My Zen Garden Design

As part of my web programming class, I was introduced to the CSS Zen Garden.  The concept is this: you take an existing HTML file with no styling, and by using CSS only, turn it into a completely styled website.  Take a look at how I did for my first CSS website!

I learned so much from this project.  CSS is truly incredible.  I tried out a couple elements from CSS3, namely the shadow property.  I think its pretty slick!  If any of you are considering learning CSS, the Zen Garden is a great crash course.

Related posts:

1. My first attempts at web design
2. BYU-Hawaii Homepage Redesign

This is the third installment of a several part series about how to get things done using a Mac and iPhone.  In this article I will share how I use iCal and Address book to organize my calendar and contacts.

In my two previous articles, I talked about the general workflow of “getting things done”, then I followed that up with a review of Cultured Code Things and how I use it to manage my tasks and projects.  Now I want to move on to iCal and Address book.There are several very sophisticated calendaring and contact applications, and I have test driven many of them.  However, I have found through experience that the most important thing to me when it comes to calendars and contacts is syncing.  My calendar and address book is only good to me if it is current and accurate on both my computer and my mobile phone.  Many of the programs I was using had too many complications when it came to syncing.  I eventually found myself most satisfied with the native apps for Mac because of their near perfect syncing with the iPhone.

The “Problem”

I need to point out that the only reason that I havent stuck with other calendar and contact programs is because of the iPhone.  The iPhone is wonderful, but obviously, its contacts will only sync with Address Book.  All calendaring programs also have to sync through iCal in order to be recognized on iPhone’s calendar.  If iPhone was more open, this post may not exist.

iCal

In iCal, I have created several different calendars for the various “areas” of my life.  Areas, meaning life categories greater than projects because they cannot be completed.  My calendars include, work, school, business (meaning, not my regular job), personal etc.  Really, the only benefit for doing this (in my opinion) is I get a multi-colored iCal display.  Shallow isn’t it?  I have found one real benefit is that if I ever need to share or print a particular calendar with someone, it is nice to be able to not have personal appointments mixed with work, school, etc.

iCal’s interface is very simple and easy to use.  Quite frankly, I dont have much to complain about with it.  After all, a calendar is only for putting things down that must be done at a specific time, according to the principles of David Allen’s Getting Things Done.

Address Book

I think this is Apple‘s weakest link in its productivity suite.  Address book is terribly simple when it comes to contacts.  Fortunately, I have simple needs when it comes to contacts, but friends have complained that it doesn’t have the ability to create categories!  Sure, you can create different folders for groups of contacts, but that information doesn’t easily get shared if you are transferring contacts to another machine or syncing with Google (which I now do).  At the end of the day, it keeps my contacts names, phone numbers, emails, addresses, and notes.

Weaknesses

Although I’m happy with Apple’s suite, there are some things I’d like to see.  First of all, the todo list in iCal are very awkward to me.  It’s no wonder so many todo apps are popping up for the Mac platform.  Second, I miss the ability to link contacts, appointments, tasks, and projects to each other.  Someday, there will be a perfect program which does this, but until then, I’ll have to use my brain to remember who worked on which project (heaven forbid, not my brain!).  I’ll mention Apple Mail here.  I actually like Mail’s integration into Mac’s suite of tools.  However, it just can’t beat Gmail, which I’ll talk about in another post.

Syncing

I used to plug my iPhone into my computer and let it sync, until I discovered that Google can actually become an ad-hoc exchange server.  Mac OS X 10.6 or Snow Leopard’s versions of iCal and Address Book have native syncing with Google apps built in.  This means that iCal goes to Google Calendar, and Address Book goes to Gmail contacts.  This sounds really lazy, but its been really nice to not have to worry about whether or not I have recently plugged my iPhone in to the computer.  I like it!  Its also nice that I dont have to pay for it, like I would with MobileMe.

I’d be interested to hear if anyone else has any better apps for calendaring and contacts that still sync as well as iCal and Address book.

Read part 1 of this series – The Workflow

Read part 2 of this series – Things

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• Harmonize iPhone & iCal with Google Calendar (iphone.appstorm.net)
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Related posts:

1. Getting things done with a Mac – Part 2, Things
2. Getting things done with a Mac – Part 1, the workflow

Web designers have to ensure that their users can access the information they need to.  Over time, this has led to a dumbing down of interfaces.  The safe approach is often seen as the best approach.  During interface designs, I have been guilty of saying things like, “It’s not likely anyone would be able to find that link.” or “This interface might be too complicated for users.”  While it may be true that simplicity is important in web design, innovation should not be sacrificed along the way.

