The shots that Zeldman provided are pretty ugly indeed. However, it does seem as if it could be quite a challenge to create an email service that could be compatible with both cell phones and the average computer.
"Clearly the layout must work correctly in some applications; doubtless, too, there must be some users who enjoy getting craploads of musician photos in their e-mail in-box."
Zeldman makes it clear that the website's design is misguided at best. The creators have tried to fit too many photographs into too small of a space. Bad design as well as a web page that doesn't work. The cure here might be going with a simpler design. Perhaps if the creators didn't have such a need to fill ad space, however, this might be more concievable.
From the information that the author has presented us with, it appears as if the creators of this website have probably not done their best work here. The simple fact that they would create an email service with so many ads, pictures, and seemingly unncessary things, seems almost stupid.
Saturday, January 31, 2009
Friday, January 30, 2009
Forward Compatibility - Zeldman
I think that this quote does a pretty good job of expressing the main point/focus of the first chapter of this book: "In our efforts to deliver identical experiences across incompatible browsing environments...we've lost sight of its true potential as a rich and multilayered medium accessible to all." He expresses that there is a true problem behind all of these subtle inconveniences that we as users tend to experience when using the web.
I think that the author presents quite a few impressive reasons for inacting web standards. I was particularly intrigued by what he called the "disease of built-in obsolesence." I thought that it was interesting that some programs could fix issues for web authors that, in essesnce, seemed minimal, but could easily show up on someone's computer looking completely stupid, and therefore reducing the credibility of a company's website.
I also thought that some of his ideas for a "cure" were good, but concievably, might be tough to implement. For instance, his first suggestion of "attain[ing] more control over layout". I think that it's a good idea, and could quite possibly be successful, particularly considering the fact that it would still allow for users to modify design, however, I feel as if it would be tough to convince people to agree to this. The thought of having to use a pre-planned site design seems rather constricting, despite the possible amount of freedom that one might be granted in order to make the site their own.
I think that the author presents quite a few impressive reasons for inacting web standards. I was particularly intrigued by what he called the "disease of built-in obsolesence." I thought that it was interesting that some programs could fix issues for web authors that, in essesnce, seemed minimal, but could easily show up on someone's computer looking completely stupid, and therefore reducing the credibility of a company's website.
I also thought that some of his ideas for a "cure" were good, but concievably, might be tough to implement. For instance, his first suggestion of "attain[ing] more control over layout". I think that it's a good idea, and could quite possibly be successful, particularly considering the fact that it would still allow for users to modify design, however, I feel as if it would be tough to convince people to agree to this. The thought of having to use a pre-planned site design seems rather constricting, despite the possible amount of freedom that one might be granted in order to make the site their own.
Wednesday, January 28, 2009
Presentation Day
We gave our presentation today.
I don't think it went badly, but it definitely felt way too short. On the plus side, I think some of the other presentations ran long, so we helped to get everyone back on schedule... but I'm not sure if that will help to enhance our grade at all.
I like to think that we covered all of the required topics, but, honestly, I don't really remember. I know that we wrote out the answers in the outline that we prepared ahead of time, but, judging from the short time that we were up there presenting, I worry that we may have skipped some important information.... but I guess we'll just have to wait and see.
One Positive: We got some pretty good feedback on those little sheets that everyone had to fill out.
I don't think it went badly, but it definitely felt way too short. On the plus side, I think some of the other presentations ran long, so we helped to get everyone back on schedule... but I'm not sure if that will help to enhance our grade at all.
I like to think that we covered all of the required topics, but, honestly, I don't really remember. I know that we wrote out the answers in the outline that we prepared ahead of time, but, judging from the short time that we were up there presenting, I worry that we may have skipped some important information.... but I guess we'll just have to wait and see.
One Positive: We got some pretty good feedback on those little sheets that everyone had to fill out.
Tuesday, January 27, 2009
I'm a little nervous about tomorrow, but I don't think that there's really any need to be. Yesterday night I emailed Iza my outline for our presentation (speech-wise) and today I received her email which contained an even better version of what I sent to her, so I think we should be well prepared for the speech portion. My only concern is that we might go over the allotted eight minutes, but if we stay on pace, and don't drag on too long on any one point, I think we should be fine.
I particularly like the screen shots that Iza was able to take of the MSU mail website to put on our powerpoint. I think that they really enhance the powerpoint, and don't overdo it.
I'm also a fan of our last slide, which talks about the importance of good design. Hopefully we can make a good point with this slide, because it makes a lot of important points. Particularly the fact that poor design and organization can really turn off potential users.
I particularly like the screen shots that Iza was able to take of the MSU mail website to put on our powerpoint. I think that they really enhance the powerpoint, and don't overdo it.
I'm also a fan of our last slide, which talks about the importance of good design. Hopefully we can make a good point with this slide, because it makes a lot of important points. Particularly the fact that poor design and organization can really turn off potential users.
Monday, January 26, 2009
Today in class we got a lot of time to work on our powerpoint presentation, which was very helpful. The actual process of making the powerpoint wasn't too hard, but now we have to decide what we want to say for each slide... that's a little more difficult.
