Design Time

The first question to ask when designing a site

2011-12-06T09:04:00.001-05:00

The most important and first question to ask if you are designing the interface for a website is "What do you want the site to accomplish?". By that I mean, who is your target user and what user need does the site or service satisfy? If you can't answer that question, you might as well save you time and money. User experience is the key to a successful site.

Life Ten Years Down the Road

2011-03-11T15:50:00.004-05:00

I have a message for those of you who are single and in college. Life gets more and more complicated as you get older. I know it doesn't seem like it now, but it does.

Life is not only more complicated, it gets busier and busier.

My best advice is to weigh your big decisions carefully. Find someone that you respect who is at least 10 years older than yourself, and ask for their advice.

Make your decisions based on what you want your life to be like in ten years.

Too Busy to Write

2010-03-19T09:25:00.002-04:00

It's trade show/conference season, and I've been in RUSH mode for months now! The fact that I had time to log out a bunch of job tickets, and remember that I have a blog is encouraging. Back to the work! See you later.

New Year Wishes

2009-12-31T12:30:00.004-05:00

I hope that the new year brings us all better communication.

I hope for peace and kindness.

I pray that we get better each day at following the golden rule of treating others the way we would like to be treated.... or better still, the way they want to be treated.

Life is a lot easier when we think of other first.

Happy New Year!

Merry Christmas

2009-12-23T15:16:00.005-05:00

Christmas is nearly here, and all I want for Christmas is quality time with my kids and with my husband. I hope your Christmas wishes all come true. Merry Christmas from web2momma.

Brain Fog

2009-08-31T12:44:00.001-04:00

Been workin' so hard on so many projects at the same time that my brain is in a fog. I will post again when things are back to normal.

Advising Web2 Immigrants— What do you think?

2009-07-17T17:20:00.006-04:00

One of my Toastmasters friends asked me the other day if I would put together a 45 minute workshop to introduce other web2 immigrants in our local club to Facebook, and Twitter, and blogging. I think her idea is for me to launch the various sites, give them a tour, and let them see what it takes to set up the accounts and pages. She would like to blog, and she would like to check out Facebook, but has already expressed concerns about privacy.

What do you think? Is Facebook the best place to start? That's how I got started. I found it very encouraging to find people I knew who already had a presence in Facebook.

I have a couple of weeks before I'm scheduled to do the workshop. I'd really like some advice. What's do you think is the best approach?

Been lookin’ at podcast directories

2009-07-16T15:57:00.008-04:00

Decided to find a good web design podcast. Many of the web design podcasts were way too chatty for my taste— too much personality, and not enough content. I also found that you can find many of the same podcasts on different directory sites.

Discovered that some podcast directories had better browse categories than others. ODEO was pretty good, but to find the web design content in ODEO I had to choose Arts, and then Design to find the web design stuff.

Found the web design stuff at ITunes by gong to Arts, and then to Design. ITunes has a great sorting feature. You can sort the podcasts by Name, Time, Artist, Album and Genre.

Podcast.com has a web design channel. From there I sampled podcasts from CreativeExpert who does design interviews. I also sampled WebDesignTV. If you are interested in CSS3, I've included a link to a video interview with Hakon Wium Lie. He discusses many of the new features and font options available in CSS3.

Aggressive Advertising on You Tube

2009-07-15T08:09:00.007-04:00

Until I started searching You Tube for an interesting video to blog about, I didn't realize how annoying and aggressive the advertising is on a large percentage of the videos. They remind me of those old car lot TV commercials where the salesman was barking at you like a sideshow carnie at the county fair.

After a while I became so annoyed by the “commercials” I was being bombarded with at the beginning of the videos that I refused to watch the videos that had up-front, aggressive ads. Some of the self-promotion was less aggressive, and many appeared at the end of the video. Those are much less objectionable.

Don't you think that a simple statement of who produced the video, and a short description of what you are about to see is more effective than yelling the company advertising slogan at you?

I really enjoy the county fair; Including the barking sideshow carnies. I think we should leave the barking to the pros in the traveling carnivals, and keep it out of social media.

I've been exploring online word processing

2009-07-06T16:43:00.008-04:00

I've been exploring online word processing tools. I created an account at Zoho Writer first. I soon discovered that the application wouldn't launch on my Macintosh. That brought my interest in Zoho Writer to a screeching halt! I didn't even bother to check out their support documents to see if my assumption was correct. I moved on to Google Docs. So far, it seems very intuitive. I like it when I don't have to read tons of documentation to use an application. The application is robust (i.e. it has most of the editing and styling tools I'm used to, and the standard keyboard shortcuts work).

