Godaddy.com… Good design or Bad design?

  Web-hosting has become a very big business in the online world. There are many companies out there that offer a variety of packages including hosting, web-design, custom domains, email, and traffic builders. With all these options available, it can become very overwhelming to introduce this new way of establishing your own online identity, whether it be for business or personal use. To someone who is just starting to familiarize themselves with the World Wide Web, a web-site that has a lot going on all at once may force some potential customers to look else where. One site that comes to mind is www.godaddy.com. An obvious thing about godaddy.com is the “official” web-site feel it has. The website is organized with buttons along the top that allow users to quickly access the selection they wish to gain more information about. At first glance, it seems as if your stay here is going to be an informative one, and it can be, if you know what you’re looking for. Graphically, it has great visual appeal, but I think it lacks organization. Granted, it is organized but too busy. If I was trying to start an online business, I would be able to navigate around the site easy after studying it carefully. It is no surprise that we live in a world that demands instant gratification, where most consumers want everything yesterday. All the information available on godaddy.com is useful; I don’t see the average consumer wanting to read everything that is contained within the site. They just want a web site. With that said, godaddy.com could make their website a little more appealing and user friendly to those of use who have no idea what to do first.  To some, I would image that the style of this site would make the visitor feel rushed into getting the process over with. The colors on the website are very loud and give a feel of commotion, much like the one you get from shopping in a big box store such as the “Home Depot”, which utilizes the color orange to make customers speed along their shopping experience by the get in, get out method. This type of rushing I would imagine would cause a lot of customer service issue down the road. But maybe that is the goal. Get the numbers and then solve the issues later. Whatever the goal or intended audience maybe for godaddy.com, I think re-constructing the website to be less confusing with options, options, options, would benefit them long term. What do you think?

Consider this…notes on web design

People read the internet differently than they do printed material. Your web site should be an extension of your organization that examines “challenging questions about an organization, its administrative operations, the way it delivers services to its constituency, and even how it defines that constituency (Grunwald, pg.1) If you let the structure of your organization drive your web site plan your web site will be boring. There is a proper way of constructing a web site, like starting with a site specification and continuing through the steps from there. Failure to do so will result in a lackluster representation of your organization.

 

By establishing goals for your web site, you can expect better results. A web site is an ongoing work in progress and without proper planning of what your web site will entail can result in a flop. It is important to properly set goals for your web site since these will become the foundation of your design.  Your goals should include “specific strategies around which the Web site will be designed, how long the site design, construction, and evaluation periods will be, and specific quantitative and qualitative measures of how the success of the site will be evaluated (Lynch/Horton, pg.2)

           

If you are not aware of your audience, relaying information effectively will become a big issue. By knowing your audience, you can structure your web site with the knowledge and expectations of your viewers. Most importantly, you need to be aware that your audience may vary from novice to expert. With this in mind, it is vital to structure your web site with the correct amount of information to accommodate your audiences’ preference.

 

The hardest part of completing a web site is gathering content and making sure it has been constructed properly. During the construction process, it is important to repeatedly check each page for functionality and usability. It is also important to make sure that the links are working and a full test of the site is completed by several individuals outside of your project coordinators. This ensures that your site works and is free of errors. Not fully testing your sites functionality, HTML, links, and visuals aids will result in unplanned results. You should not market your site or post the URL until a thorough testing of your site has been completed. Another factor to consider is making sure your site is designed and coded in manageable code. It is critical to understand how your site was coded by the web developer or designer. Failing to do so can make it difficult in the future to rewrite code or read code for maintence purposes.

 

 

The most important thing to keep in mind after your web site is complete is tracking and maintence. Keeping an eye on who visits your web site is a key factor in developing new and editing existing content. This helps keep your web site interesting and up to date. Maintaining your site is also very important. Links on your site need to be checked periodically to ensure that they are working. Just assuming they work once does not guaranntee them to work consistently. Once you build an audience it is important to keep them interested by keeping the site tidy. Moreover, don’t forget to back up your site or archive it on a secure storage device. Not doing this could result in lose of your web site and its data. Make sure to backup or archive your pages.

 

Site specification is like your blueprint to your web site. Your site specification should list out everything contained within your site including an estimate of   how long it shall take to complete the site, cost, and how you will measure your success. This comes in handy to keep your project focused and with in the scope of the project.

