Last Sunday I was sitting in the belly of a 737 at 12km’s up, hurtling across the Nullarbor Plain at 748 kmph from Sydney to Perth, with part of the Perth Posse. Hundreds of people in web community from around Australasia were then returning back to their respective towns and cities to family and loved ones. The compressed web geek week of OzIA, Web Directions South and WebJam is now over for another year. This year was enjoyable, but less intense from the previous years, which was good.

Okay this post is a little late, but still should be told. First off, a big thankyou must go to the organisers of the these events. You guys rock our worlds in ways that you just can’t comprehend. Eric Scheid for OzIA, Max Sherrin and John Allsopp for Web Directions and Lachlan Hardy and Lisa Herrod for Webjam. Over all this week of events has been a rollercoaster of gathering of the web industry tribes.

It was good to catch up with old friends again this year, it was also good to find new friends from around Australia and New Zealand. This years has been the year of the SNS. The intense use of various SNS within the web industry this years has made it such that we all in someway felt as it we had been in constant contact all year round, it was a strange feeling having a distinct point of reference with a people you had not seen for a year or so.

Now that a week near has passed and I can reflect clearly on the events of this mad week, let’s review the events in the cold light of day when all the emotional rollercoaster has been stripped away.

OZIA

This conference is in its second year. It’s primarily aimed at Information Architects. It tends to attract freelancers to corporate, government people, with around 120 attendees. This year OzIA stepped up a level in it’s degree of professionalism. In general the speakers where of a reasonable standard. Some could have done with a bit of the quiet word about the level of new material and fluff of their presentations. But others where really value for money. Overall its was good technical conference with a great deal of information that I could personally take away from this conference and use immediately.

Things just worked well at this conference, the wifi was good and usable, this helped enhance the social aspect of the conference as well.

Personal highlights where:

• Analysing Quantitative Data – Steve Baty
• Semantic analysis in IA – Matthew Hodgson
• Get out your pinking shears, it’s time to cut a few patterns – Sharon Varley
• Fast, cheap & somewhat in control – 10 lessons from the design of SlideShare – Rashmi Sinha

Web Directions South

Web Directions is now in its fifth year in various guises having morphed from the Web Essentials series. Web Directions is focused on new directions in the web. This year Web Directions stepped up a level as well, into the larger corporate area with around 600 attendees.

With a new venue and a corporate focused stream. Did this weaken or change the Web Directions I have been raving about. Yes and no. There was the expected core of the web industry, but this year as well the conference attracted the Nine to Fivers. These are the people that don’t have the passion for the web. They don’t live and breath the web. From them the web is just a job. For the most part these people where there because their employer paid for them to go, and it was a few days off work. That said a lot of these people I talked to where totally surprised by the quality of the presentations and the general passion, it was as if we where converting them into the passionate core of the web industry, it was a joy to observe.

The expo for some was not a welcome addition, for me personally it was okay, I was exposed to a few new products and services I would not have normally encountered, so it was all good. I wouldn’t have expanded it anymore than a few stands in the breakout area as it was, it’s about quality not quantity in this area.

Some things didn’t work for me. The lack of free wifi in the conference rooms, whilst a blessing in one way, in that you are forced to concentrate on the speaker. It was also socially a downer, the conference social application Meet Weaver just didn’t take off this year, there was just no interaction between people on this application. However at OzIA there has an explosive use of Twitter, FaceBook and the like as a group of social interaction tools. These did enhance the OzIA conference as it was like you where chatting amongst your friends as the conference was presented. The live presentation in-jokes of the previous year at Web Directions where just not possible. If there was one thing I would change it would be that.

Could I take a lot away from this conference, yes. But in the main it was not about technical knowledge but about being inspired by the speakers. In the large part I didn’t learn anything major, more confirmation. But I did find overall a new way or direction to look at the way I work on the web. Will I be back next year, yes one hundred percent. This is still the premier web event for the year.

