Ready Designs http://readydesigns.com Thu, 22 Dec 2011 22:29:49 +0000 en hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.1 Merry Christmas & Happy Holidays! http://readydesigns.com/2011/12/merry-christmas-happy-holidays/ http://readydesigns.com/2011/12/merry-christmas-happy-holidays/#comments Thu, 22 Dec 2011 22:29:49 +0000 Roxanne http://readydesigns.com/?p=1548 Christmas & Business Cards 2011

New full sized and mini business cards, as well as my holiday greeting cards. Merry, merry!

I buy all my promo paper products from Overnight Prints, because they do a super fantastic job with quality and customer service. They’re also very clear about upload procedures, and they have lots of good sales (and unlike Vista Prints, they don’t jack their prices up before discounting them to give the appearance of sales). Seriously, give them a try! :)

]]> http://readydesigns.com/2011/12/merry-christmas-happy-holidays/feed/ 0 Deleting Blank Pages in LibreOffice and OpenOffice http://readydesigns.com/2011/05/delete-blank-pages-in-libreoffice-openoffice/ http://readydesigns.com/2011/05/delete-blank-pages-in-libreoffice-openoffice/#comments Wed, 11 May 2011 20:58:59 +0000 Roxanne http://readydesigns.com/?p=1522 The word processors of both LibreOffice and OpenOffice free open-source office suites have an annoying habit of inserting blank pages in documents. These insidious pages won’t show until you go to print the document.

Libre- and OpenOffice do this because of their insistence upon interpreting every document as a “book”, with left and right pages. If you fiddle with the page numbering or page breaks, you may find yourself with blank pages inserted to “help” you keep your “book”‘s odd/even pages properly lined up.

Mostly what I print from word processors are contracts, memos, faxes, and letters, so the whole book format doesn’t matter to me and the blank pages are basically just a royal pain. After finagling around a bit trying to find out how to remove these blank pages based on where and how I add breaks and page numbering, I discovered the easy solution.

When you go to print your OpenOffice or LibreOffice document, go to the Open-/LibreOffice Writer tab and un-check the box to “print automatically inserted blank pages”. Done. You’ll see the page numbers below the preview on the left decrease accordingly.

Removing or Deleting Blank Pages from LibreOffice and OpenOffice

]]> http://readydesigns.com/2011/05/delete-blank-pages-in-libreoffice-openoffice/feed/ 4 Displaying Custom WordPress Taxonomy List Items Without the Links http://readydesigns.com/2011/04/displaying-custom-wordpress-taxonomy-lists-without-the-links/ http://readydesigns.com/2011/04/displaying-custom-wordpress-taxonomy-lists-without-the-links/#comments Thu, 21 Apr 2011 07:54:30 +0000 Roxanne http://readydesigns.com/?p=1491 Or: How to Strip <A> Tags From get_the_term_list

Okay, this one is a bit obscure and not terribly complex, but it took me a minute to solve, so here it is for the rest of the world.

I was working on a WordPress custom taxonomy as a way to store and display useful information about a post. Specifically, I was creating a “Venue” type to store nightclub names which could then be displayed easily throughout the theme’s code, as well as inserted via shortcode.

Creating the Custom Taxonomy

Creating the taxonomy itself wasn’t really that hard, and isn’t the main subject of this post, but for the sake of completeness, I’ll cover that briefly first.

function define_venue_taxonomy_cat() {
register_taxonomy('your-custom-taxonomy-name', 'page', array('hierarchical'=>true, 'label'=>'Taxo Name', 'query_var'=>true, 'rewrite'=>true) );
}

In the above code, I’m registering the taxonomy “your-custom-taxonomy-name” to attach to pages (as opposed to posts). I’m declaring it to be a hierarchical type, like WordPress’ native Categories, with the label “Taxo Name” showing up as the label above it in the admin. The “query_var” tells whether it should apply to custom post types, and “rewrite=>true” allows for pretty URLs such as “mysite.com/your-custom-taxonomy-name/item” instead of the default “mysite.com/?your-custom-taxonomy-name=item”.

This declaration in your functions.php file will register the taxonomy with the database and put a new meta box next to your pages.

For more info on custom taxonomies and how they work, check out custom taxonomies in the WordPress codex.

Outputting the Taxonomies Without Links

Now, I wanted to output the taxonomy info into the theme; i.e., I wanted the theme to display the name of the venue in various places. My only problem was that while the most obvious choice for this was WP function “get_the_term_list()“, it outputs the taxonomy terms as links, wrapped in <a> tags. After some mucking around, I discovered two possible solutions.

