What it comes down to, is always the message and the brain of the concept, that delivers the service or the message. Grocery-ordering refrigerator or a health-monitoring bathroom sounds like a great idea, but to me they sound to more like a great appliance accessories of collecting data. On the other hand the concept of personalized medicine, could work very well as futuristic web application. As Facebook offers free service of collecting and sharing personal data in forms of images, texts and videos.  It would not hurt to see implemented similar concept as a medical diary for all humans. Simply to archive their health history. Even though revealing such a personal data could be quite uncomfortable in many cases, it would definitely serve well for the scientists or doctors who need large volume volunteers to test certain procedures while trying to find cures.

The online medical history would help them find and locate the right candidate to proceed the experiment. I personally give credit to any concept that helps globally or locally to solve problems associated with health, nature and preserving natural sources such as water. Humans built the world wide web to serve to humans and to satisfy their personalized egocentric bubbles. It would be great to explore and to see more ways of how we can help to the other elements surrounding our lives. The internet has power to gain information, share and to access information that needs to been seen or heard in everyone’s eyes. Lets take advantage of it, and use the internet to address and solve the real issues that humans are globally facing today!

As of today, the web trends are constantly pushing boarders of technology,  interactivity and personalization at the speed of light. What seemes to work now, won’t be enough in the near future, or maybe tomorrow. New interactions within mobile and web industry, constantly give births a to hundreds more applications and ways of living egocentric personalized lifestyle. The internet is a global library with billions of doors and windows for each information, that can exposed instantly by a one simple click, and only in the matter of seconds. It doen’t get faster than that, until we figure out how to teleport ourselves in different locations or how we teleport the information we need.  Through the monitor screen, and straight into our brain.

I believe that anything that will make a user to engage more personally, will play a major key point in opening new windows of possibilities in the web industry. People are already sourcing way to much from their friend’s facebook accounts, entertaining themselves with videos on Youtube, finding information they need thanks to Google’s  search engine,  going entirely green that even their apartment’s mailbox has not been checked for over a two weeks, or even started travelling less or so often because Skype allows them to see their loved ones for free via web cams. Mobility and freedom in making decisions from where and when I decide to connect to the world, changed the civilization entirely. The human kind is building itself a personalized bubbles.  And those will only grow bigger, deeper and faster, as the semantic web is being born, and as the rich internet applications and online consumer strategies are already capable of monitoring what users on web are interested the most and why they return to certain websites. It is about giving the people what they want and the most convienient and comfortable way – via Mobile device, via Internet. The Internet will become their TV; a massive source of pleasure, entertainment, work and communication tool. Through phone or internet they will able to load up and run their entire life from the living room couch or from any other location they desire to be at that moment. If you can have your food to be delivered in matter of couple clicks, why would you walk to the store? Because it is easier, it is more comfortable, more fun and most importantly, it saves you time, which is the only think in everyone’s life, that is never enough of.

What a great “performance shortcut” is to use one’s work as a guide to build well structured website around it. I love the fact how it’s time saving. The time element right there is a huge aspect of why people rather copy, implement and plug in efficiently proven layout, structure or design type into their web work. Why? because is is much faster and easier than sweating by the computer on their own trying to figure out what works for the user and what doesn’t. The question is, where is the drawn fine line between producing generic work of art and masterpiece that still nails the point, that still delivers the message. Time has proven in web development industry, that certain crucial elements such as main navigation, must be placed consistently in the same areas on all websites to function the best way. Its precise placement works so well, that it even established itself a standard. At this point, everyone implements the main navigation always horizontal way. And if you didn’t notice yet, it is always located in the upper area of the layout. The reason why? Because people read from left to right and don’t like to look for things or scroll down to find the information they need. Therefore there is no reason for building main navigation vertical way, isn’t it? But I like to give a credit that there is a significant importance in vertical drop down menus which work well as sub-navigations.

