Tools? What tools?

What are your tools?

A tool is something that you use for a given task. This could be something as simple as a drill to screw in something, or it could be a skill that you have. The tools I use as a computer scientist vary according to the job given. Sometimes I am using my keen eye to attention and colors, other times I am using my ability to assess problems and find solutions. The tasks I am given requires a set of tools that I have hopefully, if I do not have the necessary tools then I must acquire them. 

The most used Google Drive applications.

Tools I acquired this semester:

• Google Drive
• Adobe Illustrator
• QR Code manipulation
• Researching topics more in depth
• Understanding that I know more than what is on paper (I did not know that knowing how to wrap network cable was a skill until someone told me)

Design knowledge + Color knowledge = Appealing

Some of my favorite tools that I hold are my attention to layouts and color. By having some background in both of these, I am able to work towards a product that is visually appealing and is simple to use. I have a fascination with website designs and how things fit together. There is a reason why websites such as Facebook and Instagram have a lot of whitespace and why they picked those colors. It is easy on the eyes and it prevents the user from getting confused.

Design is a necessary part of making a website.

The degree to which I use these tools is changing as I further my programming skills. Having knowledge about design will put me ahead of many programmers because it will allow me to create something that is not too cluttered and just works. Sometimes programmers forget that you cannot just rely on the user wanting to use your app because it is useful. Sometimes having a simpler and minimalist design trumps having a bunch of cool features. This can be shown by the iPhone and what Apple has done in their products.

Networking Problems, Please Advise

Internet problems? Good luck.

The United States is supposed to be the model by which other countries follow. However, we fall short in many areas, including holding the highest average internet speed. The United States ranking according to Net Index is 33 out of all the countries in the world. Even though 33 out of all countries in the world is not bad, it is not ideal. Especially since the United States prides itself as being one of the most technological advanced countries. 

World comparison of internet speed cost per mbps.

Here is a list of some of the countries that beat the United States and their average internet speeds.

• #1 Hong Kong 78.31 Mbps
• #2 Singapore 66.62 Mbps
• #4 South Korea 53.60 Mbps
• #9 Japan 41.45 Mbps
• #17 France 34.10 Mbps
• #23 United Kingdom 26.85 Mbps
• #31 Russia 23.97 Mbps
• #33 United States 23.72 Mbps

This list illustrates that the United States is far from the place where it wants to be. The question that easily arises is why a country like Hong Kong is so far ahead of the United States. As was pointed out in an NY Times article, it is because the mentalities are different for both countries. A new Internet Service Providers (ISP) company does not mind losing money for several years as it builds its network out. The bottom line is not everything because they know that they have to suffer a little before competing with the bigger ISP groups. In the United States the most reliable service comes from Verizion which offers its FIOS network. Verizon does not have to prove itself anymore, it has a loyal customer base and they do not have to do anything outrageous to draw in customers. They have no incentive to push forward with higher speeds. New up and coming Internet Service Providers (ISP) in Hong Kong have something to prove and they are willing to take the risk.

Which ISP is dominate in each state.

In order for the United States to maintain its status as a world power, things need to change. Technologically things need to be more supported. Many new laws and current legislation make it hard for smaller companies to even begin competing with the bigger companies. The United States does not have to be in the position its in, we can change so that we do not have to be waiting for pages to load. 

Stop this from happening and do something!

Sources: 

1. "Blue Website Loading Bar (Psd)." Blugraphic RSS. N.p., n.d. Web. 29 Apr. 2014.
2. Choi, Christy. "Hong Kong Has Fastest Peak Internet Speed in World." South China Morning Post. N.p., 25 Jan. 2013. Web. 29 Apr. 2014.
3. "Daily Hen for Daily Life Tips." Daily Hen for Daily Life Tips. N.p., 19 Jan. 2013. Web. 29 Apr. 2014.
4. "Did You Know Which Country Is Providing World Fastest Internet Speed ?"HybridTechCar. N.p., 23 Aug. 2013. Web. 29 Apr. 2014.
5. Guarini, Drew. "This Is The United States Of Comcast, Depressing Map Shows."The Huffington Post. TheHuffingtonPost.com, 04 Mar. 2014. Web. 29 Apr. 2014.
6. "Household Download Index." Download Speed by Country. N.p., n.d. Web. 29 Apr. 2014.
7. "Internet Speeds and Costs Around the World." Infographics Archive. N.p., n.d. Web. 29 Apr. 2014.
8. Stross, Randall. "Cheap, Ultrafast Broadband? At Least Hong Kong Has It." The New York Times. The New York Times, 05 Mar. 2011. Web. 29 Apr. 2014.

Beta Testing, Not the Same as Usability Testing

Using Beta Testers to Find the Flaws in a Product

Beta testing is not the same as usability testing. They are similar, but not the same. Usability testing is done in an environment when you are still trying to figure out the direction of your website or app. A usability test in that instance gives you some direction in which to head. When you are in beta testing, you should already have an idea of where your website or app is heading. All that should be left to do is finding bugs and making small tweaks to the design, if any. 

Usability (Testing Environment) vs Beta Testing (User's Own Environment)

Usability Testing Goals	Beta Testing Goals
Decide what platforms you are optimizing for	Users report issues that they have
Decide what works and does not work for your design	Very limited design changes
The test is done in a lab, so the person observing the test can observe where the user is having difficulty	Fix issues with broken code
Fix any design issues before writing any code	Test is done in the comfort of the user’s own environment
The tester is able to ask the subject about issues they had with the design
The tester is able to observe the body language of the subject

Beta Testing Cycle

As can be shown from the cycle above, the outcome for usability and beta testing are similar. The end goal of both test is to better the project. While usability testing focuses on the interaction with the product, beta testing focuses on coding problems. Beta testing is a highly recommended step in making websites and app making. Beta testing allows you to catch errors before your product is out in the open. The goal of beta testing is not to get rid of all the bugs in your code, that is not practical. What is practical though is flushing out as many bugs as you can.

