Adobe Systems has unveiled its new design tool that lets designed animate web page elements using standard web technology.

Adobe Edge could herald a new phase for Adobe as it offers web designers software beyond its usual Flash offerings.

The software lets programmers add pre-roll effects to web age loads.

The tool also circumnavigates the need for technical knowledge of HTML5 and CSS by giving a graphical user interface to web design.

Using Adobe Edge, designers can drop images or scalable vector graphics (SVG) into a canvas that his connected to an animation timeline. Animations can then be built by dragging those elements around the screen or alternatively by editing properties manually.

In addition, JavaScript actions can be linked to the structure of the web page: different parts of a page can be set to fade at different times, for example.

Doug Winnie, product manager at Adobe, said: “Edge dovetails with other web design tools.

“The underling HTML and CSS code is untouched, which allows for designers working as animals in Edge to collaborate seamlessly with web producers and designers working in HTML or CSS.”

Adobe Edge may counter criticism from many in the industry who feel that Adobe is too single-minded about its Flash Player – something that is used on many computers but incompatible with smartphones, especially the iPhone series.

Hey folks, it’s Thea here again, ruminating about last Friday. You see, our designer Paul and I attended the rather erroneously-named Highland Fling 2011 Web Conference in Edinburgh! (Now, I know I’m only an American, so my geography can be a little patchy, but since when is Edinburgh considered the Highlands?)

I digress…It was an all day event, with an audience of more than a hundred attendees listening to half a dozen speakers from England, Scotland and a fellow American, too.

There we’re half a dozen talks on Content Management Systems (CMS), HTML5, the Apple Look, Accessibility and even a talk on Why Simple Isn’t. (NOTE: Link to slide presentations that I could find at the bottom of the page).

There were all types of people in the room, from designers and developers, to project managers and company directors – all with one thing in common an interest in Web Development.

I started building websites back in 1995, teaching myself HTML in notepad, moving on to tools like Dreamweaver and later CMSs such as WordPress (or our very on NSBuilder).

Over the last twelve years, I’ve worked for some of the top Web Development companies in Scotland, in a variety of roles, and one thing I’ve learned is how universal the communication challenges are in Web Development.

These “challenges” can be both internal (say, between designers and programmers) and external (for instance between company and client). OY! and don’t even get me started on the challenges of designing for clients with committees! (See Gary’s piece for .Net magazine on that subject!)

I suspect anyone who works in Web Development can relate to my assertions…

(<< – - Example from Remy Sharp’s talk of a challenging design to program.)

OVER THE WALL

One of the internal challenges is that programmers often work separate from the designers, and as was described at the Fling, the designs simply flung “over the wall” to the programmer – who then is forced to find a way to make the designs work from a functionality, back end sort of way. This can be problematic (particularly in larger organisations) as illustrated in the picture above. An example of a  busy (cluttered), high-tech, design that was passed over a programmer to code (in this case Remy Sharp, I believe) – presenting him with a nearly-impossible feat.

A way of bridging this gap might be for the designer and programmer to spend a little time, before the project has even begun, discussing the site’s functionality and frameworks. This, would likely, cut down in frustration and hair pulling as the “build” begins.

Incidentally – just because someone is an artist or even a good graphic designer, doesn’t mean they will be competent or even understand how to best design for the Web. (Thankfully our designers are good at all types of design work – print and web and everything else).

So again – a little time discussing the project before the build – might have save a lot of time (and money!) in the long run. (Note: If work is being done separately and remotely then Gmail chat or Skype video calls could be a solution for the two sides to “speak”).

In a firms such as ours, it helps we have no walls separating us, and we’re all able to work side-by-side, discussing any issues as they arise.

CLIENT AND COMPANY

Communication hiccups can also be common between the web development company and the client. Each side needs to be succinct regarding the scope of the project. It’s the client’s responsibility to have a clean, concise, technical scope (a lesson I’m still learning myself!), and it’s the company’s to work out whether that scope is logistic.

The issue here often is the fact that a technical scope is beyond the capabilities of a vast majority of clients. Most won’t have any idea how to write up a technical scope of what the site should be, or look like, etc. They tend to have rough ideas, at best.

The more a client articulate what the site needs to do, suggestions on how it does it, and the end goals, the better it will be for the programmers to help define how this can be done from a technical standpoint.

