Designing
Web
Usability
Written
by
the best-known guru
of usability.
Secrets
of
Successful
Web Sites
Siegel
gives
a perfect blueprint of ways to
plan, develop and design websites
that work.
Creating
Killer
Web Sites
Another
enlightening book by
Siegel, which (in my opinion) counts as the "creme de la creme" of
website development books.
Don't
Make
Me Think
If
you read
this book
along with Nielsen's books, and follow their advice,
visitors will
love visiting your
websites.
101
Ways
to Promote
Your Web Site
Once
you
have your website launched,
you want people to
visit. Author Sweeney
is
an expert on
a plethora of ways to accomplish it.
Volume II, Issue 2
ISSN: 1547-7754
July 2004
printable
version
Chris
King, Editor
By
subscription only, this monthly e-newsletter is loaded with short, "down
and dirty" tips to help you with solving the everchanging and growing
puzzle of the Internet. This e-zine serves as a place
to ask your questions and find the answers. So, send
me your burning questions.
While listening to a business tape recently, I was reminded of Tony Buzan and his innovative brain work in the 1960s when he created the breakthrough tool called Mind Mapping. I went to my own shelf of tape series, and found Michael Gelb’s program, Mind Mapping: How to Liberate Your Natural Genius. Gelb was the first person awarded the distinction of “Master Teacher” by the Buzan Foundation – and, he knows his stuff! After listening to the series during the past week and starting to reacquaint myself with the strength of the system by playing with it (Mind Mapping should be fun and like “play” to be effective), I realized what a great tool this is and can be for planning a website.
STEP#1. Why use a Mind Map? What are the benefits?
-
Faster and more creative thinking
-
Accomplish more in less time
-
Tune into inner, intuitive ideas
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Freedom to consider random thoughts and let yourself go
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Makes use of synvergent thinking – rather than using either the left (linear thinking) brain or the right (artistic thinking) brain, both are at work together
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You will uncover thoughts and talents you didn’t know you had
STEP#2. What will I need to make a successful Mind Map?
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Huge pieces of paper, crayons, colored pens, pencils and markers, along with a comfortable place with lots of space to work alone
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A playful, fun, light and positive attitude free from judgment and/or evaluation of any ideas that happen to pop up. In other words, be ready to let yourself go, think fast, free associate and keep moving
-
Be ready to follow the steps described by Buzan and Gelb, but don’t become too bound to rules or worrying about doing a Mind Map the wrong way – remember, this Map is for you and you alone. In my experience, the basic form works differently for different people.
-
Also be prepared to try again if the first attempt doesn’t work out the way you hoped it would. After all, this is your first trial. Even though I played with Mind Mapping years ago, it is now making much more sense to me and a real impact on what I am considering.
STEP#3. I’m ready. What next?
-
Because the mind actually focuses on the center, start in the center of the paper with Home and/or a symbol or icon that represents your website’s main title circled.
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Draw lines radiating from the center and print any keyword for a webpage that comes to mind on each line (let yourself go, don’t worry if they don’t all seem to relate to your site). These can eventually lead to titles for the individual pages. More lines radiate from these lines creating sub-pages.
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Do use color, pictures and symbols as you let the original words activate other words and inspire other ideas. Associate freely and work quickly (when we slow down, we are tempted to judge and evaluate).
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Just keep going – as long as the ideas are coming and you are having fun.
-
When you feel that you have done as much as you can, you can go back and organize, getting rid of what doesn’t work or is superfluous, and actually redrawing once the associations are made.
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You can now use the Map as the basic structure for your website. You have created a fun diagram and jumping off point that will help put your whole website into perspective.
So, get started with this fun project! And, be sure to let me know how it turns out for you.
Remember, send your comments and questions to me at chris@creativekeys.biz. I love to receive feedback and will answer your questions in future e-zines.
If you would like to subscribe to this e-zine and receive five free Internet tips, send an e-mail to subscribe@creativekeys.biz with subscribe in the subject line. If you ever wish to be removed from the mailing list, just send an e-mail to unsubscribe@creativekeys.biz with unsubscribe in the subject line.
Chris
King
P.O. Box 221255
Beachwood, Ohio 44122
(216) 991-8428
http://www.creativekeys.biz
