espodesigns

When you walk into a dark strange room, what is one of the first things you do? Many skim their hand along the wall in search of a light switch. As the lights are turned on, the room is filled with light. Light allows you to navigate and visualize the colors, textures and design of the room. As you walk around the room, you scan for information as to what this room can provide. Many websites are in essence a room filled with light in which the user will discover its contents. Navigation, userability, design and message construction are part of the information architecture blueprint. This blog will discuss how information architecture contains similar principles to the physical architecture found in a room.

Imagine walking into a dark room where couch after couch is put in the doorway and entrance of a room. How painful and frustrating this experience would be. Many would turn around after the second bump and leave the room. A website’s navigation provides the user with the blueprint to browse through the site. It should be immediately recognizable, not necessarily the prime focus, but it must be visible. It is a tool for the user to navigate and must be prominent. If your site contains the navigation on the left hand side of the page, it should be in the same spot for other pages in the site. Word selection should be carefully chosen to lead viewers toward important information. A link that doesn’t work or goes to a page not found is frustrating and the viewer will leave the site.  

Navigation, search and collaboration are the invisible threads that make up the userability of a website; it is the underground wiring behind the light switch. It is the digital structures in which information is shared with spaces. Compatibility to the person’s computer or mobile device is an important aspect with userability. The ability to key word search either for the site URL or within the site has become commonplace. It helps prioritize information within the mind of the user to find quick results. The ability to collaborate images, hyperlinks, sound and video to other website allows for further userability within sites. 

Besides navigation and userability, design is a first impression a person has when entering the website and provides individual uniqueness and identity. Design can encompass color, visual texture, sound, video and font style. A site with bright yellow/green, which can be found at http://www.dontclick.it, is screaming that its message is important. Pale tones or earth tones, such as the ones found at http://www.spamagazine.com/, may denote calm and well-being. A serif or script font, Times New Roman for instance, may imply elegance or sophistication. A sans serif or straight font such as Helvetica, may imply a modern, fashionable, uncomplicated message. Many subscribers have cable modem or DSL but not everyone. Graphics should not take more than a second or two to download. If it takes longer, people likely will leave your site. The overall design is the architectural features of a website. 

Text, images, sound and video are the messages of a website; it is the picture that is inside the picture frame. Each item on the site represents the overall theme or purpose. Messages should be chosen to create an impact for understanding, the “WoW” factor, sharing, etc. For instance, www.macys.com provides various merchandise for shopping, http://www.dontclick.it promotes reasons not to have a button that clicks and http://loc8ed.com/501/ promotes the latest blog posts for ICM 501. Messages are bundles of data in which viewers may have a variety of expectations. The news site www.cnn.com provides messages about important stories around the world, while www.techblog.org provides messages on technology and a place for someone to comment. Messages provide the overall tone and emotion felt when walking into a room or a website.  

There are numerous websites on the web. A schematic that allows for clear navigation, userability, design and message construction will allow for interaction and connection to places within or to other websites. It is the proverbial light that illuminates the pages and invites people to explore. 

References

Catani, M., Chadwick-Dias, A., Connor, E., LeDoux, L., True, M., Tullis, T., A Study of Website navigation methods. Fidelity Investments. Retrieved October 28, 2006, from http://www.eastonmass.net/tullis/WebsiteNavigation/WebsiteNavigationPaper.htm.

How to find articles. Retrieved October 22, 2006 from http://www.library.yale.edu/instruction/journals/pages/stepfourcard.html.

Kiley, J., The immutable laws of effective navigation, Part 2 Let it stand out. Logo designworks. Retrieved October 28, 2006, from http://www.logodesignworks.com/articles/ar23_navigationlaw2.htm.

Krug, S. (2000). Don’t make me think. Indianapolis: New Riders, pp. 1-39.

 Wodke, C. (2001). Defining information architecture deliverables. Boxes and Arrows.

There are a lot of interesting points in this article about culture, personality and breeding of new ideas. Google seems like an incredible place to work!

