LevelTen In-Site

I found this website that is really good for creative inspiration along with other helpful tips for people in this business . . .

http://www.howdesign.com

Overture is to be renamed Yahoo! Search Marketing Solutions. The name change is the result of Overture and parent company Yahoo! combining their search marketing products. According to Overture, the name change will occur early in the second quarter of 2005 and will allow easier management of online marketing campaigns. Overture SEO tools will be renamed as well.

Link to Overture press release.
http://www.corporate-ir.net/ireye/ir_site.zhtml?ticker=over&script=410&layout=-6&item_id=680120

Question
Hi I am a student at Lake Land College in IL. and currently am taking a class on Web Page Design. One of my assignments is to a professional web page designer “Is it necessary for a professional web designer (someone who designs websites for others for profit) to know HTML coding?” I would really be thankful If you could Help me by emailing me back as soon as possible.

Jill

Answer
Jill,

It depends how you are working and what kind of sites you are building.

Basically to complete a full website you have to generate page mark up (e.g. HTML or XHTML) code. There are three options for code generation:
1. Use a WYSIWYG web page designer such as FrontPage, DreamWeaver, NetObject Fusion or Adobe GoLive.
2. Learn to hand code HTML.
3. Have someone else do the code.

Most freelance graphic designers use the first technique. However, WYSIWYG web page designers produce bloated non-standards based code which can cause multiple issues with a site. This might be OK for amateur and small-business sites, but it has no place in mid-sized and larger corporate communications.

Hand coding an entire site in HTML to match W3C standards - including JavaScript, CSS, DHTML - requires a significant learning curve. In addition, most high-end sites have some level of server scripting, such as PHP, ASP, Java or ColdFusion, that add a considerable amount of complexity. (You will see high-end sites adding more and more features that require server-side scripting in the future.)

For our internal staff, which is typical of mid-sized and large web development firms, we divide our web developers into three primary skill sets:
1. Graphic Designers
2. Page Coders
3. Programmers
(Actually, there are more skill sets, such as Flash, audio, video and print, but the above are core skill sets for all websites.)

While each developer has a core skill set, they all have some level of expertise in secondary skill sets.

Our Page Coders are HTML, JavaScript, CSS, and DHTML experts. Several also have solid graphic design and programming skills. Our programmers can do server side programming and HTML page coding. (Being highly technical, creative design tends not to be one of a programmer’s strengths.)

Our graphic designers focus primarily on creative and branding. All know HTML and use it to insert content into web pages. However, the bulk of the HTML code generated is done by the page coders who have in depth training in page mark up standards and best practices.

It is good for a web graphics designer to know HTML code. It gives them more flexibility and an appreciation for how to build websites around HTML structures. However, we do not view in-depth knowledge as a requirement.

As a last note, all mediums used to output your graphics will require some technical knowledge. For example, print requires understanding what replicates well on different types of printing presses (e.g. 4 color process, web presses, digital), paper specs, CMYK and spot colors, aqueous and varnishes, die cutting, binding and more.

Not knowing the technical aspects of your graphic output, regardless of media, will limit your ability to freelance or be hired by a firm.

Here is a pretty good article about the battle of browsers. Seems that Firefox following is cooling down as percentage of growth is decreasing.

Read story

Many business owners need to accept payments online, but are confused by the many options and services available. Following is a glossary, and a brief summary of the issues involved:

Merchant Account. This is not a checking account, but an agreement with a Merchant Account Service Provider to process credit card payments and make deposits into your checking account. The MASP is not a bank, but their service is obtained through, and coordinated with, a brick-and-mortar bank. Online processors can’t set this up for you, and neither can your web developer.

Platform. One of several electronic data transfer protocols used for financial transactions. Your MASP and Gateway have to use the same Platform.

Gateway. The online processor who provides the mechanism through which credit cards are verified and processed in real-time. There are many, including Autorize.net, iTransact, eProcessingNetwork, 2Checkout, Linkpoint, and others.

API. Most gateways (but not all), offer this Application Programming Interface, a “toolbox” with which your eCommerce programmer can connect to the gateway and verify charges “behind the scenes”, without sending your customer to someone else’s website. Since each gateway’s API is different, but the costs of processing charges are very similar, it is often to your advantage to use a gateway with whose API your programmer is familiar.

AVS. Address Verification System, a mechanism for verifying that the cardholder knows the billing address on the account. If not, the charge is usually fradulent. People who have recently moved will sometimes be flagged by AVS, and will not be able to complete a purchase.

CVV. A 3-digit number on the back of the card that proves that the purchaser actually has the card in hand, not just the number. Currently, only Discover actually requires this data, but the others will soon.

