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Post from: The Galvin Blog

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Motion Type video for 51st Annual Grammy Awards ad campaign.

Following up on Gary’s post about the rigorous processes we go through in the course of a project and how project management is so important to this process, I wanted to touch on the subject of content and how important it is to design.

Content comes in many forms in the context of interface design. It gives users a sense of what the site is about through navigation, provides direction in the form of buttons, confirms actions inside interactive forms and can be seen as imagery together with main body copy. All of these forms of content are used to strengthen the overall user experience and give the site meaning and validity. 

So why is content important to design?
In the beginning of a project, content is considered to construct site-maps and put together functional diagrams. After that there can be a disconnect of what specific ideas and information the site needs to convey. Content can get pushed to the end of a project because the client wants to focus on the structure and overall project plan. This can eventually bring the project to a standstill. Designers need content at the beginning of the project because we use it to plan the way users interact with the site (wireframes), to create a consistent and useable hierarchy and most importantly, to make sure the information that will accomplish the client’s goals is presented in the best way possible. 

Solutions
So what are some things we can do to insure that content is given the attention it deserves? First of all, it is the job of the designer to educate the client and the project manager of the importance that content plays in the overall objective of the site. More specifically, we as a team can plan out the process in the early stages of the project so it has the best chance for success.

1. Initial Discussion
Before the wireframes are created, there should be a discussion over the content of the site that involves the client, copy writer, the designer and project manager. Ideally, this discussion should be in three parts:
a ) What content do we have and what are we using or throwing out?
b ) What are the new goals and what is the main message for the website?
c ) What imagery, charts or specific functionality do we need to help convey the new goals and new message?

2. Outline of Content for All Pages
A content outline of each page of the website should be created not only to keep track of what content is on-hand and what is still needed, but also so that all parties know what to expect when the website is developed. This insures smaller more-specific goals are met.

3. Internal Collaboration
A discussion should take place with project managers, developers and designers over what will be presented to the client in the initial comps.  What content can be used in the initial design comps to convey the meaning and functionality of each element? This communication will give designers the knowledge to best design for usability and in-turn will insure developers implement the interface correctly.
 
4. Content & Design Audit
After the design is implemented and content has been developed, an audit should be done for all pages of the site. This audit involves making sure the design is supporting the content and that the content is fresh and easily navigated. Is this page conveying what we intended? Do we need a different call-out to bring importance to a certain event? Is the homepage talking to the intended audience, and do we need a call-to-action? These are all questions that need to be answered before a site is launched.

Conclusion
Content is a key ingredient to building a successful website. It is important to the validity of the site as well as the usability and success of its design. Therefore, it should be addressed in the beginning of the design phase. Creating good content requires collaboration throughout the project with the client and development teams to insure all expectations are met and goals are reached.

Post from: The Galvin Blog

Better Content for a Better Experience

Paul Boag writes about the benefits of hand-drawn wireframes in The 7 Wonders of Wireframes and that many can be done in a small amount of time. More importantly, I think, he identifies the key reasons of why this stage is so successful:

1. Improves Team Work
Wire-framing brings together all members of the team. These discussions help manage roles, responsibilities and scope.

2. Better Communication
This stage not only improves team work but it also makes the subsequent steps in the project run much smoother by bringing developers and designers together early on in the project.

3. Engages Our Clients
By including our clients in the wire-framing step we can educate them on all aspects of web development; from key terms to technologies utilized. This also increases the chance of meeting client expectations and goals early on in the project.

4. More Choices
Because wireframes are easy and fast to produce we can show more options at this phase and inevitably have the best result at the design phase.

5. A Testing Stage
A wireframe is the visual representation of our textual “use cases”. A “use case” documents the flow and functionality of key elements on a page. We can use wireframes and “use cases” to internally test how these key components should function.

6. Easier to Rework
Through the use of wireframes our clients can start to see how the site will be laid out. Since they are much faster to produce than design compositions, many more changes and tweaks can be done at this stage without a significant amount of rework.

7. Keeps Projects Within Budget
Wireframes bring together our teams, improve communication with clients and are easily changed and reworked. With all of these important factors projects can run smoothly and more efficiently to save time and costs.

Finally, it is our job to educate clients on how and why we have these processes. That even though this stage can be a bit slow and visually unexciting, it is advantageous to the end result. It is crucial in the beginning to step back from any design aesthetics and plan the best flow, hierarchy and functionality for each project.

