Portfolio Competitive Analysis

I have chosen to do my competitive analysis on James Bell's portfolio.

The homepage has a brief welcome message which sums up the purpose of the site and a slideshow of featured work which makes the page more interesting and invites users to click the links and find out more (or click the pictures themselves to find our more about that particular project). It loads within seconds and sets the right tone for a site that is clearly a showcase for this student's work during his time on the HND in Interactive Media. There are, however, a couple of typographic errors which stand out and could do with being corrected to improve the overall impact of the homepage.

Navigation is consistent, using the same navigational bar along the top of each page. All links are functional and go to the right page, including those to external sites. All pictures are clickable and allow the user to learn more about each project. External links are used where appropriate. There are no local links but the site doesn't really need any as most pages don't exceed more than one viewport. The only page that does go over the foldline is the web work page, but as it only covers two viewports there isn't too much scrolling.

The site is well organised with the pages appearing in a logical order on the navigation bar. The basic layout of the site makes for easy reading and it keeps the pages compact to minimise whitespace on each page. However, there is a lot of whitespace surrounding some pages, particularly the about me page. Also, the information on this page is the same as that in the welcome message on the homepage. This makes the about me page seem a bit pointless, and to improve it I would either add more information to make the page bigger and eliminate some of the whitespace or remove it from the site.

Labels are clearly laid out in bold and are easy to understand, and headings and subheadings help break up the content and increase readability. Links are informative and make it obvious what they are linking to.

Paragraphs are split into acceptable line lengths and the typeface is easy to read. Dark text on a white background also increases readability.

The site loaded quickly with each page loading within seconds. Content is appropriate for the site and sufficient for its purpose, although there are some typographic errors.

The colour scheme is minimal but this aids readability and is in keeping with the logo in the header. It is consistent throughout.

In summary I think the overall design of James Bell's portfolio is good. It has sufficient content to serve its purpose, i.e. it showcases his work and gives information about each project, clear and easy to follow navigation, logical organisation, it loads quickly, and is easy to read. However, it could be improved by correcting the typographic errors and adding to the about me page thus reducing whitespace. Otherwise I would remove this page as mentioned above, as it performs no real purpose because it gives the same information about the student as that on the homepage.

Stress Free

The second year is well underway and so far I’ve found it a lot less stressful than the first. I’ve passed the first two assignments which is a relief, particularly as I was worried about the SMLP and having to learn a scripting language on my own. I’ve also met deadlines without having to stay up half the night to get everything done which is an improvement on last time round.

I’m currently working on A10 which is all about the reverse design process (designing for an unknown product) and A11 which is about Wordpress.

As with the SMLP, I had doubts about A10 as my creativity is often lacking and thought I’d struggle to fill page after page with designs. However this has not been the case. While there have been some dry spells, I’ve successfully managed to produce some 20 pages of varied ideas which should be ample to choose from when we’re given a product. I handed this in a week early as I will be away for two weeks and miss the official deadline, but even with doing the extra work to make up for missing a week I didn’t find this exercise nearly as stressful as I thought I might.

A11 is also going fairly well so far. I’ve just about got the basic structure of my site and now all I need is to get my head round templates and such in Wordpress. I’ll be concentrating more on A11 this week as I devoted last week to A10 and I’m confident I can pull ahead with this as well to give myself less work to do when I come back.

So in summary the second year seems to be running a lot smoother for me than the first and hopefully this will continue throughout.

Interview Questions

1. Do you work better on your own or in a group?

Most web design jobs that I have looked at require the candidate to work with their existing design team. Employers will be looking for candidates with good people skills who work well with others. Even if there is no group work as such, they will need to deal with people at some point. The answer to this question should give an indication as to whether they are good with people or not.

2. How do you feel about accessibility, is it something you strive for in your work?

Websites need to be accessible so that everyone can view them, regardless of any disabilities. Clients should be looking for this as it gains them more custom and so candidates who are not interested in making accessible sites or have no knowledge on the subject are not desirable.

3. List 3 ways to make content more accessible to visually impaired users

The candidate needs to know how to make websites more accessible as well as the importance of this. In answering the previous question they could also be making out they create websites with accessibility in mind but in reality they don’t give it much thought. If they can answer this question correctly it proves they do care about accessibility.

4. How do you spend your spare time?

Employers will be looking for candidates who keep up to date on the latest technologies within the industry. Candidates should spend some of their spare time researching new technology. The answer to this question should also give an insight into how interested the candidate is in the industry.

5. Tell me some news relating to the industry, such as a new version of CSS and what it’s features are going to be.

As with the above question, web designers need to keep up to date. This would show the employer that the candidate does keep up to date, regardless of how they answered the previous question because as with accessibility, they could just be telling the interviewer what they want to hear. Answering this correctly proves they do actually keep up to date.

6. Which browser would you design for?

A website’s no good if it doesn’t display or function properly across browsers. The candidate should know this and how to fix problems in other browsers.

7. Do you validate your XHTML and CSS? Why is this important?

The candidate should be used to validating their code and should know why this is important. Employers will be looking for candidates who can produce valid code.

