Archive for the ‘Uncategorized’ Category

Surfing on your phone is a “cringeworthy process”

You’ve got to love Jakob Nielsen’s use of the English language. In his Feb 17th Alertbox article “Mobile Web 2009 = Desktop Web 1998” he discusses the similarities he uncovered during a recent usability test of mobile sites: Abysmal success rates Download times dominate the user experience Scrolling causes major usability problems Bloated pages hurt users (not physically I hope) Unfamiliarity with a browser’s user interface limits the user’s options JavaScript crashed and problems with advanced media types (video, flash, etc) Reluctant to use websites on mobile... [read more]

Social media isn’t a cure-all

I loved reading this post from Ron Bronson about using 2.0 wisely in communicating your message: Most view their web sites as a tool to recruit new students and perhaps to reach out to alumni and the public at large. What they’ve not be able to understand, is how to communicate to these very different audiences using all of the mediums at their disposal, without compromising their message. The web is nimble and other mediums are not. The web is immediate, it’s fast and yet, if you’re not clear about who you’re trying to reach and target the message to that audience, it can be even more... [read more]

Uses and misuses of web design patterns

An interesting article on web design patterns is online at Webcredible. Getting your website right – uses and misuses of web design patterns A well designed website is absolutely crucial to future business, particularly when online is used as a channel for sales. This article looks at the pitfalls of website design patterns and how companies can use them successfully to aid website design, helping to ensure an online proposition that’s as effective as possible.  [read more]

Sync and back up your bookmarks

I have a penchant for Firefox addons…here’s one that I’ve just learned of called “Foxmarks.”  I store all my bookmarks on iGoogle so that I can access them from anywhere.  I began that practice shortly after my last laptop died – I hadn’t backed it up in a while, and so I lost stuff to The Great Beyond.  Yeah, you’d think that someone who works at MIT would know better… Foxmarks is a free add-on for your browser that syncs and backs up your bookmarks across multiple computers and more. Available for Firefox, Internet Explorer and Safari.... [read more]

i’m behind the times…Ma.gnolia.com is gone?

Geesh, when did this happen? Ma.gnolia.com Wired.com author Michael Calore writes: There was a meltdown at bookmark sharing website Ma.gnolia Friday morning. The service lost both its primary store of user data, as well as its backup. The site has been taken offline while the team tries to reconstruct its databases, though some users may never see their stored bookmarks again. The failure appears to be catastrophic. The company can’t say to what extent it will be able to restore any of its users’ data. It also says the data failure was so extensive, repairing the loss will take “days,... [read more]