Web Directions

Since Nick ran his first live webcast in 2000, he has managed several hundred webcast productions for most of the top corporates, publishers and broadcasters in Australia. Key highlights include Australia’s first live medical operation on the web, the Australia 2020 Summit and World Youth Day.

Nick regularly speaks at conferences here and overseas on online video creation and distribution, and is also an avid short film maker, actor and theatre producer.

Nick is on the NSW committee of AIMIA - the Australian Interactive Media Industry Association.

About Craig Sharkie

A degree in Fine Art may seem an odd stepping stone to a career in coding, but its a step that's led Craig Sharkie on a journey lasting over 13 years. With tenure at the Australian operations of Ziff Davis, AOL and Yahoo!, Craig's seen the Internet bubble, burst, and be reinvented, and at each turn his foundation in visualising the Web has stood him in good stead.

Focussing on accessible, extensible, and usable HTML and CSS solutions to both leading edge and legacy development issues, Craig continues to use the best of JavaScript to deliver interfaces that marry a user's goals with corporate aims. From onclick to Unobtrusive Scripting, via the DOM and Ajax, he enjoys coding standards based solutions even more than championing them.

About Cameron Adams

Cameron Adams — The Man in Blue — melds a background in Computer Science with over eight years experience in graphic design to create a unique approach to interface design. Using the latest technologies, he likes to play in the intersection between design and code to produce innovative but usable sites and applications.

In addition to the projects he’s currently tinkering with, Cameron writes about the Internet and design in general on his well respected weblog, and has written several books ranging in topics from JavaScript, to CSS, and design. His latest publication — Simply JavaScript — takes a bottom-up, quirky-down approach to the basics of JavaScript coding.

About Earle Castledine

Sporting a Masters in Information Technology and a lifetime of experience on the Web of Hard Knocks, Earle Castledine's interests span all that is computery. A Senior Systems Analyst and Javascript flàneur - he is equally happy in the muddy pits of .NET code as in the fluffy fields of client-side interaction development.

Having stuck with Javascript through the dark and dynamic times, he now recognises the Internet not as a lubricant for social change, but a vehicle for unleashing frivolous ECMAScript gadgets and time-wasting technologies.

About Jason Crane

Jason Crane is a self-confessed neophile. He also works on the web. His enthusiasm and passion for people and technology is a perpetual motion machine.

Jason has worked for a number of businesses (including his own!) in varying capacities ranging from networking, through to back and front-end engineering. When not wrangling Ruby on Rails, or playing devils advocate with his peers, Jason enjoys cooking and eating food with his wife and dog.

He doesn't take himself too seriously, and he blames his love of speaking in the third person on his internet exposure.

About Ben Askins

Ben has been employed as a software developer in one form or another since leaving school in 1989. Not traditionally a web developer, he started dabbling with HTML and CSS about 6 years ago. Since 2006 he's been freelancing as a software developer, focusing on implementing business applications using Ruby on Rails. Funnily enough, he knows very little about Javascript, so little in fact that he agreed to take part in this panel on the one condition that he could perform a Vulcan Mind Meld with The Man in Blue, to assimilate just a smidgeon of his vast vast knowledge.

Resources

• Cameron Adams' JS-909: a drum machine written in JavaScript
" ["post_title"]=> string(76) "Panel - Javascript libraries - putting the cross in cross-browser compatible" ["post_category"]=> string(1) "0" ["post_excerpt"]=> string(928) "

Web Directions South 2008, Sydney Convention Centre, September 25 1.40pm.

No longer are search engines the main contenders when you’re shopping for JavaScript solutions. For sophisticated, cross-browser effects which degrade gracefully and don’t impede accessibility, libraries are the new heavy weights. But which library do you want in your corner?
The crop of polished, opensource libraries bring a vast array of visual effects and functionality to leverage in your projects and we’ll introduce you to the power houses. We’ll run jQuery, the YUI, and Prototype up against pure Javascript in a tag team event that will challenge even the hardiest code warriors.
In this special 2 hour session local and international developers will run libraries through their paces giving you real world insights in to how a library can help you knockout the toughest scripting challenge.

" ["post_status"]=> string(7) "publish" ["comment_status"]=> string(4) "open" ["ping_status"]=> string(4) "open" ["post_password"]=> string(0) "" ["post_name"]=> string(72) "panel-javascript-libraries-putting-the-cross-in-cross-browser-compatible" ["to_ping"]=> string(0) "" ["pinged"]=> string(48) " http://south08.webdirections.org/?cat=1#post-84" ["post_modified"]=> string(19) "2008-11-20 11:44:22" ["post_modified_gmt"]=> string(19) "2008-11-20 01:44:22" ["post_content_filtered"]=> string(0) "" ["post_parent"]=> int(0) ["guid"]=> string(35) "http://www.webdirections.org/?p=913" ["menu_order"]=> int(0) ["post_type"]=> string(4) "post" ["post_mime_type"]=> string(0) "" ["comment_count"]=> string(1) "7" ["filter"]=> string(3) "raw" } [4]=> object(stdClass)#119 (25) { ["ID"]=> int(909) ["post_author"]=> string(1) "8" ["post_date"]=> string(19) "2008-06-19 11:17:37" ["post_date_gmt"]=> string(19) "2008-06-19 01:17:37" ["post_content"]=> string(2989) "

Web Directions South 2008, Sydney Convention Centre, September 25 1.40pm.

• Audio recording of session
• Presentation slides
• Session description
• About Gabriel White

Presentation slides

Session description

Mainstream mobile devices are being loaded with sensors. These devices can be used to create experiences that are tailored, adaptive and responsive to the way people live and work. Location-awareness allows devices to respond to place, networked address books enable socially rich communication experiences, and motion and gestural sensors empower designers to respond to context of use. All these elements are creating a ’sensitive ecosystem’; mobile devices that adapt gracefully to context and use.

