Hey there! Brian Dys here — I’m a visual and visceral person at heart. Ever since my mom lent me her old film camera, I fell in love with photography. All of my creative musings were exemplified by my second brain, the computer. This journey is a topsy-turvy ride of creative pursuits — from electronic music to UX design.
I enjoy every dull and wild moments of it — yes, this life of mine that I share with a woman named Jaycelle and a boy named Bryce. Take a peek into my kaleidoscope!
Our team has officially joined Voyager Innovations!
Voyager Innovations, Inc. is part of First Pacific and is a wholly owned subsidiary of Smart Communications, Inc. (Smart) focused on delivering disruptive innovations for the rapidly changing world.
In today’s world, the products we sell, how we do things, the way we are structured, the networks, systems and platforms that support us are all changing and evolving. Voyager Innovations, Inc. is the strategic response to the changing needs of the communities. We are an organization that is positioned for the future new business streams & evolving business models.
Make example of how simple a semantic markup can be made into a component.
Use Search for example.
While HTML adjusted for the use of fragmentation in content structure (e.g., Form label scattered across the place and only connected by ID’s and for attributes), as well as ARIA adopted to Web Components to provide meaning and semantics to its structure and free-wheeling use of elements.
We must not forget that even webapps can be deduced into a simple document, so as long as they provide human-readable information.
The ultimate test still is stripping off the presentation layer, diving deep into the interaction layer and presenting only the information to the user.
This is the simplest we can approach designing website and applications.
Thus, we must make an element.
I received a confirmation that HopScotch got approved in WordPress Themes Directory.
There are several blog entries in Design DriveThru about the practical application of HTML and CSS, simple ideas as well. In order to put these entries in a clearer light, there needs to be specific categories where they fall under. This will put things in context so that the reader would know to which extent the entry applies to him or her.
For example, as we talk about Notes on SASS File Structure, how does one try to absorb this concept? You might ask if this entry is important for you as a web or front-end designer. The answer can be made easier by categorizing the topics.
The first categories deal with a particular web concept as being either of the two:
Theory deals with general principles.
Theory is a contemplative and rational type of abstract or generalizing thinking, or the results of such thinking. Depending on the context, the results might for example include generalized explanations of how nature works.
Source: Wikipedia
An example of a Theory is CSS Principles.
Technique on the other hand, deals with practical application.
A technique is a procedure to complete a task.
Source: Wikipedia
An example of Technique is Recreating Spotify’s Album Cover.
There could also be an entry with both Theory and Technique as its categories, for example: Using <body> to Define UI States and Types. This entry talks about principles and demonstrates how to apply it.
The second part of categories is about the web being generally split into two – it is either:
The latter is from The Elements of User Experience by Jesse James Garrett.
Web Documents deals mainly with information like Wikipedia or a WordPress blog. This is the primitive beginnings of HTML wherein information are linked to other information via anchor elements.
Web Applications deals mainly with services that foster activities and enable the users to accomplish specific tasks. Good examples range from Google Sheets to InVision.
This category set could be mutual like Flickr, for example – it is a webapp yet it deals with images and videos with rich information.
I would be using these categories to contextualize entries mostly discussing HTML because each web object, whether a simple web document or a webapp deals with HTML.
Hopefully this categorization technique will be useful in mapping the context of Front-End Design entries.
Recently, the design team is conceptualizing on a new Chikka Text Messenger branding.
As you very well know, the phone and mouse icons aren’t up with the times already. Mobile phones have shed its antenna and keypad; the mouse, well pretty much some still look the same.
Chikka Text Messenger or CTM helps Filipinos abroad communicate thru SMS with their families and friends here in Philippines (PH). Basically, if you’re abroad, you text your mom (in PH) thru CTM app using Wi-Fi or data then she receives it as plain SMS. But if she’s also using CTM app and is online, then she receives the text thru the app like instant messenger.
We started the branding redesign by this square icon:
From here, I simply extracted the message balloon. The resulting icon, also shaped like an ear, embodies communication from end to end – you speak and the recipient listens and vice versa.
Reading in Facebook about an upcoming Procurement Hack by the Open Data Philippines and PhilGEPS, I followed a link to http://data.gov.ph/hackathon and I was shown a 404 Not Found page.
I could have been well within my wits to simply use Google Search but the immediate thing I did was to search for the word “hackathon” using data.gov.ph’s Search Form – that’s why it’s there, right?
There, I saw the title of what I was looking for as the second result – #KabantayNgBayan.
The link took me to another page with yet another link.
Hoping to “learn more” about #KabantayNgBayan, I followed the link to http://beta.data.gov.ph/news/kabantayngbayan-hacking-national-budget which turned out to be worse than a 404.
Now I already knew where the real page was upon hitting that Server Not Found (thanks, Google Search). But we should expect more from Government websites to provide us with the information we are looking for – immediately.
Let me itemize the things that must not be experienced by other users – be it those looking for hackathon information or those looking for more important information on Philippine Government websites.
Hackathons are like sleepover without the sleep – in a workshop with only cardboards, glues, and scissors as your materials and you are expected to come up with a rocket ship to relocate Philae to a sunny spot. Overnight.
But the websites hosting hackathons shouldn’t appear as if it was done in a half-hackathon event and launched. Think of UX Event websites that actually do not understand what “UX” means.
It’s true that this is a simple case of a broken link (or a user who opted not to use Google Search). Besides, I already found what I was looking for. But this scenario has proven to me that there’s a lot to improve regarding how the Government publishes and maintains information on its websites – not to mention when it comes down to searching for it – will the user find what he or she is looking for immediately?
