Designing for the User has enabled me to grasp a more adequate and tangible approach to design, understanding different users’ needs and how each individual matters when creating a site. The feedback I had received from a JAWS user helped me understand this more as it was a first-hand discussion on how hard it is for impaired users to enjoy the same things that non impaired users may take for granted. The module has enabled me to learn new skills, in using different software, thinking critically about my decisions, and putting a personal approach into my writing style, which I feel is imperative as a journalist, to be unique or have a particular writing style, so that as a whole, your work is comparable with other writing created. The module has also made me be more aware and critical of bad web designs, and understand why they are not as affective in their design. The module as a whole covered a lot of various aspects that cover not just this area, but can also be applied to other too. This way of critical thinking is something that will continue to develop, and expand throughout looking at other aspects of journalism.
Showing posts with label Designing for the User. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Designing for the User. Show all posts
Change of Plan
After looking at my website whilst in the process of creating the structures and pages, I found that I had difficulty in pin pointing particular sports. Such as boxing or sports that are at present in the off-season, I found that news would be difficult to produce, as the whole basis of my site was to produce current, relevant, and main headline news with a more passionate and less formal approach. An example of a stumbling block I came across was when this week Brighton where promoted into the Championship, and I wanted to put this in some of my pages under this week in pictures, and J.R's thoughts. But my problem was, along with main NFL news, and Olympics, and opinions in the J.R's view that may be on worldwide topics, that the promotion of Brighton to the second tier of English football, was actually quite small and irrelevant. This prompted me to re-think the whole basis. Although I do think it would be a fantastic idea to produce a website under my initial proposal plans, but for the purposes of content, relevance to me and what I want to mainly do with my website, which is to be informal, passionate, and connect with the audience on a more approachable level, my ideas would be best suited to a more detailed and focused sport.
So, as my initial layout and plans state, nothing has changed under the structure, ideas for layouts, or any other original ideas, other than that now my site is solely aimed at football. This is still going to be a site which puts across my ethos on sport, passion for the topics, and content that is interesting to the reader, but more narrowed to this one particular area, due to the difficulties and mass content that would have been needed to produce my original idea to a high standard.
My logos, interactiveness through View-Flash, and all other aspects are still going to be in place. I feel that I can now concentrate solely on gaining relevant information, at a crucial stage of the season within this sport, and supply this with a professional and passionate approach.
So, as my initial layout and plans state, nothing has changed under the structure, ideas for layouts, or any other original ideas, other than that now my site is solely aimed at football. This is still going to be a site which puts across my ethos on sport, passion for the topics, and content that is interesting to the reader, but more narrowed to this one particular area, due to the difficulties and mass content that would have been needed to produce my original idea to a high standard.
My logos, interactiveness through View-Flash, and all other aspects are still going to be in place. I feel that I can now concentrate solely on gaining relevant information, at a crucial stage of the season within this sport, and supply this with a professional and passionate approach.
My Logo, Title for the Website
My website has a simple and common theme running through it with the logo and branding associated with it. The simplistic design used to represent the name of the site is direct and doesn't confuse the commercial message with un-needed jargon or advertising.
I used this typeface to create an affect of conjoinment, as the letters are all joined through the bottom of each individual letter. Although at present, on my website the typeface is in a white colour on a blue background, I may change this, but only after deciding on my final layouts and content being completed.
I am aiming to keep the theme throughout the website of the typeface, here are the examples of what I mean:
If you go on the website, although incomplete, you will notice the title SportsFlash at the top of the page. Also by clicking onto sports, then QuickFlash, yo will notice the same typeface in the same style appears, to represent names with the common theme of Flash, at the end of the page name. This is also the same for ViewFlash.
If you click the link my web page will appear, www.wix.com/russell_1232/SportsFlash
I used this typeface to create an affect of conjoinment, as the letters are all joined through the bottom of each individual letter. Although at present, on my website the typeface is in a white colour on a blue background, I may change this, but only after deciding on my final layouts and content being completed.