Method 1: Stripping Out All HTML

The first works quite well if you don’t need to wrap each tag in any kind of code (like list tags or whatnot). Just use “strip_tags()” like so:

<?php
$terms_as_text = get_the_term_list( $post->ID, 'your-custom-taxonomy-name', '', ', ', '' ) ;
echo strip_tags($terms_as_text);
?>

This will spit out all your taxonomy terms with commas between them but without any HTML around them whatsoever, no matter what you use for the “get_the_term_list()” parameters because “strip_tags()” will just remove them again. Depending on how you’re planning to display your terms, this could be all you need.

Method 2: Starting Without Any HTML Tags and Adding the Ones You Want

On the other hand, I also had another taxonomy I was creating, called Top Features, for storing features of each venue for easy display. I wanted them to output into an unordered list, which, while supported by “get_the_term_list()”, would be removed by “strip_tags()”.

My solution was to use get_the_terms instead.

<?php
if (get_the_terms($post->ID, 'your-custom-taxonomy-name')) {
  $taxonomy_ar = get_the_terms($post->ID, 'your-custom-taxonomy-name');

  $output = '<ul>';
  foreach ($taxonomy_ar as $taxonomy_term) {
    $output .= '<li>'. $taxonomy_term->name .'</li>';
  }
  $output .= '</ul>';

  echo $output;
}
?>

Breaking this down:

  1. “get_the_terms()” outputs an array if there are any terms of the declared type assigned to the post, or a boolean FALSE if not. The first thing I did was run an “if” statement to make sure any terms have even been added to this post.
  2. Assuming they have been added, I store the taxonomy terms in an array variable, “$taxonomy_ar”.
  3. Now I create a new variable to store my output, and stick the opening HTML list tag in it.
  4. Now I loop through the “$taxonomy_ar” array, temporarily naming each item in it “$taxonomy_term”.
  5. For each “$taxonomy_term” I find, I append information to the “$output” using the PHP “.=” append, and I add list item HTML tags around the term I want to display. Note that since “$taxonomy_ar” is a 3-dimensional array, each “$taxonomy_term” still has to be broken down further to pull out its name using “->name”.
  6. After the foreach loop, I close the HTML list tag and echo the final output.

If all went well, you should get an output of terms wrapped in an HTML list but without <a> tags. Yay!

Just to lock everything down solidly, you may also want to check if the custom taxonomy exists at all by wrapping the above in another if statement:

<?php
if(taxonomy_exists('your-custom-taxonomy-name')) {
  //all that other good stuff
}
?>

And there you have it, how to display your custom taxonomy tags or categories without wrapping them in links. Hope you found it useful. :)

]]> http://readydesigns.com/2011/04/displaying-custom-wordpress-taxonomy-lists-without-the-links/feed/ 22 MIX11: Get Real! Sketch, Prototype, & Capture Great Ideas http://readydesigns.com/2011/04/mix11-get-real-sketch-prototype-capture-great-ideas/ http://readydesigns.com/2011/04/mix11-get-real-sketch-prototype-capture-great-ideas/#comments Thu, 14 Apr 2011 21:54:23 +0000 Roxanne http://readydesigns.com/?p=1287 For the final session of MIX11, none of the options are really my bag. I finally chose “Get Real! Sketch, Prototype & Capture Great Ideas” with Sara Summers, covering Expression Blend and Sketchflow. Follow along @ReadyDesignLive.

This session is now posted on Microsoft’s Channel 9:

 

Remember, since this is a liveblog, start from the bottom and read upwards.

Thu, Apr 14, 3:27:10pm PST

Sketchflow looks great, but it’s only available as a feature in Expression Blend Ultimate, which is way over my budget. :( #mix11 (Sketchflow Product Page)

Thu, Apr 14, 3:21:46pm PST

Now she’s giving us a quick around-the-block look at Microsoft Expression Blend.

Microsoft Expression Blend Sketchflow

Thu, Apr 14, 3:18:40pm PST

Keep your questions open-ended during user testing.

Thu, Apr 14, 3:18:23pm PST

Pick the top 3 tasks users are going to want (or the 3 you want to test reaction to) and test those. Keeps it simple.

Thu, Apr 14, 3:16:53pm PST

She recommends the book “Remote Research” by Nate Bolt

Thu, Apr 14, 3:16:07pm PST

Best-case testing: Test onsite, try to find super-users, observe and record, and collect data.

Thu, Apr 14, 3:14:41pm PST

Prototypes reveal customer intent/focus, show clear value to the stakeholders, and reduce confusion across the board.

Thu, Apr 14, 3:13:39pm PST

Prototypes are also great for early user testing. #mix11

Thu, Apr 14, 3:13:08pm PST

No demonstration is ever sufficient; only interaction will really convey the value.

