Daring Technology
Zachary Burrows' Personal Blog
If It’s Broke, Fix It!
Jun 8th
Last week I had a client call me up to discuss his PC and the issues he has been having with it. Basically the computer was now refusing to boot fully, got half way through the Windows loading screen then rebooted.
Put simply this is due to a corruption of the core files of Windows, upon discussion with the client he revealed that actually the computer started acting up and freezing/performing very slowly about three months prior, which of course meant he was pulling the power plug out. This is most likely the cause to the corruption of the Windows Core files.
The solution was of course to try and restore Windows, which takes a while, especially when after you restore there are lots of updates needed too for the operating system to be back up to date. Of course this is all extra work which may have been avoidable if he had contacted me when he found the computer running slow.
If there is a problem don’t just live with it, get it seen to and sorted, often ignoring issues will make computer errands more painful than already are and can potentially lead to more issues.
Hyperlink Ruling
Oct 19th
You may or may not be aware I was a web designer, and although I enjoy it very much I don’t deal in web design as regularly as I may like, mostly due to running Plan It.
I was discussing with a client how to improve a website, one of the things I mentioned was concerning contextual hyperlinks, which I explained and thought I would blog it too.
Hyperlinking adds flare to the text used to link and so it stands out, with that in mind think about when the hyperlink just says ‘Click Here’, if the visitor to the website reads that they then have to read the paragraph to establish where the ‘Click Here’ link will take them, making browsing a page more time consuming than needed.
With contextual hyperlinking we use words like ‘contact us’ as a hyperlink. Then if the visitor glimpses that they know exactly where it will take them, giving them the choice of reading the paragraph or continuing through the link.
Yes, it is a minor thing but yet it is still something to consider, by avoiding the words ‘Click Here’ a site just becomes a little easier to understand and navigate.
Brand Confusion
Jun 25th
Today I wish to quickly talk about branding crisis issues. The branding of a business is important, not only is it used to add to the company image but it plays an essential part in continuity in a business.
Over the last week I have seen two terrible examples of how a company has spent money on developing one side of the business and by doing so brought it out of sync with the rest.
The example I will mention was a copier engineer who gave me his card, when I got round to calling him I had left his business card in my home office, this of course wasn’t a problem as I remembered he had a website listed on his card so I searched on google and found his site. When I got to the website the colour scheme and logo looked nothing like it was on the stationary, subsequently I decided to leave it as it probably wasn’t the same company. Fact is it was.
Branding is very important to business, throughout the process of a potential purchaser progressing to an actual purchaser there should be a consistency to the business, lack of this can turn customers off. If you run a business please remember to keep your branding consistent.
How To Hire A Designer
Jun 21st
I had a client come to me at the last minute concerning issues with another designer she contracted to design/code a website. I will start by outlining her issues with the designer and then sum up some of the key rules to remember when sourcing a designer.
Initially I was contacted at Honey Graphics to quote on a web design and coding for an online t-shirt store, needed a complete design, working shopping cart, contact form, payment system etc. We quoted 500-600 GBP +VAT.
After quoting one of the designers the t-shirt printing company uses for t-shirt designs told the client he was also an experienced web designer/coder and quoted 1500 GBP, a significant sum more than we quoted but they chose to go with him as he already does work for them and is an important designer to keep happy.
The designer was asked to produce a website by a set date (June 20th 2010 to be exact) with all features working, something that most design studio’s would not have an issue with as he had a month to do so. The website was needed by this set date as a high figure had been invested in advertising at a festival and website was the only point of contact provided on the adverts.
On June 14th I was contacted again by the client to be informed that the design wasn’t fully working, no cart system was in place, and Lloyds Banking had rejected the site for taking payment as it was lacking in terms and conditions. The Designer attempted to fix the terms and conditions with two sentences, “These measurements are a guideline only. We operate a full 30 days returns policy, even if you order the wrong size we will swap it for you free of charge.” which of course is not a full terms and conditions. I offered a bit of assistance by pointing the client to some template terms and conditions and outlined what aspects they may need to consider for their business.
On inspection I found not only was the code extremely buggy and the site lacking in essential features but this professional designer was using a package to pull the design apart and code it, resulting in extremely poor quality.
By the 16th the Client had lost faith in the designer completely and enquired whether we could take over the job and finish it by the Sunday (20th), I provided another quote based on having to redesign and code as the current design was not workable, and the quote reflected the need to work long hours over the weekend to get it done but came out at 650 GBP +VAT.
Due to legal issues they continued with the designer they had, if they were to cancel his contract before the due date in court they of course could be sued for nearly the whole design fee at £1500. Yet if they continue with him and he does not finish by the agreed date in theory they could sue him for his costs, loss of money on advertising placed based on the due date and loss of earning for the key period of sales in the year. But the contract for the deadline was only verbal so in court it may or may not be accepted. And if they cancelled they also may lose a t-shirt designer that they wish to keep hold of.
The end result is today the website is still unfinished and the deadline is passed, a potential big lose of money and a big headache for the client, now I will sum up some of the essential lessons shown in this example.
Planning: The Key To Successful Design
Mar 11th
Website planning is by far the most essential part of design, after all, how can we design the ideal solution if we haven’t made sure we know what the website needs?
Planning and Designing a website is reliant on two equal and important parties, the designer and the client and to ensure the best result is achieved at the end both parties need to be allowed to do their side properly.
Roles of the Designer
- Questions – A good designer should be able to ask the right questions to get the information and feelings they need from the client. Asking the right questions is key to getting the answers you need to make a successful design.
- Understanding – The designer should be able to understand what the client does and how the industry/needs should affect the website design.
- Patience – Clients will not be as wised up on internet coding savy, which is why you are employed. Your job should be to carefully listen to the concerns and explain clearly your thoughts so the client and you can work well together.
- Honesty – If your client is paying for your experience and knowledge, share it with them, if you disagree tell them so and explain why, if the client still has a different view than you that is fine as long as they know what your view is.
- Accuracy – Get your deadlines in order, don’t miss them, be upfront with timescales and costs.
Roles of the Client
- Openness – Don’t be afraid to say what you are thinking, if you have thoughts on a design say so, the designer may have reasoning for doing it that way, he may not, but if you say your thoughts then both parties can look at it and discuss.
- Freedom – It is the designers job to think outside the box a bit, he/she may think of a way to present your site that you wouldn’t have, but be open-minded enough to look at it and see the merits and not just the flaws. Remember that you aren’t a designer, that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t have ideas but you should never be fixed on one.
- Be Clear – Make sure you explain what you need clearly and everything you need, now and later, is mentioned so it can be considered in the design.
Lack Of Back-Up: Chaos Entails
Nov 18th
Monday morning started off with being contacted by a client who’s computer was failing to start up.
The computer in question was brought to me in the afternoon and after a quick analysis it was clear that the hard drive had failed. Subsequently the customer was worried as he had failed to make a back-up of any of the information on his PC.
After some delving around the client has managed to locate some of the more essential information he had sent to a colleague and fortunately had kept in his inbox. Among the files that could easily of been lost were important business files and tax information.
It is key to keep a copy of important files and this case could of easily been a lot worse. One copy of information is a very dangerous way of living, we have to remember that computer parts do fail sometimes, accidents happen too, and sometimes even natural disasters.
