My World

What Makes a Good Design

noreply@blogger.com (Rajesh Lal) — Tue, 23 Feb 2010 08:16:00 +0000

A good design in my opinion, needs to achieve its goal clearly, what it was primarily meant for.

1. Solving a problem creatively
2. Communicating an idea effectively
3. Plain aesthetic, which makes people wonder

To solve a problem creatively "Form follow function" is a great principle because its focus is the functionality which is the solution to the given problem. To communicate an idea effectively, visual delight becomes more important, effective display of the core idea with the help of minimum amount of pictures, words or illustration makes a greater impact. Plain aesthetic design can be achieved with both simplicity as well as abstractness, it is not limited to any design principles and neither are means to an end. It could be a visual delight and can also reflect an Idea.

So what makes people wonder ?

I think that this quality is the impact of a good design.

One way would be to make it very simplistic, for example Picaso's famous painting make people wonder because of hte simplicity.

Another way is if the picture has extraordinary depth for example the Barbershop by Norman Rockwell has amazing lights http://www.nrm.org/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2009/10/Shuffletons_Barbershop_300.jpg

yet another way to make people wonder is by hidden meaning or trick in the picture

So what do you think ?

First step in the Right direction

noreply@blogger.com (Rajesh Lal) — Fri, 12 Feb 2010 07:29:00 +0000

After working for a decade in software industry, when I realize that it is not the MBA or Project Management route I want to take, my options looked quite limited, but some soul searching, and I realized what I really want to do, to learn fundamentals of drawing, design, typography, and illustrations.

Not long after, I came across the Art Institute of Pittsburgh and their online course in Design which also give a Diploma in Digital Design.

The Diploma in Digital Design course was almost mesmerizing. It was like waiting there to be discovered by me.

* Fundamentals of Design
* Concept Development
* Typography
* Digital Image Manipulation
* Electronic Design
* Design Principles
* Digital Illustration
* Design and Technology
* Portfolio G313
* Foundations of Electronic Production
* Interactive Portfolio Design
* Advanced Computer Graphics

Small enough to be finished in 5 quarters and big enough to give me a diploma, now that's a lucky find.

So I filled the online application and came to the part where you have to write an essay why you want to join. That stopped me, but not for long, today afternoon my admission counselor called me and said she will hold the call till I finish the essay. now thats some persuasion ! Phew, no way out, she is waiting in the call. So here is the 185 words I came up in 10 minutes !

--------------------- ESSAY ---------------------
I remember the first time when I came across the book "Universal Principles of Design" by William Lidwell, I was immensely fascinated by the possibilities to which design principles can be implemented in the real life. Another revolutionary book which affected me a lot was "The Design of every day things" by Donald Norman. These two books opened my eyes to a good design and a better user experience, since then I started blogging about design at http://abcofdesign.com and got interested to learn the fundamentals.

After working for many years in designing and developing user interfaces for desktop, distributed and mobile applications, I have realized that a good design makes a lot of difference, and having an aptitude for User Interface and User Experience, I think learning about digital design can help me get to know the basics.

Being a Senior Engineer with an interest in Software and Product design, I see myself as a future design engineer changing/shaping the world, and for that a diploma in Digital Design is the first step in the right direction.
-------------------------------------------------

Needless to say when I re-read the essay I liked it and so did my admission counselor, she said "it was phenomenal" and "I passed it". I wonder if she says that to every other essay, but I felt really happy and so that's my first step in the direction of design.

Beginning Smartphone Web Development: Building Javascript, CSS, HTML and Ajax-Based Applications

noreply@blogger.com (Rajesh Lal) — Sat, 09 Jan 2010 02:08:00 +0000

The book hit the stores today and is available at Amazon , Barnes and Noble and all popular book stores.

The Book is authored by Gail Fredrick and I have contributed a chapter on Mobile Web Usability, so if you are creating website for mobile device, this is the book to get.Buy it now

To check the latest update go to http://smallinterface.com

What will Apple iSlate Have

noreply@blogger.com (Rajesh Lal) — Thu, 07 Jan 2010 22:08:00 +0000

There has been too many speculations on Apple Tablet PC. This is my take on that.

Apple has a reputation of emerging from the average by using mature technologies which is available otherwise to everyone and differentiate in the user experience.

IPod had no new features than an MP3 player cannot have but it was cool and it was a phenomenon
IPhone, any new feature ? well touch screen was there but not utilized in that way ever, apart from that everything else was there

Now comes the Tablet

Microsoft has a Tablet for almost 5 years now, they have got everything but success.