SSL. Secure Socket Layer, a protocol by which all data transfer from the customer’s computer to your webserver is encrypted with military-grade encryption. This is referred to as a “secure link”, and is implemented by the programmer using a
digital certificate, which is either setup on the server for the use of multiple clients, or purchased specifically by the customer. Under no circumstances should credit card numbers be submitted except over a secure link.

The good news is, you don’t have to know all this. Your bank can set you up with a Merchant Account and the Service Provider, and will often provide the necessary configuration data to your selected gateway. Your web development team can do most of the rest. You, then, have to select which of the following levels of service you want to use, based on your business needs, and budget.
These are listed in increasing order of sophistication. In general, they are also listed in ease of use for the customer and positive image for your company. The options requiring programming may cost more to setup, but will also usually cost less per transaction.

1. Paypal (standard). Use a link, send the customer to Paypal. If they don’t get too aggravated, they may pay you for something, but there is no good way to track payments, provide instant downloads, capture their name or email, etc.
2. Paypal (with an API). Similar to below, but requires the customer to do more. Basically free
3. Gateway (without an API). Customer fills out a form, is sent to another website to enter credit card data, and perhaps sent back to you. Very clumsy and unprofessional looking, and requires multiple steps to capture their information.
4. Gateway (with an API). Customer fills out a form, the charge is verified in the background (also AVS, if used), data can be saved to a database, emails sent, and a confirmation screen displayed. The best choice.

http://www.earthtimes.org/articles/show/1800.html

For those of you who want Microsoft IE to go down flames fast, I have bad news. Apparently the initial enthusiasm at the release of Firefox in October of last year is waning.

As we all know, navigation is a very important factor in increasing click through rates by assisting the user in finding information quickly and easily. Let’s think of navigation in our everyday lives and apply it to websites. How difficult would it be to drive to Memphis, TN, without signs. We would have a general direction, but would sooner or later need to take every exit off the Interstate then come back to the Interstate and continue until we find our way. ..Very time consuming!

It is the same with websites that have internal links on internal pages, but do not have those links on the homepage, in drop-down menus, or an easily findable sitemap. By showing all links, you are forcing dropdowns or page scrolling but it is still much faster than having to click on each option, search the internal page links, then click back to go to the next page and try it again until you find the correct information.

Any time you can take the burden off the users our site will be more valuable to your customers.

I read an interesting excerpt about Razorfish Germany that did a usability test of placing the main navigation on the right-hand side of websites instead of typical top and left sides. The study concluded that not only did the users not mind the change, but it provided easier access to the scrollbar for faster navigation and made it easier to concentrate on the content.

Take a look at Audi’s website located at www.audi.com and give your thoughts.

You will never look at a cup of coffee the same way again. A young woman went to her mother and told her about her life and how things were so hard for her. She did not know how she was going to make it and wanted to give up. She was tired of fighting and struggling. It seemed as one problem was solved, a new one arose. Her mother took her to the kitchen.

She filled three pots with water and placed each on a high fire. Soon the pots came to boil. In the first she placed carrots, in the second she placed eggs, and in the last she placed ground coffee beans. She let them sit and boil, without saying a word. In about twenty minutes she turned off the burners. She fished the carrots out and placed them in a bowl. She pulled the eggs out and placed them in a bowl. Then she ladled the coffee out and placed it in a bowl. Turning to her daughter, she asked, “Tell me, what do you see?”

“Carrots, eggs, and coffee,” she replied. Her mother brought her closer and asked her to feel the carrots. She did and noted that they were soft. The mother then asked the daughter to take an egg and break it. After pulling off the shell, she observed the hard boiled egg. Finally, the mother asked the daughter to sip the coffee. The daughter smiled, as she tasted its rich aroma. The daughter then asked, “What does it mean, mother?” Her mother explained that each of these objects had faced the same adversity. Boiling water and each reacted differently.

The carrot went in strong, hard, and unrelenting. However, after being subjected to the boiling water, it softened and became weak. The egg had been fragile. It’s thin outer shell had protected its liquid interior, but after sitting through the boiling water, its inside became hardened. The ground coffee beans were unique, however. After they were in the boiling water, they had changed the water. Which are you?” she asked her daughter. “When adversity knocks on your door, how do you respond?” ” Are you a carrot, an egg, or a coffee bean?”

Typical human scan patterns suggest upper left to right center then bottom left when scanning a website. Page layouts should incorporate logos, important information and calls to actions in these areas to increase ease of use and click through rates.

With this in mind, pages should load the same way. By using our current standards of loading header, then content, finally left menu and footer; we not only move relevant content for search engines up in our code (increasing SE friendliness), but also follow human scan patterns.

Very interesting - give your thoughts.