Mindfly Website Design Studio

Upon returning from a multi-day adventure in Denver at Web Directions North last year, my colleagues introduced me to a software program called Balsamiq Mockups.  Since then, I've been using Balsamiq for all of our larger web jobs.  I'm really impressed with the simplicity of the interface and how quickly I can produce a completed mockup.   Within minutes of downloading the software, I was able to create a digital version of a paper prototype all-inclusive of links, image placeholders, buttons and nicely lined up columns.

Plethora of Elements

With all the sites I've prototyped, I've been able to find each element I wanted on a page in the pre-existing UI Library.  The developers were even sharp enough to include groups of controls such as "buttons", "containers", "media' and "text".  As a sign of the times, there is a section specifically for iPhone controls as well.

When creating a mockup, I first drag down the "Browser Window" control and specify dimensions for a typical site (960px wide x 1100px tall) and then I just drag and drop from there.  Menus are a snap as well as feature boxes, download buttons, and image grids. 

Grid System

One of my favorite features of the software is the way it handles grids and allows me to line up elements based on the edges or center point of other elements.  This also works for resizing elements.  Dragging pieces of a design around the page is so simple when you can line them up within a column layout and makes this software extremely usable for designing web pages.  I don't always use exact measurements at this stage, but not having to constantly eyeball vertical and horizontal alignment saves a lot of time.  

Copy Paste

A feature that is second nature with Photoshop was also included in Balsamiq; the ability to use the "alt" key to copy and paste elements (individually or grouped).  This feature is yet another huge time-saver for designers that use repeated elements within a page design.

Linking with Hyperlinks

For one small job, I was able to use the mock-up software to show how a simple form would work.  When other users that have the same software "click" on buttons in the design, they actually can go to other mock-ups, as if it were a working site.  This has big advantages for people developing forms, user interfaces and admin components of websites.  At this time, I'm the only one using this software in the office, and it is unlikely that our clients will have the software, but I can see that it would be a great feature for certain groups.

Export to PNG and PDF

Once a mock-up is complete, I export the file as a PDF or PNG and create a JPG that clients can view and print.  This has become an excellent way to help clients visualize the page design while still giving them free reign to move items around and modify sections without feeling like they're "undoing" a lot of work on our end.  Not only do clients feel better about making changes, but we also get an opportunity to hash out design decisions without focusing on imagery and exact content - which tends to bog down productivity. 

In short, I highly recommend getting a version of Balsamiq for your design projects if you regularly work on sites from the beginning stages.  Once clients see the mock-ups, they tend to feel more confident in your product, and they can visualize design concept more easily.  Balsamiq does offer a free demo that is well worth a 5-10 minute tour.  Give it a try with your next project and see how you like it.

One size does not fit all. Companies can no longer afford to offer generic package pricing. Between the steep competition, rough economic times and high client expectations, standard pre-priced packages are almost impossible to sell. Mindfly began the SEO program with at pre-package deal: Tall, Grande, and Venti. The SEO packages were set up to monitor sites and offer suggestions for site improvements. As a result, clients were overwhelmed and confused.

It became apparent that an SEO program revamp was in order. The first was to set the standard, a starting point. So, monitoring was mandated. One must know where to start, what changes to make, and assess if the instituted changes are effective. All too often, changes are made, but by the end, there’s no way to determine what worked and what didn’t. To begin the monitoring process, keywords are researched and selected, links (both inbound/outbound) are identified, and several other reports are run in order to gain a basic understanding of how the search engines view the site. After a month or two of monitoring, the heavy hitting comes into play.

As search engine algorithms consistently change, SEO responds accordingly. So Mindfly adopted an ala carte approach to their SEO program. Once the monitoring has occurred, the client is contacted and a budget is discussed, with the understanding that the changes will be made slowly, as this allows for the search engine spiders to crawl the "improved site," assign a new rank, and the change identified and reported. Patience is key. Often a simple change launches the site to the top of the list for the first month, but after three months, the site settles into its more accurate organic location. The site is then monitored again and more changes made…repeat. The cycle never stops, because as soon as your site becomes stagnant, the rankings will fall. I often tell my clients "You don't wear the same outfits every season; your website should change, at the MINIMUM, every season."

Keeping a close eye on your website, making constant changes and staying up to date on new search engine algorithms may seem easy, but hiring a SEO company allows the focus to be placed back on the business vs. the website. Let the experts handle the SEO. It may sound easy, but the time spent could easily be placed back into the business. The ala carte program allows for client input, but alleviates the need for them to make changes. So throw away the generic packaging and let the experts do the work because one size does NOT fit all.