With regards to the design, if the client can provide a list of sites, that they do and don’t like, then it’s the far more likely the first draft designs will hit, or at least be closer to, the mark.

Both sides can often be guilty of expecting the other to be a mind reader and most of us aren’t psychic in that respect. So if you’re a client having your website developed, provide as much information as you possibly can.

WEB DEVELOPMENT IS LIKE A RARE ART FORM

In my career, I’ve worked on sites that cost a few hundred pounds, all the way up to ones that have cost a quarter of a million pounds, and, funnily enough, these challenges I’ve written above have been prevalent on all of them.

Having run my own site for eleven years, I’ve been the “client” who’s had her site re-designed and relaunched a handful of times in that period. Each time there have been hurdles to surpass in order to re-launch.

As a result, I’ve realised that seldom does the creation (or re-creation) of a site work in a cut and dry fashion, but rather it’s a dance of one step forward then one back – clarifying expectations and gaining understanding.

It can be a frustrating and sometimes painful process (on both sides) – but once that site goes LIVE, and the client is happy, we’re reminded of why we even do the job. That is because it’s a rewarding job (well, in most cases).

The Highland Fling 2011 – was a chance to not only meet with, but also to learn something from, people who share the same passion as us – namely web development and new technologies.

Though as I said, I’ve been in this New Media field for a long time, it’s constantly evolving for all of us.

We’re all inadvertently forced, in this fast-paced, game-changing industry, to continually learn and expand both our technical skills, but also our communication skills.

That’s why I love attending things like the Highland Fling. You pick up something at every event, seminar, conference or talk. It can be a tip, a technique, a website or business contact, but I don’t think there’s been one event I’ve felt was a waste of time.

So here’s to the Highland Fling 2012 – where we’ll do it all again!

And here are a few photos I snapped for NSDesign on the day.

And here are some links to slide presentations (so far – if you were a speaker and have a link – feel free to add in the comments section and I’ll add you)!

Rachel Andrew’s Slides from her talk on CMS

Remy Sharp’s talk on Implementation Interaction

Speakers & Such:

@ highlandwebconf
@ Steve Marshall
@ Rachel Andrew
@ Mike Rundle
@ Remy Sharp
@ Jack Osborne@ Christian Heilmann
and James Edwards

PS: Bios etc here on the Highland Fling site.

Hey everyone, it’s Thea here again talking mobiles today.

These things are everywhere it seems. Can you go a day without yours? Many people can’t. I can but honestly it’s a struggle. Over the last few years, they’ve really become our lifelines – it seems.

When it comes to searching, hand held searches are now said to outnumber desktop searches four-to-one*.

And of course mobiles are not just for talking anymore…Oh no, we can listen to music, have video chats, browse the web, see what our friends got up to at the weekend on Facebook, check in at our various destinations on the fly, watch video clips on  YouTube, show off our holiday pics,  Tweet about what we are doing and where at any given moment,…and a multitude other fun tasks on the mobile handsets of today.

So it seems only natural that the more forward-thinking websites owners of today have started to consider mobile versions of their business websites.

SOMETIMES SMALLER IS BETTER…

As anyone has tried to view a full website, (which may look great on a desktop with all its bells and whistles) on a mobile phone, well, let’s just say that the user experience is more often than not, less-than-pleasant.

Full sites seldom look right on small screens, they often involve a ton of scrolling (up and down, and side-to-side), and it’s usually a downright nuisance to find even the most simple of details – like the company’s phone number or an email address for fast access or communication.

Recently, James at Glasgow-Chauffeur.com launched his very own mobile website www.theglasgowchauffeur.mobi through us – making him (most likely), among the first chauffeurs in Scotland, if not the world, to embrace this new, simple and effective mobile-optimised technology.

“I’m really excited about my new mobile site. It’s easy to navigate and users can now book right through their phones, call me at the click of a button, send an email, or even look at our picture gallery to see the cars. It’s fantastic! ” – James Walker

LESS IS NOW MORE!

Whilst James may be one of our first UK clients to embrace this new mobile technology, he won’t be the last. In fact, a while back we launched this simple, affordable solution for anyone who would like a mobile version of their current website.