I finally broke down and explored the Help section. It looks like the Google Documents, Google Spreadsheets, and Google Presentations are all going to be easy to use. I think that the most interesting feature is the ability to collaborate with others on a document. According to the Help topics, if you and another collaborator are editing the same document at the same time, a box at the bottom left of the screen will appear, telling you the name of the collaborators you're working with.

I'm really interested now to see how well it exports my document for use in my blog. I'm about to find out.

It wasn't perfect. It threw in a few html tags I didn't expect, but It worked! I was able to publish this article directly from Google Docs.

wikiHow and How to Deskunk Your Dog

2009-06-29T08:50:00.012-04:00

According to their introductory tour, “wikiHow is a collaborative writing project aiming to build the world's largest and highest-quality how-to manual. As of this minute, wikiHow contains 56,674 articles. We are read by tens of millions of people from multiple countries every month making us the most popular wiki after Wikipedia..” I can believe it. It is populated with practical, as well as entertaining, how-to wiki articles. After browsing several categories I recognized an article that I felt qualified to edit.

One of my dogs had a short encounter with a skunk at 2 AM Saturday morning. This is not my first experience with the skunk versus dog aftermath. Tomato juice and those commercial remedies from the pet store don't work! The deskunking method I found on the internet at 2 AM is so much better! The wikiHow site had a How to Deskunk your dog article which also included the same deskunking solution. I felt confident in adding a little more information to the article because of my recent experience. The editing feature at wikiHow was easy to use.

How to Deskunk Your Dog

Wiki Wiki What’s the Hurry

2009-06-26T09:36:00.013-04:00

I've been browsing in Web 2.0 Wikiland. Of all the communication formats I've encountered on the Web, wikis are the most difficult to navigate. I have found that most, but not all, wikis are very poorly organized; with what appears to be little attention given to design and screen layout. It’s like the the person who designs the wiki site is just following their personal stream of consciousness to organize. You know . . . they put in one category, their cell phone rings, and by the time they get back to the wiki, they forgot where they were. Then they remember something else that needs to be added; and wherever it's convenient to place it on the screen is where it stays. Oh my gosh! Some wikis don’t even have a content list, or primary tool bar at the top of the screen. What's the hurry? They need to slow down long enough to organize the site! What are they thinking!?

I could give you some examples, but I'd rather provide examples of well-designed wiki sites. I think that the State of California Best Practices wiki does a good job of organizing their site. All the navigation and resource page links are to the left, and their main seven subject areas sections are prominently displayed on the main content area of the main page. Then once you are on the secondary pages there are bread crumbs to help you find your way back through the levels to the main page.

My second example of a well designed wiki is wikiHow. In addition to having a nicely organized and clean look, it is also very entertaining. It is worth a look.

I spent a very long time looking for other good examples, but this is all I could come up with. Help me, have you seen any well designed public wikis? I'm not talking about popular wikis, I'm talking about good visual design and well thought out organization.

Technorati Blogosphere

2009-06-25T10:30:00.008-04:00

I'm exploring the ways that tagging effects traffic to blogs and websites. I understand that Technorati is a huge community of users who share tags and streamline the process of searching blogs through special tagging tools. I'll let you know what I find out. I'm in the process of claiming my blog at Technorati and becoming a apart of the Technorati blogosphere. I've already tried out their blog search feature, and I like it better than Bloglines so far.

Technorati Tag: 87u95xck3s
87u95xck3s

Online Community Building

2009-06-25T08:38:00.006-04:00

I just read an old (2002) article at oreillynet.com. The article made several main points that I believe are true for science and research sites, or for any other site for that matter. Since the science information organization where I work is just now exploring the addition of social media to it's Web products, I think that the nuggets from the article will be good to keep in mind.

You must know why your site exists
If you can't clearly describe the purpose and content of your site, how will you know if you are succeeding? Worse yet, how will visitors know if they want to join the community? When stating the site purpose, keep the description as simple and as direct as possible.

Users draw other users
As the community leader, or evangelist, it is your job to attract users. Being search engine friendly, submitting links to other sites, and word of mouth are just the beginning. “As a group, your most active users will draw more users than you will. An active user group exudes a sense of community. This attracts people who enjoy the company of like-minded individuals and seek the social rewards of participating in a healthy peer group. People like to fit in, and it takes making several new relationships to produce this impression.”

