We are a bunch of tech geeks, coders and designers. Website Usability »
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Ok, most of you know that we are involved in a major redesign of our main site. It is loooong overdue and it is painful. I feel like a runner-up in a fight with Mike Tyson (the mid-80s Mike, not the cannibalistic guy with the face tatoo 
, although I am sure the result would be the same with either one). Never-the-less, it MUST be done.
When we originally created the site, we were just happy to have a web presence. Woo hoo – we are online! Ummm…now what? This was the path to the dark side. And so, here we are today, paying for past sins.
Anyway, I thought it might be helpful to outline how our new site will be an improvement and what features we are attempting to incorporate into the new design. It all started with a report from Charlene Li of Forrester Research group that was entitled “Creating Good Online Content Experiences – Usability Beats Unique Content, Hands Down.” Hmmm. The article has this to say, in part:
Unique content does matter, but the basics — such as clear navigation, easy-to-use search, and ads that don’t interfere — matter more.
Content comes in second place? Interesting. Reading further, here were some of the things that polled web users felt were, not just important, but necessary for a website:
- Send me directly to the content I am looking for – 72%
- Don’t put a bunch of ads in my face (certainly no popups) – 75%
- I want a spectacular search feature – 66%
- Don’t send me to a cramped home page (give me some space to breathe) – 60%
- If I choose to register for something, don’t make me jump through hoops to do so (make it easy) – 58%
- I want some content that I cannot get anywhere else – ready for this – 40%
Needless to say, those figures were eye-opening. And I must say that when I visit a site that has followed those rules, my experience is greatly enhanced. So, I decided that, while not scrapping the unique website content idea, we are working on incorporating those features into our new site. As we get further along, I will post some progress updates here.
What do you feel is most important in web design? Are you going through a redesign currently? What are your goals? If you have comments, please share with the rest of the class.
Online Image Resizer »
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(Announcer voice)”How many times has this happened to you”? You signup as a member of a web site and you start to create your profile. You notice that the website allows you to upload an image to serve as your avatar. “Sweet”, you say! You browse your computer, find the image you want to use as your avatar (you know – the one you spend hours crafting in Photoshop… oooo its so clever ), and you click “upload”. But wait – the image is too large! Now you have to resize it. “Aww man – lame”, you moan.
Well, Quickthumbnail to the rescue! Go to the site, browse your computer and upload the image. Select your resize options – percentage, fixed size or standard size. Click “Resize it”. And – poof – done. Very nice. Give it a shot.
Shout out to Wendy at Lifehacker for this great find!
Color Palette By Image »
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Wow, could I have used this tool in the past. Trying to map the colors of a specific image so that you can duplicate them on the client’s website… what a pain.
Now, that will never happen again. Bruno at css4design.com posted about this great tool that will tell you the exact color palette of an image and all you have to do is provide the URL. Score! I am hooked!
DeGraeve.com has it on a page of their website – The Color Palette Generator. Very nice. I think it is a “must-have” for every web design toolbox.
While you are there, check out some of the other great tools Steve has. Kudos to Bruno for posting about this 
What is Web 2.0? »
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How many times have web developers heard that question? I actually had one client ask if that meant they were coming out with a new version of the Internet 8O. Well, Pixel Acres to the rescue. Jonathan wrote a nice post attempting to define Web 2.0. But how do you define something that has no set of standards? I don’t know, but I guarantee that if you read his post, you will have a good grasp of the whole Web 2.0 phenomenon.
Shout out to Joy at cleverhack.com for posting about this too!
Free Web Development Software »
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“If its free, its for me.” If that is you mantra, rejoice for you are a moocher. But, the Internet makes it sooo easy these days that it is hard NOT to be a moocher. I proudly mooch with the best of them; I would rather chug an Ex-Lax milkshake than pay $500-$1000 for some software (despite the fact that I have to sometimes – pay the money I mean – not chug an Ex-Lax milkshake). So, it is in that spirit that I notify you of more free goodies.
In fact, we have created some new categories, all starting with “Toolbox”. So, fellow bottom-feeders, stay alert to posts that populate those and you may find a sweet little program for FREE.
First up – an awesome post from Pixel Acres. Jonathan grouped several nice programs to lighten your web development load without lightening your wallet:
- Write a ton of PHP code? Check out PHP Designer. As Jonathan says,
[It] includes a code debugger, syntax highlighting, code tips, and a number of shortcuts for adding common PHP statements and HTML tags to your documents. Think of it as a text editor on speed.
- Need an FTP program? Check out SmartFTP. We use it – very nice…
There are plenty more listed on his blog so check it out. Make sure to check back with us as we have more goodies to post about and they are all free.
