The MetaSpring Blog Carnival: Issue 4 – Usability

February 19th, 2010 by Case Ernsting

What good is a website if it isn’t user-friendly? At MetaSpring, we make website usability one of our biggest priorities, and as you can see by the contents of this post, many other designers are doing the same. It’s one of those elements of web design that can always be improved on. This MetaSpring Blog Carnival features six usability perspectives from some of the industry’s best.

Five Simple but Essential Web Usability Tips

This post from Brujo Owoh, one of the many great bloggers at Six Revisions, covers a few points that would be especially important to a web designer taking on big projects for the first time. Brujo covers some key usability points like search features, page organization, consistency, web forms, and help features. He also includes some great real world examples and detailed descriptions for how they might improve usability.

Life, Below 600 Pixels

We took a page from Paddy Donnelly‘s book (and blog) and placed this post below the sacred website page fold. You’re still reading this aren’t you? Paddy makes this poignantly sharp point right off the bat in this post about life below the fold. So if you’re worried about users not learning how to scroll, this post will give you something to think about.

How Browsable is Your Blog?

As Heidi Cool points out in this recent post, “sometimes navigating a blog can feel like wandering through a maze.” How often have you tried to find a related post, or get more information from a blog only to give up after a few frustratingly-failed clicks? The fact of the matter is many blogs suffer from extreme un-browsability, leaving users on a goose chase for content. Use the 6 tips discussed in this post to make sure your readers get what they’re looking for.

The Myth of Usability Testing

We’re thrilled to feature this post from Robert Hoekman Jr. of A List Apart. Robert helps us understand why development teams often run into problems when they run usability evaluations. These tests, while good for many things, are a tad unreliable when it comes to addressing the right problems on websites. Robert points out several reasons why this happens, as well as some areas that usability testing must be implemented.

Bringing User Centered Design to the Agile Environment

Ever wondered anything about Agile Software Development? Anthony Colfelt provides all the answers in this post on bringing Agile and User Centered Design (UCD) together. In the Agile development process, requirements and solutions evolve through collaboration between self-organizing cross-functional teams. I’ll let Anthony take it from there.

Is Your Website Accessible?

User-friendliness consists of many factors. Sometimes the usability buzz dominates designs to a point where you forget other important factors of a user-friendly site, like accessibility. Occasionally you’ll find a website design that uses too many flashy gadgets, which can marginalize parts of the population due to one obstacle or another.

Nathan Olmstead, a freelance web designer right here in Ann Arbor, urges fellow designers to fulfill their moral responsibility to make sites user-friendly to all. He illustrates a few specific details designs must adhere to if they are to appeal to all demographics. For example, color contrast ratio for text to background should be around 4.5:1. Check it out for other tips to keeping your site viewable by everyone.

Next Month’s Issue: Web Marketing

Thanks to everyone who submitted posts and feedback for this month’s carnival. We had a blast connecting with each of you and look forward to continuing the conversation in our upcoming carnivals. Next month’s theme is Web Marketing, something we encounter daily here at MetaSpring. Marketing your product or service on the web is becoming a crucial factor to business success no matter how big your business is.

With such an important topic, we can’t wait to see what you all have for us. The deadline for submissions on BlogCarnival.com or through our email is March 21st. If you have a Web Marketing post or a suggestion for a topic that you’d like to see discussed, make sure to let us know at media@metaspring.com.

Tags: Ann Arbor, Anthony Colfelt, Browsability, Brujo Owoh, Hiedi Cool, MI, Nathan Olmstead, Paddy Donnelly, Pixels, Robert Hoekman, Six Revisions, Usability, Web Design, Web Development
Posted in Blog Carnival, Design, Usability | 2 Comments »

Career Development 101: Teaching Web 2.0 Tools in the Classroom

February 4th, 2010 by Case Ernsting

Colleges need to step it up. As a recent college grad, I see academia’s sluggish embrace of technological innovation as a disservice to my fellow students. Today’s job market has suffered in these tough economic times, but employers still seek workers who can gather information, assess it and act. Those in the workforce already rely on the web-based information-gathering tools daily, but if you’re currently enrolled in undergraduate college classes, you probably don’t even know they exist.

Are Students Helpless?

The three universities that surround us here at MetaSpring, the University of Michigan, Eastern Michigan University, and Washtenaw Community College, are valued assets to the Ann Arbor community. As a recent grad from the U of M, I consulted my network for a comprehensive view of the issue at hand.

