Katie's Space...

Artifact 6 Results

2010-05-13T12:26:00.002+01:00

Here are my results for my artifact 6, where I was testing 3D based websites on movies and games.

Iron Man 2

- No first initial problems
- Blue, red and gold
Blue, red and green
Grey and green
- Navigation no problems
- Images are clear
- Factor levels all okay
- No imagery missing
Angle of images causes problems

Toy story 3

- No initial problems
Page too busy
- Nav colour Red
- Navigation no problems
Contrasting colours work well
- Images are clear
- Factor levels all okay
- No imagery missing

Borderlands

- No initial problems
- Nav colour Red and 1 person saw green.
- Navigation no problems
- Images are clear
background not so clear
High levels of contrast works well.
- Factor levels all okay
- No imagery missing
- Icon colour red, 1 person saw brown/green

Guitar Hero: World tour

- No initial problems
- Main colours on screen red, grey and yellow another saw red, green and grey
- Navigation no problems
- Images are clear
- Factor levels all okay, high levels work well.
- No imagery missing
- Red background causes no probs

From this i have found that even though some of the users see colours as another colour for example seeing red as green, the high levels of contrast work well so that users can still identify the shape and and the image is meant to be. The users tested could still see and work the navigation due to it's high contrast again. Some users found that the backgrounds was too busy and there was too much going on, on the page. But i have noticed that using a high contrast when designing is compulsary as this enables people with colour deficiencies to view your webpage and works almost every time even if they cannot see the original colour used.

Artefact 6

2010-04-29T11:09:00.004+01:00

For my last artefact i wanted to create a website that informed all of my feedback and results from my previous artefacts, to put to the test what i had found out and whether i could create a compatible website for colour deficient and normal vi son.

As this might prove to be time consuming with the little time i have, an idea was to look at full flash websites with 3D elements, such as promotional games and film websites would be a good source.

In this last artefact i want to tie up all of my artefacts with the results i have found and test these answers with recent existing designs. I am going to ask colour deficient people what problems they have when entering these websites, can they navigate easily, how they feel about the contrast, brightness, hue and saturation, how could it be improved to help them? and so on.

Artefact 5 Results

2010-04-21T21:00:00.010+01:00

For my 5th artefact I was testing an coloured image and adjusting the saturation and brightness levels to see if it made any difference to a colour deficient person finding out whether they could distinguish that there are multiple colours within a picture.

Here is the original image.

So just to test to see what brightness and saturation alone does to the image, i wanted to know how people see the image and whether it helped with reconising different colours.

Test 1

Comparing to the original image.

Results:
Saturation - slightly different shades of green, not much difference.
Brightness - Yellow is more distinct, different shades of green, some can tell there is meant to be 3 different colours but majority thinks there is 2 green peppers.

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The following tests i want to see what the colours the users can see, and whether they can tell that there is meant to be 3 different colours, I want to find what saturation and brightness combination works best with a colourful image like this.

Test 2

Saturation +50

Brightness +50

Results: Users saw mainly yellow and green shades and they saw 2 shades of green.

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Test 3

Saturation +60

Brightness +100

Results:Users saw 2 shades of yellow and 1 green. Users said the green pepper looked yellow.

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Test 4

Saturation +60

Brightness -30

Results: Users saw 3 shades of green, no sense of different shades of colour and not much different from the original photo.

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Test 5

Saturation -30

Brightness +50

Results:Users saw again not much difference to the original, but some users saw a slight difference in the red pepper.

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Test 6

Saturation -30

Brightness +80

Results:Users could tell that the red pepper was meant to be a different colour, the yellow pepper was sometimes mistaken for a light green.

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Test 7

Saturation -40

Brightness +100

Results:Users thought the brightness was set too high but could tell there is 3 different shades of colour.

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Test 8

Saturation -50

Brightness +100

Results:Users thought the image was too desaturated and can only tell very slightly the shades of colour.

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What have I discovered new?

- Looking at these results I have found that the images with a very low saturation and high brightness, Users could tell that there were meant to be 3 different colours. I found this with images 6 & 7.

- I also found that images with a high saturation and a low level brightness, it made no big difference to the image and looked similar to the original image.

- When i tested with both high levels of saturation and brightness, users could only see shades of green and yellow with no hint of another colour.

So a low saturation level and a high brightness level work best with a multicoloured image from my findings.

Client Website

2010-04-15T10:00:00.001+01:00

Here is my client website, let me know your thoughts and opinions. =)

www.bsmotorcycle.co.uk

Client update

2010-03-18T12:26:00.001Z

I going to have a meeting with my client to retrieve more information to put within the website and to show him what i have made so far with the deadline being next week. So i am going ot see if he wants to make any last minute changes.

Artifact 5

2010-03-18T11:59:00.002Z

After my last 2 set of results the answer i have received have related to the high contrast in colours that should be used. Although some of the colours do not mix well and can cause problems for people such as eye tiredness and strain.

So for my 5th artifact i am going to test and experiment with the saturation and brightness within images and see if this has any effect on people who have colour deficiencies. I am going to test to see if a high or low saturation and brightness has any effect on the users and see whether people can view the images with more ease or not at all.

The reason why i am testing with saturation and brightness is because someone who is unable to distinguish between say, red and green, may well be able to distinguish between a saturated red and a desaturated green. So i am going to see what results i receive.

Artefact 4 results

2010-03-18T11:32:00.002Z

For my fourth artifact I created 4 pages monochrome, red/green, blue/orange and yellow/violet.

With the monochrome I was testing to see if people could see all information available to them. If this caused no problem then I changed the colours to the colour wheel complementary colours and see if any problems occurred.

Here is what I found within my results.

(1) Monochrome

Is all the information on the page easily viewable by you as the user? For example: logo, images, text colour banners and etc.

10 = Yes

2 = No

Comments

Hard to identify the images.

Can you easily read the logo and text on the background colours used upon the page?

12 = Yes

(2) Red/ Green

Is all the information on the page easily viewable by you as the user? For example: logo, images, text colour banners and etc.

10 = Yes

2 = No

Comments

Struggled with the banner, with them being colour deficient.

Can you easily read the logo and text on the background colours used upon the page?

11 = Yes

1 = No

Comments

Can read the text but not the logo.

1 prefered the monochrome as information was clear.

(3) Blue/ Orange

Is all the information on the page easily viewable by you as the user? For example: logo, images, text colour banners and etc.

12 = Yes

Can you easily read the logo and text on the background colours used upon the page?

12 = Yes

(4) Yellow/ Violet

Is all the information on the page easily viewable by you as the user? For example: logo, images, text colour banners and etc.

11 = Yes

1 didn’t answer.

Can you easily read the logo and text on the background colours used upon the page?

12 = Yes

Comments

Yellow and white together are not good combinations

Colours too bright.

Within my results i found that even though people can see all information in the monochrome page, adding certain colours can still cause problems and the main colour problem was the red and green colours. Colour deficiencies are effected by the hue, and within my last set of results someone mentioned that the contrast should be set high for things to be more viewable to users.

For my next artifact, i am going to test and see whether the saturation and brightness can have any effect on the way people with colour deficiencies view things upon the web. I am going to try this test on a range of images and see what outcome this brings. I want to see whether a low saturation or a high saturation helps people in any way at all or if it has no effect.

Client Update

2010-03-12T08:23:00.002Z

Okay well i have nearly completed making the website, i have the accessories page left to do and add in content. I am pleased with the gallery and it displays information like the client wanted. I am going to show my client my websites next week and see if theres any changes he wants making.

Artefact 4/5

2010-03-11T11:42:00.003Z

Within my last results i found that people opinions were that websites should use a high contrast and the use of more hues for wesbites to be more viewable by users. Also someone had said that the brightness of white caused problems for them for example Facebook.

So for my fourth artefact I am going to start with a black and white canvas and then gradually add colour whilst experimenting with the saturation and brightness within images(5th). I am going to test this and see of any problems occur and if information is still readable.

Artefact 3 Results

2010-03-05T13:39:00.005Z

For this atrefact i got quite interesting results, as most questions were based upon personal opinion. With my last artefact having quite weak results i thought it would be an interesting idea to show awarness of colour defiencies and what thier opinions are on this subject. So here is my results.

1) Occupation
6/12 students
2/12 customer services
1/12 graphic designer
1/12 photographer
1/12 IT systems engineer
1/12 Engraver

2)
6/12 are colour blind or knows someone who is.
4 of which were colour blind.

3)
8/12 were aware of the different types of colour defincenies.

4) Opinions on the issue
- People with colour deficiencies dont really have a problem but they have people to help them or they avoid the problem if possible.
- Making the colour high in contrast so it is easily viewable.
- Some people didnt really have an opinon on this issue.
- Using colours to suit everyone.

5) Improvements?
- Having a user settings i.e Myspace where you can change the colour of the background and text. White text on darker background causes less eye fatigue.
- Using block colour and less shades
- Having different versions of the website to suit everyones needs.

