SO’09: Designing Sundays

These were my Sunday sessions:

1. Blogging 102: How to make your blog better
2. How to search scientific literature

In discussing design and color theory in “Blogging 102,” I suggested that everyone check out Adobe’s free Kuler service. You can select from many pre-designed color schemes, or create your own. Simply select one color and, depending on your options, Kuler will create a number of other colors to complement it.

These were the demos I watched:

1. Nature Network
2. Lablogatórios
3. Scienceblogs.com
4. ResearchBlogging.org

Due to some AV trouble, April’s SciVee.tv demo got nudged back so that I had to leave before I could watch her’s.

The “How to search scientific literature” discussion had even more AV trouble. The moderators couldn’t get the projector working, and at one point they accidentally activated the motorized blinds to cover up the windows. If there’s AV trouble and the blinds get switched, then the controls are just really badly designed; no excuses. If I ever designed a conference room, the most important thing I would stress is user interface, user interface, user interface! Nothing else about the conference room will work because I don’t know how to design conference rooms, but at least the AV user interface will be intuitive, easy to use and beautiful.

I had a brief discussion with someone on Friday evening on how science and technical writing is like designing user interfaces. In both cases, you have to known your audience, how they think, react, respond and understand. In my technical writing classes I spend a lot of time writing down the list of words that my intended audience will and will not understand. I’ve even sent out surveys to my friends to test if my ideas are sound. It’s not as easy I as I’m making it out to be, but it’s fun to do.

Lets not forget that Sunday lunch an amazing platter of Mediterranean food. I want the food again for 2010.