Part of me is a little worried that, after reading all of that information on powerpoint presentations, that ours might not be good enough. I had a terrible experience with a group power point project last semester... but this project seems much more promising so far. I'm confident that as long as we figure out what to say for each slide, don't get too tripped up when presenting, and stay within the 6-8 minutes, that we should be perfectly fine.
Part of me is a little worried that, after reading all of that information on powerpoint presentations, that ours might not be good enough. I had a terrible experience with a group power point project last semester... but this project seems much more promising so far. I'm confident that as long as we figure out what to say for each slide, don't get too tripped up when presenting, and stay within the 6-8 minutes, that we should be perfectly fine.
Sunday, January 25, 2009
Website Analysis
Website: mail.msu.edu
High-Level (analytical)
Target Audience: MSU students and faculty
Most Common Tasks: Sending and receiving/reading email.
Tasks to Specific Users: Professors often send out mass emails to students specifying their assignments that are due. Students often communicate with professors or other students about homework, etc.
User Navigation: Navigation is organized on the left side of the screen and across the top. Although the organization is rather basic, I (personally) find it somewhat difficult to use.
Design-Layout Level (descriptive)
Navigation Structure: Frankly, I think the navigation structre sucks. It appears as if they've tried to organize it relatively simply, so that it can be easy to use, but by doing this, they may have inadvertently made it ugly, plain, and somewhat more difficult to use. Performing simple tasks like organizing emails into separate folders, is made much more difficult by having more than one way to do this. For example, I was able to create a folder for my Arabic class's emails, but was unable to move the emails into said folder.
Branding/Logo: They have what I suppose you could call a logo on the log-in page near the top left. It's pretty plain; black & white.
Color Schemes: There is some basic green and white on the log-in page, but not as much as you might expect. After you log-in, the color scheme turns to light blue and peach-ish, which doesn't really seem to make much sense, considering the university that this webiste was created for.
Layout Presentation: I don't particularly like the layout of the site. It's basic, I suppose, but it could be better. I find it boring, and I don't think it looks very professional.
Summary: Thumbs down! :(
High-Level (analytical)
Target Audience: MSU students and faculty
Most Common Tasks: Sending and receiving/reading email.
Tasks to Specific Users: Professors often send out mass emails to students specifying their assignments that are due. Students often communicate with professors or other students about homework, etc.
User Navigation: Navigation is organized on the left side of the screen and across the top. Although the organization is rather basic, I (personally) find it somewhat difficult to use.
Design-Layout Level (descriptive)
Navigation Structure: Frankly, I think the navigation structre sucks. It appears as if they've tried to organize it relatively simply, so that it can be easy to use, but by doing this, they may have inadvertently made it ugly, plain, and somewhat more difficult to use. Performing simple tasks like organizing emails into separate folders, is made much more difficult by having more than one way to do this. For example, I was able to create a folder for my Arabic class's emails, but was unable to move the emails into said folder.
Branding/Logo: They have what I suppose you could call a logo on the log-in page near the top left. It's pretty plain; black & white.
Color Schemes: There is some basic green and white on the log-in page, but not as much as you might expect. After you log-in, the color scheme turns to light blue and peach-ish, which doesn't really seem to make much sense, considering the university that this webiste was created for.
Layout Presentation: I don't particularly like the layout of the site. It's basic, I suppose, but it could be better. I find it boring, and I don't think it looks very professional.
Summary: Thumbs down! :(
Crap...
I was looking through angel and found C.R.A.P. again. Looking back through it once more, I remembered a few things that I found interesting, and rather valuable. I have a feeling that it will be tough for me to get into the habit of using the C.R.A.P. guidelines, but I think that if I am able to remember to use them, that it will be a very valuable tool.
I particularly liked the example for the photography workshop on the third slide. I thought that both flyers looked really nice, however, and had trouble distinguishing between which is supposed to be the "better" example.
On the other hand, the slide on alignment, which used someone's business card as an example, seems to be a little more obvious to me. Honestly, I could see myself creating a business card much like the first example, however, after seeing the better example, it quickly became obvious why it was so much better. Just simplifying the design makes it so much easier to read.
I think that it's likely that I'll probably be creating a lot of very simple, basic designs throughout the semester. If I'm able to do that, and just head towards the correct path, I think I'll have accomplished what I mean to in this class.
I particularly liked the example for the photography workshop on the third slide. I thought that both flyers looked really nice, however, and had trouble distinguishing between which is supposed to be the "better" example.
On the other hand, the slide on alignment, which used someone's business card as an example, seems to be a little more obvious to me. Honestly, I could see myself creating a business card much like the first example, however, after seeing the better example, it quickly became obvious why it was so much better. Just simplifying the design makes it so much easier to read.
I think that it's likely that I'll probably be creating a lot of very simple, basic designs throughout the semester. If I'm able to do that, and just head towards the correct path, I think I'll have accomplished what I mean to in this class.