6) Are web designers aware of how there site may look to other users?
4 - yes
6 - no
1 - sometimes
1 - never

7)Has it made them more aware for future creations?
5 - yes
3 - no
4 - maybe

comments
The only way around this problem is to make four different websites using different hues and make the user aware that it is designed for people with different colour deficiencies, this could work but would also prove expensive.

8. Any comments about past experiences or know anyone who has had problems on the web?
- A guy has to wear oranges glasses because of his vision and finds it difficult to see some things on the web.
- most problems I experience are with noisy background images such as white text on a background of a dark sky with lots of stars / animated GIF backgrounds. Sites such as facebook with it's white background makes using such a site for long periods a problem because the brightness can cause my eyes to tire quickly

SPP3: Task B Postgraduate courses 4

2010-02-16T12:26:00.003Z

Web design and Development.
MSc

University of Hull

Duration: Full-time 1 year.

Attendance: Approximately 40 hours per week

Entry requirements: Good honours degree or equivalent (in any subject area) or appropriate experience in professional environment, etc. An IELTS score of 6.0 (or equivalent) is required for international students.

About the programme: This exciting programme provides you with the fundamental principles of internet computing and subsequently consolidates this with a creative approach to the design and management of digital media. Through an appreciation of internet computing, an understanding of human computer interaction and web design and experience of the theory and practice of multimedia, you are equipped with the practical skills required by contemporary computing companies and the ability to adapt to future developments in digital industries.The programme consists of six taught modules and a substantial personal project researching an internetrelated area. The taught element is delivered over two semesters, providing intermediate qualifications – a postgraduate certificate (60 credits) and a postgraduate diploma (120 credits). The third semester (during the summer) is dedicated to project development.

Course content: The programme is organised under three study themes: Internet technologies. Web design. Internet applications development. Each of the themes is aligned to a different knowledge and understanding objective of the programme. Structuring the MSc around these themes provides a variety of perspectives on internet computing as a subject and a core understanding and knowledge of three important areas.

Core modules: Internet Computing Fundamentals, Website Technology, Java Programming for the Internet, Digital Media Management, Internet Based Information Systems, Advanced Web Design, Dissertation Project (in the summer)

Optional modules: You may choose to attend one 20-credit module from another MSc programme, but this doesn’t count towards the award of the MSc.

Further module information: The dissertation projects often include web design/implementation, multimedia systems, application of new technology, semantic web, interaction design, etc. In addition to the practical work you will also write a substantial dissertation. Students often select projects in areas related to their future employment goals and staff research interests.

Assessment: There are some modules with only coursework based assessment, and some with both coursework and examination assessment components.

Special features: Graduates from this MSc programme normally find employment as web designers/developers, project managers, creative industry practitioners, media application developers, mobile and interactive application designers and in the management of internet technologies.

Research areas: The department’s research areas include web engineering; the semantic web; technology support for eLearning, eBusiness, eGovernment and eHealth; digital media management; and usability, interaction and engagement.

SPP3: Task B Postgraduate courses 3

2010-02-16T12:25:00.001Z

University name

Southampton Solent University

Department

Faculty of Media, Arts and Society

Course Title

Interactive Production

Qualification, duration, mode

MA 12FT 18PT*PGDip 9FT 12PT

Subject to approval

Yes

Entry requirements

Professional practitioners and graduates of practice-based courses, wishing to develop their interactice skills and techniques are encouraged to apply.

Number of new students

11-20

Course description

Offers opportunities for students to learn methods of production in new interactive media. New technologies include interactive TV; advanced web design; news/content management.

SPP3: Task B Postgraduate courses 2

2010-02-16T11:59:00.001Z

University name

University of Greenwich

Department

School of Architecture and Construction

Course Title

Web Design and Content Planning

Qualification, duration, mode

MA 12FT 24PT

Further qualification details

Avery Hill Campus

Months of entry

September

Entry requirements

A good honours degree or equivalent professional qualification. Applicants will be interviewed.

Course description

The programme takes graduates from many disciplines and provides them with the 'hands-on' skills necessary to plan and design the content of an effective website in relation to the needs of a business, profession, government office or other organisation. Applicants should have an interest in design and a working familiarity with the software employed in a modern office environment. On graduating from the programme, students will have the skills to design, publish and manage a corporate intranet or a public website. The objective is to provide a balanced education in the three aspects of website architecture: technical, functional and aesthetic.

SPP3: Task B Postgraduate courses

2010-02-16T11:57:00.001Z

Web Development MSc
Kingston University London

Course type Full time
Start This course last started in Sep-09 . Please contact the college to enquire about new start dates.
Duration 1 year

Course Description
A growing number of businesses are concerned with increasing the strategic exploitation of technology and are using the web in rapidly changing and increasingly complex and critical ways. This MSc will equip you with the appropriate business, technical and personal skills, along with the vision and technical competence to design and develop complex web systems, as well as integrate them into industry and business environments. To ensure that the course content is relevant and up to date, the academic teaching on this career-enhancing course is complemented by visiting industry experts.

Fee
Course fees are subject to change, and you are advised to check current details with the course provider.

Qualification MSc in Web Development

Entry Requirements
Good Honours degree or equivalent in IS/IT or substantial work experience in an IT/software engineering environment. International students whose first language is not English must have an IELTS score of 6.5 or equivalent.

PRP: Artefact 3

2010-02-09T11:58:00.002Z

For my 3rd artefact I am going to look at how websites are viewed by the different types of colour deficiencies. I will set up a questionnaire and see if people are aware of how differently websites can be viewed by different people. This survey is based upon opinion and there thought which will lead me on to my 4th artifact.

You can find the survey here

PRP: Artefact 2 Results

2010-02-04T18:03:00.002Z

On this 2nd artefact ive only had 4 people take the survey which is not very good but at least i still have a few results to work with.

With the first question, this seems to be the only question with varied results. When i asked what colours they could see in the image i got these answers.

1. Gold and brown

2. pink and orange

3. purple and orange

4. brown.

I also found that the borders with the bold dark colours were more easier to see but for question 1, one person found the lighter shade was easier to see rather the the dark shade.

SPP3 Task 1 - Job 4

2010-02-03T11:18:00.004Z

Web Designer/ Developer (or Front End Developer)

Attractive salary and excellent potential

Mediaforce is a major advertising and marketing group based in Fleet Street, London, and with offices around the UK.

The Group comprises several diverse businesses, each with its own digital requirements, and in this key role you’ll use your knowledge of HTML, CSS, Javascript and Flash combined with your undoubted creative flair in Photoshop and Illustrator to produce relevant and workable web based solutions.

Any experience in ASP.NET/ SQL Server and SEO/ Web Analytics would be advantageous.

This is the type of job that i would love to do, this is because it doesnt include much coding but HTML i am comfortable with. The down side to this job is that is that it is in london other wise this job would be a first choice.

SPP3 Task 1 - Job 3

2010-02-03T11:12:00.003Z

Our city centre based Design & Web client are seeking a Graduate/ Trainee Web Designer

This is a great role for an individual to build a career within a fun and lively web team. You will be working on challenging projects therefore strong XHTML/ Photoshop / Dreamweaver skills will be required. Projects will be largely centred around Search Engine Optimisation, Pay-Per-Click and Internet Marketing. Full training will be provided in these areas, but a general understanding of the principles is required.

The successful candidate will be self motivated, ambitious, and eager to learn.
The position requires good knowledge of the following:

- XHTML
- CSS
- Photoshop
- Dreamweaver
- W3 Standards
- Written and Verbal Communication
- Organisation Skills

The following knowledge would be advantageous:

- Web Hosting, Domains, Email Setup & DNS
- Javascript
- SEO / PPC
- ColdFusion/PHP
- Basic Flash Skills

Job Type

Permanent

Location

Nottingham

Start Date

ASAP

Duration

Salary

£14500 - £16500 pa + depe

Ref No:

132515-NTSLWD0120_769020

Date Advertised

29 Jan 2010

For this job i know i have knowledge in all the required skills listed above. But the knowledge they would like consists of mainly coding which is a weak point for me. Although it would be a good starting place when i graduate from uni, it will help me to get on the career ladder and give me some experience.

SPP3 Task 1 - Job 2

2010-02-03T11:06:00.002Z

Location:: Hathersage, Hope Valley (S32)
Salary:: £15-20k
Company:: FDA Design Ltd
Job type:: Permanent
Date posted:: 03/02/2010 10:03; Totaljobs

Web designer responsible for the development and management of a new online publishing venture. Duties also include the design of websites, publications and e-books. Experience of Apple Macs and Adobe Creative Suite required. Advanced programming knowledge is not needed, but excellent computer skills and knowledge of web development is important.

FDA Design are an established design and publishing company recruiting now following a move to new environmentally-friendly offices at Hathersage Hall. Based in the Peak District, but just 20 minutes from Sheffield, FDA specialise in design for the arts, heritage, wildlife and countryside.

