Periodicdesign

I open my Gmail this morning to find a new and nifty little feature that has been added - XML Feeds. The name of this new service is “Web Clips.” My first intention is to call my buddy and ask if he has the same thing in his Gmail (since it’s still in beta, not everyone gets cool new things at the same time). He told me he didn’t. I then proceeded to Google and did a quick search only to find I wasn’t the first to see this new feature. Usually when new features for anything come out on the web, most bloggers have hundreds of posts within hours which can be seen in search engines all over the web. This was not true for this release. My only conclusion is that people either haven’t noticed it yet, or not that many people have it displayed.

I find that this new feature is a welcome addition and one that I have been using frequently through out the day to stay on top of news stories or just peruse a recipe that sounds tantalizing. This new addition is quite ingenious and easy to use. By simply clicking on the “Settings” in the top right corner, the user is directed to a page that allows one to add predetermined feeds from various news organizations such as CNN, CBS and the BBC, just to name a few. You also have the option of adding other feeds from various organizations under tabs of “Business,” “Lifestyle,” “Fun,” “Tech,” “Sports” and the best one of all, “Custom Clips.” This last tab allows you to get any feed you want as long as a site has RSS.

Once again, Google never ceases to amaze me with their tools and ideas.

I just received an email this morning for a highly anticipated site, well, at least I think it was highly anticipated. Interaction-Design.org just launched today. How funny that it goes live on the day that I leave for Australia. I say this because I wanted to check it out before I left the country for two weeks. Please take some time to visit the site and maybe contribute some knowledge.

I can’t believe I’m posting this, but I need a new job. I like the people I work with, but the process in order to get the job done is one large circle. Of course, when I say circle, I mean a huge circle.

First we develop, then the client wants something different, then we develop again and then the client wants something different. Round and round we go, where it stops, nobody knows. For some reason, I cannot impress my views where I work to stop this endless cycle. Now granted, I’m not saying I’m some Jeff Veen / Thomas Vander Wal / Jesse James Garrett / Doug Bowman / Dr. Jakob Nielsen / Information Architect / Information Designer / Interaction Designer / Usability Analyst / Accessibility Analyst / Section 508 Guru, but I do believe in process and a way to do things right.

I believe in one small phrase; “Keep content separate from structure and structure separate from presentation.” Mixing these together ends in disaster, as I‚Äôve seen time and time again. It makes my job near impossible to complete in a timely fashion, and when a redesign of a redesign falls apart, they ask why. Of course, do you point your finger back to your superiors and the client? Ethically the answer is NO! In order to keep your sanity, the answer should be YES!

To end this somewhat unorganized post, if anyone knows of a place that wants “out-of-the-box thinkers” and someone who wants to learn, please drop me an email or leave a comment. I‚Äôm not picky about pay or relocation; I just want a decent and fun working and learning environment.

A co-worker/friend of mine gave me an invite to Gmail the other week. Since the service is still in beta, not everyone can get an account. The only way to get one is to receive an invite from a friend that has Gmail. The trick of getting an invite once you have an account is something I have yet to master. I’ve had Gmail for over two weeks now, and they keep telling me that I should get some invites within a week of doing the initial setup, but I still have not got any invites. I’m guessing it is contingent on how often and really how (feature usage) you use your account.

Regardless, the account is totally kickass and I couldn’t ask for a better email service. I love the way it categorizes everything and allows total flexibility to the user for sorting emails and searching through content. The DHTML and CSS behind Gmail is just awesome. It’s by far the fastest HTTP based email I have ever used. They really thought of the little things when they put this system together. For instance, when replying, you can separate the reply box into its own window. This way, the user doesn’t have to hog their screen up with the entire application. Once you hit “Send,” it closes the window for you as well.

It’s all about the little things for me when it comes to web applications. I have to say, Gmail, to date, is the best free email service on the web. If you can get an invite, please take advantage of the service. You will not be disappointed.