#11 (usability test)

My test will focus on the key words from the reading: speed, recall, accuracy and comfort.

1. Can you tell what my objective is from the home page
2. Rate the interest-level of the About Me page on a scale of 1(extremely boring) to 10 (extremely interesting)

1. What do you remember the most about the About Me?
2. Was it easy to navigate around the site?
3. What were the most interesting sections to you? Why?
4. Rate your feelings towards the layout of the website on a scale of 1(very negative) to 10(extremely positive).
5. Rate the text on a scale of 1(boring/too long, I can't read this) to 10(engaging and focused).
6. Any suggestions?
• how can I make my site more visually entertaining?

ANSWERS to my test:

1.
-Yes. A portfolio/project site.

-yes, clear

- super clear and user friendly

2. 

-6 I think it’s good but needs more pictures instead of just words.

-more pictures to brighten up the page a bit

-8 because I like all the work!

3. 

-I liked the portfolio section. You had a lot of things to show and again, it was organized very well.

-ditto^

-samesies!

4. 

10

-10, great layout

-I like it a lot!! I like the transition of it

5. 

   10(engaging and focused).

10.

-10, the text was to the point and focused

-awake, alert and alive

6. 

o   how can I make my site more visually entertaining?

-Adding more pictures. Also, writing a bio under your about me section.

-add more photos, or maybe brighten it up just a little bit with a different color.

-just spruce it up with some attention grabbing text/ colors!

#10

1. I do plan to follow some of the 10 tips that Smashing Magazine suggests. However, I am not making a logo for myself yet because I need more time to figure out exactly what skills I wish to sell. I do agree that having an effective title is important. 
2. I already have a tagline, but it might need tweaking.
3. My portfolio definitely needs to be completed; I'm not sure if I will embed the pictures to that page or just links to my wordpress blog where I have the pics already.
4. Services seems a bit overkill to me b/c I'm not in the job market quite yet.
5. My about me already has a picture, but I need to add a quick and witty bio.
6. My contact info will include more info than I have at the moment. Inserting a form would be cool if I could find one online.
7. My wordpress blog will be a clear link on probably several of the pages.
8. I may try to add buttons that say "View my Work" and/or "Visit my Blog", etc.
9. Social network links will be featured on my Contact Me page.
10. I will also choose my words carefully, making sure to edit all my text.

I really like the sites that are easy to navigate but also showcase the person's work clearly. I like simple layouts with a few main elements; in other words, I like the sites that emphasize the content rather than the site itself.

#9 (Storyboard)

Response to #8

1. Kayli Smith
Like: Because you are passionate about photography and the visual mode, you will be able to translat this into the project. Good idea!
Suggestions: Be careful with the music; make sure you pick music that reflects how you feel about photography, whether it be playful or classical or something happy

2. Spencer Scott
Like:
Suggestions:

3. Erin Reams
1Like:
Suggestions:

#8 (Literacy Narrative Outline)

Topic
My narrative will be about my parents' contribution to my love of reading, which translated into my love of writing. (Linguistic mode)
My mom was the reader. Many nights were spent in my room listening as she reads stories (everything ranging from "Goodnight Moon" to "Where the Red Fern Grows").
My dad was the storyteller. His "Daddy Stories" were a bedtime favorite.
Both helped expand my imagination and show me the power words can have.


Outline
I will Skype-interview my parents and ask them to recount these bedtime story moments. I will ask them to share their feelings and how I accepted/loved these times.
To mix up the narrative, I will included audio bits of me (or my parents, if I can get them to do it) sharing excerpts of "daddy stories" and reading pieces of stories. Their voices would really add to the audio.

I also want background music, but this will have to be chosen carefully. Because I was a kid when I first started loving words, I should use music that feels kiddish or at least alludes to childhood.

I will have a brief intro, either of me talking, or jump right into my parents' audio, with an explanation afterwords. I could also do some other intro, like a stop-motion of me reading, or do a video of me reading with an audio overlay describing my love of reading.