I think this job is quite good because i have had experience of Apple Macs and Adobe Creative Suite for nearly 5 years now and my home computer is a Apple Mac so i have good experience in using them. Designing websites is something i really want to do as a career path and with is stating that Advanced programming knowledge is not needed, this is quite a relief as programming is not a strong point in my skills. It is quite a bit away from the local area but if the job suits then it will be worth the travel.

SPP3 Task 1 - Job 1

2010-02-03T10:26:00.003Z

About the Job

THE JOB TITLE:

Web Developer

THE SALARY PACKAGE:
£15,000 - £20,000 + Bonus

LOCATION:
Nottinghamshire

THE COMPANY:
Our client is a market leader in the field of leisure and entertainment. With nationwide coverage their action packed venues draw in people by the thousands in this exciting industry.

THE ROLE:
With a fantastic large national website and an individual site for each venue also our client requires a web developer to build upon and maintain this work. A fantastic new role for the company you will develop and improve the websites where possible and keep them updated. With an excellent bonus scheme in place for revenue created through traffic this is a great opportunity in web development.

YOU:
You will be adept and have strong experience in web design and website development. A working knowledge of Search Engine Optimisation would be advantageous as would some experience in marketing althought this is not essential.

As i dont have a massive love for coding this job includes keeping websites updated and improve them if need be. This is something i i am interested in and it is also within the local area which helps a lot.

Border colours

2010-02-01T12:59:00.004Z

SET 1.

IMAGE 1.

IMAGE 2

SET 2.

IMAGE 1

IMAGE 2

SET 3.

IMAGE 1

IMAGE 2

SET 4.

IMAGE 1

IMAGE 2

Client: Meeting

2010-01-28T22:42:00.002Z

I had a meeting with my client to show him my first lot of designs i had come up with. He said that the new motorcycle thats be brought out has new features such as the new cat headlights which is meant to be eye catching, so he said using this image on the homepage is the right one to use for the website to be eye catching. He also said he liked the style and colours used within this design.

He said wants small bike images and specification of the models in the 'Bike' section so users can see what stock he has.

He was generally overall please with the outcome so far and to show him further development made.

Survey results

2010-01-28T21:25:00.003Z

After looking at my survey results i found that 5 out of 24 people was effected by colour blindness.

Here is what I found:

* All 5 people are male

* Aged between 20-49

* Colours effected brown, red and green.

- Different shades of colours (2 people)

- Light makes a strong change (1 person)

* None of the males could see the numbers 6 and 45

* 2 males saw the number 8 as a 5

* The problem mainly occurred a few times a month.

* most of the males couldnt see orange.

* From my results i have found that mainly males have the colour blind issue.

* I have also found that the colours red and orange get confused as a shade of brown or cant see them at all.

* Even though there are not many people who are colour blind, this survey shows that there are still people out there who are affected by colour and it is important not to ignore this fact.

For my next artifact I plan to start looking at different parts of web design. As website sections are usually divided by borders, i will experiment with different colour borders and see whether it effects the way people use the website. Will they be able to access it or not?

PRP: Results so far

2010-01-26T11:56:00.002Z

Okay its nearly been two weeks since i posted my survey and ive only had 2 responses which show that that user suffers from particular colour blindness. I have even posted my survey on a group i joined for people who are colour blind but no response.

Client: Rough Designs

2010-01-26T11:52:00.002Z

A few week ago I made some rough sketches of design ideas, I have now started to take them in to photoshop and do mock up designs ready to show my client. I will be Showing my client these design this week so I can get his feedback and start making adjustments on his chosen design.

Here are some screen shots of what i have done so far.

Client: Images

2010-01-26T11:51:00.003Z

Yesterday I managed to find the time to scan some images from catalogues of scooters and I am going to get some photos taken on the bikes instore from a friend who is taking up photography. So i should have plenty of images to work with.

PRP - Survey!

2010-01-20T12:13:00.002Z

I have created a online survey for my PRP on colour blindness. I will be very grateful if you could make your contributions.

http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/DP8XXHW

Client: Wire frames

2010-01-19T12:27:00.002Z

Client: Web Pages & Site map

2010-01-19T12:05:00.004Z

Home

Bikes

Images and examples of bikes they sell.

About

Information about the MOT and repair services they do.

W2W

Information about the Wheels to Work scheme the company supports.

Contact

- Address, Contact number

Client: Website info

2010-01-19T11:57:00.002Z

Before designing I need to consider certain set ups and information that i am going to work with.

Colour

- By looking at exisiting websites they have kept the colour scheme quite dark and grungy with a few splashes of vibrant colour. Also using a white background with shadowing images can look clean and profession with being done in the right context.

- Bold - Vibrant colour in realtion to color on bikes - Limited colour palette.

Layouts

- With the motorcycle websites ive seen they have a box grid with advertisments on bikes and accesories and also quick links to pages around the wesbites.

Images

- Obviously images of bikes. One from every style, dyanamic images to keep interest.

Logo

- Keep to similar use of font of B&S Motorcycles so people can identify easily. Maybe upgrade logo with a simple redesign.

Client: Existing Websites

2010-01-19T10:51:00.004Z

Kawasaki

The Kawasaki website has gone for the grungy look with the use of dark colors with the odd splash of vibrant colour. On the home page they have advertisements with offers they have on.

When looking through the different bikes they are in a grid format, this can be quite boring looking through rows of images but with the style and effect they have on the images it makes them look more interesting to look at and have that edgy look.

DK Motorcycles

When looking at this website I felt that it was taking a more of a grungy style with stones as a background images and the use of dark colours. On the main page they have deals on bikes that you can buy but the downside is that the banners are not links so you have to find your way through the website to find this advert deal.

When you click on the new bike section, the style of bikes are listed out in a grid format but when you roll over a bike, an image of the bike appears replacing the grey image and i think this is really nice and effective.

As you click on the online store, you get a row of the same item but different colours. I personally think that this make it look too cramped on the page and you eye doesn't really know where to look first.

Triumph

On the main homepage there is no information as to who this company is, but when you look at the way the page is laid out and the images used you know instantly that this is a motorbike website. On the home page you have mini box links to pages around the website as well as the navigation on top of the web page. I think this give users more accessibility to the website.

I like the blue gradient as the back ground as it is clean and simple and it doesn't distract you away from the main content.

With the features on this website there is a page were you can create you own bike. I like this feature as it gets the user involved within the website and attracts the user to buy the bike they see and make. For a gallery of the bikes they sell, it is not just a standard grid with a list of pictures which makes it a bit boring. So Triumph have made a show case which you can spin around which makes it more interesting.

.net Mag

2010-01-19T10:34:00.002Z

I recently bought .net magazine and I came across 'Tips and Trends for 2010'.

And heres some of the trends to follow...

Visual Trends

- Moving away from web 2.0 cliches and a fresher approach with plenty of white space to enhance visuals. They also predict that colour will make a come back with the influence of retro designs.

Functionality

- Website moving on to mobile phones.

Fonts

- Using more styled web fonts instead of the standard fonts already, but make sure its compatible with other platforms.

.net Magazine

PRP: Designing websites for every audience

2009-12-01T17:04:00.003Z

Book
author - ilise benun 2003

pg 14

Can good design and usability coexist?
- Achieving this union requires a dedication to understanding the people who visit a site, appreciating there task-orientated goals and creating an attractive environment in which there needs are met.

pg 15
- Good usability results from understanding the needs and preferences of your users and allowing form to follow function.

- Cognitive limits refer to our capacities for reasoning, memory and perception. For example, there is a limit to the amount of information one person can understand or remember.

pg 16

- The manner in which users visually scan the screen strongly influences their ability to absorb and respond to instructional content and navigational aids.

pg 28

- 8 in 100 males and 1 in 230 females are colour blind - which is a significant percentage of the population.

PRP - Design Interviews

2009-12-01T16:08:00.005Z

Design Interviews:
The degree to which we focus on accessibility depends on the project - the idea, the content and most importantly, the audience. Just as not every piece of art or music is intended to be accessible to everyone, the same can be true of the web. Although, I do believe the web is first and foremost an all-inclusive media, which means we should always keep working towards greater accessibility.

(Heleine Nathan, 23 nov 2007)

Design Interviews
I also believe that web accessibility is not simply the responsibility of web designers and developers, as it is often portrayed. Software vendors, browser vendors and in particular assistive technology developers also have a huge role to play.

That accessibility involves skills that are difficult to learn. Although making sites truly accessible to a target audience should involve user testing, there are nonetheless many practical techniques that web designers can learn that will make a real difference for people using the sites that we create. That is why this year, Stuff and Nonsense is broadening our training courses and workshops to include 'Practical Web Accessibility For Designers' under the banner of 'Designing For A Beautiful Web'.

In my mind there is no such thing as designing an accessible site. If a site does not consider the importance of being accessible to the widest possible audience, through its use of good design, code and use of best practice, then it is not a professional level site. Therefore there are only professional (accessible) sites and non-professional sites.

(Andy Clark, Aug 21st 2007)

Design Interviews
We are living in an increasingly aging society where many of the world's wealthiest people have accessibility issues such as poor eyesight or mobility. Add to that the number of people who have a registered disability and you are talking about a significant percentage of your customer base you don't want to alienate.

