Category Archives: News

The usability testing: action!

Posted by on January 25, 2012 No comments

Finally the time has come to take action: between an hour will come the first tester with which you took the appointment. You must use this time to check that the location for the test is in order and that all links are working (also the eventual connection establishing with who assists remotely) check the exact frame of cam and make sure the audio which is registered correctly.


List of things to test in hand, you’re ready to go.


It is preferable to find a tester to neutral starting position, then we will see why. However, this means displaying the screen off or to display the desktop (desktop). At the same time, however, must be ready to start, then browser reduced to icon but already opened on the site to be tested (or on the search engine, if the test also includes this phase), already established remote connection, webcam and microphone switched on and already open registration program.


The screen-recording programs typically have a shortcut to start recording, but it’s up to you to choose whether to use the shortcut after the entrance of the tester, the actual start of the test, or if you prefer to start program execution before entering the meter, and so the situation nice and ready, but with a small initial cutting to do.


Obviously, doing audio/video recordings to the person, you need to make them sign a waiver form (for which editors would do well to consult briefly with your legal), and this is the best time to do so.


Ensure that the test is useful for the purpose, it is important that the person who will me tell you exactly what he thinks as they navigate the site in question. It is clear that to get results in this sense, we must try to establish a relationship with the tester, immediately establishing a dialogue: ask the name, what it does in life … clarify in advance that the test is still not started and trying to conduct the conversation about genre “chat” rather than “interrogation”: is essential that the tester feels at ease.


Give it what is the test very insisting on the fact that it concerns exclusively the site and it is absolutely a study on his person. Avoid saying that you have worked or took part in the realization of the site: If you can establish a relationship with the tester is likely will arouse its sympathy and this might make him feel uncomfortable in moving criticisms that would save the project.


If everything is clear, you can actually start with the test: If you have not yet done so, start logging and open the browser, then leaves the commands to the tester.


It is likely that initially despite being entirely clear, the tester is not very talkative, but you can begin to ask questions like “what do you think about this site?”.


Via the ask all points of the list that you made previously, with questions specific to the type “Compileresti this form?” or “you would click this button?”; You’ll see that often you’ll be taking notes: the test is a great source of inspiration.


Avoid prolonged silences during the test, if the tester does not speak but her eyes wander on the page, wait a few seconds before him questions like “what are you thinking?” or “what are you looking at?”.


Tries to propose questions in a neutral and never biased, even if your innermost desire is to show that your idea on the call-to-action is the best: remember that the test is only useful if the tester is not affected.


After sailing over the site and run out of questions, you can optionally ask the tester to complete some tasks like “Register to the site”, “open a support ticket”, “find the answer to this question” and check any uncertainties in carrying out the task.


Once concluded the test won’t dimentircarti to ask if there are any further questions or opinions that the tester wants to express, and then you will be free to dismiss.


If your colleagues attended remotely gather also immediately to discuss the results of the test, otherwise you should show them the recording (and review it won’t hurt).


Everyone will have his notes to compare with others and at the end of the discussion you will most certainly of results: results will exclude completely a solution or leave protruding towards the alternative that eventually proved better.


You and your group can then proceed in the implementation of a new prototype to be presented to the next tester, with already this first experience behind.


 


 

Web Design is right to develop and/or use template?

Posted by on January 12, 2012 No comments

There are those who say that are the bane of the market perceives them as a threat to their profession and creative capacity, there is also those who say that only geeks can take them into consideration because they are synonymous with little preparation and a lot of superficiality.


What we’re talking about Templates and offered in stock ready in many marketplaces that can be found today on the Web.


But how are really things? We try to figure it out together through this my personal analysis so that I can share with you my opinion on the topic.


Let’s start with understanding who the end-user of these templates. Because, as we shall see, this is not always geeks who have not studied and don’t know how often they can resort to: use a template even professionals who perform this work for years.


Surely anyone who does not and will never make use of templates, are the major brands or big companies which already have their own brand, their own image and a line of communication and when you bring your own online business are turning to professionals who are able to realizzargli a customized project based on the uniqueness of their brand.


The template in most cases is purchased by four different users ben specifications:

Who poses as a Web Designer: is the most dangerous because it does not have the slightest idea of what does the word “web design”, does not know anything about code, you can only install the CMS (WordPress, Joomla or other) and configure it. If the customer asks you simply move the logo from side to side of the topic, enter in the balloon. S most absurd excuses ever to support the thesis that the site unfortunately you can’t change.Who makes for himself: belongs to this category the user while not doing the job of web designer manages to juggle the customization – albeit very limited – a template, so the website for yourself or for your own business without investing large digits.The novice Web Designer: have taken this route recently and is still not fully able to accomplish alone a web project in its entirety, then relies on a template so that its knowledge may already have a base on which to make modifications and customizations.Industry professionals: when submitting a customer that has a low budget, the trader can do only two things, or reject the work or propose a cost-effective, as it could be just buying and using a template. It is important and correct that the customer is made aware of the approach adopted and which could find around other websites similar to his because it is a purchased product in stock.

There are those who argue that the sale of stock in these cheap template removing work for web designers.


As we see from the analysis just made the “template” is most often addressed to a customer who has a very low budget and which would be far-fetched to propose an ad hoc solution.


As I said a while ago, the type of customers who claim the creation of a website at three hundred or four hundred euros is absolutely to be avoided. And this already could suffice to say that the sale of these template there takes work. Indeed, probably frees us from a slice of customers that most of the time ago only lose time and patience to poor web designers.


