Archive for category: Random Stories

Original Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/1stwebdesigner/~3/gouEHNayjHU/

When designing your own website, it typically requires you to craft a detailed plan for creating it and oftentimes finding people to assist with the project. Sometimes the website design takes no more than a week, but most of the time it takes longer. What’s more is that all websites require testing and some kind of maintenance after the design is done.

Websites are becoming simpler and easier to construct, but you still don’t want to cut any corners along the way. That’s why we’ve compiled a list of steps for you to effectively plan your website’s design.

Create a Plan with Goals

Your plan involves figuring out the purpose of your website. Do you want more sales? Email subscribers? Donations?

After that, you need to set up some goals for that plan. How many sales are you trying to get per month? Is there a certain number of visitors you would like to see every month? Combined with a good analytics program (like Google Analytics), you should be able to check in on all of this information.

Assign Roles for that Plan

You often won’t be working on the website design alone. You might need a web developer, along with someone who can write content, like blog posts and webpage details. The same goes for a logo designer and a CSS professional who takes your customizations to the next level.

Once you decide on the professionals needed, outline the roles and make sure everyone knows what others are doing.

Create a Budget Based on the Plan and Roles

It’s good to set your team before establishing a budget, since the web design professionals can help recommend the best value in items like hosting, graphic design, content management systems and more. It doesn’t matter the size of your organization. A budget needs to be put in place to see your expenses and how you plan on paying for those expenses.

Develop a Strategy for Content

Without a content strategy, websites tend to not get updated. These types of sites display old, stale information that people don’t care about. Therefore, you should put together a strategy for content such as blog posts, slideshows, documents, videos and pictures. Are you going to post all of these content items starting at day one? Or is it a better idea to make a schedule and share things like videos and blog posts over the course of the year?

Draw Out the Structure of the Website and Make a Mockup

Think about which web pages you’ll use to form your website. For instance, you may have pages like About Us, Contact Us, Portfolio or an Online Shop.

Once you have the list of webpages, generate a mockup, or visual representation of your website, to show to other people in your organization. This is essentially the first draft of the site, which can be developed in Photoshop or many other mockup or wireframe programs online. Most of the time it’s best to have a designer complete the mockup, but sometimes you can do it yourself with pen and paper.

Design It

From simple navigation to a quality company logo, the process of designing is best accomplished with an experienced web designer. Even if you only hire a consultant or use online resources to design your site, take your time with this process and prepare for lots of testing.

Test the Design Multiple Times

Consistent testing solves many problems and guarantees that the mistakes are minimized. For example, one of your testers might find that the website doesn’t show up properly on Internet Explorer. Another tester may discover that a few of your navigational buttons lead to broken links. Having a solid testing plan ensures that your website is ready to show to both customers and the search engines.

Maintain, Maintain, Maintain

You may have someone in your organization to maintain the website, or you might want to hire a freelancer to do this. Regardless, maintenance keeps your website secure, up-to-date, clean and fresh with content.

It’s important to assign someone to post new content on your website. It’s also necessary to update your CMS and plugins. In addition, you’ll want to configure a system that backs up your content and secures the site into the future.

Now You’re Ready to Effectively Plan Your Website’s Design

Now that you have the knowledge to plan your website, get started with your outline and think about the people who will undertake every task. If you have any questions about effectively planning your website’s design, let us know in the comments.

Original Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/tympanus/~3/qynS_pAghHk/

Today we’d like to show you a little slideshow design with a “triple panel” layout. The infinite slideshow shows a preview of the next and previous slide on both sides of the page. When navigating we use a reveal effect for all three images and animate the titles. The animations are powered by TweenMax.

The demo is kindly sponsored by monday.com: The visual project management tool for designers. If you would like to sponsor one of our demos, find out more here.

Attention: Note that we use modern CSS properties that might not be supported in older browsers.

The image slideshow has two lateral previews and a main image in the center. When hovering over the “Explore” link, the main image will zoom in a bit:

When navigating, we animate a reveal element that covers each image. Depending on which direction we are navigating, we make the revealer appear from bottom or from the top. All title elements have an animation except for the “Explore” link.

We hope you enjoy this demo and find it useful!

References and Credits

Images from Unsplash.com
TweenMax by Greensock
imagesLoaded by Dave DeSandro
Building icon designed by Freepik

Triple Panel Reveal Slideshow was written by Mary Lou and published on Codrops.

Original Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/CreativeBloq/~3/lvE42f_tulQ/best-monitor

Choosing the best 4K monitor for creative work when you're a designer can be difficult and time consuming. You'll want to make sure that you get a 4K monitor that does your artwork justice.

You also need one that can keep up with the rest of your hardware. After all, you might be armed with a great laptop for graphic design or a brilliant video editing computer – not to mention a top-class Creative Cloud subscription, but if you're not seeing the right colours on your screen, don't have enough inputs or simply have the wrong size monitor, it doesn't matter how good you are: your work will suffer.

This guide will help you choose the best monitor for you, no matter what creative discipline you work in. (Make sure you pick up a quality monitor calibrator as well.)

As you'd expect, all the monitors here are 4K or above, making them an excellent choice for creative professionals and serious hobbyists alike. 

