Archiwum kategorii: Design

How to design websites with great user experience

Post pobrano z: How to design websites with great user experience

When a client hits on your site, statistical research shows that you have 8 seconds to capture his attention.  Human attention span is decreasing rapidly with digital use.  There is therefore only a short period of time to capture user attention.

This information is important to site designers who are able to understand how important it is to capture user attention quickly.  Without this, your user will bounce off your site.

How do you create a website which is engaging enough to hold your viewers’ attention?

This article offers guidelines on constructing a website which will offer a great user experience.

Unique value proposition (UVP)

As a designer, you need to make your website stand out.  The internet is saturated with websites or blogs which aim to grab attention.  Your site will, therefore, need to make an excellent impression.

However, when it comes to internet design, it is not merely first impressions which count.  Overall user experience is important to take into consideration.  This means offering great value to your clients so that they become loyal visitors to your site.

Researchers share that when it comes to converting your viewers, value proposition is one of the most important elements.  Your value proposition shares how your product or service will assist your clients to solve their problems. Your value proposition should also state why you stand out from your competition.

What is important to consider when creating your unique value proposition?

Location

Many internet designers consider the top part of a site, before the user scrolls, to be the most crucial area of your site.  Research shows that viewers tend to track the site in an F shaped pattern.  The majority of users place their attention on the upper left-hand side of the site.

These studies show why many designers place their most important information in the upper part of the site (above the fold).  However, this part of the page shouldn’t feel cramped or chaotic.  If the page is cramped, your user experience will be less pleasant.

There is a lot of competition to hold users’ attention online.  This means that when you place content above the fold, you would need to include your value proposition here.  Speak to your users and share what you offer from a user’s perspective.  Keep your site clear, so that you don’t overwhelm your viewer.

If your information is easy to digest, your viewers will be willing to stay on your page.

Use imagery

Imagery can have a powerful emotional resonance.  When you use imagery on your site, you will connect with your viewers on a deep level.  A picture says a thousand words.  Viewers are also far more able to process imagery quickly than they are able to process text.

When you show your viewers your message (rather than tell them) you will have a greater impact.  Images, illustrations, photographs and screenshots can share complex information without being too demanding.

Video clips keep viewers over 100% more engaged.  They are also a very effective means of sharing a message.  Users will grasp and retain a message far more quickly if it is presented in video format.

An important tip:  when you place visuals on your site, they have to be relevant.  If your visuals are either irrelevant or contradict your audience’s expectations, they will be dismissed as irrelevant.  If your visuals do not support your site’s value proposition, your site may seem to lack integrity.

Besides imagery, you should also take colors into consideration. Using muted colors, for example, may help you keep your visitors on the site. Nobody wants to see flashing colors in front of they eyeballs.

Unique content

There is so much information available online that brands often find it hard to connect with viewers.  Marketers struggle to come up with content which will convert their viewers into clients.

Oli Gardner shares that in order to come up with original content, it is important to consult your customers.  Your customer queries or topics can assist you to create a headline.  By addressing their unique needs, you will be able to come up with original content which speaks directly to them.

Your clients will also be able to share why they chose to go into business with you and what they value about your service. Your clients will also be able to share their pain points with you so that you can address them online.

When you set up your content, it is also important to address keywords in order to increase your search engine rankings.  If you structure your content around a client’s questions, you will save them time.  This will create a positive experience.

When you offer up unique content, present it aesthetically, using appropriate typography and great imagery.  An attractive and well laid out page will offer a valuable user experience.

Greater Use of Negative Space

Whitespace, or negative space, offers up breathing room to your site.  It assists you to create a cleanly designed and sophisticated site.  When you use whitespace well, your content will be clear, simple and easy to understand.

When you create a site, keep in mind that many readers are more interested in scanning information than actually reading it.  When you create divide your content using subheadings and use whitespace to divide up your topics, your viewers will be able to select what they want to read most.  Great use of negative space will, therefore, improve your user experience.

Mobile influences on desktop designs

As people are using mobile devices to explore websites, design trends for mobile are starting to reach desktop sites.  At one time, hamburger menus or large and well-spaced typography was often limited to mobile designs.  However, as sites are made to be responsive to mobile use, these features are now being placed onto desktop sites too.

