10 Tips Your Development Partner Wants You To Know

10 Tips Your Development Partner Wants You To Know10 Tips Your Development

Partner Wants You To KnowFrost SimulaFrost Simula

FrostSimula.comFrostSimula.com

Frost SimulaSoftware Analyst, Strategist, and

Digital Producer

Frost SimulaSoftware Analyst, Strategist, and

Digital Producer

17 years of thought leadership 17 years of thought leadership and experience developing web and experience developing web applications and digital products.applications and digital products.

The NerderyThe NerderyMinneapolis, Minnesota, USAMinneapolis, Minnesota, USA


Most Valuable ToMost Valuable To

Project stakeholdersProject stakeholders

Web designersWeb designers


User eXperience (UX) engineers & Content Strategists (CS)User eXperience (UX) engineers & Content Strategists (CS)

Digital ProducersDigital Producers

Project ManagersProject Managers

In this presentationIn this presentation Review the paradigm shift in online software priorities.Review the paradigm shift in online software priorities.

Pitfalls to avoid in your project process.Pitfalls to avoid in your project process.

How to spot the most overlooked parts of software design.How to spot the most overlooked parts of software design.

How to make the most of your development budget.How to make the most of your development budget.


The Way We’ve Done ItThe Way We’ve Done It


Start Finish

UX/IA/CS and Visual Design

Development



Start Finish


Development

Disconnected!



Start Finish


Development

Form follows function… That has been misunderstood. Form and function should be one, joined in a spiritual union.“

”- Frank Lloyd Wright


As we increase our dependency on online

information and services, technology grows more

complex to meet the demand.

Concept

Taking advantage of New Media means planning for new

complexities, new variables, and new dimensions of

thought.

Impact

Dependency vs. Complexity


Common website priorities through the years:

1993

Having an actual website

1994

Animated GIFs

1995

Page load speed

1996

Cross-browser support

1997

Flash animations

1998

Support for many screen

sizes

1999

Programming Languages

CGI, ASP, JSP

2000

Higher search engine rankings

2001

Adding database

functionality

2002

Content Management

Systems (CMS)


Common website priorities through the years:

2003

Usability

2004

Internationalization

2005

Selling ad space

2006

Syndicated content

RSS Feeds

2007

Social Media pages

2008

QR codes and getting “Likes”

2009

Content Delivery Networks (CDN)

2010Responsive

Design / Mobile compatibility

2011iPhone

CompatibilityReplacing Flash with

jQuery

2012

Remarketing

The Most Skilled Development Partners are those with experience. Like anything in life,

you get what you pay for.

Tip #1

Hire HistoryTip #1

Hire History



The most cost-effective solutions are those that

have a vision bigger than their implementation.

Concept

Revealing your long-term plans to your development partner empowers them to

design systems that can grow with you.

Impact

The Big Picture


Growth patterns

Consult your development partner about every future possibility, even if you don’t intend to

build them right away.

Tip #2

Confess.Tip #2

Confess.



The Development phase introduces new project constraints that directly

affect the Design.

Concept

Identifying development constraints at the outset of a project guides the production of initial designs, rather than

having to spend time and money on design re-work later

in the project.

Impact

Form AND Function


How soon should you get your developer involved?

Engage your development partner as early as possible.

Tip #3

Sooner the Better.Tip #3

Sooner the Better.



Many websites are required to comply with government regulations regarding ecommerce

(PCI), education standards (SCORM), handicap

accessibility (ADA), and other important areas.

Concept

These constraints affect process flows and designs, but do not necessarily have major impacts on timeline if

considered early.

Impact

Playing by the Rules


Section 508 – ADA compliance

Start Finish

Research and address compliance requirements before beginning design.

Applying legal considerations as an afterthought always increases the required

effort.

Tip #4

legal from the start.Tip #4

legal from the start.



The labor portion of a budget and timeline are

directly affected by technology choices.

Concept

Some platforms require licenses that reduce budget, or include complexities that

require an extended timeline.

Impact

It All Adds Up


Subtracting from the Labor

$100,000 Budget

-$30,000 Design

-$70,000 Development

Work with your development partner to choose a platform that financially balances

your technology needs with your production effort.

Tip #5

Allocate your budget.Tip #5

Allocate your budget.



Sample content provides real-world examples that

guide design in a far more productive fashion than placeholder copy and

media.