This presentation will explore some of the design and technology trends that are shaping design for mobile devices, show examples of devices and services that are starting to take advantage of these trends, then explain how designers need to rethink design problems to take advantage of this technological ground-shift.

About Gabriel White

Gabriel is a seasoned interaction designer and world traveler. Currently Interaction Design Director at Punchcut in San Francisco, Gabriel was a Principal Designer at Frog Design, led design teams at Motorola China, visited Microsoft’s Research Lab in Beijing, and consulted in Australia.

With ten years’ experience in the design industry and a deep understanding of the mobile space, Gabriel is passionate about creating meaningful products and services that help improve people’s lives. He has written for ACM Interactions Magazine, and publishes regularly through his mobile design blog, Small Surfaces. Gabriel was the interaction design lead for Motorola’s MotoFone, a phone designed specifically for poor, non-literate people in developing countries.

" ["post_title"]=> string(48) "Gabriel White - Sensing context in mobile design" ["post_category"]=> string(1) "0" ["post_excerpt"]=> string(1062) "

Web Directions South 2008, Sydney Convention Centre, September 25 1.40pm.

Mainstream mobile devices are being loaded with sensors. These devices can be used to create experiences that are tailored, adaptive and responsive to the way people live and work. Location-awareness allows devices to respond to place, networked address books enable socially rich communication experiences, and motion and gestural sensors empower designers to respond to context of use. All these elements are creating a ’sensitive ecosystem’; mobile devices that adapt gracefully to context and use.

This presentation will explore some of the design and technology trends that are shaping design for mobile devices, show examples of devices and services that are starting to take advantage of these trends, then explain how designers need to rethink design problems to take advantage of this technological ground-shift.

" ["post_status"]=> string(7) "publish" ["comment_status"]=> string(4) "open" ["ping_status"]=> string(4) "open" ["post_password"]=> string(0) "" ["post_name"]=> string(46) "gabriel-white-sensing-context-in-mobile-design" ["to_ping"]=> string(0) "" ["pinged"]=> string(0) "" ["post_modified"]=> string(19) "2008-10-31 10:33:29" ["post_modified_gmt"]=> string(19) "2008-10-31 00:33:29" ["post_content_filtered"]=> string(0) "" ["post_parent"]=> int(0) ["guid"]=> string(35) "http://www.webdirections.org/?p=909" ["menu_order"]=> int(0) ["post_type"]=> string(4) "post" ["post_mime_type"]=> string(0) "" ["comment_count"]=> string(1) "5" ["filter"]=> string(3) "raw" } [5]=> object(stdClass)#120 (25) { ["ID"]=> int(904) ["post_author"]=> string(1) "8" ["post_date"]=> string(19) "2008-06-19 11:13:25" ["post_date_gmt"]=> string(19) "2008-06-19 01:13:25" ["post_content"]=> string(3082) "

Web Directions South 2008, Sydney Convention Centre, September 25 11.45am.

• Audio recording of the presentation
• Presentation slides
• Session description
• About Grant Young

Presentation slides

Session description

With so many social networks blooming, all with different participants and methods of interaction, it can be hard to determine where to invest your energy, time and $$.The session will provide ideas and a “background briefing” to help you answer the question:
• why is social media important to my organisation?
• what is the ROI for social media?
• how can I evaluate which approaches are right for me/my organisation?
• what sort of activities can/should I undertake in these spaces?
This is not a technical session and although we will briefly touch on some popular sites, the focus will be on how you and your organisation can effectively and authentically engage participants in the social media world.

About Grant Young

Grant has worked for over a decade in web and media roles, more recently focusing on social media and networking opportunities for non-profits. Grant recently founded Zumio, a consulting business with an emphasis on online strategy development. Since starting Zumio earlier this year Grant has advised a number of organisations including WWF-Australia (Earth Hour 2008) and Amnesty International on social media and campaign development.

Previously Grant held the role of Online Communications Manager at WWF-Australia, and worked as Senior Producer at award-winning design agency Digital Eskimo. In these roles he advised on and produced projects incorporating a variety of social networking tools and approaches, including weblogs, wikis, Flickr, YouTube, MySpace and Facebook.

Grant has also developed web applications for the business sector in the areas of financial and carbon accounting. He presented on the topic of social media in the financial services sector at the Investor Weekly Branding conference in March 2008.

" ["post_title"]=> string(52) "Grant Young - Strategies for social media engagement" ["post_category"]=> string(1) "0" ["post_excerpt"]=> string(498) "

Web Directions South 2008, Sydney Convention Centre, September 25 11.45am.

With so many social networks blooming, all with different participants and methods of interaction, it can be hard to determine where to invest your energy, time and $$.
The session will provide ideas and a “background briefing” to help you answer the question:

" ["post_status"]=> string(7) "publish" ["comment_status"]=> string(4) "open" ["ping_status"]=> string(4) "open" ["post_password"]=> string(0) "" ["post_name"]=> string(50) "grant-young-strategies-for-social-media-engagement" ["to_ping"]=> string(0) "" ["pinged"]=> string(0) "" ["post_modified"]=> string(19) "2008-10-28 08:56:43" ["post_modified_gmt"]=> string(19) "2008-10-27 22:56:43" ["post_content_filtered"]=> string(0) "" ["post_parent"]=> int(0) ["guid"]=> string(35) "http://www.webdirections.org/?p=904" ["menu_order"]=> int(0) ["post_type"]=> string(4) "post" ["post_mime_type"]=> string(0) "" ["comment_count"]=> string(1) "0" ["filter"]=> string(3) "raw" } [6]=> object(stdClass)#121 (25) { ["ID"]=> int(901) ["post_author"]=> string(1) "8" ["post_date"]=> string(19) "2008-06-19 11:05:35" ["post_date_gmt"]=> string(19) "2008-06-19 01:05:35" ["post_content"]=> string(1337) "

Web Directions South 2008, Sydney Convention Centre, September 25 11.45am.

