Web design, web development, marketing and strategy blog by Foraker Design of Boulder, Colorado » Derek Olson

The Ugliest iPhone You Ever Did See

Derek Olson — Fri, 30 Jul 2010 17:20:03 +0000

As part of our application development process, we're always trying to prove that we've made some bad assumptions. The best way to do this is to get someone to use your app who hasn't been involved in the design and development process.

Unleash the Hounds

Derek Olson — Thu, 13 May 2010 17:41:41 +0000

Ever watch a dog walk through a door into an unfamiliar room? It immediately sniffs around the perimeter, sniffs each person, and sniffs any objects or dark spots on the carpet. The dog is on the lookout for the two essential communication devices of the canine world: food and excrement. Web users act in much the same way.

Does “Above the Fold” Matter?

Derek Olson — Thu, 10 Dec 2009 00:17:49 +0000

What is “the fold”?

“The fold” comes from printed newspapers (remember those?). In a printed newspaper, the prime real estate is on the front page, above the place where the paper is folded in half.

At a news stand, stories that are above the fold are visible without any manhandling on the part of the consumer. Stories that are above the fold are also typically the only ones you can see (before buying) in newspaper vending machines.

On the web,…

Open House for a Sustainable World

Derek Olson — Thu, 12 Nov 2009 16:50:40 +0000

We hope you’ll join us on Thursday, November 12 for an open house in honor of World Usability Day 2009: “Designing for a Sustainable World”. The open house will take place in room ECCS 128 in the Engineering Center at the University of Colorado at Boulder from 1:00pm – 4:00pm. Following the event, everyone is invited back to the Foraker offices for appetizers, soft drinks, a tour of the space, and additional conversation from 4:30pm – 6:00 pm.

The event…

Is Conversion Optimization the Holy Grail of eCommerce?

Derek Olson — Wed, 14 Oct 2009 19:16:33 +0000

Conversion optimization is, loosely put, the process of making incremental changes to your website that increase the volume/pace/value of desirable actions by your users (as measured by your web analytics software). But can conversion optimization go too far? Is there ever a case where optimizing conversions at the expense of all else could be harmful?