Download - Sharpening the Axe
Sharpening the AxePreparation and planning are integral to successful design.
Dustin J CooperDrupal [email protected]@mediacurrent.com
www.mediacurrent.com
"If I had 8 hours to chop down a tree, I'd spend 6 sharpening my axe."
-Lincoln
Actual Photo - circa 1840
Overview
● Introduction
● Discovery
● Sketching
● Wireframing
● Mockups
● Links
● Closing/Questions
Hello World! I'm Dustin Cooper.
A ProudDrupal Designer @Mediacurrent.
Introduction● Working with Drupal for 4 years now.
Introduction● Working with Drupal for 4 years now.● I sketch, create wireframes/mockups and write front end code.
Introduction● Working with Drupal for 4 years now.● I sketch, create wireframes/mockups and write front end code.● Forever a student.
Introduction● Working with Drupal for 4 years now.● I sketch, create wireframes/mockups and write front end code.● Forever a student.● Favorite tools - omnigraffle, photoshop, illustrator, sublime,
sass/compass.
Introduction● Working with Drupal for 4 years now.● I sketch, create wireframes/mockups and write front end code.● Forever a student.● Favorite tools - omnigraffle, photoshop, illustrator,
sass/compass. ● I also like beer, long walks on the beach and ...
Introduction● Working with Drupal for 4 years now.● I sketch, create wireframes/mockups and write front end code.● Forever a student.● Favorite tools - omnigraffle, photoshop, illustrator,
sass/compass.● I also like beer, long walks on the beach and ....● Growing my beard.
Discovery
Discovery
● Initial meeting between you and client.
Discovery
● Initial meeting between you and client.
● Sets the tone for project. Establish rapport.
Discovery
● Initial meeting between you and client.
● Sets the tone for project. Establish rapport.
● You and client get on the same page.
Discovery
● Initial meeting between you and client.
● Sets the tone for project. Establish rapport.
● You and client get on the same page.
● Get clear on what the goals are.
Discovery
● Initial meeting between you and client.
● Sets the tone for project. Establish rapport.
● You and client get on the same page.
● Get clear on what the goals are.
● Ask lots of questions. Take good notes.
Discovery
● Initial meeting between you and client.
● Sets the tone for project. Establish rapport.
● You and client get on the same page.
● Get clear on what the goals are.
● Ask lots of questions. Take good notes.
● Read functional spec. thoroughly.
Discovery● Questions to ask:
○ What are you looking to accomplish with this project?
Discovery● Questions to ask:
○ What are you looking to accomplish with this project?○ What kind of emotions do you want your clients to feel when
using your product?
Discovery● Questions to ask:
○ What are you looking to accomplish with this project?○ What kind of emotions do you want your clients to feel when
using your product?○ What is it that makes your product better than your
competitors?
Discovery● Questions to ask:
○ What are you looking to accomplish with this project?○ What kind of emotions do you want your clients to feel when
using your product?○ What is it that makes your product better than your
competitors?○ Who is your target market?
Discovery● Questions to ask:
○ What are you looking to accomplish with this project?○ What kind of emotions do you want your clients to feel when
using your product?○ What is it that makes your product better than your
competitors?○ Who is your target market?○ Describe your typical customer and why they are your typical
customer.
Discovery● Questions to ask: (Cont.)
○ When your typical customer visits the website what is the experience you would like them to have.
Discovery● Questions to ask: (Cont.)
○ When your typical customer visits the website what is the experience you would like them to have.
○ Do you have an established brand? If so, what are the guidelines set for the brand?
Discovery● Questions to ask: (Cont.)
○ When your typical customer visits the website what is the experience you would like them to have.
○ Do you have an established brand? If so, what are the guidelines set for the brand?
○ Color preferences? Any colors to avoid?
Discovery● Questions to ask: (Cont.)
○ When your typical customer visits the website what is the experience you would like them to have.
○ Do you have an established brand? If so, what are the guidelines set for the brand?
○ Color preferences? Any colors to avoid?○ What adjectives would you use to describe your product?
Discovery
● Josh Estep, developer at Mediacurrent, did a great blogpost on
discovery, check it out here:
http://www.mediacurrent.com/blog/help-ensure-your-website-project-success
Sketching
Who hear sketches first?
Sketching
● Ideally you want to always start with a sketch
Sketching
● Ideally you want to always start with a sketch
● Sketching is cheaper to iterate than wireframing which is
cheaper than mockups.
Sketching
● Ideally you want to always start with a sketch
● Sketching is cheaper to iterate than wireframing which is
cheaper than mockups.
● During this time you want to stoke your creative fire, do lots of
research.
Sketching
● Ideally you want to always start with a sketch
● Sketching is cheaper to iterate than wireframing which is
cheaper than mockups.
● During this time you want to stoke your creative fire, do lots of
research.
● I like to do some mind mapping
Sketching
● Ideally you want to always start with a sketch
● Sketching is cheaper to iterate than wireframing which is
cheaper than mockups.
● During this time you want to stoke your creative fire, do lots of
research.
● I like to do some mind mapping
● Sketch everything you can think of, even the dumb stuff
Wireframing
Wireframing
● Purpose of the wireframe
○ Its about layout and interaction. Function over form.
Wireframing
● Purpose of the wireframe
○ Its about layout and interaction. Function over form.
○ Helps identify what is needed and what is not
Wireframing
● Purpose of the wireframe
○ Its about layout and interaction. Function over form.
