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Ch. 12 and 13

The main topic for chapter 12 of Kreug’s book was making your site accessible for people with disabilities. He says that one of the things that 22 year olds say about this is that not very many people even has disabilities so why worry about it. I feel like it’s more of a courtesy thing. You want everyone to be able to enjoy your site not just people that have perfect vision or motor skills. It would be extremely frustrating for me if I didn’t have glasses and contacts to help my vision and had to always squint to use my computer and see websites. Just because not as many people need help using these websites doesn’t mean the issue should be overlooked then. That’s not very fair.

A way to help with usability Kreug said was to include a skip to main content link on all your pages. I never thought of doing something like that and how helpful it really could be for users that need screen readers to find what they’re looking for. I get impatient having the well working vision that I do trying to find certain things on sites I can’t imagine having to actually sit and listen for my computer to slowly read through everything I don't care about until I hear what I’m looking for. I don’t think I’ve seen any website that have this feature so I’m not even exactly sure how that would look on a website but it is definitely very beneficial for users with a disability.

I’m still not exactly sure how to tell if a website is designed well for disabilities because I haven’t really thought about that until now. A website I think maybe difficult though for users that suffer from vision problems could be wikipedia.com. It has so much content it would be frustrating to find what you’re looking for but it also has words that link to other articles and further down the page so that could help users navigate easier and get to the information they are after.

A website that doesn’t work well for disabilities would be morgantownrunning.com. It is suggested to have descriptive alt tags for images so screen readers will read that to users and they can get an idea of what the image is but Morgantown Running has their names for their images words that clearly don't describe the images. For example, their brand images they have are called thumbnails. Hearing that won’t give you any kind of idea of what is even on the screen.

This chapter reminded me of the new feature on iPhones though that is for voicemails. When you check your voicemails it not only will play it but it will type out what it says as well. This is not only great for people that have trouble hearing but also just anyone. Sometimes you can’t hear a message or it’s just hard to understand so reading it makes it a lot easier.

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Portfolios

One of the portfolios I found that I liked was https://www.javierpineda-animation.com/. I liked how he had his categories for the different kinds of artworks he had done by using the circles and an image in it to introduce it. 

Another one I visited was my friend’s that graduated from WVU a couple years ago http://nickturani.com/. What I like about his is how he has his actual works set up on the site. I like that when you hover over them you get a brief explanation of what you’re looking at. I also like the humor he uses in the way he words things. It keeps his portfolio fun.

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Usability Testing

My plan for the usability testing of my website will start with selecting three people to ask to participate in the testing. Chapter 9 talks about how it might not always be best to only pick people that would fit your audience so I’d try and get a variety. Maybe a boy that is into running and sports or maybe a girl that doesn’t care too much about exercising and is more into fashion. Once I decide on the people I’d like to ask, I’ll give them a call and describe what the usability testing is and if they would like to help me with it, I’ll reward them with pizza or some food. 

For the actual testing part, I want to do it in one of the study rooms in the library. That way it’s quiet enough for the participant to focus but also be able to communicate freely. I’m not sure what program I will use to be able to record their session. Krug mentions multiple ones in his book. I’ll have to look more into what each one does and what is best for me. After doing that, I plan to explain again in depth what my goal is and what the usability testing is all about. Then, I’ll ask my participate a little about theirself and write it down to get a better idea of how they think and use websites. Next, I will show them the website I designed and ask them what they think about that and write it down as well. 

To begin the test, my first task will be to find the store’s hour. Second task will be to find the types of products they sell. The third will be to find the store’s employees and so on. After all my tasks are done, I would like to finish up by asking them their overall opinion on how confusing it was to navigate. They will then get their reward of food.

Once I have the test done, I will write what the issues were that I observed. Then, I’ll rank them by most important and work on fixing what I can. Krug mentions that you won’t be able to fix every single problem and that’s okay. You solve more issues in half a day than you do over a month.