Thu, Apr 14, 3:12:32pm PST

Prototyping exposes problems early and reduces rework. It can be your spec doc and the story that sells the value.

Thu, Apr 14, 3:11:46pm PST

Visually understanding what we’re working with helps us understand the whole of complex parts (like genetic sequencing).

Thu, Apr 14, 3:10:20pm PST

Even if you just put up some sketches and blank sticky notes around the office, you can engage your office.

Covert Sticky Note Testing

Covert Office Testing

Thu, Apr 14, 3:08:22pm PST

Prototyping informs and enables all the other steps that can improve the frustrating development process.

Sarah Summers: Prototyping Enables All Steps

Thu, Apr 14, 3:04:32pm PST

Product development can be a frustrating process…

Thu, Apr 14, 3:02:56pm PST

Next up:

“Get Real! Sketch, Prototype & Capture Great Ideas with Expression Blend & Sketchflow” by Sara Summers

MIX11: Get Real! Sketch, Prototype, and Capture Great Ideas

The intro: Julius Shulman is a photographer of much famous architecture (see “Visual Acoustics” video). #mix11

]]> http://readydesigns.com/2011/04/mix11-get-real-sketch-prototype-capture-great-ideas/feed/ 2 MIX11: CSS3 Takes on the World http://readydesigns.com/2011/04/mix11-css3-takes-on-the-world/ http://readydesigns.com/2011/04/mix11-css3-takes-on-the-world/#comments Thu, 14 Apr 2011 20:30:57 +0000 Roxanne http://readydesigns.com/?p=1265 Liveblog of “CSS3 Takes on the World” by Jonathan Snook. Follow along @readydesignlive.

This session is now posted on Microsoft’s Channel 9:

 

Since this is a liveblog, remember to start reading at the bottom of the page and work your way upwards.

Thu, Apr 14, 2:04:10pm PST

Grid Layout (IE10), the first implementation of a complex layout system. Currently in development and looking for feedback.

CSS3 Grid Layout Code

Thu, Apr 14, 2:00:31pm PST

For more on CSS3 Flex Boxes: http://www.html5rocks.com/tutorials/flexbox/quick/

CSS3 Flexbox

Thu, Apr 14, 1:59:48pm PST

Flex box will cause layout elements to fill available space. The spec is still… “flexible”.

Thu, Apr 14, 1:58:31pm PST

display:table, display:table-cell with CSS3 help with layout design.

Thu, Apr 14, 1:56:14pm PST

jQuery and CSS3 can be a great tag team for backward compatibility. JS can also trigger hardware acceleration. http://bit.ly/cnCYP2

Using jQuery to Make CSS3 Backwards Compatible

Thu, Apr 14, 1:53:48pm PST

Neat example of a slot machine built entirely with CSS3 using gradients, transitions, and animations.

CSS3 Slot Machine Demo

Thu, Apr 14, 1:50:08pm PST

If a browser doesn’t support transitions, users will still see the two states, just not the transitions.

Thu, Apr 14, 1:48:09pm PST

IE10 will support transitions using the -ms- prefix.

Thu, Apr 14, 1:46:57pm PST

Example of animation from the CSS3 talk: http://bit.ly/3lfjUA

Sample CSS3 Animation

Thu, Apr 14, 1:43:42pm PST

HTML5 input type “email”; older browsers will just default to a plain text field.

Thu, Apr 14, 1:42:43pm PST

Should always have both client and server-side validation.

Thu, Apr 14, 1:40:45pm PST

Client-side form validation without JavaScript using the CSS3 UI Module: http://bit.ly/bHNs9T

Thu, Apr 14, 1:38:34pm PST

CSS3 slide program: http://leaverou.me/ft2010

Thu, Apr 14, 1:37:26pm PST

A CSS tab panel: http://bit.ly/dlGn24

Thu, Apr 14, 1:35:28pm PST

CSS came along and simplified the JavaScript versions of dropdown menus.

Thu, Apr 14, 1:34:04pm PST

“Ultimate Dropdown Menu” at http://www.udm4.com is accessible, but very complicated.

Thu, Apr 14, 1:31:55pm PST

Attending @snookca‘s CSS3 session

]]> http://readydesigns.com/2011/04/mix11-css3-takes-on-the-world/feed/ 0 MIX11: Mind Bending UX – UX Lightning Sessions http://readydesigns.com/2011/04/mix11-ux-lightning-mind-bending/ http://readydesigns.com/2011/04/mix11-ux-lightning-mind-bending/#comments Thu, 14 Apr 2011 19:00:46 +0000 Roxanne http://readydesigns.com/?p=1214 “Mind Bending UX” Lightning session with Arturo Toledo, Sean Gerety, Rick Barraza, Robby Ingebretsen. Follow along @ReadyDesignLive.

