So You Want To Be An Information Architect
December 14, 2009
This is a quick post for those that want to become Information Architects.
You absolutely need to read two books: Information Architecture for the World Wide Web & Don’t Make Me Think.
You’ll need a really good attention to detail and a strong understanding of your deliverables. IA is not Usability and vice versa. They are sub sets of each other. In terms of deliverables, (being an IA) I deliver wireframes, power-points, word docs, POCs, and mockups. There are at times design aspects to those deliverables. If you come from the design side then you’ll excel, but if you’re coming from library sciences with no understanding of design principles, you have a bit more homework to do. On the usability side, I simply test if the ideas work through Usability protocols.
Find out what you’re in for. Below you’ll find the links to the books and what deliverables look like for IA.
Information Architecture for the World Wide Web
Don’t Make Me Think
Example of IA Deliverables
IA Links:
- Defining Information Architecture – Peter Morville
- Defining the damn thing – interactionbydesign.com.
- Information Architecture – Valentin
- Information Architecture Defined – Christina Wodtke
- Information architecture models – Ben Hunt
- The Definition of Information Architecture – Peter Morville
- What Is Information Architecture? – Iain Barker
- Web Site Architecture 101 – Rudy Limebac
Fullscreen Background Image using CSS
December 10, 2009
I had a project that required a background image to fill in the entire background of a website. The technical limitations were to have it totally done with CSS / JS. I did some research and found an example at giltman.com – so it was possible. I found some resources that used CSS alone but was yet to find one that scaled and fit all the image in the background with no background spaces.
I came across a great jquery plugin that did exactly what I wanted: Supersized jQuery Plugin.
Our WordPess Theme Accepted by WordPress
December 9, 2009
After using WordPress for awhile (and loving it) I needed a Framework or a Blank Theme that we could use as a base and build from there then rapidly deploy. The problem was there were so many strings attached to other Frameworks, but that’s another post.
This is our Framework that we will update monthly. Our view is to connect other Frameworks that most web Designers use like 960.gs or Blueprint for typography and leverage it into WordPress. Our goal is poetic code deployed rapidly.
Check out our WordPress Framework.
Simon WordPress Framework & Blank Theme
November 23, 2009
A WordPress Framework and Blank Theme. It’s purpose is to rapidly build and deploy WordPress driven web initiatives. It’s a base for you to design from. It’s new and I am sure buggy, but I will support it and make updates quarterly at the very least. Feel free to build on it and use it as you please.
A little bit about the Simon WordPress Framework:
- Uses 960.gs Grid
- Featured Post
- Uses Blueprint Typography Framework
- Flexible
- Two-Column
- Clean
- Blank
Please support my WordPress Theme and download it (v.1.1.6).
Change Log
01/22/10 – v.1.1.6 Critical Changes
- Fixed Featured Post on Home Page
01/19/10 – v.1.1.5 Important Changes
- Added Featured Post on the Homepage
- Made Changes to Meta Layout
- Made Changes to Post layout
- Updated Comment Section
- Updated Comment Form
- Added Title Tags for SEO
- Made Changes to Typography
- Made Changes to overall Stylesheet
12/05/09 – v.1.1.4 Minor Rewrites
12/01/09 – v.1.1.3
- Added GPL
- Fixed Child Pages Displaying Incorrectly and Breaking Nav
- Page Comments Working Now
- Changed Demo Blog Name to WP
11/22/09 – v.1.1.0 Minor Rewrites
11/20/09 – v.1.0.0 First attempt
How To Lose A Client In 10 Ways
November 4, 2009
The client vendor relationship is extremely important. If you can’t navigate the paths, valleys, and peaks of said relationship well then it’s going to be a long ride. Bloggers chime-in all the time about how to deal with clients and what to do as opposed to what not to do. Here’s what you don’t want to happen between you and the client. Being that we learn more from defeat than victory, here’s my what not to dos:
10. BE SLOPPY WITH YOUR DESIGN
Try to forget about things like margins, leading, kerning, grid systems, and don’t give any thought into typography. Eat on top of the comps and the boards so during preso there’s a suweet Starbucks coffee stain on the boards. Crumbs are effective too.
9. BE WAY TOO ACOMMODATING
Be so layed back that you agree at every turn with the client even if what the client wants hurt his or her business in the long run. Just take the money and run. Time for group think.
8. BE A JERK
Don’t be polite or honorable with client and having an attitude to boot helps. We’re going for the frustrated artist or the designer that knows it all kind of thing. Be very condescending.
7. USE TEMPLATES RATHER THAN YOUR OWN DESIGN
Forget all about creativity or digging down into your own imagination and or researching, just steal it from someone else. If it’s on the Internet well then it must be free to use.
6. MAKE THE CLIENT UNCOMFORTABLE
This one’s NOT literal so while you may want to put that cheap ole’ client in an arm bar, we are speaking figuratively. When the client needs your help simply be unhelpful. Try to mime your recommendations.
5. BE AMBIGUOUS IN YOUR COMMUNICATIONS
When client has a project for you be as ambiguous as you can in terms of what you’ll actually deliver and when. Don’t be detailed with how you want to be compensated. Try not to answer the phone or pick up the phone and don’t say anything.
