The Dutch interaction designers over at Unitd have recently made a new post about a major pet peeve many of us have: creating a Table of Contents for Omnigraffle wireframes.
A simple ApplesScript allows you to create an on-the-fly Table of Contents in your document.
There is a great guide on the same site on how to install it. I’ve started using it and have customized it to match the Local Wisdom templates we use – it’s great, and shaves time off of this routine task.
Ran into this today when I logged into my google docs to update a spreadsheet. Not bad for V1 I have to admit and Pinaki will have to see if it can replace Omnigraffle, but I doubt it :) I logged in and made a quick workflow diagram to test it out, tell me what you think:
“About Google drawings
With Google Docs drawings you can easily create, share, and edit drawings online. Here are a few specific things you can do:
Edit drawings online in real time with anyone you choose, and invite others to view your edits in real time.
Chat with others who are editing your drawing, from within the drawings editor.
Publish drawings online to the world as images, or download them in standard formats.
Insert text, shapes, arrows, scribbles, and images from your hard drive or from the Web.
Lay out drawings precisely with alignment guides, snap to grid, and auto distribution.
Insert drawings into other Google documents, spreadsheets, or presentations using the web clipboard, then tweak them inline.”
There is a thin line we must walk between form and function. We’ll always have a bit of both.
If we had a scale from bare-bones utility versus over-the-top flashterbation, we’d be somewhere in the middle everytime. Sometimes we’ll lean towards the utility side and other times we’ll lean towards the experiential side. Usually this is a page-level decision depending on the page’s purpose.
Some examples of when we lean to the experiential side include: when we need to evoke emotion, display complex information, facilitate decisions, or guide through a flow.
We’ll lean to the utility side when we need to people to do something repeatedly, when delivering serious or sensitive information, or when we want to focus attention.
We usually have to rapidly prototype website UI all the time. We’re asked all the time, what’s the best program to wireframe within. Yes, we use OmniGraffle, Adobe InDesign, as well as Microsoft Visio to properly document UI screens and flows, but that’s usually not where we start.
Working with programs are usually slow and cumbersome; not only that, but they force us to think within their own limited set of constructs.
We start with a pencil, eraser, and paper. It not only helps us to produce screens quickly, it helps us to push ourselves to create multiple variations of screens to fully explore different interaction models.
“But Pinaki, I can’t draw?!?!”, you say. After I give you a mocking laugh, I’ll tell you that anyone can draw. Go ahead, pick up a pencil and paper. Draw a line. Now, draw a rectangle. Next, draw a circle. How about a star? If the objects on your paper can be identified by someone else, then you can sketch UI and wireframes.
Ran into this over at Mashable. Have to admit, competition is awesome for the public in general. If it wasn’t for Apple kicking azz and taking names in the last decade with the Ipod and Iphone, we’d all still have “Smart” phones like the blackberry… man I can’t stand that device… (10, 9, 8, calm down now)….
Now it seems like any product coming out has to have an amazing look and touch functionality to even compete. Now it seems Microsoft is throwing their hat in the mix with the Courier Tablet. It looks amazing, and it’s even been rumored that an LW employee who is a hardcore Mac user (who will not be named) is looking forward to the device. Hopefully RJay will let me play with it once he gets his hands on one… ooooops
Here’s some of the post:
“As we were clued into by earlier leaks, the Infinite Journal is the key metaphor for Courier. It’s like an enormous notebook for collecting pretty much any kind of content: clippings from the web, your own notes, diagrams and drawings, photos from the on-board camera, etc. Each item gets a timestamp and geotag, and you can add more tags for better searchability as well.
Several key “views” into your Journal are detailed in the leaked document, including a Smart Agenda that acts as a sort of a Cliff Notes representation of your entire journal, making important items visible at a glance. The Journal Overview is another style of at-a-glance window into the journal contents, with an integrated search interface. The Library is the main file browser metaphor that organizes everything by type. The left screen acts as a “favorites” tray where you can sticky your most important apps and projects in one place.
