In a post earlier this week, I shared with you some tips on moving from one web host to another. Today, I’ve got more advice for you. Altogether, it should make this tricky process more than manageable.

5) Prepare for the propagation period. When I make a switch, I always change a few things on my home page. For example, I’ll add a new image or put a comment in the HTML. When I see the updated site on my screen, I know that it has moved to the new location.

What about email? During the propagation period, some of your messages will probably be sent to your old host. Others will be directed to your new host. I like to put my new settings into my Mail.app and keep the old ones as well. That way, I don’t miss anything.

6) Do some filing before you close your old account. You’ll no doubt transfer most of your files to your new host, but there are some other, additional items that you might also consider taking with you. For example, you may have old traffic statistics or some useful spam filter configuration data that could prove handy in the future. Export whatever you can and copy the rest. Take screenshots or copy and paste to a Word or HTML file any info that could be of use to you.

7) Have a backup plan. Don’t discontinue your old service until you’re absolutely certain that everything is working as it should at the new digs. Even if you can’t stand your old host, (more…)

If you’ve been paying attention to the current US presidential campaigns, you’ve probably aware that “47 million Americans are living without health insurance.” If you’re a freelance designer, you may very well be one of those people.

I know lots of freelancers who take their chances and go without health insurance. One of them now owes $30,000 in hospital bills due to some unexpected surgery. Now in all likelihood, that won’t happen to you, but perhaps you’re feeling some pain in your wrist, or maybe you’re just don’t want to get too close to that friend with strep throat.

Many freelance designers forgo health insurance because most individual plans are incredibly expensive. It’s a valid decision, especially if you’ve been waiting months for a client to pay for that big logo job.

Still, you may be surprised at how many health insurance options, including discount plans, are available to the self-employed. If you’re thinking about getting some coverage, these are the places where you’ll find the best deals.

Your local chamber of commerce. If you provide design services to local businesses, you should already be a member of the chamber of commerce. It’s a great networking opportunity, and members of most chambers are eligible for group health insurance that comes at steep discounts.

Professional groups. If you belong to any professional associations for small business owners, designers, or freelancers, you should ask about group health insurance. Many of these organizations have direct access to discounted plans or partnerships with other entities that do. For example, the Graphic Artists Guild offers group rates in 28 states.

Your accountant. If your accountant works mostly with freelancers, he or she may have some recommendations. (more…)

Recently, the company that hosts my website charged my credit card for a full year of service. It was the result of a glitch in their software, and it affected a great number of their customers. Some people’s accounts were overdrawn, and there were many other financial mishaps. I’d been considering a move to new web host for a while, and this was all that was needed to turn thought into action.

Finding and transitioning to a new host seems like it should be simple, but it can quickly become a daunting task. It often takes a few days for your domain name to match up well with the new server, and there are always a lot of items to move, including email, files, databases and more.

I learned some things in the course of my move, and I thought I’d give you some tips in case you’re considering your own transition.

1) Leverage your existing knowledge when finding a new host. Usually when you’re choosing your very first host, you have only a vague idea of what you require. As a result, you often end up with more space, more bandwidth, and more email addresses than you really need. But when you switch, you know exactly what you use. You’ll get a much better deal because you know this information.

2) Make dramatic technological changes only if absolutely necessary. Moving from a host with PHP to a host with ASP (or vice versa) can (more…)

“Primary Voting in Sanford, FL” Photographer: Nathan Clark

Are you voting in one of tomorrow’s 24 caucuses or primaries? If so, why not also take part in The Polling Place Photo Project?

The Polling Place Photo Project is a nationwide experiment in citizen journalism that encourages voters to capture, post and share photographs of this year’s primaries, caucuses and general election. By documenting local voting experiences, participants can contribute to an archive of photographs that captures the richness and complexity of voting in America.

The project was initiated by Design Observer’s William Drenttel in 2006 and is sponsored by The New York Times and AIGA.

Introduction

Web and interface designers are in a unique and powerful position to serve as user advocates. By incorporating usability and conversion principles into design from the beginning of the process, designers can help ensure the user-friendliness and effectiveness of the end product.

It sounds great, right? But how (you may ask) can designers do this? Classes and reading are one way, of course – having a solid understanding of usability best practices and research will naturally influence your design decisions. But getting from the theoretical to the applied can be a challenge, and best practices are not, in my experience, always sufficient. Ideally, each unique design is tested with representative users to validate whether it really accomplishes what’s expected.

Which is where this series of articles comes in. I’ll cover a number of quick, easy usability tests that designers can do in very little time and at low or no cost. You’ll end up with validated designs, better end results and a growing understanding of the complex, powerful relationship between usability and design.

We’ll start with a very simple test, and build from there.

Test #1 – Button Labels

Test category: Expectancy

What we’re testing: Button labels

What we want to know: Which version of a button label best communicates to users what happens after they click the button?

Why this matters: Button labels are a crucial point of communication. If users quickly and easily “get” what will happen when they click a button, they’re more likely to do so. If, on the other hand, a button label is unclear, confusing, or makes users feel uncomfortable, they are likely to hesitate or avoid the button altogether.

When to do this test: Conduct the test whenever button labels are being finalized or updated. This can happen at just about any stage of a design or redesign process.

What the test tells you: This test will tell you which one of two or more button labels does its job the best. You want a button label to support the audience’s mental model—that is, what they expect to see or have happen when they click the button.

What the test DOESN’T tell you: This test won’t tell you how the button will perform within the context of an actual web page or application. Users may understand a button label when viewing it in isolation, but when many other factors come into play the results may vary. For instance, users may not see the button or may not be sufficiently motivated to click it, depending on its placement, the other messaging on the page, what the user has experienced prior to the page, etc.

What you need: Several buttons identical in design but with different labels. These can be low-fidelity sketches or high-fidelity (more…)

Figure drawing is as much a science as it is an art. In art schools, students spend hour upon hour sketching live models. Eventually, most develop an acute sense of the anatomical details that give the human body its shape. Students also learn how these features interact with light and shadow and affect contour and form.

In Complete Anatomy and Figure Drawing, author and fine artist John Raynes shares his thoughts on the “art class” method, but first, he spends a great deal of time on human anatomy itself.

The book begins with a detailed examination of the human skeleton. The scientific names of each part are provided. I think that’s extremely valuable. Gorgeous graphite, colored pencil, and watercolor drawings cover every page, and each topic is contextualized. For example, you will probably never need to draw a pelvic bone, but you must understand how its shape and structure balances the human body if you want to draw realistic figures. Some of the skeletal drawings even include an outline that shows where the skin would be. This gives you a sense of how the interior structures affect the overall form.

Though the drawings are both technical and lovely, I would have liked to see some photos as well. That way, I could have (more…)