Amazon Kindle eReader is a reading device which does not utilize the technology to the full but earns by limiting them, you don't have USB port to transfer to and from your device.

They will utilize the Tablet multi touch screen interface
Second, a major functionality missing from Kindle is eWriter which everyone is ignoring, Microsoft Tablet has got that in a medicore way, thats where Apple will excel first. An eWriter with excellent touch, draw and write capability, if you think of it these functionality are already mature and available in any tablet.
Third eReader, where Kindle retricts and limits user by going against technology, Apple will utilize technology to the full, Wifi, usb, blue tooth, a device completely independent of the service, unlike Kindle, but can be used to download ebooks from an Apple service

Thats how Apple will do, beating Microsoft tablet and Amazon Kindle
by producing a great touch screen eWriter and a boundless eReader.

Lets see.

Vote Now: 10 Tips for Mobile Web Design !

noreply@blogger.com (Rajesh Lal) — Wed, 06 Jan 2010 02:06:00 +0000

How to create a mobile version of your website? Do you need to optimize your current website for mobile devices or design a completely new website? Do you need to worry about different platforms, Windows Mobile, iPhone, Symbian, Blackberry, Linux, Brew, Android, and Nokia? What resolution, what screen size you should target, and what is this PPI anyway? How to design for maximum number of users and devices, in the least amount of time? In this session, mobile web usability expert and author of "Beginning Smartphone Web Development", Rajesh Lal will discuss ten pragmatic tips, for designing website for mobile devices.

Interested ? VOTE for it at Mix 10 (1. Add to ballot,2. Submit ballot)

http://tinyurl.com/10TipsMobileWeb

Vote Now: Top 10 Features of Silverlight 4

noreply@blogger.com (Rajesh Lal) — Wed, 06 Jan 2010 02:03:00 +0000

What makes Silverlight a complete platform for RIA development? What are the top desired features of a rich and interactive language, and why JavaScript, CSS3 and HTML5 cannot compete with Silverlight, not now, not ever? In this session, "Silverlight 4 How To" author Rajesh Lal show you why Silverlight really shines, by demonstrating the top ten features of Silverlight 4 and how it fits with the current web scenario. You will learn How To use these features and see running demos. More information about the book at http://silverlightfun.com

Interested ? VOTE for it at Mix 10 (1. Add to ballot,2. Submit ballot)

http://tinyurl.com/10Silverlight

My Presentation at Discover Maemo Event in Santa Clara Dec 03 2009

noreply@blogger.com (Rajesh Lal) — Sun, 06 Dec 2009 01:07:00 +0000

I presented on creating Hybrid application for Maemo N900 device using Qt Web Technology, Here is the slideshow.

Qt 4.5.3 is now officially supported in Maemo Devices and is much more than promising. In the two demos I showed in the event you can create an HTML application in no time and package it for N900. Questions ? email me at rajesh.lal@nokia !

Hybrid Application Development on Maemo N900 device

Hybrid Application Development for Maemo N900 Device

View more presentations from Rajesh Lal.

Download the demo source, Debian package and presentation here

Here is the video

Hybrid Application Development for Maemo N900 Device using Qt Webkit from rajesh lal on Vimeo.

Video Presentation on Designing Mobile Widgets

noreply@blogger.com (Rajesh Lal) — Mon, 26 Oct 2009 07:30:00 +0000

Finally I was able to optimize and upload my presentation video at vimeo. Here is the 20 minutes video on 'Ten Tips for Designing Mobile Widgets' at Maemo Summit, Amsterdam Netherlands, 11th October 2009.

Download the slides for the presentation. Let me know your comments !

Maemo Summit 2009: 10 Tips for Designing Mobile Widgets from rajesh lal on Vimeo.

Paperclip Principle

noreply@blogger.com (Rajesh Lal) — Wed, 14 Oct 2009 05:58:00 +0000

I gave this presentation at Amsterdam 10 Tips for designing Mobile Widgets and I am getting a lot of these emails about the Paperclip principle.

Paperclip Principle inspired by the most popular paper clip (GEM) is a principle for Designing Software User Interfaces which is based on a simple assumption and my experience that:

Most effective designs are least complicated

When designing a User Interface you need to take care of three things, The user interface should be

1. Easy to Look At
2. Easy to Understand
3. Easy to Use

It is my belief that if you follow these three guidelines, you will achieve an effective design on developing an interface for any device.

