What Makes Good Blog Design?

Following is a list of heuristics for designing a good blog according to the website: what-makes-good-blog-design

I will use these guidelines to analyze whether Saira’s blog is well designed or needs improvement.

1. Content Should be the Focus.
Interesting content is important. I tried to make my post interesting and informative and adding images that pertained to the topic. In order to keep my visitors focused on the content, I made the content be the focal point of the design. Distracting readers with excessive images and extra items can be counterproductive. For this reason, I tried to make my designs fairly simple. Simplicity is common for blogs that want to emphasize the content.

2. Ease of Navigation.
Readers come to a blog through search engines, links from other blogs, RSS feeds, social media sites, etc. Only a small percentage of readers enter blogs through the front page. Saira’s blog doesn’t have many links from other blogs yet so finding it through a search engine is hard. I didn’t include a sidebar with navigational links which make it easier to find content.

3. Loads Quickly
Many visitors will have a very short attention span (this is really no different for blogs than traditional websites). Saira’s blog loads quickly, it is not weighted down by excessive widgets that decrease load speed. By keeping the blog clean and free of unnecessary items you can really cut down on the time it takes to load.

4. Content Start High on the Page.
Content on Saira’s blog starts higher on the page which makes it get started with the posts, and reduces excessive scrolling.

5. Memorable for Visitors.
Most blog readers visit a number of blogs each day, and many of them will feature the same (free) themes. I downloaded the free theme for Saira’s blog, so I am sure there are many blogs out there with the same design. To make my blog stand out more, I should create my own theme or buy a professionally designed theme. I did see many nice ones, but they were all pricey. If I was planning to use this blog more, I will look into buying or creating a professional design.

6. Not Overrun with Ads.
For most blogs making money with advertisements is a necessity. Even though it is important to use advertisements effectively, I did not add any ads at this point to Saira’s blog

7. Compatibility with Multiple Browsers.
Saira’s blog is functioning in both Firefox and IE.

8. Good Use of Color.
The best designs effectively use color to improve the appearance. I tried to use a theme that had an appealing colour theme which stood out. The one I picked was attractive and looked good on a black background.

9. Easy to Read.
This is really more about formatting the content of the blog than it is about a theme design. I tried to make my posts readable by using headlines, white space, lists, and bold text to make it easy for readers.

10. Important Items Should Be in Prominent Positions.
Effective design will draw the attention of readers to important items, such as subscription information. The most important links, images, etc. should generally go above the fold so that visitors will see them right away. Saira’s blog needs to improve on this as more widgets are added and more content is posted.

I decided to do a usability test on the website http://ecoki.com/ which I consider to be well designed. The information is organized so it’s easy to read and find what you are looking for fast. The space used is simple, no clutter, however large amount of information is managed well. The search box is visible and for the most part user friendly. The visual design or the aesthetics of the site is simple and uncluttered and pleasing to the eye. They have well use of color, font and graphics, and overall a good visual design that grab attention. Links are clear, the links work as planned and designed, graphics don't take long to load. The blog does not use long winded sentences or huge words. Scan-ability and readability is good.

Here is a design comparison of ecoki.com and Saira's blog.

Contact Lens

The invention of contact lens is significant and one which I consider to be in the top 5 list of the greatest inventions of the 20th and the 21st Century.

Until contact lens came along, there was no alternative to eyeglasses. Playing sports, involvement in certain occupations, one’s appearance were all affected by wearing glasses. Wearing contact lens are desirable for many reasons and are a great contribution to cosmetics, occupations and most importantly to one’s self-esteem.

Why Wear Contact Lens?

Contact lenses have many advantages over framed lenses. Here is the list of some of the benefits:

   1. They do not steam up when the wearer goes from the cold outside to a warm room.
   2. They can be worn safely during sports.
   3. They eliminate the need for less attractive lenses.
   4. Peripheral vision is increased
   5. The incidence of breakage is extremely low.
   6. Contact lens cheaper than glasses now, cost of frames alone is high nowadays

Sometimes, the adjustment period in learning to use contact lens properly can be longer than for eye glasses, especially for younger children. However many kids or teenagers don’t like to wear glasses as it can impact their self-esteem. I remember when I got my glasses in grade 5, I was petrified. I always feared being teased about them so I often didn’t wear them and as a result my eye sight worsen. Contact lens are easy to use. You insert them in the morning, and basically, you forget about them. No need to worry about lost or misplaced glasses, or getting them dirty and having to clean them perpetually.   Glasses are bulky, easily broken and misplaced and hide the one’s natural look.

