So yesterday concluded a semester's worth of work in Visual Aesthetics with the final group of student presentations, including my own. Looking back, I personally have come a long way in my appreciation for a great website and an understanding for how they are constructed. It was no easy task completing my own design however, it was fun. The principles outlined in the Nielsen reading were easily defined and examples were paired quite nicely with both in-class assignments and homework.
This course has also given be a discerning eye for what works and what doesn't work in webpage design and I believe I have learned to become more critical. I find myself looking at webpages from an academic point-of-view rather than a casual standpoint. Things that I might have ignored or paid little attention to in the past now move into the foreground of my attention and in all honesty have made some of my searches quite intolerable. Perhaps the designer needs a quick refresher course?
Overall, I was inspired by what both myself and my classmates were able to construct using only Photoshop, some of us having never tinkered with the program until September of this year. I hope next semester's classes are just as fulfilling.
And, just a quick reminder that Saturday was far superior to anything produced/discussed/debated in on Friday's. That's not speculation. It's well researched fact!
Sunday, December 9, 2007
Saturday, December 8, 2007
Presentations
I thought that everyone's website looked amazing. All of you inspired me to edit my webpage more to make it more unique and to have more style. I can't wait to have class with most people in the class next semester. Have a great winter break and a happy holiday!
Practical Usability Testing
Good article, try to read it;
http://www.digital-web.com/articles/practical_usability_testing/
http://www.digital-web.com/articles/practical_usability_testing/
Final Presentations
Our final class ended today and I'm a little sad that I won't see everyone next week. Although it will be nice to sleep in for a change. I was so impressed with the sites. Everyone did such a great job and all of the hard work definitely showed through during the presentations. Alot of you have inspired me to keep plugging along with photoshop to make my site better.
Good luck to you all.
Good luck to you all.
kiss957.com
I have been meaning to post about this site for a while since I frequently view it but final projects and presentations took precedence. I like this site (www.kiss957.com) but unfortunately I feel like there's too much going on with it. There's so many links and the home page looks too busy. For the most part I can find what I am looking. But sometimes when I am searching for something new, I have trouble locating it. The one feature that I enjoy about the site is that you can listen live to the radio station. You just click on the home page under listen live and the video player pops up and connects to the station.
Friday, December 7, 2007
Nielsen Books
I was looking on Amazon.com and come to find out there are a series of books that Neilsen has written. I am kind've thinking of buying the series. Since, I enjoyed the book a lot. It was very beneficial when making the website. Plus, the books are under forty dollars. The URL is: http://www.amazon.com/Eyetracking-Usability-Voices-That-Matter/dp/0321498364/ref=pd_sim_b_img_3.
Thoughts on the Presentation
I think the best way to end this class was to have our presentations done in front of the class. I found for myself that it really made me feel embedded in my design and glad that it has enough meaning that I could explain it to a group of people.
As I stated in class, the coolest part of my presentation was explaining the weird mistakes I made that resulted in something awesome, like my glow effect contact us page. I didn't intend when I first saw the picture to make it into that; the picture made itself more than I made the picture.
I think one of the coolest aspects of the presentation is the "How did you do this?" question. When asked that question, I always want to explain how easy it was to do whatever I did because most of the stuff everyone has done was on the same realm of ability, mostly because of the inherent limitations of Photoshop to make a website.
How did I do it? I just messed around with Photoshop enough to make something cool and unique. :)
As I stated in class, the coolest part of my presentation was explaining the weird mistakes I made that resulted in something awesome, like my glow effect contact us page. I didn't intend when I first saw the picture to make it into that; the picture made itself more than I made the picture.
I think one of the coolest aspects of the presentation is the "How did you do this?" question. When asked that question, I always want to explain how easy it was to do whatever I did because most of the stuff everyone has done was on the same realm of ability, mostly because of the inherent limitations of Photoshop to make a website.
How did I do it? I just messed around with Photoshop enough to make something cool and unique. :)
Nielsen in Conclusion
I found it really interesting today how most people, well all people in my section of the class who presented today said that they disagreed with Nielsen. It isn't that I am surprised that people disagreed with him; I am surprised basically everyone disagreed.
It's a funny thing when one starts to think about what usability actually is. Nielsen bases his standards on experience and usability testing, but it's clear that even that doesn't satisfy some people. For example, Nielsen talks about scrolling as if it's the devil, but sometimes one just has to scroll, or wants to scroll, or does not think about minding that one is scrolling.
I thought about what Nielsen would have thought if he saw a lot of our website presentations. He may have thought that some were good, even if they broke his standards.
