Vacation

I will be spending some time in the great Northwest part of the continent. We are embarking on a land-sea tour of Seattle-Alaska. I look forward to the great experience of seeing such a beautiful part of the world. As such, I will be unplugging from the grid and look forward to updates when I return. Happy Independence Day to America.

World Wide Web

I have had Google Analytics running on this site for just over a week. It is interesting to take a look at the voluminous reports you can create as you analyze your site and the traffic it generates. In the week that I have had it running, I have come to discover more and more what a small planet we have and the need to communicate better through intelligent means like the web. This is a screen grab of some of the locations from where you hail.

I have visitors from North & South America, the European Union, Asia and from the land down under. Just under half of the traffic to this site has been from non-English speaking countries; Japan, Malaysia, Slovakia, Italy, Germany, etc. As I write these opinions, insights, tutorials, they seemed to make their way around the globe and back again.

Although I have been designing sites for about 10 years now, seeing some of this data presented in this manner makes the world a little closer to Central Florida. What type of design seems to be driving your markets? What are some of the issues facing your businesses as they try to adapt new technologies to their processes? How collaborative is your design process with your clients? I would love to hear from you and learn more about how good design is impacting your world.

Methodology explained - Part II design

In the second phase, of a 5 phase process for developing any project, we start working on the design of the site. The design will incorporate much more than just how the site will ultimately look. The design refers to the structural integrity of the information architecture as well as the aesthetics of the visual design. In order to develop an appropriately immersive experience to solve my client’s problem we begin, as they say, at the beginning.

Per the project’s requirements we have an answer, meaning what we hope the site to accomplish, but now we have to define the question…how to engage the visitor to the site to gain the insight we are offering and convert them to the task(s) assigned? When the project has been defined with all of the requirements are laid out and tasks have been assigned, the next phase is to design the site. This design process will incorporate many steps but the most important are: card sort, flowchart, wireframes and the creative conceptual development.

I had previously mentioned iPragma’s XSort, a great piece of software designed to aid in running a card sort, which can be used in this first step of the design phase. If you have never participated in a card sort, it is exactly as its name sounds; sorting cards. Originally using note-cards, you would label all of the sections and elements of the site and have volunteers organize these cards into a logical assemblage of sections/subsections to create an interactive process. Through multiple rounds patterns begin to emerge on the most logical flow for the site will present itself. XSort allows this to be done all on the Mac, and track some more information during the process. Both are valid means to perform this task, with advantages for each.

With all of the insight we obtain from the card sort, we create a flowchart for the site. This site will be the blueprint for the site and has to be vetted to insure that it will guide our user along a logical path to complete the project’s requirements. Other items are also added to the flow of the site; boilerplate items like privacy policies, terms & conditions, etc.

When the flowchart has been accepted by all parties, we then move on to the wireframe of the pages. Now I am sure you may be asking, when do you actually draw anything? The visual design of any site is of great importance to the success of the site, but so is the information architecture and these steps are followed in order to create a visually appealing and user-centric site that meets the client’s goals. The wireframes allow us to place all of the information on the page to structure the and balance the page(s). Defining primary sell spaces, as well as secondary and tertiary messages that support the project’s requirements as well as are in line with the brand messaging of the client.

Up ‘til now we have “spoken” about the site in broad strokes. There has been due diligence to insure the site will allow the user to be in control of their visit, while also getting our client’s message across. Now we get to the visual design of the site. There are many things to consider when design a site, most important are brand standards. Clients spend a lot of time and money cultivating the proper image for their company and the website is an adjunct to this message. Inasmuch, it must maintain consistency with the other marketing and advertising the company is using in order to maintain the same message regardless of where it is coming from.

These standards are usually codified in a style guide and are instrumental in maintaining the visual identity of the client’s brand. Once we familiarize ourselves with these manuals we are prepared to develop the visual front-end for the site. These designs always start out with pencil and paper in a thumbnail version and slowly graduate to full-blown Photoshop comps. We normally do one round of initial comps and two rounds of revisions to get to the level of detail needed for any project; although it can be more involved depending upon the complexity of the site.