Here’s the article I read yesterday called Stop Being an Idiot.  The author, Steve Smith, points out that people want to succeed and learn new things.  People aren’t dumb, and we shouldn’t design interfaces with that assumption.  He suggests we focus on enabling the customer to succeed in the task they set out to do on your site.

The opposite train of thought is summed up in the title of this book, “Dont Make Me Think“.  I think there is value in evaluating both points.  Overall, here are somethings that I feel are important to consider when designing websites.

• Put the most important information out in the open
• Use simple language targeted to your audience
• Navigation links are easy to find and easy to use
• Use attractive designs and images which attract users to the important information
• Break the page into regions or sections
• Use typography/text styles such as headings, subheadings, etc, to make the page easy to read at a glance

Any other general ideas for web design?

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1. Why I switched to WordPress
2. Excerpt from journal on web loyalty
3. What makes people comment?

I am addicted to multitasking.  I cant seem to avoid doing it.  To me, it just makes more sense to do more than one thing at a time, if possible.  However, I have heard time and time again that multitasking is counter-intuitive, doesn’t increase productivity, etc.  I’m considering breaking a hard habit.  Here’s what I’m thinking.

Multi-tasking Pros:

• I really think I do pretty well with multi-tasking.  I like being able to do several things at once
• Often, when I multi-task I find connections between different tasks I’m working on.  For example, sometimes I read my RSS feeds in class, and I often find articles that I could draw from to make comments in class.
• I feel that I am more adaptable to situations, that I’m more able to

Multi-tasking Cons:

• Its been shown you can really only do one thing at a time.  I do miss things in conversations or class discussions when I am distracted by another task
• I always wonder if my productivity is actually decreased

My thoughts

I think we can engage in active tasks or passive tasks.  Some tasks I do really dont take much thought or attention, and I feel like it is easy to manage at least one passive task and one active task at a time.

Do you multi-task?  Are you against multi-tasking? Please share why!

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3. Getting things done with a Mac – Part 2, Things

Sorry for the lack of updates last week, I was rather busy!

I’m certain nearly everyone has been asked at one time or another, “How did you learn to do that?”. It seems that people are programmed to expect an answer containing some form of formal education, such as a class, workshop, university, or on the job training. However, I find that 95% of the things I do that people are interested in are things that I learned to do on my own – there is value in learning things on your own. I’d like to share you some thoughts on being “self taught”.  I am self taught via the web, so my tips are for those looking to teach themselves through online resources.

Choosing a skill/topic

Before you start learning, you need to figure out what you are going to learn.  For me, these topics come naturally, but her are some things you need to think about before you start teaching yourself about a certain topic.

Passion

Lets face it, if you dont care about something, you’re not going to spend your time researching it or developing skills around it.  I want to learn how to use Cinema 4d, a 3d animation package.  However, my interests have been moving away from motion graphics lately, and I have just never “found time” to learn it.  Not finding time is nearly the same thing as having no passion.  Think about it.  If there’s something you really want to do, you naturally make time to do it.  If you cant find time to do something, check your passion before checking your calendar.

Utility

How often will you use this new skill?  Another thing I’d love to learn is how to speak Mandarin Chinese.  I think this would open up great opportunities for me, but guess what?  I don’t really have a great NEED for Mandarin Chinese right now.  People I work with in China speak English.  This is a skill that would be nice to have, but not one that I NEED at this point.

Another reason it’s wise to pick a topic that has utility is that you can set aside more time to learn it.  I have been increasingly interested in web design, social media, and marketing.  It is no coincidence that my current task at work revolves around web design, social media, and marketing, or that side projects I am working on are web design projects.  I can afford to spend time learning new skills because it directly applies to what I’m doing.

Scope/Ability

Pick a realistic task to learn.  ”Learn to build a house” might be a pretty cool thing to master, but I can hardly operate a hammer.  Perhaps learning about architecture would be a good starting point, or even teaching myself to build a toy chest.  By setting smaller goals, you will prepare yourself to take on the grander goal.

Skills and tools

I’m sure this list isn’t comprehensive, but here are some skills and tools that I consider essential for learning on your own.

Searching skills

Image via Wikipedia

If Google was a dojo, I’d be a blackbelt.  I didn’t realize using a search engine could be a skill until I started watching the way other people use them.  I felt like taking over the computer and searching on my own.  The ability to search quickly and efficiently can not only save you time but bring you interesting results that others may not find.  I’m not going to go into HOW to search, but I suggest you learn to do it.