Building a ‘Googley’ Workforce: Corporate Culture Breeds Innovation

By Sara Kehaulani Goo
Washington Post Staff Writer
Saturday, October 21, 2006; Page D01

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/10/20/AR2006102001461.html?referrer=emailarticle

How I Utilized
Quinnipiac University’s Library

Back in elementary school, we were given lessons on the library card catalog. We were taught how to utilize this wooden piece of furniture and how by using this we would be able to locate books and periodicals.   Since then, I have been “Googling” for information for years; pouring over books at Barnes & Noble, buying some books online at Amazon.com and have been checking out books at a local library – but, all for pleasure. Now, with an impending project due I needed to expand my resources and use the library databases.  

So, last Monday, I made my way over to the Arnold Bernhard Library at Quinnipiac University and sat down at one of the fourteen rotunda area computers. The computer screen in front of me featured over nine databases containing information from liberal arts to health and science. That is when my experience with current library technology began. This blog will discuss how periodicals were searched, periodical articles were acquired, how printing was done and how all of these relate to the reading, “Don’t make me think!” by S. Krug. 

When I began my search for periodical articles, I clicked all periodical holdings. From this location there was a search bar at the top of my screen. However, you must type in the name of the journal. Keywords to open periodicals are not available. Not knowing what journal my article was in, I found this confusing. The article, “Don’t make me think!” states that you should find your search in two clicks; in most cases each library search totaled over four. Titles that were self-evident did not produce user friendly results without querying down further with specifics.  From a usability standpoint, the results of a search can be staggering. However, to have the right “key” to get the right search was tricky and confusing. 

Through various logins, I made my way to ProQuest and finally I was overloaded with lots of articles containing the information which I needed.  No longer did I have to go up to the reference desk, have them search for the hard copies of periodicals and only come back with three because the rest of the journals were being used. The search process time was drastically cut in half.  

The articles that were pulled in ProQuest had an abstract short summary at the top with the full text below. The top part of the page contained the name of the article, author(s), publication title and date, word count and more. Everything I needed was on one organized page! The abstract allowed me to read a quick summary of the article which helped me determine if it was worthy of saving. Each article had an option allowing users to email articles to themselves or send them to print. From S. Krug’s point of view, this format allowed clear, direct instruction as to next steps. Its usability was evident. 

Since I was in the library and not offsite, I took advantage of the print feature with the various articles. When I hit print, I came across a login screen. Since I did not know my log in, I went up to the front desk and I was told further instructions. Back at the computer I hit print for each of my twenty-four articles. When I made my way to the printer, I thought, please don’t let someone take my articles. When I got there nothing was printed. I went back to the information desk and was told that you need to swipe your ID which contains some money allocated to print. I went back and a few minutes later articles were printed at once. This is a great system but there was not a sign in the print area letting me know what to do. I did have to think about how to make this system work, but after initial instructions this printing process proved more paper efficient and time saving. 

In conclusion, the usability of a library setting has opened up a wealth of opportunities to utilize more resources than ever before.  The organization of the databases at the Quinnipiac
University library portal is a bit confusing because of the search criteria. This is an area where it could improve with a cleaner, clearer visual hierarchy. Questions about logins should be posted right next to the computer on a short 3 x 5 card or directly under the login information on the screen. When there is a line of people at the information desk, common questions can be very frustrating and confusing. However, the end results of searching have produced a more inclusive search with efficient retrieval.

References

Arnold Bernhard Library Resources. Retrieved October 22, 2006 from http://www.quinnipiac.edu/x6353.xml.

Battleson, B., Booth, A., & Weintrop, J. (2001). Usability testing of an academic library web site: a case study. Journal of Academic Librarianship, 27(3), 188-198.

Center for Chinese Studies Library. Retrieved October 22, 2006 from http://www.lib.berkeley.edu/CCSL/catalogs.html.

How to find articles. Retrieved October 22, 2006 from http://www.library.yale.edu/instruction/journals/pages/stepfourcard.html.

Krug, S. (2000). Don’t make me think. Indianapolis: New Riders, pp. 1-39.

October 15, 2006
Your treasured photos are brought to you by …

As she came down the stairs, took out a glass for orange juice and reached for a bowl for her cereal, a proud Grandma watched as pictures from yesterday’s pumpkin picking of her grandson float over a dazzling silver 8.2 inch LCD screen next to her phone.  