○ Helps identify what is needed and what is not
○ Sets priority for features, blocks and other elements
Wireframing
● Purpose of the wireframe
○ Its about layout and interaction. Function over form.
○ Helps identify what is needed and what is not
○ Sets priority for features, blocks and other elements
○ You and client are free from distractions (color, type, images, textures and more)
Wireframing
● Purpose of the wireframe
○ Its about layout and interaction. Function over form.
○ Helps identify what is needed and what is not
○ Sets priority for features, blocks and other elements
○ You and client are free from distractions (color, type, images, textures and more)
○ Cheap to iterate. More malleable than a mockup.
Wireframing
● Purpose of the wireframe
○ Its about layout and interaction. Function over form.
○ Helps identify what is needed and what is not
○ Sets priority for features, blocks and other elements
○ You and client are free from distractions (color, type, images, textures and more)
○ Cheap to iterate. More malleable than a mockup.
○ Wireframes allow you to discover issues/problems sooner rather than later. Easier to work out during this phase.
Wireframing
● Wireframe is a blueprint. You wouldn't want someone to build
your house without a blueprint would you?
Wireframing
● Wireframe is a blueprint. You wouldn't want someone to build
your house without a blueprint would you?
● Might skip a sketch, but never a wireframe.
Wireframing
● Wireframe is a blueprint. You wouldn't want someone to build
your house without a blueprint would you?
● Might skip a sketch, but never a wireframe.
● Find Inspiration - look at how other websites are laid out. Search
Flickr for wireframes.
● I use omnigraffle as my wireframing tool of choice
● Other popular tools include:
○ Balsalmiq
○ Cacoo.com
○ Adobe Fireworks
○ Adobe Illustrator
○ Adobe InDesign
○ Adobe Photoshop
● Find examples on Flickr
http://www.flickr.com/search/?q=wireframes
Wireframing
What are some of your favorite wireframing tools?
● Get some stencils
● Omnigraffle has great stencils. Download additional stencils fro
Graffletopia - https://www.graffletopia.com/
● Yahoo stencil set is great too. Has many versions/formats
available including Illustrator.http://developer.yahoo.com/ypatterns/about/stencils/
● Zurb Foundation
http://www.zurb.com/playground/foundation-stencil-sets
Wireframing
● Use a grid - 960.gs FTW!
● Your designs will look more professional when properly aligned
Wireframing
● Use a grid - 960.gs FTW!
● Your designs will look more professional when properly aligned
● Omega and other themes use a grid so it just makes sense
Wireframing
● Use a grid - 960.gs FTW!
● Your designs will look more professional when properly aligned
● Omega and other themes use a grid so it just makes sense
● Grids provide structure, crucial for a good design
Wireframing
● I did a blogpost on wireframe, check it out herehttp://www.mediacurrent.com/blog/wireframing-worth-it
● Co-worker Jeff Diecks has a post also along these lineshttp://www.mediacurrent.com/blog/rational-redesigns-visual-planning
Wireframing
Mockups
Mockups
● Time to get creative - Add color, type, texture, patterns
Mockups
● Time to get creative - Add color, type, texture, patterns
● This is the time for all the detailed stuff
Mockups
● Time to get creative - Add color, type, texture, patterns
● This is the time for all the detailed stuff
● Bring in your wireframe and draw on top of it. I use photoshop.
Mockups
● Time to get creative - Add color, type, texture, patterns
● This is the time for all the detailed stuff
● Bring in your wireframe and draw on top of it. I use photoshop.
● Color
○ Adobe Kuhler
○ Colour Lovers - http://www.colourlovers.com/
Mockups
● Time to get creative - Add color, type, texture, patterns
● This is the time for all the detailed stuff
● Bring in your wireframe and draw on top of it. I use photoshop.
● Color
○ Adobe Kuhler
○ Colour Lovers - http://www.colourlovers.com/
● Typography (limit to 2-3 non-standard fonts)
○ Google Fonts - http://www.google.com/fonts/
○ Font Squirrel - http://www.fontsquirrel.com/
Sites● A beginner's guide to wireframing
http://webdesign.tutsplus.com/tutorials/workflow-tutorials/a-beginners-guide-to-wireframing/
● 20 Steps to a better wireframehttp://blog.teamtreehouse.com/20-steps-to-better-wireframing
● Smashing Magazine Wireframing Kitshttp://www.smashingmagazine.com/2010/02/05/50-free-ui-and-web-design-wireframing-kits-resources-and-source-files/
● Tuts Premiumhttps://tutsplus.com/
● Speed Art - Website Mockuphttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZzJkjW9m2B0
Books● Designing for Emotion
http://www.abookapart.com/products/designing-for-emotion● Communicating Design
http://communicatingdesign.com/● Don't Make Me Think
http://www.amazon.com/Dont-Make-Me-Think-Usability/dp/0321344758
● Smashing Magazine Ebookshttps://shop.smashingmagazine.com/ebooks
Podcasts● Shop Talk
http://shoptalkshow.com/● Big Web Show
http://5by5.tv/bigwebshow● The Creative Process
http://www.lullabot.com/blog/podcasts/the-creative-process● Drupal Easy
http://drupaleasy.com/● Accidental Creative
http://www.accidentalcreative.com/
Thank You!
Questions
If you enjoyed this please let me know on twitter @dustinjcooper