright and aesthetically pleasing, and the background is solid. It's a nice contrast. Her work is easy to find.
http://jump.dexigner.com/directory/11821
This designer used the same silhouette and reproduced it on different mediums.
Tuesday, October 16, 2012
Thursday, October 11, 2012
Wednesday, October 10, 2012
Unit 1 Reading
Don't Make Me Think
Chapter 1
Users should be able to find important things with only two clicks from entering the website. Making a website that users don't have to think about when navigating is important for the websites success. Things that make users think when navigating are names of things, and also what appears to be a link is non-click-able. The reason it is so important to make web sites easy to navigate without too much thinking of the users behalf is because the competition is only one click away.
Don't Make Me Think
Chapter 2
People don't spend time reading each and every word placed on a website. Instead, people scan pages. This is usually because people are in a hurry and we know we don't need to read everything. Another reason is, quite frankly, people are good at scanning information because we are used to things we read being in a hierarchy. Important things being stated short, simple, big, and bold. We must understand that people find the first reasonable option, they don't often search for the best possible option. Reasons for this is because people are usually in a hurry, there isn't much of a penalty for guessing wrong, weighing options may not improve our chances, and guessing tends to be more fun.
Very few people take the time to read directions before diving into new technology. This results in many people muddling though software, technology, and websites; not really understanding things they are seeing or how it functions. If people don't find it important, it is rare they will take the time to learn it. Also, once people find something that is easy and works for them, they'll stick to it.
Chapter 1
Users should be able to find important things with only two clicks from entering the website. Making a website that users don't have to think about when navigating is important for the websites success. Things that make users think when navigating are names of things, and also what appears to be a link is non-click-able. The reason it is so important to make web sites easy to navigate without too much thinking of the users behalf is because the competition is only one click away.
Don't Make Me Think
Chapter 2
People don't spend time reading each and every word placed on a website. Instead, people scan pages. This is usually because people are in a hurry and we know we don't need to read everything. Another reason is, quite frankly, people are good at scanning information because we are used to things we read being in a hierarchy. Important things being stated short, simple, big, and bold. We must understand that people find the first reasonable option, they don't often search for the best possible option. Reasons for this is because people are usually in a hurry, there isn't much of a penalty for guessing wrong, weighing options may not improve our chances, and guessing tends to be more fun.
Very few people take the time to read directions before diving into new technology. This results in many people muddling though software, technology, and websites; not really understanding things they are seeing or how it functions. If people don't find it important, it is rare they will take the time to learn it. Also, once people find something that is easy and works for them, they'll stick to it.
Inspirational Design Portfolios
http://marisapassos.com/
I like the layout and simplicity of his portfolio. The motion graphic background is extra appealing.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
http://www.bignoise.com/
This is visually appealing, and also fun because almost every thing moves as it is a link.
The colors work very well together.
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http://www.bbbttery.com/new/
This website is in black and white. It is a little over-stimulating, but still an attention grabbing concept.
I like the layout and simplicity of his portfolio. The motion graphic background is extra appealing.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
http://www.bignoise.com/
This is visually appealing, and also fun because almost every thing moves as it is a link.
The colors work very well together.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
http://www.bbbttery.com/new/
This website is in black and white. It is a little over-stimulating, but still an attention grabbing concept.
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