Were you ever given the assignment to create a new look and feel of a desktop application or web app, but didn’t know where to start? I found myself staring down a web application with four buttons strategically placed randomly on the screen. My job is to come up with a design that is both unique and inspiring as well as functional; where do I start? In this article, I will discuss building a UI from start to finish. Content, Content and More Content So here we are, you have a screen with four buttons; how do we turn this into a working functional and aesthetically pleasing design? The first thing we need to do is create content. Let’s take a deeper dive into the types of content one can gather. Verbiage Images / Graphics Typography Colors / Shapes / Textures Grouping Animations Verbiage Word choice is a big part…
When a company announces a merger, a wave of panic sets in the air. The word merger is not a term many people like to hear when it is about companies. Going through my first merger, I did not understand all the logistics and lingo that accompanied it. It was foreign territory as I witnessed frustration, anger, and even confusion. Questions went through my head. Do I stay or go? I have been through a few company mergers since then and have picked up knowledge along the way. I will discuss three questions you need to ask yourself to determine when should you leave after a company merger. If your company is bought out by another company on the day of the merger, ask yourself these three questions: If more responsibility is placed on you, are you able and willing to carry on the extra load? If you feel at…
Two weeks ago I was tasked with writing a Heuristic assessment of the Texas De Brazil website for a job interview. I had no idea what a Heuristic assessment was. I started doing research and found an excellent resource of the ten usability heuristics . Heuristic assessments are conducted by usability researchers (UX researchers). This article will show how to conduct a heuristic evaluation write up. This Heuristic assessment is only to show how easy the site is navigable by users and does not reflect the quality of food or service. -The food is quite good and the atmosphere is wonderful Writing a Heuristic assessment – A Quick Report Overview Goal: To find existing website issues on the Texas De Brazil website. How: This website will be reviewed using Nielson’s Heuristic evaluation list created by Jakob Nielsen. Assessment: There were many positive findings on the site that would draw the…
Have a positive effect on an organization from the top down by building a thriving work culture In the previous article, I discussed building a thriving work culture by focusing on how to build a good team. Having a good team dynamic is crucial in work getting done efficiently and on time. Members of a team bring a unique perspective to solving problems. Teamwork though is not the only piece in making an organization work effectively. In this article, I will talk about how management affects work culture. Building a good work environment is important for the organization to achieve its goals. Companies have missions. They have a purpose for the products they make. It is their job to deliver that mission to the hearts of the employees. It is then in the employee’s hands to use their skills to make that vision come to life. As requirements come, management…
Working for companies whether big or small one is almost guaranteed to work with a team in some capacity. Organizations have a core vision and rely on individuals that can help build that vision, but what if you are hired on to a company where everyone seems to be huddled into their own cube? What if you work with an employee that you don’t get along with? Building an excellent work culture does take work, but it’s not as hard as you may think. In this article I will focus on how to build a better team. What is Work Culture? Work culture is an environment where employees adhere to the organizations guidelines while at the same time feel safe, heard, appreciated and respected. In an excellent work environment employees respect others as well as the organizations mission. I have been blessed to work in companies that have great work…
If you were CEO what would you do that we are not doing? I have been working in corporate America for over 10 years now. I got my degree in Computer Science and started my career as a programmer. Right out of college I started at a company where I was one of two developers. I was the junior developer and the other was a lead developer. I programmed on new projects off and on when one day my manager tells us we are going to learn a new framework called Windows Presentation Foundation (WPF). We both watched training videos, but when it came down to it, one of us had to do the UI work. I could tell you that it certainly wasn’t going to be the lead developer. It was me, but little did I know, I would love it. UI Became More Than The Look I had…
People DO judge a book by its over. We may have the best product, the highest quality, the most useful software, etc.; if we present them in a slipshod manner, they will be perceived as slipshod; if we present them in a creative, professional manner, we will impute the desired qualities. Mike Markkula January 3, 1977 In the past ten years, I have noticed a disconnect in many companies when it comes to product design. I’ve worked in companies that had product owners who would write user stories to implement a client requested feature however the requirements were very vague and left the interpretation of the design up to the developer. The developer would get no information on how it should look or where it should go. Developers have so much pressure to get features complete that they run through the UI, drag n’ drop some buttons on the page…
When designing your first web app it’s easy to get lost in all the requirements and not know where to start. When I was presented with creating a User Interface for a project that helped Mining Engineers determine drill hole samples I didn’t know how to organize the User Interface or even how to separate one set of content from the other. The thing that was racing through my mind was make it look pretty, but UI design is more than just how it looks. The User Interface is the way a user interacts with the system. It is the place where data is captured which will ultimately turn into useful statistics and meaningful information. It is important for the user to understand what information is required from them and help them to give that information as quickly and pain free as possible. Here are a few tips to consider…