March 4th, 2010
At present, I am working on integration of a number of portals into one single seamless experience. As of now, each of these portals have a different look and feel, with its own Information Architecture and are even built on different technologies. The main issue here is that in addition to the design, content too, is not consistent.
While Portal A is a repository of documents and templates, Portal B provides a number of reports and metrics on performance of products and services. Portal C acts more as a HelpDesk portal.
Certainly, the purpose of each of these portals are unique and different from one another. Users accessing these portals expect information to displayed to suit their needs. While Portal A can be designed like a document management system, Portal B would be better of with a dashboard like look-and-feel, similar to google analytics or the likes.
Good wireframes need good content
This is where Wireframes can provide a good visual aid to what the final design may look like. Wireframes are excellent for creating quick mock-ups of form, functionality and content. At the same time it also gives an opportunity to know what the information on would look like on the real thing. However, it is important to note that wireframes fail if the dummy content is not representative of the actual data. Using “Lorem Ipsum…” text every ads little value to your wireframe design.
One of the key take-away working on this project was the importance of getting stakeholders to sign-off on the content during the wireframe stage itself. Though it may seem difficult and content may not be 100% ready, it is important to convey to stakeholders what and how content would be presented on the website. This is specially true if you are working on multilingual websites or web applications.
In this case, Portal B had tabular data that looked great in wireframes, in English. Translating the data to German or Norwegian did not make it look as pretty. Hence the need to get a sign-off or atleast gain some approval on content.
Too often in our enthusiasm to get the look and feel right, we forget that Content makes up for one of the primary deliverables. Content planning (what, why) and delivery (How, When, Where) is key to design so next time when you are creating those pretty wire-frames inserting “Lorem Ipsum….” pause, think is this good content?
Think. Content does influence design.
Tags: Content Strategy, Search Engine Optimisation, usability, user experience design, Wireframe Design
Posted in Business Management, Design, Online Marketing, User Experience | No Comments »
September 3rd, 2009
A good list of wireframe tools/software at http://garmahis.com/reviews/wireframe-tools/
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May 20th, 2009
Sometimes you come across articles that make you go “Huh! Wish someone told me that earlier” . Here are two that will help you create highly secure, usable and easy to remember passwords.
Hope these help you to create usable, secure and easy to remember passwords 
Tags: easy to rememeber passwords, password, password tips, password usability, secure passwords, usability, Usable passwords
Posted in Technology, User Experience | No Comments »
May 11th, 2009
You may have already heard or read on numerous blogs and online portals the various methods to increase ranking on search results. Most of these articles, if not all, focus on SEO and optimising pages or content for search engine spiders. But, what about the User?
Search Engine Optimisation (SEO) is not about optimising for these Google bots or XYZ search engine but more about optimising for humans, for users – your target audience. Here is what I call, Audience Based Optimisation (ABO), comes in.
Read the rest of this entry »
Tags: Better SEO, HTML Alternate text, HTML TITLE element, Keyword density, Online Marketing, Search Engine Optimisation, SEO, the title tag vs title attribute, usability, user experience design
Posted in Business Management, Online Marketing, User Experience | No Comments »
May 6th, 2009
Finally succeeded in downgrading flash player from version 10 to flash player version 9. I had reached a point where I was pulling my hair out and then I found this gem on Adobe’s website – Technote kb402435 .
I tried the following steps to install a lower version of the flash player
- Uninstall all flash player versions using the flash player uninstaller
- Rebooted the computer
- Disabled access to the internet/network
- re-installed an older version of the flash player
- Rebooted the computer again
All browsers, except for Internet Explorer 7 (IE 7), accepted the flash player. IE7 as usual gave me a hard time. This was primarily because of the ActiveX used by IE.
To resolve this, all I had to do was type the following in the command line
uninstall_flash_player.exe /clean
A detailed explaination can be found at Adobe’s website – Technote kb402435 – Safe versions security restrictions when installing Flash Player (Internet Explorer on Windows).
Additional resource that may help
Technote 14157
How to uninstall the Adobe Flash Player plug-in and ActiveX control
Technote 19166
Troubleshoot Adobe Flash Player installation for Windows
Tags: downgrade flash player, Flash player activeX, install lower version flash player, Uninstall Flash player
Posted in Design, Development, Technology | No Comments »
March 30th, 2009
Ever wanted an application that would help put your thoughts down in a more logical sense? or searched on world wide web for a tool that would help you visualise a work flow or an idea?
If that was a yes “nod” to all those questions then this article titled “Hive Five: Five Best Mind Mapping Applications” by Jason Fitzpatrick at lifehacker.com may just be what you are looking for.
Posted in General, Technology | No Comments »
March 24th, 2009
There are two days in every week about which we should not worry,
two days which should be kept free from fear and apprehension.
One of these days is Yesterday with all its mistakes and cares,
its faults and blunders, its aches and pains.
Yesterday has passed forever beyond our control.
All the money in the world cannot bring back Yesterday.
We cannot undo a single act we performed;
we cannot erase a single word we said.
Yesterday is gone forever.
The other day we should not worry about is Tomorrow
with all its possible adversities, its burdens,
its large promise and its poor performance;
Tomorrow is also beyond our immediate control.
Tomorrow’s sun will rise,
either in splendor or behind a mask of clouds, but it will rise.