• Session description
• About Teale Shapcott

Session description

Usability practice closely resembles the traditional software development approach in its formality and insistence on up-front analysis and design. Usability and design is an iterative process, but not agile. So how can design and usability be effectively embedded into an agile development environment? In this presentation, the tension between agile development and usability is examined and how Suncorp design and development teams overcame the challenges to bridge the gulf between these approaches.

About Teale Shapcott

Teale commenced her career in web development and graphic design in 1998. She is currently working within Suncorp’s Business Technology division as a Designer for internal web applications specialising in web standards, usability, accessibility, xHTML and CSS. Her primary focus in her current role is embedding usability practice into agile web development within Suncorp.

" ["post_title"]=> string(74) "Teale Shapcott - From ordered to managed usability in an Agile environment" ["post_category"]=> string(1) "0" ["post_excerpt"]=> string(730) "

Web Directions South 2008, Sydney Convention Centre, September 25 11.45am.

Usability practice closely resembles the traditional software development approach in its formality and insistence on up-front analysis and design. Usability and design is an iterative process, but not agile. So how can design and usability be effectively embedded into an agile development environment? In this presentation, the tension between agile development and usability is examined and how Suncorp design and development teams overcame the challenges to bridge the gulf between these approaches.

" ["post_status"]=> string(7) "publish" ["comment_status"]=> string(4) "open" ["ping_status"]=> string(4) "open" ["post_password"]=> string(0) "" ["post_name"]=> string(72) "teale-shapcott-from-ordered-to-managed-usability-in-an-agile-environment" ["to_ping"]=> string(0) "" ["pinged"]=> string(52) " http://south08.webdirections.org/?page_id=7#post-56" ["post_modified"]=> string(19) "2008-11-01 14:16:37" ["post_modified_gmt"]=> string(19) "2008-11-01 04:16:37" ["post_content_filtered"]=> string(0) "" ["post_parent"]=> int(0) ["guid"]=> string(35) "http://www.webdirections.org/?p=901" ["menu_order"]=> int(0) ["post_type"]=> string(4) "post" ["post_mime_type"]=> string(0) "" ["comment_count"]=> string(1) "0" ["filter"]=> string(3) "raw" } [7]=> object(stdClass)#122 (25) { ["ID"]=> int(899) ["post_author"]=> string(1) "8" ["post_date"]=> string(19) "2008-06-19 10:57:06" ["post_date_gmt"]=> string(19) "2008-06-19 00:57:06" ["post_content"]=> string(3345) "

Web Directions South 2008, Sydney Convention Centre, September 25 11.45am.

• Audio recording of the session
• Presentation slides
• Session description
• About Pete Ottery
• About Tim Lucas

Presentation slides

Session description

The release of Apple’s iPhone brings new opportunities for web sites and web apps on handheld devices, though not without its share of challenges and best practices.

Tim and Pete will look at the best examples out in the wild and share their experience creating iphone.news.com.au - one of Australia’s largest news sites, news.com.au, tailored to the iPhone.

About Pete Ottery

Pete has been designing web sites for about 9 years. Having previously worked as the Head of Design at Fairfax Digital and Creative Director at Daemon, he is now working at News Digital Media as the Group Interface Designer. Recently he has been designing truelocal.com.au, careerone.com.au & iphone.news.com.au. He works directly with site owners and execs to help inform requirements and push product design boundaries. He is daily knee deep in photoshop concepts and html/css code.

About Tim Lucas

Tim Lucas, aka toolmantim, is a software developer and web technologist known in the Aussie web community for his involvement in events such as Work at Jelly, Webjam and the Sydney Ruby on Rails group. Tim’s been building connected software for as long as he can remember, recently helping craft the iphone version of news.com.au and the new VOIP platform vtalk. Tim combines his passion for quality with his human approach to software development as co-founder and senior developer at Agency Rainford, a web agency collaborating with brilliant individuals to create kick-ass solutions to problems that matter.

" ["post_title"]=> string(47) "Pete Ottery & Tim Lucas - Developing for iPhone" ["post_category"]=> string(1) "0" ["post_excerpt"]=> string(802) "

Web Directions South 2008, Sydney Convention Centre, September 25 11.45am.

The release of Apple’s iPhone brings new opportunities for web sites and web apps on handheld devices, though not without its share of challenges and best practices.

Tim and Pete will look at the best examples out in the wild and share their experience creating iphone.news.com.au - one of Australia’s largest news sites, news.com.au, tailored to the iPhone.

" ["post_status"]=> string(7) "publish" ["comment_status"]=> string(4) "open" ["ping_status"]=> string(4) "open" ["post_password"]=> string(0) "" ["post_name"]=> string(43) "pete-ottery-tim-lucas-developing-for-iphone" ["to_ping"]=> string(0) "" ["pinged"]=> string(0) "" ["post_modified"]=> string(19) "2008-10-23 13:23:45" ["post_modified_gmt"]=> string(19) "2008-10-23 03:23:45" ["post_content_filtered"]=> string(0) "" ["post_parent"]=> int(0) ["guid"]=> string(35) "http://www.webdirections.org/?p=899" ["menu_order"]=> int(0) ["post_type"]=> string(4) "post" ["post_mime_type"]=> string(0) "" ["comment_count"]=> string(1) "1" ["filter"]=> string(3) "raw" } [8]=> object(stdClass)#123 (25) { ["ID"]=> int(895) ["post_author"]=> string(1) "8" ["post_date"]=> string(19) "2008-06-19 10:51:15" ["post_date_gmt"]=> string(19) "2008-06-19 00:51:15" ["post_content"]=> string(2534) "

Web Directions South 2008, Sydney Convention Centre, September 25 10.45am.