#7 (Reviews of Project 2 Drafts)

I did not get any feedback on my webtext (we ran out of time), but I learned much from editing the other sites in my group.
I had/have much to edit on my draft. Today, I fixed all the links and the general setup of both projects 1 and 2. Now, all I really have left is the content for project 2.
This will include the comparisons/contrasts (containing the vocab) and the screen shots of my sources. I also have to add the content of the home pages, and all the other pages. One thing I want to avoid with the content is wordiness and too much length. I can achieve this by not being redundant and spacing out the text with images so the viewer doesn't get bored.
Today, I enlarged the font size throughout the entire site, increasing visibility.
I am happy with the general layout of my webtext because it is simple without being boring. However, I will try to add a few more images to really make it interesting.

Post #6 (Sources)

Assets List

1.web address: http://www.nooni502.com/wordpress/ ("No" Site #1)

• author: ambiguous, organization called "NO on I 502"; site title: "Vote No, I 502"; publication venue: blog on Wordpress.com
•  This web source is a blog without a specific author that I could find. It has everything from FAQ to "In the Media" to informational pages about marijuana. Except for the little information about the author/organization, the ethos seems to be established. The archives links shows that posts date all the way back to January 2011-- that's a lot of information and time to gather resources for this subject! The blog's theme is about how I-502 is the wrong way to change laws regarding marijuana use (especially while driving) because the level that would be illegal is not scientifically proven to necessarily cause impairment. It disclaims that it is not opposed to changing the law, just how I-502 would go about it. The blog posts range from public event notices to voter advice to news updates.
• this source is extremely relevant to my issue, as it is one of 2 sides I am inspecting; I will have to sort through different articles, sampling only a few (because there are so many); mostly, I will just look at ones that strike me as effective according to the principles of design. I can compare this to the other "vote no" site

2.web address: http://www.choicewellnesswa.com/resources/vote-no-on-prop-502 ("No" Site #2)

• author: Dr. William Wahl, Kathleen Naughton, and Ryan Bird; site title: "Choice Wellness Center"; publication venue: website
• This site is mostly devoted to "helping people live better, stronger, more fulfilling lives through informed choices and natural products" a.k.a. marijuana. It appears to be informational, with an emphasis on the well-being of those who visit the site; these would be medical marijuana users. It has everything you need to know about marijuana, including state laws. The site clearly advises its viewers to vote no on Prop 502, and a whole page listing the reasons is given.
• I can use this site to compare to the one above it because it takes a different approach to the topic. Its interests are not solely political, but based on supposed care for those dependent on medical marijuana.

3.web address: http://www.newapproachwa.org/ ("Yes" Site #3)

• author: New Approach Washington (a coalition of Washington citizens); site title:"Yes on I-502"; publication venue: website
• "New Approach" is a bunch of average people (doctors, lawyers, treatment and prevention experts, business people, and parents, to be exact) who believe that Washington should stop wasting law enforcement resources on adults who use marijuana. Treating marijuana use as a crime, according to this site, has failed. Voting yes is supposed to address these problems.  The site has many pages (About, Sponsor, Funding are a few to note) but has a News feed linked to articles instead of blog posts. The FAQ and Learn More buttons could be useful for anyone exploring this topic.
• I can compare/contrast this site with the site below, exploring which one is more likely me to vote "yes."

4.web address: http://norml.org/ ("Yes" Site #4)

• author: the National Organization for Reforming Marijuana Laws (NORML); site title: "Working to Reform Marijuana Laws"; publication venue: website.
• The mission of this organization is to "move public opinion sufficiently to achieve the repeal of marijuana prohibition so that the responsible use of cannabis by adults is no longer subject to penalty." This site is the most complex out of all of them, with 10 separate pages, and interestingly, language options at the top of the page. This organization clearly means business!
• As stated above, I will compare these sites, although I can already infer which one has won this battle

Rights

All of my sources fall under Fair Use rights because they are public sites and can be easily accessed via any search engine. Most importantly, I am only using these sources for a non-profit and educational analysis. 

References

For all my resources I will put links to the webpages at the bottom of the pages they are on, as well as making a "Source" page where viewers can jump right to each website.