http://www.thirststudios.com/blog/ en andrew@thirststudios.com Copyright 2010 2010-03-17T21:05:03+00:00 http://www.thirststudios.com/blog/healthy_new_client_for_thirst/ http://www.thirststudios.com/blog/healthy_new_client_for_thirst/#When:21:05:03Z Thirst Studios is excited to say that we are now working with Frameworks for Health.  After a successful kick-off meeting yesterday, Thirst is launching into developing the information architecture, and wireframes for the website project. 2010-03-17T21:05:03+00:00 http://www.thirststudios.com/blog/7_guiding_principles_for_designing_a_better_user_experience/ http://www.thirststudios.com/blog/7_guiding_principles_for_designing_a_better_user_experience/#When:22:56:03Z In conducting a number of web site usability reviews of late I’ve noticed a series of emergent issues that are common to all. These issues can be broadly grouped into the following list of 7 ‘principles’ that affect the user interface and information architecture of almost every interactive online product, whether it be it a simple web site or large complex application. The following list can be regarded as a series of simple ‘rules-of-thumb’ to keep in mind when designing usable interfaces. Usability 2010-03-01T22:56:03+00:00 http://www.thirststudios.com/blog/category_select_a_new_field_type_for_expressionengine/ http://www.thirststudios.com/blog/category_select_a_new_field_type_for_expressionengine/#When:10:36:03Z We have been working hard, and have released another ExpressionEngine 1.6.8+ add-on. Category Select is a Pixel&Tonic’s FieldFrame field type which displays categories (from multiple category groups!) in a drop-down list. ExpressionEngine, General, Web Design 2010-02-24T10:36:03+00:00 http://www.thirststudios.com/blog/our_very_own_dev_guru_in_the_spotlight/ http://www.thirststudios.com/blog/our_very_own_dev_guru_in_the_spotlight/#When:17:45:03Z The great folks over at devot:ee have put together a new “Spotlight” article on our very own dev guru Andrew. The article has Andrew talking about how he used ExpressionEngine on our recently released site for Eastern Ranges GP Association. ExpressionEngine, General, Web Design 2010-02-10T17:45:03+00:00 http://www.thirststudios.com/blog/publish-redirect-a-new-ee-addon/ http://www.thirststudios.com/blog/publish-redirect-a-new-ee-addon/#When:21:18:03Z We are pleased to announce that Andrew has released a new extension specifically designed for ExpressionEngine 2.0.  Publish Redirect allows you to redirect a user to a specific page after updating or adding an entry. By default the extension will redirect the user back to the current entry edit screen and display a message. ExpressionEngine, Web Design 2010-02-05T21:18:03+00:00 http://www.thirststudios.com/blog/improving_the_age_site_search_field_usability_in_5_minutes/ http://www.thirststudios.com/blog/improving_the_age_site_search_field_usability_in_5_minutes/#When:16:32:03Z Despite being someone who uses the web daily (and a regular reader of The Age) I find myself getting caught-out by the design of their site search every time. Here’s how I’d tweak the design to improve it’s usability in 5 minutes. Usability, Web Design 2009-05-28T16:32:03+00:00 http://www.thirststudios.com/blog/i_vote_for_art_gets_an_upgrade/ http://www.thirststudios.com/blog/i_vote_for_art_gets_an_upgrade/#When:21:59:03Z Now I normally wouldn’t mention when we simply upgrade or update a site we have designed, but there was a little bit of psychology that went with the recent update to I Vote For Art that I thought would be worth sharing. In conjunction with the client, three areas were identified that needed updating and improving with the site.  ExpressionEngine, General 2009-04-05T21:59:03+00:00 http://www.thirststudios.com/blog/petitions_with_expressionengine_and_freeform/ http://www.thirststudios.com/blog/petitions_with_expressionengine_and_freeform/#When:19:28:03Z A recent project had a lot of requirements.  Most were straightforward, and things we come across in our daily lives as web developers… blog, news, about us, contact form, etc.  As with all clients, they also had a few requirements that were not quite “out of the box”.  Along with these usual features, the site required the Content Management System (CMS) to create petition forms for individual campaigns that they were running.  It may come as no surprise to those who know me… but of course I turned to ExpressionEngine to help solve my problems. ExpressionEngine 2009-03-30T19:28:03+00:00 http://www.thirststudios.com/blog/review_campaign_monitor_email_newsletter_software/ http://www.thirststudios.com/blog/review_campaign_monitor_email_newsletter_software/#When:18:57:03Z I was recently asked to write a review of the Campaign Monitor email marketing software for popular industry magazine, Think Vitamin. Campaign Monitor, Review, ThinkVitamin 2009-03-30T18:57:03+00:00 http://www.thirststudios.com/blog/welcome_to_thirst_studios/ http://www.thirststudios.com/blog/welcome_to_thirst_studios/#When:18:54:03Z Yep. We have finally launched our website. It’s taken a while due to all the client work but hey, we sure ain’t complaining! 2009-03-30T18:54:03+00:00