Articles by: Michael Alexander
Eye-Tracking Measures the Sight Unseen
February 10, 2009 by Michael Alexander
I read on Google’s Offical Blog about an eye-tracking study the company recently conducted and that got me thinking about eye-tracking in general and about how to use that information to create more effective Web pages and enhanced usability. First, let me tell you a bit about eye-tracking, how it’s performed, and how it’s used to analyze a Web page’s usability. I’ll get back to why Google’s results are so interesting after that. When I first read about eye-tracking... [Continue reading this tutorial]
Why You Should Focus on Widgets, Gadgets and Social Nets in Tough Times
January 20, 2009 by Michael Alexander
In these tough economic times, the smartest companies are using everything–including sticks and rocks–to get the attention of prospects and customers. The most potent weapons in their marketing arsenals include Web 2.0 tools and services, social networking, mobile apps, desktop widgets and gadgets, based on a recent Forrester Research study. Their main objectives are to improve customer service (73 percent) and acquire new customers (71 percent). Help your boss or client tighten their... [Continue reading this tutorial]
Web Monitors Uncover Top 100 Blogs and Platforms
January 19, 2009 by Michael Alexander
Pingdom, a service that monitors Web sites and servers on the Internet, looked at the top 100 blogs on Technorati to find out which blogging platform is used most often. Pingdom distinguishes between blogs that are self-hosted and blogging-service hosted. The top two self-hosted platforms are Wordpress (27 percent) and Moveable Type (12 percent). The top two platforms that sit on a service are Typepad (16 percent) and Blogsmith (14 percent). When hosted and self-hosted are combined, the top two blogging... [Continue reading this tutorial]
Roundup: Even More Sites Where You can Find Images Free and Clear
January 14, 2009 by Michael Alexander
I wrote about using Flickr a while ago as a good source of images that you can use free and with few or no copyright limitations. Lately, I’ve been organizing my database of places to find free and unrestricted images. Keep in mind that “free” often requires your giving the source credit and a link back to the image provider’s site. No, this list does not include every site in the universe. If you have some favorites, please add them as a comment and I’ll add them... [Continue reading this tutorial]
9 Useful Tools for Analyzing Web Design
January 13, 2009 by Michael Alexander
We all understand how important it is to know just how site visitors navigate a site, what they click on, where they come from, where they go when they leave the site and similar indicators of behavior. These are the factors on which great Web designs are built. I’ve pulled together a list of sites I think will help you understand how a Web site looks and works to optimize design and copy. You can also think of these sites as services you can sell to your clients: In your initial pitch provide... [Continue reading this tutorial]
Why Web Designers and Web Writers Should Talk
January 12, 2009 by Michael Alexander
I often write about Web design, although I’m not a designer. Oh sure, I can muck around with Macromedia’s Dreamweaver, HTML, Adobe Photoshop and other tools of the trade, but I didn’t get a degree in graphics design. Mine was in mass communication. Most of what I know about Web design comes from working with some very good designers over the years and a goodly amount of my studying on the side. I’ve learned to speak the designer’s lingo and I so respect the work they... [Continue reading this tutorial]