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Web Typography Articles

One of the things discussed in the article, On Web Typography, was how sometimes typefaces aren’t capable with the web so they are images instead. A website that I have used that does this is roxy.com. They have a pretty script typeface use for the headers are some of their products they sale. The typeface looks as if it is handwritten calligraphy scanned into the computer and put up as an image to help with the feel of the website. This also goes along with Jason Santa Maria talking about how a display type should stay as just that and not try to be the body type as well. I have heard this multiple times between my web design class and every class with Joe and it definitely makes sense. Having some overtop the top typeface with too much personality repeated for long paragraphs would just just be too frustrating to even try to read. It would also take away from the title that should have the display typeface.

I also think roxy uses type very well because it fits the message they are sending. Roxy is a company founded in Australia and is now in California that sells most sports apparel for women. They have a beachy and feminine feel to them while being active which is what their typeface choices have. Their choice to leave the script like images as the only typeface with a lot of personality is a good design choice to me. It shows the personalty of the website as fun and feminine which draws you to look through their site while not taking away from the actual information.

Another topic that Maria talked about was how you should write down the qualities you want what you’re designing for to convey. I really like this idea because sometimes I’ll blankly go through typefaces and think about each one to see what they come off as and if that fits what I’m going for. It makes a lot of sense to get exactly what quality you’re looking for figured out right off the bat and go from there to find the perfect typeface.

The main idea I took away from The Typography and Layout Behind the New Signal vs. Noise Redesign is about how certain design formats show a certain feel. For example, he wanted the blog to be actually read and not just a take it or leave it so he made it more like a publication. The blog website icanhas.cheezburger.com reminded me of this in a way. The website is a blog with a bunch of funny videos and stories to read through. It is laid out though in way that makes you kinda just take it or leave it. The message behind this website is different though from the one in the article we read. This one doesn’t really seem to mind if you just want to take some time out of your day to view a couple funny things on the internet it doesn’t need you to really sit and care about what you read.

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Websites Similar to MR

http://www.usatf.org/store/

http://www.sportsinjuryclinic.net/sports-specific/running-injuries/gait-analysis

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Chapter 8

The main idea I took away from Krug’s chapter 8, was that there aren’t average web users. He talks about how pretty much all users differ and don’t really meet in the middle. Everyone has strong opinions on things they like and don’t like about websites. Just like politics. He discusses how people have the jobs that they do because of who they are. Their brain chemistry is just the way it is and makes them the person they are so this is why we assume most other web users are just like us. I understand this. If I think something works really well on a website then I believe it is the best option, but I also don’t assume everyone thinks that too. People always disagree with others about how things work or look. Maybe my opinion is the best for usability or maybe it really isn't either way, I would find it beneficial if there was an average user to figure out the best solution.

Another thing I learned was about designers having a conflict with developers when it comes to making websites. I understand this. I feel like designers look at things differently than developers. Designers are more into it working visually and for usability and developers may not see or understand that. Krug then said but they do side together against hype culture which I found interesting.

The question you are suppose to ask when designing a website is “Does this pull-down, with these items and this working in this context on this page create a good experience for most people who are likely to use this site?” rather than “Do most people like pull-downs?” I like that he put it like that. It goes more into depth and to successfully create a good website. I also think it could help designers and developers see eye to eye better and figure out the best solution for something rather than trying to guess the average web user.

A website that I enjoy is buzzfeed.com. It has the menu bar at the top like most people expect it to have. It makes it easy to find the category you would like to search through. It also has some of its articles at the top in a slide show for you to easily search the site without going deep into links. I like the way they handle all the articles and site items.

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Ch. 5 and 6

One of the points that Krug made that stood out to me was to omit needless words. This goes great for a lot of things because when people see a bunch of words they get intimidated and don’t want to take that time to read through that. Eliminating as many words as you can I feel makes your website look better organized and user friendly.

When Krug talked about having multiple search options, the first site that came to my mind was https://lib.wvu.edu/ because that is the tool I use usually every time I’m on the website. I think the WVU Libraries were smart to have multiple search options because there are so many different kinds of medias students are looking through. I know it has helped me find an article quicker by searching under articles instead of one search because that could bring up books and databases as well. I don’t need all that information to sift through. If they didn’t use the multiple search options, I would dread even trying to find what I’m looking for. It definitely saves time and frustration.