The session is now posted on Microsoft’s Channel 9:

 

As this is a live-blog, please read from the bottom of the page, upwards.

Thu, Apr 14, 12:51:24pm PST

Wonderful, invigorating lightning session on UX. All the presenters did a great job!

Thu, Apr 14, 12:48:36pm PST

Summary: Identify, deconstruct, expand, randomize, evaluate. #mix11

Farming for Ideas Takeaway

Thu, Apr 14, 12:47:26pm PST

Let the ideas bounce around each other in a random way.

Thu, Apr 14, 12:46:56pm PST

The best ideas don’t come during the brainstorm, they come later after our subconscious has had a chance to process it.

Thu, Apr 14, 12:46:11pm PST

Brainstorming: 1. Needs to be collaborative. 2. Don’t look for solutions, look for insights.

Thu, Apr 14, 12:45:14pm PST

How? 1. Define the idea. 2. “Masticate” the information for full authenticity. 3. Expand our thinking.

Thu, Apr 14, 12:43:58pm PST

As a designer, we want to create a closure for people, to pull it all together into a whole.

Thu, Apr 14, 12:43:13pm PST

Gestalt: As humans we have the ability to perceive things relationally. Like how we process a symphony.

Thu, Apr 14, 12:42:33pm PST

Between ridiculous and logical is intuitive.

Thu, Apr 14, 12:41:04pm PST

“The adjacent possible” are the ideas that can come about from the “spare parts” of existing ideas.

Thu, Apr 14, 12:40:27pm PST

Ideas generate other ideas. “The Adjacent Possible”

Thu, Apr 14, 12:39:48pm PST

Idea: A new combination of old elements.

Thu, Apr 14, 12:39:34pm PST

“Slow Hunch”: ideas are made up little bits coming together.

Unconscious Problem Solving

Thu, Apr 14, 12:39:00pm PST

Next up:

“Farming for Ideas” by @ingebretsen

Robby Ingebretsen at MIX11

Thu, Apr 14, 12:36:42pm PST

The future needs hybrids not be lone rangers, but to be experience architects, and companies should foster them.

Thu, Apr 14, 12:36:05pm PST

It doesn’t *have* to be built on unicorns!

Scary Unicorn Dude

Thu, Apr 14, 12:35:43pm PST

Flip the pyramid with an Experience Architect and collaborative fellowship.

LOTR: Design Team Corrected Pyramid

Thu, Apr 14, 12:35:01pm PST

We have all these roles, but the Integrator solution is an inverted solution that causes strife crushes the integrator.

LOTR: Design Team Inverted Pyramid

Thu, Apr 14, 12:33:58pm PST

Great design is a “fellowship of roles”. Loving the Lord of the Rings analogy here! I’ll post a pic later.

Thu, Apr 14, 12:33:08pm PST

Great design involves solving the right problem both efficiently and with style.

Thu, Apr 14, 12:32:23pm PST

Designers: Visceral first; Developers: Reflective first.

Spectrum of Great Design Requires Designers and Developers

Thu, Apr 14, 12:31:47pm PST

Designers and developers are often like left vs. right brain, but both want the same thing: to ship a great product.

Thu, Apr 14, 12:31:10pm PST

Interesting controversial statement for thought: “If you can’t build it, you have no business designing it.”

Thu, Apr 14, 12:30:00pm PST

“When the game’s on the line, winners want the ball.” Hybrids in our field are fighting the existing status quo.

Thu, Apr 14, 12:28:36pm PST

The research showed us we do not have “one brain”, we have two (left and right) which are at constant odds.

Sorry I Broke Your Brains

Thu, Apr 14, 12:26:59pm PST

Early research in the 60′s showed the value of the right brain.

Thu, Apr 14, 12:24:53pm PST

Next up:

“On Brains, Football and Hobbits” by Rick Barraza

On Brains, Football, and Hobbits

Thu, Apr 14, 12:24:20pm PST

@arturot‘s talk combining neuroscience and UI design was great! #mix11 #lightningux

Thu, Apr 14, 12:23:45pm PST

Our UIs can affect us on an emotional level; we can plan ways to reward ourselves for the things we want to encourage.

Revised Stock Research Program

Example Revised Stock Research Program

Thu, Apr 14, 12:21:57pm PST

The brain learns patterns. Current trading software is training people in all the wrong things.

Mind Controled Rat Experiment

Arturo Toledo the Mouse

Thu, Apr 14, 12:19:56pm PST

Interesting studies showing how we can manipulate ourselves to reduce our fear motivations.

Thu, Apr 14, 12:16:50pm PST

Minesweeper is a great example for fear vs. pleasure motivation.