 Following link does a comparison of Contacts vs. Glasses
Contact Lens vs. Glasses


Types of Contact Lens
From: http://www.mamashealth.com/eye/contacts.asp

There are two general categories of contact lenses – soft and rigid gas permeable. All contact lenses require a valid prescription.

• Soft Contact Lenses
• Rigid Gas Permeable Contact Lenses
• Extended Wear Contact Lenses
• Disposable Contact Lenses

Soft Contact Lenses
Soft contact lenses are made of soft, flexible plastics that allow oxygen to pass through to the cornea. Soft contact lenses may be easier to adjust to and are more comfortable than rigid gas permeable lenses. Newer soft lens materials include silicone-hydrogels to provide more oxygen to your eye while you wear your lenses.

Rigid Gas Permeable Contact Lenses
Rigid gas permeable contact lenses are more durable and resistant to deposit buildup, and generally give a clearer, crisper vision. They tend to be less expensive over the life of the lens since they last longer than soft contact lenses. They are easier to handle and less likely to tear. However, they are not as comfortable initially as soft contacts and it may take a few weeks to get used to wearing permeable contact lenses, compared to several days for soft contacts.

Extended Wear Contact Lenses
Extended wear contact lenses are available for overnight or continuous wear ranging from six nights up to 30 days. Extended wear contact lenses are usually soft contact lenses. They are made of flexible plastics that allow oxygen to pass through to the cornea. There are also a very few rigid gas permeable lenses that are designed and approved for overnight wear. Length of continuous wear depends on lens type and your eye care professional’s evaluation of your tolerance for overnight wear. It’s important for the eyes to have a rest without lenses for at least one night following each scheduled removal.

Disposable Contact Lenses
The majority of soft contact lens wearers are prescribed some type of frequent replacement schedule. “Disposable,” as defined by the FDA, means used once and discarded. With a true daily wear disposable schedule, a brand new pair of lenses is used each day.

Some soft contact lenses are referred to as “disposable” by contact lens sellers, but actually, they are for frequent/planned replacement. With extended wear lenses, the lenses may be worn continuously for the prescribed wearing period (for example, 7 days to 30 days) and then thrown away. When you remove your lenses, make sure to clean and disinfect them properly before reinserting.

The Oven

Many kitchen appliances are great inventions of the past two centuries, however I don't know how I can manage without the oven. I think the invention of the oven is significant because before the oven, meals took hours to prepare on the stove or outside in wood or coal burning ovens with laborious efforts. Having an oven to cook indoors has revolutionized the way we cook food today. In the past, cooking ovens were fueled by wood or coal and it hours to get the oven ready for cooking and then hours for the food to actually cook. Today thanks to the modern oven and it's technology, I can make a cake in 30 minutes, a turkey dinner in 3 hours, and heat up bread in minutes. There is no need to clean it, as the self-clean function takes care of the cleaning fast and efficiently. I can put dinner in the oven to cook while I do other chores around the house and a timer tells me when dinner is ready. How conveniently great is that?!!

History 

Settlements across the Indus Valley Civilization were the first to have an oven within each mud-brick house by 3200 BC. Culinary historians credit the Greeks for developing bread baking into an art. Front-loaded bread ovens were developed in ancient Greece. The Greeks created a wide variety of doughs, loaf shapes and styles of serving bread with other foods. Baking developed as a trade and profession as bread increasingly was prepared outside of the family home by specially trained workers to be sold to the public. This is one of the oldest forms of professional food processing. the Greeks also pioneered sweet breads, fritters, puddings, cheesecakes, pastries, and even wedding cakes. Often prepared in symbolic shapes, these products were originally served during special occasions and ceremonies. By 300 AD the Greeks had developed over seventy different kinds of bread.