Another change which may reach desktop sites is the change from a navigation menu on the top of the site to one on the bottom of the site.  This keeps the buttons easily accessible.

Summary

When you’re designing a website, focus on user experience if you wish to achieve all of your site goals.  Sites with a great UX have a high conversion rate.  Ineffective websites are easily abandoned and will not achieve their site goals.

An understanding of psychology will help you to explore how users relate to your site.  By focusing on user experiences, your viewers will have an enjoyable online experience and you’ll end up getting the conversion rates you need.

How to design websites with great user experience

When a client hits on your site, statistical research shows that you have 8 seconds to capture his attention.  Human attention span is decreasing rapidly with digital use.  There is therefore only a short period of time to capture user attention.

 

https://dribbble.com/shots/559643-Pair-s-new-homepage

This information is important to site designers who are able to understand how important it is to capture user attention quickly.  Without this, your user will bounce off your site.

How do you create a website which is engaging enough to hold your viewers’ attention?

This article offers guidelines on constructing a website which will offer a great user experience.

Unique value proposition (UVP)

As a designer, you need to make your website stand out.  The internet is saturated with websites or blogs which aim to grab attention.  Your site will, therefore, need to make an excellent impression.

However, when it comes to internet design, it is not merely first impressions which count.  Overall user experience is important to take into consideration.  This means offering great value to your clients so that they become loyal visitors to your site.

Researchers share that when it comes to converting your viewers, value proposition is one of the most important elements.  Your value proposition shares how your product or service will assist your clients to solve their problems. Your value proposition should also state why you stand out from your competition.

What is important to consider when creating your unique value proposition?

Location

Many internet designers consider the top part of a site, before the user scrolls, to be the most crucial area of your site.  Research shows that viewers tend to track the site in an F shaped pattern.  The majority of users place their attention on the upper left-hand side of the site.

These studies show why many designers place their most important information in the upper part of the site (above the fold).  However, this part of the page shouldn’t feel cramped or chaotic.  If the page is cramped, your user experience will be less pleasant.

There is a lot of competition to hold users’ attention online.  This means that when you place content above the fold, you would need to include your value proposition here.  Speak to your users and share what you offer from a user’s perspective.  Keep your site clear, so that you don’t overwhelm your viewer.

If your information is easy to digest, your viewers will be willing to stay on your page.

Use imagery

Imagery can have a powerful emotional resonance.  When you use imagery on your site, you will connect with your viewers on a deep level.  A picture says a thousand words.  Viewers are also far more able to process imagery quickly than they are able to process text.

When you show your viewers your message (rather than tell them) you will have a greater impact.  Images, illustrations, photographs and screenshots can share complex information without being too demanding.

 

https://dribbble.com/shots/3457011-Mackey-Saturday-on-Freelance-TV

Video clips keep viewers over 100% more engaged.  They are also a very effective means of sharing a message.  Users will grasp and retain a message far more quickly if it is presented in video format.

An important tip:  when you place visuals on your site, they have to be relevant.  If your visuals are either irrelevant or contradict your audience’s expectations, they will be dismissed as irrelevant.  If your visuals do not support your site’s value proposition, your site may seem to lack integrity.

Besides imagery, you should also take colors into consideration. Using muted colors, for example, may help you keep your visitors on the site. Nobody wants to see flashing colors in front of they eyeballs.

Unique content

There is so much information available online that brands often find it hard to connect with viewers.  Marketers struggle to come up with content which will convert their viewers into clients.

Oli Gardner shares that in order to come up with original content, it is important to consult your customers.  Your customer queries or topics can assist you to create a headline.  By addressing their unique needs, you will be able to come up with original content which speaks directly to them.

Your clients will also be able to share why they chose to go into business with you and what they value about your service. Your clients will also be able to share their pain points with you so that you can address them online.

When you set up your content, it is also important to address keywords in order to increase your search engine rankings.  If you structure your content around a client’s questions, you will save them time.  This will create a positive experience.

 

https://dribbble.com/shots/3651278-Less-Is-More

When you offer up unique content, present it aesthetically, using appropriate typography and great imagery.  An attractive and well laid out page will offer a valuable user experience.

Greater Use of Negative Space

Whitespace, or negative space, offers up breathing room to your site.  It assists you to create a cleanly designed and sophisticated site.  When you use whitespace well, your content will be clear, simple and easy to understand.

