In Vitaly Friedman's article "10 Usability Nightmares You Should Be Aware Of," the first item listed is problematic hidden login links on websites. Friedman uses Backpack as an example because the login link is very small and placed right underneath a block of text that looks like an advertisement, rather than placing the login somewhere else on the page where it can be easily located. If you try to visit the Backpack webpage now, a message appears saying the site is "retired" and services are only available to existing customers. However, the page recommends trying Basecamp, which is basically an updated version of Backpack.
Coincidentally, I use Basecamp at my internship; it's a platform that allows employees within the business to keep track of projects and progress on tasks, and clients are able to access the site to allow for free-flow communication between clients and project managers. Anyway, I'll get to the point. The login link on Basecamp is still hard to find. Although Basecamp is an improved version of Backpack and the link is not nearly as hidden as it was, the first few times I tried to login to Basecamp I spent a good 15 seconds looking for the link.
This is just the top half of the page and the login button/link text is not any larger than the advertisements next to it. In addition, I was confused because once you login to Basecamp, it looks completely different than the homepage so I was overwhelmed by the lack of consistency.
Websites should make sure to take their current users' needs into consideration when creating their homepage; while websites like this obviously want to gain as many new customers as they can, they should shift a small amount of the homepage's focus to ease of use for existing customers. Having a login link that's hard to find will frustrate users (many times, if you're like me). Basecamp offers great services but their page layout should reflect the convenience they hope to provide to their customers.
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Apr
29
Gutters, Technique, and Transitions
In class, we discussed Scott McCloud's "Understanding Comics," which is really the seminal work in well, understanding comics. McCloud discusses just about every, and any aspect of comics that can be conceived, and our discussion on 'gutters' was interesting, as I hadn't read "Understanding Comics" in some ten years.
As an avid comics fan (buff?), I had always been told that Neal Adams was one of the genre-defining comics-book artists of his day (which happened to precede me by some 15 years). As you can see in the examples to the right, his use of panel arrangement was completely "outside-the-box," to coin a phrase that came up in class. That is not the interesting part, however.
As an avid comics fan (buff?), I had always been told that Neal Adams was one of the genre-defining comics-book artists of his day (which happened to precede me by some 15 years). As you can see in the examples to the right, his use of panel arrangement was completely "outside-the-box," to coin a phrase that came up in class. That is not the interesting part, however.
Apr
26
Judge by the Cover: Trap and Trance
Trap. The combination of the genres of trance and rap usually through sound mixing and editing, has become a staple of parties and festival shows. They share similar use of synth, heavy base and spoken words to create music. But what interests me out of these is the artwork and how the artwork mimics the mixing of themes between rap and techno much in the same way the music does.
Apr
26
The Pervasiveness of Mickey Mouse
Arguably one of the most recognizable symbols in the Western cultural lexicon, or even that of Eastern cultures, is the silhouette of Mickey Mouse. Popularized in the late 1920s by a series of short films, America’s favorite rodent has come to represent the Walt Disney Studios and the Disney corporation at large.
Apr
26
Seriously: A James Joyce Comic
The above comic by Robert Berry appears in his Ulysses “Seen” adaptation of the James Joyce novel Ulysses.
Apr
25
Gutter Space
During our in-class discussion of Scott McCloud's "Understanding Comics: The Invisible Art," the composer brought up gutters, the space in between frames of a comic (or newspaper, cartoon or other media). In a comic, as McCloud states in the image to the right, gutters "play host to the magic and mystery that are at the very heart of comics." These gutters are vital, and can serve as more than a space to let the reader's mind wander.
Apr
25
Craigslist usability
When we talked in class about usability and the internet, it sounded like the conclusion as to what makes a usable website is simplicity. Creating a website to serve a very obvious purpose is the key to usability. But even when a site is usable, there are aesthetics that make a website a more enjoyable experience for the user. Color, formatting, and graphic elements can enhance usability by making a website visually appealing.
Apr
25
Usability Nightmare: Hidden Login Links
In Vitaly Friedman's article "10 Usability Nightmares You Should Be Aware Of," the first item listed is problematic hidden login links on websites. Friedman uses Backpack as an example because the login link is very small and placed right underneath a block of text that looks like an advertisement, rather than placing the login somewhere else on the page where it can be easily located.
Apr
24
Nielsen's Hypocrisies
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Of the recent readings for this course, I feel most compelled to comment on the writings of Jakob Nielsen. I had heard of him before, touted as the leading expert of usability. A great deal of the discussion in class was devoted to some apparent contradictions between his ethos and one of his now defunct websites. However, I noticed contradictions on the very page we were asked to look at for class.
Of the recent readings for this course, I feel most compelled to comment on the writings of Jakob Nielsen. I had heard of him before, touted as the leading expert of usability. A great deal of the discussion in class was devoted to some apparent contradictions between his ethos and one of his now defunct websites. However, I noticed contradictions on the very page we were asked to look at for class.
Apr
24
Comics in Visual Rhetoric Class 2013
Professor John Logie teaches us that comics have a place in academia. He teaches it in Visual Rhetoric. Why not? Comics are visual and they are graphic and they are certainly full of rhetoric. Comics teach us to engage ourselves with the comic we are viewing, on our own time, in our own space. Professor Logie teaches that Scott McCloud's "Understanding Comics" is an essential book to do just that, understand comics.
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