Oven depicted in a painting by Millet

Ancient Greek portable oven

 

Traditional Moroccan clay oven

 

Classical Pompeii oven

 

 

Taken from: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oven

Chronology

 

From: http://inventors.about.com/library/inventors/blstoves.htm

• Benjamin Franklin (1706-1790) invented the iron furnace stove or 'Franklin Stove'.
• Frans Wilhelm Lindqvist designed the first sootless kerosene stove.
• Jordan Mott invented the first practical coal stove in 1833. Mott's stove was called the baseburner. The stove had ventilation to burn the coal efficiently.
• British inventor, James Sharp patented a gas stove in 1826, the first successful gas stove to appear on the market.

The Carpenter Electric Heating Manufacturing Co. invented an electric stove in 1891. On June 30, 1896, William Hadaway was issued the first patent for the electric stove. In 1910, William Hadaway went on to design the first toaster made by Westinghouse, a horizontal combination toaster-cooker.

 

Second Industrial Revolution Stoves

The coal stove was cylindrical and made of heavy cast iron with a hole in the top, which was then enclosed by an iron ring. Gas stoves were found in most households by the 1920s with top burners and interior ovens. It was not until the late 1920s and early 1930s that electric stoves began to compete with gas stoves, however, electric stoves were available as early as the 1890s.
 

The Water Heater

When I grew up in Pakistan, we attended school from 7am to noon. Due to the extreme hot weather at midday, schools and even some businesses were closed till mid afternoon. I attended a private school that was about 30 km away so I was bussed from my home at 6 in the morning. The long bus route was due to several stops the bus was required to make for pickups. So every morning we'd wake up at 5am to take a cold shower in the summer months or in the winter, warm bath that had water that was first heated by a kettle and then mixed to the bucket of cold water. Often we would wash our face, hands and do kitchen duties with very cold water. Having to grow up without running hot water was inconvenient but something we were just used to. My father eventually got a hot water tank installed in our home months before we left our home country.

Many people who have lived in a developed country all of their life do not realize that still millions of people around the world are without hot water, in fact even cold running water. We need to appreciate what we have and so often we take for granted our daily comforts and conveniences. Can you imagine waking up this morning when it's -5 C outside and to have to first boil water so you can just wash up? If you decide to take a cold shower and are crazy enough to stay in the shower for a few minutes you'll probably end up getting pneumonia or hypothermia. You may not know that third world countries, such as Pakistan can have cold winters as Canada. In the city when I lived, Karachi, in January the temperatures can drop to as low as 1-4 C and in the northern parts of the country, especially in the mountain ranges such as the city Muree, temperatures can dip as low as -30C. It may be a consider a luxury in some parts of the world, however it is a luxury for us too living in North America and a convenience that we simply do not want to want to live without.

History
Taken from :  http://www.articledashboard.com/Article/The-History-of-Who-Invented-the-Electric-Water-Heater-/633796

The answer to who invented the electric water heater begins around 1850 with an experiment that was created in which both water and bath, on the underneath side, were heated by gas jets. An Englishman Benjamin Maughan, however in 1868 invented the first instant water heater called “The Geyser”, a device where the water was heated as it flowed into the bath. They were known to be quite dangerous.
Maughn’s invention influenced the designs of a Norwegian mechanical engineer by the name of Edwin Ruud, who immigrated to Pittsburg. Ruud who invented the electric water heater (automatic storage) in 1889, founded the Ruud Manufacturing Company, which is still in operation today, and pioneered the advancement of water heaters, in both the residential and commercial market.

The Water Heater is still sometimes referred to as a geyser in the UK. Other terms include: an electric water boiler, electric dispensing pot, or electric water urn.

There are various kinds of water heaters. The most common water heaters are the storage water heaters. Instantaneous (tankless) water heaters are newer on the market, and newer still, solar water heaters.

Storage Tank Water Heaters:

This is typically the kind of water heater you saw growing up, the big white tank often beside the furnace. Tank type water heaters come in different varieties - gas, oil & electric. This refers to the type of burner used to heat the water. Energy efficiencies between the different types of burners on the tank water heaters can differ greatly. In this tank, cold water is used to fill the tank, and an element, usually near the top & bottom inside the tank is used to heat it. In between the inside tank and the outer shell is often insulation to help keep the water hot, without the elements having to do all of the work.

Instantaneous Water Heaters:

Instantaneous Water Heaters, also called Tankless Water Heaters are just that. They do not have a tank, and therefore are thought to be more energy efficient. Sometimes they are called an in-line water heater, as it only heats the water it needs as it passes through, and therefore energy is not wasted by heating extra water all day that is not in use.

