Tag Archive / html5

• The Secret Life of Forms

  

  Slides – http://www.slideshare.net/IvanWilson3/the-secret-life-of-form-67435952
  Lecture – https://cssdevconf2016.sched.com/event/7Q0d/the-secret-life-of-forms-secretforms

  One of the highlights of the year was lecturing for the first time at a conference. In this case, CSS Dev Conference at San Antonio, TX. Basically, I decided to take some advice and take a chance. After sending my proposal, I was shocked and thrilled to be selected via anonymous vote in July.

  Of course, getting the talk ready was even harder than the waiting. It took months of writing and editing and practice. But I was able to get it together and delivered it a small audience at the conference on October 17, 2016. This talk was about UX, coding, and forms. However, it was peppered with things that I’ve done during the last ten years.

  I also want to thank the other speakers at the conference in helping me not only relax but also giving me advice for speaking not just for the first time but also their experiences in giving lectures as well.

  And finally, I want to thank Christopher Schmitt, Ari Stiles, and Elizabeth Moore in helping me make my first-time experience as a lecturer a wonderful and memorable one. It means so much when for years I was attendee, to be not only speaking but giving back to the community that I respect.

  Thank you all 🙂

  

• Revision of The Information Layer

  In February 2009, I went to my first IxDA [Interaction Design Association] Interaction conference in Vancouver, Canada.

  A few months later, I created a sketch, made in May 2009 that was translated to the following graphic.

  

  This model, which I call The Information Layer, has been the guiding force in my own work. It has helped me build some of the most successful sites in my career.

  To others, it may have been just a theoretical model, but it was built from observations. The observations I had about front-end work and interaction design ideas concerning mobile and data. And it has proven invaluable as a guide in trying to predict how things would turn out in the last couple of years.

  But the most important stage was reached this year when the first direct application was started – web application modeling or Project Ottawa. The project itself took The Information Layer and started the path that will eventually lead to a practical application.

  However, there is a flaw.

  For any model to work, you occasionally go back and test its parts to see what works and what doesn’t. That’s basically how Project Ottawa has been built and it is currently at its second draft (July 2012). But there was one thing that was bothering me – content. I had a better grasp of some of the other layers, but the lowest level of the model (Information Layer) was never really fleshed out. It was more of a “hand-waving” nod to content. There was really no fully defined description of this layer. In the end, it was treated just like the other layers in the model, out of consistency.

  But it couldn’t. And those flaws where shown in August and September.

  It started with a Karen McGrane lecture at the An Event Apart conference in August. She pointed out a model from the White House digital directive where they had a content model better than my own. After the initial shock, I decided that their model was better and made a revision to The Information Layer to be broken down into three parts – API, Metadata, and Content. In the end, this solves some of the weaknesses in the current Information Layer model.

  

  The other part was some of the feedback from a presentation I gave at Mobile UXCamp DC 2012 in September of Project Ottawa. One of the most important criticisms was that there was little in terms of how changes in content could affect not only a single view/template but also the whole system/application. Likewise, what would happen in the reverse direction – if a change in an application affects content (i.e. responsive design).

  So, after a hiatus of two months, I am back at work on Project Ottawa. But this same change meant that the focus on Ottawa will be on building the area that has been its weakness so far – content. With some thought during the hiatus, I have a possible solution that I will introduce next year (1/2/2013) called Content Mapping. At this point, I have only a few sketches (scans from Ottawa skectch/notebook) but I am creating a more refined demo.

  But this also means the following:

  1. I am now starting to work on the Third Draft, for 2013 as planned and
  2. Project Ottawa will not longer be one model but a collection of integrated models along the blueprint analogy. Each model visualizes each aspect of a web application’s structure and interactions.

  And so, the work begins again and Project Ottawa will be going on past its first anniversary in March.

  Later.

• Endgame

  After two years this month, I have decided to end Project Charles in April. This will also mark the 10th anniversary of The Wilson Project.

  @iwilsonjr (4:59 PM · Mar 14, 2011) – https://twitter.com/iwilsonjr/status/47401561944637440

  Depending on the ever changing schedule, Project Charles will be ending this year, if not sooner. After a long two years, I should be happy.

