29th
April 2010
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…Why some clients dislike scrolling.
The terms “above the fold” and “below the fold” refer to a practice that started with Newspapers. Because of the size of a broadsheet they are commonly folded in half, leaving only the top portion visible to people browsing news stands. This means that a publisher only has the top half of the paper to catch a buyers eye and thus sell the paper, so they would always ensure that are most important and arresting stories appeared above the fold.
This philosophy was transferred into the digital world, where above the fold refers to the area of the page visible before a user has to scroll down. This idea that this was important was re-enforced by the early AOL browser (once the market leader in case you’re too young to remember it!), as it did not allow whole screen scrolling, making the only content area available above the fold. Anything that over-ran simply could not be accessed making the page broken from the perspective of the user. This led to the idea that the functionality of the site must appear above the fold.
Computers and the internet have come a long way since those early days. Scrollbars are featured in the UI of all operating systems and programs, from the most basic text editor up. Even Apple mice have scroll balls (or gestures) now! More importantly, unlike newspapers, monitor resolution and format now vary hugely. Your design must be as attractive, or at least as usable, on an 800×600px netbook as it is on a 2560×1600px desktop monitor. This is the biggest problem even if we do care about the fold, how do we define where it is? What if you mix in mobile browsers as well, with their tall and thin low-res screens?
This isn’t a new debate either – from as early as 1997 there have been studies reporting on the willingness of users to scroll, and at the end of last year CX Partners produced a nice report illustrating the point again. Click and eye tracking showed not only that people’s eyes flick to the scroll bar to help them assess whether there is more content to be explored, but also that content below the fold is accessed just as much as that above. They also found that having less content above the fold can even increase exploration as it is clear to users that there is more available. The fact that one of 2009s biggest trends was for oversize headers, forcing content below the fold should provide a wake up to those believing this myth that a site’s functionality must all appear above the fold. If there is anything that stops users from scrolling and keeps them above the fold, it is only bad design. It must be clear that the page continues with meaningful content. This brings us full circle – a newspaper doesn’t put all of it’s content above the fold, just enough of it to make you want to read more, normally with content wrapping over the fold leading you down. This original idea of the fold is what we need to remember when designing, not the AOL version.
As a rule of thumb, a user should be able to identify your site and it’s purpose without having to scroll. Once you have given the initial impression that they are on the right site they are equally likely to scan the whole page no matter the length, according to Clicktale. Other than that it is fine if content goes off or appears past the bottom of the screen, as long as you lead users down. Borders around sections are a neat way of showing that the site extends below.
Lastly, here are a few things to bear in mind – don’t make a user user continually scroll up and down by splitting an article split over three 1600px high columns, don’t put content above the fold with a border running the screen width at the fold – this would suggest it is the bottom of the site and don’t put your navigation way down below the fold, it should at least start above it. As always, use whitespace to keep it clean and uncluttered – don’t overwhelm your users – even on a “busy” hand drawn site, content should be well separated.
Further reading/sources:
Boxes And Arrows: Blasting the myth of the fold
ClickTale Blog: Scrolling Research Report
CX partners: The Myth of the Fold
UseIt: Changes In Web Usability Since 1994
User Interface Engineering: Encouraging Users to Scroll
About the author
Hi, I’m Phil Banks, a photographer and web designer based in East Anglia. If you have any suggestions on design topics you’d like to see covered send me an email or comment below. If you want to know more about me or my work drop along to my websites at Custom Creative & Stickmanphotography
28th
April 2010
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Twitter’s been established for quite a while now and continues to flourish, so for the newcomer, attempting to shout into the ether with anything approaching confidence – with no followers to hear your cry – can be somewhat daunting. Your Twitter interactions improve over time as you become used to the form. My own early days of Tweeting involved unreasonable amounts of self-promotion, episodes of fury at perceived slights and attempts to trend hashtags that were never, ever going to take off.
To that end, below we list the key Twitter terms and define the reasons they came into existence. Some you’ll see in daily use on Twitter, whilst others are simply new names for recognisable conditions we’ve come up with. Once you’ve read the lot, you’ll be ready to become a positive Twitter presence, overwhelmingly popular and constantly retweeted. Bring it on!
Trending Topic: Term for when a topic is so popular and being so widely discussed that it hits the front page of Twitter, making it an essential topic de jour. Usually news items or celebrity occurrences, can occasionally be something completely silly.
@Reply: The method by which you reply to a Tweet you found amusing, incendiary or so mediocre that you felt its dullness needed pointing out to the originator.
Twighleet: A period of numbness occurring around 3:42am , where the sufferer racks their (often intoxicant-addled) mind for amusing 140 character soundbites, convinced they’ll strike comedy gold, wilfully ignoring the fact they have work in the morning.
Tweet Block: A regular blight on the lives of experienced Tweeters, whereby they have nothing interesting to say that they could possibly fit into 140 characters, forcing them instead to stare blankly at the textbox and flashing cursor.
Tweet Ennui: A regular blight on the lives of experienced Tweeters, whereby they have an interesting 140 character tweet in mind, but simply can’t be bothered to type it into the text box.
