"This Is How We Built It" Case Studies Unlike many other industries, the web design community is all about sharing knowledge and experience. Each of us is very lucky to be part of such a great and useful learning environment, and it is up to us to embrace it — to embrace our learning experiences, and also to embrace our ability to share. Not only are case studies a great way to explain the design process of an agency, but they also help designers and developers to learn from each other. Seeing how designers work, create, build and play is great, and furthermore, you can learn how to write a great case study yourself and how to use one to spice up your portfolio1. In today’s overview of useful case studies, we’ve featured studies that have recounted decisions made about particular design elements, as well as studies of full overhauls and their accompanying technical challenges.
Sidepreneurs This post was originally shared on Podcasters Paradise Private forum, but I wanted to share this with you as well! Ok, so I just had a few AHAs about using Periscope for Podcasters and I had to share how individuals might want to use it for their podcast. I’m on Periscope right now as I type this!
"Disciplined Entrepreneurship" by Bill Aulet (Book Summary) Don’t have time to read? Here’s a quick but comprehensive summary of Bill Aulet’s “Disciplined Entrepreneurship: 24 Steps to a Successful Startup,” released on August 12. Who should read this: First-time and serial entrepreneurs who are looking for a solid product-market fit. Elevator pitch: This 24-step guide to product-market fit is based on a process that Aulet has been refining for years while teaching. Entrepreneurship is chaotic and unpredictable, and hopefully this will bring some method to the madness. The Ultimate List of Free Tools for Bloggers & Entrepreneurs This post may contain affiliate links - but don't worry, I always fully believe in the products I endorse. I’m willing to invest when it’s necessary, but when they are so many amazing free tools available, you don’t need to most of the time! Here are some incredible free blogging and entrepreneurial tools to help you write better, stay organized, manage your social media, improve your design, expand your skills, and much more. I’ll be constantly updating this list as I find more tools – so check back often for more recommendations.
A Tour Through the Visualization Zoo Jeffrey Heer, Michael Bostock, and Vadim Ogievetsky Stanford University Introduction Thanks to advances in sensing, networking, and data management, our society is producing digital information at an astonishing rate. According to one estimate, in 2010 alone we will generate 1,200 exabytes — 60 million times the Library of Congress.
Begin at the beginning – Sketching out a full, extended web design process: the initial steps Many times in redesigning websites there is pressure to jump straight into the visual design and programming phases but spending time & effort in initial planning can improve efficiency and help the later work go more smoothly. Some of the first steps of the planning phase include site content audits, website strategy plans, and card sorting exercises. A content audit takes an inventory of the website’s existing content. As the content is inventoried some problem areas may stand out to web team members. Heuristics and review of site analytics can be used to confirm problem areas (structure usability problems, audience marketing problems). usersnap Maybe you’ve heard the news. We at Usersnap launched a little side project, called bugtrackers.io. Displaying stories of digital crafters and showing real people behind pixels, bytes and bug reports.
Global Entrepreneurship Development Institute Explore the 2014 GEDIndex interactive map Enterprise is a crucial engine of economic growth. Without enterprise and entrepreneurs, there would be little innovation, little productivity growth, and few new jobs. Entrepreneurial success does not take place in a vacuum. Entrepreneurs exist in the context of their particular geography – be that their local, national, or even supranational economy and society. This mix of attitudes, resources, and infrastructure is known as the entrepreneurship ‘ecosystem’.
Best Tools for Designer, Developer & Marketer Photoshop by Adobe Photoshop is a popular image changing software package. It is widely used by photographers for photo editing and by graphic designers and Web designers to create and change images for web pages. Categories: Graphic DesigniOS DesignPhoto EditingUI DesignWeb Design The 20 best tools for data visualization It's often said that data is the new world currency, and the web is the exchange bureau through which it's traded. As consumers, we're positively swimming in data; it's everywhere from labels on food packaging design to World Health Organisation reports. As a result, for the designer it's becoming increasingly difficult to present data in a way that stands out from the mass of competing data streams.
6 secrets to creating outstanding infographics In the Instagram and Snapchat era, audiences are increasingly visually oriented. But sometimes an image alone isn’t enough: you need a clever combination of words and graphics to tell a detailed story in a way that can be grasped quickly and easily. Cue the infographic. But while they may look easy to create, in practice they can be darned difficult to get right. There are, however, some basic principles you can follow to make sure your design is as effective as possible. (And here's a bonus content tip: always run a spellcheck before sending your infographics out into the world.)