Visual Design and Usability

Visual Design and Usability are two factors web developers and web designers need to focus with. The two factors are the two ends of a scale, the more you try to add usability, the visual design can be compromised; the more attractive the website is, the less user friendly it may become. www.articlecity.info has a good article on web visual design and Usability.

Some usability gurus have traditionally expounded that developing a web site should be focussed on the usability, not the outlook. However, as opposing these views, User experience designers and Information architects have argue that, since human have the tendency of an extremely short "attention span", an attractive Visual design is essential to lure users making them stay on the site for a longer time.

Patrick K's article on Visual Design and Usability describes the how the two views exist together depsite being the different ends of the scale. A site with a minimalistic visual design is the major design scenario prevailing in the UX design world these days. A website loaded with graphics and animation may be attractive although losing usability functions or taking up more time in loading while a minimalistic website may look dull, however providing the necessary details or information the website is meant for.

For a better improvement in the fusion between usability and visual design, developers/designer has now been using Prototyping tools to create wireframe models of website outlays. This helps in determining the looks of the website in a proper way even before its development.

The Missing Gmail Labs Feature

Google has done a lot to improve its emailing features and User interaction through the Labs module. However, I strongly felt that the gmail labs lack one 'mundane' feature which everyone needs and would be happy to include with; and that is - an urgency rating system.

If you are one person who uses the email service frequently to communicate, you perhaps must have come to notice that the rating system is extremely essential.

What Google can add to its labs feature is a 5 options rating module, say something like the one shown on the right. The module is suppose to rate the urgency of the email.

What one usually does is read the email he or she receives first, and so the last email you sent, even though it is urgent, could be read last. It's kind of a FIFO arrangement. You can mention in the subject line, the degree of urgency but there is a better way to do that.

You can simply send a 'Someone's Dying' rated email. The subject line will appear in the corresponding color and one will identify it as soon as he sees the subject, (everyone reads the subject to the mails they received..don't they?).

Someone's Dying:
This is an email of the greatest priority. You rate this when there is and extreme need for the recipient to read the mail as soon as possible.

Finish your Coffee:
This are normal emails. The recipient reads it as when he feels like reading.
Most emails should fall in this category.

I'm Feeling Lucky:
It is a Google style rate. The recipient reads it as he wants. You can rate this when you think the email is really interesting.

Actions Required:
You give this rating when the recipient needs to perform some Actions; as the likes in which site administrators sent to its users to inform the change in its privacy policy and the users need to accept it before continuing using.

No Reply:
This is an email sent when you don't need a reply but want to inform the recipient.

Portable Google Chrome 2.0.169.0 Beta

Chromium is the open-source project behind Google Chrome. Google Chrome is a browser with intuitive and innovative User interface design with sophisticated technology that makes the web faster, safer (although IE is above in security list for now), and easier. The One Box for Everything ideology makes it possible for your
to type in the address bar and get suggestions for both search and web pages; will give you thumbnails of your top sites; Access your favorite pages instantly with lightning speed from any new tab.

A portable application can be run from a removable drive (USB flash drive, iPod, portable hard drive, etc) on any Windows computer without installation. You will carry the program with settings on removable drive and don't modify settings on
host computer.

Extract (with a PortableApps folder at the device's root) and run ChromePortable or ChromiumPortable. If you want to add parameters, start in incognito mode, delete cache or allow multiple instances: edit Chrom*Portable.ini.
Extract Plugins (with a PortableApps folder at the device's root): Flash 10.0.22.87 & Gears 0.5.8.0.
Settings of installed Chrome should be preserved.

Internet browser (more infos) without installation.

Download Portable Google Chrome Beta on RapidShare (7.9 MB) (md5:bdd46b84b00941e8048c90a695afb137)
Download Portable Chromium on RapidShare (8.0 MB) (md5: a6a886a36edbac16feba44d81bad2319)
Download Portable Chrome Final on RapidShare (7.5 MB) (md5: 056dc3ae922f50f6b6042d02745bc943)

Download Plugins on Zone-DL (2.5 MB) (md5: d8dff930fcabd2536eb536228d35e9e2)

Download Portable Chrome Final on Share1t (7.5 MB)
Download Portable Google Chrome Beta on Share1t (7.9 MB)
Download Portable Chromium on Share1t (8.0 MB)
Download Plugins on Share1t (2.5 MB)

And if you want the PC version of Google Chrome, Download : Google Chrome 2.0.169.0

Results in Acid3 Test :
Chrome Beta & Chromium: 100 %
Chrome Final: 79 %

Web Design Tools

Software

Just in case if you’re curious about the tools web designers use, here’s the Mac softwares many designers prefer to keep on hand for design, web development, organization, productivity, and other miscellaneous playing around:

CandyBarPanic	CocktailMaintain
CodaPanic	Creative Suite 4Adobe

FontExplorer X ProLinotype	KeynoteApple
LaunchBarObjective Development	LittleSnapperRealmac Software
Snapz Pro XAmbrosia Software	TinkerToolMarcel Bresink
TransmitPanic	xScopeIconfactory

I believe you like this list too.