• Presentation slidecast
• Session description
• About Kay Smoljak

Presentation slidecast

You can also listen to the audio recording separately.

Session description

Working for yourself is a dream that many web designers and developers have. You can pick and choose your clients, work in your pajamas, and sleep in until 10am every day if you want to. But there’s a more serious side to starting a business, and lots of factors to consider if you decide to head out on your own. Kay will share the story of Clever Starfish’s journey from a seed of an idea to a thriving small business, with lots of handy hints for both things to do, and things not to do, along the way.

About Kay Smoljak

Kay has been working with the web since the dark days of the last
millennium. She left full time employment to start Clever Starfish
with her partner and two overly bossy cats in 2006, and does not miss
commuting in the slightest. Because she’s a sucker for volunteering,
Kay sits on the committee of the Australian Web Industry Association (AWIA) and is one of the organisers of the WA Web Awards. She has three separate blogs (at last count) and also writes on ColdFusion for SitePoint and Fusion Authority.

" ["post_title"]=> string(72) "Kay Smoljak - Starting and running a successful web development business" ["post_category"]=> string(1) "0" ["post_excerpt"]=> string(738) "

Web Directions South 2008, Sydney Convention Centre, September 25 10.45am.

Working for yourself is a dream that many web designers and developers have. You can pick and choose your clients, work in your pajamas, and sleep in until 10am every day if you want to. But there’s a more serious side to starting a business, and lots of factors to consider if you decide to head out on your own. Kay will share the story of Clever Starfish’s journey from a seed of an idea to a thriving small business, with lots of handy hints for both things to do, and things not to do, along the way.

" ["post_status"]=> string(7) "publish" ["comment_status"]=> string(4) "open" ["ping_status"]=> string(4) "open" ["post_password"]=> string(0) "" ["post_name"]=> string(70) "kay-smoljak-starting-and-running-a-successful-web-development-business" ["to_ping"]=> string(0) "" ["pinged"]=> string(0) "" ["post_modified"]=> string(19) "2008-11-01 14:26:52" ["post_modified_gmt"]=> string(19) "2008-11-01 04:26:52" ["post_content_filtered"]=> string(0) "" ["post_parent"]=> int(0) ["guid"]=> string(35) "http://www.webdirections.org/?p=895" ["menu_order"]=> int(0) ["post_type"]=> string(4) "post" ["post_mime_type"]=> string(0) "" ["comment_count"]=> string(1) "5" ["filter"]=> string(3) "raw" } [9]=> object(stdClass)#124 (25) { ["ID"]=> int(893) ["post_author"]=> string(1) "8" ["post_date"]=> string(19) "2008-06-19 10:43:53" ["post_date_gmt"]=> string(19) "2008-06-19 00:43:53" ["post_content"]=> string(3175) "

Web Directions South 2008, Sydney Convention Centre, September 25 10.45am.

• Audio recording of session
• Presentation slides
• Session description
• About Dmitry Baranovskiy

Presentation slides

• Video: Slide 7
• Video: Slide 14
• Video: Slide 17
• Video: Slide 22
• Video: Slide 45
• Video: Slide 46
• Video: Slide 48
• Video: Slide 50

Session description

With the growth of interactivity in web applications we are pushing Javascript to its limits, not to mention the limits of HTML and CSS. And so we spend our days resorting to Flash, waiting for that distant time when browser support for CSS3 will come to our rescue and allow us to create the UIs we dream of. But this is not the way it has to be: there is a little known secret weapon right here in most modern browsers. Yes, even in IE6.

Dmitry Baranovskiy is here to tell you about Canvas, SVG and VML. Come along and be amazed by standards based UI wizardry you can start implementing in projects right here, right now.

About Dmitry Baranovskiy

Dmitry has over 8 years experience in creating web applications. Having started as a back end developer, more recently he has changed his orientation to front end development and even pure design. These days he spends his working hours trying to embrace a wide range of front end technologies while working as a UI Developer for Atlassian.

He is also the creator of Optimus, the Microformats transformer, as well as a Microformats based conference scheduler creator. At any given moment he is always working on three secret projects, though no one knows where he gets the time for any of this.

" ["post_title"]=> string(58) "Dmitry Baranovskiy - Start using web vector graphics today" ["post_category"]=> string(1) "0" ["post_excerpt"]=> string(863) "

Web Directions South 2008, Sydney Convention Centre, September 25 10.45am.

With the growth of interactivity in web applications we are pushing Javascript to its limits, not to mention the limits of HTML and CSS. And so we spend our days resorting to Flash, waiting for that distant time when browser support for CSS3 will come to our rescue and allow us to create the UIs we dream of. But this is not the way it has to be: there is a little known secret weapon right here in most modern browsers. Yes, even in IE6.
Dmitry Baranovskiy is here to tell you about Canvas, SVG and VML. Come along and be amazed by standards based UI wizardry you can start implementing in projects right here, right now.

" ["post_status"]=> string(7) "publish" ["comment_status"]=> string(4) "open" ["ping_status"]=> string(4) "open" ["post_password"]=> string(0) "" ["post_name"]=> string(56) "dmitry-baranovskiy-start-using-web-vector-graphics-today" ["to_ping"]=> string(0) "" ["pinged"]=> string(0) "" ["post_modified"]=> string(19) "2008-10-30 12:14:03" ["post_modified_gmt"]=> string(19) "2008-10-30 02:14:03" ["post_content_filtered"]=> string(0) "" ["post_parent"]=> int(0) ["guid"]=> string(35) "http://www.webdirections.org/?p=893" ["menu_order"]=> int(0) ["post_type"]=> string(4) "post" ["post_mime_type"]=> string(0) "" ["comment_count"]=> string(1) "0" ["filter"]=> string(3) "raw" } [10]=> object(stdClass)#125 (25) { ["ID"]=> int(891) ["post_author"]=> string(1) "8" ["post_date"]=> string(19) "2008-06-19 10:38:58" ["post_date_gmt"]=> string(19) "2008-06-19 00:38:58" ["post_content"]=> string(1404) "

Web Directions South 2008, Sydney Convention Centre, September 25 10.45am.

