Tips for Usability in a website

By Jessica Hupp

So you’ve got a website, but do you know whether it’s usable or not? The answer to this question can make the difference between a successful site and one that’s just ignored. Go through this checklist to make sure your site is up to snuff.

1. Do you answer your user’s questions?: Users visit a site because they want answers, so it’s vitally important that your site gives them what they are looking for.
2. Is your navigation clear and simple?: Make sure that your navigation lets the user know where they have been and where they can go in a clear, consistent manner.
3. Do you provide anchor text?:   ReadMore

Flex 3 Wins Best of Open Source Award

Flex 3 has won Best Open Source developer tool for RIAs as part of InfoWorld’s Best of Open Source Software Awards.

What makes a flex app big in size ??

Generally what makes a flex app big in size
1.Try to load your assets (images/animations) at runtime.
2. Try not to embed fonts. If you don’t really need a special font, or advanced anti-aliasing and you are not applying any effects and transformations (alpha, rotation etc.) to your text, you don’t need to embed fonts.
3.Another important concept is that of modular applications. Here are the docs:
http://livedocs.adobe.com/flex/3/html/help.html?content=modular_1.html
4.make sure you are looking at a “production” compile and not a debug compile.  There is significant difference in swf size.
5.not forget the Runtime Shared Libraries.  If you can offload the Flex Framework into and RSL that will significantly decrease your swf’s size.  The initial load will be the full 1mb, unless the user has been to another site that loaded the RSLs already into the flash player cache.  Every subsequent load will be reduced by about 500kb if you’re using the full flex framework.

Sorry!!! not updated my blog for 2 months

I was not able to update my blog for the last 2 months after june 5 th…i was busy in a project..”Audio chat using Flex and FMS(flash media server)”…(   finallyy it released… It is my first time working with FMS..a nice expirence….i could feel how an application fully built in flex  reduces headachee!!….(browser and OS)….

Corporate Logo Designs Explained – Amazon.com, FedEx, Microsoft

The corporate logo of Amazon.com has a very simple design – just the word amazon and a small yellow arrow.

Before we share the interesting story behind the logo design, let’s play a quick quiz – try to guess the correct Amazon logo from these very similar designs. [hint: Amazon wants to provide every item on their online shopping store]
Well, the actual Amazon.com logo is the one on the bottom right corner. As you would have noticed, the logo has a yellow arrow between the first A and the Z letters.

The yellow arrow implies that they have everything from A to Z and also represents the smile on the customer’s face

Update: Peter Dawson has dissected the FedEx logo design and found a forward looking arrow embedded neatly between the letters “Ex”.

The Microsoft logo has a slash between the o and s letters to emphasize the “soft” part of the name and convey motion and speed.

See my new flex app

I developed a new website using Flex 2.0.1,u can see it here 

This site is built for our church inaugrated by Our MLA Vishnunadh(chengannur MLA)..in a function represented by Transport Minsiter of Kerala Hon. Mathew .T.Thomas ,Our Bishop,Our MP, panchayat president and other co-operative society presidents…its a nice event too

My flex app:

I am building my own flex app…its a website ..its going to host on April 20th…then i willl post its link…i know flex is not meant for website development..its for app. purpose..but when i have  to do with photviwer app. yahoo map. and some more like webservices (in future )…i choose flex finallyy

Adobe Summit 2008-Bangalore

I also got a opportunity to attend Adobe RIA Architect Summit 2008 held in Bangalore at The Chancer Pavilion..It was a nice event and more informative….Naresh Gupta (SVP an MD ,Adobe India) took key not on RIA -past,present and future followed by David Wadhwani(VP and GM,Platform BU ,Adobe) about RIA road map…then we had a tech session by Ben Forta(Director,Evangelisim,Adobe) and James Ward(Manager,Evangelist) about Architecting Flex application,RIA best practices….,then customer showcase application using adobe platfrom..it ends at 7 pm…I really impressed with speech that James Ward and Ben took..really amazing!!!…

How to be an expert

 The only thing standing between you-as-amateur and you-as-expert is dedication. All that talk about prodigies? We could all be prodigies (or nearly so) if we just put in the time and focused. At least that’s what the brain guys are saying. Best of all–it’s almost never too late.

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Code like a girl

Do engineers and programmers care about concepts like beauty and elegance? Should they? Designers have always known that looks matter–that the outside (interface) matters. But deep in the heart of those building the inside–the technology most users never see–lies the sensibility of an artist. In a kind of “Design Eye for the Code Guy” way.

read more about it