Once the designs are reviewed and approved we would then begin the programming of the site. But that is another day.

How many forum members does it take to change a light bulb?

How many forum members does it take to change a light bulb?

- 1 to change the light bulb
- 1 to post that the light bulb has been changed
- 14 to share similar experiences of changing light bulbs and how the light bulb could have been changed differently
- 7 to caution about the dangers of changing light bulbs
- 27 to point out spelling/grammar errors in posts about changing light bulbs
- 53 to flame the spell checkers
- 41 to correct spelling/grammar flames
- 6 to argue over whether it's "lightbulb" or "light bulb"
- ... another 6 to condemn those 6 as anal-retentive
- 2 industry professionals to inform the group that the proper term is "lamp"
- 15 know-it-alls who claim they were in the industry, and that "light bulb" is perfectly correct
- 156 to email the participant's ISPs complaining that they are in violation of their "acceptable use policy"
- 109 to post that this forum is not about light bulbs and to please take this discussion to a lightbulb forum
- 203 to demand that cross posting to hardware forum, off-topic forum, and lightbulb forum about changing light bulbs be stopped
- 111 to defend the posting to this forum saying that we all use light bulbs and therefore the posts are relevant to this forum
- 306 to debate which method of changing light bulbs is superior, where to buy the best light bulbs, what brand of light bulbs work best for this technique and what brands are faulty
- 27 to post URL's where one can see examples of different light bulbs
- 14 to post that the URL's were posted incorrectly and then post the corrected URL's
- 3 to post about links they found from the URL's that are relevant to this group which makes light bulbs relevant to this group
- 33 to link all posts to date, quote them in their entirety including all headers and signatures, and add "Me too"
- 12 to post to the group that they will no longer post because they cannot handle the light bulb controversy
- 19 to quote the "Me too's" to say "Me three"
- 4 to suggest that posters request the light bulb FAQ
- 44 to ask what is a "FAQ"
- 4 to say "didn't we go through this already a short time ago?"
- 143 to say "do a Google search on light bulbs before posting questions about light bulbs"
- 1 new forum member to respond to the original post 6 months from now and start it all over again

Some more reference sites

There is always a wealth of knowledge just a few clicks away. Here are some more sites that I frequent to research projects and use as a source of inspiration while developing sites.



Online CSS Reference, coincidentally this site also sells the great application called Xyle Scope; a utility to examine a site's CSS code.


Mollio offers a series of CSS/XHTML templates. It is a great start for many sites as well as a good learning tool if you are new to CSS.


Maxdesign's offers some great examples of CSS lists as well as a few key tutorials. Well worth a bookmark.


Dave Shea is an amazing talent whose CSS Zengarden is the best advocate for standards-based design. This page offers some quick tips if you are running into some trouble developing your pages.


Here is another good library of links offering answers, support and inspiration. It would be easy to spend a day just following the links from this page.

RSS Media Redux

Really Simple Syndication is a means with which to broadcast feeds (alternatively call streams, webfeeds, channels, etc.) to the general public. These feeds provide content, and/or brief summaries with associated metadata, to the end-user with links back to the full or expanded content. The end-user will have a reader or aggregator to subscribe to a feed as well as review the content. This could be as simple as their web-browser or a dedicated application for RSS media.

Over the years there have been other forms of syndication, but none ever achieved a fraction of the success that RSS has obtained thus far. With the variety of rich media (blogs, podcast, photocast, vodcast, etc.) that can now utilize an RSS feed, its popularity will only increase as will the opportunity to expand your brand with these new technologies..

Blogs were the first popular form of communication to leverage the benefits of an RSS feed. News providers and journalists began using this means to publish their material. The benefit of this method was once the reader discovered the feeds they could subscribe to them and keep track using one of the news readers. It alleviated the need to fire up the browser and surf multiple sites to obtain the information that was of interest. RSS feeds allowed the user to subscribe to an unlimited number of feeds and read them all in one location effortlessly.