I am aiming to keep the theme throughout the website of the typeface, here are the examples of what I mean:
If you go on the website, although incomplete, you will notice the title SportsFlash at the top of the page. Also by clicking onto sports, then QuickFlash, yo will notice the same typeface in the same style appears, to represent names with the common theme of Flash, at the end of the page name. This is also the same for ViewFlash.
If you click the link my web page will appear, www.wix.com/russell_1232/SportsFlash
Guidelines the Governement actively supports
Disability guidelines the government actively supports:
The Equality Act 2010;
The Equality Act 2010 aims to protect disabled people and prevent disability discrimination. It provides legal rights for disabled people in the areas of:
References: http://www.direct.gov.uk/en/DisabledPeople/RightsAndObligations/DisabilityRights/DG_4001068; Accessed 30/03/2011
The Equality Act 2010;
The Equality Act 2010 aims to protect disabled people and prevent disability discrimination. It provides legal rights for disabled people in the areas of:
- employment
- education
- access to goods, services and facilities including larger private clubs and land based transport services
- buying and renting land or property
- functions of public bodies, for example the issuing of licences
The definition of ‘disability’ under the Equality Act 2010
In the Act, a person has a disability if:- they have a physical or mental impairment
- the impairment has a substantial and long-term adverse effect on their ability to perform normal day-to-day activities
- Employment support such as looking for work, and the access to work grant which can be applied for.
- Financial Support such as Disability living allowance, and employment and support allowance
- Education and Training including Disabled students allowance
- Rights and Obligations, like the Disability and Equality Act 2010
- Mobility and Transport, the mobility scheme
- Everyday life and leisure, such as leisure at home
- Home and Housing, homes can be adapted for disabilities such as stair chairs and lifts
- Health and Support, including mental health and social care
- Travel Holidays and Breaks such as The National Accessible scheme
- Disabled Parents, if you are about to become a disabled parent, or are a disabled parent with school children
References: http://www.direct.gov.uk/en/DisabledPeople/RightsAndObligations/DisabilityRights/DG_4001068; Accessed 30/03/2011
Things I would do to Improve websites for Impaired users
There are a few issues that if building a website, I would consider vital to it being successful. All considerations for all users is a priority, it really must be accessible to all. Whether they are a first time web user, someone who has vast experience on the web, old or young, and also if they have any impairments such as sight or physical ones.
One of the first things I would ensure is for the structure to be the easiest and most freely accessible navigation possible. Having constants on every page such as keys and buttons being in the same place, using the same words, saying what the link actually means. It would be no good having the about us cleverly named what you need to know or something that isn't so obvious. A search bar also would be useful, as someone using systems such as JAWS can just type in the search box and know what they are looking for rather than searching through tab after tab to only get lost in a system of structural spaghetti where there are no alt tags and no inclination as to where the site is actually leading you.
From my feedback in the interview with a visually impaired user, it is apparent that the IPhone and Ipad are much more freely accessible for impaired users such as her, and also this would be less frustrating, and speed up the browsing. If i could adapt this feedback to use on a computer based system, I would ensure alt tags are placed at every opportunity, so that as when a user is on the IPhone and it tells them where there finger is hovering over, this would also apply for computers and the arrow key, so that it would make browsing on a computer as easy as the IPhone too.
For physically impaired users, such as people with cerebral palsy, whom may have difficulty using keys and navigating websites, if possible, I would simply make voice activated systems, as to understand their own unique voice, so that if their speech is also affected by disability, it would still understand the users needs and be capable of understanding what the user wants from what they are saying. This would be something where the speech form each unique person is encoded into their own unique machine that would attached to a computer, I would also make this device portable, and I would make this software a widely accessible and a necessity to have in public access places such as libraries and Universities.
One of the first things I would ensure is for the structure to be the easiest and most freely accessible navigation possible. Having constants on every page such as keys and buttons being in the same place, using the same words, saying what the link actually means. It would be no good having the about us cleverly named what you need to know or something that isn't so obvious. A search bar also would be useful, as someone using systems such as JAWS can just type in the search box and know what they are looking for rather than searching through tab after tab to only get lost in a system of structural spaghetti where there are no alt tags and no inclination as to where the site is actually leading you.
