• Starting a Career in User Experience Design
    Posted on 24th March 2011

    Starting a Career in User Experience Design

    In the early part of February I was hired by Clearwell Systems as a User Experience Designer (UED). It’s so exciting, now I’m using a whole new spectrum of skills that I’ve used for other reasons but now how a real life use for them. Where Web Design was about the psychology of branding, UED

  • Seven Ways to Raise Your Local Business Listing Rank in Google
    Posted on 30th June 2010

    Seven Ways to Raise Your Local Business Listing Rank in Google

    Seven Ways to Raise Your Local Business Listing Rank in Google // Google Local Business Listings are different than organic or pay-per-click listings. They typically only show up when the user types a service oriented business followed by the city for their search. A large map from Google Maps appears alongside up to ten URLs with

  • Website Planning Checklist
    Posted on 29th April 2010

    Website Planning Checklist

    One of the best things you can do when planning a site is to get the client involved. Forcing them to confront, and iterate, their expectations can save you time (and money) down the road. The best way to do that is to listen to them. The following is designed not

  • Link Building 101
    Posted on 29th April 2010

    Link Building 101

    Link Building… Time-intensive. Frustrating. Sometimes confusing. Yet Unavoidable. Because ultimately, it’s still the trump card for higher rankings. Many of us have been hoping that it would go away. In Brett Tabke’s 5/18 Robots.txt entry, he echoed a sentiment that many, many webmasters hold on to as a hope: What happens to all

  • How People Really Use the Web
    Posted on 29th April 2010

    How People Really Use the Web

    Web designers naturally have a distorted view of web pages, which is different to how real users interact with web pages. The way we look at pages as we design them is quite different from how they’re used in the real world. To create designs that work in the real world, we must appreciate the way they’ll

  • Goal Oriented Design for the Web
    Posted on 29th April 2010

    Goal Oriented Design for the Web

    To me, understanding goals is the single most critical factor in the success of any design project, and fundamental to the Web Design from Scratch approach. In this section, you’ll learn techniques that help you discover your own goals and gain insight into what your target audience really wants. If you’re working on a project, this section