Another advantage to this direct-to-consumer communication was the ability to have a means to hear back from the reader. Blogs, by their very nature have a conversational feel to them; they are the first statements in a conversation with the ability for the reader to comment in real-time. This two-way dialogue provides the consumer a way to receive the information/message while also providing valuable feedback with an immediacy that can create a dynamic forum of ideas, opinions and insight.

Blogs are a great way to inform, educate and entertain the public. It is a quick, effective and easy way to keep your customers up-to-date with your company by centralizing the latest news, your press releases, and even deals. There is a low overhead for implementation while providing an effective means to keep your brand in front of your consumers.

The next step in the evolution of RSS media was the podcast, driven in large part by Adam Curry; former MTV v-jay and technologist. A podcast is a audio broadcast that uses the same means of syndication to deliver its content. The benefit of the podcast was the ability to sync these broadcasts to your iPod and listen to them on your schedule. For example, I listen to ABC News' Nightline every morning at work rather than stay up and watch the show. I have also subscribed to other audio content that I sync to my iPod and listen to while traveling. Podcasts have allowed me to stay informed and entertained on my schedule.

Podcasts are a tremendous method to engage your consumer regardless of your business. From consultants offering advice to travel destinations providing sound-seeing tours of their properties, a podcast offers a more robust way to connect to your consumer. The ability for it to be taken on the road with their iPod is an added value for implementing this means of communication. As an example, a resort destination could compile a walking tour of the property a potential visitor could listen to before arriving in order to familiarize themselves with the area, or even base their decisions to actually book their travel.

More recently we see video content using this same distribution model with vodcasts. This allows your brand to presented in a familiar package of a television spot, full broadcast or long-form presentation. Like the podcast, these can be synced with an iPod and viewed at a later time while commuting, traveling or connected to a televisions.

These are probably the richest in content of all of the RSS media. You could develop a recurring show based on your core capabilities to engage an audience. Offering insight, information and ideas via a medium that is akin to television in the late 1930’s; wide-open opportunities. Leveraging the great qualities of storytelling combined with the familiarity of TV broadcasts and the immediacy of the internet offers unlimited potential to any business.

The production costs with all of these RSS media options increases the more rich the product becomes, although it can pale in comparison to broadcast production standards. The value provided back to any organization leveraging these technologies is unlimited. From multi-national corporations to non-profits and religious institutions, every organization can benefit from using RSS media in their marketing plans. If you would like to learn more about these services and how we can craft a personalized plan for your company, please contact me.

Methodology explained - Part I Define

I have been working in this business for nearly twenty years, although my training stretches further back to my early childhood, and I have worked in every form of visual communications during that time. Each medium has its own requirements and discipline, but within all of these business models, the common elements are quality work produced on time and in budget.

This is a business and we must ensure due diligence to solve our clients problems, increase their business and return a profit to our company (regardless of whether you own it or work for da' man). Any time you can streamline a process, or refine a workflow to enhance the quality of the work while increasing profitability ensures that you are a valuable member of a company.

During my career I have adapted and adopted new processes as they become viable and make business sense to my work. That is how I developed the methodology we use here: define, design, develop, deploy and deliver. These are 5 distinct areas of the life of a typical project that lands in the studio. Within each phase of the project there are multiple steps to bring a project from inception to fruition. The life-cycle of the project, especially the more complex sites, requires enormous planning and tracking to meet the budgetary constraints and delivery schedule. I use a complement of tools that help me to keep track of projects, tasks and inform my clients so we stay focused on delivering that solution that will solve their problems.

The initial stage is the most crucial for any project. This is where the project is defined, its requirements are set and tasks are assigned. Those tasks range from project management to accounting, and all have specific roles to perform if the project is to succeed. This phase will define the roadmap of the project and set expectations for all parties; it is imperative to codify all aspects of the project at this phase so as to avoid confusion during production. Some of the products I have used during this phase are:

MarketCircle's Daylite ($189.00) - this has got to be the finest PIM and CRM tool on the market. It works seamlessly with Mail (using the DMI module) and allows me to keep track of all active and potential projects. The depth of this program continues to astound me. The only item it lacks is a tool to chart a project's lifecycle (i.e. GANNT). Which brings me to the next package.