(Andy Budd, July 31 2007)

PRP: Web Design Mag

2009-11-22T19:12:00.004Z

I've recently bought Web Designers magazine and I've found a few interesting things. Firstly I seen a article about how embedding videos which fit into the style of black an white.

(www.legendstelegraph.com)

This website is designed as a fictional newspaper which has videos embedded on the website. This goes to show that videos of any kind can still be effective without colour, but most importantly they are still viewable by users with or without colourblind issues.

CLIENT: Interactive Piece

2009-11-22T19:04:00.003Z

Okay here is my interactive piece, I've have decided to do a quiz about Copyright and Piracy. I wanted to keep it short, simple and also remember able.

Here is what each question page will look like.

Here is the page you will get if you have got the answer wrong. I have decided that if you get it wrong then you will need to start the quiz again. I thought this way the users will remember the right answer and so it will stick with them so they think about whats right.

Here is the Final page you will see when you have answered all of the questions correct.

CLIENT: Interactive

2009-11-17T12:04:00.002Z

Okay so ive had a thought about what interactive piece to use within my website. I thought of a range of options such as:
*Polls
*Guest book
*Questionnaire
*Game
*Quiz
*Banner

I then narrowed it down to guest book, game or a quiz. I looked into having a guest book and i found a site where you can choose a guest book layout, colours, icons and etc and then you could embed it into your html. The problem i had was if i was to keep this guest book then i would need someone to moderate this daily.
Which leaves me with a game and a quiz so what i decided to do is create a quiz about copyright and piracy, so then users can learn the facts about the issue being raised.

Pirate Bay end of an era.

2009-11-17T12:01:00.004Z

Today marks the end of an era, as The Pirate Bay team announces that the world’s largest BitTorrent tracker is shutting down for good. Although the site will remain operational for now, millions of BitTorrent users will lose the use of its tracker and will instead have to rely on DHT and alternative trackers to continue downloading.

Link to article
(torrentfreak.com)

CLIENT: Final designs

2009-11-10T15:48:00.002Z

Okay so here is what my website will look like, Ive not added in the content yet or the interactive piece. Some of these pages might change yet as i might have a brain wave!

PRP: Black and White websites

2009-11-09T15:01:00.005Z

Following on from my previous post, I put up a link to a website which has a section for what they call 'Colorblind Awesomeness' and it contains 40 inspirational black and white websites. I've picked out a few which i thought were interesting.

I quite liked the look of this website, I like how there's a subtle texture in the background which i think breaks up the plain black background. I think it makes it more interesting to look at. I also like how there are sections for different things and it meets with an issue for dyslexic people who prefer things in small sections and not one big block.

When looking through these websites this one especially caught my eye. I like the style of this design and it been drawn away from the standard web page layout which i like a lot. It has a small block of text and a large images which captures your eye straight away. I think this website would work well for both colourblind and dyslexic.

What i like about this website is the big main image at the top of the page. This would cater for both colourblind and dyslexic, for obvious reason being it is in black and white but also with the image you know instantly the website is to do with sofas. It also has small blocks of text which is also a plus.

CLIENT

2009-11-09T10:59:00.003Z

Here is something i found along my travels and i thought the idea of it was pretty good.

CLIENT: Header designs

2009-11-09T09:22:00.006Z

When designing the header I knew I wanted something relevant to music, film and etc but i wasn't sure what. So just to fill the space i used a smoke effect image.

Here are a few development and changed i've made.

Here is the final design i would like to use as it is colourful and have relevant images to the subject. I've still not decided whether i want to use the plain background or the textured background.

PRP: More research

2009-11-05T08:23:00.003Z

Colourblind

I have found a really useful website where it shows you the standard colour palette and gives you the different options depending what type of colourblindness you have and it then changes the colour palette so you can see how them people see the colours.

(Link)

CLIENT: Design ideas

2009-11-02T11:37:00.005Z

This first design was just a quick rough mock up from my wire frame. I didnt really like the textures within the 4 squares because i thought it looks too dirty and grungy. So I had a second go at re working the design and i came up with a much more brighter design. I want to keep the colours bright because this will attract the users eyes straight away. As i am aiming at more of a younger audience i have made the 4 squares in a graffiti style. Over all i quite like this design but it think maybe the background is a bit too bright.

Here is my second design again keeping with the 4 sections and bright colours. As well as catering for the younger audience i think this also has a modern feel and will also suit a more mature audience too. I like this design because it looks clean and each sections has a very brief description about the page. I will also keep it colour coded so you know your still on the same page.

Here is the disc idea with again the 4 sections in bright bold colours. I like this idea because it breaks away from the standard web design template.

Any ideas or suggests are much appreciated =)

CLIENT: Site Map

2009-11-02T09:58:00.002Z

CLIENT: Images

2009-11-02T09:54:00.002Z

As images play a big part in my design ideas, i need to consider what type of images i am going to use. I need to use images that relate to downloading, copyright which leads to music, movies, games, software and etc. So the type of images could be headphones, game consoles, controllers, film reels, cameras, CD's and etc.

CLIENT: Logo ideas

2009-11-02T09:49:00.003Z

After doing a couple of drawings and sketches in my sketch book, ive picked just a few out and mocked them up on to photoshop just so i could get a better idea on how they would look. Ive created some really basic designs and developed some. Although i do think that the logo with the hand suggesting stop wouldnt work so well because if someone tells you to stop doing something, your going to rebel against it. I'm not quite sure which design im going to go with but i need to develop a couple of ideas more.

CLIENT: Wire Frames

2009-11-02T09:25:00.003Z

Here are some possible wire frames that I could use within my website.

Here i would have the header/logo at the top of the page and instead of having a standard navigation bar, i would make 4 sections with images on the main part of the page which will also be links to the related pages. then i would have a footer at the bottom of the page containing links to all the pages on the website.

The idea of this wire frame is to have a cd/disc type image which relates to music cd's and DVD's which will be split up into 4 sections and following the same concept at the idea above. With it being a micro site i wanted to keep it away from standard web page layout. Just so that users know the difference between the real official site and a small micro site.

The 2 ideas above pretty much follow the same concept as the other ideas above. Ive chosen to combine the navigation with the links so that it makes it more interesting to navigate around the site and so that with a small image they will know what is on that particular page.

CLIENT: Exisiting Campaigns

2009-10-30T20:27:00.006Z

To get a feel of what i should really include in my website, I've had a look at some existing campaigns and had a look at what they include such as images and text. This will inform me on the type of content i could use within my site.

http://firekills.direct.gov.uk/index.html

Colour
On the home page the colours are kept simple but they use the bright bold red which really grabs your attention. I feel that they have used the colour red because it relates to "fire" and danger.

Content
Looking at the content on the home page, it has information for all ages. They have headings for adults 'Keeping you children safe' and then another heading for kids which include games they can play but also learn about how to prevent fires. I think it is a good idea having educational games for children so they can have fun while they learn.

Images
I think that this is a really effective header and can be used as an idea for the copyright website. It has 3 small images of things to help prevent a fire which is checking your fire alarm. This idea could be used as a quick simple way of getting across the message if the user dont want to read the text.

http://www.dft.gov.uk/think/

Colour
The colours used are colours that are used on the road so with the colour scheme and images you know it relates to being out on the road.

Content
Looking at the content on this website i like what the site consists of. It has a navigation down the side with links for specific people for example 'children', 'parents', 'cyclists' and etc. I think this is a good idea because you can go straight to the page that relates to you. For user interactivity it has a link where you can take a poll and have your say and input.

Images
The main image at the top of the page is kept relevant so you know that when you look at the image, you know that its a subject related to cars, driving, roads and etc.

Just by comparing these 2 campaigns i know that keeping the colours and images relevant to the campaign will help people identify the campaign a lot easier. I have also noticed there are separate sections for children, parents, teachers and etc so that it caters for all audiences so the message will get out to a broader audience.

PRP - Research in Colourblindness and dyslexia.

2009-10-27T11:32:00.007Z

Different types of colourblindness:

Protanomaly - Red Weakness.*
Tritanopia - Blue weakness*
Deuteranomaly - Green weakness.*
Dichromasy - red, orange, yellow, and green all seen as one colour.
Protanopia - The brightness of red, orange, and yellow is much reduced compared to normal.
Deuteranopia - The same hue discrimination problems as the protanope, but without the abnormal dimming.

* Main three to consider.
(Info)

Inspriational black and white wesbites (Link)
Here is a list of websites that have only used a black an white design. I think that these show that you CAN create an affective design in black and white and that it doesnt have to be dull and boring.

Do's and Dont's when creating a page to suit colourblind (Link)

Testing the design!
In photoshop, to test whether the colours you have used are visible for people who are colourblind, all you need to do is just desaturate the design and see what parts go missing or stays visible.

Another option is to test your url by using a free colourblind web page filter and it gives you different options you can test for different people and you can see within seconds what that user would see if they were to access the webpage.