Thu, Apr 14, 12:15:05pm PST

Alexander Elder did some research showing we are often driven by greed and fear.

Arturo Toledo

Thu, Apr 14, 12:14:34pm PST

Next up:

“Extending the Human DNA with Design” by Arturo Toledo.

Thu, Apr 14, 12:12:45pm PST

Credits for “What Software Design Can Learn from Magic”:
Magic and Software Credits

In The Prestige it is said, “The secret impresses no one; the trick you use it for is everything.” Likewise for us, “The technology you use impresses no one; the experience you create is everything.”

The Secret Impresses No One

Thu, Apr 14, 12:12:33pm PST

Diversion and Distraction. The former is more subtle, the latter is more forceful (like popups).

Diversion and Distraction (The Red Dress)

Thu, Apr 14, 12:11:08pm PST

Monotony and Confusion. The former applies to things like backups; the latter we should eliminate.

Thu, Apr 14, 12:10:08pm PST

Manuever and Ruse place the person in the right position without revealing the true purpose.

Thu, Apr 14, 12:09:13pm PST

Suggestion and Inducement are other key elements.

Suggestion and Inducement

Thu, Apr 14, 12:07:58pm PST

Simulation and Dissimulation are key tools in misdirection; creating the point of focus.

Thu, Apr 14, 12:06:39pm PST

Appeal to the instincts and not the mind, relaxing the spectators.

Appeal to the Instincts

Thu, Apr 14, 12:06:14pm PST

Magicians also understand attention control.

Thu, Apr 14, 12:04:36pm PST

“Showmanship for Magicians” book has 35 elements of showmanship.

Showmanship: Magicians Have It

Thu, Apr 14, 12:03:27pm PST

First up:

“What Software Design Can Learn From Magic”

Magicians “get” design and showmanship.

What Software Can Learn from the World of Magic

Sean Gerety Holding Magic Cards

Thu, Apr 14, 12:02:28pm PST

UX Lightning Talks about to begin. #mix11

]]> http://readydesigns.com/2011/04/mix11-ux-lightning-mind-bending/feed/ 0 MIX11: Filling the HTML5 Gaps with Polyfills and Shims http://readydesigns.com/2011/04/mix11-filling-the-html5-gaps-with-polyfills-and-shims/ http://readydesigns.com/2011/04/mix11-filling-the-html5-gaps-with-polyfills-and-shims/#comments Thu, 14 Apr 2011 17:09:15 +0000 Roxanne http://readydesigns.com/?p=1187 “Filling the HTML5 Gaps with Polyfills and Shims” by Rey Bango.

Filling the HTML5 Gap with Polyfills and Shims

The session video is now posted live on Microsoft’s Channel 9:

 

Since this is a liveblog, please read from the bottom of the post, upward.

Thu, Apr 14, 11:14:29am PST

Fantastic session with Rey Bango. Great blend of broad and specific information, enthusiasm, and further reading.

Thu, Apr 14, 11:10:41am PST

Recommended books on HTML5: Introducing HTML5 by Lawson & Sharp; HTML5 for Web Designers by Keith; CSS3 for Web Designers by Cederholm #mix11

Thu, Apr 14, 11:08:57am PST

http://yepnopejs.com integrates with Modernizr to test for features and load the scripts needed on the fly. #html5

Yepnope.js

Thu, Apr 14, 11:08:08am PST

Take Away: Use feature not browser detection; Use Modernizr; Opt for a polyfill or shim that mimics a standard API.

Filling the HTML5 Gap Take-Away

Thu, Apr 14, 11:01:36am PST

HTML5 Graceful Video DegredationCan define the object tag or an iframe (Silverlight or Flash) as a fallback within the video tag for non-modern browsers. (Or if you don’t have the ability to encode your video in multiple codecs, the browser will fall back to the 3rd party.)

 

Thu, Apr 14, 11:00:28am PST

Fortunately, multiple video codecs can be defined in as fallback options, solving the codec issue.

 

Thu, Apr 14, 10:59:30am PST

HTML5 video tag is nice and clean, but the video codec debate rages on, leaving different browsers supporting different features.

HTML5 Video Codec Support Chart

Thu, Apr 14, 10:57:43am PST

Third, load up a shim: start by loading up jQuery then load jquery.corner (or whatever feature is missing) to complete the picture.

Thu, Apr 14, 10:55:34am PST

Next, load up a standard reset defining styles for the new HTML5 semantic tags, including defining the proper ones as Block.

Thu, Apr 14, 10:54:48am PST

Solving the HTML5 semantic tag styling issue: load up the Modernizr library to load up the shim that creates the new elements.