Something I heard about for the first time while reading chapter 6 was breadcrumbs. I never even noticed a website showing me step by step the places I have clicked and how I got to the page I’m currently on. I find breadcrumbs to be very helpful. They help me see how deep I’ve gone and make it easily accessible for me to go back to page that may take a couple clicks to find on the back button. A website I noticed that has this feature is http://www.nestle.com/. Nestle lets you click into their departments and go further into them while showing you the direction you took to get there. In a way, it would be kind of cool for website that you just keep clicking on random things for fun and get lost in time to have breadcrumbs like YouTube. I always wonder how I found the videos I find from looking up something completely different in the beginning of the session.

Another helpful point that was given was that every page has a name and that the thing you clicked to get there should match the name. I can’t think of a website that I have noticed didn’t do this correctly but that is a good thing to make sure you website has. It would confuse me if I clicked a link that said something and it took me to a page with a different name. I would honestly just judge the designer and not take the website as seriously.

The “You are here” talk I found to be important. Websites can have so many pages and you could be getting deeper and deeper and get lost so having something that visually stands out and shows you where you currently are is very helpful. Being on a page and having no idea where you are makes you want to just completely give up and click right out of that site.

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Ch. 7

One of the things talked about in chapter 7 was how important the home page is for a website. It’s the first thing a viewer sees and uses to navigate through the site. Krug talks about how the home page should right away sum up what the site is and all about so people know what they’re looking at. It should also be easily usable for you to find exactly what you want but also maybe things you didn’t know you would be interested in. For example, I think etsy.com does a good job of this. Etsy is just a weird unheard of term to begin with so if you ended up here you could easily be confused but the home page makes it easy to understand instantly. It has a menu bar with the words “shop by category” which makes this obvious that you use this site to shop for different items in those categories. It also has towards the bottom of their page a section that says “shops worth exploring”. This lets you look at some stuff you might not have thought about and maybe even really like it. It helps give you even more ideas than what you started with.

Another thing Krug explained were taglines. He said that a good tagline will be by the site ID and should be short and sweet. It will immediately tell the viewer what the company or site’s goal is and what they have to offer. I think etsy is another good example for this. One of the first things you notice on their home page is “Whoever you are, find whatever you’re into”. This tells me that the site has many options of various things to fit me individually without being a sales pitch.

When Krug talked about how the home page should also feature promos and timely content, I instantly thought of cnn.com. I mostly thought of it first since it is a news site and has to constantly be able to update its site so viewers can be given the news that is accusing 24/7. Their website could be confusing because it looks like a bunch of headers and information but I do like their hierarchy. The newer headlines are at the top of the page and a bigger point size. They also have a menu bar at the top of the page if you were interested in a particular category. This can help make your experience quicker.

The last topic I thought was interesting was that if a user starts off lost and confused by a site then they will only get more lost. I know when I was younger I always saw a game called millsberry on the back of cereal boxes and always thought it'd be fun to play. Every time I would even attempt to use their site I would immediately be confused and not know how to find the game to play it. I just got more lost and would end up looking at cereals. Being young, this was extremely frustrating. I don’t know if they did that on purpose to get people to look more into their brand or if it was just a bad design.

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Don’t Make Me Think Ch. 3 & 4

In chapter 3, it is discussed that you should design your website or app so that it can be sifted through quickly. One of the ways to do this is to have it set up in a way that is familiar with people so they just look at it and get it. The example that was used was the stop sign. Everyone knows what a stop signs is and means just at a glance because of its color and shape. I agree that this does make websites easier to use. I have always liked apple.com. Many websites use a menu bar at the top of their page to help the user maneuver easily throughout the website. It makes it easy to know where you want to go and quickly. The menu bar at the top of sites is a well known and successful tool put on a page.

Another topic that was talked about is when you are designing your website or app, don’t try to reinvent the wheel. This doesn’t mean they always have to look exactly like other websites; they can still be creative. I feel that that is a really good way to help you start off your design or ideas. Looking at other successful websites can help make yours just as user friendly. I know it always helps me to see well thought out examples and how others went about their work. Websites can be set up very similar but still look nothing alike to me. For example, eBay.com and amazon.com are bother similar websites for what they offer and how they are set up. Both sites have a search bar up top for you to quickly search the items you want, a menu bar you can click on for the different item categories, and they both even have images of items you may be interested in listed on their pages. Both very similar sites that I have used but I can tell there difference in the two sites. I don’t mistake one for the other.