Web Designing For Dyslexia - What Problems Would a Dyslexic User Face?
(Link)

Text size
Text scaling
Font style
Capitalisation
Background
Spacing
Justification
Italics
Paragraphs
Use lists to bullet point items
Writing style
Navigation
Moving text
Columns
Pictures
Document structure
Abbreviations

Client (sim) Copyright Research

2009-10-22T12:05:00.003+01:00

What is file sharing?
Distributing or sharing files such as images, games, software, films etc which can be made accessible for everyone.

This is done either by direct file download, torrents, P2P (peer-to-peer) networks. Some networks are FastTrack, Limewire, bittorent, Napster etc.

When it’s illegal?
When you are sharing or copying a file without the owner’s permission.

Why it’s illegal?
If you are copying or sharing a file without the owner’s permission then you are breaching the owners rights and because this is illegal you are breaking the law which can lead to serious punishments and fines.

Punishments
Four people sentenced to 1 year in prison and fined $905,000 each.
Link

Minimum penalty of £50,000 for all IP offences.
Link

other forms of punishment-
Damages, injunctions, accounts of profit
Link

Year 3 Client (sim)

2009-10-21T13:41:00.002+01:00

Simulated Project - Copyright and Piracy.

For term 1 I have been asked to create a 5 page website showing public information about a campaign informing about digital piracy. It has to illustrate and explain what file sharing is, when and why it is illegal and also the consequences of being involved in this illegal activity.

I feel that this will need some thinking through and needs well thought out designs because this information needs to be effective enough for people to take notice, so this will need a 'stand out' design to catch the users eye.

For people who are already involved in this illegal activity, the question is

'Why would they want to look at this anti-piracy website?'

So the information that is going to be on this website shouldn't be 'STOP! what you are doing is wrong!' When in theory, yes it IS wrong but that is not going to want them to stay on the website! So the information needs to let them know more of the consequences of what will happen and maybe some options on how to get around the problem so they are not committing a crime.

For example if it was music downloads, then let the user know if they stopped illegal downloading and looked at website which maybe have special purchasing download offers that are on, special deals, membership advantages and etc.

So basically they can see all the advantages of purchasing downloads instead of illegal downloading.

Year 3 PRP

2009-10-21T13:22:00.003+01:00

At the end of year 2, for my Personal Research Project I wanted to look more in depth of Web accessibility for users who are less able or have trouble in browsing the web. This included people who are maybe deaf, blind or people who cant use there hands. I did some research into what has already been done and what the requirements are for a standard web page (Link).

After talking to my PRP tutor and having a think over the summer about my choice, I soon realised this would involve a lot of coding and changing programs to suit others needs. this would prove to be quite complex and is not the area i wish to go into in the industry. Where as i am more interested in front end design and how things look upon a web page. But after further discussion about my choice and wanting to still keep some accessibility elements, i have changed my original choice to more looking at how front end design can be improved to help people who are colour blind and/or dyslexic.

What can be done or changed to help make a website more accessible for these users and become more of a ease to navigate and look at? How can i move these ideas forward and how can it be improved?

These could effect the page layout, how much text there will be, what kind of images and shapes to use, what colours complement each other and what colours will cause a problem.

I will be researching in to more of these problem areas and come up with some solutions that i think will work and improve these situations.

If facebook was a country it would be the 4th largest....

2009-08-18T20:13:00.001+01:00

Portfolio

2009-07-09T15:36:00.001+01:00

here is the link to my portfolio HERE. Some part still need working on and completing to make it look a bit more better! I also need to arrange my work so i can display it on my website too.

Portfolio

2009-07-07T12:42:00.001+01:00

well believe it or not i have finally bought a domain name and i have a design ready to be uploaded. I'm just waitin for my server to be ready before i can post anything so when it is ready i will b sure to post a link up yay!

Bestwood Gallery tests

2009-05-27T10:21:00.002+01:00

Okay this is a little late posting but last week i used some tutorials from the internet to create a photo flow effect like what apple use on the iphone and itunes.

Here are the two test that i have done.

Test 1
Test 2

Test one is something i had more in mind of doing but i soon found out you need a application to actually make the photo flip effect. So with the deam file i just replaced all the photos with our Bestwood photos so you can see what it could look like.

In test 2 i found a free example of the photo flow effect and it does work well. But again the problem with this one is that it constantly has the advertisement of the site i got it from.

I am going to see if there is a way around this but if not then i will have to find another alternative.

Bestwood photo gallery

2009-05-19T14:20:00.002+01:00

Ok ive had a look at some photo galleries online and i found a photo flip gallery http://www.webdesignerwall.com/demo/photoflip-gallery/ and i think this would be a easy and interesting way of portraying photos of Bestwood and it also may attract the attention of the younger generation.

Bestwood update

2009-05-14T12:36:00.002+01:00

So today we had a small presentation of the work we have done so far, Ashley has made the templates in DW so now we are at the stage of adding content within the templates and finalising the flash interactive work.

TouchGraph Photos

2009-05-11T16:02:00.002+01:00

On facebook whilst browsing through some website i came across this application where it groups all of your friends and depending on what group you have put your friends in i.e family, uni friends, work etc, it shows them in different colours. It also tell your who knows who within your network and i thought it was really interesting.

Bestwood W.E.H Pictures

2009-05-11T10:36:00.004+01:00

All these photos are unedited, Email me if you wish to have these photos.

Client Meeting 7/05/09

2009-05-11T10:33:00.002+01:00

Layout Designs

2009-05-07T12:16:00.001+01:00

On Ashley's Blog
http://ashleeey123.blogspot.com/2009/05/mining-web-layouts.html

Bestwood Roles

2009-05-07T10:09:00.002+01:00

Kirsty
Level game
Things to do Page
Client Communicator

Ashley
History page
Interactive timeline
CSS templates

Katie
History research
Maps page
Image optimisation

Group
Home page
Contact page
Page layouts

Sitemap for Bestwood

2009-05-07T10:07:00.001+01:00

History Timeline of Bestwood.

2009-05-07T10:05:00.001+01:00

- Bestwood colliery 1871-1967
- The 10th Duke of St Albans was responsible for the creation of the Bestwood Coal and Iron Company with Lancashire entrepreneur John Lancaster.
- The pit was sunk in 1872 and the winding engine commissioned in 1876
- The engine house and engine was built in 1873.
- Coal production began in 1876.
- In 1876, 64 houses were built for the workforce of the Bestwood Coal and Iron Company.
- Bestwood is termed as the ‘model village’.
- The ironworks were part of the Bestwood Coal and Iron Company 1881-1928
- In 1884 the company employed 720 men (550 underground), around 2000 in its heyday, and approximately 1600 at its closure in 1967.
- The mine closed in 1971. It was then converted into a country park.
- Reasons for closing were because of the difficult geological conditions which meant it was difficult to mine.
- Early 1990’s the engine and engine house was causing concern as they were both falling into a state of disrepair.
- The bestwood colliery winding engine house is now listed as a monument.
- The unusual twin cylinder vertical winding engine is only one of the surviving 2 in the country and only one still in it original position.
- This engine was built in Wigan (1876) by R J & E Coupe of Worsley Mesnes Iron Works
- It was powered by 2 steam driven pistons but today(first restoration 1996) it is turned by an electrical motor.
- The country park has received a £963,000 from the Heritage Lottery Fund grant to restore the old building.

Some more Bestwood designs

2009-05-01T16:27:00.002+01:00

This is my Second design, im not 100% on the navigation but i liked the idea at the time.

Here was another possible logo I played with which i do like.

Bestwood initial design1

2009-04-30T09:25:00.003+01:00

This is just a rough first design. I have been looking at what is this years design trends on webpages and tried to use these to get inspiration from them. I have used the 3 coloum style and large footers from todays design trend. I wanted to try and keep in with the old fashion and modern style so that people of all ages can enjoy the website.

Term 3 Client project

2009-04-23T10:54:00.002+01:00

For our client project this term i will be working with Kirsty and Ashley in a group and we will be working on a website that needs serious help!! (link)
Bestwood is an old coal mine which is going to be transformed into a museum. They have this free website which is poorly done. They have advertisments in the way of the main text and most of the links are broken and dont work.

Mining Moodboard

2009-04-23T10:18:00.004+01:00

As we dont have much information on Bestwood at the moment as a group we decided to make a mood board of all the things we know are relevent, so we searched for some images to get some ideas for designs. We as a group will also visit Bestwood so we can take some of our own images of the place.

So far for an idea we are liking the idea of an old victorian newspaper with the pen sketched images, as this will give the right atmosphere of the place.

My next step is to research into existing museum websites and a couple of wesbites with a particular style we like. I will also make some sketches of design ideas by Monday for the group to see.

http://www.webdesignerwall.com

2009-04-23T08:54:00.003+01:00

Note.

