Imaginary Forces Web site analysis

1. Download plugin to view site
2. Click on projects
3. Clicked on "Our Reel" but firefox wouldn't open pop-up box
4. Looked for search button
5. Clicked interactive
6. Box disappeared because mouse went off of brown area
7. Clicked interactive again
8. Clicked honda element
9. Saw "Web video"
10. Moved mouse over page trying to find something clickable
11. click view honda air
12. Close honda air pop-up window
13. Click back to project index
14. Move mouse to icon
15. click Contacts
16. Click map and driving directions to N.Y. office
17. Page links to mapquest that says no address exists
18. tried to go back to contacts to double check address but it was in a new window so I couldn't
19. Went back to map page and clicked suggested address

Interface experience: I felt lost when I got to the homepage of this site. I was annoyed that I had to download something before I was even able to view the Web site. When I couldn't use the back button I became frustrated. There should have been a place to enter search words or at the very least a site map - clearly labeled on the home page to tell me where I was and the different options for where I could go.

I should know when I open the page what the site's purpose is. After going through the site, I still don't know what Imaginary Forces is. Are they a production company? An ad agency? I'm not sure who the audience is for this site either. Is it people who are interested in movies? People who are interested in creating movies?

I finally found a page on what the company is, but I can't read the entire text because the page does not allow me to scroll down. I had to physically restrain myself from hitting the back button. There wasn't a very easy way to get back to the home page.

The featured projects on the home page don't have anything to do with the rest of the site. The actual categories for the site are small in the right-hand corner. I wanted to click on something that was big - not something small in the corner. The categories should have been more prominent than the featured projects so I knew that they were categories. I still don't know what "Our Reel" is because I couldn't open it with my browser.

Gestalt Principles of Perception and Human-Computer Interface

Most of the conventions for using a computer are solidly engrained in our minds. We don't think about scrolling up and down in a Web site; we know when we can click on a link for a number of reasons: our mouse turns from an arrow to a hand, the word is or becomes underlined, sometimes the color of the text changes, maybe a button lights up. These conventions give us feedback as users so that we feel confident when clicking that we will be transported to a new location.

These Web conventions offer continuity. One of Gestalt's principles of perception, people prefer continuity in their interactions. People want a Web site to feel seamless and effortless. They should be able to flow from one part of the Web site to another without thinking about it. One way to improve continuity is through consistency, one of Shneiderman's principles of human-computer interface. Menus, colors and fonts should be consistent throughout the site as should the navigation of the site.

It will also help the human-computer interface to design items into related groups of items. Using the similarity principle, we can suppose that people will see the groups as a whole rather than as individual items - this will make the material seem more manageable. This also helps to give users control of their experience by allowing them to see where they want to go.

It is also important to make sure that items that are close together really are related as items that are close in proximity will be perceived as being related.

A consistent site map on the site can help to ground the site and make people feel in control. The site map becomes the ground and the information on each individual page then becomes the figure that people pay attention to. This also allows users to feel less overwhelmed, because rather than a new page of material every time they click, only the individual content changes and they can still see where they are at in the context of the site as a whole.

It's possible to reduce short-term memory load by having reminders on each page of other pages that they may want to navigate to next. This would be an example of symmetry or closure I believe since users don't need a full explanation of the page to understand where it will go - just a word, or an icon perhaps, will suffice.

Interaction Design

A few years ago, when I had more free time than I do today, I tried playing The Sims on my computer. As many of you probably already know, The Sims allows you to create characters and build houses and then command them to act in certain ways. The results attempt to simulate life and the consequences that come with actions. I became addicted to the game for a time and now try to stay away from it unless I really have a lot of time to kill. In "Information Interaction Design: A Unified Field Theory of Design," Nathan Shedroff says that "Creative products and experiences require that others participate by creating or manipulating instead of merely watching and consuming." I think one of the reasons The Sims was so successful, and why similar products have been successful, is because of the creativity and exploration that can go into the game. What will the Sims do if I put two toilets in the bathroom? (just makes two toilets you have to clean later) What happens if Sims doesn't go to work? (They lose their jobs) What happens if the Sims kiss a lot? (They have a baby and get really tired!)

The game relies on good design to make it easy for people with no construction or design experience to build a house to their own specifications. The adaptive nature of the game, I think, is what makes the game so enjoyable to play. People can do as much or as little as they want with the interactivity components of the game. They can design a whole neighborhood or use the houses that have already been built. They can design new Sims or play with preprogrammed Sims. Time goes as fast or as slow as you want it to. In my experience Shedroff's assertion that the best interactivity involves high levels ofcontrol, feedback and adaptivity is very accurate.

Group project idea

I would love to create a site that focuses on entertainment, food and cultural events in the U district. Two different approaches to something like this are www.flavorpill.net and www.vita.mn.

www.flavorpill.net is basically a weekly e-mail newsletter that lists different events going on the area depending on which city you choose (Seattle is not an option). You can navigate by date or by genre. There are also links to other cool sites and original features material. The site also includes cd and book reviews, as well as videos. It's well organized and the content is pretty good.

An approach I like better, however, is www.vita.mn. While flavorpill's content is mostly staff written, vita.mn gives readers control over the site by relying on user-generated content and wiki models. Vita.mn is an entertainment and food site for the Minnesota Twin Cities metropolitan area. It strives to be everything that young people in the Twin Cities area could want. Users can personalize their page, save material, create profiles and network with other users, in addition to writing reviews and rating movies, restaurants and other venues in the region. Users can even read and edit Minnesota guides. Users can also tag items, though that doesn't seem to be quite as popular. I think this model would be a great starting point for an entertainment site in the UW area.

