Texture design

Digital Web’s founder and publisher, Nick Finck, on The Contextual Web:

“There are four Elements of Context – the User, the Task, the Environment, and the Technology. Who is your user and what obstacles are they facing; what task are they trying to complete; what is the environment in which they are working; and what kind of computer or device are they using? Designing interactive experiences is not limited to the web on your computer or phone – consider gas pumps, fridges, or devices like Microsoft Surface.

Read the rest of this entry »

It seems appropriate to start today’s stormy SXSW Day Three by stealing Matthew’s thunder (har har) at being the only DW staffer actively blogging the conference. I only caught the tail end of Lost in Translation? Top Website Internationalization Lessons. But like most other internationalization-themed panels, articles and conversations, it’s a difficult topic. We can continue to lecture to ourselves about the benefits and strategy of internationalization (and agree with each other across the board), but without business momentum it will remain a rarified field in web design/development.

Read the rest of this entry »

Although there were a couple of introductory panels yesterday afternoon, Saturday is the start of SXSW proper. And the schedule this year is quite simply insane – there are anything up to fifteen(!) simultaneous presentations, panels, and readings at any one time, so choosing what to see can be a near-impossible decision.

For anyone who is here in Austin wondering what to see, my strategy for getting the most out of the week is that whenever faced with a clash between two or more sessions, I’ll try to go for the presentations by individuals over multi-person panels every time — because if you’re here to learn, you want to have someone talk to you, not to their friends. Panels can be great, but too often the complaint I hear from attendees is that: “…they weren’t saying anything that me and my buddies couldn’t have talked about with just as much authority and passion.”

Read the rest of this entry »

Monday saw a couple of great sessions here at South By South West. At 10am — and in front of a large crowd, despite the previous evening’s bowling — Lea Alcantara discussed The Art of Self-Branding. Her five key points that your personal brand should encompass: Relevance, Design/Presentation, Message/Communication, Understanding of the customer, and Consistency, could equally well be applied to agencies or corporate entities as well as to yourself. She demonstrated the difference a coherent brand can make with a comparison of the two personal finance sites, Wesabe and Mint – go check out her presentation when the slides are online for more details.

Read the rest of this entry »