Like James, for under a hundred pounds (inc VAT!) you can have your own DIY clean, attractive, easy-to-set up and easy to navigate website for all mobile platforms (including iPads and the like).

The icons are inter-changeable and can be swapped out to suit your needs.

For instance, if you’re a restaurant owner, you might wish to take table reservations through the mobile site.

Also, you can not only change the icons but you can change the wording of many of them – for example  where it says “Keep Me Informed” you might change it to  “Join Our Newsletter”.

The choice is yours.

If you’re a hairdresser maybe you might want to add a coupon for 25% off your next haircut through you mobile site?

This is all easily done. You set the “valid to” and “expiration date” to suit your needs. Adjust as desired.

Though we’re not seeing evidence of this yet, I do believe once the mobile sites become more common place – Google will deliver mobile versions of websites first when people are searching on a handset. It seems only natural. These forerunners, like James, will most likely benefit by being in the systems first.

For those of you who do have a mobile site created, make sure you’ve followed the steps in one of our previous blogs on optimising mobile websites.

Have a look at the NSDesign mobile site on your handset today to see just how simple and effective the navigation is.

If you’re interested in having a mobile version of your own site, then please get in touch with us today. We’d be only too happy to help!

* stat according to gomobi

iPad-loving web designers could be in for an Apple-shaped treat, according to industry news leaked this week.

According to wide-spread rumours in the blogosphere, Apple has filed a patent for its web design tool, iWeb, especially for the iPad.

This would make it the latest in a long line of well-loved Mac applications to feature on the iPad, with Garageband, iMovie and Photobooth already proving popular amongst owners of the iPad.

Website designers hoping to showcase their skills on the iPad may have a long wait ahead of them before the app is launched, however. Apple is still to announce exactly when iWeb for iPad will be ready for market, in the same way it chose not to give launch dates for other sought-after iPad versions of Mac apps at the iPad 2 US launch in New York on March 11th.

Whatever the release date, the move is good news for web designers wanting more flexibility. Working on the move is both easy and efficient thanks to the iPad and it’s great to think that web designers may soon be able to benefit from this as well.

Could this spell the start of a move towards iPads over laptops and desktops for web designers?

Hey it’s Thea here, reporting to you from London! Last night, I had the privilege of making the journey down from Glasgow for the RAR Awards.

For the benefit of anyone who doesn’t know, RAR – aka the Recommended Agency Register -  was set up to help companies source, select and engage marketing suppliers. The newly-established RAR Awards honor excellence in service for all things digital and design. (This was only its second year running).

What makes these awards especially gratifying, to all nominees, no doubt, is that they’re voted for by the clients. I wasn’t at last year’s inaugural event but I can tell you, this year the competition was  stiff – more than 620 companies had been rated.

NSDesign was rather blessed with seven nominations!

At NSDesign, we’re a decidedly-optimistic bunch, by nature, and thus suspected, (or at least hoped), we might win one. What I don’t think any of us were prepared for was the fact we scooped three,…plus a runner up (#3 out of 10) for the top price “The Grand Prix” – a Top Ten UK company.

That essentially made four, framed award certificates to lug back to the hotel (pic: right) after the festivities, but hey, I’m not complaining.

Over the past few weeks, I’ve met folks from a number of other web design firms – many who scoff at the idea of these awards ceremonies, but perhaps they ought to re-consider their stance.

As guest speaker, Chief Executive of Talk Talk, Paul Lawton said to the crowd “keep entering them” – because not only are they good for the PR angle, and lend a note of credibility to the firm, but they also entice potential employees as well. Salient points.

As the newest member to the NS team, (and as such feeling like the least qualified to accept the honours), what struck me most was how NSDesign won against companies who were often several times its size.

Honestly, we were just so proud to be nominated for one category let alone seven, and along side such an esteemed group of fellow contenders.  I’m telling you, this room simply oozed talent.

Over all, it was a great night with plenty of food going, the wine flowing, and tweets tweeting to make it a lively and entertaining evening.

I think it’s fair to say that a good time was had by all.

Incidentally, the awards we ended up walking away with were:

• Best in Client Service
• Best in Digital
• Best Value for Money

So finally, I think all of us at NSDesign would like  to thank our valued customers for these accolades, as we’d literally not been able to do it without you!

Thank you all! Here’s to 2012!