An informal poll of 15 of my peers (college seniors or recent grads from assorted majors) revealed that only one was happy with their exposure to Web 2.0 tools. All reported some experience with web-based database systems in which professors and instructors could post powerpoints and class-related articles, but when it comes to utilizing Google’s research tools or implementing keyword tracking programs for crowdsourcing, most students draw a blank. (Unless those students are Computer Science majors or programming wizards.) When Web 2.0 or new media did come up in liberal arts or business classes, it was discussed by students rather than an instructor. A professional’s insight can make a big difference.

Let’s take a step back and discuss a few terms I’ve been throwing around so far.

Web 2.0 – This term refers to the current generation of the Internet wherein websites provide applications facilitating interactive information sharing with a user-centered design. A few examples include online social networks (Twitter, LinkedIn, YouTube), wikis, blogs, GoogleDocs, etc. Web 2.0 tools are those you’ll hear about in today’s offices.
Web 3.0 – This concept is a semantic term denoting the next phase of internet programming that some are calling “the intelligent web”. Think artificial intelligence technologies.
Crowdsourcing – Basically defined as a group problem-solving model in which a problem is broadcast to a group or online community with the hopes that a flood of ideas comes back. There are many approaches to crowdsourcing, but the ultimate goal is to consult the insights of many. Web tools are able to expedite the crowdsourcing process.
New Media – Everyone has their own definition of “New Media”, but I like to think of it as any technology that is used in innovative and creative ways. Sure social media marketing falls in this category, but so do Apple’s thousands of apps, along with thousands of other widgets you can find online. In my definition, Web 2.0 tools are included in New Media.

Students & Professors: Divergent Viewpoints

Jason Spector, a master of crowdsourcing ideas, is in the process of authoring two works on the subject and proved to be a great consult for this topic. When I came to him with the question about Web 2.0 in the classroom, he presented a unique perspective that identified the conflict of viewpoints that bog down the Web 2.0 education.

As an example, let’s consider the typical business class at Eastern Michigan University. Students casually bump into Web 2.0 daily, yet they rarely reflect on the business principles that the various networks and applications provide. Professors and instructors on the other hand are well-versed in business, but probably not as much in social media. “It’s when they meet in the middle to collaborate where the true education begins,” explains Jason.

But Don’t Blame the Professors

Wait, so all professors are stuffy, unhip, old lecturers? Not quite. Most professors crowdsource and research like any marketing guru or investment banker. Professors at the University of Michigan and many other institutions are encouraged (required actually) to publish regularly. Clearly, staying up on new trends is pretty important. So why isn’t Web 2.0 used in the classroom more often?

For that answer I talked to Scott Moore, Associate Professor at the U of M Ross School of Business, who has put together a course called, “Web-based Information Resources”. I was invited to look over the syllabus for the class (appropriately found at HowCanIFindIt.com) and was pleasantly surprised.

After a semester with Professor Moore, students know how to use search engines at an in-depth level. They understand the exceptional value of informational technologies. They can find blogs, podcasts and email alerts. They can assemble their own applications to assess information. To borrow a phrase directly from the syllabus: “This course is about finding information on the Web and having it delivered to you with a minimum of effort.” Music to my ears.

A Matter of Missed Opportunities

So, it’s clear that a majority of students feel they are missing out when it comes to career preparation and information-gathering. This concern is important to college co-eds because they feel that their future employers will demand certain web-related capabilities. Although most students and young people are perceived as knowledgeable users of Web 2.0, their professors and instructors are not teaching them how to apply these tools with a career in mind. There are some professors forging ahead with classes exploring New Media and the internet’s business tools, but there’s more room to improve.

Where Can We Improve?

Focus Expectations On Course Selection

It’s easy to point the finger at the faculty and administrators of our universities when it comes to this dearth of Web 2.0 knowledge. I may have even cast colleges as the villain to open this post. But in many ways, the students share the blame. Students can learn about Web 2.0 in some courses, but shouldn’t expect Twitter tutelage in all of them.

Require Courses for Graduation

To expedite this adoption of Web 2.0 technologies, I’d like to see web-related courses become mandatory for graduation. Classes like Professor Moore’s will prove to be invaluable in the workplace, so why not require students to fill three credit hours of Web 2.0 instruction in order to graduate. This will also help faculty and administrators become familiar with Web 2.0 and it’s academic worth, sweeping in a relevancy many students yearn for.

Introduce Timely Material

One of the most common exclamations heard after students walk out of an exam is, “When am I ever going to need that stuff?!” It’s time to add timely issues to curriculum. Merely knowing about Twitter and Facebook is not enough. I contend that exposure to Web 2.0 and web development stimulates the creative process. Classes exploring web-based tools should be thought of as a career prep.

