Lecture/ Tutorial/ Reflection

LECTURE

In last week Lecture, Daniel hand out the course work which is to develop a Website which is due in after Easter holidays. He start explaining that the course work is to design a Website for a fictional small shop selling music Cd's and DVDs. Although all the detail requirements were mention in the Assignment page but he explained further by explaining that the first page should be a Flash page and by clicking on the enter site should lead to the Homepage, but what he added is that use such fonts and design that connects the Flash page to the Homepage so that one can see the connection that it is the same website instead leaving a person confusing that you have opened a different website by using different font and design on Flash and using totally different on the homepage.

TUTORIAL

In todays Tutorial we were working with images, sound and video in Dreamweaver. We were first asked to download files into our webspace from blackboard. We then opend petsparade file and we can see Home and Cats button then we inserted but-dogs.gif button through the insert mode from menu. We then have to add a link to the the text either by dragging the link icon to the text or simply select the text and type in the link. Sound and video are included in the same way as each other. The easiet way is in the code view of XHTML page. In order to play wheelsoffire.wmv file we are required to enter the code this will work for most common video and audio formats.

REFLECTION

This coursework is really important to score well as Daniel said this is course work carries 60% of your final result marks. As this course work to develop a Website will take a lot of time thinking because its all about how creative your mind is and how much have you leared and how well you can use the tools. As in the Tutorial we were taught how to link the buttons and which format can be used to insert Video or Audio files as this can help us in the final course work and giving us more option to think and how to bring them in use.

Lecture/ Tutorial/ Reflection

DESIGN TECHNIQUES FOR MULTIMEDIA

I couldn't attend last week lecture, but I found out through my fellow colleagues that the lecture was based on Design and Techniques, the lecturer explained us Structure Chart which is basically how to design the templates and how to organise a website. Structure chart consist of two elements, one of the element is:

• 
  
  Screen

The lecturer went on explaining Flow chart diagram, this is basically to help user navigate through the website, as this remind me of checklist work done in tutorials where we were asked to go through Glamorgan website and one of the task was to check the navigation.Then the lecturer explained wire frame, it is a presentation of an application screen that describes the way content is organised and labelling the buttons.

TUTORIAL

In Tutorial we were taught today Target path which is again done by Flash by choosing the Action script 2. The aim of this tutorial is to see how does the symbol communicate with each other. We will start off by clicking Main stage and we can know that because Scene 1 is the main stage. All symbols are stored in Library each have a unique name we will choose web flash MC, the instant name is not as same as symbol In action script you only use name not symbol above the web flash you'll see a tag Scene, Scene 1 is the main stage of the movie referred to in the Action Script as: _root All scenes have a _root directory. To start insert new symbol name web MC choose movie clip and OK, then drag graphic word from library, right click and choose frame 10 again right click in between and choose tween motion, again repeat the step but instead of selecting tween motion choose movie clip.

REFLECTION

I will conclude this blog by saying that the lecture was really beneficiary in context of designing a website and that we should design navigate in such a way that it eases the user. Also in the tutorial we learn how to target path and learn the differences between the graphic name and symbol name, and yes this will be my last blog as I'll be leaving tomorrow to back home and I wish everyone a Happy Christmas.

Lecture/ Tutorial/ Reflection

ACCESSIBILITY AND DESIGN

This week lecture is based on Accessibility and Design and it was done by Geneen. Starting off she gave us a brief idea that will be doing Video editing after returning from Christmas. But the lecture was focused on Disabled people and their accessibility to the Internet world. It was a good point to take notice off, as many of us would not think of disabled people when developing a website. Thinking of people's who are colour blind its really hard for them to visit football clubs websites, as they design the website on the football clubs uniforms for example Liverpool football club website is red and this may cause problem to colour blind people. Now the government has passed a law the DDA (Disability and Discrimination Act) in 1995 and it was updated in 2001 the Special educational needs and disability Act. Since then the technology have helped disabled people by designing products for special need people for example a keyboard for a person with one arm and Voice recognition software for people who don't have both the arms. Also now the websites should be design considering the Law against Disability Discrimination, you can use Bobby software on websites which detect problem which causes to Disabled people.