Come and say hello. You might win an iPhone!

A quick note before this week’s main article – today (Friday 18 March) and tomorrow (Saturday 19 March) the NS Design team are at Scotland’s biggest business exhibition New Start Scotland.

It’s at the Royal Highland Centre, Ingliston and we’re on stand D17.

If you come and talk to us about mobile websites you’ll be entered into a prize draw where you could win an iPhone!

You’ll be able to find out more about what we do, meet some of the team, and realise I’m even shorter in the flesh than I look on television.

A warm welcome awaits, so if you’re at New Start Scotland come to stand D17 and say hi.

Don’t Design By Committee!

(A horse designed by committee)

When they’re having a website built some businesses get their priorities all wrong.

And instead of approaching the project from the point of view of what their customers want, they get bogged down with their own internal politics and obsessing over what they themselves on the inside think it should look like.

This puts the web designers they’ve hired to do the work in an almost impossible position.

These highly skilled people instinctively know what visitors to websites want and how to get good results on-line. They’ve built dozens, if not hundreds of sites in the past (more than likely for other businesses in your sector) and are right on top of the latest techniques and software. These men and women are experts and you’d be mad not to take their advice!

Some companies end up in an embarrassing, endless loop of to-ing and fro-ing back and forward with tweaks and changes and meetings and embarrassing “I’m sorry, but the Managing Director’s not really sure he likes that” type phone calls.

Pleasing the client will always be a good web designer’s priority but they also want to create a site that does a good job and works for you so although you’ll never sense their frustration when you call with ANOTHER set of changes I do wonder how many sit squashing stress relief balls in their hands while they’re on the phone!

The good news is, these problems can be eliminated with a little bit of planning in advance.

Here’s how…

All this reminds me of a radio station I heard about once where the presenter got a call from the furious station owner while doing his show one night.

“I don’t want to hear that Dire Straits song EVER again!” he yelled. “Why did you play it?”

“Er, because it was on the playlist the Programme Controller gave me” the presenter explained.

“Well it’ll be coming off the playlist straight away…my mother hates it”.

Fair enough…but this radio station was aimed at men in their 40s!

This kind of thinking holds businesses back and plays havoc with web design projects.

I think it comes about because bosses (just like the rest of us!) are extremely busy.

So when the idea for a new website is mooted they’re happy to delegate and take a backseat.

But as the project moves along they find some time and become interested and CAN’T RESIST a bit of tinkering here and there! Then after having their say they get caught up in something else and, well, you can see that stress ball getting squashed a bit harder in the web design office!

Here’s another way some of these problems can be avoided…

Something else that can often go wrong and it brings down the whole quality of a website is when the client tries to make it do too much.

You end up with massive clutter and it’s a horrible experience for the end user.

A good example is in the media where you have half the business focussed on content, and the other half dedicated to selling advertising space. Increasingly, there’s a third area they all want and that’s interaction with users.

Some businesses and some web designers manage to integrate everything really well.

Others struggle.

Here’s two websites from organisations with big fan bases. They want to increase their number of Twitter followers. Which of the two makes it easiest?

http://www.wtks.com or http://www.glasgowrocks.co.uk

I’m sure you’ll agree the Scottish Rocks site is far easier to navigate and an all round better experience. That Twitter link is easy to find. Real Radio 104.1’s site (despite almost certainly costing much more money) is full of clutter and the Twitter link is buried deep in a sub menu. I’m sure everything’s there for a reason and is important to the station but the content gets suffocated and trying to find anything of value is a horrible experience.

Inside the company, everyone at Real Radio 104.1 will be happy because THEIR BIT is on the website. But what do the listeners think? “This radio station isn’t sure what it’s about, and I haven’t got a clue where to start”.

At the Glasgow Rocks site, decisions were made about what to put in and what to leave out; people compromised and considered what the user wanted from the site. And the end result is a smart site, where it’s easy to buy tickets, get the latest results and find out more about the team. And because it’s not swamped with adverts, you actually notice the couple that are there.

Whatever you want your website to do, better to pick a few things and do them really well, than try to force it to do absolutely everything.

Get your internal politics straight, get the big boss in the briefing and then let the experts get on with creating the on-line equivalent of a beautiful, sleek horse, instead of a camel that just gives everyone the hump.

