Reflections on Education Technology Conferences Attended by members of the Office of Instructional Technology of the NYC Department of Education Troy Fischer, Director
Hi all -- this is a blog to facilitate sharing of our conference experiences. Read from the bottom up to get background information and guidelines/ideas for posting.
Monday, January 7, 2008
Web Design Conference, Boston, MA
Use this entry to reflect on the Web Design Conference in Boston on December 10-12, 2007 attended by Michael and Jennifer.
I was glad to attend a conference that would help iSite with the task set before them. Attending the workshops designed around website content and usability, I was encouraged to learn much of the ‘front-end’ info that could really help to make OIT’s site a valuable resource.
One of the workshops I attended was entitled “Why Good Content Must Suck.” The idea is that good content ‘sucks’ or draws the user into the site, but the title is a good example of what the speaker meant. The content on the site, especially the homepage and nav bars, must be clear, engaging and what the user is looking for. If a user has to search for the content they need or look on a site map, then the site is not designed optimally. One way to find out if the homepage is useful is to run focus groups with users, another is designing a ‘tracker’ that follows a user through their session.
Here are some other points that you may find interesting: -Users WILL scroll (contrary to the idea of ‘below the fold’) if they believe they will find the information they need. -The best sites are content rich first – flashiness and design are of secondary importance to the user. -A short link that doesn’t explain why the user is to click or where the user is going is not useful and turns users away from the site. -Underneath a title (banner) is a good spot for a “descriptor” – a phrase that describes exactly what the site is about. When I got Jemimah’s email about the OIT slogan contest I couldn’t help but think the slogan may be a great descriptor for the site. -Users never talk about design unless it is not intuitive. -White space on a site can actually be a good thing, as too much info/color/design can be distracting. -Favikon is the name for the picture/logo that shows up to the left of the url in the location bar. What could we use to make our favikon more memorable? Maybe something more than the iPerson? -The social design of a site draws in users as users trust their fellow browsers more than web designers or sellers. (An example of this is Amazon.com who averages 16 features on a page that are about social content such as reviews, ratings, and what other viewers actually bought.) -Respect flows both ways – if you give respect you will often get it. Okay, that has little to do with designing a website, but I thought it a very interesting point by one of the presenters.
The nicely organized web site informs the user that you’re a expert and also get care of one’s business. It really is prone to install much more self-confidence compared to a thing that appears like it had been come up with within a few minutes. If you take care of one’s web site, you’ll be perceived as being prone to get care of your customers.Excellent design begins with the way your web site appears. To know more about our services visit our website www.FoutsVentures.comor drop your queries & feedback.We strive to meet your business needs and continue an ongoing relationship. Website Development.
2 comments:
I was glad to attend a conference that would help iSite with the task set before them. Attending the workshops designed around website content and usability, I was encouraged to learn much of the ‘front-end’ info that could really help to make OIT’s site a valuable resource.
One of the workshops I attended was entitled “Why Good Content Must Suck.” The idea is that good content ‘sucks’ or draws the user into the site, but the title is a good example of what the speaker meant. The content on the site, especially the homepage and nav bars, must be clear, engaging and what the user is looking for. If a user has to search for the content they need or look on a site map, then the site is not designed optimally. One way to find out if the homepage is useful is to run focus groups with users, another is designing a ‘tracker’ that follows a user through their session.
Here are some other points that you may find interesting:
-Users WILL scroll (contrary to the idea of ‘below the fold’) if they believe they will find the information they need.
-The best sites are content rich first – flashiness and design are of secondary importance to the user.
-A short link that doesn’t explain why the user is to click or where the user is going is not useful and turns users away from the site.
-Underneath a title (banner) is a good spot for a “descriptor” – a phrase that describes exactly what the site is about. When I got Jemimah’s email about the OIT slogan contest I couldn’t help but think the slogan may be a great descriptor for the site.
-Users never talk about design unless it is not intuitive.
-White space on a site can actually be a good thing, as too much info/color/design can be distracting.
-Favikon is the name for the picture/logo that shows up to the left of the url in the location bar. What could we use to make our favikon more memorable? Maybe something more than the iPerson?
-The social design of a site draws in users as users trust their fellow browsers more than web designers or sellers. (An example of this is Amazon.com who averages 16 features on a page that are about social content such as reviews, ratings, and what other viewers actually bought.)
-Respect flows both ways – if you give respect you will often get it. Okay, that has little to do with designing a website, but I thought it a very interesting point by one of the presenters.
The nicely organized web site informs the user that you’re a expert and also get care of one’s business. It really is prone to install much more self-confidence compared to a thing that appears like it had been come up with within a few minutes. If you take care of one’s web site, you’ll be perceived as being prone to get care of your customers.Excellent design begins with the way your web site appears. To know more about our services visit our website www.FoutsVentures.comor drop your queries & feedback.We strive to meet your business needs and continue an ongoing relationship.
Website Development.
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