With all of this knowledge to help guide one down the yellow-brick-road to “content nirvana”, I’d like to take a moment and talk about keeping it looking good. It isn’t enough to have amazing content, one needs to display it in a way where the user can digest it and not feel overwhelmed.

With over 80% of our websites now utilizing our Content Management System (CMS) our clients are able to update their site on their own. The amount of control we give them is based on their goals for the site as well as the person(s) who will ultimately be updating it. Some CMS instances are very robust, giving the user options to change almost anything, while some are quite simple for users who may have a limited technical background. Either option gives our clients a way to update each page and all the content therein. Whether reading an article from a magazine, a post on a blog or a page on a website, all content should be delivered effectively through design.

The best possible way for us to allow clients to do just that is to install What You See is What You Get (WYSIWYG) editors in our CMS.

WYSIWYG editors allow the user to create layouts of content in a meaningful and interesting way. When we are in the final stages of a project we always have an in-depth training session on how to use our CMS, but today I will highlight a few points where one can take full advantage of the tools they have been given.

H1s, H2s, H3s, OH MY!

Good typography in web design is crucial as it allows the user’s eyes to move through content efficiently. The best typography has sound rhythm and proportion creating a hierarchy of content for the user. One can create this hierarchy with the custom designed styles installed in the WYSIWYG editor. The styles we give our clients are as follows:

• Heading 1
• Heading 2
• Heading 3
• Heading 4
• Blockquote
• Paragraph
• Ordered and unordered lists
• In-line links
• A few extra styles for client specific content

Ding Dong My Style is Dead?

So we have created a page of typography wizardry that is both aesthetically pleasing and harmoniously balanced. Keeping that balance from page to page is just as important as first creating them. We provide this list of styles in the WYSIWYG editor so it’s easy as possible to keep pages consistent. The more consistent styles are the easier it is for the user to recognize aspects of the page and therefore the more likely they are to keep reading or click through.

That’s a Horse of a Different Color

With all of these beautifully consistent pages that house all this great content sometimes one needs to change it up a bit. Another great feature of our CMS allows clients to upload photos and documents. This feature can be used in some unique ways to not only enhance the content but also the user experience. For example:

1. Infographics and diagrams
These could be any size and create mood throughout a section.

2. Photos, illustrations and videos
These can really help dissect a page and breakup large paragraphs of content, inevitably allowing for less with just as much impact.

3. Graphical buttons with call-to-actions
Instead of links that are just text one can create a graphical button and attach a link to it.

5. Logos and other emblems
Something that many people forget about but can also aid in creating more appealing pages.

6. Tables
When there is data to be represented this way it is always good to use the right graphic for the job.

Because of all the Wonderful Things it Does

We give our clients ample opportunities to create aesthetically pleasing pages of content that create a consistent user experience. With the addition of WYSIWYG editors clients can use styles, upload images and layout data that can enhance their content strategy. For person(s) able to update their site, having this tool can be very beneficial in ensuring content is being delivered to the user in the best way possible.

Businesses love buzzwords. Many businesses will change their entire direction, sometimes against their better judgment, in an effort to attain the competitive edge the new “term” will give them. As quickly as trends come and go on the Internet, there simply is not enough time to research these new ideas thoroughly before implementing them. This leaves businesses not necessarily using the best practice or fully utilizing new concepts as they come down the pipes.

SEO (Search Engine Optimization) is one of these terms that has been spreading like wild fire. To compound the issues mentioned above, SEO is dictated by constantly evolving algorithms that are kept under lock and key by Search Engine companies.

Most people believe that the goal of SEO is to be “number one on Google.” This dogmatic mantra resonates through marketing meetings with cult like fervor. So much so that businesses are at times, losing site of the big picture.

The big picture is: the goal of your business. If your goal is to be number one on Google, then by all means, chant the mantra and go for it. However, most businesses are either offering a service or selling a product. With that in mind, while you are optimizing your site for search engines, make sure you are optimizing your site for customers.

It doesn’t do any good if you have a high rank on Google, but your website drives customers away in droves. Focus just as much on your site’s usability as well as its “findability.” SEO should be just one more tool in your marketing box, getting the same amount of attention as all of the others. An increase in traffic doesn’t equate to an increase in business. It simply increases the OPPORTUNITY to increase business.

While SEO is used in the context of being a magic bullet, know that it isn’t and use it for what it is originally intended and nothing more; and that’s simply making it easier for customers to find your site. The operative word here is “easier.” Not “the only” or the “best;” just easier. SEO, when working with other marketing initiatives will produce great results, but think of your marketing like a race car. When all the parts are functioning properly, the car will be able to stay competitive on the track. But regardless of how much work you put into the engine, your car won’t be going anywhere with flat tires.