Searching mindset

People sometimes approach me at work with a technical question.  Sometimes, I dont know the answer, so while the person is standing there, looking at my computer, I type their question into Google and find the answer for them in seconds.  I believe that some people dont even think to search for their answer.  If you always rely on others for your information, you will be waiting a long time to get the skills you want.

Experts

I know I basically said not to rely on others, but talking to someone who knows a lot about what you want to do can be a great way to start your learning journey, and then give you reality checks along the way.  Sometimes, I dont even know what to search about on a certain topic.  Experts can recommend things to look in to.  Also, along the learning journey, it is helpful to talk to experts to see if what you are learning has realistic application, or is valid.

RSS Feeds

Here is a tool that saves you hours of time.  Instead of visiting all of your favorite sites one by one, let the sites send you updates that you can read on your own schedule.  Watch this video to learn more about RSS feeds, it does a much better job of explaining than I can.

Reading techniques

Learn to skim over webpages and articles, then read in depth when you need to.  Think of it like snorkeling vs diving.  Snorkel around, looking at everything quickly from above.  When you see something of interest, dive down and look at it up close to see all the details.  Skimming pages is a skill that comes with practice, but is extremely valuable for learning on your own.

Collection system

Eventually, you will find something that you like.  This needs to be kept in some sort of a collection system, or filing system.  You can save files to your hard drive, print articles to put in a physical file, keep bookmarks in your web browser, whatever works for you.  I like to use Evernote, a free application which takes notes.  The nice thing about Evernote is it stores everything in the cloud, and my information/notes can be accessed from multiple computers or devices.  Very convenient.

Playground

It’s critical to have some sort of space to test the knowledge you have been acquiring.  You can watch Photoshop tutorials all you want, but until you open up Photoshop and start playing around, you will NEVER learn Photoshop.  Find a way to use what you have been learning in a real world environment.  Doing helps you retain the knowledge you have acquired by applying it to a problem solving task.

Anything else?

I’m actually hopeful that I get several comments on this post.  What other methods or tools do you use to learn things on your own?

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1. What makes people comment?

Its always seemed to be a bit of an oddity to me the way that people comment on blogs, photos, product reviews, and any other site which allows user comments.  In the past, I haven’t been one to comment, and have had to force myself to do so in order to understand it better.  Now that I’m trying to build my blog, I’m trying to encourage more people to comment!  So now the big question: why DO people comment on things?  A journal article I read recently suggested the following reasons based on their research.

Social interaction

It’s no mystery that interacting online fulfills a need for social interaction, at least for some people.  Commenting can make one feel a part of a community.  Many people are motivated to comment based on the social benefits they receive.  Its interesting to hear what people think, and when you comment, you can also hear what people think about what YOU think through their responses.

Desire for economic incentives

I’ll be the first to admit that I have re-tweeted, commented, and posted links in Facebook in order to be entered into a drawing or other contest.  Many sites offer prizes to entice people to comment or share marketing information about their site.

Concern for other consumers

The place I appreciate seeing comments the most is in product or vendor reviews.  It is incredibly helpful to read others’ experiences with a product or company to help me determine where to take my business.  More often than not, I base my purchases off of customer reviews rather than technical data.

Potential to enhance self worth

I have to be honest with myself and say that very few people read my site (so far).  I remember looking at my Google Analytics report and seeing a spike in visits one day.  The source responsible was from a website that I had commented on.  I had used my “Avatar” which includes my website’s link, and that was it!  I had several people see my link and click it.  My worth was increased!

The opportunity to enhance self worth likely goes beyond this simple example.  As you comment, people can see your knowledge, personality, and communication skills.  Already, people are able to assess the kind of person you are.  By making good comments, you can enhance your image to the online community!

What this means for site owners

By recognizing the motives which cause people to comment, you can build a website which facilitates those needs or desires.  Popular sites can build a community environment where people can interact.  Others can give away rewards, motivating comments.  High quality posts can encourage debate and commenting to continue the discussion you start.

I’d be interested to learn any other reasons you comment on webpages!  Do you have any ideas for encouraging users to comment on your posts?  What kinds of comments are most helpful to you?

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1. Gaining the trust of online customers
2. Why I switched to WordPress
3. Excerpt from journal on web loyalty

Today in class it dawned on me that some of the greatest, most credible information is relatively unavailable.  Scholars write in journals which are more than likely read only by other scholars who are researching to write about a similar topic.  Maybe I’m missing something, but it seems that most people dont pick up journals to read for  fun.  Obviously, these journals are written to a specific audience for specific reasons, but I wonder if they’ve ever considered whether that audience is correct.  I wonder if they have considered who would benefit most from the message they have to share.