Also read: The best cheap 4K monitor deals of 2018
What is 4K resolution?

4K, also known as Ultra HD, refers to the high-definition resolution 3840 x 2160 pixels, which is four times the 1920 x 1080 pixels found in a full HD TV. 

Read on for our pick of the very best 4K monitors out there for designers, artists and creative professionals. 

The best and most accurate picture quality carries a high price tag. Eizo displays are a familiar sight in professional photography and video production studios. The 31-inch ColorEdge CG318-4K continues this tradition, with not just full sRGB coverage, but 99% of the Adobe RGB spectrum and 98% DCI-P3. It fully supports 10-bit colour, taken from a 16-bit look-up table.

Unlike other 4K monitors, the CG318-4K has a 4096 x 2160 resolution. This reflects the different, slightly taller 4K standard used in digital video production, compared with the 3840 x 2160 resolution used in most computer displays. 

All of these features come together to produce a jaw-dropping image, making your creative work shine. Oh, and there's a built-in calibration tool to constantly keep the colours as accurate as possible, which pops across the screen every time it's powered on, along with a bundled monitor hood.

Dell's top-end 31.5-inch 4K display packs in a lot of professional-grade features for superb colour accuracy. But while it costs a lot less than Eizo's offering, it's still a pricey prospect, as expected of a large high-end 4K monitor.

Dell's top-end 4K display now covers the DCI-P3 colour spectrum. It has a specification that almost rivals Eizo's monster CG318-4K, as it hits 99% Adobe RGB coverage and 87% DCI-P3, delivering great picture quality.

This is an incredible display – but do you really want a 40-inch panel? Based on VA-IPS panel technology, it offers extremely good contrast, with 300 cd/m2 brightness.

Its menu is controlled with a small joystick at the back and it also offers a four-way picture-in-picture (PIP) mode, allowing you to allocate a quarter of the screen to each video input.

On such a large 4K screen, each connected device will have its own 1920 x 1080 screen area – perfect for seeing your designs in Illustrator or working on your 3D art on one machine while looking up reference images on another device on the same screen, for example.

If you're after a mid-range 4K monitor that ups the image quality and provides plenty of features, without costing an exorbitant amount, then the Acer’s S277HK is the best mid-range 4K monitor out there. With a 1,000,000,000:1 contrast ratio, a colour gamut of 1.07 billion and a resolution of 3,840 x 2,160, the Acer S277HK excels at image quality. And while the minimalist design might not have a lot to shout about, some will appreciate its pared-down looks. 

The BenQ PD3200U's screen size and resolution makes it a great choice for designers and creators. The screen is a hefty 32-inches, which makes working with 4K images and videos much more comfortable. 3D designers will be grateful for the inclusion of a CAD/CAM mode, and everyone else will appreciate the factory-calibrated colour accuracy and Rec. 709 adherence. It's a pricey monitor, but for many designers, this will be well worth the money.

Asus' Pro Art line competes with professional colour-accurate screens. It's got loads of inputs, with three HDMI ports – including one HDMI 2.0 port capable of the full 60Hz needed for smooth 4K –  and two DisplayPort inputs.

The Asus PA329Q is the upgraded version of of the company's flagship 4K professional display, with a 10-bit IPS panel that now supports a 16-bit colour look-up table and quoted 100% Adobe RGB coverage, with support for the DCI-P3 colour spectrum as well.

Iiyama's 28-inch B2888UHSU is a lot more reasonably priced than many of the options we've presented in this buying guide. It uses a TN panel with a 1ms response time, and although the viewing angles aren't quite as wide as you'll find with an IPS display, there are plenty of small extras that make the B2888UHSU a really good buy.

It has plenty of inputs, too, plus a fully adjustable stand, and a picture-in-picture mode, so you can use two devices simultaneously with this monitor.

The U28E590D is a slick 28-inch 4K monitor with a beautiful design and a whopping 8.3 billion pixels. DisplayPort 1.2 gives you fluid 60Hz 4K, while everything is detailed and clear thanks to a brightness of 370cd/m. Picture settings can be tweaked using the on-screen menu, or you can sit back and enable its Dynamic Contrast mode to do the heavy lifting.

There's also very smart port placement, so you won't have to bend around the back to connect any cables or peripherals.

Related articles:

The best laptops for video editing 2018Typography 55 best free fonts for designersThe best cheap laptop deals for creatives

Original Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/1stwebdesigner/~3/z1N9WV8rgV4/

User experience development and optimization is a broad field. There are many facets of web design to consider in the development of a website. The factors affecting user experience, or UX, span from content production and page layout to website interactions.

Being able to identify usability issues with a user interface is called heuristics. It encompasses broad, qualitative rules that help determine the usability of your website and the overall experience your visitors are having.

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To ensure better performance, designers use a heuristic evaluation, which is a way to test the overall UX of your site and if the site has usability issues. Your website’s UX is important and can have a big impact on your business and the success of your website.

Image via UsabilityGeek.com

A heuristic evaluation is different than user-testing because you are utilizing usability professionals instead of users. Sometimes, this approach is referred to as an expert review since you are getting professional feedback about your UX.