Tomorrow’s leaders and thinkers must be aware of the big picture when making decisions. An important part of this picture is how to harness the Internet with answers to questions like, “How does a website work?” or “How can we best market this launch?” Web development is racing ahead these days and before we know it, Web 3.0 will be here. Students attend college to receive preparation for future endeavors. Traditionally, this preparation has included topics like algebra or economics, but an understanding of Web 2.0 tools has become just as critical.

Additional Reading

If you’re looking for a few ways to enact change in your classroom, here’s a helpful chat transcript from Poynter.com: How to make changes in curriculum.

So, where do you stand? Did you have the opportunity to learn about Web 2.0 tools in your collegiate curriculum? Was it enough? Let us know in the comments!

Tags: Ann Arbor, College, Crowdsourcing, Development, Eastern Michigan University, facebook, Google, Jason Spector, Scott Moore, Social Media, twitter, Univeristy of Michigan, Washtenaw Community College, Web 2.0, Web 3.0, Web Design, Yahoo, YouTube
Posted in Ann Arbor, Development, Social Media | 16 Comments »

The MetaSpring Blog Carnival: Issue 3 – Web Development

December 23rd, 2009 by Case Ernsting

How about a little love for the guys and girls behind the scenes, eh? After celebrating some great web design posts last month, we’re turning the focus to Web Development for this edition of the MetaSpring Blog Carnival. So let’s get right to it!

The Trouble with Soft Delete

“Soft delete is a commonly used pattern amongst data-driven business applications”, but as Richard Dingwall points out in this post, “[soft delete] usually ends up causing more harm than good.” Richard outlines the various pros and cons of soft delete and offers a few solutions for those struggling with implementations of the pattern.

Scaling Rails – On The Edge – Part 1

This is the first of three screencasts by Greg Pollack in which he explores nine new Ruby and Rails libraries which can help you to scale your rails application. This first post deals with three tools: Bullet, Rails Indexes, & Scrooge. The content covered in these posts is easy to discern for all levels of Ruby development.

behavior: a Rails gem/plugin for storing application configuration in the database

Paul Campbell from Pabcas.com put together this post highlighting the advantages of a new Rails gem/plugin that he’s pushed out called “behavior”. Paul worked on the Rails Development Directory and developed behavior as a solution to storing issues that came up. As Paul writes, “It is useful to store site title, description, email address, passwords, etc. outside the source code.” Behavior does this with a Yaml configuration file. Installation instructions can be found at the end of Paul’s post on his website.

We Can Have Hack Free CSS With the @unsupported Directive

This forward-thinking post by Chris Eppstein discusses a feature for CSS that does not yet exist. Chris makes his plea to CSS3, requesting an @unsupported directive, which would provide benefits like “Feature Queries” and legacy browser targeting.

Top 15+ Best Practices for Writing Super Readable Code

The developers here at MetaSpring take great pride in well written, succinct code. (MetaSpring programming Architect, John Ku took this concept to the extreme a few months back in a post about Ruby Quines.) Now, Burak Guzel’s post urging developers to write highly readable code will continue that theme, because as Burak says, “readable and maintainable code is something to be proud of in a finished product.”

Top 20+ MySQL Best Practices

Burak Guzel is so good that we had to feature another of his posts! This time Burak covers a few MySQL optimization techniques. Burak walks through a step-by-step process for structuring tables properly, writing optimized queries and assembling better code. This 21 point plan for making optimized web applications is a great read for any programmer.

Next Month’s Issue: Usability

Thanks to all those that submitted blog posts this month. Hopefully you learned as much as we did. Next month’s theme is one that gets discussed a lot in both the world of development and design: Usability. Usability issues are at the forefront of many projects these days, so we’re sure to have a great batch of links. The deadline for submissions on BlogCarnival.com or through our email is January 17th. If you have a usability-related post or a suggestion for a topic that you’d like to see discussed, make sure to let us know at media@metaspring.com.

Happy Holidays!

Tags: Blog Carnival, CSS, HTML, MySQL, Ruby, Ruby on Rails, Soft Delete, Web Development
Posted in Blog Carnival, Development, MetaMonday, Ruby, Social Media | 2 Comments »

The MetaSpring Blog Carnival: Issue 2 –
Web Design

November 24th, 2009 by Case Ernsting

Hello and Welcome! to the second issue of the MetaSpring Blog Carnival! This month’s topic focuses on Web Design, for which we received many great submissions, so a special thanks to everyone who participated!!