• Session description
• About Derek Featherstone

Session description

New technologies for web applications open up interactions to a highly sophisticated level. Learn how these new technologies can help designers move beyond simply complying with accessibility rules to create applications that work for everyone.

About Derek Featherstone

Engaging, surprising, and inspiring, Derek Featherstone is an internationally-known authority on accessibility and web development, a respected technical trainer, and author. Creator of in-depth courses on HTML, CSS, DOM Scripting, and Web 2.0 applications, his approach never fails to champion the cause of web standards and universal accessibility. As founder of Further Ahead, he has been an in-demand consultant to government agencies, educational institutions, and private sector companies since 1999. He is the leader of the Accessibility Task Force of the influential Web Standards Project and also serves on their DOM Scripting Task Force.

" ["post_title"]=> string(52) "Derek Featherstone - Accessibility beyond compliance" ["post_category"]=> string(1) "0" ["post_excerpt"]=> string(458) "

Web Directions South 2008, Sydney Convention Centre, September 25 10.45am.

New technologies for web applications open up interactions to a highly sophisticated level. Learn how these new technologies can help designers move beyond simply complying with accessibility rules to create applications that work for everyone.

" ["post_status"]=> string(7) "publish" ["comment_status"]=> string(4) "open" ["ping_status"]=> string(4) "open" ["post_password"]=> string(0) "" ["post_name"]=> string(50) "derek-featherstone-accessibility-beyond-compliance" ["to_ping"]=> string(0) "" ["pinged"]=> string(0) "" ["post_modified"]=> string(19) "2008-11-01 14:14:16" ["post_modified_gmt"]=> string(19) "2008-11-01 04:14:16" ["post_content_filtered"]=> string(0) "" ["post_parent"]=> int(0) ["guid"]=> string(35) "http://www.webdirections.org/?p=891" ["menu_order"]=> int(0) ["post_type"]=> string(4) "post" ["post_mime_type"]=> string(0) "" ["comment_count"]=> string(1) "0" ["filter"]=> string(3) "raw" } [11]=> object(stdClass)#126 (25) { ["ID"]=> int(492) ["post_author"]=> string(1) "8" ["post_date"]=> string(19) "2008-03-27 20:20:21" ["post_date_gmt"]=> string(19) "2008-03-28 01:20:21" ["post_content"]=> string(1754) "

A presentation given at at Web Directions Government, Old Parliament House, Canberra, May 19 2008.

• MP3 of presentation
• Session description
• About Lisa Herrod

Session description

Web Usability is far more complex than user testing and interaction design alone. And while interface design is an important consideration, there’s more to a usable site than what’s on the surface.

We all know the importance of accessibility and web standards, so let’s take that knowledge one step further and into the realm of usability. In this session Lisa Herrod will redefine the common definition of usability by introducing a greater focus on accessibility and web standards. By taking a more holistic approach you will soon see why usability is more than skin deep.

About Lisa Herrod

Lisa Herrod is the Principal Usability Consultant at Scenario Seven. The primary focus of her work is web usability, which she believes incorporates much more than just user testing. Drawing on a variety of disciplines, Lisa takes an holistic approach to web usability incorporating user research, accessibility, interaction design and web standards development.

Having started in the web during the last century, Lisa is occasionally caught making jokes about font tags, layout tables and shims. Nobody ever laughs.

" ["post_title"]=> string(44) "Lisa Herrod - Usability: more than skin deep" ["post_category"]=> string(1) "0" ["post_excerpt"]=> string(834) "

A presentation given at at Web Directions Government, Old Parliament House, Canberra, May 19 2008.

Web Usability is far more complex than user testing and interaction design alone. And while interface design is an important consideration, there’s more to a usable site than what’s on the surface.

We all know the importance of accessibility and web standards, so let’s take that knowledge one step further and into the realm of usability. In this session Lisa Herrod will redefine the common definition of usability by introducing a greater focus on accessibility and web standards. By taking a more holistic approach you will soon see why usability is more than skin deep.

" ["post_status"]=> string(7) "publish" ["comment_status"]=> string(4) "open" ["ping_status"]=> string(4) "open" ["post_password"]=> string(0) "" ["post_name"]=> string(41) "lisa-herrod-usability-more-than-skin-deep" ["to_ping"]=> string(0) "" ["pinged"]=> string(0) "" ["post_modified"]=> string(19) "2008-07-21 01:26:27" ["post_modified_gmt"]=> string(19) "2008-07-21 06:26:27" ["post_content_filtered"]=> string(0) "" ["post_parent"]=> int(0) ["guid"]=> string(35) "http://www.webdirections.org/?p=492" ["menu_order"]=> int(0) ["post_type"]=> string(4) "post" ["post_mime_type"]=> string(0) "" ["comment_count"]=> string(1) "2" ["filter"]=> string(3) "raw" } [12]=> object(stdClass)#127 (25) { ["ID"]=> int(476) ["post_author"]=> string(1) "8" ["post_date"]=> string(19) "2008-02-15 00:04:49" ["post_date_gmt"]=> string(19) "2008-02-15 05:04:49" ["post_content"]=> string(2874) "

A presentation given at at Web Directions User Experience, Melbourne Town Hall, May 16 2008.

• MP3 of presentation
• Presentation slides
• Session description
• About Jeremy Yuille

Presentation slides

Session description

The web is packed with information and knowledge, but too often our efforts to understand what’s important or relevant are stymied by antiquated methods of presentation. At the same time, more and more libraries, widgets and services are being released to help us present information visually. Problem solved? Not really.