8. How would your friends describe you?

This should give an insight into the candidate’s personality and if they do need to fit in with a current design team, it should give the employer a feel for if they will actually fit in or not. And as with the group question, it should also give an insight into whether the candidate is good with people or not.

SMLP Grade

I feel I have achieved a Pass for the SMLP as I did everything I said I would do when writing my own Pass criteria.

My first learning objective was to investigate the uses of PHP and MySQL in the interactive media industry and to do this I said I would contact people in the industry and provide evidence of a forum thread discussing the uses and/or evidence of emails. I didn't send out any emails in the end which I could have done for a higher mark but I did start a forum thread and send out PM's asking people to contribute, thus meeting the objective.

The second learning objective was to learn how to put PHP and MySQL into practice to fulfil a simple interactive media brief. To do this I said I would use my resources and record evidence skills I learnt every week in a blog. I set up a separate blog for the SMLP and posted weekly updates on the skills I had covered in online tutorials and from reading my book, thereby meeting this criteria.

I said I would use these new skills to build a simple website that meets the creative brief I would be writing for the third learning objective, which was to fulfil the requirements of a simple interactive media brief using PHP and MySQL. The creative brief I wrote was for a fictitious local business selling pet products. They wanted a website to generate more custom but wanted this to be kept small as they couldn't afford a huge commerce site. They also wanted orders placed through an order form rather than a shopping cart.

Therefore I designed a website with only 5 pages to keep it small which covered a pet's basic needs. To keep it small I kept the current number of products to a minimum but the client would be able to add to these if the business grew.

In the brief I also said the site should use standards compliant XHTML 1.0 Strict and CSS 2.1 which it did. I also said it should use PHP 5.3.0 and MySQL 5.4 which it also did.

The website is fully functional and displays correctly across browsers. The form sends orders to the MySQL database I set up, and thus again meets the criteria.

For the final learning objective I said I would evaluate use of the self-managed learning plan and the final product. To do this I said I would write bi-weekly evaluative journal posts of around 250-300 words and a summative journal post of 1000 words at the end of the project. I only wrote one evaluative journal post but this was 2 weeks into the project, and 2 weeks later was the week of submission so I wrote the summative journal post. This still met the objective I had set myself, and as no real problems arose during the SMLP I don't think there was any need for any more than this. The two evaluative posts I wrote were indepth and gave a clear indication of how I progressed through the SMLP. So again this met the Pass criteria I set myself.

I don't feel I met all the extended criteria. For M1 'relevant theories and techniques have been applied' which 'you demonstrate a thorough understanding of the assignment's theoretical principles, and successfully apply them to your work'. I said in my SMLP the first learning objective would cover this, but as I only got 2 replies on the forum thread and I never emailed any other people in industry outside the forum I don't feel this is of a Merit standard.

M2 states that the 'appropriate structure and approach has been used'. To do this 'effectively use a range of devices that monitor progress of the assignment'. I think I did meet this criteria through my journal posts and the timesheet I devised to show the time I put into it.

The website would be used to assess M3 - 'complex problems with more than one variable have been explored'. The website was not particuarly complex and therefore not of Merit standard. Furthermore, M3 states 'your investigations into the creative and/or technical potential of the assignment produce near-professional solutions'. I don't feel the website was creative enough to meet the Merit criteria.

D1 would be covered by the summative journal post, although I don't feel I 'clearly' identified 'strengths and weaknesses' this time round.

I feel I did meet D2 as this states 'autonomy/independance has been demonstrated' which it was since I learnt PHP without any help, proven through the weekly blog posts that show the new skills learnt each week.

And finally D3 states that 'innovation and creative thought has been applied'. Since I don't feel the creativity was of a Merit standard, it certainly isn't to a Distinction.

In summary, I did everything I said I would do in the SMLP and I feel I did this to a Pass level so I have awarded myself a Pass.

Preparation for Employment

Job Title: WEB DESIGNER LEPFTS/132949
Location: MANCHESTER CITY CENTRE
Hours: 5 DAYS 9AM - 5:30PM
Wage: £14,000 - £16,000 PER ANNUM
Work Pattern: Days
Closing Date: 12/10/2009
Pension: No details held
Duration: PERMANENT ONLY

Description

The position is ideal for a University graduate looking to kick start their career in web design with opportunities of working their way up within the company. We are seeking an enthusiastic,motivated,creative hard working individual to work with our current design team. The role will include the day to day management, maintenance & design of our ever expanding portfolio of web sites and involvement in our email marketing program. Experience using Adobe Photoshop & Dreamweaver are a must along with XHTML & CSS. Knowledge of Flash would be an advantage. No work experience necessary but strong knowledge of the above applications a must.

Original advert can be found on: jobcentreplus.co.uk

I have chosen this job advert because it is one I feel I could apply for upon finishing the HND. No prior experience in the industry is required (something that I noticed a lot of employers wanted) making it ideal for someone just coming out of education.

The only experience desired is with Photoshop, Dreamweaver, XHTML and CSS, all of which I have used throughout this course. Knowldege of Flash is considered an advantage for this particular role but is not listed as essential, and I have used Flash on a previous course so it would not be completely new to me.

