Week 6 EOC: There’s an App for That

I would like to invent an app that could tell you your Blood Alcohol Content (BAC) before you get in car to drive. It could be called “BlowHard”. Obviously, not drinking at all negates the problem, but for many social drinkers, the difference between one or two drinks could result in a DUI charge, or worse. There’s a lot of conflicting information out there about what the limits are, and it can’t simply be boiled down to “X drinks per hour” because of varying weight, height and metabolisms. An attachment for the phone with a chemically-reactive surface that could be blown on and measure BAC would take the guesswork out of whether or not to call a cab that night. Presumably, some kind of test strip would attach to your phone via charger wire, and could then display the readout on the screen. In large type, just in case! I think a lot of people would spend 99 cents on this, if it was reliable and accurate. Maybe with a positive result, a built in feature of displaying a few top-rated cab companies’ numbers would be a benefit I’d add in to the app. It would need to be IOS and Android-compatible, to maximize the marketplace. It would have to be simple to use, in case too many drinks have been had. It would have to have cheap test strips, or else the cost would prohibit use. Rather than assume or hope for the best, it seems like this could be a life-saving app for those who imbibe when a drive is in their immediate future. It would need good security built in, so Big Brother wasn’t able to access that data, or else there’d be no trust from customers and the app wouldn’t sell.

Week 6 BOC: 5 Tips to increase traffic to your website

1. Twitter (and other social networks, Facebook, Digg, Reddit, Del.ic.ious, etc). Send interesting tweets, and use those to pump new content to website.

2. Forum Groups. Depending on business, these focused groups could be very fruitful in bringing traffic to your site.

3. Shameless Self-Promotion. Use you URL in online signatures, and have business cards with URL too. Hand these out at every possible opportunity to grab mmore traffic.

4. Make the most of Google Product services. Features like Author and Video Thumbnails, SEO and using URLs with pertinent words will help you ride up in searches.

5. Opt-in Email Lists. These targeted lists are people who like and trust you already, rather than a huge list of emails of people not necessarily receptive to your product.

Week 5 EOC: The Making of Our Trick Shots Video

Our assignment for to form groups amongst ourselves, shoot a video, edit it, post it to our blog and twitter accounts, and get 5,000 hits. Ray Aronda and I decided to partner up.

Ray and I first discussed what to film, and that initially presented a stumbling block; with viral videos being so random in nature, we weren’t sure how to proceed. We took a few days, and independently researched viral marketing, watched many videos that had achieved viral status, so by our second brainstorming session, we each came to the table with ideas. We reviewed each, and decided on the Trick Shots concept as our subject matter. This would allow us to work alone, shooting videos separately, and required no other cast or crew to help us. This would streamline planning and scheduling, and allow 
us to finish on time.

We agreed on a timeline, and started shooting. I’m a novice in video. This was actually my first one, that involved any planning, editing or teamwork. Shooting proved enjoyable, as my wife was out of town, and it was a cool project to keep myself busy with. Ray soon shared his first few successful shots with me, and we went back and forth a few more times, until we’d captured enough raw footage to fill the time we needed; 1 minute. Ray did a great job on the final edit, added music from publicly licensed material on Google, and posted the finished product on YouTube. 

Not long after, we learned an intricacy of YouTube’s counter calculation, where if you reach 300 hits fairly quickly, your counter is temporarily frozen. I was alarmed when I noticed this, and it turns out Ray was on it as well, as we both looked up explanations of the phenomenon on (you guessed it) YouTube. We learned the freeze was only temporary, until an actual human can go into your web stats and verify you’re not using some browser-bot to falsely inflate your count. We learned this is because on YouTube, hits are currency. Wow. That was en eye-opener to me. I had no idea of the actual monetary value inherent to a successful video, and that might have been the most valuable lesson learned in the whole adventure. Though it was also cool to now feel able to shoot a rough video and assemble it into something specific. This is a new tool in my design arsenal that I look forward to using again soon.

Ping Pong Trick Shots

Loving all the trick shots we see out there! AWESOME. We were inspired to try a few of our own.... check it out!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=panYDH5m6RA

Week 3 EOC: My first Youtube Video for class

This was our test video for Intro to Web.  Amar, Ray and I conferred quickly once given the assignment, and decided a quick pan of the parking lot would serve our purpose and time frame; we had 30 minutes to conceive, shot, post and add captions to this test video, and post it to our individual Youtube pages as well as our blog site. We finished 2 minutes past deadline, and luckily Mr. Pinto was understanding. I held the camera, while Ray and Amar "directed" the shot. Once that was complete, I shared the video file from my phone with both teammates via email.  Ray added the captions and music using Youtube's built-in video editor. It was surprisingly easy to use. We were figuring out the process of uploading on the spot, and things went pretty smoothly. We now understand the steps of planning, executing, editing and publishing a short video. This will help us complete our Viral Video project, and hopefully we can ace the class!

Jason Gavin - Analysis of Healthcare.gov

Jason Gavin - Analysis of Healthcare.gov

Accessing the site was fairly easy, but once I was inside, shopping was confusing. Clicking “Find a Doctor” opened a new window, as did “Compare by Medication”. Directions for people with more questions was “click QUESTIONS in your left nav bar” but the actual button says FAQ. Then, when you dig into the myriad of plans available, (maybe 50 or more) they are spaced out alot vertically, so not enough fit on the screen and you have to scroll really far just to click on which ones to compare. You can only see three choices at a time because of excessive white space in each plan’s box.The site only lets you pick three, so you have to weed through dozens of plans only comparing three at a time.

I made it part of the way through signing up, but we’re short on class time. I was unable to make the site crash, but I found the layout kind of loose and unclear.

I’ve read articles and heard interviews about the site being problematic as traffic chokes it, and people aren’t able to join or log in. It seems like the design was never tested. If EBAY  or AMAZON can show me hundreds of items to shop through, and offer such vast search options and views to compare items or get more info, it’s hard to believe choosing your all-important healthcare plan couldn’t be approached with the same eye to customer navigation.

It feels like a case of “they meant well” but did not take the proper steps to prepare for the launch, like beta testing design and layout, as well as being prepared for the kind of traffic a statewide government program would attract.

Week One EOC: My Voice

I’m a professional Graphic Artist. I love the creative process; coming up with visual solutions for getting information to the public is both challenging and gratifying. After designing printed collateral for 20 years, I’m adding web and app design to my design arsenal, to offer clients a more complete source for their design needs. Today’s shoppers want information and access to products in a click, and I can help you provide that. A well-designed site will not only inform the public of what you have to offer, but also provide a means for your business to sell your item or service. Does your company have a presence on Twitter, or Facebook or Google? If you don’t, you’re missing out on some of the most powerful advertising tools available! I can help you ascertain your design needs and distill them into an engaging, informative platform. Understanding the many channels of advertising and social networking can give you more options than ever to get the word out about your company. Together, we can achieve growth and profit for your business.