Phetch

2009-04-20T13:39:00.004+01:00

I have recently been introduced to something called Phetch. It is a website where it makes the Web more accessible for the visually impaired.
It is basically a game where you have 3-5 players and one person is nominated as the describer and the other players are seekers. the describer is the only one who can see the image and they have to describe this image to the seekers for them to find on the search engine. The first one to find the correct image wins points.

Here is an example on how the game looks in action

Ive created an account on this website but ive not been able to play it yet because there are not enough members online but i will make another post when i do manage to play it.

PRP Accessibilty

2009-04-20T12:05:00.004+01:00

Useful web links
Link 1 Link 2 Link 3 Link 4

Definition:
Accessibility in the context of a Web site is the degree to which that Web site is usable by people with disabilities. Web pages often have access issues for the following groups of people:
- Visually impaired people using screen readers
- Hearing impaired people using browsers with no sound
- Physically impaired people
- Color blind people
(taken from http://webdesign.about.com/od/accessibility/g/bldefaccessibil.htm)

Accessibility areas:
- Text - size, font, tags
- Images - alternative text , colour, size
- Sound/video - descriptive text, subtitles
- Web pages - access keys, validating, simple, clear

Guidelines to follow to make a website accessible:
- Users of mobile phones, Web
-TV and kiosks
- Low bandwidth users
- Users in a noisy environment
- Users with "screen glare"
- Users who are driving
- Users with a low literacy level
- Second-language access
- Users with different learning styles
(taken from http://www.sitepoint.com/article/accessible-web-design/)

PHP - Login and sessions.

2009-03-16T10:45:00.003Z

To help me with PHP and understanding what certain parts of the code means i decided to take a look at the youtube videos of PHP academy which are really useful.

I firstly took a look at MAMP ( macs version of WAMP) and set that up, im still learning what to do on it but i have an idea on setting my server up on my computer.

I went on then to have a go at these tutorials learning at my own pace and i learnt how to:

- Log in and out.

- Create a session.

- Show an error message when you have entered the wrong password or you enter a username that dont exist.

- Show a welcome message with the persons username once signed in.

- Restricted access to certain pages unless you log in.

When i completed the login tutorial my website worked!!! When i went back to it later that night my website then decides it dont want to make sessions last so now its broke again! I'm not quite sure why it has done this when it worked fine earlier that day, so i need to resolve this somehow.

Here are a few screen shots of my website (design not completed yet) when it worked.

Here is the login page

This message comes up if you try to login without a username or password or if you use the wrong username.

This message comes up if you enter the wrong password

This message appears when you have successfully logged in.

This is the page you will see when you have logged in which will be the news page.

Brick Breaker update.

2009-03-03T22:20:00.006Z

Here is the design of my game, I have based it on my liking for penguins and the theme of snow. I have followed a tutorial on making this game and now I just need to make some adjustments and final touches. On each level another row of bricks is formed.

Flash Game - Ideas

2009-02-28T18:56:00.002Z

For my block breaker game I have a few ideas on what I want my game to be like and could go for and here is what I have so far:

* Music - Keyboard as a bat and musical notes in the bricks.

* Icy - Snowboard as the bat and bricks as icicles.

* Remove all blocks to reveal a picture.

* Have a question and removed all the blocks to reveal answer.

* Have different shape blocks - could be complex.

* Different coloured blocks, each colour has different points.

more to come soon.

Brick Breaker game reviews.

2009-02-26T20:07:00.005Z

For my games assignment i am doing a simple well known game known as 'Brick Breaker'. I've picked this because when i was little i used to love playing this game on atari so i thought i would give it a go!

Good example - Link

The car company Dodge have created this block breaker game which is i think a good game. It reminds me of the original game i used to play because of the different levels, items dropping down when you hit the bricks which effects either the ball or the bat. The interface it clearly designed and very appealing to look at. It keeps a record of the score you generate whilst playing the game and when you finish a level it unlocks a Dodge car.

Bad Example - Link

Ok this game is a bit poor. The design itself is very poor and it looks like its just been thrown together in Photoshop. Its not very interesting to look at so thats going to make the user want to quit the game already. When your playing and you lose a life you have to restart the whole level again but you still keep your previous score. This is a disadvantage because there is also a timer at the bottom which i didn't know was a time because nothing states that it is.

Website update

2009-02-06T15:20:00.003Z

Okay so I have been working on my resturaunt website and ive been developing constantly throughout making it.

Here is pretty much what my first design looked like

This first design is very regimental and square. I think the background distracts the eye a bit too much and the banner blends in with the background. I want to make the banner a statement piece as it is the name of the company.

Here is my second attempt

I think this is more clean and simple but i still feel there is more work that needs to be done to this design. More so to the banner because i feel that there is too much white going on.

In photoshop i have made various different types of designs to the banners, navigational buttons and etc. I want to keep it simple and clean but i don't want to add too much which will make it look busy.

Game Ideas

2009-01-27T09:05:00.003Z

I think that these main factors make a simple game FUN.
- Matching colours/ shapes
- Collecting items
- Reaching goals
- Point/ score making
- Shooting
- Having an aim
- Solving Puzzles
- Building
- Bonus/ Rewards

Here are a few ideas i have for an interactive game.

- Treasure hunt - (example)
- Block Breaker - (example)
- Guitar Hero idea (matching the colours)
- Animal race - race on animals backs reaching goals - (example)
- Zombie Hunter - (example)
- Puzzle box - Try to make your way from one side of the room to the other - with obsticles - (example)

Social Networking

2009-01-22T21:36:00.002Z

As i am doing a Social Networking website i need to think about what are my networks and what's already out there.

* Dating

- Girls date for free

- Match

* Friend finder

- Friends reunited

* General Socialising

- Facebook

- Myspace

- Bebo

- Faceparty

- Vampire Freaks

* Music

- Last.fm

- Amie Street

- Soundpedia

* Blogging

- Blogger

- Live Journal

- Ning

and there are many more networking categories such as books, games, baby care, travel, movies, cultural and many more.

The main things I'm interested in is music, friends and discussions/debates.

5 Website Evaluations

2009-01-22T09:21:00.017Z

Toby Carvery - Carvery

This is a new restaurant that have opened up in my local area.

I think this website is good because it has pictures on nearly every page and limited text so the user wouldn't get bored quick. It has all relevant information on the site about the restaurant and its information you need to know.

If i could improve this site i would modernise and bring the design up to date as the colour are just bold and flat which can make it a bit boring.

Another thing about this website is that the logo is smaller than the header text which should be the other way around as the logo more important.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

George's - Fish and Chips

For a fish and chip website i would say this is really good. Its has flash and html combined in the website which makes it look more interesting to look at.On most pages they contain images which are run by flash.
- The navigation is also done in flash and i think it is quite a unique one because when you roll over you get a short description what is on on the page before you view it which i think is good.
- Everything on each page has its own section and don't look cramped.
-The colours are consistent throughout and there is no bright colours to distract you with.
- Although i do think that on some pages there is too much text to read and the user might get bored.

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Curry Lounge - Indian

I think this website is good because it contains both flash and html in the pages. The flash element is the image under the logo and it changes on each page and there is a swirly animation that plays at the beginning which i think is nice.
- The site has a consistent theme throughout each page and all links well.
- There is a decent amount of text on each page so you don't get bored reading it. To balance it out it has a couple of images on few of the pages so it makes it look more interesting and also you can get a feel of the place itself.
- The colours contrast well against each other well and the things that are meant to stand out do.
- Even though there is a background image, it doesn't distract you from the main text or images and they have chose the colours well.

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Burger King - Burgers

This is Burger King which is a successful world wide franchise. To say they are well known i am quite disappointed with there website.
- You have a navigation on the left hand side in the standard and then the main section of the site on the right. When i first look at this website i think it looks messy, meaning that the background image should be taken away as i think it clashes with the red text on the mini links and it also loses the navigation into the background as well. It makes the users eye slightly confused as on where to look as it is a busy background.
- I also find that on most of the pages there is just either a lot of text or not enough and there are hardly any pictures, only pictures are on the menu page.
- I find that the colour scheme of the website is poorly thought out and i think that there is room for lots of improvement.

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Ginza - Teppan Yaki - Japanese

Here is a Nottingham based Japanese restaurant and there website is all done in Flash. The whole website itself is quite small and could be improved by making the website larger and to actually use some flash animation considering it is a flash based website.

Intro page - I think that the idea of a scroll unravelling down the page is a good idea but i think that the graphics could be improved to make it look more interesting.

Home page - The main image and text fold out from the image on the left hand side but to say it is done in flash the website is very static and there is no slight animation. The navigation is out of the way on the bottom right hand side.

Menu page & Map - When you click on the menu link, the page folds out the same as the home page did but folds out looking like a menu you would find in the restaurant. One bad thing i would say about this is that the menu folds right over the navigation so you have to close the menu before you can click the navigation. - The same goes for the map too and i personally don't think the map is clear enough if you don't know where it is.

Contact page - On this page the bad thing is that you cant copy the text with the mouse, you have to write it down. I also find the text too small and i this this may prove difficult for people with poor site.