Personal highlights where:

• Andy Clarke – Think like a Mountain
• John Allsopp – Trends and predictions in web technology
• Lisa Herrod – Usability: more than skin deep
• Mark Pesce – Mob rules

WebJam

In comparison to the two conferences WebJam was just a small one evening event. But it was really the final emotional after party. As usual it rocked, Lachlan and Lisa again maintained the high level of organisation and coordinated the madness of the 18 people in a jam with an air of uncanny ease. I didn’t present this time, but just got to take in the Webjam madness, and maybe get a little bit of camera envy at the lens set Ruth Ellison used on the night. Congradulations to the winners Dmitry Baranovskiy for his kick arse microformats tool – Optimus – the Microformats Transformer, Myles Eftos with his amazing browser based ruby debugger and third place to Digital Eskimo.

Overall this week was for me personally a turning point in the way I work and operate radharc. There will be some major changes in the way we do business in the following months.

Now we have all the events out the way we can return to our regular program, eh.

Technorati Tags: OZIA07, webjam, wds07, conference, sydney, web+directions

Last afternoon of Web Directions South 2007, it’s all gone a little to fast, this year there was a large number of people from under the radar. This was good. The use of the business stream at the conference would have done this.

Lisa Herrod – Usability: more than skin deep

Consideration of usability is more than just the visual layer, we have the consider the code aspect from the user experience and the technical aspects.

Establishment on the major profiles of the site can determine the overall productivity of the usability of the site and the end result. These most be seen as real people and not the shallow standard definitions. They should be considered as normal people, with the disability as a minor feature. We have to examine and details of the full user community with a Holistic approach. Need to bring users with disabilities into the primary user group.

Technical compliance is not accessibility. Bad accessibility is also bad usability. Need to consider removing the all content roadblocks.

Interviews must be with real users, who use assistive technologies. This is more than just blindness. Should be User Centred Design. The overall team must take responsibility for the usability. Consider taking the Priority checklist and inverting the requirements to meet a team role distribution. Accessibility has to be integral to the complete design process, not an after thought. Usable site must be usable to all users and fully accessibility. Need to consider user testing of the site with all users.

This was a full to overflowing session, the overall theme was one of a practical delivery of usability via the use of full team resources not just the front end developer. One point I do question if a project under $20k can afford to do user testing. Business reality, the integration of usability into the project as a whole, yes, the project user testing to this scope, no.

Mark Pesce – Mob rules

And yet again Mark Pesce has delivered a mash up of popular web videos. He then rolls into the third world expansion and implementation of the mobile communication for market distribution of primary produce. This influence on the market produce distribution with the use of mobile phones is changing the economy of segments of third world countries. It appears that the use of the mobile communications is allowing the raising of the economic status of the worlds poor.

Mobile communication is of more benefit to the worlds poor than the rich.

We are the network. The people are the network. Talking Meshnets, but you need a termination gateway. You can’t control the mob, they will find the use. The web is services not sites. Advertising is a form of censorship. Mark is going for the jugular! This session was just awesome.

Web Directions South 2007 wraps for this year!

Technorati Tags: wds07, conference, sydney, web+directions

Day Two, after drinks at the Watershed. Early start with a small breakfast with Bert Bos. This was interesting to see Bert’s view and personal passions. His perfect world of online privacy and security has been tempered by his immersion into the security community. I can see why Bert has his view, but I think he needs to look into a real world view, things are changing. Also discussed was the proposed additions to CSS like translation of the print paradigm to the web paradigm.

Scott Berkun – The myths of innovation

Gave an overview on the concept of innovation, in the mistakes come before innovation. In that innovation is not really possible with failure, people do not learn without failure. Concepts of interest is that the work of the mind will outlast the work of the body.

Explorers are like innovators, they made lots of mistakes. The myth of innovation spins the success and process of innovation into the limelight.

Success of innovation and human nature, is the emotion response of change. Often people will disregard a technology because your culture can make you innovation blind. Make it transparent.