One of the wonderful things about digital photography is that you can take and share photos with people all over the world. But with limited storage space on computers and memory cards, privacy and security concerns of websites and technology challenges for many individuals, CEIVA™ has found a simple, fast, easy way to share digital photos through a CEIVA Digital Photo Receiver™ using their CEIVAMobile™ technology. This program allows anyone to send photos from a cell phone anywhere in the world directly to a CEIVA Digital Photo Receiver™ anywhere in America.  

Grandma’s viewing of digital photos is an end results of packaged, retrievable shared information. In the selected articles that I read this week, a common thread discussed the synthesis of personal information into a format that that can be retrieved for enjoyment at a later time. Various methods such as labeling, Genimap navigation, key word searching and icons were listed to help make this retrieval process possible. But most people are getting accustomed to retrieving information quickly or “Googling in a packaged format that will contain all possible answers to our information. This paper will discuss some websites where not only information is retrieved, but the environment in which information is organized and shared.  

Photos are one of the most common items shared on the internet or mobile phone. It is a form of self expression and used to document loved ones and places. CEIVA™ is one form of technology used to share photos. Another is snapfish.com. This site allows you to post, edit, develop prints, develop personalized stationary, send photos to a mobile device and e-mail photos for sharing with families and friends. It is organized by album title and is saved by month. This site features a centralized location for selected users to share photos, messages and notifications. This tool demonstrates a package format desired by users to organize digital photos quickly. 

Another site which demonstrates the need for organization of bits of data is del.icio.us. This site is a collection of bookmarks and favorite articles, blogs, music, reviews, recipes and more that can be accessed from any computer on the web. Del.icio.us uses tags to organize and remember bookmarks. Del.icio.us is a site that can be shared with friends and family. No longer is a mass spam e-mail necessary to announce a particular article or link; this site allows for real time access of important information with a twist of an organizational element. 

Online banking has helped organize the checkbooks of thousands, if not millions. Most banks offer free online access to accounts, bill payment and notification, transfer of money between accounts, stop payment requests, check order requests and check receipts. Online banking can keep a running total of how much in a given time a payee, has been paid, e.g., electric company.  Encryption used with banks helps assure the customer of trust and security when using online banking. The process of balancing a checkbook has been packaged to offer convenient, current information that can be modified to the end user. 

Sharing of photos, thoughts, sites and bits of information are part of human nature. We love to display what is important and meaningful in our lives. Most people live very busy lives with constant demands. Various websites and technologies that can tap upon our emotions, organize a mundane necessary task or organize massive amounts of information quickly will be embraced as a critical need and desire with technology. In addition, pre-created sites and services that allow for safe, secure, user created and user defined audience participation will define some of the popular organizational packages of the future.  

Citations

Bank of America. Retrieved October 15, 2006 from http://www.bankofamerica.com/index.cfm.

CEIVA.com. Retrieved October 15, 2006 from http://www.ceiva.com.

Czerwinski, M., Gage, D.W., Gemmell, J., Marshall, C., Pérez-Quiñonesis, M., Skeels, et al (2006). Digital memories in an era of ubiquitous computing and abundant storage. Communications of the ACM, 49(1), 45-50.

Gemmell, J., Bell, G., & Lueder, R. (2006). MyLifeBits: a personal database for everything. Communications of the ACM, 49(1), 89-95.

Kangas, E. & Kinnunen, T. (2005). Applying user-centered design to mobile application development. Communications of the ACM, 48(7), 55-59.

Snapfish.com. Retrieved October 15, 2006 from http://www1.snapfish.com/home/t_=47879398.

Although I did not find a mistake on Wikipedia, I have learned how to make changes and view the latest edits. As I search for various topics in which I am knowledgeable, I will look for errors and mistakes in text. Please visit to view such changes. 

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:Recentchanges

Hispanics’ Web Identity Grows As Ads Target Diverse Audience

By Alan Sipress

Washington Post Staff Writer
Saturday, October 7, 2006

Interesting article on Hispanic websites.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/10/06/AR2006100601704.html

Getting Families to Play Together
washingtonpost.com
By Mike Musgrove
Thursday, October 12, 2006

An article about gaming. Please visit

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/10/11/AR2006101101666_pf.html

OUR world from space 

Click on the following link to look at OUR world from space.

http://home.att.net/~hideaway_fun/442/planet.htm       

October 7, 2006
Week 6 – ICM Introduction to Interactive Communications 

Blogging and Perceived Perception

The power of perceived perception is an equalizing force that can shape loyalty and trust within a company or organization. Men in business suits become characters narrating thoughts and feelings on a given topic in an informal “open-door” policy manner. Perceived personalities and assumptions are now being shaken as the concrete elite walls are being cracked. The role of blogging within companies is placing splinters in these walls, but, within these cracks new challenges are arising. The role of blogging is testing the parameters of brand messaging, freedom of speech in America and risk communications.

