Behind The Scenes With Designfavoriter.se
by Jens Ode on januari 12, 2010
There is a lot to be said when it comes to implementing a web site. Due to client confidentiality I can never really explain the bits and pieces of this using real examples. So, this christmas holiday I decided to create my own real world example to use as a platform for getting behind the scenes.
I give you http://www.designfavoriter.se!
In a series of articles I will explain the strategies behind the creation of the site, the tools and technologies and all the bits and pieces I can come to think of. The article series is not meant to be a dive into technical stuff, but rather an overall view suitable for everybody working with online communication. The article series will deal with all the things that are important to think of such as content strategies, user generated content, spam protection, SEO etc etc.
The Article Series
The first article will be Content Strategies or How To Get 61 Pages From 13 Articles. This will be followed by an article on Getting Jiggy With Mashups or How To Use Yahoo Pipes. In all in I have planned for about eight articles, including a WordPress-dedicated article stepping through the inside configuration of the site.
Designfavoriter.se is connected to SIS-index, a swedish service that publishes visitor statistics , in order for you to be able to follow the progress of the site, http://www.sis-index.se.
If you want to follow the article series without the hassle of going here every day, make sure to add my RSS feed by clicking this link: http://jensode.se/blog/feed
And A Little Tip
If you are interested in design furniture or run an interior decoration blog, please feel free to register your blog on the blog index on the site: http://www.designfavoriter.se/ny-blogg/.
And if you know any design stores in Sweden that you would like to recommend, please feel free to add them to the store index (you will get a free link to your own site for every store you recommend): http://www.designfavoriter.se/ny-butik/.
On Cloud One With Dropbox
by Jens Ode on december 11, 2009
Today I got myself a new Netbook. In the old days, a new computer meant a lot of hassle getting files transferred back and forth. Luckily, these are the new days. No more USB sticks, burnt CD’s, floppy discs or magnetic tapes. To get all my important files in place I did only one thing. I installed Dropbox.
Presto, my Netbook is now filled with all those ever-so important documents, files and other stuff that otherwise would be stuck in some other computer. And this is not the best part. The best part is that whenever I change anything in any of those files it is automatically syndicated to my four other computers that I use on daily basis. If one hard disc fails, the files are available on-the-fly from another computer. And when I move from one computer to the other the files are in place and updated.
This cloud service grabs the spot as number one this year. If you haven’t done it yet – get a Dropbox account! As they say, they best things in life are free. And this one will save you a lot of time and headache.
The Kids Are Alright
by Jens Ode on december 1, 2009
Designing with your heart is often required to achieve a good result. There is especially one type of projects where you really need to put your heart and emotions into the project and that is designing for kids. The great reward is also there – that is the only time when you can really bring out those vivid colors and funny ideas. But it is not all technicolor-fantasies-with-oompa-loompas, there are a lot of things to keep in mind. I’ve done my fair share of kids projects, ranging from 3D animated movies, DVD games, web sites, micro sites, digital magazines and cartoon movies. The hardest projects have been those where the target audience is both the kid and the parent. How do you successfully make a movie/game that makes a three-year-old happy and keeps the parent (who buys and reviews the product) satisfied. The kid loves to watch the movie fifty-five times in a row, the parent gets bored the second time. You may bewilder your target audience (the kid) but you push away your buyer (the parent).
A while back ago I was involved in a project based on one of the worlds greatest storytellers and children book authors – Astrid Lindgren. In a project like that you really try to push yourself to create something that honors her beliefs and world of stories – not something that appeals to a market segment. It’s more important to find the heart of the stories than to find the best call to action, if you get what I mean.
This actually applies to most kids design, because kids are very good at spotting what’s ”constructed” and what’s ”created”. If you put your heart into the project, use your humor and intuition, odds are that you will end up with something that kids will enjoy. You will also probably have a lot of fun doing it. However, there are also a lot of things you need to keep in mind.
- First off – the legal stuff. Marketing for kids is, thank god, very restricted and you need to know what to do and what not to do.
- Secondly – kids need the same level of good navigation as grown-ups. Kids will not be able to use a crappy navigation system just because the buttons are bright red and blinking – they need a good system.
- Thirdly - click areas should be large and call to actions easy to spot (as always).
- Fourthly – combine text and icons. Younger kids can’t read (duh).
- Fifth – bright lights – big city. Think vivid colors and large and easily spotted shapes.
- Sixth – follow your heart, Luke.
One of the greatest compilations of kid sites available today with a lot of good pointers has been compiled by Smashing Magazine. Check it out for inspiration and ideas!