 

https://dribbble.com/shots/4337906-Feature-Page-Design-for-Invoicing-SaaS-Company

When you create a site, keep in mind that many readers are more interested in scanning information than actually reading it.  When you create divide your content using subheadings and use whitespace to divide up your topics, your viewers will be able to select what they want to read most.  Great use of negative space will, therefore, improve your user experience.

Mobile influences on desktop designs

As people are using mobile devices to explore websites, design trends for mobile are starting to reach desktop sites.  At one time, hamburger menus or large and well-spaced typography was often limited to mobile designs.  However, as sites are made to be responsive to mobile use, these features are now being placed onto desktop sites too.

 

https://dribbble.com/shots/3503732-Responsive-Lasso-Screens

Another change which may reach desktop sites is the change from a navigation menu on the top of the site to one on the bottom of the site.  This keeps the buttons easily accessible.

Summary

When you’re designing a website, focus on user experience if you wish to achieve all of your site goals.  Sites with a great UX have a high conversion rate.  Ineffective websites are easily abandoned and will not achieve their site goals.

An understanding of psychology will help you to explore how users relate to your site.  By focusing on user experiences, your viewers will have an enjoyable online experience and you’ll end up getting the conversion rates you need.

Design deals for the week

Post pobrano z: Design deals for the week

Every week, we’ll give you an overview of the best deals for designers, make sure you don’t miss any by subscribing to our deals feed. You can also follow the recently launched website Type Deals if you are looking for free fonts or font deals.

5,000 High-Quality Graphic Resources

You’re looking at 5,000 graphic elements including illustration, logo, seamless patterns, watercolor textures, backgrounds, badges, fonts, borders, florals and more. With so many resources at your fingertips, that means you can spend more time working on your designs and expanding your client base.

 $14 instead of $3000 – Get it now!

Beautiful Solomon Font Family (12 fonts)

Fonts can be so much fun to work with. Whether you’re creating a logo, a T-shirt or a funky poster, having the right font can make all the difference. If you’re looking for something new, something clean, and something fun, you’ve come to the right place. This Mighty Deal offers up the Solomon Font Family, from Fontfabric, at a ridiculously reduced price.

$9 instead of $279 – Get it now!

50 Fabulous Fonts from Vintage to Modern

Meet the Summer Typographic Collection chock full of 50 fonts. You’ll be privy to a wide variety of styles ranging from vintage to cartoon, and script to monograms, not to mention a slew of extras like alternates and ligatures. No matter your latest project, you’re bound to find the perfect font in this collection.

$10 instead of $150 – Get it now!

50 Custom Clear Labels from StickerMule

Promoting yourself or your business is a sticky situation! This fantastic Mighty Deal from StickerMule will get you 50 Custom Clear Labels that clock in at 3″ x 3″ and are printed in full color, plus white ink for a “no label” type of appearance. You’ll get free worldwide shipping, free online proofs, free artwork setup and a super fast 4-day turnaround.

$9 instead of $65 – Get it now!

10 Professional Script Fonts

If you’re looking to give your typeface toolbox a boost, you’ve come to the right place. This deal features 10 highly legible PUA encoded fonts. Elegant in nature, these script fonts feature a variety of extra characters to give you some real flexibility in your designs.

$7 instead of $144 – Get it now!

monday.com: a centralized team management tool to boost productivity

Post pobrano z: monday.com: a centralized team management tool to boost productivity

Project management is tough, it requires to keep a clear overview of many parameters and tasks to do. It gets even tougher when teams are involved, as it makes it more complex and usually means that it’s a larger project. To handle this type of project and manage all the tasks pending, having the right team management tool will be a lifesaver.

There are countless project management tools, but they are often too complicated and involve a steep learning curve that means less productivity. Thus, simplicity is key to better team management, which is exactly what monday.com managed to achieve with their team management app. monday.com aims to make every user feel empowered and part of something bigger than their own individual tasks, and as a result, to boost collective productivity and transparency.

A visual approach to project management

All features are very important in a project management tool: timelines, communication, checklists,… but one thing can make or break your app: the user interface. If the interface is not properly designed, the features will not be used properly.

monday.com focused on good design and made a very user-friendly interface with a visual approach. It works very well and makes it quick to get started. A quick overview gives you an idea of what is going on in an intuitive way and directs you on the right path. Here are a couple of screenshots to give you an idea of the user interface.