In this session Jeremy Yuille from ACID looks at information visualisation from a user experience perspective, overviewing new and old examples and how they can help (or hinder) the experience of using the web. You’ll see what kinds of amazing things you can do within the browser platform these days. More importantly you’ll learn why (and when) you’d want to use visualisation at all.

About Jeremy Yuille

Jeremy Yuille is a senior lecturer in Communication Design, digital media artist and interaction designer specializing in interactive audio visual systems. He has a background in Architecture, web design, music, and a masters exploring interactive sound designfrom RMIT’s Spatial Information Architecture Laboratory.

Jeremy manages the Multiuser Environments program at ACID, the Australasian CRC for Interaction Design, researching Interaction Design (IxD) for remote presence and socially driven knowledge environments. On faculty at RMIT Communication Design, he coordinates IxD undergrad initiatives, supervises graduate students in research projects involving IxD and other related design fields. He is also a director and secretary of the Interaction Design Association.

" ["post_title"]=> string(57) "Jeremy Yuille - Web visualisation: do you see what I see?" ["post_category"]=> string(1) "0" ["post_excerpt"]=> string(650) "

A presentation given at at Web Directions User Experience, Melbourne Town Hall, May 16 2008.

In this session Jeremy Yuille from ACID looks at information visualisation from a user experience perspective, overviewing new and old examples and how they can help (or hinder) the experience of using the web. You’ll see what kinds of amazing things you can do within the browser platform these days. More importantly you’ll learn why (and when) you’d want to use visualisation at all.

" ["post_status"]=> string(7) "publish" ["comment_status"]=> string(4) "open" ["ping_status"]=> string(4) "open" ["post_password"]=> string(0) "" ["post_name"]=> string(53) "jeremy-yuille-web-visualisation-do-you-see-what-i-see" ["to_ping"]=> string(0) "" ["pinged"]=> string(0) "" ["post_modified"]=> string(19) "2008-07-24 22:37:19" ["post_modified_gmt"]=> string(19) "2008-07-25 03:37:19" ["post_content_filtered"]=> string(0) "" ["post_parent"]=> int(0) ["guid"]=> string(35) "http://www.webdirections.org/?p=476" ["menu_order"]=> int(0) ["post_type"]=> string(4) "post" ["post_mime_type"]=> string(0) "" ["comment_count"]=> string(1) "0" ["filter"]=> string(3) "raw" } [13]=> object(stdClass)#128 (25) { ["ID"]=> int(427) ["post_author"]=> string(1) "8" ["post_date"]=> string(19) "2008-02-12 23:56:10" ["post_date_gmt"]=> string(19) "2008-02-13 04:56:10" ["post_content"]=> string(3058) "

A presentation given at Web Directions North, Vancouver Canada, January 31 2008.

• MP3 of presentation
• Session description
• About Anil Dash

Session description

You know what blogs and wikis are, and you know your YouTube from your Facebook. But do you know how to make a compelling business case for these technologies? Social media and social networking tools are poised to have as much of an impact on business as they’ve had on the way we communicate with our friends and family online.

Anil Dash, a blogger since 1999 who’s helped thousands of businesses make use of social media through his work at Six Apart, shares real-world examples of how companies are using social media to build their business. Six Apart is the world’s biggest blogging company, behind such platforms as Movable Type, LiveJournal, Vox, and TypePad.

And even more important than where technology has been is where it’s going: Learn about cutting-edge technological initiatives like OpenID and OpenSocial, and how these aren’t just about new ways to poke your Facebook friends — they’re business opportunities.

Finally, no change this big happens without thinking about the social and political realities of the business world. What works in convincing your company, your coworkers, or your boss to spend their time and money trying new things? This session will lead a conversation to find out.

About Anil Dash



Anil Dash is Chief Evangelist at Six Apart, Ltd, the world’s leading independent blogging company. Dash is a recognized expert on blogs and web technology, having founded one of the earliest and most popular weblogs on the Internet, and been named as one of MSNBC’s Best of Blogs. A frequent keynote speaker, Dash has given presentations around the world about the future of social communication online, the relationship between blogs and traditional media, and business blogging.

Dash’s work has been featured in the New York Times, the Washington Post, Wired, MSNBC, CNN, ABC News, and on television, radio, print and blogs around the world. He has also had his work showcased in museums including the New Museum of Contemporary Art, and lectured at universities including UC Berkeley’s Haas School of Business, Columbia University’s School of Journalism, and New York University’s Tisch School of the Arts.

Prior to joining Six Apart as its first employee, Dash worked in online communications and technology development for the publishing and music industries. When he’s not traveling, Dash lives in New York City with his favorite dog, cat, and human.

" ["post_title"]=> string(58) "Anil Dash - Serious business: Putting social media to work" ["post_category"]=> string(1) "0" ["post_excerpt"]=> string(1504) "

A presentation given at Web Directions North, Vancouver Canada, January 31 2008.



You know what blogs and wikis are, and you know your YouTube from your Facebook. But do you know how to make a compelling business case for these technologies? Social media and social networking tools are poised to have as much of an impact on business as they’ve had on the way we communicate with our friends and family online.

Anil Dash, a blogger since 1999 who’s helped thousands of businesses make use of social media through his work at Six Apart, shares real-world examples of how companies are using social media to build their business. Six Apart is the world’s biggest blogging company, behind such platforms as Movable Type, LiveJournal, Vox, and TypePad.

And even more important than where technology has been is where it’s going: Learn about cutting-edge technological initiatives like OpenID and OpenSocial, and how these aren’t just about new ways to poke your Facebook friends — they’re business opportunities.

Finally, no change this big happens without thinking about the social and political realities of the business world. What works in convincing your company, your coworkers, or your boss to spend their time and money trying new things? This session will lead a conversation to find out.