FLASH

In today's tutorial we followed the lecture 9 which was Tween in Tween. The aim of today's tutorial was to show how to place a symbol within a symbol. You can do this by typing a word on stage and then go to modify and choose convert to symbol and type a name for a file as for me it was web. Click OK then delete the file it will be saved in Library so it is safe. We then click to insert and choose New symbol and make sure that its on movie clip then click OK. Then you can drag the file from library and then Right click on frame 10 and move the image or word anywhere you want, then click on the center of frame and from bottom choose Create motion, test the movie and save it. Then repeat the steps again to create more symbols and when finished click scene1 also you can differentiate Graphic and Movie clip by its logo.

REFLECTION

The main aim of the lecture was to design website which are Accessibale to diabled people and easy for them to use. This point is ignored by many of us, but now there are laws which protect the rights of disable people and now their are many new products which are coming for easy use for handicaped people aswell. Continuing with the tutorial we leran how to tween in tween and considering the lecture I used light colour to help colour blind people see without any difficulties.

Lecture/ Tutorial/ Reflection

Evaluation of Usability

This week's lecture was based on Evaluation of Usability. The lecturer told us when designing or developing something new, we should think in a context of user. As he gave couple of examples, i.e. Watch, Baton and my favorite one Shoe, it is light and it should be water proof thanks to the climate in U.K. and the most unnoticeable thing is that we are still using the 4,000 year old technology which is shoe laces. The Lecturer continued his lecture explaining:

• Evaluation and its usability


• How do users perform tasks


• Comparing Designs
  
• Predict Usability of System


• Qualitative Evaluation


• Inspection


• Users Performance

He explained his point saying when designing you should evaluate who are the users going to be, keep the instructions simple and in which environment is the design going to be used. For e.g. a Ticket machine on a Train station which is used by many different aged people and that its goes through different weather condition's as well.

FLASH

In today's Tutorial we were told that we will use Flash. We started off by selecting Action script 2, and then we followed the notes which were provided on blackboard. The task was to firstly select the background of the Page (Note: Pages in Flash are called Frames, but either way it is same) and then we have to write a Text on Frame 1 and add a button from window and then common library. Then we have to create a second Frame to that right click on film line and add key frame write a different text on frame two and add button again. Follow the same step to create more Frames, then test the movie but frame will run nonstop and you can see anything clearly. Then next step was to add the stop the auto play movie on frame. then finally we attach action script to the buttons, than we have tested the movie, and we repeated the same procedures to each frame, save it and test the movie again this time the users can control the movie.

REFLECTION

Lecture was the contiuation from preveiously taught Usability Intereaction to Evaluation of Usability, the main idea was to design in a context of a user, and that it should fulfill the desires of the users for example if you take a Game Part 1 and when you'll make Game Part 2 you will do a research what was lacking in the previous game and what new ideas could be added and how to improve the game over all. As per for the Tutorial this week was a change after going through the Checklist and Evaluation and Usability of Glamorgan websites in last two weeks. Flash is intresting as we learn how to link one frame to second frame and how to add actions script to buttons.

Two external links on Usability:

1) Google

2) University of Glamorgan

Introduction about Myself

To start with, I'll give an Introduction about Myself. My name is Umar Ahmed Khan and I was born and brought up in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, which is situated in Middle East. I have come to United Kingdom last year on 21st June 2006. The aim and objective of my coming to Britain is Higher Education.

The reason I have choose University of Glamorgan was the natural beauty and the greenery it's surrounded with, which you can not find in Dubai as its a desert, and the only beauty you can find in Dubai is Man made. In beginning it was really difficult for me to adjust, the only best way I can explain is Black and White. I have to adjust with the weather, the culture and the accent.

So far its been a pleasant experience, as I have find the People friendly and helping. I'm doing BSc(Hons) in Business Information and Technology and its my first year and i will stop myself here, just wondering how many people are there in BIT cause till now I haven't meet any one from the course...