  I'm exhausted.

  I've carried this thing around, weathering all the stuff that gets thrown at me in the course of human life. This project became the internal motor of change, reflection, and experimentation. And a number of people have really benefitted from the results.

  The basis of Project Charles was redesigning The Wilson Project with the state of the art techniques in front-end development. No, we are not talking about the dazzling canvas experiments and all the fireworks. It was about learning all this new stuff to be able, like an experienced chef, to use this wider pallette to improve their work. Well, I'm still doing that. But Project Charles brought about an urgency to the process.

  Well, that urgency has come full circle. It's at a point where this project needs to end in order to go further on with other things. And since The Wilson Project Site is a working blog (and soon-to-be) portfolio site, I needed to end this thing to start doing new projects. And basically, I just need this monkey off my back. So why am I writing this blog entry?

  Because I feel that the need to apologize [to myself].

  This project was started with the idea of using XSLT via Symphony CMS. It's a very interesting application that I am sure will grow and improve. The cast of characters over there are currently working on the third version as I am writing this.

  Now, I'm in a time crunch. I cannot, at this time, learn XSLT and learn a new CMS without some focused time and effort. Unfortunately, considering the numerous hiatus periods in this project, that will never happen. So I took the hard choice and decided to move the project back to WordPress to speed up completion. I'm relieved at be removed of this burden. But I also feel sad, as I made some sort of bad compromised to complete this project. I know I shouldn't, but I'll live. I may feel bad for not completing the project in the way that I wanted fully but I have to move on.

  The other reason for Project Charles was conceptual. The "residue" of studying and observing the work around me of interaction design and front-end development. Yes, I have a few ideas that I've squirrel away.

  It's called The Information Layer.

  Ideally, Charles would have been the best demo, especially with Symphony/XSLT. But with the external changes of the last two years, there is a real need to share something now and not wait further down the road for an actual demo model.

  So, I'm shipping now. Everything can wait.

  I need my life back.

• Plymouth

  After months of delay, progress is finally speeding along. The graphic comps now becoming full-fledged X/HTML5 templates.

  Presenting initial set of templates – http://www.deltatwp.com/plymouth/

  Note: these have not been sufficently tested on IE8-6 browsers. Hopefully, these templates will be finalized by next month.

• London and Back

  

  Just re-entered the country, after a week in London for the last FOWA (Future of Web Apps) conference for 2010. Take a while to settle down (not to mention get back to a regular sleep schedule). Spending a week going through all the notes and ideas from the conference. However, all this information will be slowly integrated for the remainder of this year. I was able to get some sightseeing, as well as going to The National Theatre (Hamlet) and a concert (BBC Symphony @ Barbican).

  Now, going home to DC to a stack full of work at CDG.

  Later.

• In London

  

  Currently attending the Future of Web Apps conference here in London, UK. The first time that I have gone outside the Americas in my life. Got off to a bad start by missing the first day due to the Tube strike (thanks for a memorable start, guys…) and mobile phone problems.

  Hopefully, things will get better. Even as a write this, planning to do a few new things and the next two days will still hold some importance with regard to the work that I will be doing for the rest of the year.

  And then, two free days in the city…yes!

  Later.

• Another Blog Entry for CDG’s Book Club

  

  On the train back from NYC last Sunday (8/22), I got a chance to write not only the last blog entry (26.08.2001) but also one for CDG. In this case, it is the third CDG Book Club review. The book was Jeremy Keith’s HTML5 For Web Designers, a brief intro into the hottest topic on the web – HTML5.

  To buy this book – go to A Book Apart

  Interview with the author Jeremy Keith from The Big Web Show (5/7/10) – http://5by5.tv/bigwebshow/2

  BTW – The author will be in Washington, DC for An Event Apart conference on September 17th. Unfortunately, the conference has been sold out for months. However, there are some tickets still available for the one day workshop on Saturday, September 19th for HTML5/CSS3 with Ethan Marcotte.