To post a message to it you have to go somewhere else (it's assumed that you have an e-mail), absolutely no link or attachment to Monash University in any shape or form (who is the provider and brings credibility and validity), long scrolling pages which is only recommended for text blogs not heavy graphics (ie. large attachments), no differentiation between users who must log in with a single user/password (at this point I'm quite thankful that we can recognize Robbie's posts as the admin), manual identification of post publisher (the famous ooops I forgot to write my name phenomena), inefficient archiving with ambiguous numbers (apparently representing dates and number of posts which is pretty useless if you not the "Student Contributor") and the list which goes on indefinitely (to the extent that you can even delete other people's comments, which they are assessed on, if you so wish to)!
Why am I posting this then? Too much spare time? I don't think so, this is a perfect example of a design that we can evaluate and learn from, functionality, aesthetics, efficiency [and while we are at it let's just follow the trends and throw in "being green" as well :))] are some of the things that we can have a constructive discussion about. It's our Uni and we should have pride about every aspect of it (even as insignificant as this blog). To show that I'm serious about constructive criticism I squeezed in some time to even suggest a solution to some of the problems I pointed out here with a designed homepage that I'm attaching to the post. I'm not a website designer so there are probably many things wrong in the proposed page as well (a few even deliberate) but even those can bring up very useful discussions/point of views from participating members.
Last but not least, I hope Robbie doesn't mind this criticism as he is not to blame for this matter in any way. I think these types of discussions are what we should handle on daily basis out on the job so it is anything but negative no matter how you look at it…
ooops forgot the name ;)
Jeff
8 comments:
I think you left out the fact that if someone has a g-mail account they constantly have to switch between accounts just to comment here! They could have at least used out monash User-PW to avoid this dilemma.
Hey, I' don't mind - although the blog is working, there's always room for improvement!
-Robbie
charlie says: "you're a tool"
I personally dont have a problem with our blog, it is designed specifically for us and you should appreciate how it benefits us as a tool for designers discussion.
The blog was never a requirement for the course it was others initiative to make it, for our help.
Lets not get caught up about weather its pretty or not,its about content.
ok, now I've got a little more time for this:
Firstly, hats off to Jeff for bringing this up. I agree with the post - the blog format, interface and details do leave a lot to be desired, both in looks and usability. There are the practical issues of posting by email, and the clash with people's gmail accounts which I completely understand.
Firstly, I like the concept, and it adds credibility to your criticism because you've had a shot at designing the alternative.
Secondly, I'm well aware of the fact that the blog could look better - the look that I chose for our blog is as plain as I could find, because I wanted the work that you all post to be the real value of this site, and to that extent I think it's working.
Third, if everyone continues to use this site in an engaged, professional manner and keeps publishing their great design work, there's a good chance that I can get Monash to formally back Blogging as an educational tool, and things can only get better from there.
Professional usage of course means not posting comments like those above, and having the patience and professionalism to post your name at the end.
Hopefully, this is just the beginning.
-Robbie
Thankx for your support Robbie, it’s really motivational to see with all your engagements elsewhere (your own studies), you care to keep up with us here by carefully commenting on most posts and keeping track of who does what in which order. Some lecturers I’ve had in the past (IT faculty here in Monash) couldn’t even bother to show up in the class let alone devoting personal time to students! It’s really appreciated…
To the dear anonymous commentator, if you could be bothered to keep track of the blog progress, you would know that I’m among the ones who not only appreciates the blog’s existence, but regularly contributes and heavily uses it as an interesting and innovative tool to begin with. There are obviously differences in opinions among us all (in this case between me and you) and expressing and evaluating the different points of view is one of the main goals of this blog. If you brand a positive suggestion to make a more efficient and functional tool under “getting caught up with making a pretty blog” I think we are on different pages here. A sign of appreciation is constant contribution in contrary to anonymous disparagement.
I don’t know who came up with the idea behind adding the blog to the IDE 1112 unit nor do I know if it was built into the course at the start! What I do know is that it’s a fantastic idea and who ever that came up with the idea is a genius in terms of educating with a wide variety of mediums (definitely brilliant)… the course really needs this cyber forum as much as it needs student contributors within the classrooms.
There are other improvements that I left out from the post like the ability to reply a post with images (so we can modify each others designs and repost them in the same spot in order to visually collaborate on the same design), knowing who is logged in at any given time and more meaning full stats for each student (ie. rating ideas anonymously to see unbiased feedback on designs).
Why shouldn’t our blog be a benchmark for other design institutions in every aspect or be a pathway to follow by others institutions? Why should you want to settle for less when there is room for improvement? If we care enough we could very easily do it all ourselves!
Jeff
hmm..i think the more 'convenient' things are tried to be made, sometimes the less convenient they become(or the more frustrating it is when you need one of the things you just simplified)..ie if you are one of the few needing to see times etc when you are marking off whether students have blogged or not (is that how it works?). the nice thing about the blog we're using now is the simplicity, like the story book scrolling, so that as you scroll theres more chance you see ALL the works and see new comments are posted etc so you jump in and check them out while passing by. your design seems effective but almost sterilizes the 'blogness' of the blog. your design looks like it may be a website for a conservative design studio.. not a blog for creative peeps up at 11.27pm discussing/understanding the coolness of fellow studio kiddies works.also about the signing thing that is an individuals responsibilty(and such a small one!) if everyone knows it is recorded who wrote the message then people get lazy with signing.. and every form of written communication we sign personally which makes it unique(even if it is typed; look at the various names on messages). annnnddd.. lastly i think students have a right for annonymous posting, opinions are important for healthy discussions and it doesn't always matter who wrote them.
phoebe .L
Phoebe I can’t make out what you’re trying to say at the top of the post but you have mentioned a few good points… Although I’m not suggesting my design is the way to go (it only serves the purpose of demonstrating a few points I was making) but I think I have kept the story telling aspect with the thumbnails at the bottom in a more visual sense (perhaps with more refinement it would convey that better). I don’t agree with the comment that “signing in manually creates a sense of uniqueness in the posts or it keeps people away from being lazy” at all. I definitely agree with you thou that some anonymous posting is constructive in certain circumstances (as I’ve mentioned somewhere up there) where you can get feedback that you normally wouldn’t get due to considerations. I’m pretty sure Robbie was complaining about “meaning-less, unsigned, unprofessional” posts. But bear in mind that with anonymous posting comes a much greater responsibility for all participants, that is if the blog is to stay productive!
Jeff
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