Some articles I am going to read, on the topic of Accesibility, a fundamental component of any web site, and a topic all web professionals should be aware of.
Yes I know, It’s a poor joke But maybe I got your attention for the problem I want your opinion on.
My site has always been bilingual. I like this because it keeps a foot in Portugal and stays close to Portuguese readers, while with English I reach the Whole Wide Web (oh no, another joke). I want to maintain content in both languages, but it looks a little awkward having two different posts. I created two categories, ‘Português’ and ‘English’, but It doesn’t quite do the trick. Or maybe it does. If you click on the language, you’ll see only the respective posts. Maybe if I include a disclaimer on the navigation bar… I’ll give this some thought.
With a single post in two languages, I can’t figure out how to make both languages stand out, and it seems even more messy. I realize I’m just starting with WordPress, and maybe there is a simple solution for this.
Well, this is me thinking out loud. So, if you usability experts and colleages have a hit for me, feel free to share.
No site antigo, tinha uma secção chamada “Picture This”, onde colocava algumas fotos das minhas viagens. Essas fotos estão agora no Flickr (excelente site), e em breve porderão lá ver bastantes mais. Por isso… Digam Whiskey!
I used to have a Section called “Picture This”, where I posted some selected photos from my trips. It has moved to Flickr, where you can expect to find many more of my pictures soon. So… Picture This!
I am in the process of installing and configuring the site for WordPress. This is a step I meant to take for some time now. My site has always been static. There is nothing wrong with that, but I decided I’d benefit from this change. The flexibility it gives me is much greater.
One thing I don’t see a way around, is getting the tons of previous static posts into WP. Until I find a solution, I’ll do it manually, so bear with me.
I’ll let you know how it goes. Suggestions for the new look are welcome, as well as for the logo. Keep hitting! 
Do you know if your site is usable? Would you like to find out? Do you know your site can provide such an experience that your visitors will buy more from you? Or visit you more often? Or regard you as an authority in whatever you do? If you have a web site and would like me to take a look at it, drop me a line and ask my opinion.
Conventions on Web sites have been the subject of much discussion over time. Some say that conventions leave no room for creativity, and that all sites would look the same if we stuck to them. I do not agree. Some sites do look the same, that’s a fact. But that’s not because of conventions. It’s because of lack of creativity and imagination on creating the way they look. Conventions work like road signs. They are where you expect them to be, mean what you expect them to and, most importantly, show you the way and make you feel safer. You don’t want a prospect costumer to be thinking about such things as “Where is the main navigation?” or “Where do I search?” instead of focusing on the wonderful products or information you have for them. Some of the most common conventions are:
Of course, everyone can build their site as they please. But people tend to expect things to be at a certain place and, if you want to provide a good experience, and maybe make some money, you’d better play it safer. Unless of course, your site intends to be an adventure in itself, like a treasure hunt. Then, by all means ignore what I said, be completely free, and then send me the URL. I love a good challenge!
A consistência é fulcral para que um site tenha sucesso. Os elementos, nomeadamente os menus e a navegação, têm de estar onde esperamos que estejam. De outra forma os leitores perdem-se. Imaginem um museu, no qual a legenda para cada quadro mudasse de local ao longo da exposição. Ao fim de algumas salas, o visitante estará bastante confuso. A não ser que essa seja a intenção da exposição, isto não é bom. Não digo onde devem colocar os elementos de navegação – sejam criativos, desde que os mantenham no mesmo local. E por favor não mudem os descritivos pelo caminho. Não há nada mais confuso que termos dois links com descritivos diferentes, que afinal apontam para a mesma página. Frustração? Isso mesmo! E frustração leva ao abandono.
Consistency is fulcral to a successful Web site. Things, namely menus and navigation, must be where you expect them to be. Otherwise people will get lost. Imagine a museum, where the labels for each painting kept changing places along the exhibition. After a few rooms, I am sure you would be pretty confused. I’m not telling where to place your navigation elements – get creative, as long as you keep them in the same place. And please, don’t change the labels along the way. There is nothing more confusing than having two links with different labels that point to the same page. Frustration? Oh yea. And frustration leads to abandonment.