The Wilson Project Blog of UX/Front-End Developer Ivan Wilson

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  • News On The Homefront

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    NYC IxDA Redux

    A big belated “Thank You” to IxDA New York for Interaction 10 Redux (3/6). It was nice to meet all the people who attended and to see all of the presentations that I missed at Savannah.  Would come back for another event hosted by the group if my schedule allow it.

    Of course, that means I have to start paying attention to the home IxDA branch as well.

    More Opera

    Ironically enough, after NYC IxDA Redux, I went back to New York for my scheduled vacation for Met’s performance of The Nose. This weekend, went back to The Met for Lulu, the Alban Berg opera composed a few years after The Nose. Same decade, different moods but both are considered some of the most avant-garde works of their time. This was the last performance for me this season. Already planning for attending two performances next season in 2011 — John Adam’s Nixon in China and Alban Berg’s Wozzeck.

    Futura

    If you have not noticed, the font has changed in this site. After the font change last year, I decided to re-evalute my choice and changed to the first choice of Futura. I like Super Grotesk and it was choosen because of its closeness to Futura. However, there were just some things that I felt were not right (weight, letter styles) for me. It was nagging me in the back of my mind for a few months. So I decided to go back to the first choice of Futura.

    I am still on the look out for any other Futura-like fonts but the right choice has been made right now.

    Recent Blog Entry for CDG

    Last week, finally completed a book review of Morville/Callender ‘s Search Pattern for CDG and posted on the blog. Interesting read and really changed my ideas about search engines and how search result can be displayed for easier use.

    I mentioned on Twitter (5/4) that this would be my blog for CDG for the next couple of months as I will be spending writing for this blog. A consquenence will be some important announcements about The Wilson Project and Project Charles, as well as some important blog entries.

  • Search Patterns Book Review

    (Originally published on CDG Interactive/Innate blog)

    After a few months’ hiatus, the CDG Book Club is back. In this installment, UI Developer Ivan Wilson discusses Search Patterns: Design for Discovery by Peter Morville and Jeffery Callender.

    I first heard about the book Search Patterns during the IxDA Interaction 10 conference in Savannah, Georgia when I attended Peter Moreville’s lecture about The Future of Search. This brief book (less than 200 pages) interested me because it focuses less on technology and more on design. It’s not about Google or Yahoo, but on interaction designers and information architecture.

    That said, the main premise of the book can be summed up in the following statement:
    The problem of search is designing interfaces and processes that allow people to find things.

    Let us step back a moment. Is searching and finding two of the same things? Well, no. And that is a bit of a revelation to anyone, especially me who builds the front-end code for search pages.

    The book addresses two main points:

    1. Search is a not passive activity.

    What do we do when we go to a search page? Input term(s), click button, get results—right? But what happens when the results don’t lead to the information the user is looking for?

    The user isn’t some blank slate. Even if you’re just surfing around, you’re affected by a variety of filters–such recommendations from friends, past memories, etc. As users, we’re always judging whether a search result is right for us or just another dead end. If a user isn’t finding what he’s looking for, the problem isn’t necessarily an inadequate use of the search; it may be a user interface problem. In other words, the interface may not be adequate for what/how the user wants to find.

    2. Information need to be findable, not just searchable.

    Here, the authors approach the problem from the other end: those who create the content that is being searched. Especially on the web, content does not lend itself to being able to be found in an instant. It’s up to content producers and coders to make content searchable by using tools such as keywords or tags or database indexing. If you’re a business, you need to understand how to categorize products in a way that makes it as easy as possible for the user to find them via search (for example, adding information like ISBN numbers for books).

    Throughout the book, the authors detail different interfaces currently being used (faceted navigation, widgets, etc) in search. They also give glimpses into the future, with examples of search being tied in with social media like Twitter or Facebook. Also, the authors detail some of the methods the users take in searching for items whether in narrow or expanded focus.

    But in the end, designing for search engines will be about more than speed and accuracy; it will be more about having the process of finding easier. And that is what this book is about.

  • What One UI Developer Learned at the Opera

    (Originally published on CDG Interactive/Innate blog, edited by Jennifer Mayne Hoppe)

    Images of the Met production of Shostakovich’s The Nose, produced by William Kentridge –
    Google Search

    A lot of people think of user interface (UI) developers as “tech guys,” but I see myself more as a designer. At its base, design is about solving problems. So I’m really a designer who solves problems through programming. Like any designer, I have to think creatively—and I often find inspiration from the wide world OUTSIDE of my cubicle. (Yes, despite appearances to the contrary, I can function away from the office from long periods of time, like a cubical lungfish…)

    Take, for example, a recent Saturday I spent at The Metropolitan Opera. I watched a performance of an opera titled The Nose. Composed by Dmitri Shostakovich, in 1930, the opera is about an official who wakes up and find his own nose missing, only to find out that it has full life of its own (as well as higher status than he does). The music and the singing were well done, but was really got my attention was the production’s design.