Word Press

2009-01-09T14:55:00.004Z

I have now created an account on word press which is http://metallikat.wordpress.com

Its a free account as I'm not sure about the server on my computer yet, but i will look in to it.

Okay so we were asked to just make some adjustments to the CSS coding for our profile so here is what it looked like before...

With a bit of CSS adjustments....

On this i basically changed how the image header looked so i took out the 5px gap. I then changed the font family to Helvectica, Changed the colour of the borders and headers.

This are only minor changes, I have yet to learn more about CSS in more detail.

Final Website

2008-12-12T10:41:00.003Z

Here is my website fully working (last time i checked) on maeda. Here is the link and let me know what you think of the final outcome.

http://maeda.ads.ntu.ac.uk/~n0185256

folder work

2008-12-12T10:15:00.004Z

Paramore: Problems

2008-12-04T10:05:00.003Z

Okay so ive finally finished my website, just need to add in my pop up then its 100% complete (as far as i know!).

Whilst in Dreamweaver i came across several of small problems, which were simple to solve luckily.

* My first problem was that when i made one of the images a link to another page, i had this gap around the image and even though i made the cell padding and etc to the value 0 i still had a gap. I solved it simply by adding border="0" to the coding on that image and it took away the white gap.

* My second problem was using 'Edit regions' where i wanted to add text on the main box. The problem was that i couldnt adjust the position of the text field in the properties but if i deleted that region and inserted another, and adjusted the horizontal and verticle postitions in the properties bar, it would move the text field where i wanted it to be. It was a bit confusing at first but im sure there is a more simpler way of doing edit regions.

I have also managed to make one of my banenrs a link to another page but using some simple coding in flash.

I problem i have to face is adding my pop up to my website which i need to look into.

Paramore: Existing Designs

2008-11-21T14:21:00.009Z

As I am doing my website on the band Paramore, i have taken a look at the existing official website and some fan based sites too. I have looked at these because i can see what design already exist so i dont make the mistake of doing the same.

Official website

(http ://www.paramore.net/)

This is Paramore's official website.

* I think this website is easy to navigate around and is spacious.

* The colour scheme of this website are mainly based around 3 certain colours which are black, yellow and white, this adds consistency throughout the site.

* All bits of information has its own section box on the page so nothing overlaps or looks messy.

* All information that is displayed on the website is all to do with the band. No random adverts or pop ups.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------

Fan Website

(www.paramorefans.com)

* This is a website that is made for fans of the band.

* Bad thing about this site is that when you click on a link in the navi

gation bar, it opens up a new window which can get slightly annoying having loads of windows up.

* The theme with the colours are very similar to the official website. This shows that both sites are related to the same subject.

* All information that is displayed on the website is to do with the band. No random pop ups or advertisements.

* This site doesn't follow a strict consistency throughout and some users my get confused.

* The links are easy to follow

as they are in the standard position on

the page where the users expect them to be.

----------------------------------------------------------------------

Fan Website

(www.paramore.org)

* This is a website that is made for fans of the band.

* Bad thing about this site is that when you click on a link

in the navigation bar, it opens up a new window which can get slightly annoying having loads of windows up.

* The sites colour theme is very bold and plain and doesnt relate to the band much, which i suppose makes it different from the others.

* All information that is displayed on the website is to do with the band. No random pop ups or advertisements.

* This site fails to have consistency throughout the site.

* The links are very small and some users might find it difficult to find where they are as the font size is the same size as the sub headers.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------

Fan Website

(www.pmoreonline.com)

* This is a website that is made for fans of the band.

* The bad things about this site is that when you click on a link in the navigation bar, it opens up a new window in the browser.

* The sites colour theme is very bold and plain and doesnt relate to the band much, which i suppose makes it different from the others.

* The info on the site is relevant to the band but there are advertisement banners in random places which is very off putting.

* This site fails to have consistency throughout the pages.

* The links are very small and some users might find it difficult to find where they are as the font size is the same size as the sub headers and there is also an advertisment banner just before the navigation.

Spp2: Inspiring Image

2008-11-06T19:17:00.003Z

Mel Allen, Ullswater, Glenridding, Cumbria
Image taken from All Posters

When this task was set this particular image popped into my mind straight away. This is an image that has always stayed with me.

I love how this image is in like a first person perspective like when you look into the image it feels like your the person standing right there on the pier looking at the beautiful landscape. The image gives a sense of peace in its surroundings and the calmness of the water feels like it relaxes you subconsciously. The sunset in the picture also gives a sense of warmth with the warm orange colours covering the sky and compliments the colours reflecting off the water.

Enter Hotel 626......if you dare!

2008-10-29T19:16:00.003Z

My friend Craig told me about this website which is a game and only opens from 6pm til 6am. It is called Hotel 626 and it is basically a haunted hotel and you have to find your way out.

Not only that, but you have to keep running away from this shadow which is out to kill you! (bit dramatic I know!) I only lasted about 5 minutes because I was literally to scared to go on but hey thats me!

The website requires you to have a microphone and a webcam but if you dont have any of those then you should still be okay.

I wont spoil it on telling you what I had to do to survive ill let you find that out for yourself ;)

Link: Hotel 626

Let me know how far you get, would be interesting to know =)

Artist Inspiration.

2008-10-29T18:45:00.003Z

This artist that I have chosen is called Alessandro Pautasso and he is a photographer, graphic designer, and illustrator based in Turin Italy. The reason why I have chosen his style of work is because I have always been interested in this area of illustration and i find his work fasinating.

I love the way he has taken a real photograph and used bold colourful swirls on top of the image to make it look like it is all part of the photograph. I also like how it takes the realism out of photos and makes it half cartoon and half real.

I think it is a great way to design images and it never fails to catch the eye of a user with the outstanding bright colours and unusal patterns.

Alessandro Pautasso website link 29.10.08

Images taken from Abduzeedo 29.10.08

Joel Schafer: 'I'm into minimalistic clean design'

2008-10-27T11:21:00.003Z

I've just been reading an interview with Joel Schafer and i think makes some important points.

Here is a quote taken from the website (http://www.designinterviews.com/interviews/599) 27.10.08

"What advice would you give to beginning web designers?
- Check award sites for inspiration.
- Read as much design magazines as you can.
- Find some good boards that can help you if you get stuck with a project.
- And always make a manuscript before you starting to produce."

I think point this helps people who are struggling on finding where to start in the industry.

Another point that Joel makes is that when starting a new project, you need to plan what your going do and draw it up on paper before you start designing a website, as this will save time and help prevent problems.

Website Research

2008-10-27T09:28:00.006Z

IDEO

What does it look like?

When i first look at the website, my eye doesn't know where to look first. My first thought is that it looks messy. The navigation is at the bottom of the page and then there is sub headings which are also sub navigation's. In the background there are screen shots of websites they have designed.
How easy is it to use?

The website is relatively easy to use but it can be a bit confusing at first as your trying to find where the links are.

How relevant is the content of the site?

The content of the website is all relevant to what the company is all about.
How clearly is the content organised?

I personally don't think its organised that well. The background is too much of a distraction for the eye to focus on the main parts of the website. The sub navigation's are just in odd places on the page and not totally clear that there links.

SONY

What does it look like?

The website look clean and everything is in its own space. It has a navigation on the left hand side and the main section in the middle where information is displayed. The colours are very bold but nothing is too distracting and lets the user focus on what they are looking for.

How easy is it to use?

It is very easy to use as all the links are clear to see in there own section of the website.

How relevant is the content of the site?

Everything is relevant on the website because SONY are showing products that they make with a brief description of the product.
How clearly is the content organised?

The content is organised well as everything is in its own box and nothing overlaps making it easier to look for what ever you want.

APPLE

What does it look like?

The website is very plain and colour is limited but it serves its purpose. The navigation is along the top of the page with the main information in the middle and there is also 2 quick navigation's down each side of the page.
How easy is it to use?

The website is easy to use as the links are very clear as they are bold. The navigation is really easy to find and use.
How relevant is the content of the site?

Most things on this website is relevant as APPLE are promoting there own products that they sell. They also advertise new films that are coming out on their Apple trailers.
How clearly is the content organised?

The website is organised well but some may find it to be too cramped on the page.

NOW online

What does it look like?

This web page looks quite boring as there are lack of images, plain colours and just text. It has the main information in the middle of the page, navigation on the left and a search engine on the right hand side of the page.

How easy is it to use?

I think certain parts of the website is easy to use but if first time users came on to use the website i think that they would struggle to use the navigation as it is very little and set out of the way.
How relevant is the content of the site?

It is relevant to NTU as it shows project briefs for students and a search engine for the website itself.
How clearly is the content organised?

The page is organised well as everything has its own content box which keeps it all separate.

Angel called Satan

2008-08-18T08:12:00.002+01:00

Me and my sister were looking at old cartoons we used to watch when we were little and we came across this particular video and apparently it got banned. I thought this video was really creepy and I thought I would share with you all! Its done in clay and stop motion for a guess. It's about an angel called Satan. I'm not quite sure what this cartoon is trying to say but it is extremely odd.

