IT Solutions Blog » Here and there http://www.michaelgaigg.com/blog Web Design Guidelines and Tips Fri, 30 Jul 2010 03:10:55 +0000 en hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.0.1 Designing a Stop Sign [Video] http://www.michaelgaigg.com/blog/2010/07/29/designing-a-stop-sign-video/ http://www.michaelgaigg.com/blog/2010/07/29/designing-a-stop-sign-video/#comments Fri, 30 Jul 2010 03:10:55 +0000 Michael Gaigg http://www.michaelgaigg.com/blog/?p=790 aka 'Welcome to my life' Disclaimer: Any similarity to projects and designs living or dead is purely coincidental. PS.: My absolute favorite is the dude swallowing his snack "...and a web address, in case people want more info".]]> http://www.michaelgaigg.com/blog/2010/07/29/designing-a-stop-sign-video/feed/ 0 Job Posting: User Interface (UI) Engineer at ESRI http://www.michaelgaigg.com/blog/2010/06/30/job-posting-user-interface-ui-engineer-at-esri/ http://www.michaelgaigg.com/blog/2010/06/30/job-posting-user-interface-ui-engineer-at-esri/#comments Thu, 01 Jul 2010 01:44:08 +0000 Michael Gaigg http://www.michaelgaigg.com/blog/?p=747 User Interface (UI) Engineer here in Professional Services (Applications Development Services) at ESRI.
If you feel qualified and are interested please send me your resume to mgaigg at esri.com. I'm also happy to answer any kind of question (except payment) you might have.

My job here

A little bit about what you can expect here: In my daily job I consult, design and help implementing customized web applications that are for the most part based on our core mapping products and API's for JavaScript, Flex and Silverlight. Clients range from local and federal government to vertical markets like energy, water, environmental, etc. and reach local, domestic and international audiences - the challenges are never-ending, I promise ;) You can become part of this group!

Job Description

Use your technical background and innovative visual design skills to simplify complex business processes through the creation of intuitive and visually engaging user interfaces.

Responsibilities

  • Create sophisticated, imaginative, efficient, and visually striking interfaces for front-end solutions
  • Design reusable UI components by utilizing or building UI framework components
  • Develop storyboards, mock-ups, and prototypes to communicate ideas for navigation and interaction models
  • Evaluate requirements and initial mock-ups; make technology recommendations that support optimal construction, maintenance, and performance
  • Translate complex functional and technical requirements into detailed architecture and design prototypes
  • Ensure cross-browser/platform integrity of Web designs
  • Work closely with software developers and software testers to create a working end-to-end solution
  • Define, maintain, implement, and enforce style guides, standards, reusable templates, and best practices for client-side software development
  • Leverage the latest developments in Internet technologies
  • Serve as a technical resource and mentor

Requirements

  • Bachelor’s or master’s in computer science, graphic design, visual design, human factors engineering, interaction design, information architecture, or other relevant field
  • A minimum of five years of experience in user interface design, information architecture, user-centered design methodology, and implementation in complex enterprise environments
  • Significant and proven experience demonstrating innovative UI visual design skills
  • Ability to balance designs with the understanding of technical constraints within a software development environment
  • Highly proficient with cross-browser/platform CSS, HTML, XHTML, and JavaScript; knowledge of browser compatibility issues and their workarounds
  • Extensive experience using JavaScript libraries such as Dojo and jQuery
  • Good understanding of user experience (UX) and user-centered design (UCD)
  • Ability to take a concept from sketch to final implementation
  • Ability and willingness to take ownership of projects and help drive them to effective implementation
  • Exceptional attention to detail, organizational, communication, and presentation skills
  • Passionate about novel user interface design and software development

Recommended Qualifications

  • Experience with GIS/ESRI products and solutions
  • Experience with .NET, C#, Silverlight, and Expression Blend
  • Experience with JSP, Java Web frameworks, Flash, and ActionScript
  • Experience with Linux, PHP, and MySQL
  • Proficiency with Adobe Creative Suite including InDesign, Photoshop, and Illustrator
  • Ability to interface with customers, gather requirements, and implement new solutions

Employment Fraction

Full-time

Work Location

ESRI Headquarters, Redlands, CA]]> http://www.michaelgaigg.com/blog/2010/06/30/job-posting-user-interface-ui-engineer-at-esri/feed/ 3 HTML5 and the Future of Adobe Flash [and Silverlight] http://www.michaelgaigg.com/blog/2010/06/30/html5-and-the-future-of-adobe-flash-and-silverlight/ http://www.michaelgaigg.com/blog/2010/06/30/html5-and-the-future-of-adobe-flash-and-silverlight/#comments Wed, 30 Jun 2010 17:38:47 +0000 Michael Gaigg http://www.michaelgaigg.com/blog/?p=743 Key findings:
  • HTML5 will become the mainstream of the Web during the next decade.
  • HTML5 is a potential threat to the continued adoption of plug-in based RIA approaches (including Flash/Silverlight).