    The design was conceived by South African artist William Kentridge, who is well known for his work with stop animation from drawings and paper cutouts. In this production, Kentridge melds his own aesthetic with historically appropriate references from the 1930s. Specifically, the set design follows the artistic strain of Russia a movement was about breaking and re-interpreting of artistic conventions like the revolution that spawned it.

    Kentridge enhanced the on-stage elements by projecting stop animations into the production. Projected onto the back of the set, the animations looked like early abstract shape animations of the same period in which the opera took place. Then Kentridge mixed the animations with live film and archive film footage. Rather than distracting from the action on stage, these elements truly enhanced the satirical nature of the opera.

    And that’s what really good design does. It frames the content for maximum impact and engages your attention. Great design happens when someone examines a problem thoughtfully and creates a solution that fits so well, it seems like the only solution.

    So now that I’m back “home” in my cube at Innate, I’m taking inspiration from my afternoon at The Met, and striving to find the most elegant, effective, and engaging solutions to the design and technical challenges that I’m working on.

    Such is the life of a UI developer!

  • UI or UN? The Life of a Front-End Developer…The Lecture???

    No. Really.

    Basically, it originally started as an idea for me to do something close to work but outside the office.  However, there are a number of ideas that need fleshing out. Not just about work (dealing with bad HTML code) but also about ideas about Charles, TWP, front-end developement, and IxD.

    And linguistics.

    More news to come.

  • Storm and Stress

    After three weeks of work and vacation (which was almost like work), I got a free weekend.

    One in which I got to do nothing.

    Now this week, a hopefully(?) slow work will allow me to do the following:

    • Write two blogs entries for CDG – one on the book Search Patterns by Peter Morville/Jeffery Callender and the other about The Nose (The Met/MOMA)
    • Started prototyping work on Charles, which I started Sunday, first bit of work in a couple of months
    • Starting more blog entries here, including a brief one about the last three weeks

    I have a number of things to do before things speed up again at work. There is also the next two trips in May, which I need to get ready for.

    First, NYC again for another Met performance – instead the Russian satire of The Nose, it will be the dark, German expressionism of Lulu.

    Then this will be followed by my yearly pilgrimage to the Pacific Northwest again (Seattle, WA/Vancouver, Canada).

    Lots to do, lots to see. Just need to do more than one blog entry per month.

    Later.

  • Back from Interaction 10…into Snowmageddon

    Leaving Savannah after Interaction 10

    More photos, posted at my Flickr account – Interaction 10 (IxDA)

    Flew into Savannah before Snowmegeddon Round #1 came around and it was goregeous. Rainy but in the 50’s and I could wear a light jacket for a few days. Great time, only to fly back home the day before Snowmegeddon Round #2 came in. It took 2 1/2 weeks before I could see the sidewalk again.

    Snowed-in Neighborhood

    As for Interaction 10, it was a blast and a real big work motivator for the remainder of the year. Some of the lectures presented some real interesting ideas and I will find some way to introduce or talk about them in my work. It also helps meeting interesting designers and other professionals that really want to make the profession better.

    As for Savannah (beyond the really nice weather) was a good host and just darn friendly (Southern hospitality does exist…). I would definitely love to come back ASAP but the conference has to move to a new site. Unfortunately, it will not go back to Vancouver next year. 🙁

    However, it will go to…Boulder, Colorado. It was announced on the last day, with a special low rate for about one week (sorry already gone, darn…) But, the excitement as already started. Especially with a really funny and interesting video promo – see http://www.vimeo.com/9395674.

    Anyways, as soon as I can break open my piggy bank, I am registering for next year.

    Interaction 11 @ Boulder, Colorado – http://www.ixda.org/i11/

    Related Links

  • IxDA Interaction 10

    IxDA Interaction 10/Savannah, Georgia, USA - February 4-7, 2010

    IxDA Interaction 10
    http://interaction.ixda.org/
    Dates: February 4-7, 2010
    Location: Savannah, Georgia

    Hosted by SCAD (Savannah College of Art and Design), this year’s conference will be spaced among various nearby locations around downtown. Savannah, with or without the conference, is worthy of a visit due to its long and influential history in this country. The IxDA (Interactive Design Association) conference will feature talks, workshops, and lectures on design areas that range from technology to new tools/processes to important issues such as instructing/mentoring new students in the field.

    So, why is a front-end/ui developer doing here?

    Well, I deal with designers all the time, whether they are web or print based. It allows me to follow what designers are doing and find ways to compliment – in an architect/engineer dynamic. Also, I get new ideas for inspiration or use in the other areas, especially if it is useful in my career.

    Therefore, I will be spending some good quality time next month, soaking some fresh ideas and having a mini-vacation away from the same-old work routine.

    Later.

    P.S. – A little inspiration from the so-to-be conference…