Above: the timeline makes it simple to have a quick overview, while the to-do list is well-organized with a clever color scheme to know what is done and what is not.

A quick overview of current tasks and upcoming ones, organized by month.

Your project management hub

One common issue in projects is that some people can just not keep track of their emails or other messages. Using monday.com, this type of people has no excuses, all communication is centralized, which means that messages will not be lost.

Integration with Google Drive tools or Microsoft Excel also means that you can work with your favorite tools, it will be accessible from your interface. This feature gives your team great incentives to use this team management tool right away.

Easily add files from Dropbox or Google Drive.

On top of that, a powerful built-in search tool allows you to search everything, giving you a productivity boost from quick file access.

Manage your project from anywhere

As it should for any flexible worker, you don’t have to stay at your desk to manage your team. The team management tool created by monday.com makes it easy to access all its features from your mobile. Who said you shouldn’t be productive on the road? Obviously, everything is cloud-based so you don’t have to worry about backups or using the right device to access the app.

The app’s user interface on a smartphone.

About monday.com

monday.com is a centralized platform for teams to manage every detail of their work, from high-level roadmap planning to the specifics of day-to-day tasks, while building a culture of transparency.

The platform they built is suitable for any team, no matter the size or nature of the team. It can help a few freelancers to work together or large teams to collaborate across the world, and it doesn’t require a high-level of technical skills. In fact, it is very popular amongst non-tech teams.

The popularity of monday.com is already largely established, with over 22000 teams working with it, from startups to Fortune 500 companies, including WeWork, Samsung, Discovery Channel, Wix, NBC, General Assembly, McDonald’s, Uber, Wix, AOL, and Adidas.

3 tools that make Wix perfect for building business websites

Post pobrano z: 3 tools that make Wix perfect for building business websites

Wix is without a doubt the most famous website building tool nowadays. It has millions of users for a good reason, it’s a powerful tool that makes website creation very accessible to anyone who knows how to use a computer. One of the reasons for Wix’s success is that all their tools can be used by both professionals and amateurs and that they can help you build business sites. They showed it again with their logo maker, which is an incredible addition to their business tools. In this post, we look at a few of the more recent additions made by Wix to their website creation arsenal and look at the advantages of each.

1. The Wix Logo Maker

Branding is much more than just a logo, it’s a process that involves coherent visual efforts to give a strong and unique identity to your company. However, no company will have decent branding without having a good business logo.

If you don’t have the budget for a graphic design, you will need to find a way to design your own logo. For that, you will need to find the right kind of tool. The Wix Logo Maker is perfect for this kind of task. Unlike many design tools that allow you to design a wide range of visuals, Wix’s tool was built with logo design in mind.

The main advantage of this tool is the simplicity of use. No learning curve is needed, you can get started immediately. Simply enter your business name, add a tagline if you want and follow the process. Wix Logo Maker will try to get a better grasp of your taste by showing you some logo inspiration, then it will make some proposal. If you find a logo that you find nearly suitable, you can then process to edit it will the logo editor that allows you to change shapes, colors, sizes, and positioning.

As if all of this wasn’t enough, this tool produces professional files that you can use beyond your website. The logo can be exported as an SVG file that can be used at any size for print.

2. Wix Artificial Intelligence Design (ADI)

The “traditional” Wix editor was already known for its simplicity, I’ve seen many friends with no web dev background start using it in a matter of minutes. Most companies would have stopped their efforts there, but Wix took it one step further and built a new editor based on artificial intelligence.

If you are a user, you can choose to start using the Wix ADI editor from your admin interface. Just like for the logo making tool, the Wix ADI will assist you in non-technical ways, making it even easier to create a web design that has exactly the look-and-feel need for the type of messages you want to convey. In short, the Wix ADI will not only make your website look better and more efficient, it will also make the creation process much quicker.

3. Wix Code

As usual, Wix also thought of people who want to take their website even further when releasing new tools. Wix Code is their latest addition in order to make novices and developers happy by allowing them to extend the functionalities of the website on their own. In your admin panel, you can activate this wonderful feature by going to Wix Editor > Code > Developers Tools.

