A Sample Solar Tracker
So, if you live in a rural area and have plenty of space, why not put up a solar tracker?
A solar tracker gathers the most sun light and is your best bang for your buck. It doesn’t take up too much space and makes you look modern & green.
In my last post I relieved my desire to start my own T-shirt business. I started by creating a few for a test market. I have been running a niche blog about Mennonites and thought, hey, why not see if I can shill a few on the site. I have sold a couple of them and started noticing one large problem: inventory management.
Every time I sell a shirt, I have to do a recount of the total left. I try to remember how much of each size is left but then ultimately, I forget again. Who wants to keep in mind: “In green, I have 3 large, 2 medium and 1 small. In blue, I have 2 large, 2 medium and 1 small … ” You see where I am going with this. I have much more interesting things to remember.
Most good inventory management is handled by software and incorporates all aspects of adding new products, removing sold items and letting you know of stuff that isn’t selling. Now I am not at a point where I quite need software to handle it for me but I’m certainly going to have to think about it down the road.
As I mentioned in a previous post, design is more than just making physical objects but also incorporates non-physical entities.
I’ve entertained the idea of starting my own business for a while and as a result have become fascinated with the idea of production planning. Basically, it involves the design of the most streamlined manufacturing process with minimal raw materials, least amount of excess product on shelves but always having enough to supply every customer with your widget.
I started by doing a bit of research on Wikipedia and it seems like the first genius to think about this was Joseph Orlicky. He observed the production at Toyota and how efficient they where with their process and whether or not there were excess cars sitting in lots that weren’t selling.
I’m interested in this process as I’d like to design T-shirts for people to wear but don’t want excess sizes laying around that don’t sell. These days production planning is mostly handled with software that analyzes all aspects of your and outputs a figure. I think that finding some good software will be the next step in my journey.
Ask anybody what requires design and they’ll be quick to mention buildings, posters, cars, clothes and so on. These are all physical objects. Objects that are most often created by hand and can been seen or touched. Now this is completely true and should be not discounted. Experiences can be designed too. A good holiday experience is designed an curated in such a way that it provides a fun and memorable experiences.
But what about a Mortgage? Is it designed? Of course. It is something that would be very near to the bottom of anyone’s list when they were to talk about design but the reality is it is one of the most crucial places for good design to take place. Take this Toronto mortgage broker, they design each mortgage to fit your exact needs and as a result have serious accolades to their name.
I would go as far as saying that design is much more important in boring and mundane things like mortgages and loans than pretty buildings because any can make a pretty looking house but not an exciting financial deal.
via wikipedia
It’s a lot like reed switches which quiet simply are an on and off switch controlled by a magnetic field. It is simple and straight forward, but when combined with a bunch of other electronic components, it’s extremely powerful. A reed switch can be found in a guitar, amplifier and many, many other electronic components
I enjoy riding motorcycles. In fact, I own one and use it is a daily commuter. However, it is petrol powered and that will eventually have to change.
Currently electric motorcycles are leading the charge but who knows where it’ll go. So to follow that journey, I’m currently writing for a motorcycle blog.
One of the elements of success in a business is the presentation. Presentation is half of the game – some might say it is even more. Have a polished look and you already have the attention of your potential customers. After all, what kind of customer would want to avail themselves of products or services from a business which can’t even bother to have a good looking image?
Professional graphic design is an important piece of the formula. Making sure everything that needs layout is well designed can be the master key to success. Take note of the letterheads, business cards, envelopes, websites, posters, banners and logos. All these may seem like very small details but these comprise of the overall look of the business. These are the little details which tell all about the business. Examining for these small details is definitely of utmost importance.
For example, a website is an important part of every business today. No business is able to fully compete unless there is a fully functional website available. Of course, website creation may sound too basic today but having a professional website designer to actually layout and work on the site makes a big difference.
A professional website designer knows how to create a website, paying close attention to the creative and the technical aspect. A professional website designer has a good grasp on what the target niche might find appealing. The layout and the colors will all be chosen carefully. The page will be created by making sure it is completely readable and navigable by the visitors. Many attempt to create their own website only to end up creating one that is all cluttered and unreadable because of its color and layout.