There are over 200 criteria that can be used when a site is being evaluated. Most businesses will determine the specific probes they want to be included in the evaluation. Many experts base their questions and responses on Jacob Neilson’s 10 Heuristics for User Interface Design.

Here is a closer look at those 10 heuristics:

1. Visibility of System Status

The system or website should always keep users in the loop about what is going on. This information is given to users through feedback in a reasonable time.

2. Match Between System and the Real World

The website should cater to a specific audience. The language used through phrases, words, and concepts should be relatable to that specific audience and fit into their worldview.

3. User Control and Freedom

Users will inevitably click on something by mistake, leading them to a page they don’t want to be on. An exit or return option should be available to them for a quick return.

4. Consistency and Standards

Platform conventions have been put in place, so your users do not have to wonder what your website means. Most users are familiar with these conventions. If your site is consistent, it should be easy for users to navigate and know what steps to take to reach a goal.

5. Error Prevention

Evaluators check for situations that could lead to an error page for your user. A good error message will send readers back to where they belong. An even better solution is removing any error-prone conditions on your website.

6. Recognizing Rather than Recalling

Your website should not require its users to remember information. Objects, actions, and options should always be visible, allowing them to keep up with your website’s dialogue without missing a beat.

7. Flexibility and Efficiency of Use

Accelerators are often used to speed up the process and interaction between experienced users and your website. This means that no matter the level of expertise of your user, your site will function at the same speed.

8. Aesthetic and Minimal Design

There should be no fluff or irrelevant information on your website. The design should be aesthetically pleasing and seamlessly incorporate relevant content and information for your users.

9. Helps Users Recognize, Diagnose, and Recover from Errors

Error messages should never include code and should simply explain the problem to users. It should suggest a quick solution that is easy for the user to follow.

10. Help and Documentation

It is most effective to have a system or website that does not require any help or documentation. If your system does require it, it should be easy to find, read, and carry out.

How to Run Your Evaluation

Planning and running your heuristic evaluation can be a long process.

Companies with expansive resources should hire at least three usability experts to perform the evaluation. Your team will decide upon the guidelines to be used during the evaluation, and then each expert will evaluate the site separately. Someone who is comfortable with the site should be available to the experts to answer any questions and record the process.

Before You Start

It is important to have a clear focus of who your users are before you begin the evaluation process. Develop personas or story maps for your users and make sure your website design caters to those individuals.

Consider the different tasks your users do when they are visiting your website. Most businesses prefer to rank these activities in order of importance. Take these tasks and relate them to the guidelines that will be given to the evaluators.

Develop a Method

After you have determined your guidelines and tasks the experts should be evaluating for, develop a method. Your evaluation method will include a system of severity codes the evaluators will be basing their responses on. Once the guidelines and methods are in place and your experts have been trained on them, it is time to run the evaluation.

Write a Report

When the heuristic evaluation is over, it is time to study the responses and write a report on the findings. Just like data, here’s where you gather the intel and analyze it. At this point, you can show developers the problems your users may have and come up with solutions for them.

Though you offer a written report, present your findings in person, if possible. This evaluation was done to test the functionality and UX of your website, and those who are involved in the process need to fully understand the findings – some of that may mean face-to-face interaction.

You will be reporting to the team of developers and key stakeholders in the business, so present the information tactfully and make it clear the recommendations for changes are for the betterment of the business.

Your report should include a list of the specific heuristics that were used in the evaluation. This will show the starting point that gave you your results. Explain who the experts are and their backgrounds to the group.

List the issues you discovered with the most important first. Then, give the audience solutions to how these problems can be fixed efficiently.

Your findings and report may mean some extra work for the developers, so give them as much information as possible about the findings so they understand how the UX is being affected and what they can do to fix it.

Can You Run a Heuristic Evaluation Without Experts?

Small start-ups or freelance web developers may not be able to afford a team of experts to evaluate their web design. In these situations, a more informal method called the heuristic markup can be helpful. This method does not provide professional results but can still be beneficial when testing your usability and UX.

Using this process, you set aside a few hours to walk through the website. Try to separate yourself from the development and act as a member of your target audience.

Keep in mind one of the personas developed for the business and perform the tasks as you imagine they would. Keep notes of your experiences as you move your way through the website, keeping track of areas where you got stumped or see a potential problem.

Insight Into UX Can Boost Your Website’s Traffic

Sometimes, why a website works well for a demographic can be a mystery, and these heuristic evaluations take some of the guesswork out of the process. Regardless of the size of your business, a heuristic evaluation of your website allows you to gain knowledge and experience about what your users are seeing.

Their experience on your website determines how long they stay, if they buy your product or service, and whether they return. Conducting an evaluation is the best way to discover potential problems and develop the best UX for your visitors.

Original Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Designrfix/~3/N3n7oJqmtbw/most-promising-web-design-trends-to-follow-in-2018

Technology is advancing fast, and most people have forgotten the days when time had to be set aside for shopping and running errands. Most businesses now have an online presence because people no longer have the time for time-consuming activities like shopping. Apart from completing their shopping from the comfort of their home, people are […]

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