In many large and small organizations graphic designers, sales people, managers and others from the top to bottom are taught about their company’s brand. Company brand identifies uniform colors, fonts, tag lines, logos, words and writing style conventions used in all documents; thus, the overall packaging of the product or concept. Countless hours are spent designing this brand to create a professional polished product or concept that denotes trustworthiness, authority and loyalty. What happens then when the controlled polished brand message of the company is discussed on a blog? Will the correct message instilled into the minds of workers spread? What about grammar and writing conventions? If a blog is riddled with grammatical errors and spelling, will the public perceive that a company hires illiterate professionals? In a book written by R. Scoble and S. Israel, I learned how the use of blogging helped modify public perception of Microsoft and GM. I was surprised by this; it goes against what one is taught about message management and branding.

I came across an article on October 2, 2006 in the Washington Post. This article, titled Hard-Learned Lesson: Don’t Try to Censor a Blogger, discusses how corporate head Murry N. Gunty of Milestone Capital Management LLC was almost ruined by a blog.  Gunty, who graduated from Harvard University, manipulated the 1992 election for officers of the Harvard Business School’s Finance Club. The matter was widely reported at the time, including a front page article on the Wall Street Journal. Gunty atoned by resigning from the club and writing an ethics paper.

On January 19, 2006, Mark Pincus founder of Tribe.net posted an essay on how ethical lapses in US business executives rarely result in punishment. His essay used Gunty as a prominent example. Dozens of posters wrote on the blog scolding Gunty, even though it was during his college years and he atoned for his actions. This issue on the blog reached epic proportions when a letter was sent to Pincus asking the article to be changed because it was in violation of privacy, which Pincus posted on his site. Within days Gunty had his own entry in Wikipedia detailing this controversy. Pincus’ blog was hailed as providing freedom of speech and the perceived perception of Gunty was of one trying to take this right away.

Freedom of speech in America is paramount to blogging. Blogging is unregulated and may contain unsubstantiated non-factual material. Where does one’s responsibility to integrity and a desire to be honest and truthful lie? Someone’s life and hard earned reputation could be ruined by words and perception through a blog. Should legislation be placed to protect one’s reputation? Should one give credit to this type of claim even if it isn’t deserved? Do you check Google daily to see if your name pops up and respond to any blogs that appear? What are the rules with freedom of speech and blogging?

In many industries such as healthcare, the HIPAA privacy act of 1996 prohibits the types of information that can be shared. In addition, to assist with risk communication during emergency situations, a Public Information Officer (PIO) is created to provide communication to the public. Could gross errors of miscommunication, such as the West Virginia Coal Mine accident on January 5, 2006, be adverted if a blog was used? What if questions are blogged and this information was brought to the PIO for response? Not all detailed information can be discussed, but this would have provided an outlet for fears and questions. In a local area, face-to-face response may be preferred, but in a larger scale emergency this site can be used to provide information from a distance. A blog could help create a perception of information and welcomed community.

A blog is new territory for many companies and organizations. Brand perception, freedom of speech and management of risk communications are three things that are pushing the walls of communications in companies and organizations. Blogging represents a powerful tool one where new rules test the parameters of message distribution and protocol. As blogging becomes more popular, how companies and organizations embrace blogs may change some of the current practices in which they operate.

Citations

CNN.com (2006, January 5). Sounds of Moans Led Rescuers to Surviving Miner: Mining CEO says He Regrets False News that Most had Lived. US CNN.com. Retrieved October 8, 2006 from http://www.cnn.com/2006/US/01/04/mine.explosion.wed/index.html.

Office for Civil Rights, HIPPA. Retrieved October 8, 2006 from http://www.hhs.gov/ocr/hipaa/.

O’Hara, Terence (2006, October 2). Hard-Learned Lessons: Don’t Try to Censor a Blogger. washingtonpost.com. Retrieved October 2, 2006 from http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/10/01/AR2006100100710.html?referrer=email.