As for the technical aspect, a professional website designer knows how to create codes and plug-ins to come up with a stable and useful website. There are websites that though visually appealing, fail to be visited by its target because it is unstable and goes offline most of the time. Making it available 24/7 is important. Also, the search engine optimization of the site lies in the technical aspect. The professional knows techniques that will make the site more searchable.
With high quality graphic design a professional looking website can be created. The result will be more viewers and more prospective clients. Having professional graphic design is like sending a message to the public that the business is ready to serve their needs. The company means business and the quality of the services and products they produce is of top quality.
Original Article: Bob Hamilton
Step 1: Know Your User or Client. To begin, an understanding of the most important system or Web site component, the user or client, must be obtained. Understanding people and what they do is a critical and often difficult and undervalued process. The first step in the design process involves identifying people’s innate and learned characteristics, and understanding how they affect design.
Step 2: Understand the Business Function. A system or Web site must achieve the business objectives for which it is designed. To do so requires an understanding of the goals of the system and the functions and tasks performed. Determining basic business functions, describing user activities through task analysis, understanding the user’s mental model, and developing a conceptual model of the system accomplish this. The system’s conceptual model must fit the user’s view of the tasks to be performed.
Step 2 also addresses the establishment of design standards or style guides, and the definition of training and documentation needs.
Step 3: Understand the Principles of Good Interface and Screen Design. A well designed screen must reflect the needs and capabilities of its users, be developed within the physical constraints imposed by the hardware on which it is displayed, and effectively utilize the capabilities of its controlling software. Step 3involves understanding the capabilities of, and limitations imposed by, people, hardware, and software in designing screens and Web pages. It presents an enormous number of general design guidelines for organizing and presenting information to people.
Step 4: Develop System Menus and Navigation Schemes. Graphical systems and Websites are heavily menu-oriented. Menus are used to designate commands, properties that apply to an object, documents, and windows. To accomplish thesegoals, a variety of menu styles are available to choose from. Step 4 involves understanding how menus are used, and selecting the proper kinds for specific tasks. The principles of menu design are described, and the purpose and proper usage of various menu types are detailed. In these step guidelines for Web site navigation are also presented. Topics addressed include the elements of Web navigation such as links, navigation aids, and search facilities.
Step 5: Select the Proper Kinds of Windows. Graphical screen design consists of a series of windows. Step 5 involves understanding how windows are used and selecting the proper kinds for the tasks. The elements of windows are described, and the purpose and proper usage of various types of windows are detailed. The step concludes with a discussion of Web browsers.
Step 6: Select the Proper Interaction Devices. In addition to the keyboard, a system or Web site might offer the user a mouse, trackball, joystick, graphic tablet, touchscreen, light pen, or some other similar device. Step 6 consists of identifying the characteristics and capabilities of these various control mechanisms and providing the proper ones for users and their tasks.
Step 7: Choose the Proper Screen-Based Controls. The designer is presented with an array of controls to choose from. Selecting the right one for the user and the task is often difficult. But as with interaction devices, making the right choice is critical to system success. A proper fit between user and control will lead to fast, accurate performance. A poor fit will result in lower productivity, more errors, and often user dissatisfaction. Step 7 consists of identifying the characteristics and capabilities of these various screen-based controls and guidelines for providing the proper ones for users and their tasks. Step 8: Write Clear Text and Messages. Creating text and messages in a form the user wants and understands is absolutely necessary for system acceptance and success. Rules for writing text and messages for systems and Web sites are presented.
Step 8: Write Clear Text and Messages. Creating text and messages in a form the user wants and understands is absolutely necessary for system acceptance and success. Rules for writing text and messages for systems and Web sites are presented.
Step 9: Provide Effective Feedback and Guidance and Assistance. Effective feedback and guidance and assistance are also necessary elements of good design. This step presents the guidelines for presenting to the user feedback concerning the system and its processing status. It also describes the system response times necessary to meet user needs. Step 9 also describes the kinds of guidance and assistance that should be included in a system, and presents important design guidelines for the various kinds.
