Reading Response #3

For this week's reading response I'll be looking at Chapter 14 in RBWD&U entitled "Graphics, Images and Multimedia". As the website's PDF points out "when used appropriately, graphics can facilitate learning". With our LaunchPad product we will definitely need to be aware of the rules and guidelines suggested by the Usability website. In Chapter 14 they state that the use of graphics, images and multimedia must follow the rules below:

• use simple background images
• label clickable images (the American Memory website that is used as an example is presented first without labels for the pictures and in the second picture there are descriptive labels to go along with the images. This applies to our product since when we did our user testing we found that people didn't necessarily understand the intent of the icons in our navigation system)
• ensure that images do not slow downloads
• use video, animation and audio meaningfully (in other words, use video, animation, and audio only when they help to convey, or are supportive of, the website’s message or other content. Any use of video, animation and audio should have a strong intended purpose, and not be used if it's going to be distracting for users)
• include logos
• graphics should not look like banner ads (this shouldn't be a problem for our product, as it is ad-free and optimized for smartphones, not a website with annoying ads in place)
• limit large images above the fold (large graphics that dominate the front page may lead readers to think that there is no text below the graphic)
• ensure website images convey intended messages (once again, this is applicable to our project, as we have to make sure that the images that we use are appropriate and have the intended message. This connects to our usability testing of our icon navigation system once again as we thought that the icons were easy to understand, but they weren't by our users)
• limit the use of images
• include actual data with data graphics
• display monitoring information graphically
• introduce animation (this is applicable to our project because we will be using animation as part of the LaunchPad. We need to make sure that we have introductory information for any animations that appear in our product)
• emulate real-world objects
• use thumbnail images to preview larger images (this is a good idea to do when you have large image files on your website and want it load faster. Most people have high-speed Internet access today in North America, but it is still something to consider)
• use images to facilitate learning (in other words, use images whenever possible to replace text)
• using photographs of people (in some cases it might be beneficial to have photos of people on a website. Given our focus of our project, this may not be necessary)

I also really appreciate the link to the LIFE magazine Google images link in this week's links. It might be useful to finding images for my teaching practice. I really like the Boston Globe's feature called "The Big Picture" which covers current events from around the world with amazing photojournalism.