Also detailed is the Browser (pictured below), allowing you to easily clip content from the web into your journal. You can also flip through your history with a vertical Cover Flow-like index card system. Another handy organization metaphor is the ability to “tuck” items into the device’s spine to temporarily store something and move it from one section of your journal to another.”
This past week’s themes included all hands on deck, the art of proposal writing, and a Local Wisdom Halloween.
First, I wanted to start by congratulating members of the LW team, David Spira (Information Architect), Christine Robinson (Project Management), Pinaki Kathiari (Director of User Experience), and RJay Haluko (Sr. Web Designer), for the execution of a very large proposal. It was certainly a team effort and we got it done. Speaking of getting proposals done, there is definitely an art to writing proposals. No two proposals are the same. Our proposal process is as follows:
Gaining an understanding of a customer’s business needs
Aligning customer business needs with Local Wisdom expertise
Defining project scope, timeline, and cost
The finesse is always in the documentation. The final proposal should always speak to a customer’s unique business needs, the overall execution strategy, as well as the personality of the project.
Last week rounded off with one of our intranet Design Discovery meetings run by RJay. We believe having e v e r y o n e on a project team to discuss creative, helps drive our work as well as achieve consensus on the overall design direction. Engaging workshops with interactive creative Q&A makes for truly productive sessions.
Halloween was celebrated on Friday at our office, with some interesting, fun, and original costumes. Look out for pictures very soon!!!
Week 45 looks to be busy one. So expect some good commentary.
With that said, so long and till next week.
This weekly review has been brought to you by Derrick Larane, Director of Sales here at Local Wisdom.
You ever wonder how a website gets developed? Take a look at how we come up with the blueprints for your site as Pinaki discusses LW’s Information Architecture process. Send requests for screencasts to share@localwisdom.com and follow us at twitter.com/localwisdom and visit us at http://blog.localwisdom.com
This week’s themes included, for the love of Information Architecture, teamwork, sharing, Local Wisdom bringing the funny, bowling with wisdom and customer satisfaction.
The team had a second Information Architecture review meeting for one of our current intranet design projects. As an observant and empathic Account Manager, for this engagement, I was taken aback by the discussions, interactions, and overall teamwork between LW, the customer and their IT partners. What an awesome meeting. It’s always great when technology, creative, and customer business needs are aligned early. Wireframes, site maps, and content inventories can be a bit much to swallow but with a balanced diet of candid dialogue with a side of funny makes for productive working meetings.
Mid week our company had our monthly \\Share Meeting. We take this opportunity to come together and present new ideas, fresh perspectives, and also hear about the details and outcomes of recently completed projects. These are always fun and enlightening sessions. Pinaki Kathiari and Christine Robinson really do an awesome job of putting them together each month.
Upon completion of the sharing process it was time to bowl. North Brunswick Brunswick Zone was the location and fun was the situation. For photo evidence please click here. Shout out to Hope Zelinski and Joseph Campbell for making the trek to the outing.
I end this week with a quote from Jeff Bezos, Amazon.com founder, “We see our customers as invited guests to a party, and we are the hosts. It’s our job every day to make every important aspect of the customer experience a little bit better.” Those words were very evident this week. Till next week. This weekly review has been brought to you by Derrick Larane, Director of Sales here at Local Wisdom.
So print is dead. We see that with newspaper sales declining and whatnot.
With Google Wave, we see the beginning of the end for email. Email was developed 40 some odd years ago, even before the Internet. It’s time to give it the makeover that technology can now afford.
Introducing Google Wave, an online tool for real-time communication and collaboration. A wave can be both a conversation
and a document where people can discuss and work together using richly formatted text, photos, videos, maps, and more.
Grab some colleagues, pop some popcorn (this is long video), and get ready for this ride.
A wave is equal parts conversation and document. People can communicate and work together with richly formatted text, photos, videos, maps, and more.
A wave is shared. Any participant can reply anywhere in the message, edit the content and add participants at any point in the process. Then playback lets anyone rewind the wave to see who said what and when.
A wave is live. With live transmission as you type, participants on a wave can have faster conversations, see edits and interact with extensions in real-time.
So print is dead. We see that with newspaper sales declining and whatnot.