Step 10: Provide Effective Internationalization and Accessibility. People from different cultures, and people who speak different languages may use graphical systems and Websites. Guidelines for accommodating different cultures and languages in a design are presented. People with disabilities may also be users. Design considerations for these kinds of users are also described.
Step 11: Create Meaningful Graphics, Icons, and Images. Graphics, including icons and images, are an integral part of design. Design guidelines for various types of graphics are presented. Icons are described, including a discussion of what kinds of icons exist, what influences their usability, and how they should be designed so they are meaningful and recognizable. The elements of multimedia presentation are also reviewed. Guidelines presented include those for images, photographs, videos, drawings, animation, and audition.
Step 12: Choose the Proper Colors. Color, if used properly, can emphasize the logical organization of a screen, facilitate the discrimination of screen components, accentuate differences, and make displays more interesting. If used improperly, color can be distracting and cause visual fatigue, impairing a system’s usability. Step 12 involves understanding color and how to use it effectively on textual and statistical graphics screens, and in Web sites.
Step 13: Organize and Layout Windows and Pages. After determining all the components of a screen or page, the screen or page must be organized and its elements presented clearly and meaningfully. Proper presentation and organization will encourage the quick and accurate comprehension of information and the fastest possible execution of user tasks. Step 13 addresses the rules for laying out all screen elements and controls in the most effective manner possible.
Step 14: Test, Test, and Retest. A host of factors must be considered in design and numerous trade-offs will have been made. Indeed, the design of some parts of the system may be based on skimpy data and simply reflect the most educated guess possible. Also, the implications for some design decisions may not be fully appreciated until the results can be seen. Waiting until after a system has been implemented to uncover any deficiencies and make any design changes can be aggravating, costly, and time-consuming. To minimize these kinds of problems, interfaces and screens must be continually tested and refined as development proceeds. Step 14 reviews the kinds of tests that can be performed, and discusses creating, evaluating, and modifying prototypes in an iterative manner. It also reviews final system testing and ongoing evaluations of working systems.
Original Article: Atin Dasgupta is founder of web design company Mumbai Leveljam (www.leveljam.com)
The Best Word Press Template Guide
Originally developed as a blog site, WordPress by default shows all comments in a loop, listing the newest entries first and the rest in chronological order from the date of entry. I love this about word press for blogging it allows all your visitors to see your latest comments and suggestions, while giving them the chance to look up older post by month of day.
Making sure that your word press blog only has one landing page, is not that hard to set up but finding the right layout is super important, and sometimes you will want and shouls create your own. By static, I mean that unlike the typical WordPress blog page, the content remains the same. You will be able to create your own custom navigation menu to make sure visitors have the right options on every page.
Sadly creating your own landing page and customizing it will take some knowledge and you will need it in normal then one language. In this simple article I will not be covering the steps in which you need to create a custom word press template, because there isn’t enough room, but I will be going over the tools that you will need to make sure you have before we start.
When creating any type of website and even your own custom word pres template it’s important that you remember that you should always test it on your local computer before placing it on the web. Having a local server will enable you to keep all of your files in one place without having them get lost in transition. You will also need XAMP, if you run Windows or MAMP on Mac and the newest version of WordPress installed on your server. Note pad ++ is a free download that you can get for coding your own wordpress template and a web browser like firefox.
You should also look into taking some, usually free, tutorials on HTML, CSS and PHP. Hypertext Machine Language, Cascading Style Sheets and Hypertext Preprocessor, originally called Personal Home Page, will be used to create your custom page. I’m not saying that you will have to be an expert at these but your going to need to understand them and be able to read parts of them, for server instructions.
For many bloggers creating a custom WordPress page template can be a struggle as they manage their site and replenish content, not to mention trying to learn new languages. If your not willing t learn the code or it just seems to hard then comsider the customer template generators that are avaiable online, along with the free templates that come with word press.
These theme generators will allow you to define many areas of your blog to match colors and styles to your choosing, but for the most part are somewhat limited in the types of designs they can offer. But of course you click a couple of buttons and then your done, you have a custom word press theme on the other side. This is just a guide to the tools and different approaches that you can have when building a word press template and if your looking for extra functionality then look into word press membership site plug ins.