Ruizd2's Blog

Disconnected

ruizd2 — Sat, 21 Nov 2009 06:40:21 +0000

Obviously as designers we could not get our work done without computers….at least within the time constraints that we are used to by now. I was speaking to a very old (I think he’s in his 80′s) designer and he was reminiscing about when he used to have to perfect his lettering skills to arrive at a good, solid design solution. When he was telling me all of this I felt lucky to live in this technology driven era where the computer=efficiency. Don’t get me wrong, I am not really a computer person and I would much rather read or even watch TV than surf the web (do people still use this expression?) all day, but as a designer the computer is definitely an essential tool.

The film is interesting in that it makes us wonder what it would be like. Again, difficult for us but maybe a good idea to make interactions with our friends and family more personal.

Flash Storyboard

ruizd2 — Mon, 16 Nov 2009 08:07:39 +0000

We are planning on having flashing images on our “hike/trail” page. Also, we will make sliding pages for some of the products like the shoes and bagpacks. We don’t want to overuse flash effects. We feel these two effects actually contribute to the general appeal of the site.

Accessability

ruizd2 — Mon, 09 Nov 2009 20:34:05 +0000

I’m glad we got to read about this. I think people with certain disabilities and their needs are often overlooked. I read the article that Krug suggested and it had a lot of interesting information. I do have to say that I wish they (Theofanos and Redish) would’ve made “It is morally the right thing to do” their number one reason for making sites more accessible and “It’s good business” and “The number of people with disabilities and income to spend is likely to increase” their last.

Some things I learned:

Make content clear and obvious; use bulleted lists to avoid annoying repetition of “decorative bulleted image”; write main point and keywords at the beginning of paragraph; don’t put too many links on a page; write two words instead of one (i.e for “home page”) because the software often mispronounces words that are not clear. The article listed many other points.

Back to Krug’s chpter, he also suggests we read a book about accessibility, to use css, and implement specific changes in our HTML coding like adding alt text and using JavaScript only when truly necessary.

online store

ruizd2 — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 21:44:45 +0000

Usability

ruizd2 — Mon, 26 Oct 2009 20:35:17 +0000

Krug begins the chpt with focus groups and how they are not ideal for usability testing. Usability testing involves one person at a time going through a site or prototype and not being influenced by other test takers which seems to be the case with focus groups.

It makes sense to test a site. Even if it’s a friend, we can ask them to be honest and really stress to them that their input will help us improve our projects. Krug says that one of his live testings resulted in a company saving $100,00! He also states that testing doesn’t have to cost too much if a company is on a budget and lists a number of options to save money.

When building a site, it is important to remember not to design it just for the target audience as they are not the only ones who are going to use it. There are some exceptions to this: for example, designing a site specifically geared towards women/men or towards people with a certain knowledge that is not shared with the rest of the public.

Finally, Krug lists the most common problems we’ll find after reviewing the test: 1. Users are unclear of the concept. The words they’re looking for aren’t there and 3. There’s too much going on. We will be tempted to add information to solve the issues but STOP! Sometimes leaving things out clears up the problem.

chpts. 7 & 8

ruizd2 — Mon, 19 Oct 2009 20:45:30 +0000

A home page has to appeal to all types of people…this is so important and true! It’s that one part of the site that everybody can’t miss. Krugs also talks about taglines and how, good ones, really are effiecient. Another thing that stood out is that just because we like certain aspects of a website, doesn’t mean everybody will. As designers we are naturally attracted to a good looking site but this doesn’t mean that somebody w/out a sense of design will look for the same in a website.

chpts 5 & 6

ruizd2 — Mon, 12 Oct 2009 20:18:16 +0000

The first chpt explains how happy talk (usually introductory pages that talk about the site/company) and instructions must “die.” I agree, especially with instructions. I don’t like having to read a long list of instructions when they can be summed up in one sentence. I usually, skip them and figure things out myself…this takes less time for me.

The next chapter begins by comparing a dept store to a website. It states two purposes of navigation: “to help us find whatever it is we’re looking for, and to tell us where we are.” It also tells us what’s on the site and how to use the site. It talks about sections, subsections and utilities as conventions of navigating through the web. Krug also explains that the designer should make it obvious to the user where in the site they are. Using subtle indicators is not going to work…make it stand out. Breadcrumbs, if designed correctly, are a good way of indicating where you are on the site. Using “you are here” at the beginning of the breadcrumb section as well as using the “>” sign and making the last word bold is the correct way to do this.

Tabs are a great way of making a website “navigable.” In his opinion, “They’re self-evident, hard to miss and they’re slick.” I’m the type of person who glances at pages first and if it is not obvious to me where I’m going to find what I need, I go on to the next site….well, I probably end up going through the site a second time, but having tabs would solve this problem.

newsletter options; refined versions; link to final site

ruizd2 — Mon, 05 Oct 2009 18:57:47 +0000

options:

refined versions:

pg 1 pg 2 pg 3 pg 4 pg 5 pg 6 pg 7

final website:

device

logo options:

logos

Don’t Make Me Think

ruizd2 — Sat, 03 Oct 2009 00:41:30 +0000

This book is about designing websites for the average, or even less than average user. These first four chapters take us through several scenarios of how a person might have difficulty finding what they’re looking for; either because they are so distracted by all the “clutter” on the page, or because they’re not sure exactly how to get to where they want. To me, the fourth chapter stood out the most because I think visual hierarchy plays a huge role in making a page clear. In chapter one, he mentioned that a button should look clickable, and I agree…after all, the point is to make everything obvious for the user, but I also think that if there’s enough visual hierarchy on the page, it should be obvious for the user to click on that particular spot on the page to get to the next level.

Krugs also mentions that many people won’t just leave the website if it isn’t clear at first glance. Well I do, and I assumed everyone else did too! But apparently not, so I guess it’s an interesting statement….I’m sure if I think about that, it’ll make me want to make better/more interesting websites. So that’s my plan for “device.” I’ll try my best to make the visual hierarchy obvious and I’ll try to make pages fun and interesting.

Competitive Sites; Concept; Content List; Site Map; Wireframes

ruizd2 — Wed, 30 Sep 2009 05:52:27 +0000

Art Center College I like the look of the site but I also like that it is very user friendly. Everything is straight forward but at the same time it is nice to navigate in.

ARTnews Magazine As I browse through google’s list of art magazines the ones that catch my eye are the one’s that are not full of clutter. This site is very clean-looking and again, very user friendly. Every page is read from top to bottom/ left to right and this makes it “pleasant” to go through.

Communication Arts Even though this site is full of images and text, it still works for me. There is enough design hierarchy that my eye doesn’t jump all over the page.

ArtReview This site have a very structured look to it. I like the fonts they used and the fact that they are small gives the whole space some room to breath. At the same time it is legible. I also like the hints of color used for the lines to separate each section.

Netdiver Very clean-looking but at the same time, it provides a lot of information as you scroll down. Very straigh-forward and easy to navigate.

Concept: This on-line newsletter will offer information about the design program to current and prospective students of design. User-friendliness is the main goal as far as the design of the website. As I was doing research of other sites, the ones that made me stop and browse through were the ones with less clutter, therefore, it is very important to have enough negative space within the content of each page. A well structured page with good hierarchy in terms of design is also important in trying to get the visitors’ attention.

Content List:

Articles; Upcoming Events; Faculty Bios; Where Are They Now?; Hot Design Firms; Design Student Quotes; Concentration Info.

Site Map:

Wire Frames: