Are you a die-hard novel writer, looking for a distraction-free way to crank out your next story?

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Darn you Apple!

The "post-pc" product marketing juggernaut has hooked me into their products, by following a simple UX (and therefore, Psychologically-based) human tendency, called: "Set Completion".

Darn you Stephen Anderson!

Stephen Anderson, UX Designer who created "Mental Notes", which is a deck of cards that describes our natural human tendencies, has truly hit the mark with "Set Completion".

Set completion is Stephen's naming of a human tendency to want to "collect", and more specifically, "complete" our collections. Apple computers, my nemesis, has simply taken Stephen's psychological cues to heart, and fiendishly, steathily, hooked me like a fish into their products.

Currently, I am an owner of an iPhone 3GS, iMac, and Macbook. What could I possibly need more in my computer-life? Uh, nothing. Except the iPad. That's all! That's it! That's all I need to complete my set! Er, well, actually... the Apple TV, too. But that's it! Then I won't need to buy any more Apple products ever again! I'll be set!

Yeah, right. Well, if you're anything like me, you've been trying to fight back the Dr. Jekyll inside your head that keeps whispering ideas of how to sell your current NON-thunderbolt Macbook, and somehow sell the cat and the furniture for the THUNDERBOLT (it's like Zeus!) Aluminum Macbook Pro, or super awesome solid-state Macbook Air.

Read more about Stephen Anderson here:

http://getmentalnotes.com/

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With all the "CAPTCHA" ideas out there, this one has really caught my attention.

Do you ever have a difficult time reading the CAPTCHA letters/words at the end of a comment field on a blog? I do! I can't stand them sometimes, actually.

Just yesterday I came across an excellent new idea: Use something a computer can't imitate! Mouse motion!

What I also like very much about this idea is that this appears to be a great option for the "Canvas" element in HTML5, something I've been wanting to implement anyway.

Learn more here:

http://www.josscrowcroft.com/projects/motioncaptcha-jquery-plugin/

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The CSS3 Generator You Never Knew You Always Wanted

Do you LOVE the new and improved CSS3? Do you follow all the CSS3 tweets, and wait anxiously (like the rest of us) for IE to finally face reality and support CSS3 as much as the other browsers?

...Do you ever wish there was a solid, clean interface out there that could help you create standards-compliant CSS3, on the fly? Well, you're in luck!

Some design buddies of mine just finished a powerful, clean CSS3 Generator that uses a beautiful UI with sliders and color pickers, and actually prints out the code for you to copy and paste into your style sheet! Check it out:

http://css3.me

Check the designers out on twitter:

http://twitter.com/funkyscript

http://twitter.com/kolage

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The "NoteSlate" and the "Kno" - Desirable Interfaces?

I have been watching the introduction of new types of computer-like tablets, specifically the "Kno" and the "NoteSlate", which use the "stylus" for user input. The "NoteSlate" is marketed just as a low-level input device, geared more towards static note-taking, while the "Kno" is a tablet computer geared towards textbook reading, that allows Stylus notes.

Both of these interfaces leave me wondering... Would I use this?

I mean, I'm really excited about the way the industry is going... especially since mobile computing appears to provide such a better user experience. However, I still have doubts about whether the stylus can compete with Apple's multi-touch finger-input approach. Which is the better User Experience?

Are there studies that show that the end-user still wants this type of input? Is the Stylus-input a good User Experience?

Follow the discussion here: http://tiny.cc/StylusInputUX
 

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Evernote: No app can match it

Over the past few years, I've struggled to find the best way, and best place, to keep track of all the web pages, notes, ideas, pictures, journal entries, and so on that I aggregate on a daily basis. As I looked through the myriad web apps, iPhone apps, and desktop apps that provided some sort of organization for these things, I came across "EVERNOTE" one day, and have YET to find its equal.

Evernote allows you to save text notes, web clips, pictures from your mobile phone, and even voice recordings all to one easy to use web account.They even have a Firefox add-on that makes it super easy to "clip" web pages you like, and automatically save clippings to your account.

Evernote for students: A great tool for notes, studying, and recording lectures

Today I came across a really solid list of reasons why Evernote is so awesome for college students. Check it out: http://tiny.cc/loveEVERNOTE

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I have spent the past year studying various devices which have "eReading" capabilities, and in various markets (casual reading, education, etc) such as:

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Do you wish there were ONE place to collect all your blogs, RSS feeds, Tweets, and Facebook posts, so you could read them all in one place?

Well, in my opinion, the coolest tool for managing social content is an iPad app: "FLIPBOARD". Flipboard is a "content aggregation app" of sorts, that collects all your feeds, social network updates, etc, and puts them into a smooth, intuitive, beautiful magazine-style format, that literally flips from page to page. Awesome, huh?

Check it out at "http://flipboard.com", or download it on iTunes

Or, join the discussion on UX Exchange:

http://tinyurl.com/26y9dq2

Aevum Design

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Image galleries, sliding content, onClick events, glowing text, and so on and so on... If you spend anytime online at all, you've been exposed to these fantastic interactions.  

Javascript enhances the User Experience of a website, bringing a website to life with animations, smooth transitions, and access to any piece of code within the site, via the DOM. iPhone developers have incorporated special plugins and libraries, such as jQTouch, to create experiences that are smooth and mentally intuitive.

In an effort to prove the usefulness of Javascript in portfolio design, I have decided to create a website stuffed with Javascript interaction. As part of my current class schedule at Utah Valley University in Orem, UT, I've almost finished the final project for my Digital Media 2760 (javascript) class. Although there's still work to do, I at least wanted to share what I've done so far.
Enjoy!

http://aevumdesign.com

Aevum Design

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Anyone who dreams about the future of home entertainment has very likely had their interest piqued by Apple's streaming technology, "Airplay". Airplay is a software designed by Apple that allows you to share content between Apple's hand held devices, such as Apple's iPhone or iPad, with your home entertainment center. With this smooth technology, Apple has set a new standard for device integration.

Just imagine... You're watching a movie on your iPad (if you're lucky enough to own one), and you walk into your living room and sit down on your couch. You pause your movie, and think to yourself: "Man, I wish I could watch this on my TV without having to go through an entirely separate process". THAT'S where Airplay comes in. With Airplay installed on your iPad or iPhone, and using Apple's new "Apple TV", you can literally "slide" the content you're viewing on your device, to your TV!

I get really excited when I consider the implications of this new idea. What if you're playing a game on your iPad, and then you "swipe" it via Airplay to your TV? Your iPad would then become the CONTROLLER for your game, while you play it on your TV! Awesome!

Apple really has a solid idea with a lot of exciting possibilities. I'll be watching this new technology closely.

Aevum Design

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Do you care whether your website visitors have an enjoyable experience? ...well, you should care. But how can you make their experience better? And why does it matter?

Web users only spend a few seconds on your site before they decide it's worthwhile. Is it easy for your visitors to find what they want, or do they have to READ your entire site before they find it? Here are 5 NEW Rules of Thumb I'd like to offer:

1.Don't bother with useless FLASH introductions

Don't get me wrong, I LOVE FLASH. However, a number of sites use it for the wrong reason. The vast majority of users don't care about your $5,000 FLASH intro... if your users are going to be "wowed" by your site, wow them with your site layout, design, colors, ease-of-use, or beautiful images. Flash menus are excellent. Flash-based videos (that your users can CHOOSE to watch) are excellent. Flash intros are a waste of time and money FLASH should only be used to aid you in making a smooth, aesthetically-pleasing experience. ("T-Mobile.com" has done a pretty fantastic job with their new layout. It's all done in Flash) .  ***I don't believe I have EVER sat through an entire Flash intro. I only ever think: "Where's the "Skip Intro" button!!?"

2. Use 75% MORE IMAGES than Text on your "front-facing" and "product" pages

When your visitors first visit your Site, or your Products page, they aren't going to read the beautiful web copy you spent days and days to write; they're simply going to LOOK for what your company/product/site does. The key question is this: If all of your WEB COPY was removed from your site, would visitors still be able to get a general idea about what you offer?...Ok, maybe this isn't always possible. However, take a look at Apple's new iPad features page...(http://www.apple.com/ipad/features/)... how many images do you count? (I count 17).  If you just scrolled down the page, would you be able to give an overview as to what the iPad offers in features?

3. Always add TEXT links next to IMAGE links. 

Do you have an image that links to another page? (This doesn't include the navigation bar, necessarily) Well, treat your website like you would a classroom; there are "Visual" learners, there are "Read The Directions" learners. Not everyone looks at things the same way. Some visitors know what image links are as soon as they see them. Some don't. Some visitors always need "hints". (i.e. "Go to Portfolio" next to a "Portfolio" image) Give 'em both!   ***(Personally, I nearly always click on the IMAGES themselves.)

4. Don't point a "FIREHOSE" OF INFORMATION at your users

Does your product have 5000 features? Who cares? Ok, maybe there are some who will care... but don't offer all that information up front. Most visitors to your site only want to know the basics. If I'm interested in buying a bike online, do I want to know the name of the manufacturer in China? Maybe, but allow me to CHOOSE to view that information. The majority of your visitors are not interested in knowing EVERYTHING. They only want to know what is needful. Many product sites (take Best Buy, Wal-Mart, etc) will offer you all the information you need, but they don't put it up in your face... it's easily accessible, but if all you want to know is the price and color, that's all you see at first glance.

5. Don't make your website ONE SOLID COLOR

 Have mercy on people's eyes! IF IT WOULDN'T LOOK GOOD IN A MAGAZINE, IT DOESN'T LOOK GOOD ON THE WEB!  Get some advice from a friend who has experience in color theory. Don't just throw your site up in DARK BLUE or DARK GREEN because "it looks cool". Chances are, if you don't have a professional choosing your site's colors, it's going to look like a 4th Grader's Art Project.  There are some excellent resources on the web for finding good complementary colors, color contrasts, etc. (http://www.colorsontheweb.com/ is a good one) When all else fails, if you can't think of any good color combinations, just use more white space.

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As a professional Web Designer, I have had my share of frustrations with antiquated browsers. One of the biggest problems in web design today is designing for Internet Explorer 6.  Many large companies force their employees to use it, which, in turn, forces designers to design for it. However, Internet Explorer 6 has long been known to be antiquated and not supported by Microsoft. In recent weeks, a major browser security flaw was found in Internet Explorer 6. This security issue was only another nail in the coffin for version 6.

Just today I came across a website devoted to helping people become acquainted with other browsers... Check it out: http://whichbrowserforme.org/

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Over the past month I've been expending the necessary effort to find a useful tool to help me in my website User Experience redesigns. I've looked into OmniGraffle and others, though, as I am naturally very cheap (Hey! Who has money to purchase new prototyping tools?) I decided I had to find a FREE one.
Enter: "HOTGLOO". I believe I came across HotGloo in a design blog a few weeks ago... and I think it's great! It's a web-based prototyping tool, all FLASH based, and it's currently FREE (still in Beta). Check it out!  "http://hotgloo.com"

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• Search Engines Searches (people search keywords and get your page in the results)
• Direct Links from Web Sites (including blogs)
• Advertising Links (including banners, PPC and text-link ads)
• Returning Visitors
• Non-web links such as newsletters, newsgroups, bookmarks, word-of-mouth, name recognition

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Occasionally I'll try out a few new web apps that appear to be geared towards the Web Design crowd. My most recent experience has been with "Five Second Test", a web designer app that gives designers the chance to have random visitors share their impressions of the web designer's site; more specifically, their impressions as to which areas of the prospective website are the most attention-grabbing.

Designers can upload images of their website layouts, allow random people to look at them, and then get feedback from those visitors about what caught their attention within a 5-second time limit.

Here's an example of what random visitors thought of my site: http://fivesecondtest.com/manage/LXgsaXRq/results  (the words in the boxes are the words that my visitors felt best described the areas that they clicked on first)

Check it out:  "http://fivesecondtest.com"

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I've had my experiences with Photoshop brushes, Illustrator brushes, and Paint Shop Pro brushes. I've even used a drawing tablet in each of them, but I always ended up being disappointed with the ability for those programs to have the same kind of natural feel as a basic pen or pencil. Then I came across LiveBrush. If you like to draw smooth, flowing, brush-like images, you've GOT to check out LiveBrush. Check it out here: http://livebrush.com

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