Have you experienced a case of “design by committee”?  Share your comments below!

The iPad, Apple’s iconic tablet device, has sold in excess of 15 million units since its launch less than a year ago and the iPad 2 – the much vaunted follow-up – will be released in this country on March 15. With the second version expected to sell even more than the first, what are the implications for web design?

Essentially, the prominence of the iPad may demand a new perspective on web design principles. Given that way users generally view the iPad vertically, despite the option of a landscape mode, websites for tablets may become taller, and designers will need to accommodate large pixel widths designed for the monitor to the smaller width of the iPad.

Given the use of fingers and the general tactile ethos of the iPad, website interaction is completely different to using a computer and web designers have to account for this. Can creatives conjure up multi-touch capabilities for the iPad? Will larger click buttons be a standard feature sooner rather than later?

The iPad does not support flash, so websites that need animation and videos must be built in HTML5. Google has already openly adopted HTML at the expense of Flash. Is the demise of Flash as an element of web design a given as the iPad is used by more and more consumers?

It may be speculation at this point, but it’s certainly looking likely the iPad and other devices like it will make significant changes to web design as we know it.

Regular website audits are a necessary, but often overlooked, practice for any business that wants to maximise its online presence.

Even if you are not planning any web design soon, for any business – and particularly those that are primarily web-based – a website audit can unearth teething problems that may be impacting upon traffic, user navigation and indexing in the search engines. These are all factors that will ultimately jeopardise sales.

So, what does a website audit involve? Primarily the process will analyse how accessible your website is for different kinds of users. Website accessibility isn’t just desirable – it’s the law. Theoretically you can face large fines if your website can’t be accessed by people with disabilities, although no cases have yet been brought to court.

A comprehensive website audit will also address:

•    Site Design
•    Navigation
•    Legal and Security Issues
•    eCommerce
•    Search Engine Compatibility
•    Technical Performance

If you’re thinking of redesigning your website, it’s the perfect time to instigate an audit. If there are issues with the current website design – such as user navigation and indexing in the search engines – then an audit can help to redress those concerns in the new website layout.

Even if you’re not planning on building a new website, an audit should still be carried out periodically, such as shortly after a significant website update, so that there is enough time for the site to be completely re-indexed. Furthermore, think about a website audit if such a review has not been conducted in the last few years, so that your site can keep up to date with the best practice requirements of the major search engines.

Speculative Design work (Spec work) is something that we’re often asked for – either informally by clients who are promising to commission us for a web design and development job on the back of it, or formally, in web design tender documents, where a requirement of our response to tender is to include design ideas and/or mockups.

Spec work is never a good idea, and we’ll nearly always say NO.  Good design is based on a response to a problem, not on quickly pulling together something which looks nice, and might impress a client.  We’d much rather wait until you did actually commission us, and then work with you to design something that’s 100% suitable for your needs, not waste time (and ultimately your money) on something that will (and should) never end up getting used.

If you’re asking us for design spec work so you can evaluate our design skills, then just ask us for relevant examples of work; which we’ll gladly hand-pick from our extensive portfolio of happy clients for you.  Surely you want your design to be the best it possibly can be, and designing things on spec will never provide you with that.

I could go on, but instead I’ll just point you to the No-Spec website if you’re wanting to know more!

Isn’t it a great feeling when you thought you might be mad and then realised thousands of other people are exactly the same?!

I had that happy revelation this week when I discovered I qualify (by the skin of my teeth) as a member of “Generation Y”.

I’m not a fan of giving people labels and that one sounds like a frightening bacteria you might discover in a pot of yoghurt that’s past it’s sell by date. But Generation Y is the name experts use to describe everyone who born in the period 1977 to 1994. (I arrived in ’78). They’re people who’ve grown up taking the computer for granted. They’ve had them at home, at school and at work. Many will have clicked a mouse before learning joined up writing and some have no concept of a world without mobile phones and the internet.

In the last 10 years this generation has come out of education and entered employment. In the next 10 years they’ll make up the biggest chunk of the country’s workforce.

Yet some people including many company bosses and members of the older generation see this group as a problem. They’re regarded as shallow, brash, spoiled, demanding, disruptive and lazy. But ask one member of Generation Y to describe another and they’ll use words like “talented, go getting and ambitious”. Ask a company like Google where it would be without a workforce largely made up of Generation Ys and their response would probably be “sunk”.