Project Wizards Merlin (~ $195.00 depending on exchange rate) - has to be the easiest project tracking software. I have worked in most apps from MS Project to FastTrack and all are fine products, but this one really outshines them all. Its ease of use and ability to manage multiple projects and configure various views to conform to your management needs is well implemented. The package can also export to iCal as well as a webpage; although I wish this feature was a little bit more customizable.

Omni Group's OmniGraffle and Omni Outliner ($149.95 and $69.95 respectively) - Omni Group has been developing high-quality software for years and these are two indispensable tools in our production workflow. Although OmniGraffle can now outline items, I am finding myself using this app much more frequently. This is the software we categorize thoughts, mindmaps and flowcharts for the organization of the site. It allows you to develop custom templates and stencils (Omni-speak for icons used in the flowchart) and integrates seamlessly with all of our production software.

iPragma's XSort ($29.95) - Instead of using 3X5 notecards or post-its to organize a site, you can perform a card sort using this tool. It allows you to set up the sessions and track the users demographics, if required, and time spent in the task. It is a great step in developing a site that is too often skipped in today's business climate. A card sort is invaluable in the process of developing a seamless online user experience and this software is the best in helping to accomplish that task.

RealMac Software's RapidWeaver ($39.95) - RW is a great rapid application development tool (RAD) that allows you to develop a wireframe of a site in literally minutes. It is designed as a WYSIWYG website creation tool and excels at that task, but an overlooked attribute is its ability to develop a wireframe experience for user testing. Design a simple template, build your site and test the user experience. It does not get any easier than this.

These are a few of the items that help us define our projects. They may work with your work processes, or you may have other ideas that you might want to share. Speak up, I would love to hear how you approach web development.

Let the games begin...

One of the greatest sporting events in the world starts in Germany today, The World Cup. The opening match is between Germany , the host country, and Costa Rico kicks off a month-long competition by the best 32 teams in the world. The first World Cup was held on July 18th, 1930 and quickly became a sporting and financial success that continues to this day. Most Americans cannot comprehend the fervor around this sporting event, but to compare it to our sensibilities it is the SuperBowl, World Series, NBA Championships, the Stanley Cup, Kentucky Derby and the Indy 500 all rolled into one package.

Our American team has played well and has the opportunity to do better than they have ever before. The Americans are in Group E, along with Italy, Ghana and the Czech Republic. We have a talented roster of great athletes but whatever the outcome, this will be a great series for any sports fan to watch. If you want to watch some great action plan on watching at least one game.

Operation Overlord

June 6, 1944 - Today marks the anniversary of the allied offensive on the beaches of Normandy. My grandfather was one of the many brave men who set foot on those beaches on that day so many years ago. He was one of the lucky men to have survived the assault. Some details on the massive casualties suffered during the day can be found here.

My grandfather, Tony, continued to fight on across the European continent for the better part of the next year. I know that he must have witnessed the most horrible face of war during his many months of combat. Although, he never spoke about the actions of that cold June day to many people who did not experience it firsthand.

My grandpa passed away many years ago, far from the battlefields of his youth. I miss him every day and I think about how he would relish the laughter of his great-granddaughters. I am grateful to have known him for so long and ever thankful for his generation's sacrifice to secure the freedoms we enjoy today.

AS to outline your Flash movie…

With so much to do during the day it is always best to streamline production to work more effectively. A lot of the Flash work I am called upon to develop is online marketing materials (read: banners). These pieces always have a definite set of parameters to run at the publisher's sites. One requirement is that all banner advertisements need an outline. I used to always create this within Flash, converting it to a symbol that I could cut and paste between files.

ActionScript, however, is a wonderful programming language that I am learning more about everyday, can do this for us. One of the simpler concepts is that ActionScript can draw elements based around parameters that are defined within the code. Here is the code I have begun using to create an outline around my .swf files.