Until it does, we have no stake in Tomorrow,
for it is yet to be born.
This leaves only one day, Today.
Any person can fight the battle of just one day.
It is when you and I add the burdens of those two awful eternities
Yesterday and Tomorrow that we break down.
It is not the experience of Today that drives a person mad,
it is the remorse or bitterness of something which happened Yesterday
and the dread of what Tomorrow may bring.
Let us, therefore, Live but one day at a time.
Author Unknown
I came across this poem in our local church bulletin. It sure gave me something to think about.
what about you?
Tags: inspiration, inspirational poem, one day at a time, Wisdom
Posted in Knowledge and Wisdom | No Comments »
March 11th, 2009
‘SixthSense’ is a wearable gestural interface that augments the physical world around us with digital information and lets us use natural hand gestures to interact with that information.
Quote from wired.com
Students at the MIT Media Lab have developed a wearable computing system that turns any surface into an interactive display screen. The wearer can summon virtual gadgets and internet data at will, then dispel them like smoke when they’re done.
Watch video of student Pranav Mistry who is described as the brains behind the project. Mistry wears the device on a lanyard around his neck, with coloured Magic Marker caps on four fingers (red, blue, green and yellow) which helps the camera distinguish the four fingers and recognise his hand gestures with software that he created.
More at the SixthSense website.
Posted in Technology, User Experience | No Comments »
March 7th, 2009
In my earlier post I mentioned that it is not possible to send multiple text messages from an iPhone 3G. I stand corrected. Sending SMS/Text messages to multiple contacts is possible on the iPhone. The user interface is not intuitive, leaving users perplexed when trying to send SMS/Text messages to multiple contacts.
Here is how you can send SMS/ Text message to multiple contacts/people:
- Tap the SMS icon on the Home screen
- Once in the SMS application, Tap the write message icon
- Tap the “Plus sign” to add a contact
- A list of contact is displayed
- Tap on the contact you want to send the SMS/Text message to.
- Contact is displayed as SMS/Text message recipient
- To add another contact Tap anywhere in the the area as shown (Yellow area marked in the image.)
- A “plus sign” should now appear
- Tap the “Plus sign” to add more contacts.
There, I hope this helps.
cheers!
Tags: Apple iPhone, iPhone, iPhone 3G, iPhone features, SMS, Text message, usability, user interface
Posted in Design, Technology, User Experience | 19 Comments »
February 25th, 2009
The iPhone 3G and what it lacks for SMS/Text messaging:
- No Copy/Paste feature
- No SMS/Text Forwarding facility
- No facility to SMS/Text multiple recipients
- No Character count
- SMS Preview a privacy concern (can be turned off but a bit cumbersome to do so)
For the good parts, the iPhone 3G does have some pretty useful applications available. I have been using the Map application and Twitterific extensively. Also, the WiFi allows me to check emails, use Twitter, Facebook, download podcasts directly to my iPhone, all using my internet connection at home. This way I save on the data usage allocated by my service provider and can use it on the road the next time I’m lost again
Inspite of the groovy look, useful applications, the iPhone does lack many standard and “usable” features. In fact most of these are not “features” but basic facilities that make the experience a tad bit better.
For one, the iPhone 3G lacks the basic copy/paste functionality. I wanted to insert a contact into the text message and just could not do it. Had to memories the number and insert it.
Next, the “Forward” feature is absent on the iPhone. Which means you really can not forward text messages to your friends. Add to it you cannot send text messages to multiple recipients. Nor does it have the familiar “Sent messages”. The iPhone 3G lists text messages as conversations so I guess this could be one reason for Apple to leave out “Sent Messages”, which I think is fair enough. Though at times I would love to delete just certain bits of conversation rather than the entire conversation.
The iPhone 3G also lacks the character count feature. So when you type your text message you really don’t know if you have reached the message limit. Recently, in my enthusiasm, I sent a number of messages to my mates, which they received in two parts. Since there is no character count on the iPhone I merrily sent messages without realising I was over the standard limit.
One annoying feature, and one that I think is a privacy concern is the SMS preview feature on the iPhone 3G. Imagine you are showing some one a cool app or your iPhone when a private, personal text message is displayed. Now that could be embarrassing. But the iPhone does precisely that. It displays part of the text message when you receive one. The only way to turn off SMS preview on the iPhone is to enable the Passcode Lock. I discovered this only by accident. Most of the feature on the iPhone is an “accidental discovery” path to efficient use . Coming back to the privacy issue, enabling the Passcode Lock means entering a password every time you want to use your iPhone. So the work around is really cumbersome. Turning off SMS preview on the iPhone now displays incoming text messages with the senders name and “Text Message” written below it.
Some would argue that you could do all of the above via email on the iPhone. But, not everyone on my contact list has email access on their phones. And I certainly don’t want to use email to inform my mates to meet me two blocks away for beer. I’d rather forward them a text message.
So yes, the iPhone does look all nice and sexy on the surface, but it does lack these small features that make life a lot more easier. I hope, in the next upgrade they do consider these basic standard features thats available on even the most basic phones.
Ah! My Motorola L6, I do miss you.
Tags: Apple iPhone, iPhone, iPhone 3G, iPhone features, iPhone Privacy, SMS, SMS preview, Text message, usability, user interface
Posted in Design, Technology, User Experience | No Comments »