Dogs have a deep sense of loyalty, are honest, playful and strong. When faced with danger or a difficult situation a dog will step up to protect those around him and ensure good deeds are always done. Dogs are tenacious, innovative and take more pride in the prosperity of their pack than they do in personal gain. They are perceptive and can easily pinpoint problems.

Galvin Technologies presents these qualities on behalf of our clients and more.

• Personality – We become our clients’ steadfast companion in achieving their goals.
• Persistence – We have the determination to get the job done the right way.
• Man’s Best Friend – Our clients become our friends.
• Strength – We are strong in knowledge, talent, technique and ethics.
• Fierce Loyalty – We aren’t just working for a pay check. We are committed to our clients.
• A “Leader of the Pack” Attitude – We do what it takes to put our customers ahead and set a standard in our industry.
• Learning the Industry’s New Tricks – We discover and use the best processes and practices of an ever-changing industry.

Our logo isn’t just any dog. It is, Stanley, who is the family dog of Gary Galvin. Stanley use to visit the office often but the growth in staff and his old age keep him home next to those he loves – his family. He still comes to the office at times when it is easy to do so. But on Wednesday, Stanley joined us for the Indianapolis Chamber of Commerce Schmooza Palooza and he was a big hit.

Stanley, The Galvin Dog, at Schmooza Palooza

All websites with login access have a “Forget Password” link that allows a user to input their username or email address and a new password will be sent to the user.  This is such a simple application to develop but the user experience can go wrong if it is not designed properly.

It is very easy for the user to get stuck or get confused on what their new password is.  I see a lot of applications developed in which the user receives their new password and is sent to a special webpage to enter their new system generated password.  Once they do that they are let in.  But the user will not remember the system generated password so when they logout and log back in at another time they will have to run through the Forget Password scenario over and over.  So to improve this process here are a few simple adjustments you can make to your functional use case and design:

1. User clicks “Forget Password”
2. User inputs their email address or username and clicks submit.
3. The system flags the account that the user has forgotten their password and that the password must be reset and sends the user a very friendly email. In this email will be link, with instructions, for the user to access a web page to reset their password. On this page the user is presented with two text boxes – password the user will like to set and confirm the password. Put a check in there too so that once the confirm password matches the password chosen a green check mark is placed next to the confirm box.
4. Once the user resets their password let the user in, remove the flag that is set in the database .

It’s ideal to guide the user through the website and to ensure the experience is ideal. Try to avoid system generated temporary passwords that the user will have to input into their login. Allow them to choose their own password.

Guide the user!

As someone who is a product of Generation X I understand that we are next in line to start taking care of our communities and our nation. This is our time to shine. I hope and pray that we elect the right officials, make conservative financial decisions, grow our businesses, properly educate our children and build success for the next generations to come. Each of us can make an impact.

Dvorak Simplified Keyboard

What would happen if, out of nowhere, a company came out with a better MP3 player than Apple? Better storage, more functions, etc. for a better price? Well, it’s happened. Multiple times. Some competing MP3 players offer all of these superiorities, but have failed to achieve the prestige of the Apple iPod due to its seemingly ever-increasing popularity. There are multiple reasons why the iPod has managed to own the competition, including – but not limited to – visual appeal of the product and the huge advantage that Apple has developed in advertising. Even if a product comes out on the market that is proven to be superior to the iPod, there’s a good chance it won’t surpass Apple’s stronghold on the mind of consumers as a whole.

A parallel can be drawn to the existence of a keyboard you might not be familiar with. The modern keyboard layout was created before computers even existed so as to prevent typewriters jamming. While the “QWERTY” layout (the most common modern keyboard) did indeed solve this relative annoyance, there was a concern about the fact that there existed only one vowel on the home row, a feature that still exists today. While effective in its purpose, the need for the layout of QWERTY was rendered moot by computers, machines that don’t have to be concerned with jamming in the same manner of typewriters. However, consumers had gotten extremely comfortable using the QWERTY, and it was perhaps inevitable that electronic keyboards would have the same character layout. Even today, the vast majority of the computer-using population uses a very slight variation of the original QWERTY. Look down at your hands, and there’s an exceedingly good chance that on the home row (middle row of letters), you will find exactly one vowel: “A.” One row up the first six letters will probably be Q-W-E-R-T-Y. The remnant of the typewriter-dominant past still exists.