Twitter Rage: Much like driving a car or travelling by air, something about the environment of Twitter cuts the short fuse of temper in a large percentage of users. Thus, petty arguments can suddenly explode into enormous vendettas, blockings and death-threats. Always made more amusing when a celebrity is involved.
Twitterati: Infuriatingly elitist term for those dispensing information on the Twitter platform. Boundaries for who is eligible to sit under this tag are unclear, so every single account-holder on Twitter considers themselves a core member.
Twhirl: A Twitter engine which looks like it might snap if you overuse it.
Tweetdeck: A Twitter engine which looks like it would weigh about seven kilograms if you actually held it in your hands.
Lists: The method by which people with far too much time on their hands sort the people they follow into easily recognisable categories. i.e – work contacts, comedy heroes, footballers, strangers they would one day like to be friends with. This method of filing the unsaid words of others can become confusing when the people you’re following start tweeting outside of their filed-under category – ie, when Andy Murray starts tweeting about gardening despite clearly being on your ‘Sportsmen’ list.
Twittersphere: The general goings on in Twitter. A generic term for the general lack of activity regular users see going on around them every day, at their computers, as they wait for life to pass them by.
Green-Eyed Celebrity Tweet: A compulsion in regular users whereby they’re compelled to @reply a venal and unnecessarily sarcastic tweet towards a celebrity in the knowledge that they will definitely read it. Can sometimes caused Twitter Rage, is usually ignored, only compounding the low sense of self-worth in the anonymous miserabilist who produced it.
Retweet: The process by which a particularly amusing, accurate or newsworthy tweet is re-entered by those who admired it, sending it echoing around the Twittersphere like a brown beachball in a beige grain silo.
Direct Message: The method by which a user is able to make direct contact with other users, without the message being made public. Ultimately, the cause of a few thousand terrible first dates.
Twitter Search: A search engine designated solely to tweets. Mainly used bu users for keeping an eye on hashtags, but is also useful when tracking down the source of an episode of Twitter Rage.
TwitPic: A means by which users can upload pictures from their mobile phones or computers for their followers to see. Generally images will include smugly presented photographs of recently reached holiday destinations, underwhelming shots of what users have just cooked and are about to eat, and pictures of babies.
Baby Avatar: Referring to the instance when a recent parent will display an image of their own newborn as their avatar image in Twitter, little realising it’s far less interesting to their followers that they’ve recently spawned offspring than it is to them.
#Hashtag: The means by which a hot topic can easily be found in Twitter Search and the indicator that a topic is trending. Often items will be hashtagged by users ironically, indicating they are fully aware their tweet is niche and that they think they’re #hilarious.
Alcotweet: Needless, arbitary tweet in which the user announces they are going to drink alcohol, resulting in general indifference.
(Yes, we’ve missed a few terms off this list – but that’s what comments are for – add your own!)
This post was written by Liam Tucker of the excellent Watch With Mothers. You can follow him on twitter, he may even follow you back. – Want to write for the BaseKit Blog? – Drop us an email.
27th
April 2010
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Now you’ve got your shiny new Basekit site – or sites – up and running, it’s time to get out there and promote yourself, and when it comes to digital marketing, any fule kno that social media is the place to be –at least right now. But with all the attention Twitter and Facebook are getting as promotional tools, there may be a network you’ve been unfairly dismissing – LinkedIn.
Over the past year, Linked in has undergone some dramatic changes that have transformed it from a business contacts site into a viable networking and promotion tool that gives you direct access not only to your customer base, but also to fellow professionals –meaning LinkedIn has forum capabilities sorely lacking from sites like Facebook. LinkedIn’s profiles are directly aimed at the business market, so they are likely to be open and honest, giving you great information on your allies – and rivals – in a complicated marketplace.
If you’re setting up a business empire using Basekit to build your sites, then you need to be in touch with the movers and shakers out there and LinkedIn is a great way to do it. Despite this, the majority of users still seem to be primarily using Linked in as a job search and employment site – big mistake! Make sure you get the jump on your competitors by avoiding the mistakes they are making and properly utilising the site. Here are ten quick tips to get you ahead of the pack:
1: Default Lies With You
Almost every profile I come across on LinkedIn has the same problem – settings left at default. With the URL it’s a fixable problem, but with My Company it’s a nuisance. If you haven’t taken time to enter your current business or employer name in this field do it right now (Click websites, then ‘other’ in the options to fill this out), otherwise people have to scroll back up to see who you are and what you’re pushing, then scroll back to click it. Remember the old maxim –if content is not reachable in 3 clicks then people won’t bother. Exactly the same principle here. Above all else, eliminate extra effort for people trying to find you.
2: Who Are U(RL)?
Make sure you take the time to change your URL. Much like Facebook’s much publicised move last year, you can set a personalised URL in LinkedIn, so make sure you exploit the branding and marketing potential this offers. Head up to the Edit Public Settings button at the top of your profile and change the Public Profile URL to your- or your business –name.
3: Complete your profile.