Innovation in the work place. Enabling innovation, supporting innovation, managing innovation. delegate responsibility with empowerment for creativity. Mistakes will be made, be aware of the this. Reward innovation for staff.

Andrew Downie and Grant Focas – Javascript and other coding for good or evil

This was a talk on accessibility and javascript from the practical view point.

Use of definition lists with in menus, found they where not being supported in Windows Eyes. Used a unordered list with “close” and “expanded” attributes. Using javascript to insert into forms, but it must happen ahead of the screen reader cursor position. This must occur immediately after cursor or it will not be readable. Don’t use display:none as it can’t be seen by screen readers, use position:absolute and left..

Do screen readers prefer inline or external javascript, this mode made no difference. Have a look at juicy studio of enhanced methods come buffer refresh of the presented data. If flash objects are written well they can be accessible, if they are written to be accessible, via use of alternative instructions.

Screen readers don’t read the proposed audio components in CSS, and don’t look likely. This was a good talk, it was really down to earth and practical.

Ben Winter-Giles – Managing agile projects

Discusses that we are goal orientated, we are goal focused. We are very focused on the goal and yet we are based. He looked at the use of agile teams and their use within large organisations. They need to be managed, more protected than managed. This personally is typical. Within a large organisations you will get people just specialised and focused. Agile teams run on short windows, with a focus on vision not delivery items in extremely short time periods. These teams work in a lifestyle not a procedure states. They work on a basis of Form, Think, Build, Release, Review.

Technorati Tags: wds07, conference, sydney, web+directions

Post Lunch, comes forth with the usual multiple stream conflicts as you normally get with a conference like Web Directions South. Lucky there is power charging and free wifi in the breakout areas. Looking forward to the Bert Bos discussion of the revision of HTML and CSS.

John Allsopp – Trends and predictions in web technology

John Allsopp repeated it again, the web is now the platform, he looked at the internals of the stack of the web platforms. The centre can’t hold it all, its all moving outwards, moving away from the control. Technology is removing the friction, off loading the boring stuff to the machines. Privacy and security are still important and should be considered, we must always be aware of the implications of the security and the information being held.

We need to consider the user more than the technology (eg the Wii). The fact is the internet is no longer on the web, its a shared device on the web now. Its beyond the office or the bedroom. But this comes with challenges, like resolution and accessibility, mousing and interaction, text input, and shared experience.

The mobile web, is it here. No baselines, to fallback on. various user events (mousing) just don’t make sense. Many of our design layout patterns just need to be rethinked. Passive input is here now, track and reporting on events is available now.

The traditional computing and web is being disrupted. The removal of the islands of islands of data. It is pushing the limit of the data at the edges. The of the API and the semantic content distribution is allowing for the distribution of the data at the edges.

The challenge is now becoming changing the view form leveraging the value of the content to leveraging value of letting users use your data and use it for mashup and the use of the content ecosystems. The promoting and encouraging of the ecosystems around you. But what about licencing, that’s always going to be an issue. Consider building atomic applications.

Bert Bos – A new life for old standards – revisions to HTML, CSS and others

Bert Bos asked, should we modify or build something new. He ram through the various working groups that are in operation. In the area of HTML its in the area of modify than replace. But in the multimedia is arena it is new verses modify.

CSS – new features for CSS2, for level 3 and level 4. The question becomes what do we add to CSS, he listed the new features that are being considered.

Designers Wants:

• Advanced Layout – define template system
• Grid Positioning – flexible coordinate system
• Stretched Backgrounds
• Multiple Backgrounds
• Rounded Corners
• Rotation and Other Transformations (rotate block before and after text)

It was good to see and hear Bert speak. It was interesting to hear and see his passion in various issues and learn of the disappointments with the W3C. Of interest

Chris Wilson – Moving the web forward

Chris Wilson discussed the connection of people and the interconnection of people is now the core of the fore-front of the web itself. Now we need to look at how we can improve it.

