Don't Make Me Think 1-5 - Journal Site

Today:

1) Pop Quiz! - Chapters 1-5 of Don't Make Me Think.

2) Class review of Don't Make Me think.

3) Class review of Journal Web Sites:


Additional things to ponder:

What do you think about Blogger's/Typepad's/whatever's user interface?

Who are these tools designed for?

4) Get Started on Writing for the Web:

http://www.cs.umn.edu/

http://www.celebrateourlives.com/

http://www.analysts.com/pages/SupplementalStaffing.aspx

http://www.bostonscientific.com/

First week

Well, we made it through... almost one class. Just so you know, leaving early won't happen all the time.

One thing we forgot to do before you left was take a poll on who will be buying what book for their book report.

Today:

1) If you are setting up a blog, using an online tool, you should be done with it tonight. If you are designing your site from scratch, I need to see a prototype by the end of class and you need to be finished by next Tuesday.

2) We will listen to the following podcast "Rules Of Thumb" from UXpod - User Experience Podcast Website by Gerry Gaffney

3) Class discussion about podcast and about this:



4) There will be some time to work on your journal site

5) Poll on what book you will do for your book report

Looking ahead...

1) Next week we will start to critique our journals.

2) Read Chapters 1-5 of "Don't Make Me Think" by Tuesday

3) If you are working on a journal site from scratch, you need to have a working site by Tuesday.

Welcome to Principles of Usability

If you haven't already purchaesd Don’t Make Me Think: A Common Sense Approach to Web Usability (2nd Edition) by Steve Krug, you will need to do so as soon as possible. You can find it at almost any book store or you can order it online. Here is more detail about the book:

ISBN 0321344758
New Riders Press; 2 edition (August 18, 2005)

While you're at it, you may also want to buy one of the following. You will need one of them later on in the course:

Information Dashboard Design: The Effective Visual Communication of Data
by Stephen Few
ISBN 0596100167
O'Reilly Media (January 1, 2006)

The Design of Everyday Things
by Donald Norman
ISBN 0465067107
Basic Books; Reprint edition (September 17, 2002)

Finally, fill out this form and hand it to me by the end of class.

Project 5

Group Paper on Usability

Weeks 14 and 15

1. Read one of the following books:
   - The Design of Everyday Things by Donald Norman
   - Information Dashboard Design by Stephen Few
2. Each student will write an 4-6 page critique
3. Include both a summary and an analysis
4. The analysis should include at least the following:
   - New insights, information or interpretations about design
   - Description of the main points of the book
   - Your opinion on the validity of the points made in the book
5. Make a group presentation to the class
   - You will need to divide the presentation duties among the group
   - Your group will have half of the class period to present what you have learned, what the main points of the book are and your opinions about the book.
   

Project 4

Group Project - New Web Design

Weeks 7, 8, 9, 10 and 11

- Review Chapters 9-12, Don’t Make Me Think

Group Roles and Responsibilities:

Each group must designate a person(s) to fill the following roles:

• Project Manager
• Art Director/Designer
• Programmer
• Research
• Usability Tester
  

This assignment will require Time Tracking from each student.

Site/Page Analysis Report:

• Investigate a market niche and product. Put together demographic data and formulate a design plan for this product/service.
• Program: Microsoft Word

Design Phase:

• The initial design phase will involve the creation of a site content map, construction of a page design grid, and final page design in it’s fully fleshed out form.
• Programs: Microsoft Word, Photoshop, ImageReady, and Dreamweaver

Critique:
In-Class

User Testing:

• User testing can be performed using either paper models or working HTML pages.
• Reports will be written based upon the user testing data that was recorded
• Programs: Microsoft Word

Final Design Phase:

• The “final” design phase will involve the reworking of items and pages that continue to have usability problems that became apparent from the user testing.
• Programs: Photoshop, ImageReady, and Dreamweaver

Critique:
In-Class

Project 3

Site Redesign

Weeks 4, 5 and 6

- Review Chapters 6-8, Don’t Make Me Think

Site/Page Analysis Report:

• Critical review of selected website.
• Put together a report that examines the positives and the negatives of the site’s design, navigation, and structure.
• Visual samples of the site must be included.
• Program: Microsoft Word

Design Phase:

• The redesign phase will involve the reworking of pages that eliminate the original usability problems.
• Programs: Photohop or Imageready

Critique:
In-Class

Final Design Phase:

• The “final” design phase will involve the reworking of items and pages that continue to have usability problems that became apparent from the in-class critique.
• Programs: Photoshop or Imageready

Project 2

Writing for the Web

Weeks 2 and 3

- Review Chapters 1-5, Don’t Make Me Think
- Investigation of writing techniques
- Selection of text that students will rewrite based upon the studies of writing for the web.

Project 1

Online Journal

On-going

Maintain an online production journal throughout the entire semester. This journal will primarily act as a practice/staging area for coding and testing of interface ideas. In addition to uploading your coursework, the journal may also contain links to favorite websites, personal writing, portfolio, etc.

CVA CD 225 Principles of Usability - Survey

Please fill out the following form and return it to me by the end of class.

Name: ______________________________

Major: ______________________________

Email: ______________________________


Have you taken Intro to Digital Media (Computer 2)?
_____Yes _____No

Please rate your level of experience with the programs listed below.
_____ Photoshop
_____ ImageReady
_____ Dreamweaver
_____ Microsoft Word
_____ Various Web browsers (IE, Safari, Firefox)

Please rate your level of experience in writing HTML (Raw HTML or WYSIWYG editor).
_____ Scale of 1 - 5 (1 = little experience, 5 = very experienced)

What program have you used to write basic HTML? ______________________

How would you rate your web surfing experience and habits? Select one.
_____ Novice (Just starting to use the Web, use a couple times a month)
_____ Intermediate (Use once a week)
_____ Intermediate/Avid (Uses 2 - 3 times a week)
_____ Avid (Uses daily)

Have you ever designed a Website?
_____ Yes _____ No

Have you ever built a Website?
_____ Yes _____ No