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Turning New Pages
By Micha | February 28, 2008
As a software artist who is focused on ‘bridging the gap between end users and engineers’ I have always found it necessary and worthwhile to explore the ‘materials’ that I work with. In doing so I can better control the emotional impact of an application on the user: the more I know about how the technology ticks, the more I can coax an application into being a pleasurable experience for a user.
With that in mind I set off on a project last year to learn about and work with web technology across the full spectrum - from front end design to back end programming. I had a unique opportunity to do this when I was asked to create a new web site for Pages Books and Magazines, a cool, indie bookstore that has been a long standing fixture in the hub of Toronto’s cultural center on Queen Street West. I began by interviewing at length the proprietor, Marc Glassman, his site editor Shaun Smith, and the Pages’ staff about what they required in the new web site. After coming up with a design concept, I then began a long trek across a new technological landscape and learning a lot about such fascinating areas as PHP, MySQL, AJAX, CSS, Templating Engines, and Javascript. Thus I gathered the materials and knowledge required to actually build the site.
My client’s key aesthetic requirement was that they wanted something ‘light and quirky’. This, combined with the use of the shop’s fabulous signage art, was my guiding principle for the emotional experience of the web site. The artwork, done by Toronto artist Michael Cho, perfectly reflects the character of this smart and hip alternative book store.
It turned out that building the front end (the part that you see) was a relatively easy task. Where the real challenge came was in building the back end content management system and the accompanying administrative interface. In striving to make the content creation process just as easy and pleasurable to for the Pages’ staff users as the site is for end users I chose to put some extra effort into making the interaction as clear and productive as I could and avoiding many of the usability pitfalls that many administrative Web UIs seem to possess because they are not seen as ‘important’.
The resulting web site (www.pagesbooks.ca) was launched a week ago. I approached the task of guiding users around the site with a number of methods including an ‘active home page’ where inner content can be surfaced to the level of one-click availability, and colour cues that gently inform users of the context for the information they are looking at.
I’m happy to be back from this journey and eager to apply the new knowledge to future projects. But I also want to take a moment to thank others who helped me along the way and got me out of a few scrapes. First of all, thanks to my associate Tom Kamil who collaborated with me to, among other things, help interpret the meaning of ‘light and quirky’. Thanks also to Adrian Karmel who got me pointed in the right direction to tackle the MySQL stuff. And to Gavin, Peter and Daniel of the Ottawa PHP meetup group and Brett and Steve of 76 Design who inspired me with their own projects and aspirations as well as graciously sharing their knowledge when I got lost in some dark technological valleys. And a big thanks to Tyler Brown who made a significant impact on the success of this project by providing important insights and expertise on a variety of topics across the technological spectrum. And last but not least, a big smooch to my partner Conchita Flores and a warm hug to the rest of my family, who put up with me being a total geek for so many months.
More and more I hear about the gap between ‘design and development’ in the arena of web site creation and the many ways that web sites just don’t meet the needs of the business owner and their customers. And as businesses require ever more sophisticated web applications, the challenge to keep them usable and productive for their customers grows exponentially. As a User Advocate and user interface designer with a detailed knowledge of the technology behind dynamic web sites, I can better serve my clients by truly bridging the gap between end users and engineers.
Topics: user interface design, subject oriented design, usability, art, user experience, Geekness, coding, understanding technology, target users |
May 13th, 2008 at 4:04 pm
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