Web 2.0 – “Caring about the quality of web UI”

People are grouped as Web Developers, Browsers Vendors, and the rest. No consistent browser platform. The challenge for browser vendors is that we can’t break the web and the previous implementations (IE has over half billion users). Compatibly prevents browser upgrade. So supporting previous versions of the browsers We need ton consistently improve five things of the web:

• Secure
• Stable
• Interoperable
• Preformant
• Powerful

Security needs to be everyones concern. Not just the browser vendors, developers should be concerned too.

But what do developers want:

• Works in x should work in x.1
• Pages that work to web standards
• Shouldn’t have to extend browser matrix

Standards need to show what works in the wild, we need to work together. IE.Next will ship with an improved layout engine, also realise that people build the web differently today than in the past.

After Chris Wilson, it’s the Web Direction Reception, then the Sydney Twitter Underground Brigade Meetup.

Technorati Tags: wds07, conference, sydney, web+directions

Yesterday was day two of workshops, time for Aaron Gustafson and Progressive enhancement with JavaScript a after trying breakfast at the Pen, not Concrete (got to check them both out). A review of these two cafe is coming, stay tuned.

Aaron went through the standard progressive enhancement spiel on starting from the base content and adding base http requests and then moving up to through the addition of the functionality and the hijax of the ajax components.

But the main show in today. The event we have been waiting for. As per the previous web directions conference, there is a social networking application – Meet Weaver, developed and designed by Tim Lucas and Cameron Adams.

Rashmi Sinha – The perils of popularity

Rashmi Sinha discussed the models of social networks, the second generation of SNS allowed for sharing of user experience with friends, this allows people to replicate a real life like experience. This makes them very popular.

Social applications are made up of the graph, the place, the objects. However SNS must allow for people to be able to browse within friends of friends for like interests.

The use of various metrics, and how the most viewed aspect can be adverse, for example prOn etc on public share sites suchs as SlideShare.

The use of SNS, reality brings to the fore front for the manipulation of the social aspect of the information flow and popularity of the information.

Use of tools to allow for subjective culture filtering and viral throttling, changing the metric to a single metric.

Andy Clarke – Think like a Mountain

Andy Clarke mitigated the visual medium of comics from the usual representation from influences on movies to fine arts to web sites. He asks can we use comic books for influence on the web. He discussed the use of the filler space between the panels, this can be used within web page design.

He also examines the use of panels and the rhythm of the design, the layout of the panels and the content to focus on the content flow over the page. This can be directly replicated onto web site design. Allowing a even or uneven time for content viewing on a page.

Consideration of “help the reader sections” for people that are new to the reader.

We think people flow from page to page, but in fact they stab from page to page via stabbing at the links. The tiling the rhythm of the speech balloon in comics allows for the consistent flow over the design. In web design we tend to flow within a design via the image flow. Minor rotation, can focus the content and engage the viewer. Making it distinctive outside the grid, breaking the grid, focusing down to breakout area off the grid. The use of colour is also important, but still colour can used in supple ways with addition with washed world of minor colour, this can still be strong.

CSS Eleven

Finally Andy discussed CSS3 and the process of the working group. Supporting the process of CSS in general. But he asks why aren’t designers deciding what will be put into CSS3. Why is it just the bigger companies dictating the CSS directions. He announced CSS Eleven, an international group of visual designers and developers who are committed to helping the W3C’s CSS working group to better deliver the tools that are need to design tools for tomorrows web.

Cameron Adams – The future of web based interfaces

Cameron Adams looked at Dynamic and flexible interfaces and requirements of the type web site qnd the usage of the site. Looking at the user customisation, or the analysis of the interface based on user feedback and testing, this tends to be centralisitic approach. He asked why are we present the interfaces with a single point of use, as compared to a multiple interface approach.

Customisation must be easy, it must not involve technical requirements like MySpace. But its shouldn’t be too static (cookie cutter) like Flickr. Then usage of say a photoshop interface with a drag-able interface like NetVibes or iGoogle, but even these are restrictive to a box grid. He then looked at Yahoo Alpha, being able to move the content around beyond the grid pattern. But still your can’t apply your own mental model, Alpha uses a two stage process. This needs to happen in one location. With the use of Ajax this should be possible to drag the interface around. He demonstrated customising Flickr with Ajax.