Project 2: 3D Max objects

2008-04-14T12:02:00.007+01:00

So far I have done 2 objects (well 3 if you include my avatar). I am having a bit of trouble with one of my object in 3D so looks like most of my day is going on that! I took a few screen grabs so you can see what I have done so far.

Table - Possible objects which my 5 objects will be put on.

Mac Computer

Ipod

Project 2: Website reviews

2008-04-07T09:12:00.007+01:00

I've only done 3 for the time being but i will post more reviews up.

Think about it

(Hyundai)

What does it look like?

The website is just different shades of a beige colour. The title of the website sta

nds out in a dark grey which catches your eye first. Along with the title it has 3 navigation links, Design, quality and safety. These are pretty self-explanatory. If you want to jump to a certain page quick there is sub navigation at the bottom of the page.

How easy is it to use?
I think this website is easy to use because you just click on one of the links and there is an arrow to move to the next page or move back a page. There is also a button where u can watch a short clip about the relevant subject it is showing.

How relevant is the content?
Everything on this website has relevance to each other for example, if you click on the ‘Safety’ button, it takes you to different parts of the car and its safety features. The first thing you see is a rib cage with it saying ‘This skeleton protects yours’, meaning that the car also has a protective cage and this site makes relevance to other objects.

How clearly organized is it?
I would say this website is clearly organized because each link has it’s own section on the website it goes to and each information piece h

as its own space so it don’t make it confusing for you to look at. It also has a neat navigation system at the bottom that you can get to each page directly.

How does it reflect the philosophy of company’s brand?
It shows that Hyundai have thought about the main 3 elements to a car in depth (safety, design and quality) which are the most important. They want customers to know that this is what Hyundai think about, to create a safe car for them to drive.

How successful is the interaction of design elements?
I think the way that it moves from one link to another is good because it is all smooth flowing and there are just simple buttons for you to follow. This site also has sound which you can turn off and video clips you can watch so you can get a better understanding on what they are trying to tell you.

Mac:08 Simplify your work

What does it look like?

This website is mainly black and white. It is very spacious with little animated objects moving from side to side but nothing looks too cramped.

How easy is it to use?
The site is very easy to use as there is not links or adverts to confuse the eye. There are just little animation people that you can click on.

How relevant is the content?
I think the content on this website is relevant because the companies slogan is ‘Simplify your work’ and if you look at the websit

e it is just simple line drawings and simple shapes. This supports their idea of keeping things simple.

How clearly organized is it?
The site is clearly organized, although it may seem a little confusing at first, but the basic links are at the bottom of the screen.

How does it reflect the philosophy of company’s brand?
It reflects that Microsoft wants good IT for people who use Mac computers. Their aim is to produce a product that is better than other software out there for Mac so Microsoft wants good software to be used.

How successful is the interaction of design elements?
I think the interaction elements are succes

sful. There are simple people and shapes that you can click on. When you click on the people it takes you to a different part of the website showing you videos and information about the product. Also if you click on the little random objects they interact with the curser and do there own little animation.

Sony Walkman

What does it look like?
It is very ‘Sin city’ style with the black and white with very little colour showing on the characters if any. It is very comic book like with the shape of the box containing the animation and the font of the text.

How easy is it to use?
The site is very easy to use because it has your basic navigation system on the right of the screen.

How relevant is the content?
I’m not quite sure what relevance some of the pages make as it is in foreign language but by going through each link there’s not really any idea that this website is about Sony walkman phone.

How clearly organized is it?
It is quite clearly organized, all the animation is based in the center of the screen and the navigation moves from the right hand side of the screen to the bottom, depending what page you are looking at.

How does it reflect the philosophy of company’s brand?
I’m not too sure whether it reflects anything about the companies brand but I think what the site might be trying to say is that you can get creative with this Sony phone.

How successful is the interaction of design elements?
I think the interactive elements are very good because on the homepage you can click on certain characters and they then turn into a little animation. You can also create your own hamster and create your own comic book that you can send to your friends. When you click onto a new page a little animation clip plays that I think is good.

3D Max movie!

2008-03-10T07:48:00.002Z

woo so here it is finally. Can't believe how long it took for it to render (about 20 hours 0_o). I did the music myself in garage band, it's not totally the best but it's alright =).

3D Max Character

2008-03-03T10:54:00.005Z

Having working on my character a bit more I've had to adjust some things. I wanted my band logo to be on the front of my tshirt but when i map the image on it just looks stretched even after major adjustment to the size of the image, but i come to the conclusion that it wasnt working because i extruded my body shape so things become stretched. I worked around the band logo by having it on the side of the body and it still looks okay.

I have also put some shoes on my character which are DC shoes.

#

Here is what my character looks like so far.

Improvements need to be made:
I still need to make kind of realistic hands but im not quite sure on how to go about that so i shall be attending surgeries to find out on how to make them.

3D Max Environment

2008-03-03T09:10:00.003Z

Well after working on my environment for a good few days I think it has turned out quite alright! After working with 3D max for a few weeks it has become easier to model and map. A few problems at the moment are creating shadows and curving certain parts of my objects.

Here is what I have so far.

3D: Worm

2008-02-15T10:53:00.003Z

In yesterdays seminar we made a worm! Like the one from BBC3 channel. To make this we used various tools such as morphing to copy each of the clones moves to the original worm. We also got show a simpler techinique on mapping objects with different colours using ID numbers.

Here is my little worm!

The Century of Self: Happiness Machines

2008-02-12T12:53:00.000Z

We got set a task where we have to watch 'Century of self' and make a comment about it.

Bernay (Sigman Froids uncle) took Froid's ideas about human beings and used them to manipulates masses.
This showed the American coorporates how they could make people want something they didn't need, linking mass produced goods to their unconsious desires. If people satified their inner selfish desire, this made them happy. This is something that it still happening in todays world.

You think that you need something to make you happy, you feel better when you have it.

Bernay tried to experiement the idea of other peoples inner desire for something. His first experiement was to pursuade women to smoke. At the time this was a taboo because men didn't like women smoking. This is because men smoking made them more dominant and important. Ciggarettes where a symbol of the penis and male sexual power.

Bernay told a group of women to hide cigs under the clothes and to light up in the street during a parade. Of course this brought alot of attention to these women and headline news, but the quote that was used at the time was,

"Torches of freedom"

This was showin women who smoked in public and they had the freedom to do it. If women smoked it perceived them to be more powerful and independant.

If you see something that you want or you desire, you think that you need it but when really you dont. But if you do have it, it makes you happy and also your inner self. This is something that is very powerful in todays culture.

3D Max: Tree

2008-02-07T17:58:00.000Z

Okay I should have dont this a while ago. Oops! Okay well other week in seminar we made a tree in 3D max. Using similar tools for what we used with the octopus but creating a tree trunk instead of legs.

Katie's Space...

Artifact 6 Results

Artefact 6

Artefact 5 Results

Client Website

Client update

Artifact 5

Artefact 4 results

Client Update

Artefact 4/5

Artefact 3 Results

SPP3: Task B Postgraduate courses 4

SPP3: Task B Postgraduate courses 3

SPP3: Task B Postgraduate courses 2

SPP3: Task B Postgraduate courses

Web Development MScKingston University London

PRP: Artefact 3

PRP: Artefact 2 Results

SPP3 Task 1 - Job 4

SPP3 Task 1 - Job 3

SPP3 Task 1 - Job 2

SPP3 Task 1 - Job 1

About the Job

Border colours

Client: Meeting

Survey results

PRP: Results so far

Client: Rough Designs

Client: Images

PRP - Survey!

Client: Wire frames

Client: Web Pages & Site map

Client: Website info

Client: Existing Websites

.net Mag

PRP: Designing websites for every audience

PRP - Design Interviews

PRP: Web Design Mag

CLIENT: Interactive Piece

CLIENT: Interactive

Pirate Bay end of an era.

CLIENT: Final designs

PRP: Black and White websites

CLIENT

CLIENT: Header designs

PRP: More research

CLIENT: Design ideas

CLIENT: Site Map

CLIENT: Images

CLIENT: Logo ideas

CLIENT: Wire Frames

CLIENT: Exisiting Campaigns

PRP - Research in Colourblindness and dyslexia.

Client (sim) Copyright Research

Year 3 Client (sim)

Year 3 PRP

If facebook was a country it would be the 4th largest....

Portfolio

Portfolio

Bestwood Gallery tests

Bestwood photo gallery

Bestwood update

TouchGraph Photos

Bestwood W.E.H Pictures

Client Meeting 7/05/09

Layout Designs

Bestwood Roles

Sitemap for Bestwood

History Timeline of Bestwood.

Some more Bestwood designs

Bestwood initial design1

Term 3 Client project

Mining Moodboard

http://www.webdesignerwall.com

Phetch

PRP Accessibilty

PHP - Login and sessions.

Brick Breaker update.

Flash Game - Ideas

Brick Breaker game reviews.

Web Development MSc
Kingston University London