/*1px stroke outline */
Stage.scaleMode = "exactFit";
var stroke:MovieClip = _root.createEmptyMovieClip("stroke", 1000);
stroke.lineStyle(1, 0x000000, 100);
stroke.moveTo(0,0);
stroke.lineTo(0, Stage.height-1);
stroke.lineTo(Stage.width-1, Stage.height-1);
stroke.lineTo(Stage.width-1, 0);
stroke.lineTo(0, 0);

To use this code, create a new ActionScript document and paste the above code into the panel. Save the .as file as something obvious that you can keep in a library of frequently used code snippets. Now whenever you create a new Flash document, call that .as file in the first lines of your new Flash document to have a 1 pixel border wrapping your published .swf.

It is quick, lightweight and reusable. Portable code combined with a library of commonly used assets has helped greatly in decreasing production time while increasing efficiency. I hope you can find some use for this.

Fun with Flash

This site just goes to show what a little imagination and a good toolset can do for you. Despite its seemingly rudimentary protagonist, this is a great bit of animation and storytelling that made me laugh out-loud. If you are okay with cartoon violence, than this is a clever animation and worth checking out.

Website valuation

Found this site, Leapfish, and thought it was somewhat amusing. They claim to offer an appraisal of your domain name. If they are accurate, my domain is one of the more valuable assets I own. Either way, it is a fun bit of speculating.

3.5

The latest release of RapidWeaver is slated for any moment now. RealMac Software has designed a nice little app to let you develop websites with very little training. I actually use it as a RAD tool to create wireframes of sites for clients. It allows you the ability to develop a wireframe site in no time at all to insure the user experience is optimally designed.

There is a fairly robust community that has sprung up around the software to answer many questions you may have. The only issue I have with this software, like iWeb and others as well, is that it is too difficult to create a custom theme. I can design anything in straight CSS/XHTML but have run into nothing but trouble when trying to convert those html files into viable templates to leverage the ease-of-use these apps are supposed to have. I am hoping that the latest release will allow an easier path to create custom templates.

Also, in celebration of the release Loghound and Your Head are offering 35% off for the first 35 hours of the release of Rapidweaver 3.5. It is a good offer and great entré for anyone looking to get a decent entry-level app.

Lost viral

I admit it, I am addicted to the show. It has a great story that keeps me engaged; the only thing working against it is the frequency of repeats that ABC has been throwing into the mix. I remember when I was a kid, the new TV season would start and it would run its course, interrupted only by major sporting events and/or news events. Stations now feel they can string you along for with a new episode every few weeks, thereby increasing ad revenue and maintaining viewer-ship. I am not sure that is the way to tell a story, but at least ABC seems to have something smart going on…a viral campaign for the show.

During the last few weeks of the season, there were ads run for the Hanso Foundation. The first time it ran, I thought something was peculiar but quickly forgot to investigate it online. After taking some time to find some information I ran across several sites. They are all weaving some sort of story and have begun hiding other components within the page(s) to allow you to track down more information.

Within the Hanso Foundations site their are purported to be other clues and links to an ever-expanding universe of information to fill in more of the story about the island and its occupants.

Recently, even the Oceanic Air website has begun hiding messages on the site. This message is hidden on page load:

If anyone should find this message, please get word I'm alive and stranded on an island somewhere in the South Pacific. Please send help soon. Things are bad. And they're getting worse...

After a set time this message than appears over the regular editorial copy:

I survived a horrific plane crash and am stranded on an island somewhere Northeast of Australia and Southwest of Hawaii. In the event that I am never found, please forward word of my fate to my parents.

Finally, one of the first sites I had found was Driveshaft's website. It provided a back-story for Charlie and his band, while dropping some clues for other sites. The main one, never really going on line (charlieslost.com).

Some of these sites have been sponsored by advertisers and the producers of the show run a risk of backlash if this becomes just a hard sell. However, if these sites add to the expansive narrative of the show, it will be one of the more successful viral campaigns putting Mickey in the lead of leveraging multi-media to promote his products.

Ultimately what does it all mean to the story? I am not sure, but here are some of the links that I have found; explore for yourself:
http://www.sublymonal.com/
http://oceanic-air.com/
http://www.thehansofoundation.org/
http://www.driveshaftband.com/
http://letyourcompassguideyou.com/
http://andfound.com/2006/05/09/persephone-thomas-mittelwerk-clue/