72: WEB BRANDING AND COLOR

Programmers usually think of theming as "skins" or "templates". Theming in the graphic design world is NOT the same meaning.

Theming is a combinations of elements like symbols, colors, type, etc that generate user emotion. Some things aren't appropriate for the subject matter and will confuse or frustrate the user.

These "manipulated" emotions are based on subconscious memories. We are reminded of something pleasant or bad from our past experience --within the 50 milliseconds. Our brains are hardwired to bypass reason when judging site "body language". Our new experience is biased by old experience.

Emotional design cues (theming) in marketing is called "branding". Same thing. Just different labels.

Color is the most fundamental and powerful component of theming and branding. From a bandwidth standpoint, color is also the web "visual asset" most easily leveraged for cross-device optimization. Color has free speed. We can specify hex code to colorize HTML and CSS. Weightlessness --unlike GIF and JPEG color images.

But color strategy and selection for web programmers is usually mysterious. Coders frequently just copy ideas from a favorite site (reverse engineering). That's okay but hardly original. Good branding requires originality.

One sole color is usually not considered a theme. But a monochromatic color scheme is okay. Shades of a color can work. For example, emphasizing  "planning" with a "blueprint" metaphor. This would use different shades of blue. But the best themes are built using color combinations.

There are mathematical methods of deriving pleasant combination of color with color wheels. These don't take into account human psychology. An example would be selecting "red" as a dominant color. The mathematical complement for best high contrast would be "green". But this math derived color theme with a balance of green and red combination just won't work. Memories will instantly be triggered saying, "Christmas!" Unless of course, you are building a Santa site. :)

I've created some rudimentary reverse-color-lookup tools to make color selection easier based on the "emotional / feeling goals. This is UX.

71: Core Fonts

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Core_fonts_for_the_Web

Here's a demo I put together.

http://www.pagepipe.com/testx/

These are going to be the fastest loading. From my experiments with web fonts, they can really increase pageweight. Especially for extreme optimization for tablets. Some sites allow you to trim the web font set. like FontFonts. These are expensive fonts. Not worth the grief. Color and size is more important.

Ah! The shock of such a limited font palette.

70: UX ROI Video

69: web aesthetics and credibility

http://mashable.com/2011/02/11/4g-faq/

The Effect of Aesthetics on Web Credibility -- a PDF download.

68: Optimizing the Front-end for Mobile and Tablet Sites

http://www.uxbooth.com/blog/how-to-minimize-load-time-for-fast-user-experiences/

http://www.uxbooth.com/blog/considerations-for-mobile-design-part-1-speed/

http://blog.yottaa.com/2011/03/monitor-website-speed-for-better-ux-and-seo-part-i

http://www.michaelgaigg.com/blog/tag/speed/

Great idea:
"More often than not, the mobile experience for a web application or site is designed and built after the [desktop] version is complete. Learn the three reasons web applications should be designed for mobile first instead: mobile is exploding; mobile forces you to focus; and mobile extends your capabilities."

***

How fast is 4G, really? Can I cancel my ISP subscription yet?

http://mashable.com/2011/02/11/4g-faq/

4G has the potential to be insanely fast. The various technologies should be able to deliver download speeds of 1Gbps when stationary (in the home), and 100 Mbps while mobile. Those kinds of speeds make cable and DSL networks look like dial-up.

In practice, neither LTE or WiMAX is going to offer that kind of speed. In the best of circumstances, users can expect around 10 Mbps from WiMAX or LTE. As coverage areas increase and networks grow more robust, that number could increase.

T-Mobile’s HSPA+ network already tops 21 Mbps in some areas. Realistically, users can expect about half of that. But T-Mobile and AT&T both plan to upgrade the HSPA+ offerings on their networks.

Most users will not be able to replace a home Internet connection with 4G, and that likely won’t change for several more years, at least. The exception is users in rural areas, where it’s often extremely difficult to get cable, fiber or DSL, and who have to rely on satellite Internet. For these users, even the first wave of LTE or WiMAX may be speedier than what they get from satellite — and at a lower price.

67: Documentation for Web Comments

Webnotes looks like a great way to annotate actual pages on the fly in your browser. Great way to document for clients.

https://www.webnotes.net/

66: Rapid Prototyping Definition

I don't do static wireframes. I'm an advocate of rapid prototyping in HTML and CSS. Then testing is done immediately online. This just makes sense and is more real-world than sketches of interfaces. It's a shortcut and goes hand-in-hand with fast site development. Read more about this idea:

http://www.uxforthemasses.com/rapid-prototyping/