Codero » Suzya

Good Designers come a Dime a Dozen…(pt 2)

Suzya — Wed, 24 Mar 2010 14:17:25 +0000

As I addressed before, great designers are far and few between, which may make it very difficult to locate a great designer for your price range. I am beginning to think Usability testing companies seem to have the same problem. Many people make gross overstatements regarding working with designers and feel that it is necessary to keep the designer on a short leash. This is most recently voiced in an article in the February, 2010 issue of Website Magazine. In this article, “Keep Your Graphic Designer on a Short Leash,” Tim Ash, CEO of Site Tuners, made gross over statements of how to make usable design.

Attention Wizard vs Crazy Egg
I appreciate his sentiment as I have had the occasion to work with a designer I felt would do better on a short leash. However, there are many more great designers that will take into consideration usability and user experience to make for a better overall design. While I was reading his article I noticed that he was using images from a product called Attention Wizard (This is a product created by Site Tuners). So I ran Codero through the Attention Wizard and tracked our actual clicks through a product called Crazy Egg.

The bright areas on both images are suppose to be the most viewed and most clicked. As you can see the results are slightly different. This is due to the fact that Attention Wizard is an algorithm that is trained to believe that people’s eye path will work a certain way. Where as the Crazy Egg image is tracking actual clicks by customers of Codero.

Room to Breath, Not a Leash
If you provide your designer with information about demographics and the purpose of what they are designing, then you will get a fully-optimized website that excels in usability. However, if the decisions are made based on a favorite color or just because it feels good, then you have already cut your leash too short for your designer to create something good and usable.

Based on this data the Attention Wizard, which in general provides good information, doesn’t seem to be in tune with what customers are looking for and clicking on as they experience our site. If you disagree, feel free to comment below.

Good Designers come a Dime a Dozen…(pt 2) is a post from: Codero dedicated hosting blog

A Venti for Your Thoughts.

Suzya — Thu, 18 Mar 2010 21:32:10 +0000

Tim Rowe CEO and founder of the Cambridge Innovation Center opened an entrepreneurs Cafe in a temporary space near the MIT campus. It is currently called the Venture Cafe and it is a place where investors and entrepreneurs can meet to get to know each other and build a solid relationship.

The Venture Cafe is currently in Beta and they are looking for a new name. If you would like to participate in the discussion about a new name check out the facebook fan page.

For a more information on The Venture Cafe check out Entrepreneur.com Daily Dose.

A Venti for Your Thoughts. is a post from: Codero dedicated hosting blog

Codero Phoenix Data Center Power Issue Update 1.

Suzya — Mon, 15 Mar 2010 20:17:30 +0000

Codero Chief Operating Officer Ryan Elledge provides preliminary information regarding the power interruption at the Phoenix Data Center.

Codero Phoenix Data Center Power Issue Update 1. is a post from: Codero dedicated hosting blog

The Internet Take Over.

Suzya — Mon, 15 Mar 2010 14:36:16 +0000

I found this while browsing the internet. It was done by a company called Jess3. They are a “creative agency that specializes in web design, branding and data visualization.” The video is called The State of the Internet definitely a must watch for anyone.

JESS3 / The State of The Internet from JESS3 on Vimeo.

The Internet Take Over. is a post from: Codero dedicated hosting blog

Good Designers come a Dime a Dozen…(pt 1)

Suzya — Thu, 11 Mar 2010 13:56:54 +0000

A truly great designer takes into consideration what the end user is experiencing. This is known as Usability or User Interface design, both of which have become buzzwords for business owners and designers alike. This is a series dedicated to how to find a designer that can actually up your business with Usability.

5 things to look for in a Great Designer during the initial meeting:

“We need to see what your target market is looking for before moving forward with your design.” This indicates the designer cares more about the fine tuning for ease of use on your website, poster, flyers and the list continues on. A statement like this also indicates the designer is there for your product not just to make another “great portfolio piece.” It also indicates the designer understands A/B testing.
“What has your company done in the past about design and where do you see your company in 5 years?” While may appear to be a rather mundane and unrelated question, it indicates the designer cares and wants to provide the best solution for your company. They are interested in where your company has been and aims to be in the future.
“Based on what we have talked about, I will build the budget and time frame this project will require. I will have it to you in 2 days.” You may think the designer is trying to put one over on you by not giving you a price quote right a way. In fact they are trying to save you a lot of money. A great designer will take what the project is and scope a proper deadline and budget so in the end you are both happy.
“Is there a special deadline that you need this project to be completed by? This might include a conference, tradeshow or grand opening.” This information lets you know the designer will factor your time frame into their invoice so there are no “emergency” costs in your final invoice.
“Would you like you project to be SEO friendly?” In this day and age many projects a designer specs or quotes to a client include SEO elements this is especially important when you are running an ecommerce website. A graphic or web designer may not have experience in actually SEO-ing your website or fostering a proper Social Media relationship, but they should have knowledge that it will have to be factored into your design from the beginning.

These are just a few items and statements that set a great designer above a good one. Don’t be fooled, you pay for what you get and great designers are far and few between. If you have any experiences with good, bad, mediocre or great designers please feel free to comment below.

Good Designers come a Dime a Dozen…(pt 1) is a post from: Codero dedicated hosting blog