Wix Code was built for all users, novices and advanced users. It gives you the chance to add features otherwise unavailable using the available tools or by coding them yourself. This way, you can create dynamic pages with more user interaction, build forms that interact with the database easily, or add custom interactions that make the user experience better. Databases are probably one of the key features of Wix Code, as they can make you save a lot of time. We should also not forget to mention an important functionality, the possibility for developers to use the Wix API to take advantage of the website builder’s power.

You will also be pleased to know that Wix provides in-depth documentation on the usage of Wix Code, as well as video tutorials to learn how it works to finally take advantage of user data.

Bonus: the Wix App Market

The App Market is an ecosystem that allows developers to offer extra features that not all websites will need. It is incredibly powerful as it basically gives you the chance to build anything you could dream of with Wix. Whether you want to handle events on your website, add a booking system to it or add a chat for support, it is possible, thanks to the App Market. Some tool are free and some are paid, but the paid ones are definitely worth the money. Among the tools, you will also find some powerful marketing and automation tools that are already included into the Wix ecosystem, making implementation very fast and easy.

Awesome Tools and Resources for Designers You Need to Try in 2018

Post pobrano z: Awesome Tools and Resources for Designers You Need to Try in 2018

When it comes to web design trends and technologies, the only constant is change. Those much sought after comfort zones usually don’t stay that way all that long. It’s hard to keep up with those competitors who always address new technologies.

It’s not always that way of course. Most designers often find themselves scrambling to keep up with the times. There’s good news, however. Technologies change and create new challenges. Then, the new tools and resources generally come into play.  They aim to meet and overcome those challenges.

Maybe this is a good time for you to take stock of your tools and resources. See where pursuing some updates or tools might be in order.

This list of 15 of 2018’s best tools and resources should help you get started.

1. Mason

Requirements, like technologies, also have a habit of changing, and much more often. Getting a software product out the door can bring with it enough problems. When requirements change, or updates are needed, whether during design and development or during maintenance, it means even more work. In the latter case changes sometimes require repetitive deployment cycles.

Mason is a software design, development, maintenance, and collaboration tool that will enable you to avoid facing these repetitive deployment cycles and help speed up the design/development process as well.

Mason, with its wealth of software product design features, enables you to build, edit, and manage your products from a single platform. It’s pre-packaged building blocks address common requirements and are continuously updated.

What Mason does differently is to allow others, including end users, to make changes, even after your product has been signed off and deployed. Thanks to Mason’s login and user registration security features, you maintain complete control over what happens. Approved individuals can make maintenance changes or updates without having to repeat the deployment cycle.

2. Mobirise

The ability to create mobile-friendly websites has become practically mandatory for themes and web designers alike. Most WordPress themes advertise mobile friendly, device friendly, or responsive as one of these features, and for good reason. Mobirise on the other hand is a free website builder that was created with mobile devices in mind.

Mobirise can be used for personal or commercial use, free and without restrictions. Since it is an offline app, you’re not tied down to the theme, you have total control over your website or mobile app design, and you can host it wherever and however you choose to.

This is a great tool for anyone who works on multiple small projects such as small websites, promo sites, portfolios, or landing pages. It has all the features and design elements you’re likely to need, and no coding is necessary.

3. Elementor

Elementor is a feature-rich, open source frontend website builder that can justifiably claim to be the best page-building tool on the market. The numbers would seem to bear that out as more than 900,000 users have signed up to use Elementor in just under 2 years. Signing up is not at all complicated since Elementor is yours to use for free.

Part of Elementor’s popularity is no doubt due to its superior workflow features, its menu and visual form builders, custom CSS and superior integrations. Ease of use and excellent performance are other key factors.

This page-building machine is only going to get better, given what has been added in the latest release, Elementor 2.0. Features include new eCommerce page-building capabilities, enhanced WooCommerce shop product pages, single post page builders, and more. Several of these new features have already been released, with the remaining features to follow throughout 2018.

4. A2’s Fully Managed WordPress Hosting

A2’s managed WordPress hosting features can easily be customized to fit your exact needs. Not only will you get the hosting experience you want and need, but you’ll get it for much less than you would typically pay elsewhere.

A2 Hosting’s servers are blazing fast, and services include automated backups and WordPress updates, free CDN, and excellent customer support.