 

Citations:

 

Lynch/Horton,  Web Site Design Process from the Web Style Guide. 2002 http://www.webstyleguide.com/process/index.html

 

 

Grunwald, Terry Web Site Planning 12 June 1999

http://www.techsoup.org/howto/articlepage.cfm?ArticleId=293&topicid=13

What is the Web?

The internet was born out of the creation of ARPNET. ARPNET was a product of the Cold War that was developed by the Department of Defense in 1969. The US government wanted to make sure that highly sensitive information was confidentially transmitted in case of nuclear warfare It was created to safely transmit information to the small network that connected four western universities This allowed researchers at these universities to access the information and deliver it the government. This technology eventually started to grow over time and became known as the Internet.

 

            The internet has many uses that pertain to some form of entertainment and communication. Through the use of the internet we can talk to people from all over the world via a chat room or instant messaging service. This service can be great for people that have relatives in another part of the country or in another country all together. Instant messaging can help alleviate high phone bills and help people stay connected. Another function provided by the Internet is the ability to send electronic mail. The internet provides a connection to a network that enables information (e-mail) to be sent and received via that network. Through these network connections, the internet can also allow software to be updated that is installed on your computer. Most programs, such as Norton and Microsoft, require the user to occasionally update their products, ensuring that they are always running at the highest efficiency. Probably one of the most useful aspects of having the internet is the function of remote assistance. When you buy a new computer it has a feature built-in to it that allows another person to remotely access your computer through the internet. This comes in handy when you are having a hard time trouble shooting a particular problem. The user sends a signal to a help desk and a tech can access their computer through the internet using their IP address and remotely fix the problem.

           

            A web site is a collection of web pages found on the World Wide Web that is accessible through the internet. Web sites share the same domain name or sub-domain. A web page is a document that is viewable on the web via HTML/XML technology. HTML/XML is a mark up language that allows web sites and their web pages to have visual and layout elements, helping to make them more attractive.

 

            W3C and the World Wide Web was developed by Tim Berners-Lee. W3C stands for World Wide Web Consortium which is an “international consortium where Member organizations, a full-time staff, and the public work together to develop Web standards. W3C’s mission is:

            To lead the World Wide Web to its full potential by developing protocols and guidelines that ensures long-term growth for the Web.

 

            W3C’s entire purpose has been to dedicate their time an efforts in keeping the web a functioning part of the internet. Since no one owns the internet, the functionality of the World Wide Web provides access to a lot of useful information and entertainment. This is why W3C was created with the help of the public. There are organizations all over the world that partake in the W3C. Members from many different backgrounds all work together to ensure that the Web will continually be part of our internet growing future.

 

            HTML stands for Hyper Text Mark-up Language. HTML is a language that is used to create web pages. It is the way we give web pages the structure required to be able to view them online. HTML is responsible for deciding where images are placed, how text is layed out, and it can also be embedded with scripting language that can dictate how we view the web through our web browsers.

            HTML was created by Tim Berners-Lee inn 1990 based off of the principles set out by SGML (Standard Generalized Mark-up Language). SGML was “an internationally agreed upon method for marking up text into structural units such as paragraphs, headings, list items and so on.” (Raggett) Lee used the functions of SGML to build the HTML language as we know it today. This is seen as an ingenious idea since others would have created a new language instead. Lee was innovative enough to use SGML as a foundation and take that and transform it into the standard for constructing web pages.

 

            CSS or cascading stye sheets is a stylesheet language that is added to HTML or XML. CSS was designed to enable seperation of content contained in the same web page. 

CSS primarily adds style to a web page such as fonts, colors, spacing, etc. It is a language that allows multiple web pages to look similar without the content getting redundant and makes designing mulitple pages easier.

 

            A graphical user interface or GUI is an interface that is designed using graphical elements such as images along with text and widgets that allow the user to interact with the content they are engaging. For example, Microsoft Windows XP is a graphical user interface. In order for Windows to operate it needs the user to interact with it by moving the mouse and clicking on the desired function. For the most part a GUI is any application that incorporates graphics and text in a way that promotes the user being in control.

 

            Interactive content can range from online games to virtual tours. Content that is interactive requires the participation of the user. It is a way for the user to interact with the information they seek. Some examples of interactive content are online newspapers that provide audio and video aids in addition to the story, virtual tours of places you may want to visit, online audio and art galleries, online polls, gaming, animation, and even timelines that contain audio and video enhancements. Interactive content is primarily anything that is added to the functionality of a web page, in respect to the content in which a user is required for it to function.