Despite the fact that QWERTY prevented mechanical jamming on typewriters, there were concerns about the layout of the letters and the strain that was placed on hands during the action of typing. A different keyboard was created in the 1930s – the “DVORAK” – according to what letters were utilized most often and the way that people physically type; the most common characters are more accessible in DVORAK, and the lesser used are placed in more remote areas of the board. A, O, E, U and I are all on the home row, for example. Everything about the DVORAK points to superiority over the QWERTY. But, although the DVORAK is easier to get a hold of now than it was thirty years ago, the QWERTY still has the market by the throat. Yes, it would take you a bit of time to get used to the DVORAK, but carpel tunnel would be much less of a concern for you than it is now. Your efficiency would more than likely see a noticeable increase. But the QWERTY is what we are, as a whole, most comfortable with. The QWERTY, like the iPod, is what we use despite evidence that we should move on to the DVORAK, the usability pioneer in the keyboard world.

Our Interactive Portfolio

We at Galvin Technologies like to think of ourselves as the DVORAK of website usability. It’d be easy for us to go the same route as everybody else and design websites according to the QWERTY layout the industry has provided us, but we choose to take a step or two out of the box. We don’t want to completely buck the trend, and do pay close attention to the requirements of business models, but try to take into effect usability aspects: the QWERTY vs. the DVORAK. Just as the DVORAK was created with the user in mind, we design websites with the users in mind. The QWERTY was useful when it was necessary, but it’s time to move on; sometimes it’s better to come up with something new and a little different, more user-friendly, than continue to follow a trend of blatant usability inferiority.

He said, “It is time for me to step down and choose the next CEO. I have decided to choose one of you.”The young executives were shocked, but the boss continued. “I am going to give each one of you a SEED today – one very special SEED. I want you to plant the seed, water it, and come back here one year from today with what you have grown from the seed I have given you.

I will then judge the plants that you bring, and the one I choose will be the next CEO.”

One man, named Jim, was there that day and he, like the others, received a seed. He went home and excitedly, told his wife the story.. She helped him get a pot, soil and compost and he planted the seed. Everyday, he would water it and watch to see if it had grown.. After about three weeks, some of the other executives began to talk about their seeds and the plants that were beginning to grow.

Jim kept checking his seed, but nothing ever grew.
Three weeks, four weeks, five weeks went by, still nothing. By now, others were talking about their plants, but Jim didn’t have a plant and he felt like a failure. Six months went by — still nothing in Jim’s pot. He just knew he had killed his seed. Everyone else had trees and tall plants, but he had nothing. Jim didn’t say anything to his colleagues, however… He just kept watering and fertilizing the soil – He so wanted the seed to grow.

A year finally went by and all the young executives of the company brought their plants to the CEO for inspection. Jim told his wife that he wasn’t going to take an empty pot.

But she asked him to be honest about what happened. Jim felt sick to his stomach, it was going to be the most embarrassing moment of his life, but he knew his wife was right.
He took his empty pot to the board room. When Jim arrived, he was amazed at the variety of plants grown by the other executives. They were beautiful — in all shapes and sizes. Jim put his empty pot on the floor and many of his colleagues laughed, a few felt sorry for him!

When the CEO arrived, he surveyed the room and greeted his young executives. Jim just tried to hide in the back. “My, what great plants, trees, and flowers you have grown,” said the CEO.
“Today one of you will be appointed the next CEO!”
All of a sudden, the CEO spotted Jim at the back of the room with his empty pot. He ordered the Financial Director to bring him to the front.

Jim was terrified. He thought, “The CEO knows I’m a failure! Maybe he will have me fired!” When Jim got to the front, the CEO asked him what had happened to his seed – Jim told him the story.

The CEO asked everyone to sit down except Jim. He looked at Jim, and then announced to the young executives, “Behold your next Chief Executive Officer!
His name is Jim!” Jim couldn’t believe it. Jim couldn’t even grow his seed..

“How could he be the new CEO?” the others said.

Then the CEO said, “One year ago today, I gave everyone in this room a seed. I told you to take the seed, plant it, water it, and bring it back to me today. But I gave you all boiled seeds; they were dead – it was not possible for them to grow.
All of you, except Jim, have brought me trees and plants and flowers. When you found that the seed would not grow, you substituted another seed for the one I gave you. Jim was the only one with the courage and honesty to bring me a pot with my seed in it. Therefore, he is the one who will be the new Chief Executive Officer!”

* If you plant honesty, you will reap trust
* If you plant goodness, you will reap friends
* If you plant humility, you will reap greatness
* If you plant perseverance, you will reap contentment
* If you plant consideration, you will reap perspective
* If you plant hard work, you will reap success
* If you plant forgiveness, you will reap reconciliation
* If you plant faith in God, you will reap a harvest

So, be careful what you plant now; it will determine what you will reap later…
“Whatever You Give To Life, Life Will Give Back To You” “Whatsoever a man seweth; that he shall also reap.”