Ten Tips For Designing Mobile Widgets - Slides

noreply@blogger.com (Rajesh Lal) — Mon, 12 Oct 2009 05:53:00 +0000

Here is my presentation at Maemo Summit, Amsterdam Netherlands, 11th October 2009

Ten Tips For Designing Mobile Widgets 2009 Maemo Summit Amsterdam

View more presentations from Rajesh Lal.

Also check pictures of the event here

Developing apps on Maemo with Nokia Web Runtime

noreply@blogger.com (Rajesh Lal) — Fri, 09 Oct 2009 13:30:00 +0000

Demo with Santtu Ahonen, Head of Developer Offering, Nokia
9th October - 17.00 - 17.25, Amsterdam

Developing apps on Maemo with Nokia Web Runtime

View more presentations from santtuahonen.

Maemo 5 user interface

noreply@blogger.com (Rajesh Lal) — Mon, 31 Aug 2009 18:43:00 +0000

Maemo 5 UI just rocks, here is a video,

Mark Your Calendar: October 9-11 Maemo Summit at Amsterdam, the Netherlands

noreply@blogger.com (Rajesh Lal) — Mon, 31 Aug 2009 04:56:00 +0000

I am presenting at Maemo Summit 2009 in Amsterdam, the Netherlands. Here are the details of my presentation.

Mobile Widget Development and Trends

Intended audience: Widget Developers/Mobile Application Developers
Talk type: Presentation/Demo
Abstract/description

A presentation on Mobile Widget Development, and how Maemo platform distinguishes itself with Common Web Runtime and QT, and provides a strong foundation for Mobile Developers across the World.

Features:

Get an understanding of the overused Term Widget
Know about Web Widgets and Mobile Widgets
Understand the Current Trends in Mobile Development
See the Definite Advantage of Maemo Platform for Widget Development
Gain knowledge about Common Web Runtime and QT

Be there !

Nokia N900 is here !

noreply@blogger.com (Rajesh Lal) — Thu, 27 Aug 2009 11:27:00 +0000

Linux-based, Firefox and Flash in a mobile device, takes us into a new era of mobile computing.

The specs include a 3.5-inch 800x480 pixel (resistive) touchscreen, sliding QWERTY, 32GB of on-board storage expandable to 48GB via microSD, GPS/A-GPS, FM transmitter, TV-out, Bluetooth 2.1, WiFi, 1320mAh battery, and 5 megapixel camera with Carl Zeiss optics and dual-LED flash. Better yet, this monster MID brings the power of the ARM Cortex-A8, up to 1GB of application memory, and OpenGL ES 2.0 graphics acceleration to make quick work of polygons and what Nokia promises will be a "PC-like experience on a handset-sized device." It also brings a Mozilla-based Maemo browser with Adobe Flash 9.4 support. As expected, it'll be on display at Nokia World next week before this quad-band GSM/EDGE, 900/1700/2100MHz UMTS/HSPA handset heads to select markets in October for €500 (pre tax and pre carrier subsidy).

http://maemo.nokia.com/

Target for 2009 - Steve Jobs

noreply@blogger.com (Rajesh Lal) — Fri, 07 Aug 2009 19:13:00 +0000

When talking with my Boss, I realized that what I want to become is a great presenter.

So what's the target ?

" To become a presenter as good as Steve Jobs "

Now that's some target for 2009. What is your's ?

Association of Computing Machinery

noreply@blogger.com (Rajesh Lal) — Sun, 12 Jul 2009 04:52:00 +0000

My interest in Mathematics and Computer Science got me into Association of Computing Machinery (ACM), the world’s largest educational and scientific computing society, delivers resources that advance computing as a science and a profession. ACM provides the computing field's premier Digital Library and serves its members and the computing profession with leading-edge publications, conferences, and career resources.

I joined last month and am an ACM professional now. Interested ? Click here to join.

I have few research topics related to User Interface / User Experience, which I am going to publish on.

Wait for It !

Mayan Countdown (Mix 10K Contest)

noreply@blogger.com (Rajesh Lal) — Wed, 04 Feb 2009 19:37:00 +0000

My adventures with Silverlight got me into Mix 10K Contest.

The most challenging part was to come up with an interesting application in 10 kilobytes. Believe me it needs a lot of imagination and I spent 80 percent of the time thinking what to do and 20 percent on "how to" of it :)

Here is my entry Mayan Countdown[^]

Here is how it looks like in action! The Mayan Countdown is a time line for the end of Mayan Calendar. 21st Dec 2012. That's it.