 

Sources & Citations:

 

http://cactus.eas.asu.edu/partha/Columns/05-07-IntenetHistory.htm

http://en.wikipedia.org/

http://www.w3.org/Consortium/

http://www.w3.org/People/Raggett/book4/ch02.html

http://www.webopedia.com/TERM/G/Graphical_User_Interface_GUI.html

http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/interactive/

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Orphan Photos and YOU!

    The Orphan Works Act passed by Congress last year entitles anyone that makes a reasonable attempt to find the creator of a piece of work and comes up empty handed, is allowed to use the image with no financial obligation. Want to keep your works safe? Make sure you fill out those little description boxes in your editing programs such as Photoshop. When your images are placed on the web, millions have access to them and as long as you credit yourself your work can not become orphaned. Read more…

The Steampunk Keyboard… Mod Design

Design can take many shapes. Sometimes those shapes are altered to make new and much more interesting shapes. Isambard “Jake” von Slatt, better known as Jake, runs a website showcasing his passion for modification art and design. He has been featured in Make Magazine and the Aether Emporium for his masterpieces. Jake is a big fan of creating and tinkering with gadgets and gizmo’s. His most recent mod of a 1989 IBM model M keyboard is complete with brass and typewriter style keys, making this mod a modern reproduction of how old technology has influenced new technology. It is a must see.

So you wanna make a flash game?

 

    Since the birth of the telegraph, the progression of technology has surpassed all expectations. Like never before we have access to information at the click of a button. In this world of instant gratification, the hands that feed us tend to dictate when and how we receive our daily fix. Being a firm believer of media serving its own agenda, the complications faced during my final project were more than disappointing. They were restricting.

We have all walked by a “Do Not Enter” sign and clearly understood its intentions, but something’s just don’t make any sense. Like limitations on services we pay for. Why should I have to wait for them to work out the kinks? Especially when I know the kinks were put there purposely.

My final project (chosen by Moi) was to develop a very simple Flash game and to load it on to a flash-enabled cell phone. For those of you who are not up to date with all the hub-bub in the cellular world, allow me to fill in the gaps, since as of late I am a self proclaimed expert.

First of all, Flash, a software that allows developers to design animation, games, and other interactive content, has recently teamed up with cellular giant Verizon wireless to introduce their new Flash enabled phones. What this means, in short, is consumers with the right equipment can download and play Flash games on their cell phones. Unlike many of its predecessors’, Flash delivers rich content over a smooth platform, making it stand out from the rest.

Flash, which is now owned by Adobe, recently introduced its new roll out of flash-enabled cellular devices on October 25, 2006 in a worldwide press release. The goal is to capture the market of emerging technologies in
North America before the competition does. Here is what vice president and chief marketing officer for Verizon Wireless John Stratton had to say, “At Verizon Wireless we recognize that an exciting and simple to use mobile experience will accelerate customer adoption of new data services now offered across our network. Our relationship with Adobe will help us deliver a rich, seamless and branded experience across mobile devices and at verizonwireless.com” (Stratton, Adobe.com, pg.1). This translates into setting the tone for the competition and fattening Verizon’s wallet. As told to me by a Verizon wireless representative, “Verizon is trying to cushion its existing users while attracting new subscribers from their competition.” I have to admit it’s brilliant. Only two other mobile carriers offer this type of technology, DTT DoCoMo and KDDI, both based out of
Japan. In comparison to mobile phone culture in
Japan, we are slow adapters. The mobile phone industry is booming and also a huge part of Japanese culture, mainly among teens. The mobile phone serves a wide variety of purposes for people of
Japan. Through their 3G service they can purchase drinks and snacks at vending machines, get detailed maps of buildings, and enjoy lightening fast downloads through the power of i-mode. Cell phones play such a big role that specialized clothing is on the market designed with custom pockets to carry mobile devices. In
Japan the mobile revolution is much more than fun and games, it is a necessary part of life.