So there’s conflict and misunderstanding but also opportunities for anyone who understands this new generation of workers and is able to accommodate their flaws and reap the benefits of their strengths.

And if you don’t “get” Generation Y then what’s coming next is going to change things even more. Watch the video to find out why…

This is all important for businesses because in the next few years you’re going to have to employ these people. And if they’re not already, they’re going to become your customers too.

So how do you deal with them? And how do you get the best out of them? As a self proclaimed elder statesmen of Generation Y I am happy to share 12 of our workplace secrets…

1. We have an expectation that things will be fair. And we’d rather work for a small, ethical company than a big nasty one. This applies to how staff are treated but also what the business does in the wider world. Even Generation Y has it’s share of greedy people but I do think petroleum companies and banks will have to change or they’ll struggle to recruit.

2. We owe you nothing and will leave whenever it suits us. But if we believe in you we’ll work extremely long hours, defend you to the hilt and give you everything we’ve got. We’re available 24/7 for the right project. This applies to companies we work for but also brands we buy and services we use. Already people are loyal to Sky TV or Virgin Media or the Orange mobile phone network.

3. You will NEVER stop us using Facebook or e-mail for personal use at work. If you block it on the computer we’ll use our phones. If you understood us you’d realise your idea of “wasting time on-line” could actually benefit your business.

4. We don’t expect a lunch break or Bank Holidays. We never use our full holiday entitlement.

5. Our life is an open book and privacy is something only The Queen worries about. We’ll happily show you pictures of everything we got up to last Friday night and don’t expect you to hold it against us.

6. Most of us are riddled with debt after higher education so the promise of a pension 40 years from now isn’t much of a selling point.

7. We want constant change, feedback and development. We expect you to take an interest in us as individuals rather than just the tasks we’re paid to do.

8. If a manager says “my door is always open” we will take that at face value and share our thoughts because we’re passionate about making things better.

9. It really doesn’t matter where you’re from. All forms of discrimination aren’t just “off limits” they’re regarded as incredibly old fashioned and embarrassing. “Everyone is equal” isn’t an aim, it’s a fact.

10. Being bored is something we can’t tolerate. We’ll go to almost any lengths NOT to be bored. This can cause problems at work but if this refusal to be bored is harnessed correctly it could lead to new ideas and innovations and people being willing to fill skills gaps in other areas of the business.

11. We pity those who spend their time in meetings.

12. Why would anybody ever wear a tie? But if you’re over 50 and we’ve seen you wear one, you can’t stop now.

This is a generation who take ownership of what we do and wants to control its own destiny. We’ve been brought up thinking we really can have it all and the idealism which older generations might have left behind still burns inside us. We genuinely believe we can build our perfect world around us and we’re willing to work incredibly hard to make that happen. Clinging to a dead end job in a dying industry is utterly beyond us. One example is my brother, who’s just turning 30. He grew up mad about cars and wanted to work in automotive engineering. He did this and then felt the effects of the manufacturing industry in decline. Now he’s happy working for a rapidly expanding company that makes wind turbines.

But what’s the single most important thing you need to know about Generation Y?

Watch the video to find out.

There have been some excellent studies into Generation Y and the difficulties certain business sectors have with them. These include Gillian Maxwell and Susan M Ogden’s work at Glasgow Caledonian University and I’d also recommend this for some further reading. 

Generation Y are a cynical bunch and make instant judgements about people and businesses. This matters when you’re creating a website or using social media. If you’re seen as open, forthright and interesting Generation Y will engage with you and go to great lengths to spread your message, with some even becoming unofficial “ambassadors” for your brand. A great example of this is @sodastreamUK on Twitter.

But if your website is difficult to navigate, your social media use just shameless self promotion, and your customer service fails to deliver you’ll lose them and never get them back for a second visit.

Do you agree with my 12 Generation Y workplace secrets?  Have you got some of your own to share? Please do so in “comments” and let me know what you think. Understand Generation Y and work with them and they’ll serve your business incredibly well, taking you to heights you never thought possible. Get them wrong and work against them and you’ll feel the sting of their secret weapon…complete indifference.