5. Goodiewebsite

Goodiewebsite is a development agency that’s been in business since 2006. Their specialty is smaller websites (1 to 10 page) and simple WordPress websites. The Goodiewebsite staff can help you with your design work as well as your coding needs.

You can always expect Goodiewebsite’s cost effective services to be accomplished reliably and professionally.

6. monday.com

This high-performance team management tool will serve you equally well whether your team consists of yourself and one other, or of several thousand individuals dispersed around the globe. monday.com offers an excellent opportunity to dispense with multiple spreadsheets displaying project status and expenses and planning and strategy exercises done on whiteboards.

Lengthy and all-too frequent meetings can be minimized, if not avoided. monday.com is easy to use, it promotes team transparency and can empower team members.

7. Houzez

In addition to providing various listings options, advanced property search capabilities, and payment options, Houzez has added a custom fields builder and search composer to make it easier for individuals and agencies alike to administrate the real estate marketplace, coordinate activities among agents, and accept submissions; all within the confines of their business model.

Additionally, Houzez provides a great level of customer support.

8. The Hanger

If establishing a modern-classic shop is your objective, or that of your client’s, your best approach would be to use a modern-classic specialized WordPress theme to get you there. The Hanger is easy to set up and use.

You can build a high-quality online shop in no time at all, while customizing it to fit your client’s brand or the brands of the merchandise.

9. LayerSlider

LayerSlider is a responsive, multipurpose animation platform from which you can create everything from slideshows and sliders, to image galleries, landing pages, and even complete websites. LayerSlider’s builder is drag and drop with no coding required. It is supported by a large hand-crafted template library and a whole host of design elements.

Detailed documentation comes with the package and you can expect top-notch customer support.

10. Uncode – Creative Multiuse WordPress Theme

The saying that all good things take time isn’t always true. With Uncode, you can build an awesome portfolio to showcase your work in a few short hours. You don’t have to start from scratch, and there’s no coding involved.

Uncode makes it easy and its new features like Shape Dividers, Slides Scroll and a powerful Gallery Manager make it even easier – and fun as well.

11. WhatFontis.com

Trying to locate a font that you simply cannot do without, but you don’t know its name can be like searching for the proverbial needle in a haystack; which is the reason to add WhatFontis.com to your toolkit.

It’s simply a matter of submitting an image and letting WhatFontis.com search its 450,000 font database with its AI search tool. You can usually expect your answer in less than a minute.

12. FFonts.net

If you build multiple websites for multiple clients you’re likely to need a variety of font types or styles in the process. If that’s the case, FFonts.net’s directory of 75,000 free fonts will serve you well.

The fonts have been judiciously categorized to save you time, and when you find the font you need, or a font style of interest, you can use it in a string of text to see how it will appear in actual use.

13. Fluid UI

You can put Fluid UI’s prototyping capabilities to good use to speed up your design workflow and enhance team collaboration by creating colorful and informative interactive prototypes, wireframes, or mockups.

Fluid UI enables you and your team to collaborate via chat or video in real time from both desktops and mobile devices. Built-in design components for desktop, Android, and iOS prototyping applications come with the package.

14. Pixpa

Designed for creative professionals, Pixpa delivers pixel-perfect portfolio websites, features a built-in eCommerce store to get you up and running in record time, and also offers client proofing and blogging tools to make the package complete.

You can do everything from one platform, powered by Pixpa’s best in class hosting and 24×7 support, instead of having to rely on multiple tools or resources to showcase your work. Get started for free with the 15-day trial.

15. wpDataTables

Trying to condense huge volumes of complex data to present in a table or chart can be a scary proposition; even more so if a table is to be interactive, responsive, and editable. wpDataTables can do all these things, and quickly.

This #1 WordPress table and chart-building plugin has become so popular, and made it so easy to build colorful, informative tables and charts, that more than a few designers have switched to WordPress for the opportunity to use it.

Conclusion

Changing technologies can take a toll on design workflow time and team collaboration. Website hosting and even product deployment can also be affected. This is the case if the tools and resources you’re using aren’t up to the task.

The tools and resources listed here were chosen to help you update your design toolkit. Picking one or more should be more than enough to brighten your day, and that of your team’s and your clients’.