Friday, January 23, 2009
I remember that when I was doing this week's reading, a lot of it had to do with powerpoint presentations. I learned a bit about powerpoint presentations in my JRN 108 class that I took last semester. The prof. basically told us to keep it simple, and to leave most of what you have to say off of the powerpoint. As it turns out, this was how I had been making powerpoints a lot in the past. (And I thought I was being lazy! What a relief to find that my laziness happened to pay off for once. j/k)
I actually found the last reading assignment rather interesting. I think it was the one with the most instruction about powerpoint presentation style. It really said some basic, somewhat obvious things, but a lot of what the author mentioned tended to be things that people usually forget. Like: Try not to day "umm," or "and..." or try to make good eye contact.
Hope I don't forget these when we present either...
I actually found the last reading assignment rather interesting. I think it was the one with the most instruction about powerpoint presentation style. It really said some basic, somewhat obvious things, but a lot of what the author mentioned tended to be things that people usually forget. Like: Try not to day "umm," or "and..." or try to make good eye contact.
Hope I don't forget these when we present either...
Thursday, January 22, 2009
We didn't have class today.
I know that I need to start seriously thinking about the project that is due next week, but I find myself in a bind for time... Even now its tough to sit down and really focus on any one thing. But, I'll give it a shot.
Criticisms of MSU email:
- Slow logging in (sometimes)
- Plain, boring log-in page
- I have no idea how to organize my old email into separate and distinct folders, so it all just kind of sits there taking up space.
-I can no longer download attachments that people send me
- The 'Filters' option doesn't seem to be working...
Positives of MSU email:
- The page was recently re-organized to look slightly less horrible
- They have a search option, which, I suppose will come in handy now that I can no longer organize things into separate folders...
That's all I have for now, I might come back to it later. Maybe I'll ask around for some input from other students.
I know that I need to start seriously thinking about the project that is due next week, but I find myself in a bind for time... Even now its tough to sit down and really focus on any one thing. But, I'll give it a shot.
Criticisms of MSU email:
- Slow logging in (sometimes)
- Plain, boring log-in page
- I have no idea how to organize my old email into separate and distinct folders, so it all just kind of sits there taking up space.
-I can no longer download attachments that people send me
- The 'Filters' option doesn't seem to be working...
Positives of MSU email:
- The page was recently re-organized to look slightly less horrible
- They have a search option, which, I suppose will come in handy now that I can no longer organize things into separate folders...
That's all I have for now, I might come back to it later. Maybe I'll ask around for some input from other students.
Wednesday, January 21, 2009
mail.msu.edu
Today in class we officially decided to make the MSU email website our project. I think it will be interesting, considering the fact that nearly everyone I've talked to seems to hate the site with the burning passion of a thousand suns... or, something close to that.
I particularly wanted to choose a website with a lot of problems. Frankly, I thought it would be easier for a first project. I have a feeling that if, for some reason, we happen to have trouble finding things that need to change/be fixed with this website, that we could easily just ask someone their opiniong about what needs to be changed. It shouldn't be difficult to get an outside opinion, particularly considering that my roommate was shouting about the MSU email just yesterday, when it wouldn't let her log-on.
I think that this project will be relatively easy once we get past the brainstorming stage. I've been working with powerpoint ever since middle school, and I have a feeling that those skills will come in handy.
I particularly wanted to choose a website with a lot of problems. Frankly, I thought it would be easier for a first project. I have a feeling that if, for some reason, we happen to have trouble finding things that need to change/be fixed with this website, that we could easily just ask someone their opiniong about what needs to be changed. It shouldn't be difficult to get an outside opinion, particularly considering that my roommate was shouting about the MSU email just yesterday, when it wouldn't let her log-on.
I think that this project will be relatively easy once we get past the brainstorming stage. I've been working with powerpoint ever since middle school, and I have a feeling that those skills will come in handy.
Finally, a First Post!
I know that I'm a bit late, but procrastinating is a pastime of mine...
Last week we were told to find a partner for this upcoming project. So I met Iza, who happened to be sitting right next to me. She seems to be a natural at the whole 'analyzing websites' thing. Today in class when we were filling out the blank analysis form, she was able to come up with some ideas that would never have crossed my mind, so I think I picked a good partner!
This first project seems like it will be relatively easy, however, I am a bit worried about how the rest of the semester is going to go. I've never taken a class remotely similar to this one, and I'm hoping that I'll be able to pick things up quickly.
Honestly, I'm not even sure that I should be taking this class... I've been trying to figure out how it applies to my major. However, I see it as a sort of challenge, and I also think that these would be very valuable skills to have in today's ever-changing world. So, I think I'm willing to give it a try.
Last week we were told to find a partner for this upcoming project. So I met Iza, who happened to be sitting right next to me. She seems to be a natural at the whole 'analyzing websites' thing. Today in class when we were filling out the blank analysis form, she was able to come up with some ideas that would never have crossed my mind, so I think I picked a good partner!
This first project seems like it will be relatively easy, however, I am a bit worried about how the rest of the semester is going to go. I've never taken a class remotely similar to this one, and I'm hoping that I'll be able to pick things up quickly.
Honestly, I'm not even sure that I should be taking this class... I've been trying to figure out how it applies to my major. However, I see it as a sort of challenge, and I also think that these would be very valuable skills to have in today's ever-changing world. So, I think I'm willing to give it a try.
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