A question for all you Seattleites (especially UW grads): What are the entertainment sites that people already use? Are there any specifically focused on the U district? I did a google search and the only Seattle calendar I found remotely navigable and interesting was The Stranger's www.thestranger.com/seattle/Calendar. Though it doesn't look like there is any user-generated content there either.

Interoperability of IM
For instant messaging to be useful to an individual, friends of that individual must use a compatible instant messaging service. It's interesting that Windows Live Messenger (previously MSN Messenger) now allows e-mails from hotmail, msn, yahoo and even gmail. Maybe there's more I'm missing. I'm not sure. Because it allows more people to participate it is likely more useful and will be adopted more quickly. It's certainly more convenient to only need one messenger. Though it may be more difficult for improvements in the technology to be adopted if there is not competition from other services. On the other hand, having more resources could push the company to continue to improve its messaging technology.

IMs can occasionally be more confusing than e-mails. Sometimes two different conversations are going on at once. You're trying to answer a question one person asked while the other person is starting to go on to another topic and all of a sudden - you have two different conversations going on! Also, people tend to be less thorough when explaining topics via IM so it could take longer to get the information across after three or four clarifying questions have been asked.

Goals and roles

Now, rethink your goals in the light of what has been expressed by the class. Post to your blog three personal goals (design, group dynamics, whatever) for our next five months of working together. Also list two team roles that you are willing to take on and two that you would prefer not to be assigned. Try to express this as a story (narrative) rather than a bulleted list.

3 goals
One of my goals is to be a better communicator by sending regular updates of where I am at with my work with enough time that other people have time to respond to it.

I have also been told that I am not assertive enough. While I have gotten much better, I think, I'm sure I still have room to improve. I'm not sure where this fits into the group yet.

By the time I complete this class I want to have acquired the tools to be able to build my own Web site. For my undergrad senior project I built a site using Dreamweaver for the music department at PLU, but I know there are a lot of things about Web sites that I can still learn. Especially since that was a few years ago and I think I have forgotten a lot since then.

Team roles:
Since I am already an editor at work, I would feel comfortable in this role. I also usually like working with technology and would like to be able to do something with the implementation of the site. What I don't want to do, though, is determine how the site looks. While I can tell when a site is well designed, I don't like designing. Especially when it comes to trying to figure out what color palette to use. I'm completely lost when it comes to choosing colors.

Virtual group project

It's difficult to form group cohesion with a virtual group. It is difficult to trust people who you have never worked with before and don’t personally know. This would be one drawback of having everyone in different locations. If at all possible it would be helpful for everyone to meet personally at least once before or shortly after work on the project began to learn what roles each person might play in the group. If this was not possible, then it might be helpful to have everyone fill out a questionnaire that included questions such as interests, what role they play in the company and how they see themselves as contributors to the group. Group members should also ask what their goals for the site are and how they envision reaching those goals.

On teams in general it is important to have clearly defined roles and assignments or responsibilities. It’s also important to have a timeline of when tasks will be completed. It is important to discuss progress regularly to make sure assignments will be completed on time. One way to do this in a virtual setting would be through teleconferencing. As long as the group isn’t more than about six people this would work well and people won’t likely be talking over each other. In this type of environment it does help to identify yourself before speaking. Updates could be sent via e-mail and attachments.

Web team roles by Thomas J. Shelford and Gregory A. Remillard

Did anyone else get the feeling they were reading a fortune cookie or a horoscope while reading this?

The developer: "Thrives on mental challenges, brainteasers, and puzzles - the more difficult and convoluted the better."
"The tech lead is your savior and friend. Cherish this person always and keep him or her close."

But seriously, this chapter was insightful. The number of roles listed far exceeds anything that my company has. I think everyone wears two or three hats as far as our Web site goes.

I appreciated the emphasis on communication placed on the project manager. Communication is so important, but it's hard to realize how important until it breaks down. Problems get exponentially larger and can prevent the project from being completed. It's also important to check in with members of the team to make sure things are going smoothly so that if they are not, there is time to deal with it. This is especially true in my newspaper job because deadlines that are so tight. I tend to procrastinate a lot, but I have found that procrastination is not an option when you're trying to keep track of 20 different stories and seven different pages at once. If I don't do something now, it won't get done.

On the receiving end of communications, I know how frustrating it is to feel like you're not quite in the loop because an editor didn't retransmit all of the information you need to know to do your work. If you don't know what you're supposed to be doing, how can you do it? I have had to learn to be very proactive when it comes to understanding the processes of my work.

This chapter also reflects the likelihood of team members requesting multiple tweaks and other favors from designers and developers without going through the project manager. While this is probably fine once in awhile, it should not become a habit because, as the author says, the designer and developer become distracted from the work they are doing and might not be able to meet their own deadlines. If the project manager is informed of the requests, it helps the designers and developers out because the project manager knows they have additional work to do and may be able to shift the schedule to accommodate those changes.

I can also see the importance of including members of the team early on in the process so everyone understands the expectations for the project and is not surprised by anything later on.

This quarter I would like to get experience that will help me to be a project manager. This chapter really makes it apparent that so much of the project manager's responsibilities include communicating with the team. To be able to do that, the project manager must know what is going on herself. This requires good organizational skills, something that I could definitely improve upon. So hopefully I will get better at that this quarter as well. I am also interested in the techniques for planning a project such as the white board session and diagrams mentioned in the chapter. I would also like to have a better sense of the roles of others on the team. While this chapter was a good introduction I feel like I could still learn a lot more.