Perhaps the the issue is what the word "standard" actually implies. If by standard one means something that one adheres to always, then the standards are broken everyday. I think Nielsen and all of us need to think of standards even moreso as guidelines than we already do.
The good thing about guidelines is they are so vague that it will mold to basically any situation. If that's the case, then why even bother writing a book on what should be done on a webpage?
It's a funny thing when one starts to think about what usability actually is. Nielsen bases his standards on experience and usability testing, but it's clear that even that doesn't satisfy some people. For example, Nielsen talks about scrolling as if it's the devil, but sometimes one just has to scroll, or wants to scroll, or does not think about minding that one is scrolling.
I thought about what Nielsen would have thought if he saw a lot of our website presentations. He may have thought that some were good, even if they broke his standards.
Perhaps the the issue is what the word "standard" actually implies. If by standard one means something that one adheres to always, then the standards are broken everyday. I think Nielsen and all of us need to think of standards even moreso as guidelines than we already do.
The good thing about guidelines is they are so vague that it will mold to basically any situation. If that's the case, then why even bother writing a book on what should be done on a webpage?
Website Help
Here is a website http://www.sitepoint.com/article/design-website-photoshop that helps you build a website from scratch using Photoshop and Dreamweaver. Try it out. It was very helpful.
OpenSocial from Google
Probably we are going to hear more about it...
http://code.google.com/apis/opensocial/
http://code.google.com/apis/opensocial/
Thursday, December 6, 2007
Tutorials
This is a website I would suggest using for future projects in Photoshop. It has a ton of great ideas that you can use in the future. The URL is: http://www.sitepoint.com/article/design-website-photoshop. I would suggest using this website as a guideline for future projects in the program Photoshop.
Wednesday, December 5, 2007
Your Wake Up Call
As things wind down, I wanted to share a link that is just for fun at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GmwqpHsMExg. My cat and I like watching this one together. If you're not a cat person, don't bother. The animator is Simon Tofield of London-based Tandem Films. I couldn' t find much else on him even at their web site at http://www.tandemfilms.com/, which is an interesting site in itself for its minimalist design approach.
Usability issues
No need to worry about usability of your web site, maybe it just doesn`t fit to screen. You have other choices;
http://www.wearitatwork.com/
http://www.wearitatwork.com/
Tuesday, December 4, 2007
Photoshop Tips and Tricks
This is an interesting website that helps you understand Photoshop and gives you some ideas to help you improve your website. The URL is: http://www.graphic-design.com/Photoshop/.
Monday, December 3, 2007
Multiple Slideshows
As you may remeber from my oral presentation, I was having some trouble with getting more than one slideshow into my site. Well Prof. C figured it out!
I thought I would pass along the following:
In the final folder create a set of new folders (as many as the number of slides you want to have) and name them 1, 2,3 ,4, etc. Make a first web gallery, and select the folder 1 as a destination folder. Repeat for the second, third, and so on, so each of the galleries is in their own directory.
Slice the page. When you are writing URLs, write 1/index.html, 2/index.html, etc. and save it in the final directory.
Should work. Just make sure that it also work after you copy the whole site on the CD.
Good luck!
I thought I would pass along the following:
In the final folder create a set of new folders (as many as the number of slides you want to have) and name them 1, 2,3 ,4, etc. Make a first web gallery, and select the folder 1 as a destination folder. Repeat for the second, third, and so on, so each of the galleries is in their own directory.
Slice the page. When you are writing URLs, write 1/index.html, 2/index.html, etc. and save it in the final directory.
Should work. Just make sure that it also work after you copy the whole site on the CD.
Good luck!
Travelocity
Travelocity is also a really good travel plans web site. I like it because even though it is a lot more creative than kayak.com, it is still simple and user friendly. The blue background and white writing make a nice contrast.
Technology Review
This webpage has just to much stuff going on. It has to much information on one page and their isn't even any advertisements. They picked good colors black and white that are very legible and easy to read. What is your opinion of this website? Here is the URL: http://www.technologyreview.com/
Tis the season for....."Cyber Monday"
We’ve all heard of “Black Friday,” the day after Thanksgiving which is to many is considered the busiest shopping day of the year, but what about “Cyber Monday?” I had never heard of this term before today and stumbled upon the article while I was searching through stories about Christmas shopping online. I was initially curious to see if there is any increase in online shopping this Christmas season as opposed to years past. I personally don’t make it a point to shop online. I’ll only buy something online if I can’t get it anywhere else. Other than that, I don’t mind fighting the crowds during the holiday season to find the right gift. Of course, according to guy code my Christmas shopping doesn’t start until a few days to Christmas and usually concludes on Christmas Eve, hours before the first holiday party. For those who have never been to the mall on Christmas Eve this is the most efficient shopping period of the season. You get in, don’t have to fight with the crowds (because there aren’t any, just a bunch of guys running around trying to buy gifts that they’ve waited to the last minute to purchase) and you leave.
