Category Archives: Best practices

Best practices

Red Bull Marketing is Great!

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The use of web addresses plastered on sports, products and billboards is very effective.

I was reading an article today on the web about the red bull high altitude parachute jump and was wondering how to watch the jump.  On one of the photos I came across, I noticed a website URL on the guys helmet  http://redbullstratos.com -

Following the link delivers the Red Bull website providing a live broadcast of the event:

Red Bull’s marketing team is great.  They get the press to amplify Red Bull marketing simply by taking an innocuous photo.

About these ads

UI/UX Design Patterns

. Best practices, General Interest, Information Technology, Innovation, Open Source, Technology, Trends, Web 2.0

Came across these links to UI/UX design patterns in a LinkedIn discussion thread – some good references for others that are interested in this sort of stuff:

 

App Demo Tools

. Best practices, Computing, Information Technology, Web 2.0 . , , , , , ,

The following works well for doing app demos for protoypes or pre-release apps:

  1. Take an “expendable” iTouch device with iOS4 on it
  2. Launch http://jailbreakme.com in Safari on the iTouch
  3. Install ScreenSplitr on iTouch from the Cydia app (http://cydia.saurik.com/)
  4. Install iDemo on your Mac or PC from http://www.plutinosoft.com/idemo $9.99

Makes an excellent tool for app demos to a room of people using a laptop projector or using gotomeeting for a remote demo.

Mind Mapping Tools and iPad – A Perfect Fit

. Best practices, Business, Entreprenuerism, General Interest, How To's, Information Technology, Innovation, Trends . , ,

I am a big fan of mind mapping tools.   My favorite tool has traditionally been Freemind, a free tool that works across Windows and Mac.   I recently changed over to using XMind and have been exploring mind mapping tools on the iPad.

Mind mapping is one application that seems to be exceptionally well matched to the “touch” environment of the iPad.  Adding nodes, moving around relationships, arranging the mind map graph display … are all much easier to do using “touch” then the mouse.   Two mind mapping applications currently available on the iPad are:

The most promising of the two is iToughts HD.   The features that set it apart from Mindnode include:

  • Dropbox saving/importing for mind map files
  • Ability to collapse child nodes
  • Version recovery
  • Ability to assign icons to nodes

Found another “touch” mind mapping tool?  Let me know!

GUI Mockup Tools Part 2

. Best practices, How To's, Innovation, Trends, Web 2.0 . , , , ,

Two new mockup/wireframe design apps are now available for the iPad that are worth taking a look at:

My initial impression is that iMockups is the better of the two at the moment… but since I just started to play with them I will reserve judgement for a few weeks.

In general I find that doing a wireframe mockup on the iPad is a more fluid experience then using computer-based tools… it is going to be interesting to see how apps like this develop over time.

Social Networking and New Media Stats

. Best practices, Canada, Data mining, Europe, General Interest, New Media, Technology, Trends, United States, US Politics, Web 2.0 . , , , , , , ,

Survey stats as of April 3, 2010 from Purple Forge iPhone applications show that Twitter, Facebook and YouTube are the top 3 social networking/media applications used by Purple Forge application users in the United Kingdom, USA and Canada.

Tools to Review Graphic Asset Designs

. Best practices, General Interest, How To's, Web 2.0 . , ,

The following are web-based design collaboration tools for creative professionals whose final product is visual, e.g. design, application interface, graphics, advertisements, branding, video animation.   These tools allow graphic assets to be reviewed and commented on by team members and/or customers as part of a review process.  The tools are all online and hosted services.

Service URL Price
Notable http://www.notableapp.com/ $24 – $199/month
RedMark http://www.redmark.com/ free, pay services in future
ConceptShare http://www.conceptshare.com/ $24 – $99/month