Users will surprise you
“Community members will continually surprise you, especially if you've never really analyzed an online community before. The issues and themes you find important may never really resonate with your users. They'll latch onto and chase down ideas you've never found important or even knew existed.” You know you've been successful when users start to express a sense of ownership. Eventually their contributions will begin to out weigh your own. As with any other group, or workplace I've ever participated in, you will never be able to please everyone. When you have a critic among your midst, take it with a grain of salt. Just keep in mind that “Some of the best contributors listen and think far more than they speak or type.”

I'd like to add a personal observation here. The science community is loaded with introverts (including me). We are not as prone to comment as would the more social extroverts that you might find gabbing away on Facebook and MySpace; but once we feel at home, you might be surprised at how much we have to say. That is what online communities are about; feeling comfortable enough to let others know what you really think.

Delicious Bookmarking is Fabulous!

2009-06-23T16:01:00.004-04:00

I have now saved my browser bookmarks into Del.icio.us, and I think it is a great way to store professional bookmarks for reference. I also like the idea of bookmark sharing. I checked out the bookmarks of one of my co-workers who is also on our organizations Web 2.0 Innovation team. The only thing I found difficult in finding team member bookmarks was that I needed to know their Delicious user name. I took a guess on his, and I guessed correctly.

I really like the tagging features! I especially like that the site will give you tag suggestions based on what other users who have bookmarked the same link have used.

Even though I'm still green behind the ears, because of my willingness to explore, I've already found some content that I believe will be helpful on future projects.

Social Networking for Research Scientists

2009-06-22T15:24:00.009-04:00

Since I work on websites designed not only for the public, but also for research scientists, I decided to take a look at where the research scientists might be networking on the Web. I found several sites that seem to have potential:

epernicus.com
mendeley.com
researchgate.net
scispace.net

One of my personal favorites is one for which I created the interface design. It is one of the best resources I know for research scientists.

E-print Network

ROLLYO Search

2009-06-22T13:51:00.005-04:00

Experimenting again today. Went to Rollyo.com, created a search with a few of my favorite web design sites, and placed my personalized search on my blog. I'm anxious to see how it works out. If you are a graphic designer who is designing for the Web, you might find it useful. Try it out.

The Library Thing

2009-06-19T13:35:00.009-04:00

Ever wish you could keep track of your favorite books without having to add a wing to your house?

Lots of folks are now using Amazon's Kindle reader. My daughter keeps a wish list on the Amazon site. The wish list is especially useful around birthday and Christmas times. But if you want to find opportunities to discuss your favorite books with others who like the same books, you might want to check out Library Thing. I just found out about it today, so I've only had time to add a few favorites. I recommend checking it out.

Lego Momma

2009-06-19T12:32:00.005-04:00

I imagined myself as a Lego momma today using the Mini-Mizer. I plan on showing this image generator to one of my grandson. He loves Lego Star Wars, and would probably get a kick out of creating the Star Wars characters.

Still Exploring RSS feeds

2009-06-19T11:06:00.004-04:00

Wow! I really like www.topix.net. The site is well organized. The default home page automatically loads the news for my local area. The site is very easy to navigate— real easy to spend too much time wandering from post to post, I'm afraid. I found a good RSS in the OTHER TOPICS/SciTech News section for Apple. Since I’ve been a diehard Macintosh user since 1985, I thought that adding a feed to my Bloglines account to keep up with Apple news would be a good idea.

I tried to check out Feedster, but the site wouldn't come up. Syndic8.com needs to have their site redesigned. I have nothing more to say about Syndic8.

I'm looking forward to spending more time at Technorati. Hope to find some art, graphic design, and web design blogs to add to my blog roll.

News Aggregators and Blog Rolls

2009-06-19T09:13:00.003-04:00

I just got a Yahoo account in order to try out Bloglines. I already had an iGoogle page with all my favorite news sites. Today I started a blog roll of my favorite blogs on my personal blog. I have a Facebook account on which I can add more RSS options if I please.

I don't even like to watch the national news on television— way too much politics, exaggerated sensationalism, gloom and doom, and a whole lot of nonsense! Can I just be a hermit instead? There are crazy people out there!

I think the solution is to pick one place on the Web to go to for all my favorite topics and sites of interest. I just haven't figured out where that is yet.

Scary droid

2009-06-18T14:06:00.003-04:00

I clicked on an avatar a few minutes ago, and it took me to a site called SitePal. I checked out the demo and an animated character started talking. I found it to be bit creepy. I think it might have been because her eyes were open just a little too wide; you know, kind of like she was hyped up on speed. Scary!

