UPDATE ON SCHEDULE

As many of you know I teach college on occasion. I find this to be an amazing opportunity to grow, refresh my skills, and network with the next generation.
This quarter I am teaching Photoshop & Illustrator classes for the web as part of the web IT degree program at Seattle Central Community College. My goal is to take the experiences I have had in real world application and integrate that with curriculum here at Seattle Central Community College.

Over the last year I have worked with Microsoft as a UX designer (usability expert) and have consulted and advised on numerous other projects. I am also working with a small group of people on a new sports company web site set to launch nationwide this summer. In addition I handle numerous graphic and web services for local clients as part of my freelance work.

As you can see my schedule is quite busy... but I have never been afraid to work and work hard. I love what I do and I hope to keep this updated better this year as I continue to learn and work with new companies.

Where is the world going next?

I am at the hub of the world right now and watching some very interesting changes in technology. I see some changes that I feel are very noteworthy. where do I think things are heading?

Here are some of my predictions for the future of the web. First things first…
Ice Cube says “Throw out your TV” and how far is he from wrong? Not very! Ice Cube has begun what many of us have been thinking about….he started an I-TV network broadcasting special programming for people that know what they want. From TIVO to INTERNET…we have come a long way. The speed of many of our newer computers and download and streaming time…we can literally watch television on our computer.
I started watching music videos on my computer about 2 years back…with the massive success of You Tube people can literally create their own virtual TV show with little to no experience other than posting a few codes into their Myspace or Facebook account. Now, With Microsoft Silverlight and Ice Cube’s vision of the future, UVNTV.com is born. A glance to the future of television and a brilliant Idea realized. Ice-Cube created a networking site based on and around entertainment. You can choose your own station and what you want to see, all the time while networking within a group of friends and contacts.

Anyone who is anyone, has at least a 26 inch flat panel…or so that is what the geek squad at best buy would have me believe. But are we ready to literally throw out our televisions and set up the computer in the front room? I don’t know if we are quite at that point yet…but I predict that you will see larger monitors still…shrinking TV pricing and a huge marketing push to increase bandwidth and download time on your internet connection. I personally am ready to rock… I just need that 42” flat panel Monitor so that I can be in the “IN CROWD”!

Another thing to really focus on would be internet WEB 3.0 Mobile. The sales of home computers is down, and it is not just the recent economic down turn. Cell phones...er...excuse me...wireless mobile phones are the new personal computer. Americans have fallen a little behind the trend but if you were to look over at the cell usage in Europe, you would see what wireless companies already know...Wireless mobile phones are the laptops of tomorrow. Mobi's (domains exclusive to mobile devices) are being pounced on, and web designers and print designers have been designing (for some time) for the much smaller screen size of the Mobile phone. The technology isn't perfected and still in the growth stages but the market is there and we can see it on the horizon. Your phone is an ID Beacon to who you are and what you do. To be able to be connected where ever and whenever you want... to be able to create a financial transaction or close a deal on a golf course in Dubai when you live in Seattle... to be able to support a conference call, Set up a FED EX drop and update your itinerary from a coffee house in Italy. - Well you get the idea. It is about connecting everything at anytime without the limitations created by the need for a computer or an outlet.

Well that is about all for now... It is late and tomorrow I have an early start on a new UX project.

Cheers

Thoughts on UI and UX in a Web 2.0 World.

I believe that in today’s day and age some of the rules pertaining to traditional UI and User Experience have become a little outdated. Not that they are wrong, but rather that, several things have changed since the end of the 80’s where computers really began to become a house hold name.

We started with the assumption that most people are not familiar with the internet or computers

We progressed to a point where we assumed…many people are computer savvy. However, there is exception and it is paramount that we note that exception and design to that base standard. Again, in doing so we must also allow for advanced users to do what they need, without being forced through the process in a wizard.

We are now at a point where the American teenagers of today have never known what it is like not to have the internet. They have grown up with Nintendo and cell phones. Over all, I believe – The majority of users are much more computer literate than in previous years. This in mind, are the current UI standards still as appropriate today as they were when they were initially written? Or is this something that needs to evolve with the growth of technology to embrace new ideas? It seems to me that with the evolution of computer technology and e-commerce…with the growth of the web – We are forced to reconsider design and consider changes in the standards and guidelines that govern our current thought process when creating UI & UX oriented material.

I am not saying that the way things are being done now are incorrect. I am simply making the observation that as the web grows and as people become ...er...jacked in...(perhaps it would be more friendly to say connected)... As people become more connected to the internet through every day tasks,the evolution must take place in all areas and not just in the end user but also in the assumptions and understandings of the day to day routine of the end user. We must keep in mind certain familiarities and keep the standards fluid.

As the Internet evolves, so does the user... and so does the way that the people interact. To set a standard is, to me, like driving the spike into the dirt along the road and eventually... you will no longer see that spike in you rear view mirror.

cs3,ms,ux,ui and more of my favorite anagrams!

So - At Microsoft I have been playing with the basic CS3 design version for about three months now... and today! picked up the Premium Design version for my home office. SAHWEET! I am so stoked. I have also been working on my flash and plan to have a lot of updates in the next few months or so.

At Microsoft I have been pretty busy working on the UX (User Experience)and UI design of this relatively new application. I have been working with so many brilliant people. I can't wait for this to come together. It will really be exciting to see it hit the shelves.

I will try and post something new weekly here. It will be part of my organization schedule. Please feel free to contact me with any questions you may have.

I should tell you that my current schedule has me booked through April. I am generally booked three months out so please allow time if you are looking for help on your next web project.

Thank you

2007 review and 2008 projection

Ok folks,

First I would like to thank all the people that helped make this a remarkable year.
I came a long ways in 07 and my plans for 08 are really exciting albeit a little intimidating. Having worked with everyone from little-Joe-Business down the street to Microsoft, I can say I learned a lot in a short time about what I like to do. From Software UX Design, to Consultant and lastly...to production work, My skill set has been challenged and updated.

I am currently in progress with a couple amazing projects that I believe have the potential to be outstanding pieces of work.

My tips for the year (and personal goals), are to become better organized and to document and provide case studies on all projects.

2008 I will drastically change my web site and the way people interact with it in 2008. I will expand upon my multi media sections and begin adding tips and tools and, whenever possible, documentation on my existing projects.

I see 2008 as being a strong financial year for me and I believe it will provide some amazing challenges. There will be a lot of personal growth and I plan on really focusing on education and watching technical trends.

I believe this will be the year that the cell phones outshine computers. I think that the direction we are moving points to an "all-in-one" mobile connection. I see people becoming heavily connected "on-the-go" and this will result in cell phone compatible web sites.
I believe there will be changes in w3c focuses. I think that for the most part...people will focus on innovation over guidelines. I believe that web 3.0 will feature sites that break the grid. I believe flash will be stronger than ever this year and you will also see MS Silverlight breaking on to the scene and adding a voice to developers. I absolutely believe that web designers should learn as much as they can about coding in order to stay competitive.

There are a lot of new possibilities in the new year and I think that people that aren't afraid to breach their comfort level a little here and there, Stand to gain a great deal.

Anyway - That is a brief rambling from the top of my head.
Happy and Safe New Year and remember to take any and all opportunity to advance your education.

Cheers

WELCOME TO THE NEW BLOG

I have been really busy. I Just built this Blog which will be powered by Blogger.com...This is an awesome site that I highly recommend to anyone interesting in having a blog on their site. You won't have to build the rss feed or spend all your time writing the code for the blog. As you can see here, I am freely able to customize and post with little effort and it is hosted on my Site using my designs.