Synthasite is a Web 2.0 publishing platform that enables anyone to build a website for free. The website features easy to use drag and drop interface which is compatible with all browsers.
* Who are the users?
Websites are build by a variety of people, such as designers,45 artists, hobbyists, small businesses, gamers, bloggers, schools, and countless other people and organizations.
• Information chunk (gestalt principle, amount information)
The Sythasite website presents the information about it’s services in short and concise sentences. The platform allows the user to easily create pages without using HTML code, and follows the standard rules of dropping and dragging of widgets or other RSS feeds.
* Relevance (graphics, content, reading level, text)
This Web 2.0 publishing platform is simple to use. The instructions are well sequenced and the pages are easily created with predesigned templates which can be customized. The website does not contain very much information which would hinder the user from creating and developing their own site with too much difficulty. The novice computer user can easily create a website which encompasses all of the elements of interface design, usability, visuabilty, functionality, and accessibility.
On Interactivity
* Orientation (Can you find the path, and know your way around?)
The platform makes it easy to create and manage the pages of the website without using the HTML codes and linking tools used in other web authoring providers or applications like Dreamweaver. Syntasite automatically creates a primary navigation menu as you create each new page. It also allows the user to edit the pages and the navigation through a site manager.
On Screen Design
# Attractive (first impression)
My initial impression of the Synthasite home page was it was very good. The site invites the user to create a new website for free and presents the information with a professional look and feel. The site utilizes a lot of white space. Even though the page does have rotating images in the main section, they use subtle transitions which do no distract away from the other sections of important information.
I like the professional look and feel of the templates which Synthasite has. The services are a great tool to create and publish websites for free, customize pages without the use of HTML codes, and incorporate the uses of other Web 2.0 tools by dropping and dragging in links to social networks, widgets, and other providers and hosting services.
Dow/Dowe Family Website
http://dowanddowefamilywebsite.synthasite.com/Updates.php
Tuesday, April 29, 2008
Tuesday, April 22, 2008
Web 2.0 Conference @ Moscone Center
Today, I went down to the Moscone Center to register for the Web 2.0 conference. The conference starts tomorrow, Wednesday, April 23, 2008 at 10:00. I was told by Patrick, the event coordinator, that the first 300 people will receive a free t-shirt. I'm not quite sure if I'll be able to attend the conference at any time before Thursday, so I probably won't get one.
FYI - My name was not registered or in the computer, so I lucked up when Patrick gave me a free badge to the exhibits only. Let me know if anyone has any similar experiences. Thanks...
FYI - My name was not registered or in the computer, so I lucked up when Patrick gave me a free badge to the exhibits only. Let me know if anyone has any similar experiences. Thanks...
Reflection to class on April 22, 2008
Tonight, in class, we were grouped into groups of three,, and directed t view and comment on each other's site. I was paired with Joshua and Marcus. they both have done a great job at putting their Blogs togeter. My Blog leaves a lot of room for improvement. Intially, when class began, I tried to connect with a few of my classmates from ITEC #830, but I was unsuccessful. After that, I got caught up with the heavy load of work, from my classes, and basicaly developed my Wiki and Blog to the best of my abilities. Unfortunately, I was having a lot of difficulty until Christina showed me hoe to create a page element for links. I'm very grateful for her help.
After the class made comments to our partners, Dr. Foreman gave the class an outline to base our final proposal on. It looks like its going to be a lot more than what I expected, but it'll be alright. I'm practically finished with my #894 project, and started adding Web 2.0 activities throughout the lessons already. I only need to fine tune and post everything onto my website, Keys 2 Digital Music.
After the class made comments to our partners, Dr. Foreman gave the class an outline to base our final proposal on. It looks like its going to be a lot more than what I expected, but it'll be alright. I'm practically finished with my #894 project, and started adding Web 2.0 activities throughout the lessons already. I only need to fine tune and post everything onto my website, Keys 2 Digital Music.
Tuesday, April 15, 2008
Design of Everyday Things _ Chapter #1 Reflection
Voice thread Outline
Oil burner, which uses tea light candles
Accordances,
• Refers to the perceived and actual properties of the thing, primarily those fundamental properties that determine just how the thing could possibly be used.
• Afford = is for
Constraints,
• Make something easy to use with few errors. Is to make it impossible to do otherwise.
• Constrain the choices.
Mappings,
• The relationship between two things, between the controls and their movement
• Is the set of possible operations.
• Good mapping has a natural relationship between the controls and the thing being controlled.
Feedback,
• In design, it is important to show the effect of an action.
• Without feed back we turn o\ff equipment at improper times or restart unnecessarily.
• What result has been accomplished.
Visibility,
• The correct parts must be visible, and they must convey the correct message.
• What parts operate and how.
• Visibility indicates the mapping between intended actions and actual operations.
Conceptual model –
• In order to know how to use things, we need a conceptual model of how they work.
• Other clues to how things work come from their visible structure, in particular from affordances, constraints, and mapping.
The fundamental principles of designing for people are:
1) Provide a good conceptual model.
2) Make things visible.
Oil burner, which uses tea light candles
Accordances,
• Refers to the perceived and actual properties of the thing, primarily those fundamental properties that determine just how the thing could possibly be used.
• Afford = is for
Constraints,
• Make something easy to use with few errors. Is to make it impossible to do otherwise.
• Constrain the choices.
Mappings,
• The relationship between two things, between the controls and their movement
• Is the set of possible operations.
• Good mapping has a natural relationship between the controls and the thing being controlled.
Feedback,
• In design, it is important to show the effect of an action.
• Without feed back we turn o\ff equipment at improper times or restart unnecessarily.
• What result has been accomplished.
Visibility,
• The correct parts must be visible, and they must convey the correct message.
• What parts operate and how.
• Visibility indicates the mapping between intended actions and actual operations.
Conceptual model –
• In order to know how to use things, we need a conceptual model of how they work.
• Other clues to how things work come from their visible structure, in particular from affordances, constraints, and mapping.
The fundamental principles of designing for people are:
1) Provide a good conceptual model.
2) Make things visible.
Sunday, April 13, 2008
Five Fframe Story
The five frames which I choose was of a street perormer I saw down in Fisherman's Wharf, during the 2007 Winter break. when I first saw the two soldiers dancing together, I was quite fascinated. When we first got to the area where they were dancing, I thought it was two children panhandling for money, by dancing. As I looked closer, I could tell they weren't children, but I wasn't quite sure what was going on. After about five minutes of this waltz around the square, a man took the costume off. He manipulated the costume by bending over and using his hands and feet to move around in circles.
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