Thu, Apr 14, 10:51:33am PST

Sadly, older browsers don’t recognize the new HTML5 semantic tags. :( You can’t style a non-recognized element.

Thu, Apr 14, 10:50:02am PST

HTML tags have no semantic meaning, hence the new HTML5 layout tags.

Thu, Apr 14, 10:49:04am PST

Be sure you vet the code when relying on polyfills or shims; you may also need to maintain it yourself.

Thu, Apr 14, 10:47:22am PST

Big list of polyfills: http://bit.lyb5HV1x (some good, not so good).

Polyfills vs Shims & Frequently Used Polyfills

Thu, Apr 14, 10:46:33am PST

Polyfill: replicates a standards API. Shim: Provides own API.

Thu, Apr 14, 10:45:01am PST

Awesome. We just got treated to the Hamster Dance in a demo.

Hamster Dance at MIX11

Thu, Apr 14, 10:43:15am PST

Modernizr library is good for feature detection support, prevents insanely long code detection blocks.

Modernizr Demo at MIX11

Thu, Apr 14, 10:39:35am PST

Detect for features, not the browsers themselves. Much more reliable, future-proof method.

Benefits of Feature Detection

Thu, Apr 14, 10:36:24am PST

The issue isn’t just older browsers, but also browser fragmentation. Many obscure ones don’t fit in common user-agent-string.

Browser Fragmentation: Obscure Browsers

Thu, Apr 14, 10:34:21am PST

This speaker is amazingly excited about HTML5/CSS3. Love it. #mix11

Thu, Apr 14, 10:32:34am PST

Now at “Filling the HTML5 Gaps with Polyfills and Shims”. He plugged http://scriptjunkie.com right off.

Script Junkie

]]> http://readydesigns.com/2011/04/mix11-filling-the-html5-gaps-with-polyfills-and-shims/feed/ 1 MIX11: The Future of HTML5 http://readydesigns.com/2011/04/mix11-future-of-html5/ http://readydesigns.com/2011/04/mix11-future-of-html5/#comments Thu, 14 Apr 2011 16:03:57 +0000 Roxanne http://readydesigns.com/?p=1163 “The Future of HTML5″ by @gisardo. Remember, since this is a liveblog reading should be done from  the bottom of the page, upwards.

The session is now posted on Microsoft’s Channel 9:

Thu, Apr 14, 9:57:27am PST

Groups of 3 or more can work on specs at http://w3.org/2010/12/community

Thu, Apr 14, 9:52:49am PST

Future specs they hope to develop further: Speech API, tracking API, WebPerformance.

Thu, Apr 14, 9:49:10am PST

Audio/video capture HTML5 spec looks pretty exciting. I hope it becomes widely supported.

Thu, Apr 14, 9:43:30am PST

Media Capture API Working Draft gives programmatic access to audio, video, and image capture abilities of the device.

Thu, Apr 14, 9:41:22am PST

The File spec lets the browser read and understand files directly, instead of having to upload everything to the server for processing.

Thu, Apr 14, 9:37:18am PST

File API spec in Working Draft stage provides an API for representing file objects in Web apps. List, read, etc.

Thu, Apr 14, 9:36:26am PST

New HTML5 database spec looks interesting.

Thu, Apr 14, 9:32:15am PST

W3C IndexedDB spec submitted by Microsoft and Mozilla to replace Web SQL Database & store large amounts indexed for fast search.

Thu, Apr 14, 9:22:19am PST

Web sockets: enable bi-directional full-duplex communication.

Web Sockets Example

Thu, Apr 14, 9:21:22am PST

HTML5 Labs: http://html5labs.interoperabilitybridges.com/

HTML5 Labs

Thu, Apr 14, 9:18:14am PST

Microsoft invented and submitted to the W3C a CSS3 “Grid” spec to help with layout development.

Thu, Apr 14, 9:16:50am PST

IE9 developer starting point: http://bit.ly/IE9Guide

IE9: More Than Just HTML5

Thu, Apr 14, 9:14:44am PST

Microsoft believes the HTML5 spec is reaching “ready to go” Last Call status in May 2011.

Thu, Apr 14, 9:12:27am PST

Timeline of a specification: 1st Published Working Graph > Working Draft > Last Call > Candidate Recommendation

Thu, Apr 14, 9:10:05am PST

The various working groups produce 100+ specifications.

Thu, Apr 14, 9:09:00am PST

Who’s working on HTML5? The main 3 are W3C, IETF, ECMA International.

Thu, Apr 14, 9:06:33am PST

At “The Future of HTML5″ by @gisardo. He’s starting with demos, but I don’t think a single person in the room is actually awake.

