From: ajb{log}

Adobe BrowserLab is a new cool web service that helps you test your web pages across a different web browsers and operating systems.

Adobe BrowserLab currently supports Firefox, Internet Explorer and Safari on both Mac and Windows XP. Just enter the website’s URL and it will take screenshots of your web page on different browsers and platforms. It displays the result using 1-up…..

Read more  »

With the release of Silverlight 1.0 and its subsequent versions, a debate started among designers and developers regarding choosing between Flash and Silverlight. Silverlight faces difficulties in capturing the market because of the maturity of Flash. However, Silverlight has managed to keep up by including certain features that designers and developers have always wanted to see in Flash, such as search engine optimization. In this article, we will discuss some of the technical differences between Flash and Silverlight to help you choose the technology that best suits your needs.

Animation

Flash uses the frame-based animation model. In frame-by-frame animation, we create an object for each frame to produce an animation sequence. For example, if you want to move something across the screen in 3 seconds, calculate how many frames 3 seconds will take, then calculate the matrices required for each frame along the way. Keep in mind that the player won’t actually maintain a frame rate unless you embed a blank audio track; otherwise, 3 seconds might turn out to be 2 or 6 or 5.

Silverlight is based on the WPF animation model, which is time-based instead of frame-based, so you define the start and end conditions, and it figures out how to do it. No need to deal with matrices like with Flash. Also, no need to calculate the positions of objects in various frames.

Read More »

Adobe Photoshop Marketplace is a place where anyone can publish information about their Photoshop-related tools, solutions, or events, including details about user groups, hardware, software, training (e.g. books, DVD’s), events, etc.

Here’s the official link: http://photoshopmarketplace.adobe.com.

I’m generally a slow reader, taking my time to finish a book, but Susan Weinschenk’s Neuro Web Design was such an interesting read that I finished it as soon as I can.

I’ve read books with different perspectives on webdesign, from the artist, to the usability engineer, to the manager. Neuro Web Design offers a different, and very convincing view of web design– the psychologist’s.

The main thesis of Neuro Web Design is that all people, as discovered by extensive research throughout the years, are “hard-wired” to behave certain ways. This is because out brain has evolved to have survival instincts, feel emotions, and process information. Given that our brain responds positively and negatively on certain stimuli, the book posits that there are key triggers to elicit positive responses from people. (Am I sounding like Sigmund Freud already?)

Serious web designers and internet marketing guys should definitely take a look at this Neuro Web Design. It explains some of the web usability tenets I’ve encountered and recommends practical use of psychology to web design.

From Smashing Magazine

Originally called Apollo, Adobe Air was released in beta back in 2007 and has gone from strength to strength ever since. You can build an Adobe Air app using HTML, JavaScript, Flash or ActionScript relatively simply. Basically anyone with even a little knowledge of programming and a little patience can create rich Internet applications.

Below, we present the Adobe AIR Developer’s Toolbox: Resources and Tutorials, a round-up of tutorials, links, references, cheat sheets and showcases that will help you create the next popular app.
Read more:  http://www.smashingmagazine.com/2009/04/07/adobe-air-developers-toolbox-resources-and-tutorials/

I’ve been doing several presentations and talks in the last couple of months (such as the last few Mini Web Design Conference), and I realized I needed to sharpen my presentation skills. That’s why when I got a hold of Prezentation Zen by Garr Reynolds, I was quite pleased.

But I was more pleased after reading it, because the contents are really, really helpful and inspiring– to the point that I look forward to making presentations the same way there are Los Angeles Lakers games on TV.

The book is divided in to three major parts: the preparation for the presentation, the design of your presentation materials (powerpoint & keynote slides, etc.), and the delivery of the presentation. All three major parts are tied together with the Zen philosophy and approach. This approach is all about simplicity and absense of noise. The book is very good in imparting these points in all the three parts.

The book was also able to give me a new mindset when it comes to designing my presentations, like the importance of integrating the appropriate images into the presentation and the use of space and the simplification of points for the audience’s easier understanding. There are also sample presentations slides for additional reference.

Presentation Zen is definitely one of those books that won’t gather dust on my bookshelf because I’ll always refer to it whenever I’ll make presentations.

