The Last Internet Explorer Problem??

I think I've fiiinally tackled my last Internet Explorer* problem (famous last words, right?). I'd been using some blank XML tags, which Internet Explorer didn't like. I ended up just filling in empty XML tags with "blank" and telling Javascript to treat them like empty tags (e.g. don't write "View in Map" if there's no geolocation data in the XML file for that particular picture).

Additionally, I've added full-size versions of almost every picture, so every picture (besides the Misc. section) should load in a Shadowbox pop-up; I've also added metadata to just about every picture, so, when applicable, you should see shutter speed, aperture, ISO, focal length, date, etc. for each picture.

* I've written everything so that it will display properly in Internet Explorer 8; I have no idea how it does in IE <8 but I'm guessing it won't work very well, if at all.

IU.edu Information Architecture Redesign

I've posted our third main project in my Cognitive Aspects of Multimedia Design class. We were required to come up with five user personas and appropriate scenarios/goals, analyze at least five similar university sites, and then construct a new structure of navigation for the Indiana University website. More information can be found on the Web Development and Design page of my portfolio.

Shadowbox and Geolocation

After some commentary on my COGS 187A portfolio, I decided to implement a way to view the images on the website at a larger size, especially since some of the pictures (like portrait layout) are rather small. Although I originally wanted this website to be completely my own work, I decided to implement Shadowbox, a Javascript and CSS tool that allows an easy way to preview images (and videos, HTML pages, etc) within the current webpage. I'm currently in the process of including full size images; at this point, some images are clickable, but don't have a full version to display yet. I'm trying to get this resolved quickly by adding full versions of each picture, but it's not quite done yet.

I also added a geolocation feature to the photography section. If I've attached geolocation to a picture (via the XML file), a link to "View map" will be displayed under the image description. When clicked, a small pop-up (again, via Shadowbox) will appear, showing the location of the picture in a small Google Map view. I'm also in the process of adding this to more and more pictures, so expect to see that more soon.

IU.edu Site Usability Evaluation

Our most recent project in COGS 187A (Cognitive Aspects of Multimedia Design) was to evaluate the Indiana University website in a small group, then prepare a website displaying our critique. Our evaluation can be found at mattsoave.com/cogs187a/site_eval.

Overall, I thought it was interesting to look at a website with certain heuristics in mind. It really helped me notice a lot of flaws that hinder the website's effectiveness and efficiency.