OK, so you may have a face more suitable for radio, but that doesn’t mean you can afford not to have a clear, businesslike photograph on your profile. Likewise, don’t be tempted to cover up with a logo or a gravitar -LinkedIn is about people, so brush yourself off and smile. Recognition and personality is key in generating new business. Also, make sure you’ve really thought about that job description keyline -nobody is typing ‘CEO’ into their search boxes, so think about your job title and how it relates directly to the service you provide. ‘Copywriter’ will work, ‘Internet Guru’ won’t.
4: Keep your friends close..and their friends closer
You can currently join up to 50 groups on Linked in –sounds like quite a few right? And how many people are there in the larger groups –and perhaps more importantly, what do they do? The average Google employee has about 40-50 connections on LinkedIn, but a group may hold hundreds, even thousands of talented people interested in what you are doing –people you haven’t contacted previously. Not joining up is a massive failure in your networking plan, so get out there and share. Even if you can’t keep an eye on all the groups you’ve joined your name will still be out there.
5: Go Public
It’s called Social media for a reason. Google’s offering live and social searches now, so make sure you’re profile stands out and is counted! LinkedIn is great for this because you can offer specific business information, and not worry about it being watered down or undermined by pictures of you feeding a dog cider at last year’s Christmas party. Don’t set your profile to private, but DO take care what you put on it. If it isn’t public then you may as well not bother in the first place.
6: Too Much Twitter
The easy option when linking Twitter is to set it to automatic and let it run itself. The smart way however, is to take five minutes a day and update manually – post relevant tweets and links –your customers don’t want to know that you’re meeting Steve for a pint later, they want to know “Ten great ways to find the perfect Lawnmower.” Whatever you’re selling, keep it relevant if you want to drum up extra business. All your tweets go on Twitter, things worth talking about and promoting go on LinkedIn. In essence you should strive for a balance, don’t put out too much noise – instead let people know what you are involved in, your interests or projects you’re helping on, not your laundry list.
7: Who’s Company?
Again, LinkedIn is all about business, so having a separate page clearly detailing yours is just common sense. The added bonus? You’re automatically tied into your employee’s networks, giving you broader influence and opening up new marketing opportunities. Initially businesses may have been concerned about receiving bad word of mouth from ex-employees because of this, but given the reach Social Media has these days then any negativity will find it’s way out, so you really can’t afford to miss out on the positive side of a full business site because of any hesitation you might have about this – and hey, you aren’t the kind of business that treats people badly anyway are you?
8: Only 100,000 Links On The Clock Honest Mate…
Don’t being a dodgy salesman. OK, so the bottom line is you’re here to promote your site and your business, but don’t go at it like a market trader. LinkedIn is not the place for your sales pitch. If you do, you’ll end up looking like a spammer. Send out thanks for connecting notices, but don’t add a salesline, it’s crass and off-putting, especially when the people connecting to you are already taking an interest in who you are and what you do. Don’t go for the heavy sell.
9: We Don’t Have To Talk About It – But You Should
Again, Social Media is about connecting, and while it’s great that people have a list of your stats on hand, talking to them is the best way to make sure they remember you and your business. Take part in relevant discussions whenever you can. In addition to great opportunities to promote yourself, you’ll end up with valuable information and the people you are questioning will remember your name. Get talking as often as possible. Getting feedback is free and sharing your own viewpoints and expertise will help you build an industry reputation –even if you’re a relative nobody, you can still advise Bill Gates on why your product will unblock his sink.
10: Are You Even Listening To Me?
Not responding. If someone comments, get back to them in a timely fashion. You wouldn’t ignore emails at work, so don’t forget to comment on comments. Exactly as you would with a blog, if someone is checking your profile out and questioning or suggesting something, get involved and create a dialogue with them. Letting them know you’re listening by responding to or making recommendations – just don’t dole out opinions too readily or you’ll end up seeming self-satisfied. It’s fine to give the odd recommendation to join a group -hopefully your connections will be savvy enough to offer them back so that you both benefit. It’s not a direct approach but it’s a friendlier one that will work better if you’re playing the long game (as any good business should be).
Guest Post from Matt Owen of Epic Win Media – Want to write for the BaseKit Blog – Get in touch!
26th
April 2010
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Morning BaseKiteers!
All sorts of meetings, holidays and plans being made here at BaseKit, but that doesn’t mean we’ve been slacking!
We’ll have a new release coming out this week – hopefully Wednesday or Thursday- barring anything going wrong – including theses updates..
- Upload files of any type e.g. pdf, doc, xls, etc. and put them into your site as a widget for users to download
- Instant themes coming soon – fill in a profile (e.g. logo, business name, address, etc.) and it will create a site automagically
- Form widget has been simplified and form tab removed from UI
- Undo and redo problems fixed and it now works for all actions
- Lots more bug & stability fixes
In pretty cool news, we’ve got our hands on an iPad. LOOK!
We’re not just going to be playing games and showing off with it, oh no. Over the next few weeks we hope to get BaseKit working on the iPad. That means you can upload your PSD or use a template, then sit back on your sofa and use the touchpad to edit your site right on the iPad! We’re looking forward to getting this working and trying this out!