]]> http://readydesigns.com/2011/04/mix11-future-of-html5/feed/ 0 MIX11: Back to Square One http://readydesigns.com/2011/04/mix11-back-to-square-one/ http://readydesigns.com/2011/04/mix11-back-to-square-one/#comments Thu, 14 Apr 2011 00:01:34 +0000 Roxanne http://readydesigns.com/?p=1098 Time for the last talk of the day, “Back to Square One” by Nishant Kothary (@rainypixels). Hoping for more pictures of cute puppies like last year. :) #sqr1

Video of the session is now posted on Microsoft’s Channel 9:

 

Since this is a liveblog, remember to start reading from the bottom and work your way up.

Wed, Apr 13, 6:06:06pm PST

He’s found that by exposing himself to all these psychological insights, he’s now able to avert crises better.

Wed, Apr 13, 6:04:32pm PST

Neat Web design poster (but it’s sold out) at http://awebsitenameddesire.com. Check out the animated deepzoom version here.

Poster: How a Website Is Made (Website Named Desire)

Wed, Apr 13, 6:02:37pm PST

The “Lost Worlds’ Fairs” case study shows that gut feelings can lead to success.

Wed, Apr 13, 5:59:31pm PST

Neat demo site for WOFF: http://lostworldsfairs.com/atlantis/

WOFF Demo - Lost Worlds Fairs: Atlantis

Wed, Apr 13, 5:57:26pm PST

WOFF, “the future of typography for the Web”?

Wed, Apr 13, 5:55:48pm PST

After a great case study, the biggest reason the project failed? He just goofed. Shouldn’t have started the project in the first place.

Wed, Apr 13, 5:48:03pm PST

The Channel 9 logo? No deep meaning whatsoever. It’s because “people love robots”. :D

Channel 9 Logo

Wed, Apr 13, 5:45:12pm PST

Because we’re flawed, we make mistakes all the time, often when we least expect it.

Wed, Apr 13, 5:37:58pm PST

We tend to put data first, but reality shows that intuition should lead us, then we should go after the data.

Wed, Apr 13, 5:35:11pm PST

“The first example of true AI has emulated the most imperfect part of us, according to us: intuition.”

Wed, Apr 13, 5:31:56pm PST

Yay, Watson from Jeopardy is part of the session. :)

Watson Jeopardy

Wed, Apr 13, 5:31:27pm PST

Intuition is very important to design because it draws on the right brain.

Wed, Apr 13, 5:30:59pm PST

Intuition: I know the meaning, I act on it, but I don’t know how I know it. We can’t articulate it because the right brain isn’t verbal.

Wed, Apr 13, 5:28:02pm PST

The alternative to data is intuition, so we tend to excuse a lack of data and rely on insufficient data anyway.

Wed, Apr 13, 5:25:57pm PST

We have a propensity to favor data, even when it’s insufficient. It’s called the “McNamara Fallacy.”

Wed, Apr 13, 5:24:50pm PST

We have to shut up our left brains in order to do certain things, such as drawing.

Wed, Apr 13, 5:23:51pm PST

The left brain is completely inept without the right; the right is actually involved in some high cognitive functions.

Wed, Apr 13, 5:22:16pm PST

The left brain is really “loud” compared to our right, because it’s helped us survive.

Wed, Apr 13, 5:17:10pm PST

Turns out we were totally wrong about the left brain being dominant over — or at least more important than — the right.

Wed, Apr 13, 5:15:55pm PST

Why can’t we draw? Our brains! We’re biased. We consider left hemisphere dominant over right. It’s all over our languages, with left being given the stronger, more positive associations.

Left Brain vs. Right Brain

Wed, Apr 13, 5:13:38pm PST

We have to accept paradoxes in order to depict realism. “To draw a square cube, you have to draw unsquare squares.”

Wed, Apr 13, 5:11:29pm PST

As we grow, we start building symbols in our minds. We go from scribbles, to symbols, to stories, to realism.

Wed, Apr 13, 5:09:05pm PST

YAY! There will be puppies again this year; and this year there will be captions, too.

Cat and Dog Feel Sorry for People

Wed, Apr 13, 5:07:22pm PST

We as people are flawed in 3 fundamental ways: how we perceive the world, how we build, and how we solve problems.

Wed, Apr 13, 5:04:58pm PST

“Why do we suck at consistently building great software?” Usually, we blame Process, Product, or People.