The best way to prove whether or not the layout, design and overall website performance work well together, is having a friend taking look at your website. Simply have him navigate through your website and you will see, what bugs, pros and cons it has. Monitoring his eye tracking activity and comparing times spent on noticing and reading certain elements, will answer the questions you seek a web builder. On the spot you will be giving an answers, which every web developer, web designer or information architect wants. As it is our mission to build successful website, we also need to able to get some kind of feedback, otherwise how else we would know if they are being successful? The analytical tracking numbers come into play later, after the website is launched, but what about before hand? How do we know if are succeeding or not? We either plug in and paint new coat on what has been working on other websites, or we push our boarders of patience, creativity and knowledge we have in our pocket. Why? because it does matter quite a bit, what elements on websites grab the user’s attentions first, second, or last. It does matter whether the text was hard to read or not. And because it does matter the most, whether our users you found what they were looking for. Lets face the reality: those truthful answers your friend gives you are more valuable then you think. They are often keys to building a successful website. Just because we think as a web developers, that we know how to build great website, that doesn’t mean, that we can always deliver them!

What is the first thing that comes to my mind? The book called “Don’t make me think” written by Steve Krug. This book is a absolute must read literature for anyone, who ever aims or considers to build successful website. The book is so easy to read, has few pages, it is written and visually guided like for a four year old child, but completely nails the point, on how and why the clear layout, readability, functionality and clear navigation on websites, are far more important than their design. Why? Simply because people do not come to the websites to look at the advertisements, for that they go to local magazine stands! What they really want on the website? To dig out the information they need as soon as possible. In the matter of minutes, in the matter of seconds. And if you are lucky enough to provide the information they seek, do yourself a favor and don’t piss the user off by too overwhelming design, too much motion or by some kind of excessive unclear interactivity. The user will without the doubt give up the process of trying to gain the information they seek and instead will in 5 seconds simply Google different website, that will satisfy his information hungry ego. And guess what? You lost your user. You lost the game of trying to build your web traffic.

The internet is global and so competitive at this point, so if you want your users to ever come back to your website, give him easy to navigate, user friendly website with a decent design that doesn’t swallow its concept when somebody is using it. At the end, it really doesn’t matter who likes or dislikes your design. Think about it. What does matter, is your user’s acquaintance in your analytical report and the web traffic. With the evolution of the world wide web, the traffic to your site without the doubt, has become the king on the websites!

Im very fond of blogs, you get the information you seek & need so quickly down, in the matter of minutes. I can’t imagine, or frankly, do not even want to try to imagine, what is like to go back to the times where it took me whole day to find a resource in the library, for my art, for my paper, for anything i tried to use as a backbone of my work. I love the fact that the internet and blogging in general does filter the most relevant information and it throws it at you in the time you need it.

Im one of those people who hates to read on the websites, in fact I don’t know anyone who has time to read on websites. Anything that adds visually to the point or concept of the article, makes the entire experience of gaining the right information much easier and much more enjoyable. Anything I can relate to makes me even more “dig into” what I just set my mind on, or anything that will brings up some kind of emotion.

Even when it comes to research the right source for a my business. http://www.shotrabbit.com . My company is constantly searching for the unique wicked and independent little artists, whose voice wants to be heard as their art also adds to the creation and imagination of life. The right relevant blogs leads me and my company to them and vice versa. Blogs are not just useful articles, they are also the bridges that connect the dots they are looking for each other all over the world. Blogs rules! So bring them on!

We are living in the 21st. century. This is  a century of information and its communication.  We are living in Information Age, which took control and radical speed in everyone’s aspect of life, thanks to the evolution of internet and cell phone mobility. Without a doubt the reality of today dwells, relies and constantly pushes borders of electronic communication, interactivity between human and media, and transporting information from point A to point to B in the matter of seconds.

With the power and concept of internet, everyone’s life changed. Everyone is on the same train, and it is not easy to keep up with the speed of things are happening today. But instead of trying to avoid the reality, isn’t it just easier to get use to the ways the things work in life these days? Instead of trying to stick to the same old, same old…

Internet, the global library, the resourceful mother of global information, has created door to anyone, who seeks and wants to reveal information globally.

Its purpose is to make people’s life easier, not harder, so in the matter of journalism, I  do believe that the power of Internet actually made their mission as news hunters easier, they became a click away from reliable information source and click away to post their articles, it doesn’t get faster then that. Nothing in life remains the same; the time doens’t stay still and everything is moving forward, towards future…

And I do agree that Jim Gaines’s definition of humility is in reality “regret for failing to try something new” because by stopping the momentum and the natural flow of time and what it dwells, can only bring limitations to positive human prospective, human brain and its conceptual thinking. Life is a wild ride, so lets ride it hard, fast and without fear of what comes next!