Flickr Comic Strips

2009-06-18T13:45:00.006-04:00

In exploring Flickr Web Applications I found the Bubblr comic strip too enticing not to try it out. the search function was little frustrating. I think image tags must be extremely subjective. Anyway, it was fun! If you want to see my first attempt at a Web 2.0 comic strip, take a look at Web 2.0 by web2momma

Louie the Wonder Dog

2009-06-18T09:12:00.006-04:00

I have always liked the companionship of dogs. They listen to you when no one else will. They always accept you for who you are. My dogs have always been glad to see me when I come home from work. Once I had a dog who actually learned to speak a little English. She could say “Hello” when I came home from work. Sure, it wasn't enunciated clearly, but it was close enough that I understood it. She could also say “water” and “braunschweiger". Braunschweiger Liver Sausage was her favorite treat.

Today, I want to share some photos of my friend Louie the Wonder Dog. I just started a Flickr account as part of my “23 Things” Web 2.0 learning experience, and so I uploaded some recent photos of Louie. Louie is by far the most charming and engaging canine friend I've ever known. I'm sure I'll share more about Louie with you in later posts, but right now, I just want you to take a look at the photos I've posted of him at www.flickr.com/photos/web2momma. Enjoy!

I am a Lifelong Learner

2009-06-17T14:47:00.004-04:00

I love learning! Life is much more interesting if you are actually interested. I also love teaching— been teaching ever since my baby sister was born when I was two. As I got older I discovered that the best way to muster enough self-discipline to keep learning complex new skills was to commit myself to teaching someone else. Nothing like a commitment to someone else to keep me going! I've been teaching oil painting since 1998. Working with my students has been a real blessing. I love to see their excitement when they learn something new. It isn't just the personal gratification that keeps me going though. Sometimes I surprise myself by what come out of my mouth when a student asks me a particularly challenging question. I find myself expressing opinions that I never knew I had. I learn a lot about myself in those moments. Verbalizing my thought and opinions make them more real, and more specific.

I thought you might enjoy seeing this painting I did of me and my sister from on old black and white photo from my parents’ photo collection.

Design Principles

2009-02-25T13:22:00.002-05:00

Communication, whether it is visual patterns, written form, or auditory rhythms, is design. Some design principles apply to all mediums. Let's explore a few basic design principles by asking some simple questions.

1. Who is your audience?
All communication must be designed for the specific audience for which it is intended.

2. What is your purpose?
You must understand what message you are trying to communicate, and how you want your audience to feel. Once you know your purpose, then you can start creating content, and developing a hierarchy of information so your audience understands the intent of your message.

I'm still around

2008-12-15T16:31:00.002-05:00

I'm still around. I'm just not blogging at the moment. Unless ranting counts. I hope to join the blogosphere again in the near future. Right now, it's all I can do to keep my head above the daily grind. I'll be back when I have the time and energy to actually think about something before saying it.

Use Visuals to Communicate Faster

2008-09-12T08:59:00.000-04:00

We would all like to think that our websites (or blogs) have such compelling information that visitors will take the time to browse and read our articles. The brutal truth is that visitors spend 30 seconds or less scanning a webpage. If they can't find what they are looking for, they leave the page. Photos, or other visuals, can be a very effective way to catch and hold visitor attention.

Studies strongly indicate that the same message can be communicated faster by using visuals. Visuals also enhance retention and increase understanding. People retain visual images far longer than the written, or spoken word. If the information is of a complex nature, it may be necessary to communicate visually as well as verbally to even be understood. The visual must contain sufficient, accurate information, but too much information can be confusing or tiring. Remember, it is important to communicate your message to the audience as quickly as possible.

When choosing a visual image ask these questions:
• Is it relevant?
• Does it add information and/or reinforce written content?
• Does it illustrate a single subject?
• Is it clear and easy to understand?

Web Design is problem-solving

2008-09-11T14:21:00.001-04:00

Web design is an analytical and disciplined form if problem solving. The goal of Web product design is to define the sites entire function, as well as its form. Within all the disciplines involved in bringing a Web product to life, design is what speaks to consumers. Great design is communication that speaks clearly to potential consumers - from the site's interface and information architecture to the advertisements that promote the site.

A website needs a clear message. It needs personality. Many sites "designed by committee" lack power. They are trying to say too many things to to many people. A good design speaks with a single voice. It answers the questions: What is this product? How do I use it? Why should I care? A strong design lead can visualize a product's personality; they can describe it, and they can translate it into product specifications and requirements.