Recommendations:

  • Enterprises should try avoid becoming dependent on any one browser or client-side technology.
  • Enterprise developers should “design for standards” and not browsers or runtimes.
  • Developers should favor the lightest-weight technology that will meet their requirements.
  • Architects should consider hybrid approaches […]
  • Before purchasing or committing to a new UI technology or platform, enterprises should first invest in a user-centered design process based on objective data about user behavior.
Complete Analysis: http://www.adobe.com/enterprise/pdfs/html5_flash.pdf On a personal note I especially like the following part (btw: brilliantly written): [caption id="attachment_744" align="alignnone" width="515" caption="The average enterprise will continue to make ineffective use of any and all available UI technologies."]The average enterprise will continue to make ineffective use of any and all available UI technologies.[/caption] ]]> http://www.michaelgaigg.com/blog/2010/06/30/html5-and-the-future-of-adobe-flash-and-silverlight/feed/ 1 Help creating the Ultimate (midnight coders) Music Compilation! http://www.michaelgaigg.com/blog/2010/03/31/help-creating-the-ultimate-midnight-coders-music-compilation/ http://www.michaelgaigg.com/blog/2010/03/31/help-creating-the-ultimate-midnight-coders-music-compilation/#comments Thu, 01 Apr 2010 05:55:19 +0000 Michael Gaigg http://www.michaelgaigg.com/blog/?p=716 Help creating the Ultimate Music Compilation I need your help! What is your ultimate "Get-on-track-song"? Working late hours, dealing with brutal clients, blacking out over an impossible bug or passing out on the keyboard, sounds familiar? Ever since music cheered me up, changed my mood, told me to look on the bright side or just lifted my spirits and carried me away for a moment so I could successfully continue or start over again. Yes, I do have playlists for every mood and task, and sure enough I have my favorites. But I figured, I would love to create the ultimate compilation and I for that I need your help!

Suggest a song that cannot be missed

Tell me, what is your favorite song and why? Add it to the comments section and I will consider it for the final selection.

Compilation so far

Towers of London - F**k it up!

As really mellow version of the original hard rock it helps you easing the pain after a co-worker has f**ked up something (usually breaking the code that you've finally finished after days of hard work) and freeing you of wishing this person a slow and painful death.

Twisted Sisters - Were Not Gonna Take It

Enough is enough. Man, do those feature requests drive me nuts. A button here, a label change there, one user couldn't see that image - no, we're not gonna take it... anymore!

Chumbawamba - Tubthumping

"I get knocked down, but I get up again." What else could serve as a better psycho-hygiene. Sing along, well, shout along and feel the air ventilating your brain again. Yes, it's not that bad, you will get up again. ]]> http://www.michaelgaigg.com/blog/2010/03/31/help-creating-the-ultimate-midnight-coders-music-compilation/feed/ 2 UIE Web App Masters Tour http://www.michaelgaigg.com/blog/2010/03/24/uie-web-app-masters-tour/ http://www.michaelgaigg.com/blog/2010/03/24/uie-web-app-masters-tour/#comments Wed, 24 Mar 2010 19:49:17 +0000 Michael Gaigg http://www.michaelgaigg.com/blog/?p=688 web design is shifting. It's not UI (interface design) anymore. Obviously we've also moved beyond UX (the overall user experience). We've arrived at social design. It's about the community and not the individual per se anymore. Hope I get the time soon to detail out some more.]]> http://www.michaelgaigg.com/blog/2010/03/24/uie-web-app-masters-tour/feed/ 1 15 Outstanding Examples of Braille in our World http://www.michaelgaigg.com/blog/2009/09/18/15-outstanding-examples-of-braille-in-our-world/ http://www.michaelgaigg.com/blog/2009/09/18/15-outstanding-examples-of-braille-in-our-world/#comments Fri, 18 Sep 2009 20:17:15 +0000 Michael Gaigg http://www.michaelgaigg.com/blog/?p=506 Braille can be found everywhere. Some findings are real gems, love the McDonalds braille lunch menu which is even advertised on drive-through windows in corporate locations - yes, exactly, didn't know they had driving test in braille yet. I'd actually opt for scratch and smell menus at McDonalds - ok, that's just me ;) Love the braille bikini as well. Enjoy!]]> http://www.michaelgaigg.com/blog/2009/09/18/15-outstanding-examples-of-braille-in-our-world/feed/ 2 Presentation: Wiki – the right tool for my organization? http://www.michaelgaigg.com/blog/2009/08/28/presentation-wiki-the-right-tool-for-my-organization/ http://www.michaelgaigg.com/blog/2009/08/28/presentation-wiki-the-right-tool-for-my-organization/#comments Sat, 29 Aug 2009 06:14:58 +0000 Michael Gaigg http://www.michaelgaigg.com/blog/?p=468 wiki within their department. Background: About three years ago I went through the effort of evaluating existing wiki platforms, installing/hosting it for our department and keeping it alive for the next two years before it got sacked. I'm here to tell you why it didn't work out in the end.
Wiki - a comprehensive quick-guide