During my project, I expected some hiccups but I was no where near prepared for the ride I was about to embark. Being a product of the 80’s, I grew up in what I remember as a very colorful and animated time. I would watch marathons of cartoons while drawing and coloring the images that raced through my mind. As a kid, I was fascinated with the art of animation. Coming from a graphic design background, learning Flash has always been a goal of mine. I figured what better way to learn the software than to throw myself into a Flash project. With the help of the Element K tutorials from Quinnipiac, and the mighty thick Flash book I bought, it wasn’t so bad. The game I made is a spin off of one I remember playing eons ago. My initial choice would have been something much more advanced like Donkey Kong. Unfortunately, due to my novice nature, I had to settle for simple and attractive. Even though there were minor bumps in the road during development, the big challenge arose with delivering the content. Now keep in mind, Adobe’s website plays a big role in contributing to confusion. The website does a good job sticking to some web standards but lacks big time in the navigation department. For some reason, it is easy to get confused about where you saw what, even though they use breadcrumb trails. I had a hard time remembering where certain pieces of information were and caught myself thinking way too much about where to click next. The information I was trying to gather should have stuck out like an old lady in leather chaps. Instead, I was forced to stumble from page to page trying to locate what I needed. Many times, the most logical places to click actually became the most obscure. This contributed to a lot of lost time and frustration. Obvious enough, Verizon and Adobe don’t have a good handle on this partnership what-so-ever.

After all, it is a new venture so giving them the benefit of the doubt thus far would seem fair. Oddly enough, I see it as feeling out the playing field. Most companies, particularly computer manufactures, produce faulty products and mark them down by serial number anticipating their return just so they can meet their quota. This type of structure helps with numbers but leaves the consumer feeling cheated. This seems to be the stage Verizon is at with the Flash release. I say this because of the experience I had trying to publish my Flash game. Now to properly distribute Flash content to Flash-enabled devices one must either submit content to Verizon wireless directly or to already contracted developers approved by Verizon. This content, once tested and approved, is then given a price structure and sent through Verizon’s BREW application for distribution. BREW, Binary Runtime Environment for Wireless, is an application developed by Verizon allowing consumers to view and purchase content through their wireless phones. Such features as “Get it Now” and “V-Cast” run on this software offering users access to a variety of content from ringbones to TV shows. This is the primary application used to distribute Flash content to flash-enabled phones.

When acquiring the information needed to complete this process, one major factor is licensing. Verizon will allow anyone to submit content for possible distribution providing you purchase the minimum of a 100 licenses for $400. Once I figured that out, this route was out of the question. Another option would be to purchase a flash-enabled device and Bluetooth the file over wireless to the phone. This seeming like the most logical option, I pursued this route. Recently, I was able to upgrade my niece’s phone on my account. Lucky enough the phone she has been dreaming of was flash-enabled. This was perfect, except there was one little problem, her new phone doesn’t support OBEX file transfer through Bluetooth. I discovered this after the purchase of the new phone. Through several hours of investigation I came across several articles posted by angry subscribers bashing the OBEX block. From what I gathered, Verizon blocked the transfer of files through Bluetooth so customers would be forced to purchase a data cable and software. At this point, it seemed like smart marketing. Well the data cable doesn’t work either. Come to find out file transfer is not an option on this phone. Throughout my investigation, phones which are Flash enabled do not allow file transfer and those that are do not support the Flash player. Masterfully, Verizon has covered every base to protect un-licensed content from being distributed and for good reason. Unbeknownst to me, cell phones are just as hack able as computers. Many advanced users can access secret menus and at the push of a few buttons crack codes and unlock features of the phones. This provides the hackers with access to subscription content for free; more importantly, this is major reason why Verizon is putting their foot down.

In the midst of my dilemma, I stumbled upon an article concerning a class action against Verizon involving another phone that had Bluetooth file transfers disabled. It seems to me Verizon’s mission to deliver Flash content to
North America has put a big clog in the drain. Users want freedom not limitations. All new mobile devices should be equipped with in demand features or have an option to purchase them. Furthermore, Verizon’s lock down of features keeps the market in their reins so they can work out the kinks and get a grip on what the people want. In the meantime I am still searching for a solution to my problem.

For the future, I hope a compromise that allows students, such as myself, the freedom to test a game on my phone, even if it requires a monthly fee. If the consumer feels in control the more likely they are to spend money. One thing we can expect to see in the near future is more customizable interactive content. Consumers enjoy the freedom of choices and like to participate in the process. Hey Verizon- Can you hear me now?

Citations:

www.Adobe.com

www.Verizonwireless.com

You left your structure on your plate… Eat up!