SGS is looking for a  Web Content Publishing Supervisor:
Job Summary/ Major Duties and Responsibilities

• To plan, implement actions and report on various areas such as team performance against deliverables, areas of process improvement, team development, affiliate/business satisfaction etc.
• To manage all aspects of team supervision including project management, day to day personnel administration and overseeing/organizing all team tasks
• To ensure timely completion of individual/team task sheets and statistical reporting, performing analysis on results to ensure delivery of optimal balance between quality and quantity
• To ensure that the Web Content Publishers (WCPs) are on track to achieve its annual objectives
• To ensure that the team satisfactorily complies with Company Policies, Rules and Regulations
• To manage all incoming requests from affiliates, ensuring their clarity and correctness, and suggesting alternative solutions where necessary which add more value, promote greater ease of use on the web site and deliver a more positive user experience
• To effectively deal with unusual and complex requests from affiliates.
• To prioritize incoming requests and allocate to team members, track progress and ensure timely delivery, overseeing communication between team members and affiliates, and managing affiliates expectations if delays occur.
• Teach and mentor team members, assist them in solving difficulties arising with tasks, encourage enthusiasm and commitment to high quality output that meets all sgs.com standards including Publication Standards and Usability Guidelines
• To perform control checks on published images to ensure they are relevant to the related content, corporate identity compliancy, correct placement, appropriate concept and message.  Source new images from existing SGS image bank or from online royalty free sites as required.
• Act as first level support to the WCP team, to listen and to properly address WCPs’ concerns
• To work with the WCP team to formalize improvements of processes, procedures, etc.
• To identify work overtime need for requisition of Management Approval
• To perform tasks that maybe assigned from time to time with the objective of enhancing operational efficiency
• To conduct, facilitate and record regular team meetings to address issues and share solutions, discuss project progress and facilitate knowledge transfer
• To summarize projected leave applications of all team members
• To submit monthly report covering area of responsibility
• To approve or disapprove leave applications
• To improve and update existing Word templates for affiliate web content requests and create new templates where required
• To contribute to ad hoc planning sessions with the sgs.com Geneva team
• To identify specific areas of concerns that requires resolution or areas requiring policy directions from the Management ensuring proper channel of communication.  These are potentially falling in areas of procedural/systems direction, policy issues, personnel issues, etc.
• To assess and recommend appropriate resource requirements. To participate in the HR selection process of new WCP team members when applicable
• To orient newly hired WCPs on his/her role, job expectations, procedures, guidelines, structure, etc…
• Jointly prepare and conduct training for newly hired WPCs, with Supervisor focusing on the request handling part and the Web Content Production Specialist on CMS user training
• To liaise between GVA team and local WCP team (project updates, developments, etc…)
• To work with GVA & Manila management on the development of proper monitoring metrics, to monitor / measure WCP output according to defined processes and metrics
• To report to Management any breach of integrity, solicitation for, or offer of, an improper payment or advantage coming to his/her knowledge.

Minimum Educational Attainment

• Degree holder in Information Technology, Computer Science, Communication Arts or related qualification, with min. 5 years of project and personnel management across varied industries, plus usability and web publishing experience

Work Experience & Qualifications

• Broad experience of web projects and an excellent understanding of good information structure
• Good knowledge of integrating usability and SEO best practice
• Awareness of internet technologies, knowledge of HTML, working knowledge of CMS systems
• Familiar with best practices and industry trends/developments
• Able to quickly gain an in-depth knowledge of sgs.com web publication standards and usability guidelines and the ability to ensure correct implementation of all standards, including analysis of grey areas
• Understanding the relationships between different areas of the business and how they relate to the structure ofsgs.com websites in order to give the support needed to the team and customers
• A natural talent for communication and management, a strategic thinker who thrives on taking responsibility, using initiative, individual judgment, and delivering excellent results
• An accomplished communicator at all levels with strong spoken and written English
• Strong decision-making skills, common sense, the ability to solve problems quickly and effectively
• A quick learner, able to grasp new concepts, understand requirements and translate knowledge into practical solutions
• Able to manage procedures, prioritize both team and personal tasks and ensure the production of high quality results every time
• Additional foreign languages a plus
• Knowledge of SEO and accessibility principles
• Awareness of the Web 2.0 arena

If you are interested please email

I just finished reading Subject to Change (yeah, I just put the book down) and I think it’s a great and easy read on experience design and innovation.

I’m convinced the folks at Adaptive Path sure know what they’re talking about because they were able to write a book that’s less than 170 pages and be able to provide very good and conscise insights on customer/user research, agile methods, strategy and experience design.

The authors submit that qualitative data and research is as important as the quantitative methods (e.g. usability testing & evaluation versus interviews and observation). My key takeaway is really the importance of context for you and your customer when developing new services, interfaces and customer touch points.

The book does cite a lot of Adaptive Path’s experience in dealing with companies and it highlights how they were able to help them to be more customer-centric and adopt a design culture. I wish there were more specific examples on how they went about in doing customer research and implementing design strategies. The authors are able to make the topics “industry agnostic” and work even if you’re not in the IT field.

Subject to Change reads very much like a blog because there are very short sections and chapters, but that makes it easy to put the book down when you want to reflect on the points the authors are raising.