Horrible analogy

Consider the photograph above.  You can see a basketball player, taking what looks to be a great shot.  Upon closer inspection, you realize that he is facing the wrong direction, and shooting the ball into the stadium.  He obviously knows how to shoot the ball, but he’s simply not aiming it in a direction that will bring his team points and help them win the game.

It seems that academic journals contain extremely useful information, but seems to be written and packaged in a way that benefits few, just as shooting a ball away from the hoop rarely benefits the team.

Wasted information

Let me share an example to illustrate what I’m trying to say.  Today in my Anthropology 447 class, we discussed weaknesses of the field of anthropology.  For those who don’t know, anthropology is the study of mankind, specifically culture, language, behaviors, etc.  Anthropology has application in just about every different industry, business, and curriculum, particularly in todays world of international and intercultural communication.  We talked about how many anthropologists will do field work for years, researching a specific group or culture.  Then, at the end, they write an article for a journal.

The people they went to learn about and research, sometimes never see these writings.  For those who do see the writing, they find it filled with jargons and deep academic styled writing, making it nearly impossible for the average reader to gain any insights from it.  Lives could be saved, embarrassment avoided, money could be better spent, greater tasks could be accomplished if people understood cultures on a deeper level, or at least had some authoritative document to guide them in intercultural encounters in business and otherwise.

The Problem

Even though the study of anthropology and its resulting knowledge could be infinitely helpful to a number of people, the findings are difficult to find, and just as difficult to decipher.  They were written to other scholars, with hopes of gaining their praise.

But, from a larger scale, how much valuable information never sees the light of day, simply because it was written in a journal instead of on a blog?  How much is lost because journals were written so that only those with doctorates can understand instead of using language common to the public?

Questions to think about

• Would the research impact a larger audience were the writings to be collected in a different medium (like a blog, for instance)?
• Would the research impact more people if the langage used was more elementary, enabling the average reader to gain insight from the paper?
• Is there any ethical reason why these papers cannot be published in a broader environment? (I’m guessing this is a per project question to ask)
• Who would benefit most from the research?  The scholars?  The public?

My opinion

Although I think there is value in scholarly writing, it seems that a researcher’s greatest gift to society is the knowledge obtained through their research.  It takes a true genius to unfold a difficult subject so simply that even a child could understand it.  I’m not saying we have to make quantum physics readable on a third grade level, but perhaps we could consider the way our texts are written.

Do you think it would be better if scholars and professors wrote more on blogs in everyday langage or would it be better if they continue to write as they do now?  Is there any problem with transitioning academic texts to a “wikipedia” writing style?  What are some other examples of wasted information?

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Developing online customer loyalty is much more difficult than customer loyalty in traditional stores.  The internet allows your customer base to be worldwide, but also puts you head to head with a larger number of competing businesses.  I’ve noticed there are many different approaches and theories as to why customers develop loyalty to particular online businesses.  Here is yet another one.  Its important to remember that these theories are not just simple observations, but are developed academic studies.  Here is the reference to the article I’m writing about today: Srinivasan et al. Customer loyalty in e-commerce: an exploration of its antecedents and consequences. Journal of Retailing (2002) vol. 78 (1) pp. 41-50. Studies have shown that without a base of loyal customers, any company will struggle financially.

Proven antecedents to customer loyalty

1. Customization –  Customization caters the products, services, and the shopping experience to you.  For me, I think Amazon.com is a great example.  They know what I’ve bought, and what I’ve recently viewed, and they try to offer suggestions that are relevant to me.  Although I rarely find these helpful (probably my own personality) I think they make a good effort.  Effort can also be placed on customization of a product or service.
2. Contact interactivity – This refers to communication between customer and business, or the “availability and effectiveness of customer support tools on a website (42)”.  I have been frustrated with websites which give only offer a simple faq list, forum, etc without any way to communicate with a human being.  While I usually try to work things out on my own first, this is very important.  I just had an issue with my Apple MacbookPro today.  After not finding a solution in their forums and troubleshoot guide, a very helpful representative quickly found a solution.
3. Cultivation – Many businesses follow up with their customers with additional information about the products they purchased, or by offering deals and incentives to keep their business on the customer’s mind, and to offer them additional value through their products or services.  Twitter or Facebook can be a useful tools for cultivation.
4. Care – The article basically defined this as the amount of attention to all pre and post-purchase customer activities.  I would say this basically means providing solid service and products.  Keeping the communication lines open is important, frequent updates on shipping, support, etc, is important.
5. Community – This feature of online shopping has really gotten a lot of attention.  As customers exchange ideas, experiences, and opinions, it helps customers to make choices that will better benefit them.  A community will also expose any holes in your service or defects in your product.  Responding appropriately when these issues arise in an effective, timely manner is crucial.
6. Choice – Having a wide selection of products benefits the seller.  Buyers typically prefer a one-stop shopping experience.
7. Convenience – Crossed out and italicized because it was not found to significantly impact customer loyalty.  Convenience is probably not the most fitting name to describe the ease of use of a website, but I didn’t write the article.  This basically includes navigation, layout, ease of use, etc.  I find it interesting that this is NOT a significant player in customer loyalty
8. Character – This is the identity of a business, which can be fostered by stunning web graphics, video, photos, etc.  Some others may label this as the brand or graphic identity of your business.