4. WORK FOR FREE AS A “DRY RUN”
Don’t value your work. Just work for free because if you do the Client will eventually hire you, yeah – no they won’t but kid yourself into believing they will.
2. ACTUALLY BELIEVE THE CLIENT IS ALWAYS RIGHT
Forget the fact that you’re an expert in your field highly paid and knowledgeable, just brown nose as much as possible. Wear the client like a helmet. We do not want to rock the boat, because the clients can actually do all this themselves anyway.
1. DON’T DELIVER ON TIME
Never meet your deadlines and this parts the most important. Never ever keep your appointments. Blame the Client.
I hope this helps you lose all of your present and future clients, no not really.
UPDATE: I’ve been getting some whacky comments, this was an attempt at irony and I don’t want you actually do what I said! Thanks.
What’s A Designer Worth
October 31, 2009
A [design] Penny Wise Is A Pound Foolish
I heard an ad on the radio that Intuit was getting into the web design business. It wasn’t the fact that there was already a saturated market that bothered me. I love competing albiet winning while competing. It’s more complicated than that.
So here’s a huge company with unlimited funds charging $4 dollars per website. Understand that there is no possible way to templatize your way to success and I do not really consider them my competition anyway. I prefer quality to quantity with regards to clients.
What bothers me is that this company will not deliver what’s promised leading further devalueing of the web design market and the marginilization of web designers in general.
So Intuit says they’ll deliver a professional website for $4. I think anybody in the biz would kind overlook this and laugh if this was brought up, but believe this has more con than pro and shouldn’t be just overlooked. The pro is that intuit getting in the biz is competion which is good for the market. However, the obvious con is driving down the price for a decent living.
I don’t know if Intuit is outsourcing their work to India, but if they are it’s all types of wrong.
A designer’s resposibility is to do the best work for the client at a fair price. On the client side it’s to pay what the designer is worth and that design fee is not $4. So when you hear that ad narrated by that very credible American voice on your local radio station, remember that you get what you pay for and a good designer is worth every dime.
Great Stuff on SmashingMagazine Yet Again!
October 26, 2009
Yet another great read and useful tools for the designer in all of us.
Rich Typography On The Web: Techniques and Tools
Let’s face it: Web-safe fonts are very limiting. Maybe a dozen fonts are out there that are widely enough adopted to be considered “Web safe,” and those ones aren’t exactly spectacular for much other than body type. Sure, Georgia, Arial or Times New Roman work just fine for the bulk of the text on your website, but what if you want something different for, let’s say, headings? Or pull quotes? What then?
New Look For 2009
January 2, 2009
Well we finally redesigned our site. It was a tremendous effort by all. Please feel free to drop us a line and let us know if you like it.
What Makes Us Different
January 2, 2009
We have a combined 15 years experience in the business of technology and for the last 5 years social spaces…
• We Understand Your Business Value
• We Know Your Users & Share Your Value
• We Understand Your Information Ecology
We hope we can continue to de-mystify the web for our clients and in turn empower them to make educated decisions. If you haven’t already done so – hire us. You’ll see the difference.
Collaboration According to Me
December 30, 2008
To collaborate is defined: To work together, especially in a joint intellectual effort.
Web success will be hard to attain if we cannot share ideas across business silos. We need a way share not only ideas, but share about everything in the business. Ideas drive business and collaboration plays a role in discovering those ideas. As well, collaboration at times is a business meem often used but seldom understood. Collaboration means we share ideas.
Discover Ideas though Brainstorming
We’ve all been in brainstorming meetings. An example of a good brainstorming meeting is where ideas are shared and received. On the other hand, ideas are shared and sometimes immediately shot down or rejected. One part of brainstorming is to harvest as many good ideas as possible and that rewards ideas, even if those ideas are contrary to popular opinion. We should be able to receive each other’s ideas in good faith in a welcoming atmosphere.
Choose Ideas
We’ve taken the time to start the collaboration process by brainstorming ideas. We now have a bunch of great ideas to be analyzed. Now is the right time to be critical, weigh pros and cons, and thoughtfully consider the ideas. Does the idea line up with business strategy e.g. does it add value? Consider the ideas in the context of the technical strategy e.g. don’t adopt a .Net idea if you’re a JAVA shop. Are the ideas user centric? How these questions are answered will reveal the ideas that are best for your business.
Test your Ideas
I don’t believe we can afford to be myopic in collaborating for the web as to say that we shouldn’t take the time to brainstorm or analyze or have some type idea sharing process. Create comps or wireframes and put them in front of users. If you can’t afford usability testing, do it yourself with a handful of good candidates. You’ll be surprised at the results. Sometimes user reactions are contrary to designer’s expectations. Either way, usability or testing ideas with real users is an indispensable part of the collaboration process.
Collaborating in the context of web design means you share ideas in every step of finding those good ideas that make websites successful. Whether your just emailing, brainstorming in person, analyzing user data, collaborating is simply sharing ideas, but in the context of web design your sharing not only ideas but everything related there in.
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