Reasons We Fail

Wed, Apr 13, 5:02:48pm PST

Starting “Back to Square One” by @rainypixels #sqr1 #mix11

Nishant Kothary

]]> http://readydesigns.com/2011/04/mix11-back-to-square-one/feed/ 2 MIX11: Crafty UX – UX Lightening Series http://readydesigns.com/2011/04/mix11-crafty-ux-ux-lightening-series/ http://readydesigns.com/2011/04/mix11-crafty-ux-ux-lightening-series/#comments Wed, 13 Apr 2011 22:18:51 +0000 Roxanne http://readydesigns.com/?p=1061 Liveblog of “Crafty UX – UX Lightening Series”, an hour long session with four speakers presenting at “lightening” speed. Sarah Summers, Nathan Moody, Robert Tuttle, and Guido Rosso will each present a 10 minute talk about UX.

Session video now posted on Microsoft’s Channel 9:

 

As this is a liveblog, please remember to read from the bottom, up.

Wed, Apr 13, 4:13:39pm PST

Prototyping motion can help sell a concept and also give a reference for timing and transitions later on.

Wed, Apr 13, 4:08:32pm PST

Static comps aren’t enough when you’re trying to prototype motion.

Wed, Apr 13, 4:05:52pm PST

Motion should not be an afterthought; it needs to be a part of the whole process.

Wed, Apr 13, 4:05:13pm PST

Graphics and animations are key to alert users to “behind the scenes” events.

Wed, Apr 13, 4:03:06pm PST

Next up: “Prototyping Interfaces with Motion Graphics”.

Wed, Apr 13, 4:02:18pm PST

For more info: http://designmind.frogdesign.com

Wed, Apr 13, 4:01:36pm PST

Relevance and appropriateness are key in UX design.

Wed, Apr 13, 4:00:10pm PST

How you fail and recover from failure is at least as important as creating a “perfect” experience – because it never will be.

Wed, Apr 13, 3:58:15pm PST

Interesting demo of a UX experiment of floor pads responding to touch to produce light and sound.

Phidgets Floor Sequencer Diagram

 

Wed, Apr 13, 3:53:32pm PST

Background: Phidgets specializes in augmented reality. Today’s focus: life-sized step sequencer.

Phidgets Floor Sensor UI Experiment

Wed, Apr 13, 3:52:12pm PST

Next up: “Phidgets & Real-Time Sensor Data Visualization”.

Wed, Apr 13, 3:51:34pm PST

Conceptual design = deliverables by any means necessary. (Interpretive dance!)

Wed, Apr 13, 3:50:49pm PST

Step 3: Hybridize and bastardize.

Wed, Apr 13, 3:49:36pm PST

Step 2: Rip it off. Do what other industries are doing (like storyboards).

Wed, Apr 13, 3:48:44pm PST

Step 1: Design without computers! Tools influence where you go and also slow you down.

Wed, Apr 13, 3:47:55pm PST

Game design is another good example. Paintings (vs. fully rigged 3d models), storyboarding, design frames, physical 3d models.

Wed, Apr 13, 3:46:58pm PST

Product design uses foam mockups, agile sketch development.

Wed, Apr 13, 3:45:57pm PST

Start with loose concepts on pen and paper as in architecture.

Wed, Apr 13, 3:45:20pm PST

“Chart the narrative arc of emotions of users” the way writers do.

Wed, Apr 13, 3:44:35pm PST

Traditions and habits are either too deep, too polished, or just hard to present in a compelling way.

Wed, Apr 13, 3:43:27pm PST

Conceptual design = speed over fidelity, making design principles visible, design leadership.

Wed, Apr 13, 3:42:45pm PST

Next up, “Conceptual Design: Tactics & Techniques”

Wed, Apr 13, 3:40:42pm PST

As a UX ninja, we should be there when we’re needed, but “we were never there”, we don’t show, our work shows.

Wed, Apr 13, 3:40:09pm PST

Can’t make what we want; have to make what the *user* wants.

Wed, Apr 13, 3:39:02pm PST

Technical errors should be re-written as user-friendly and clear, maybe even humorous.

Wed, Apr 13, 3:37:16pm PST

Put a grid on it! Consistency of layout builds trust.

Wed, Apr 13, 3:36:39pm PST

Southwest vs United for good comparative design, strong design.

Wed, Apr 13, 3:35:41pm PST

“I made a spinning tiger progress bar!” Always make it time-based.

Spinning Tiger Progress Bar

Wed, Apr 13, 3:33:57pm PST

Yikes, first speaker is ultra-nervous. This is why I don’t do conference talks. (Well, and I’ve never been asked; beside the point :P )

Wed, Apr 13, 3:32:45pm PST

First mini-session, “10 Minute UX Ninja”. “A tradition of death to crappy UX.”

Wed, Apr 13, 3:29:43pm PST

The room is really filling up. Wondering if there will be a seat left in the room when it starts. #mix11

MIX11 Lightning UX Session Packed AudienceMIX11 Lightning UX Session Packed Audience

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