" ["post_status"]=> string(7) "publish" ["comment_status"]=> string(4) "open" ["ping_status"]=> string(4) "open" ["post_password"]=> string(0) "" ["post_name"]=> string(15) "wdn08-anil-dash" ["to_ping"]=> string(0) "" ["pinged"]=> string(0) "" ["post_modified"]=> string(19) "2008-04-10 00:03:21" ["post_modified_gmt"]=> string(19) "2008-04-10 05:03:21" ["post_content_filtered"]=> string(0) "" ["post_parent"]=> int(0) ["guid"]=> string(55) "http://www.webdirections.org/resources/wdn08-anil-dash/" ["menu_order"]=> int(0) ["post_type"]=> string(4) "post" ["post_mime_type"]=> string(0) "" ["comment_count"]=> string(1) "0" ["filter"]=> string(3) "raw" } [14]=> object(stdClass)#129 (25) { ["ID"]=> int(444) ["post_author"]=> string(1) "8" ["post_date"]=> string(19) "2008-02-12 23:54:57" ["post_date_gmt"]=> string(19) "2008-02-13 04:54:57" ["post_content"]=> string(3245) "

A presentation given at Web Directions North, Vancouver Canada, January 30 2008.

• MP3 of presentation
• Session description
• About Kimberly Elam

Session description

Have you ever seen a web site so clear, logical, and exquisitely composed it made you stop in your tracks? Have you wondered how the designer achieved such a stunning and cohesive design?

In this presentation, Kimberly Elam, designer and author of the best-selling “Geometry of Design” and “Typographic Systems” will reveal the mysterious relationships between proportion, visual systems, composition and aesthetics.

Too often excellent conceptual ideas suffer during the process of realization, in large part because the designer did not understand the essential visual principles. This presentation explores these elements and how they work by examining how the use of visual principles informs, even creates, beauty in typographic design, but, more importantly, how you can use these techniques to create cohesiveness in your own design. The wide range of visual examples are both informative and insightful, and any designer can benefit from learning or revisiting the rules governing the basics of typographic design.

About Kimberly Elam



Kimberly Elam is a writer, educator, and graphic designer. She is currently the Chair of the Graphic & Interactive Communication Department at the Ringling College of Art + Design, Sarasota, Florida, where she has developed an academic minor in the Business of Art and Design.

Her first book, Expressive Typography - Word as Image, identifies and analyzes methods by which words can transcend didactic meaning and become images. Geometry of Design - Studies in Proportion and Composition, visually illustrates the connection between classic proportioning systems and modern graphic design, industrial design, illustration, and architecture. Grid Systems - Principles of Organizing Type puts forth a clear methodology for understanding and learning the grid system of composition. Her most recent book, Typographic Systems - Rules for Organizing Type presents an innovative series of nontraditional, rule-based, visual language systems for typographic composition.

Her current work focuses on the development of a series of innovative ebooks and print-on-demand books for design education on her website, StudioResourceInc.com.

" ["post_title"]=> string(67) "Kimberly Elam - Five Essential Composition Tools for Web Typography" ["post_category"]=> string(1) "0" ["post_excerpt"]=> string(1289) "

A presentation given at Web Directions North, Vancouver Canada, January 30 2008.

Have you ever seen a web site so clear, logical, and exquisitely composed it made you stop in your tracks? Have you wondered how the designer achieved such a stunning and cohesive design?

In this presentation, Kimberly Elam, designer and author of the best-selling “Geometry of Design” and “Typographic Systems” will reveal the mysterious relationships between proportion, visual systems, composition and aesthetics.

Too often excellent conceptual ideas suffer during the process of realization, in large part because the designer did not understand the essential visual principles. This presentation explores these elements and how they work by examining how the use of visual principles informs, even creates, beauty in typographic design, but, more importantly, how you can use these techniques to create cohesiveness in your own design. The wide range of visual examples are both informative and insightful, and any designer can benefit from learning or revisiting the rules governing the basics of typographic design.

" ["post_status"]=> string(7) "publish" ["comment_status"]=> string(4) "open" ["ping_status"]=> string(4) "open" ["post_password"]=> string(0) "" ["post_name"]=> string(20) "wdn08-kimberley-elam" ["to_ping"]=> string(0) "" ["pinged"]=> string(0) "" ["post_modified"]=> string(19) "2008-04-17 20:58:58" ["post_modified_gmt"]=> string(19) "2008-04-18 01:58:58" ["post_content_filtered"]=> string(0) "" ["post_parent"]=> int(0) ["guid"]=> string(105) "http://www.webdirections.org/resources/kimberly-elam-five-essential-composition-tools-for-web-typography/" ["menu_order"]=> int(0) ["post_type"]=> string(4) "post" ["post_mime_type"]=> string(0) "" ["comment_count"]=> string(1) "1" ["filter"]=> string(3) "raw" } } ["post"]=> object(stdClass)#115 (25) { ["ID"]=> int(920) ["post_author"]=> string(1) "8" ["post_date"]=> string(19) "2008-06-19 11:46:51" ["post_date_gmt"]=> string(19) "2008-06-19 01:46:51" ["post_content"]=> string(2591) "

Web Directions South 2008, Sydney Convention Centre, September 25 2.40pm.

• Audio recording of session
• Presentation slides
• Session description
• About Nick Bolton

Presentation slides

Session description

Internet video has come a long way from the postage stamp generic media player to the commercial success it is today.

This session looks at this journey, and examines the multitude of online video options available. We will look at content creation (simple single piece, to multi-platform, and user generated), distribution methods and publishing strategies.

Then once the video is published, how do you justify it (the ROI), commercialise it (leverage the content) and monetise it through syndication, advertising, sponsorship, or pay-per-view/subscription. There will be real time demos and case studies.

