IM 190

You will use a usability testing software called Silverback to perform some usability tests on your site. Before you have someone else sit down in front of your site, decide what type of testing you would like to do.
“Get it” testing – Show them the site and see if they know how it works, it’s [...]

Get the latest Flash Player to see this player.
[Javascript required to view Flash movie, please turn it on and refresh this page]

document.getElementById(“player1″).style.display = “”;

var s1 = new SWFObject(“http://crbarnett.com/im190/wp-content/plugins/flv-embed/flvplayer.swf”,”player1″,”615″,”471″,”7″);
s1.addParam(“wmode”,”transparent”);
s1.addParam(“allowscriptaccess”,”always”);
s1.addParam(“allowfullscreen”,”true”);
s1.addVariable(“height”,”471″);
s1.addVariable(“width”,”615″);
s1.addVariable(“file”,”http://crbarnett.com/im190/wp-content/uploads/videos/sprites.flv”);
s1.addVariable(“image”,”http://crbarnett.com/im190/wp-content/uploads/posters/sprites.jpg”);
s1.addVariable(“link”,”http://crbarnett.com/im190/wp-content/uploads/videos/sprites.flv”);
s1.write(“player1″);

Topics covered for this assignment are:
Absolute and Relative Positioning
http://css-tricks.com/absolute-positioning-inside-relative-positioning/
Image Sprites for Navigation
http://css-tricks.com/css-sprites/
Box Model
http://css-tricks.com/the-css-box-model/
and Floats
http://css-tricks.com/video-screencasts/42-all-about-floats-screencast/
UPDATE: This is no longer a required assignment. (You’re welcome) Instead, just see it as a way to learn CSS techniques you can utilize for your final project.

Choose one of the following development routes you will take only after you have gathered and organized all the content for your site. That is all the body copy, page titles, images, videos, etc.
Exceptional comprehension of PSD to HTML/CSS conversion
Use only PSD graphics you created, or downloaded as a theme template, and convert the design [...]

Begin this week’s reading at chapter 7 and read through chapter 8,The Farmer and the Cowman Should Be Friends. Stop at chapter 9 and answer the following questions on an HTML file.
Questions

What are the things YOUR home page will accommodate? Teases? Content or feature promos? Timely content? Deals? Shortcuts?
Determine how you will accomplish these [...]

Grey Box Mockups
The first step you will take in developing your final site is structuring the basic user interface for your homepage and sub pages. This part of the design process will not focus on colors, texture, and typography but rather on clean, logical organization of the information on the page. Read about the benefits [...]

Due: Thursday, May 13th. Read information at bottom for more details.
Introduction:
Title page: name of project, names of team members, group e-mail addresses, title of site, date
Abstract:
150 word paragraph; State the problem, methods to solution, expected results; No references or examples should be included; short and to the point.
Table of contents:
Report should break the project down [...]

Imagine that you’ve been blindfolded and locked in the trunk of a car, then driven around for a while and bumped on a page somewhere deep in the bowels of a Web site. If the page is well designed, when your vision clears you should be able to answer these questions without hesitation.

What site is [...]

Get a Group… or not
This will begin the final project. You will have an opportunity to pair up with at least one other person to work on the final with. It is optional, however, to have a partner. You can work alone on the project.
Each person, or group of people will turn in one copy [...]

Begin this week’s reading at chapter 4 and read through chapter 6, Street Signs and Breadcrumbs. Stop at chapter 7 and answer the following questions on a Text Edit HTML file.
Questions

What is Krug’s second law of usability?
What are the benefits of removing needless words from web pages?
When you enter a website, what is the process [...]