Other terms for Tankless Water Heaters is Combination Water Heaters, Combi Boilers, Continuous Flow Water Heaters, Inline Water Heaters, Flash Water Heaters, On-Demand Water Heaters or Instant-On Water heaters.

These particular Water Heaters are rapidly gaining in popularity and will soon become the standard. Often, one main Tankless Water Heater will be installed near the furnace, and supplemental smaller Tankless Water Heaters will be situated in tactical spots, such as a far reaching bathrooms, etc to be located right where the water is being used. This strategy saves water as well as energy, thereby making this option one of the most efficient, as well as saving on space.

Solar Water Heaters:

If you’re fortunate enough to live someplace sunny most of the year around, a solar powered water heater may be an option for you. Solar collectors are typically installed on the exterior of the building on the roof or nearby. If insufficient sunlight or at night, an automatic sensor turns off and keeps the remaining water from cooling.

For colder climates, you’re not out of luck. The evacuated tube collector solar powered water heater is an alternate type of solar water heater, smaller and deemed more efficient, also roof mounted, is said to work very well in cold climates.

True to its name, the evacuated tube collector solar powered water heater has a row of glass tubes which contain heat conducting rods. Inside the heating rods is antifreeze, which is in a circulating loop. The heat is captured and transferred into a heat exchanger. The result is excellent, with very low heat loss due to the fact that once the inside coating has absorbed solar radiation, the air has been evacuated from the glass tubes to create a vacuum.

The Cell Phone

The cell phone definately enhaced livability. Of course it's built after one of the best inventions of all time, the telephone but the cell phone in the modern day is far more used than the home phone and will continue to evolve as the technological world advances.

I use my cell phone for so many reasons and I can’t imagine being without it. Juggling a busy life with two kids is difficult and I rely on my cell phone on a day to day basis. There are so many gadgets and electronic available in the market today but for me nothing is more important than my cell phone. I use my cell phone to make quick calls home from a grocery store to ask if milk is finished. I use my phone to order takeout on my way to the restaurant. I use my phone to send someone a quick text message that just can’t wait till later. I often use my cell phone to call my husband for directions when I am lost and too busy to pull over to ask for directions!! But most of all I like to have a cell phone just in case of an emergency. I feel safer with a cell phone knowing I can make a call anytime to anyone.

I own a very cheap, no frills Nokia phone with no bells and whistles. It cost me $50 to buy, although you can get it for free now, and I pay $20/months. I've had it for over 2 years and I haven't had any problems with it. I know in a few years cell phones will probably be obsolete as devices such as the iPhone and the Blackberry saturate the market and come down in price but until then I am satisfied with  my Nokia phone as it is!

My simple, no frills cell phone that's lasted with me for the past 2 years and still going!

History of the Cell Phone

AT&T's and Bell Laboratories introduced the idea of cellular communications in 1947. But Motorola and Bell Labs in the sixties and early seventies were in a race to incorporate the technology into portable devices.

Dr Martin Cooper, a former general manager for the systems division at Motorola, is considered the inventor of the first portable handset and the first person to make a call on a portable cell phone in April 1973. The first call he made was to his rival, Joel Engel, Bell Labs head of research.

On  April 3, 1973, Cooper made the first public demonstration in New York, using a "brick"-like 30-ounce phone. "People want to talk to other people - not a house, or an office, or a car. Given a choice, people will demand the freedom to communicate wherever they are, unfettered by the infamous copper wire. It is that freedom we sought to vividly demonstrate in 1973," said Martin Cooper.

Martin Cooper added, "As I walked down the street while talking on the phone, sophisticated New Yorkers gaped at the sight of someone actually moving around while making a phone call. Remember that in 1973, there weren't cordless telephones, let alone cellular phones. I made numerous calls, including one where I crossed the street while talking to a New York radio reporter - probably one of the more dangerous things I have ever done in my life."

It took Cooper 10 years to bring the portable cell phone to market. Motorola introduced the 16-ounce "DynaTAC" phone into commercial service in 1983, with each phone costing the consumer $3,500. It took additional seven years before there were a million subscribers in the United States. Today, there are more cellular subscribers than wire line phone subscribers in the world, with mobile phones weighing as little as 3 ounces.