Scoble, R. & Israel, S. (2006). Hoboken: John Wiley & Sons, pp. 1-62. 

October 1, 2006
Week 5 – ICM Introduction to Interactive Communications
Experience the Experience (“Gamerience”) 

As I walked through the grocery store the other day, I felt my body taking in experiences all around in a surreal way, as experienced in Second Life.  As I read individual products I saw phrases such as “wandering barefoot on the shore”, “relaxing in the hammock” and “exploring a mountain trail” for Frebreze Scentstories an air freshener with sound.  Then I made my way to the frozen aisle and saw a sign that read “a hit outside the ballpark” for Kraft hotdogs in a bun that can be heated in 35 seconds. This phrase was meant to bring back the experience of a ballpark on a hot summer day with family and friends. In the pasta aisle tomato sauces had phrases and images such as “Old World Style” for Ragu flavored with meat. In addition to the text, it had an image of a man in a gondola at dusk. In another aisle was a lady giving away samples of the new warm and crunchy Oatmeal Crunch. She used words such as delicious, tasty clusters that provide calcium, iron and seven other nutritional supplements. In addition, special offers were announced over the sound system. The experience of basic supermarket shopping has taken on a whole new meaning. I was experiencing the experience.

The other night I was on the virtual reality website of Second Life. From there my character went in and out of rooms such as the Austin Room, Gardens of Bliss and Old Salt’s Pub. I experienced different sounds and visuals of the environment such as an ocean crashing or the sound of a piano playing.  My character was wearing an outfit I designed and featured physical characteristics of my choosing. This website was rich in experiences.

B.J. Pine and J.H. Gilmore wrote an article, the Experience Economy, that discusses the transition from our economy from farming, industrial, services to experience-based. In every facet, from the simple experience of grocery shopping to browsing on a website, we are confronted with media that attempts to enrich sensory experiences. C. Crawford’s article, What is a Game?, focuses on variables that make up a game. Is it possible that many variables of game, along with the new found experience-based economy, will combine more to create a deeper dynamic experience?  

One of the features of a game is a subset of reality. A game is a safe way to experience reality. In the case with Ragu, we are really not jet-setting to Italy many years ago to have tomato sauce. With Frebreze Scentstories we aren’t relaxing in a hammock enjoying a carefree, sunny day. When I went online to Second Life, I experienced the Gardens of Bliss. This garden featured ocean crashing sounds with a distant owl sound in the background. I saw a virtual sunset and saw the flickering of a flame. In all of these cases, the setting of the background did set up a subset of reality. Physical reality of that moment was experiencing the environment and my senses. It was a subset of reality and very real in its experience.

A second aspect of a game is interaction. Interaction generates cause and effect by things that are tied together. For instance, I interacted with oatmeal crunch and enjoyed a warm, crunchy sensation.  The cause was eating the oatmeal crunch and the effect was my reaction to this product. My enjoyment in doing so lead me to purchase Oatmeal Crunch.

During Second Life, I experienced various locations and I also interacted with various characters in my environment. The interaction of the sensory of the experience, motivated me to stay, sit, chat and teleport to other areas on the Second Life islands.  The exploration of different areas and characters provided dynamic interaction during this experience.

A third element of a game is its ability to be explored in different directions as its value increases in each experience.  Many products such as Kraft hotdogs, try to interact further and transcend past the eating experience to its website for the promotion of its products and culture. Kraft’s website contains cooking schools, recipes of the day, celebration ideas and message boards. Second Life provides interactions with new environments and different characters that lead to fresh, unrealized paths.

In conclusion, as people become accustomed to the experience of everyday products and the barrage of websites, the one’s experience will play a large factor in its longevity and loyalty. All aspects of a game are not intertwined with experience but a combination of this new breed, or “gamerience” will take place in a competitive commodity type environment. More and more, the subset of virtual reality will blur as the line between physical and virtual become experienced.

Citations

Crawford, C. (1982). What is a game? (c.1). The art of computer game design.

Kraftfoods.com. Retrieved October 1, 2006 from http://www.kraftfoods.com.

Pine, B.J., & Gilmore, J.H. (1999). The Experience Economy.
Cambridge: Harvard Business School Press, pp. 1-26.