Explored Apple Canvas, looking at the application of this with Yahoo Pipes. Cameron as you would expect had to show of an SVG application, Globualla. Considers the Iphone with Canvas, is this the way of the future without plugins like Flash. But if you want to use a complete range of interfaces you do have to use JavaScript.

Consideration should be given to different designs and layouts for different resolutions (min-width for CSS3) via use of resolution detection via javascript. BBC using learning from the user experience and click on events.

Word of warning control the basics first before using these types of interface.

Technorati Tags: wds07, conference, sydney, web+directions

Day one workshops, Web Directions South, the fun begins after breakfast at Concrete, with Andy Clarke launching in the breaking the limitation for the browser and CSS. Looking at the media rich presentations with the high end, advertising. movie and music industry, questioning why they can’t use semantic CSS based layout.

Andy has suggested people need to look at using more of the existing draft CSS3 standard that are supported be the relevant browsers and use javascript to plug some of the holes, example multiple columns in Firefox.

Maybe we should be considering, should browsers see the same design, should it be pixel perfect on very browser. Considering the current crop of best browser first the design for them via using progressive enhancement. Why can’t there be different version or standards of a site support. People except that hardware and electronics do different things. Just don’t add in more presentational markup and hacks to allow for IE6, just make it more plain and just base design functionality.

Content should come first, then the presentation, consider not using the grid at this stage, consider the content semantics, markup the content as raw content. This will increase the options on the design. Leveraging the content markup into the presentation not the other way round. Make the markup minimum. Nothing new here.

Andy has transformed into John Allsopp as he gave a brief overview of microformats. I’m not going to go on about microformats, you all know I have a passion about them. It was interesting to see how many people didn’t know about microformats.

Looking at modern CSS selectors for example: child selectors, adjacent selectors, attribute selectors, pseudo-eleemnt selectors. To avoid the use of addition presentation markup. Using attribute selectors for diagnostic CSS debugging. Note attribute selection are weak on specificity issues. Use of substring attribute selectors for comparison and styling of start, end, contains in string. Pseudo elements application of style specific information. Of course these can be all be combined into a CSS tag soup.

Amusing that we started with positioning elements, then we used float to position elements, but we can go back to positioning now with the present browsers. Use of negative margins in image replacement with transparent images to pull the images outside of the grid or box shape.

Andy dealt with relative position by explaining it as offset visual positioning, giving examples with negative positioning and negative margins to break the box. He also looked at absolute verses relative positioning, which he has just explained really well to the audience.

Being the uber design geek Andy has to discuss typography and the simple ways to improve web typography, such as:.

• Reset the browser defaults.
• Compose to vertical rhythm.
• Incremental leading.
• Optical Greying of text.

Final thing is if maybe the W3C won’t push the CSS3 development, then maybe it’s time for Designers to taking back CSS by using the CSS advanced features, trying them out, blogging about them and forcing the issue. Now this I can relate too. More on this later in the week!

Technorati Tags: CSS, Microformats, Andy+Clarke, wds07, workshop, web+design

Technorati Tags: Andy Clarke, css, Microformats, microformats.org, wds07, web design, workshop

With Web Directions South 2007 moving rapidly upon us at a nice pace. Wouldn’t it be really great to have one place where you can go for a drink with some of the over 500 attendees on the conference eve.

Where: Quarryman’s Hotel, 216 Harris St (Cnr. Pyrmont Bridge), Pyrmont (map)
When: 6.00pm, September 26th 2007
Cost: FREE!

Well the Australian Web Industry Association is putting on a social networking event Port80 Sydney Meetup, it’s all free, with nibbles. And lots of web folk. There will be a network of geeks people from Port80 Perth, Adelaide, Canberra and Brisbane, and I guess some locals from Sydney too. Plus some of the conference speakers as well.