One of the topics discussed in chapter 4 was to make the choices obvious to the user. If they aren’t sure what they fall under they can get frustrated and end up on the wrong page. I know I have done this before in life. Not just websites but when filling out forms or anything. It can get annoying not knowing what category you fall under and end up clicking through into the wrong place and having to go back. I have gone on sites to shop for clothes and they would have choices like shoes, tops, pants, etc. but wouldn’t have dresses as its own category. They would be put under tops which just confused me. I don’t consider dresses a top if I were to go out with friends and someone asked me what I was wearing I wouldn’t tell them a top when its a dress. You don’t wear “tops” to prom or homecoming either. It just makes me sense to make your choices more obvious to me.

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Don’t Make Me Think

One of the points that Steve Krug makes in “Don’t Make Me Think” is that your app or website shouldn’t make the users think too much. He discusses that people are usually using the site efficiently and just want to find what they are looking for in it. I think this is the strongest point he wrote. I believe this point because I have gone through websites or apps and got too confused and just clicked right out of them. What’s the point of using them if you can’t find what you want on them? For example, at one point in time I wanted to apply for a job at Victoria’s Secret because I saw a hiring sign in their store. When I asked for an application they told me to apply on their website. So I go onto www.victoriassecret.com and looked for about 10 minutes for the button saying anything about jobs or careers for them and never found it. I still to this day have no idea where to look for it. I don’t believe they set up their website very well for people to use. It’s good if you want to buy their merchandise but not to work for them.

A website that does meet Krug’s point would be www.blurb.com. This website is organized in a way that doesn’t make you have to think where to go to find the type of book you are looking for. It has them listed for you to click on. It even includes pictures above the word to help show you exactly what it is. The first time I used this site to create a photography book, I figured out the site in no time and found what I needed without doing too much digging. The simplicity made me want to use the site even more.

Another point that was made is that usually people don’t read the entire website. They just read what they were looking for. I never realized this but I agree with it. I have visited so many websites and know I haven't fully read everything on them or even clicked 75% of the links. Why would you want to read and examine the whole thing if the website made it clear where you need to go to find your one interest. I feel as if a good website won’t make you have to read the whole site.

The last thing Krug discussed that I found interesting was that one of Apple’s main successes was the scrolling and pinch to zoom features. Nobody thinks of that tiny detail that seems so simple but if you think about it that really does make their websites easier to explore. Browsing the web could be much more difficult on a mobile phone without these features. Words and buttons can be small but just pinching the screen to zoom in gets rid of that issue in a fast and easy way. Since mobile screens are smaller, scrolling is important to be able to access all the information. Be able to do that by just moving your finger on the screen up or down is a breeze.

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Manifesto

My philosophy for design is that I do not want to accept any design jobs that come off as negative or something I disagree with. I would not want my name being associated with that project because it would give people the impression I support that cause. That would give me a reputation I do not wish to have and is untrue.

I also would not be doing my best work because I do not support what I am designing. This would make me not want to make the design something great. I personally do better designs if I am interested in my cause because I can put a little bit of myself into the work and enjoy taking the time to get something great. I would not put my all into a job I am ashamed of and would end up creating something I am not proud to show off under my name or use in a portfolio for future clients that have jobs for me that I would much rather participate in. I also would not want future clients to see that work I have done and not want to work with me because they think I support negative causes. I know if someone designed a t shirt telling people to hurt animals I would not want them anywhere near me or around the job I need done.

However, I do believe there will always be someone out there looking for the experience or money and will accept these harmful jobs. I wish clients with these tasks would always be shut down and their designs promoting things that are wrong would not see the light of day. Some designers just do not care as much what they are designing as long as they are getting paid. Design should not always be about the money but about helping clients promote their positive designs that sometimes may even help out the world. I would not feeling good about myself if I accepted a job that hurts people or promotes negative behavior.

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