Crutches reinvented

Post pobrano z: Crutches reinvented

Some products seem to have been designed the same way forever. Take crutches for example, it seems that one guy buit it one way and everybody thought it couldn’t be improved and kept producing new crutches with the same designs over and over. Of course, there were some minor formal changes in terms of design, but the functionalities didn’t evolve much.

The people at Mobility Designed didn’t take crutch-assisted mobility for granted and decided to give it their own twist. The results are stunning, the M+D crutches allow for better mobility, hands-free usage, and other cool features that you can see in the video above.

5 Reasons Why You Should Launch a Print-on-Demand T-Shirt Business

Post pobrano z: 5 Reasons Why You Should Launch a Print-on-Demand T-Shirt Business

Have you ever dreamed of starting your own business?

You might think that it’s out of your reach, but it is not, because with 21st century technologies pretty much anyone can start a business.

Selling print-on-demand t-shirts is one of the easiest ways to get started with dropshipping. Here are 5 reasons why you should do it…

Photo by rawpixel on Unsplash

What is print-on-demand?

Dropshipping is a business model where the seller runs the store and markets and sells the products while the manufacturer produces and stores said products and ships them to customers.

Print-on-demand is a form of dropshipping that allows you to create a unique design, print it on products (it can be anything from t-shirts to mugs), and sell those products to the customers through your online store.

T-shirt are the most popular print-on-demand item. After all, everyone needs them, and people love wearing apparel with cool designs! You can sell print on demand t-shirts with Printify.

Why should you launch your print-on-demand t-shirt business?

Okay, so now that you know what print-on-demand business is, the question is why should you start one?

  • Low-risk. There’s pretty much no risk involved in dropshipping because the product only gets made when the customer has paid for it. You only pay the fulfillment company a percentage from each product that you actually sell.
  • Low-investment. You only need a little bit of money to get started with print-on-demand t-shirts. You will have to pay for a domain name, for a Shopify account, and for Facebook ads, but that’s pretty much it (unless, of course, you are not artistically inclined and can’t create the designs yourself, because then you’ll also have to pay for design). You can get started with less than $100!
  • Work from anywhere. All you need to run a print-on-demand t-shirt business is a computer and an Internet connection. Yes, this means that you can work from home, but that’s not all! “Home” can be anywhere. Buenos Aires, Paris, Tokyo… You can travel the world while making money!

Photo by Kevin Schmid on Unsplash

  • Set your own hours. Do you know that the standard 9-5 workday was meant for factory workers doing mindless repetitive work? It simply doesn’t work well for people who are in cognitively demanding occupations. Some of us produce our best work early in the morning, meanwhile some of us produce our best work late at night, so how does it make sense for everyone to work the same hours? It doesn’t! However, running your own business allows you to set your own schedule, and be much productive!
  • Make decent money! Yes, jobs might be less risky than running a business (although even that is highly questionable in the current economy), but they also have a salary ceiling that you won’t be able to surpass no matter what you do. Meanwhile, when you run your own business, you don’t have this problem, because you can grow your revenue as much as you want. Moreover, you can also sell your business for 20x-30x the monthly revenue, which is a lot of money. Can you imagine a life where you don’t have to worry about money anymore? Well, if you can manage to build a successful busines, it could become your reality!

So let’s recap. A print-on-demand t-shirt business is low-risk, low-investment opportunity that, if everything works out, could provide you with a life where you can travel the world, work wherever and whenever you want, and make a lot of money. The question is… What are you waiting for?

Photo by Lost Co on Unsplash

Conclusion

It’s great that you are excited about print-on-demand t-shirts, but keep in mind that this excitement will fade, and there will be times when you will want to quit. After all, it takes a lot of hard work to get a business off the ground, and you probably won’t be able to replace the income from your job in less than a year. Can you persevere for that long?

Are you okay with your 9-5 office job, 4 weeks vacation every year, and your current salary? If so, then there’s probably not much point launching your own business, because if you don’t want it badly enough you are not going to last.

However, if you are sick and tired of your current situation, then by all means, commit to entrepreneurship. No one can change your life but you!

Trove, a wearable cryptocurrency wallet that secures your assets

Post pobrano z: Trove, a wearable cryptocurrency wallet that secures your assets

If I write the words “cryptocurrency wallet”, you will probably think of something digital like an app, but not of a physical product. This is because most wallets are software-based, but not all, their are also some hardware-wallets out there.