Post from: The Galvin Blog

The Importance of Wireframes

We recently launched one of our newest projects, MyCarbonPledge.com. My Carbon Pledge is an initiative of the Indianapolis Zoo to inform the public about the deleterious effects of carbon gas emissions on our ecosystems and wildlife habitats. The zoo’s efforts to date have mainly centered on the polar bear. As the projections show, two thirds of their population will be gone by the year 2050 due to the loss of Arctic sea ice. MyCarbonPledge.com is at the heart of this campaign, allowing the community to become actively involved in fighting carbon emissions. My Carbon Pledge’s first launch was on Earth Day 2008 and promoted the switch of incandescent light bulbs to CFL bulbs. This first launch turned out to be quite a success with roughly 55,000 bulbs pledged for a total of 8,250,000 lbs of CO2 emissions saved. The zoo then came to us with a new campaign to continue this cause.

This resulted in the new, redesigned and restructured MyCarbonPledge.com. The goal for this year’s pledge was to get people to unplug their unused appliances, while still honoring last year’s pledge of switching to CFL bulbs. The idea was that even though you are not using the appliance there are still carbon gasses being emitted due to energy consumption while it’s plugged in, something that is known as “phantom power”. It is estimated that this simple step can reduce CO2 emissions by 1% and in turn further help sustain the Arctic sea ice and wildlife.

There were two main goals for the 2009 MyCarbonPledge website redesign: 1) market the new message and 2) redesign and reorganize the site to make it more usable. These goals would utilize web development standards, modern technologies and communication design.

By organizing the content better and streamlining the wireframe we were able to strengthen the overall usability of the site. The previous homepage had too much information and the hierarchy wasn’t clearly identified. The new design utilizes a grid system that clearly defines the different sections and allows the user’s eyes to move down the page with ease. The user can still pledge from the homepage as before, but the new pledge and login overlays allow for a cleaner interface. The idea being that the cleaner the interface, the more impact the call-to-action could ultimately have. The new design gives character to the brand evoking playfulness and personality. We created more contrast between the colors and used a dramatic background to give depth and create an environment for the site.

The different sections of the website were also streamlined. The green articles, resources and other links were not well organized in the sitemap. Therefore, users were not getting the information they needed. Thus more attention was paid to calling out these sections inside the site to help users get more excited about the entire campaign. Lastly, we implemented a social media strategy to help get their message out to the public.

The site launched on Earth Day 2009 and has already received 440+ pledges. This project has not only fashioned a business relationship at the Indianapolis Zoo, but is also something we are proud to be associated with. Pledge what you can, and we hope you enjoy the site.

Post from: The Galvin Blog

The New MyCarbonPledge.com

The article discussed the influence that frivolous design can have in a time where people are cutting back on many things they once thought were a necessity.  Expensive furnishings, extravagant tech-toys, and limited editions are still respected, but omitted by the consumer… and designers’ responsibilities will now focus on client goals rather then their own.

A reader from the aforementioned article commented about his friend’s job designing dashboard instruments for General Motors. His friend had designed a speedometer that worked great at night, but was practically unusable in bright daylight.  He had said to his friend, “a great deal of time and effort has been expended to develop instruments which can be read easily and accurately under all conditions. Why don’t you put one of those in the new cars?” And his friend replied, “if we put the best possible speedometer in the cars today, what are we going to do for next year?”

I wasn’t surprised with this reply. Yes, businesses walk a fine line between providing the latest and greatest products, while at the same time withholding certain advancements to maintain a long term product line-up. Companies will always have their priorities, but designers should have theirs as well. Designers need to make sure the client knows what they are investing in will make their brand strong for years to come.

I believe the future of web design can be this bright. Ms. Arieff stated in her article that designers should aim for longer use and fewer materials. In my opinion, in this economy it also holds true for web development. While we might not build with raw materials, we do however build with ideas that shape what the end result will be. The product needs to be strategically planned for the long run; a website that exudes the brand, is communicating the goal and is easily updated.

BuyAMeter

Smart design has now become a priority because it’s quick and to the point; allowing the user to have their experience and move on with their day. BuyAMeter.org is one example in the article which I believe she used to show design has its purpose no-matter what state the economy is in, and purhaps even more critical in its current state. This site has one goal; awareness. The goal is reached by the design and functionality working together. The newspaper visually represents the information and also is a cue on how to navigate the site. The content provides an interesting point-of-view and informs the user within seconds. This site is not functionally expensive, it has no chrome, but does its job; leaving a lasting impression on the user.

Not every site is able to be as conceptually engaging, especially with consumer-based sites. No matter what the final soultion is or what the goals are, the process is the same. Web design isn’t a question of form over function; it is a question of using form to propel the function. As graphic designers our “purposeful pursuits” will be to produce something that is built to last.

Post from: The Galvin Blog

Designing For Any Economy