Characteristics

I jump right into the characteristics (the slide "Characteristics" is duplicated in the presentation on purpose) because I found understanding them key to a successful implementation. That's why once more I want to emphasize on the issues that need to be met in order to successfully implement a wiki, for example if your company has no culture of sharing content or employees are reluctant to give up ownership of their code, a wiki is most likely not the ideal collaboration tool. These are the characteristics of a wiki:
  • Perpetual work in progress
  • No one owns the content
  • No specific organization (hyperlinks)
  • Anyone can edit other people’s work
  • Discussion area for each page
  • Version control: list of all changes made to a page

Critical Success Factors (aka truth about a wiki)

Only implement a wiki if you feel comfortable you can meet the following critical success factors:
  • Only 10% contribute; only 1% on a regular basis.
  • Obey the characteristics of a wiki
  • Power to the people
    • Trust the user
    • Authority to change something
    • Refuse defined structures
My previous experience taught me that implementing a wiki into your organization is doomed to fail if one is not aware of their importance and therefore
  • overestimates the reach and participation,
  • neglects the characteristics of a wiki,
  • or doesn't want or cannot give power to the people.
The truth is, only 10% of users contribute to a wiki and only 1% on a regular basis. If you have 100 employees you can expect between 1 to 10 of them to contribute and the rest to consume - which in turn will lead to lesser contribution and lesser consumption over time. Wikipedia works well because there are millions of users where 1% is still significant number to keep up quality content. The argument of mandatory (or even monitored) participation runs directly against the characteristics of a wiki, is counter-productive and will result in your wiki failing.

Choosing a wiki: What to consider

Obviously there are many criteria and features that will directly affect your choice. I recommend Comparison of wiki software as a starting point for finding the right software but I wouldn't be surprised if you ended up with MediaWiki which is the used by wikipedia for one simple reason (besides its free usage under the GPL license and its huge community): the MediaWiki syntax is widely used and makes actually sense to learn - because it is wikipedia ;)

Criteria

  • Cost (open source license)
  • Programming language (PHP, C#, Java)
  • Data backend (File system or DB)
  • Extensibility & user community

Features

  • WYSIWYG editing & Syntax
  • Version control & Discussions
  • Permissions & Security

Keys to get a wiki going

Once you've decided to go ahead and install a wiki, what can be done to make it successful?
  • Find dedicated helpers
  • Partner with groups/people related to your mission
  • Offer structural templates for new pages
  • Add some content to major categories
  • Do lots of marketing
  • If possible, offer training

Do you work with wikis?

What are your experiences? Do you use a wiki in your company? How do you use it?]]> http://www.michaelgaigg.com/blog/2009/08/28/presentation-wiki-the-right-tool-for-my-organization/feed/ 2 The Three-?-stick http://www.michaelgaigg.com/blog/2009/06/16/the-three-stick/ http://www.michaelgaigg.com/blog/2009/06/16/the-three-stick/#comments Tue, 16 Jun 2009 23:44:28 +0000 Michael Gaigg http://www.michaelgaigg.com/blog/?p=432 Webzeugkoffer (excellent webdesign blog in German) picked up the stick by answering 3 questions that I will answer now too:

The three questions

Which Editor do you use for (X)HTML and CSS?

I'm using Macromedia Dreamweaver. I'm still stuck at MX 2004, but I really got used to the color coding and other superficial things - it's like toothpaste, once you are hooked you'll never change again (don't ask for the trade pls). ...and notepad ;)

Which little tool became a true time saver for you?

Can't live without Firebug - seriously, can't live without it. That's not a little tool? Ok, what about ColorSet, love that also.

Flash - what do you think of that technology?

Call me a purist, but I'm really into DHTML. Unless somebody convinces me otherwise I can do what I need to do with HTML a JavaScript library like jQuery, Dojo, YUI or even the Facebook JavaScript Library. I disliked flash when it got into 'mode' a century ago and still think that flash intros should die. Accessibility is still an issue also. On the flipside our company created a really powerful ArcGIS API for Flex for building Rich Internet applications on top of ArcGIS Server, our internet mapping server. I might need to reconsider some of my previous believes.

I forward the three-?-stick to

]]> http://www.michaelgaigg.com/blog/2009/06/16/the-three-stick/feed/ 3