Don't forget to vote/comment on it :)

Point Resume

noreply@blogger.com (Rajesh Lal) — Thu, 08 Jan 2009 11:57:00 +0000

Introducing Point Resume: Resume in Points in a slideshow format.

Who has time to go through your 10 page resume ? Here is a new approach to create your resume in points in simple slides. Employers can, not only know about you with in a minute, but can be impressed if you put things in the correct order. What is a correct order ? Well ! "the order" in which "relevant to the Job" details come first.

Point Resume format in 11 simple slides

1. Name and Contact Details
2. Summary
3. List of Points (4-10, like a Table of Content)
4. Expertise
5. Roles in Industry (Experience)
6. Extraordinary Achievements / Skills
7. Achievement
8. Certification
9. Education
10. Others
11. Contact Details AGAIN

Keep in Mind
1. Be Professional
2. Be Precise
3. Be Clear

Thanks for Reading. Here is a SAMPLE Point Resume FORMAT

Point Resume

View more presentations from The Force.

The Story of India

noreply@blogger.com (Rajesh Lal) — Thu, 16 Oct 2008 08:36:00 +0000

Aravind Adiga, 33, won the 40th Man Booker prize on Tuesday night for his debut novel, “The White Tiger,” a vivid exploration of India’s class struggle told through the story of a village boy who becomes the chauffeur to a rich man.

Now that is pretty much the story of India. India is changing from "poor village boy" through "class struggle" to "winning the booker's prize". Bravo Aravind !

User Interface Design

noreply@blogger.com (Rajesh Lal) — Sun, 12 Oct 2008 05:56:00 +0000

Designing Great User Interfaces

The third part of the User Experience presentation.

User Interface Design

View SlideShare presentation or Upload your own. (tags: user experience)

Click here to download the presentation

Feynman Problem-Solving Algorithm

noreply@blogger.com (Rajesh Lal) — Wed, 03 Sep 2008 19:23:00 +0000

I am a big fan of Richard P Feynman, an American physicist, scientist, teacher, raconteur, and musician.

Whenever I come across a complex problem , I follow the Feynman's Problem Solving Algorithm.

The Feynman Problem-Solving Algorithm:
(1) Write down the problem
(2) Think very hard
(3) Write down the answer

You know, what's the hard part ? Write down the problem.This looks very simple but try it out. You will find your thoughts scattered.

The moment you write down the problem clearly, your mind starts thinking over the problem. It takes few hours to few days(sometimes). You have to sleep on it. If the problem is tricky sometimes it takes few days. But if you think hard, sooner or later you will find a solution. the moment you get the light bulb moment, Write it down.

I think this is a Simple and effective approach for solving almost any kind of problems. And Mr. Feynman, a great inspiration for all times.

Web Usability

noreply@blogger.com (Rajesh Lal) — Wed, 03 Sep 2008 05:53:00 +0000

Tips on Designing great web pages

The second part of the User Experience presentation.

Web Usability

View SlideShare presentation or Upload your own. (tags: user experience)

Click here to download the presentation

What We Do !

noreply@blogger.com (Rajesh Lal) — Fri, 22 Aug 2008 05:54:00 +0000

I came across this beautiful quote by John Ruskin, a perfect addition for my common place diary.

"What we think, or what we know, or what we believe is, in the end, of little consequence.

The only consequence is what we do !"

Check out The Elements of Drawing by John Ruskin

User Experience - An Introduction

noreply@blogger.com (Rajesh Lal) — Mon, 14 Jul 2008 07:24:00 +0000

I gave a presentation on User Experience, lately . Here is the slideshow

Let me know what you guys think

Creating Vista Gadget: Published - 15th May 2008

noreply@blogger.com (Rajesh Lal) — Thu, 15 May 2008 21:35:00 +0000

Most of you know that I was working on a book for last one year "Creating Vista Gadgets using HTML, CSS and JavaScript - Sams Publishing" Well the result, the book got published recently and is available from today 15th May 2008 in all major book stores.

Creating Vista Gadgets
using HTML, CSS, & JavaScript

Front Cover Back Cover Author Photo

More about the book at http://www.innovatewithgadgets.com

Get the gadget book free
--------------------------------------
If you are in United States and are interested in getting one of the complimentary copy from my publisher please send me your address and I will send you a free copy. this is limited to first 20 people who send me the address :) [UPDATE] All 20 copies are gone, buy it from the link given below.[/UPDATE]

http://www.innovatewithgadgets.com/2008/04/get-gadget-book.html