Concept

Designers and developers alike can plan for unique

instances of content presentation when sample

content is used. This is often difficult or impossible with

placeholder content.

Impact

Realism Trumps Impressionism


Lorem Ipsum vs Sample Content

Lorem Ipsum Dolor Sit

Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Curabitur eu ornare ligula. Donec dolor leo, malesuada vel purus non, vestibulum mattis eros. Maecenas vitae orci accumsan, imperdiet est at, imperdiet eros. Aenean eu tincidunt eros, sit amet facilisis dolor.


Lorem Ipsum vs Sample Content

Lorem Ipsum Dolor Sit

Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Curabitur eu ornare ligula. Donec dolor leo, malesuada vel purus non, vestibulum mattis eros. Maecenas vitae orci accumsan, imperdiet est at, imperdiet eros. Aenean eu tincidunt eros, sit amet facilisis dolor.

Proposal Submission Instructions

PLEASE REFER TO THIS DOCUMENT WHEN PREPARING A FULL PROPOSAL.

TECHNICAL ELIGIBILITY

Technically eligible submissions are those which: 1) arrive electronically via the official website by the designated due date before 11:59 p.m. Eastern Standard Time (EST); 2) heed all instructions contained in the solicitation document and Proposal Submission Instructions (PSI), including length and completeness of submission; and 3) do not violate any of the guidelines stated in the solicitation and this document.

The information contained herein is to assist you as a general reference for completion of the proposal submission. It is the sole responsibility of the applicant to ensure that all of the material submitted in the grant application package is complete, accurate, and current.

Always provide sample content whenever possible. Only use “lorem ipsum” copy and

FPO content as a last resort.

Tip #6

Get Real.Tip #6

Get Real.



The layout of a site is secondary to content.

Concept

Site content should comprise the bulk of the design effort…

not the inverse.

Impact

Fueled by Content


Design should be most prominent in the content.

http://teamtreehouse.com/


Design should be most prominent in the content.

http://www.enritec.com/

The content of your site should always drive the design. Presentation of the dish means

nothing if it’s not satisfying to the palate.

Tip #7

Content First.Tip #7

Content First.



Allocating production effort of the content is

critical to the development process.

Concept

Content production is often overlooked in terms of project

budget and timeline. Sometimes confusion can arise as to which party is responsible for content creation and entry into a

content management system.

Impact

Who’s Doing What?


Johnny Holland Magazine

Problem #3: We thought you were creating the content.

Meghan CaseyContent Strategist

http://johnnyholland.org/2010/10/4-web-project-problems-content-strategy-can-solve/

Clearly define who is handling content and when it is being incorporated. If at all possible, produce the content before

development begins.

Tip #8

Divide and Conquer.Tip #8

Divide and Conquer.



Relying on proven methods saves effort in both development and

design.

Concept

Many common practices and tools are already part of a web

user’s normal browsing habits. There is no need to

create a unique experience for these typical interactions.

Impact

Been There. Done That.


Modal Windows


Modal WindowsX


Slideshows


Media Players


Iconography

Expandable

Expanded

+

-

Expandable

Expanded

Buffering / Loading

Settings

RSS Feed Information

Download

Menu

Re-use existing mechanics and widgets whenever possible.

Tip #9

Don’t Reinvent The Wheel.Tip #9

Don’t Reinvent The Wheel.



Compartmentalizing designs into repeatable patterns reduces design and development effort.

Concept

Keeping the same layout, position, and styles of

common components from page to page improves

usability and production efficiency.

Impact

Faster when it’s Familiar.


News Article Variants

Finns Revolt Over Nokia BuyoutSisu at an all-time high, sources say.

Thousands gathered outside Nokia headquarters in an act of protest following a pivotal announcement that software giant Microsoft will purchase the mobile device manufacturer and its patents for what some are calling…

Finns Revolt Over Nokia BuyoutFinns Revolt Over Nokia Buyout

Thousands gathered outside Nokia headquartersRead more…

Make sure the common components of your site use the same format. Reduce the number

of unique layouts as much as possible.

Tip #10

Be Consistent.Tip #10

Be Consistent.


QUESTIONS?QUESTIONS?

frost @ frostsimula.com

Fr0s7

frost @ frostsimula.com

Fr0s7

Frost simulaFrost simula


10 Tips Your Development Partner Wants You To Know

Technology

Transcript of 10 Tips Your Development Partner Wants You To Know