If you are trying to do beta testing, here is a website that gives you some tips on how to conduct a beta test: Beta Testing Tips

Sources: 

1. "Beta Testing." Web Development,web Designing and Internet Marketing Firm. N.p., n.d. Web. 21 Apr. 2014.
2. Carter, Breck. "SQL Anywhere." : August 2011. N.p., 24 Aug. 2011. Web. 21 Apr. 2014.
3. "Recording Usability Tests on the IPhone." :: Capstrat. N.p., n.d. Web. 21 Apr. 2014.
4. Richmond, Nadyne. "Go Ahead, Mac My Day." Beta Testing vs Usability Testing. N.p., 5 Apr. 2010. Web. 21 Apr. 2014.
5. Spolsky, Joel. "Joel on Software." Top Twelve Tips for Running a Beta Test -. N.p., 2 Mar. 2004. Web. 21 Apr. 2014.
6. Thadani, Rahul. "How to Become a PS3 Game Tester." Buzzle. Buzzle.com, 15 Apr. 2011. Web. 21 Apr. 2014.

The Importance of Usability Testing

Designing with Paper Prototyping

Usability testing is the act of having a user interact with a prototype of a product before it goes into production. It allows testing of how a user interacts with an object before spending money on a demo. 

Type of usability testing:

1. Paper Prototyping (we will focus on this one): Make a drawing of the website and allow the user to interact with it as though it were a functional website.
2. Card-sorting: Allowing users to sort cards with a word or statement written on it. This is useful when a website has a lot of information and the designer wants to know what is more appealing for the end-user.
3. Link Affordance Test: Print website in grayscale and let the tester color in the picture. 
4. Heuristic Evaluation: Time how long it takes for a user to do a given task on a website. There are general guidelines for how long each task should take such as subscribing to the email newsletter of the website.

Paper prototyping can be as simple as a pen and paper drawing.

Paper prototyping can be as complicating as a drawing done on Photoshop.

Paper prototyping is allowing a user to interact with a drawing of the website. The drawing could be something as simple as a pen and paper drawing or it could be more complex and be done on Adobe Photoshop or Illustrator. In either case, this usability test allows for the designer to observe how the tester interacts with the website and allows for fixes and redesigning. 

What are the benefits of usability testing:

1. Lower costs
2. To find out how long a user takes to do a task
3. Find out flaws in your website and how people interact with your website
4. Analyze the performance of your website

Now try running your own usability test for your website. Here's a video on how: Do Your First Usability Test.

Sources:

1. Davies, Thomas. "UX Booth." Designing with Paper Prototyping -. N.p., 5 Aug. 2010. Web. 18 Apr. 2014.
2. MacArthur, Amanda. "Different Types of Usability Tests for Website Design."Mequoda Daily RSS. N.p., 09 Jan. 2008. Web. 18 Apr. 2014.
3. Mifsud, Justin. "Paper Prototyping As A Usability Testing Technique - Usability Geek." Usability Geek RSS. N.p., 23 July 2012. Web. 18 Apr. 2014.
4. "Nielsen Norman Group." Paper Prototyping Training Video. N.p., n.d. Web. 18 Apr. 2014.
5. "Usability Testing." Usability. N.p., n.d. Web. 18 Apr. 2014.

Blogs, Worth It or Not?

That is the question, to blog or not to?

Technical blogs are an invitation into a person’s mind. Although technical writing is not supposed to be opinionated, most readers can still get a sense of the blogger’s beliefs and views from what they have written. Having a blog gives employers an opportunity to see their applicants in a better light. Some people have a rough time being able to articulate their thoughts in an interview since there is a lot of pressure. Blogs give a person the opportunity to reveal to prospective employers who they are and what their beliefs are in a pressure free environment.

Blogs make you think and articulate your thoughts.

Along with the benefit of being pressure free, blogs give the writer an opportunity to freely express themselves. By doing a blog, the writer is better able to articulate their thoughts and they are better able to express themselves. During an interview, the hardest part is being able to think on the spot, but by doing blogs, the blogger is able to express them self since they have been articulating their ideas in words. By doing blogs, the blogger is able to form opinions on technological issues and they are better prepared for what possible questions can arise from their opinions. A person who does a blog is better informed than someone who does not since the person that does the blog has to have done research beforehand to have an opinion on the issue. Blogs are an important part of being able to better express yourself since it gives you a medium in which to talk about your beliefs and views. 

The many choices of blog websites available.

Advantages of having a blog:

1. Show off your beliefs and views about technological issues 
2. Articulate your thoughts in a stress-free environment 
3. Writing about your opinions gives you a more fluid way to speak about your opinions 
4. To write about a subject, you need to have done research about it. Research makes you more knowledgeable
5. Gives you credibility if you do your blogs correctly

Get started with your own blog here: 

1. http://wordpress.com/
2. http://blogger.com

Sources:

1. Becker, Joshua. "15 Reasons I Think You Should Blog." Becoming Minimalist. N.p., n.d. Web. 18 Apr. 2014.
2. "Email Your Blog Articles." Convert Your Blog RSS to Email Newsletter with AWeber. N.p., n.d. Web. 18 Apr. 2014.
3. Eridon, Corey. "The Benefits of Blogging: Why Businesses Do It, and You Should Too." The Benefits of Blogging: Why Businesses Do It, and You Should Too. N.p., 6 Nov. 2013. Web. 18 Apr. 2014.
4. "You Are Being Thought: Don't Believe Everything You Think!" You Are Being Thought: Don't Believe Everything You Think! N.p., n.d. Web. 18 Apr. 2014.