From my feedback in the interview with a visually impaired user, it is apparent that the IPhone and Ipad are much more freely accessible for impaired users such as her, and also this would be less frustrating, and speed up the browsing. If i could adapt this feedback to use on a computer based system, I would ensure alt tags are placed at every opportunity, so that as when a user is on the IPhone and it tells them where there finger is hovering over, this would also apply for computers and the arrow key, so that it would make browsing on a computer as easy as the IPhone too.
For physically impaired users, such as people with cerebral palsy, whom may have difficulty using keys and navigating websites, if possible, I would simply make voice activated systems, as to understand their own unique voice, so that if their speech is also affected by disability, it would still understand the users needs and be capable of understanding what the user wants from what they are saying. This would be something where the speech form each unique person is encoded into their own unique machine that would attached to a computer, I would also make this device portable, and I would make this software a widely accessible and a necessity to have in public access places such as libraries and Universities.
First Hand Interview with a user of JAWS
I have gained an Interview with a first hand user of JAWS. The person whom the comments come from, is a female who is almost 100% blind in both eyes.
This is her feedback on JAWS:
"Jaws is a fantastic piece of software but, it can be very confusing learning all of the shortcut keys. The problem with Jaws when using it on a website is that you don't know how the page has been configured, so you don't know what to look for first. Do you start with the headers? or the links? The problem is that you can only look for one thing at a time which if you could see would not be the case as you can skim read the page making it quicker.
This is her feedback on JAWS:
"Jaws is a fantastic piece of software but, it can be very confusing learning all of the shortcut keys. The problem with Jaws when using it on a website is that you don't know how the page has been configured, so you don't know what to look for first. Do you start with the headers? or the links? The problem is that you can only look for one thing at a time which if you could see would not be the case as you can skim read the page making it quicker.
It can be very frustrating and it can take ages to try and do anything and most of the time I end up not using Jaws on my PC to look on the internet due to the problems you face, I tend to use the iphone or ipod as they have a built in voice over software which reads out everything you touch on the screen. This process is more like being able to see what is on the page and you don't have to remember all of the right shortcut keys.
The other problem with Jaws is the expense as it costs nearly £1,000 for the software and then you also need to purchase training as it is not a piece of software you can just pick up and use it has taken me about 7 months to learn Jaws so far and I am no where near an expert!!!
On a final note Jaws can be very annoying as the voice isn't exactly great, it is very robotic and doesn't always announce things correctly which can be very confusing especially when trying to know if you have spelt something correctly. I have found I have slowly got used to the voice but it really drives everyone else mad especially my colleagues in the office. The one thing is you are never lonely and always have someone to talk to !!!"
Navigation Accessibility
Today we looked at navigation and accessibility of websites. Things such as the content of the navigation reflecting the structure of a site, and how visually or physically impaired people have aids to help them when browsing, of which I should be considering when designing my site. It comes from simple rules such as when a user accesses a site, they should be able use the content inside.
I have created a site map to aid this navigation, and also a storyboard of what each page may look like.
I am also going to research over the next week about JAWS, and assisted technology.
I have created a site map to aid this navigation, and also a storyboard of what each page may look like.
I am also going to research over the next week about JAWS, and assisted technology.
Overview of Presentation of Proposal
In my presentation I had tried to cover all of the aspects that would be required when researching good design for the web, so that I could gain a better understanding on what was required. I did a competitors analysis, looking at other sporting websites, colour schemes, persona's, and tried to develop a mood board to create an example of the impression and affect I want my site to have. I think the ideas and concepts of my thoughts where strong, although when carrying out my presentation itself, I was not as composed as I would have liked. I did however script my thoughts, so that when delivering my presentation, I could just look to those for my next point, but as I had scripted them to the letter, I found that it gave me no adjustment or freeway with my speech to improvise. For future presentations, I may try to give more on screen hints as to my next points, opposed to having a script. Overall, I think the content and thoughts behind my ideas are strong, and that when creating this site, the knowledge and background research I have done would be valuable.
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