  Besides the cosmic amount of varying creative individuals out there, I have always been boggled by the lack of inconsistency throughout the web. Unknown to most surfers, there is a call to action going on to unite the web into a highly functional and user friendly environment. While hopping from site to site, and depending on the genre, you may stumble upon several types of structure. Most web sites completely ignore standards and conventions while others try desperately to abide. So where do we start to draw the line? How do we define where information goes and how it is perceived on the other end? Why do these protocols exist? Better yet, does anyone know the meaning of existence anyway? (Never mind that last one… I figured I could drop that in there.) The short answer is structure.

We need it to process information correctly, not to mention point out the obvious. Okay, so maybe things aren’t always obvious; that is why there are standards and conventions. These methods of structure exist to serve the immeasurable audience it conducts. Without it, the web would be a rompus room for extremely right brained creative’s’. We all know they can’t run loose or you can kiss your structure goodbye.

Truthfully, since the introduction of the web, designers have been on a permanent free for all. This has caused a lot of confusion. The amounts of web sites in business today don’t follow standards. Some incorporate a few while others ignore them all together. There is big controversy over the best approach. Being the web, many feel that it is our artistic right to design freely. But something has to be said for cavity causing eye candy and poor navigation. Sites that have amazing visuals tend to lack in the functionality area. I propose a fusion of these two theories.

Granted, visual aesthetics and standards are on opposite ends of the spectrum, they share a common bond; creativity. In order to produce an eye catching functional site, the individuals driving it need to have a keen sense of both methods. If we can merge both methodologies, the web will become a union of best practices. Considering both demands an extreme amount of creative energy and organization, this could be the marriage to save the state of the union.

(VOTE GAY MARRIAGE…oops wrong blog)

Anyways, the individuals responsible for infiltrating this phenomenon are Information Architects. They are responsible for ensuring “the structural design of shared information environments” in addition to “the art and science of organizing and labeling Web sites, intranets, online communities and software to support usability and findability” (Unknown, Hoffman, p.1).

I couldn’t have said it better myself… no really I couldn’t, hence the quote.

Currently, defending the purpose of having an Information Architect on your squad is highly debatable. Like any new job description, people tend to push back at what they don’t understand. Let’s be honest, most of us still don’t know what “WWW” stands for. Quite frankly, it’s sad that the internet has become its own bandwagon. If you can’t ride, don’t get on and if you can, be prepared to be thrown off. The web is constantly changing with emerging new technology and social platforms that even for a veteran, keeping up can be deteriorating.

The web is designed to connect a variety of characters, like-minded or otherwise, into a massive neighborhood set in virtual reality that fits neatly underneath a slab of wood with four legs. It is quite impressive yet still has a tendency to keep others out. Not everyone can afford a computer, even though they are relatively cheaper now, let alone the internet. In some ways, it can limit itself even though it is perceived as being limitless.

None the less, Information Architects are diving into the mess that has been made. They are on a mission of restructure and findability making the web a fun and safe place to visit for anyone. Thank the almighty being of creation, whoever or whatever that may be, for bestowing upon us this precious gift of Information Architects. With the help of this new field, structuring the web will be possible.

For now, we have to hope companies start to realize the importance of untangling this web we weave. We need to build it back up properly and expand our horizons. For tomorrow will be hard to find if they forget the site map.

Citations:

Hoffman, Allan Information Architects: Web Builders with a Sales Bent (2006)

Feelin’ Rusty??

Alright, designers here is your change to brush up some of your skillz and not to mention familiarize yourself with the interactive side of design. BioRust is a great site that provides tutorials and techniques for the serious designer. So if you want to learn something new or consult others with a similar passion, BioRust will be a hot spot you can digg!

so you wanna be a designer?…

Design. DeSiGn. dEsIgN. design. No matter how you lay it out, getting your foot in the door may very well be the frustation of your career. Just like many other competitive job fields, there is always someone ahead of you and usually less qualified. Mind you half the people that will interview you for a graphic design or other art related position, has no clue what it is you do. Almost a year ago, I interviewed with a staffing agencey. They agreed to get me gigs in exchange for owning me and anything I created for a year. Please don’t sell yourself short. These type of jobs are great for networking and gaining some experience under your belt but you could do the exact same thing freelance and share zero of your earnings. It may seem intimidating at first but once you get going the experience can be very rewarding. In a world full of self proclaimed designers, it is important to set yourself apart from the rest. Make sure to keep up to date on current trends in design, software, and technique. It is good practice to try out new things and network with like minded indivduals. Most importantly, don’t give up. If you believe in your talent and are passionate about your work, success is part of the equation.

Stroke THIS!

Stroke is more than just design terminology… it is a way to leave your mark.