This is staggering distance from the Conference Venue and Darling Harbour in general, so really you don’t have an excuse not to come along. It’s also very close to the Port80 Posse hotel. So mark it in your calendar.

Technorati Tags: port80, awia, wds07, meetup, sydney, web+industry

Miles Burke started the flickr meme for Web Directions South (which is about to close its Early Bird Pricing… so get in quick!). And now with the program out, we are planning a secret cloning project for the WebHatch Day.

With the days now counting down and the Perth Posse are ready to descend upon its own hotel. That’s right this year we have booked out almost a floor of a “dodgy” but quaint pub in Sydney, the Kirk on Harris.

Kay has tagged me on this meme. The idea is to find and link to as many pictures of yourself on flickr from previous years of Web Directions South. Of course you find yourself in crowd scenes, and background photos and the handa wavin’ pics.

This proves that without a doubt there are more cameras at these conferences than are attendees. And the best one of all is I avoided any pictures of me being present at OZIA in 2006. Maybe we can extend this to Ruth (of RuthEllison.com) and Ben (of Bens World), they need to get in on this meme too.

Technorati Tags: flickr, meme, wds07, ozia07, Perth-Posse

We all know about twitter. if you have been reading this blog for a while you would have come across a few posts on twitter. A while back in May 2007 I wondered if we would be using twitter at Web Directions South 2007 or OZ-IA 2007 in September. Well with less than a month to go to these events it would appear that twitter is in for the long haul. Interesting and amusing things from twitter recently:

• 1000 Monkeys

  The genius developer Andrew Tetlaw surfaces with his 1000 Monkeys Twitter API implementation. Very funny go check it out.

• Twitter Groups

  People have been talking about this for a while. So taking a leaf out of the Pownce, Chris Messina has suggested a method of implementation tag channels in Twitter. Looking at this closely I can’t really find any major problems with implementing it. What do you think? Personally I prefer the proposed groups implementation from the twitter fan wiki using the “g” pre-directive.

• Twitter Etiquette

  Well we could all do with some from time to time a little Twitter Etiquette. Given this Sue Waters has put together a wiki to help build a centralised Twitter Etiquette knowledge base. Go on race over and add your contribution.

Technorati Tags: twitter, twitter+groups, twitter+etiquette, Pownce, twitter+api

I’ll be attended both. It’s now locked in, airfares booked, accommodation checked out, ticket to WDS07 and OZIA booked?…okay not yet. With OZ-IA I have to wait for Eric Scheid to provide more details, but I know it will be good. As for Web Directions South, as usual John and Maxine have placed me in a difficult position, which workshops to do. Franky there are just too many choices. Damn you John and Max you are making life hard for me, I just don’t know which ones to pick!

• OZ-IA.

  The local Australia Information Architecture conference, this is especially good for people like me on the west coast that don’t normally get to be in on the IA loop on the east coast. It provides an intense refresher and networking event. I’m looking forward to this conference. If you have an interest in IA then this is the Australian conference to attend.

• Web Directions South.

  This conference has build over the years out of Web Essentials conferences into the premier Australian web industry conference. This is the conference to attend. It covers all that is web design, development and now has a management focus. In a way this year for WDS07 is special, its the first time it’s moving up to the next level in my option. It’s going to be a challenge for all to ensure that the magic and intimate nature that this conference has built up over the years is not lost. In a way it is critical that it remains the fun learning experience with lots of peer interaction that it has in years past. I’m sure it will. All in all looking at the program and speakers it’s going to be yet another action packed conference.

  Oh yeah, go join the facebook group too. And congrats to Scott Gledhill, Ben Winter-Giles, Laurel Papworth, and
  Cameron Adams on the speaking gigs.

If you you haven’t started thinking about WDS07 of OZIA07 then you should, September isn’t that far away.

Technorati Tags: WebDirections, WD07, WDS07, OZIA, OZ-IA, , IA, Conferences, Australia