Back to online shopping. According to an article written by Jayne O’Donnell and Jon Swartz that appeared in USA Today on November 27, titled, “Online shoppers click up a storm on Cyber Monday,” http://dailyrecord.gns.gannettonline.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20071127/TECH04/703080805/1001/TECH the term was first used in 2005 as, “the ceremonial kickoff to the online shopping season.” The article further states that the busiest day for online shopping was Dec. 13th last year. The busiest day in 2005 was Dec. 12th. This year there is a 37% increase in online traffic on Cyber Monday from 2006. The National Retail Foundation even set up a website for Cyber Monday shoppers, conveniently located at, where else, http://www.cybermonday.com/. Does anyone do their Christmas shopping online, and if so, what percentage of it would you say you complete online? Do you think this is a trend we will see continue to grow in the future?
Back to online shopping. According to an article written by Jayne O’Donnell and Jon Swartz that appeared in USA Today on November 27, titled, “Online shoppers click up a storm on Cyber Monday,” http://dailyrecord.gns.gannettonline.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20071127/TECH04/703080805/1001/TECH the term was first used in 2005 as, “the ceremonial kickoff to the online shopping season.” The article further states that the busiest day for online shopping was Dec. 13th last year. The busiest day in 2005 was Dec. 12th. This year there is a 37% increase in online traffic on Cyber Monday from 2006. The National Retail Foundation even set up a website for Cyber Monday shoppers, conveniently located at, where else, http://www.cybermonday.com/. Does anyone do their Christmas shopping online, and if so, what percentage of it would you say you complete online? Do you think this is a trend we will see continue to grow in the future?
My Photoshop Bible
This magazine has been a big help thoughout making the webpage and helping me prepare for my capstone project. If you have the time, please read it. It is a great help to all. The URL is:http://www.photoshopuser.com/. The webpage is not that flashy and is very plain and to the point. It is very easy to sign up as a member it is kind've on the high price side. So, if you have the money, got for it. It is a very good investment.
Don`t worry about friday and saturday...
Web Pages That Suck -- Worst Web Site of 2006
http://www.webpagesthatsuck.com/
Video (You can also find the video on the site too):
http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-3025539915135059832&q=worst+presentation&total=108&start=0&num=10&so=0&type=search&plindex=9
http://www.webpagesthatsuck.com/
Video (You can also find the video on the site too):
http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-3025539915135059832&q=worst+presentation&total=108&start=0&num=10&so=0&type=search&plindex=9
Jakob Nielsen's Website
Here is the author of our book's website: http://www.useit.com/. I found it very interesting that his website is very plain and has a ton of lists. It is not really a type of eye-catching website. What is your opinion? It definately does not have a lot of people wanting to come back for more.
The Internet Singularity, Delayed
If you have time check out the research;
http://www.nemertes.com/internet_singularity_delayed_why_limits_internet_capacity_will_stifle_innovation_web?#
http://www.nemertes.com/internet_singularity_delayed_why_limits_internet_capacity_will_stifle_innovation_web?#
Kmart
This website uses very good complementary colors that make the users come back for more. It has everything the user is looking for at the top of the screen, and they do not need to scramble for information. What is your opinion? The URL is: http://www.kmart.com/shc/s/home_10151_10104
Sunday, December 2, 2007
Best of Web Design Winners 2006
Hope to see one of us in 2008;
http://www.stepinsidedesign.com/STEPMagazine/Article/28643
http://www.stepinsidedesign.com/STEPMagazine/Article/28643
Saturday, December 1, 2007
CNET
This website only has two colors on its site but has just enough to grab a user’s attention. The user has what they are looking for when they go through the tabs at the top of the screen. This is very useful because the user does not have to scramble for information that they are looking for. The URL is: http://www.cnet.com/
Just for LOST lovers...
This is what you can do after ICM502:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8K_NQe57C-k
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8K_NQe57C-k
Microsoft Surface
I know most of you know about this but we got new friends and also as all you know the reason why some of us become a blog post freak...:P
For whom who asked the question; "What is next for design?". This will be the new platform so lets start to think about the design part.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=awUvEZNDHkQ
For whom who asked the question; "What is next for design?". This will be the new platform so lets start to think about the design part.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=awUvEZNDHkQ
The future of internet
Of course, it is going to be updated someway but how it is going to change is an important question. Here is a link if anyone wants to go further;
http://www.internetofthefuture.org/
http://www.internetofthefuture.org/
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)