Week 12: Finishing Touches and Best of Delicious

Next week we will wrap up the usability testing project and begin working on our final project(s) of the semester. The “s” in parentheses on “project” is intentional, since we still need to determine how to allocate our time (both in class and out of class) during the next few weeks. The policy document lists a second exam, a client project, and an electronic portfolio, but as we discussed in class on Thursday, we may not have enough time to tackle all three of those assignments. When you come to class on Tuesday, please be ready to discuss your preferences on these items: What should stay? What should go? Do you want to work alone? Or in groups? I really want these final weeks to be productive and helpful for you as budding web designers, usability gurus, and information architects, so think carefully about what you’d like to accomplish before the semester ends.

On Tuesday, we will discuss how to put the finishing touches on your usability reports. Please bring a complete draft (print and electronic) of your report with you to class and be ready to ask any final questions about the assignment. Your final report, as well as all supporting materials (videos, audio recordings, spreadsheets, notes, etc.), should be submitted at the beginning of class on Thursday. Please review the assignment sheet for instructions about how to submit your work.

By Thursday, I will have finalized the calendar for the rest of the semester, and we will discuss the parameters for the final project(s). In class that day, we will have a “Best of Delicious” day. Sometime between now and Monday night, please take a few minutes to review the recent posts on our class homepage (you can access the older posts on Delicious itself), then select at least two posts you’d like to discuss in class on Thursday. Post your choices in the comments of this blog post, and make sure you create links to the sites. If someone else has nominated a post that you like, too, you can “second” that post in your comment. With any luck, some consensus will emerge before class on Tuesday, and I’ll announce the “official” pieces we’re going to discuss in class on Thursday. If this process doesn’t make sense, please let me know.

[Update: Before you come to class on Thursday, please read these pieces:

• Take Your Web Designs to the Next Level (Be sure to visit some of the sites that this post links to.)
• 25 Things I Wish I'd Known When I Started Blogging
• Dontclick.it (Spend at least 10-15 minutes on this site to really get a feel for the interface. After the initial "huh, that's neat" reaction wears off, think about what this site suggests about the future of interfaces and web design.)

Be ready to discuss your reactions to these sites when we meet on Thursday.]