The first cell was named “Motorola Dyna-Tac” and had only talk, listen, and dial features.  It weighed 2.5 pounds and had size dimensions  9 x 5 x 1.75 inches. The phone had a talk time of 35 minutes and required 10 hours to recharge.

(Reference: http://inventors.about.com/cs/inventorsalphabet/a/martin_cooper.htm)

The Zipper

The zipper is one of the simplest machines of modern times and maybe according to some, one of the least essential, but it is an immensely useful device in our everyday lives.

Ask any parent who has struggled each morning trying to get their young ones dressed for school while battling which clothes to wear and pick clothes they can wear on their own. Having zippers in clothing promotes self-help clothing in young children. Clothes with zippers are great for two-three year old children that are learning to dress themselves and for preschool children who find it so much easier to “zip” up their jacket rather than button up a winter coat in a hurry.

Zippers are also great in shoes. They are easy to put on and off, no hassle tying shoe laces or doing up buckles, and in general they are comfortable. If you have ever worn buttoned fly trousers, you know it’s much easier and comfortable to wear pants with zippered flyer than buttons.

I can’t imagine travelling with a suitcase without zipper or feeling warm and snug in a sleeping bag that didn’t have a zipper but instead had buttons.  The zipper is so effective and reliable that in less than a hundred years, it has become the de facto fastener for thousands of different products.

Ever wonder why most zippers say "YKK" on the pull-tab? Here is the reason:
YKK on Zippers?

Here are some parts of a zipper:

History of the Zipper

 Elias Howe inventor of the sewing machine received the patented in 1851 for the 'Automatic, Continuous Clothing Closure.' Even though he did not pursue marketing his clothing closure he was still considered the “Father of the Zip”.

About 40 years later, Mr. Whitcomb Judson marketed a ‘Clasp Locker’ which was similar to Howe’s 1851 patent. Whitcomb got the credit of being the 'Inventor of the Zipper', but his 1893 patent did not use the word zipper.

Gideon Sundback, Swedish-born improved the far from perfect 'Judson C-curity Fastener.'  And by December of 1913, he had designed the modern zipper.

Gideon Sundback increased the number of fastening elements from four per inch to ten or eleven had two facing-rows of teeth that pulled into a single piece by the slider, and increased the opening for the teeth guided by the slider.

Sundback patented the 'Separable Fastener' in 1917 and also created the manufacturing machine for the new zipper. Within the first year of operation, Sundback's zipper-making machinery was producing a few hundred feet of fastener per day.

During its early years, boots and tobacco pouches with a zippered closure were the two chief uses of the zipper. It took twenty more years to convince the fashion industry to seriously promote the novel closure on garments.

(Reference: http://inventors.about.com/library/weekly/aa082497.htm)

Inventions that Enhanced Livability

When asked which inventions changed the world, the few that instantly pop in my head are: the telescope, computer and internet, printing press, penicillin, automobile, etc. However when I really sit down and start thinking about what things in my life really made a difference, my list is a bit different. I was born in a third world country, Karachi, Pakistan in 1975 and lived there till I was about 7 years old. Our life there was simple, my dad didn't and was unequipped with the modern gadgets and electronics.

Yet life was good, it was happy. We didn't have everyday "stuff" like a color tv, or vcr or even a car, my dad owned a motorcycle, but somehow we managed to get through peacefully and satisfactorily. I don't ever remember feeling a lack of these things, although I often wished there was more television to watch than one kid's show, a few times a day under a 1/2 hour slot! Less tv was good, it made us go outside and play more, spend more time with our grandparents and playing hide and seek with the neighborhood's kids. Like I said, life was simple but wholesome. It seems that the more "inventions" we have, the less time we have to enjoy the basic things in life. But I digress!

This blog is about inventions that enhanced livability. So based on my life experiences and really thinking about what we really take for granted (since I lived a childhood without some of these things), I came up with this short list:

1. Zipper
   
2. Cell phone
3. Hot water (heater tank)
4. Oven
5. Contact Lens
   

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My first Blog

Just created my blog space for the CIS 6650 HCI course. Not sure why I have never done this before. I guess I just found blogs in general to be a waste of time. Who really reads them? Apparatenly so many people out there! I looked for some blogs that I thought were interesting but didn't really find any that had content that interested me. I did however find a few that I thought had really cool designs.