Implications of customer loyalty

This study also found that the more loyal your customers are, the more likely they are to spend more money AND to talk to their friends about your products or services.  Sounds like a great way to increase revenue!  Companies can measure their effectiveness on the seven proven points listed above to gauge their customer’s loyalty.

Do you have any creative ways of implementing improvements in any of these seven indicators of customer loyalty?

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1. Excerpt from journal on web loyalty
2. Gaining the trust of online customers
3. What makes people comment?

This is an excerpt taken from a journal on web loyalty –  Otim and Grover. An empirical study on Web-based services and customer loyalty. European Journal of Information Systems (2006) vol. 15 (6) pp. 527.  The journal studied pre-purchase, purchase process, and post purchase factors which impacted customer loyalty.  In short, they found that pre-purchase factors, such has web design, had little impact on customer loyalty when compared to post purchase factors, such as delivery time.  Here are a few of their findings.

Lessons learnt

The empirical findings from this study offer some lessons learnt. In line with conventional thinking, we initially thought that Website design factors (e.g., overall look and feel of the site) might be the most important for online shoppers. However, the results were quite to the contrary as we offer the following lessons learnt:

• It is not about the bells and whistles of Website design: Quite often, companies are drawn into thinking that flashy Websites with lots of multimedia are necessary to attract customers and keep them coming back. How- ever, goal-oriented customers are more concerned about shopping efficiency and not shopping enjoyment.�
• Search mechanisms may be too much of a good thing: Companies often focus on search mechanism and recommender systems that help customers search and evaluate products, and furnish them with the neces- sary information to make a purchase. However, the results from this study imply that while these func- tionalities are somewhat important, focusing on them is not a strong strategy for customer retention and companies may be doing too much of a good thing.�
• Customers value transparency: Using tactics to try to generate a sale is not a winning strategy. Firms that engage in information hiding and presentation tricks (like not showing hidden costs until it is too late) are following a short-term mind set that will be detri- mental to their long-term viability.�
• Timely delivery is more important than delivery options. It is easy for any company to provide several delivery options for products purchased online. However, the real service differentiator from the customer’s perspec- tive is timely delivery.�
• If you build it they will come – or will they? Companies that are focused on just mere Web presence as a point- of-sale are short sighted. In the competitive world of e-commerce, establishing relationships with customers is more important than trying to make a one-time sale. Post-purchase services are particularly important in fostering customer relationships since they are tied to product ownership. Results from this study imply that satisfaction with product ownership experience is instrumental in generating repeat purchases.

Related posts:

1. Factors impacting online customer loyalty
2. Gaining the trust of online customers
3. What makes people comment?

Although I am relatively new to the world of web design, I am painfully aware of the issues of browser compatibility.  I was working on the envisionlaie.com website, everything looked great.  Then I got a call saying something was messed up.  Turns out, internet explorer was not recognizing a background image because of the way I coded the CSS.  I use a Mac, so I had all sorts of trouble trying to fix the problem as I didn’t have a Windows machine to test on.  But no more!  Adobe BrowserLab allows you to test webpages in different web browsers on different operating systems.  I played around with it, and it seems pretty good!

When the screen opens up, you are able to select the browser and operating system that you would like to view the site in.  The tool also offers a split view, so you can compare two browser/os combinations side by side.  You can also overlay one combination over another (called onion skin).  Rulers are also available.  This tool seems rather handy!  I’m not too picky about lining each element up perfectly, but this would be helpful if I ever decide to worry about that.

Give it a try and tell me what you think!  Do you have an alternative way of testing browser compatibility?

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