Here at MetaSpring, we pride ourselves on being well versed in all things internet, but web design is our bread and butter. While web designers are often comprised of many quirky traits and characteristics, one thing is for sure: they know how to communicate extremely well. Whether it be through their designs, a Twitter dialogue, or an email, valuable information is constantly being passed from designer-to-designer. In that spirit, may we present to you the wisdom of our peers.

What Makes Your Website Stand Out?

Fellow SEO experts, Jacob Brown Designs of Novi, Michigan brought us this great guide on the basic principles of web design: design, SEO and marketing. Whatever your business be on the internet, it’s likely that you’d like your website to stand out in terms of creativity and originality and these helpful tips can help you design just that with characteristics that actively work for you. Read the post…

Realizations of Rounded Rectangles

This post comes from Keith Lang and UI&us and focuses on the rounded corners that are woven into our everyday life. Where did they come from? Why are they here? What can we learn from their permanence? Keith and his team write about User Interface Design, User Experience design, and the cognitive psychology behind design in general – so their answers to the questions above have ramifications for web design and beyond. Read the post…

Choosing the Right Colors for Your Website

In many design attempts, color selection is often overlooked for the sake of a certain style or design concept which often to colors that might not be entirely representative of the concept of the site. Robert Bravery of Integral Web Solutions in South Africa helps you discover the right colors to set the mood in your next project. Read the post…

Build: Single Handedly the Best Web Design Conference of 2009

To add to our international flair, we welcome Paddy Donnelly all the way from Belgium (originally hails from Ireland).

Paddy made the trip to Northern Ireland for Buildconf on November 5th, which he called, “one of the most prestigious and kick ass conferences of the year”. In this fantastically creative and originally styled blog post, Paddy recounts the talks of the six conference speakers Tim Van Damme, Andy Budd, Mark Boulton, Ryan Sims, Wilson Miner, and Eric Meyer. Topics covered include font embedding, seductive design, freelancing, pixel perfection and developing a hybrid between design and development. With the savvy inclusion of Twitter reactions, this post gives a thorough analysis of the conference for those who weren’t lucky enough to see it in person (us!). Thanks Paddy. Read the post…

5 Essential Document Templates for Freelance Designers

This post comes from our friend, Lee Munroe. He, and the aforementioned Paddy Donnelly, won the W3 Award last year for their work together on Big Word Project – many belated congratulations gentlemen.

Its not uncommon for designers to develop a keen sense of communication through many rounds of correspondence with their clients. Lee Munroe is a well-known freelance designer who, in order to facilitate better client discussions at an efficient pace, compiled these five, ready to use document templates. Read the post…

Profitable Website Ideas – In Just One Click?

Brian Terry sends this post to us to help those seeking profitable websites. If you have an idea for a revenue generating site, make sure you cross reference it with this seven point checklist. Read the post…

How to Create the Best Landing Pages for Google Adwords

Our friends at Digital Products Review offer their assistance in using Google Adwords. As we have experienced with a number of clients, Adwords is a powerful tool when implemented intelligently. Creating properly titled ads marketed to proper keywords can generate real results for your business. This post looks past the initial ad telling us, “The success and failure of your Google Adwords campaign depends completely on the success and failure of your landing pages”. Make sure your landing pages are properly formatted and designed for click-through success. Read the post…

10 Key Tasks For Your Next Web Site

Wondering where to start your next design project? This post from Smiley Cat Web Design establishes 10 goals any designer can set forth before them at the starting line. As you navigate through the checklist, personalize each point to your project at the fundamental level. Read the post…

Next Month’s Issue: Web Development

This wraps up the second edition of our MetaSpring Blog Carnival – be sure to check out next month’s issue Web Development. If you’ve written or know of a great development-related post, please send it our way! Submissions will be accepted through December 20th.

If there is a specific theme that you’d like to see covered, email us with your request at media@metaspring.com

Tags: blog, Blog Carnival, blogging, Design, UI Design, Web Design
Posted in Blog Carnival, Design | 1 Comment »

Halloween with the MetaTeam

November 6th, 2009 by Case Ernsting

The Fall development rush is in full swing here, at MetaSpring, and we’ve been working extra hard to crank out some awesome new projects (stay tuned for a future Fall portfolio showcase)! While we have some great posts lined up for the weeks to come, our blogging schedule’s been a bit shuffled this week.

So to make sure that we don’t totally fall off the blogging bandwagon, we’ve put together a special Halloween treat for you – a Facebook Photo Album of the MetaTeam wreaking Halloween havoc around Ann Arbor.

There are even some cute cameos from the youngest members of the MetaTeam!

From all of us at MetaSpring, we hope you had a very Happy Halloween!

Tags: facebook, halloween
Posted in Company | No Comments »