I’ll tell you more. Have you ever tried to look at the scenario just described under another optics?


Four groups the users of the template (who poses as a web designer, who makes for himself, the novice web designers and industry professionals) are nothing more than another “Group of potential customers” still larger than the single ultimate purchaser we’re used to.


At this point, if we look at the situation from another point of view, the template for sale in stock rather than take off work become – paradoxically as claimed by someone – a possible source of work and income.


So the professional as well as work with final customers may choose to develop even template for sale in stock. And when on average every template put on sale begins to yield something like ten thousand euro, then begins to think that no, selling in the stock of these just being him not template removing work:)


 


 


 


 

The new YIW: usable, accessible, responsive

Posted by on January 5, 2012 No comments

Four restyling in two years … a nice average, right? Moreover, you know, everything on the web is abuzz, an evolution continues in which everything up to six months ago was more than good suddenly becomes obsolete and somehow lacking in efficacy.


Improve our blog so as to make it usable and engaging as possible and keep it in step with the times and the new trends is a challenge we set ourselves ever since we decided to base this community and to share articles and resources with you.


Therefore, it is with some pride that we present the fall/winter 2011 version of Your Inspiration: Web a usable layout, clean and above all responsive.


But we see the changes and innovations of the new YIW: are not excessive, because ultimately they were a few things that needed to be fixed, but overall we are confident that the improvement is pretty self explanatory:)


It was a pain but it was worth it: the new layout of Your Inspiration Web is completely ‘ responsive ‘, for which the content – both those textual images – fit depending on the device with which the site is navigated.


It seemed essential to facilitate the consultation of our articles for all those who connect through devices such as iPhone, iPad and similar. Now, whatever your video resolution, you won’t have any problem viewing the content.try for yourself! :)


Given that the clique of freelance (or hopefuls) reading our blog is growing rapidly, it seemed pretty add the freelance category between the categories of the post from the menu. We meticulously filed all articles that can be somehow useful to freelance, so as to facilitate consultation thereof.


To highlight the content in the sidebar so effective and clean we inserted the tab. The first shows featured articles (a function that already had) and the articles most commented: we have a lot of articles that have generated the reflections and debates really interesting and it seemed useful to put them in the foreground.


In the second tab we have included the recent comments and recent posts included in the forum: the forum of YIW is like a cheerful crowd where people share ideas, tips or simply chatting between a project and each other. Thanks to this tab you’ll always see what are the latest topics, who talks about what to say and maybe your:)


Now the list of free resources issued by YIW is updated: a look at everything you have given in these two and a half years, you never know, you may be escaped something!


 


 

How to plan a project or an idea that we have in mind?

Posted by on December 29, 2011 No comments

For a freelance web designer is very important to be able to work and pursue personal projects. This activity can serve both to improve the vocational own, experimenting with new methods of work that otherwise might not apply in everyday work, both in an attempt to create something which can give him a form of gain direct or indirect.


Many web designers are “geeks” (in a good way of term) and really wants to do, increasingly seeking to carve out the time between a job and the other to bring forward their own personal projects.


Personal projects I can be of any type, from the most simple and immediate things to those more complex and articulated: you go from simple realization of your site/blog to develop real web applications able to handle such a marketplace for the sale of digital products and services.


Comes in your mind a beautiful idea that might give you what you have always wanted: Fame and prosperity for the rest of your life. Wondering how come no one has yet and thought and goes off in a rage to begin the project before anyone can cheat you the idea.


And so without thinking twice, after a few hours are already there, all caught, that first down throw lines of code.


How many times you happened to start just so the work on a project that you wanted to accomplish and realize only after several months of hard work that, in fact, the project in question was not very feasible for those who had the resources available?


I do not mean a failure due to inefficiency or lack of validity of the project in question, characteristics that should be evaluated. What I mean is just the impossibility of completing the project because the way you’ve realized that something is too big for you. Maybe there are different aspects (bureaucratic, fiscal, commercial, legal, technical, etc) which had not even thought that you are able to handle.


You have idea of how much is that time wasted uselessly in a project which, if well planned, would have understood that it was not achievable before even start?


The feasibility of a project is one of the first things to analyze when you want to accomplish an idea.


There are cases where it may go well, when a project created almost for game and without any kind of planning, spreads in a viral way and maybe finds himself to be the first social network in the world’s most used, Facebook docet.


But these are more unique than rare cases, one that goes so other novecentonovantanove fail.


So before we start losing time in development of a project that we might not be feasible, we must sit down and analyze well the idea that we want to achieve.


The most important points to consider are the following:

What are the individual tasks to be performed to complete the project?How many and which figures/will need resources?How long it will carry out each task?What costs will face?

Analyzing in detail the answers to these questions we will have an idea a bit clearer on the feasibility of the project.


In addition to this, in the case of an entrepreneurial idea, should be also assessed the validity of the initiative. How?


For example, using a tool like the Business Plan, which allows you to analyze in detail the many variables which may depend on the success or failure of the initiative:

the technical features that will have the product/service; the technologies/equipment needed; the type of market you intend to serve; the image you want to give the company, market research and competitive analysis, promotional policies that you intend to activate; price policies; the capital necessary to start and run enterprises; the bureaucracy to be completed;

To avoid wasting our time – which nowadays becomes increasingly valuable – is essential to plan in detail every project on which we want to work.


You can make mistakes and fail even planning meticulously to perform every action, but at least nothing was left to chance.