About Nick Bolton

Since Nick ran his first live webcast in 2000, he has managed several hundred webcast productions for most of the top corporates, publishers and broadcasters in Australia. Key highlights include Australia’s first live medical operation on the web, the Australia 2020 Summit and World Youth Day.

Nick regularly speaks at conferences here and overseas on online video creation and distribution, and is also an avid short film maker, actor and theatre producer.

Nick is on the NSW committee of AIMIA - the Australian Interactive Media Industry Association.

" ["post_title"]=> string(66) "Nick Bolton - The evolution and commercialisation of online video " ["post_category"]=> string(1) "0" ["post_excerpt"]=> string(845) "

Web Directions South 2008, Sydney Convention Centre, September 25 2.40pm.

Internet video has come a long way from the postage stamp generic media player to the commercial success it is today.

This session looks at this journey, and examines the multitude of online video options available. We will look at content creation (simple single piece, to multi-platform, and user generated), distribution methods and publishing strategies.

Then once the video is published, how do you justify it (the ROI), commercialise it (leverage the content) and monetise it through syndication, advertising, sponsorship, or pay-per-view/subscription. There will be real time demos and case studies.

" ["post_status"]=> string(7) "publish" ["comment_status"]=> string(4) "open" ["ping_status"]=> string(4) "open" ["post_password"]=> string(0) "" ["post_name"]=> string(63) "nick-bolton-the-evolution-and-commercialisation-of-online-video" ["to_ping"]=> string(0) "" ["pinged"]=> string(0) "" ["post_modified"]=> string(19) "2008-10-29 09:17:06" ["post_modified_gmt"]=> string(19) "2008-10-28 23:17:06" ["post_content_filtered"]=> string(0) "" ["post_parent"]=> int(0) ["guid"]=> string(35) "http://www.webdirections.org/?p=920" ["menu_order"]=> int(0) ["post_type"]=> string(4) "post" ["post_mime_type"]=> string(0) "" ["comment_count"]=> string(1) "1" ["filter"]=> string(3) "raw" } ["queried_object"]=> object(stdClass)#112 (32) { ["ID"]=> string(1) "8" ["user_login"]=> string(6) "jessie" ["user_pass"]=> string(34) "$P$BFB7VQECNUdkusj5b4eKuUpZOPA.GJ/" ["user_nicename"]=> string(6) "jessie" ["user_email"]=> string(24) "jessie@webdirections.org" ["user_url"]=> string(0) "" ["user_registered"]=> string(19) "2008-04-08 03:06:34" ["user_activation_key"]=> string(0) "" ["user_status"]=> string(1) "0" ["display_name"]=> string(6) "jessie" ["first_name"]=> string(6) "Jessie" ["last_name"]=> string(4) "Lymn" ["nickname"]=> string(6) "jessie" ["rich_editing"]=> string(5) "false" ["wp_capabilities"]=> array(0) { } ["wp_user_level"]=> string(1) "0" ["wp_autosave_draft_ids"]=> array(62) { [-1207800181]=> int(420) [-1207800465]=> int(421) [-1207800881]=> int(422) [-1207801573]=> int(424) [-1207802115]=> int(425) [-1207802286]=> int(426) [-1207803370]=> int(427) [-1207803804]=> int(428) [-1207804368]=> int(429) [-1207805460]=> int(430) [-1207806619]=> int(431) [-1207807081]=> int(432) [-1207807808]=> int(433) [-1207808191]=> int(434) [-1207808575]=> int(435) [-1208234580]=> int(441) [-1208234873]=> int(442) [-1208235099]=> int(443) [-1208235297]=> int(444) [-1208842386]=> int(454) [-1210551193]=> int(476) [-1211937621]=> int(492) [-1213686091]=> int(511) [-1213848884]=> int(516) [-1213850669]=> int(517) [-1213852901]=> int(518) [-1213853223]=> int(519) [-1213854736]=> int(520) [-1213855133]=> int(521) [-1213855658]=> int(522) [-1213857524]=> int(523) [-1213858007]=> int(524) [-1214189791]=> int(531) [-1214192800]=> int(532) [-1215401208]=> int(552) [-1221783667]=> int(888) [-1221784738]=> int(891) [-1221785033]=> int(893) [-1221785475]=> int(895) [-1221785826]=> int(899) [-1221786335]=> int(901) [-1221786805]=> int(904) [-1221787057]=> int(909) [-1221787442]=> int(913) [-1221788151]=> int(915) [-1221788441]=> int(918) [-1221788811]=> int(920) [-1221789124]=> int(922) [-1221789407]=> int(924) [-1221789765]=> int(926) [-1221789913]=> int(928) [-1221790055]=> int(930) [-1221790550]=> int(932) [-1221790777]=> int(934) [-1221791177]=> int(937) [-1221791662]=> int(941) [-1221791824]=> int(943) [-1221793007]=> int(945) [-1221793693]=> int(948) [-1221798137]=> int(951) [-1221798279]=> int(953) [-1221798469]=> int(955) } ["closedpostboxes_post"]=> array(2) { [0]=> string(9) "postaiosp" [1]=> string(7) "slugdiv" } ["admin_color"]=> string(5) "fresh" ["description"]=> string(0) "" ["comment_shortcuts"]=> string(5) "false" ["use_ssl"]=> string(1) "0" ["show_admin_bar_front"]=> string(4) "true" ["show_admin_bar_admin"]=> string(5) "false" ["aim"]=> string(0) "" ["yim"]=> string(0) "" ["jabber"]=> string(0) "" ["twitter"]=> string(0) "" ["user_level"]=> string(1) "0" ["user_firstname"]=> string(6) "Jessie" ["user_lastname"]=> string(4) "Lymn" ["user_description"]=> string(0) "" } ["queried_object_id"]=> int(8) }