I have had some problems with XHTML and CSS whilst on this course, but I feel I’ve already improved and my skill as a coder would now be sufficient for this job.

Other skills they list are enthusiastic, motivated, creative and hard working, all of which I believe apply to myself. As I’ve said before, I do need to work on my creativity when it comes to designing (as I believe my creative talents lie more in writing) but in spite of this I still feel that I am a creative individual, and with time I can bring this out visually as well as through my creative writing.

If I were to apply for a job such as this after the course, I would mostly concentrate on my creativity in preparation. I think the other skills they list have always applied to me, and the practical skills I have learnt through the course.

In terms of my creativity, I think to improve I need to be looking for more inspiration, enabling me to produce more creative designs and build up a better portfolio to show to employers.

The advert also states that I would be working with their current design team. While I may not come across as very sociable at college, this is down to some things going on in my personal life at present. However, I feel it would not be a problem when I am ready to go into the working world.

Ordinarily I wouldn’t find it particularly difficult to work as part of a team, and my time management (in terms of meeting deadlines) is excellent meaning I would not let the team down and would be quite capable of sharing the workload. I also think I have good people skills which have been improved through my part-time job as a checkout operator at Asda, where I have been nominated for the ‘Above and Beyond the Call of Duty’ (ABCD) award on several occassions for good and friendly service.

If I improve on my creativity I think I’d stand a good chance of getting this job.

Therefore, to summarise, I will work on improving my creativity to a more professional standard by looking for more inspiration in preparation for employment in a similar role. I will also ensure my skills at XHTML and CSS are also of a professional standard through lots more practice.

Back For More

The summer’s flown by and the second year’s already begun. Looking back at how I was feeling at the end of the first year and the targets I set myself, these haven’t really changed. At this point in time I’m no longer sure how realistic the target of achieving three Merits and one Distinction really is, given that this year will be a lot tougher than the first. There’s also some major things happening in my personal life which may affect this particular target.

However, the other targets still stand. I intend to work on my creativity as well as the coding side of things and hopefully improve both areas. Though if I’m honest I didn’t spend time on either over the Summer as originally planned, which means I’ll need to work harder through assignments if I’m to improve.

I also still feel that my time management could be better, not so much in the sense of leaving things till the last minute but more in the amount of time I allow for certain tasks. Some parts of the first year assignments (such as the presentation for A6) I spent far too long on and consequently ran out of time at the end, which meant late nights before submission and a rush to get everything done.

I was a bit worried when I saw that the SMLP was our first assignment this year, thinking it may be the most difficult for me. However, I’m trying to stay positive and I feel I’m already off to a good start, having completed my plan and creative brief. It sounds like this year will be a lot harder but I’m ready for the challenge.

SMLP Resource List

PHP 5 Recipes: A Problem-Solution Approach by Lee Babin, Nathan A. Good, Frank M. Kromann and Jon Stephens

This book provides solutions for the common problems coders are likely to face when using PHP. It covers all the major topics required to learn PHP, such as arrays, and variables and functions. It also covers MySQL. This book has received numerous good reviews from people who have bought it and is by all accounts a good companion for beginners.

PHP.net

This is the definitive source for PHP and has lots of information on the language, as well as many useful links to other sources for PHP. It also has some related links like MySQL and Apache which again could prove useful. There is an FAQ section which could provide answers to any problems I may have when I start learning PHP, and there are also mailing lists which I could subscribe to if I need further help and support. This will also be the best place to start for any news on PHP and to download the latest version.

http://www.php.net/

w3schools.com

This site has lots of tutorials starting from basic to more advanced PHP code, as well as tutorials on MySQL.

http://www.w3schools.com/PHP/DEfaULT.asP

phptutorial.info

As the name would suggest, this is another site with tutorials on PHP for beginners. It starts with an introduction to PHP and how to create your first PHP page and then works its way through the various functions of PHP.

http://www.phptutorial.info/

homeandlearn.co.uk

The PHP section of this site covers the basics of PHP and explains variables, etc. in layman’s terms which could be extremely helpful for a beginner such as myself, particularly when coding is not one of my stronger points.

www.homeandlearn.co.uk/php/php.html

tizag.com

Tizag has numerous PHP and MySQL tutorials as well as a forum and their own store with more books.

www.tizag.com/phpT/

Beginnersphp

This site has many useful features, such as PHP source code, tutorials, articles, links to books, downloads and online manuals.

www.beginnersphp.co.uk/

killerphp.com

Not only does this site have a PHP Blog/News section and various tutorials, it also has free online video tutorials. This will provide a different way to learn PHP than from articles and books and may help greater my understanding of PHP. It also covers MySQL.

www.killerphp.com/

freewebmasterhelp.com

This is another site with numerous tutorials which cover PHP and MySQL.

www.freewebmasterhelp.com/tutorials/php

phpfreaks

This site has tutorials, blogs, a news section and a forum which I could sign up to if I need more help and support whilst learning PHP.

www.phpfreaks.com/