Benjamin Hubert, a designer at the Layer Agency, recently launched his own hardware wallet. However, unlike most of these physical wallets, he added a design touch to it. Although still at prototype stage, Trove, a cryptocurrency wallet in the form of a storage coin, is pretty impressive. It is claimed that the coin is unloseable and unhackable. The storage goes with a smartphone app that makes transactions safe and easy.

However, the most stunning feature is the wearable part. The device that goes with the storage coin has a key feature that makes it much more secure: it comes with an electrocardiogram sensor that will open access to the device (or not) when you press it against your skin.

Alphabet topography

Post pobrano z: Alphabet topography

Synoptic Office has released a creative font that was built using topographic-like lines to make each letter come out. It’s already pretty cool in terms of craft and visual results, but the project is more than just an artsy stunt.

For each letter, the elevation of the topographic lines varies according to the number of time the letter is statistically used in the English language. This gives you a typographic and topographic landscape of the English alphabet, an interesting and artistic example of data visualization done right.

The most important tools for the remote worker

Post pobrano z: The most important tools for the remote worker

Whether you are an employee who occasionally works from home, a stay-at-home freelancer, or you just work on your train rides to your office, you probably have been confronted often to the challenge of remote work. Actually, with the tools available nowadays, remote working is not so much of a challenge as it used to be.

On the organisational side, you need to be disciplined and focused to be able to work remotely, but you also need the tools for it. Here is a quick overview of the tools that will help you to be productive away from the office.

Messaging

Skype

You probably already use this messaging and video conference app, but it’s still worth a mention in this post as an unmissable communication tool. Lesser known great features are the ability to share your screen, which is pretty cool when working remotely, and the possibility to set a timer on calls for support-related work. You can download it from the official site if you didn’t install it yet.

Slack

Often described as an advanced group chat app, Slack is actually much more than this. It makes teamwork possible and improves your workflows tremendously. Download it here.

Workplace

Workplace by Facebook has been pushed by the social media giant, the app is a kind of group version of Messenger, with some features specifically designed for work. It has the big advantage on using an interface and tools that most users will already be familiar with for file sharing or calling. Try it here.

Project management & Notes

Trello

Trello is an online project management tool that will simplify your life by keeping everything your team needs in one place, as well as giving you the big picture on your project, or allowing you to get into details on a specific point. It’s extremely user-friendly with a drag-and-drop interface, and the least you could say is that it’s feature-rich with the possibility to add checklists, tags, images, videos, limit dates, and so on… You should definitively give it a try.

Evernote

Evernote is an online note taking app that gives you tremendous powers and allows you to focus better on your projects. Although this app is more known for its single user features, it has some cool business functionalities that allow for better group work. Check it out here.

Productivity & Collaboration

Dropbox

Everybody already knows Dropbox, this folder that syncs in the cloud and allows for very easy large files sharing. Dropbox is useful for remote work in two ways: for one, it gives you the possibility to share folders and files with your team, for two, it allows for syncing your files accross several computers. If you are not using it yet, you should try it.

Google Drive

Google Drive is a bit like Dropbox, but more oriented to collaboration on documents. Whether you need to work on text files, spreadsheets or presentations, you can do so by intervening directly into the document. Every change will be attributed to its author, so it’s very easy to see who changed what and approve it or not. It also includes useful commenting features. If you have a Google Account, you can start using it right away here.

CodePen

This tool targets specifically developers and designers. Codepen is a social development app to share code and show off your work. You can also use the version of the app for team and enjoy cool features that will make your shared dev easier. Try it here.

i done this

This online app is a to-do list for teams that greatly improves productivity. It provides daily check-ins and powerful progress reports (probably the most useful feature). Check it out here.

Security

ExpressVPN

I’ve mostly used ExpressVPN when I was working in China, but some company require that you use a VPN when connecting to the company server (and they are right to require that). If the VPN is not imposed by the company and you can choose the one you’d like to work with, I’d suggest ExpressVPN.

Passbolt

Passbolt is a free and open-source group password management tool. Free is if you choose to use the community edition, for a cloud version, you’ll have to pay a fee. It is well worth it if your company values security, as it is extensible and built on open security standards. Try it now for free.