Better Search Engine Crawling for AJAX Pages
Posted by Elmer in Design on December 15, 2010
1

 

The integration of AJAX into web pages has brought improvement in user experience. But at the same time, it also posed some challenge on search engine visibility, a roadblock enough to stifle the sustained adoption of the new web technology. Similar to Flash earlier in the decade that offered splashy animations, AJAX offered new levels of human interaction on the Web. Yet that brilliance Flash offered waned and instead got loathed later on as its notoriously long loading times and invisible content became target of user experience and search engine marketing specialists.
 
Make no mistake, Flash and AJAX isn't one and the same. Unlike Flash animations that can take a minute to load, AJAX even cuts the time to load certain web page content. That's because with AJAX technology that allows multiple layers of content to be placed in a frame, loading a page is not necessarily required. However, this feature also is one of the major sticking points AJAX-powered pages are somewhat challenging to search engines. While we acknowledge that there is progress made to bridge the gap between in AJAX and conventional HTML pages.
Read more »
Web Design Trends of 2010
Posted by Elmer in Design on February 22, 2010
0

Do you remember the first website that you built? How did it look like? I bet you thought that it wasn't the coolest you have, but at some point you thought that you are already capable of building one nice looking website without compromising its functionality. When we learned Flash, we thought the possibility of designing stunning websites was boundless. Yet at the time when Flash was criticized as bandwidth-hogging, information hiding piece of application, we managed to evolve as successful, up-to-date web designers with the introduction of AJAX, light box and related technologies. As we begin the new year, let us examine what experts in the industry are saying about design trends that will dictate how websites should be and will be built.

Read more »
BeansBox Designed Finger App Website Featured at Web Designer Wall
Posted by Elmer in Work on October 27, 2009
0

We're happy to find out that Finger, the iPhone app we created together with Headnix got mentioned at Web Designer Wall, a popular web design blog managed and maintained by Nick La. 

The site was mentioned in the article Apple App Site Design Trends, along with other beautifully made iPhone application websites. The article highlights that as each Apple application competes with thousands of others, having a good app icon is simply not enough. A great looking website is a recipe for bringing in more visitors and helps the application stand out of the rest.

Finger is an Apple application that allows you to turn your iPhone into a writing tablet, enabling you to "write" Chinese characters directly. BeansBox built Finger application's website, app interface, icon as well as all marketing materials. Check out the feature story at Web Designer Wall to see Finger along with other great looking Apple iPhone application websites.

Read more »
Effective Web Design Tips
Posted by Elmer in Design on September 15, 2009
1

Building websites is an art, you showcase your creativity. But it's also a science that it should address the needs of its intended viewers. So it's not good enough to have an artistic website that does not have a clear direction. A website is built for a purpose to be effective and such purpose should be linked with clear objectives. So let's identify what are the common characteristics of effective websites.

Read more »
Common Web Design Mistakes
Posted by Elmer in Design on August 26, 2009
0

Finally, after more than three weeks absence, I am back. One minor thing before I proceed. I am sorry to inform that the SEO event for website owners has been moved to another date again. The good thing is that it is now more certain that the new venue and date is final.

The free SEO seminar will now be held on the 8th of September, 7pm at Cliftons Central. This event is organized by BeansBox and SEO Hong Kong, and sponsored by iProA. Special thanks to iProA and Cliftons for the support. Are you a veteran web designer whose years in the industry has produced an evolving family of websites or a newbie trying to learn the grips of a sound web design practice?

Read more »
Digital Jobs Portal at WebWednesday.Asia
Posted by Elmer in Design on June 05, 2009
0

We are proud to announce that we have launched a new digital jobs portal for WebWednesday.Asia.

Currently on beta version, the site is intended for digital media professionals looking to find new career opportunities in the digital field and head hunters who wish to look for ideal digital professionals across key Asian cities.


The site was launched as an alternative to traditional job search websites that provide non-exclusive job listings. Jobs.WebWednesday.Asia solely focuses on careers relevant to the digital industry. Listings are displayed and sorted according to job titles, locations or company names. These job listings may include, but not limited to, the following job titles:

Read more »
Web Design Reviews for Italian Restaurant Websites
Posted by Belle in Design on May 06, 2009
0

Greetings from Italy! If there is one thing I can describe as "tough" being a tourist in Italy, it must be choosing where to dine. With guide books, hotel leaflets, word-of-mouth and thousands of websites offering reviews and recommendations, food lovers like me are never short of choices. Along the way, however, I rue the thoughtlessness of some of those restaurant websites.


Take last night's dinner for example. Based on my research, I selected these three restaurants in Florence, and like every diner, I need to find out their location, contact details, opening hours and what is offered on the menu:
 

The Front Page: A Variety of Designs Leads to Variety of Impressions

  • Giovanni - another Flash opening that you can't skip, it took 30 seconds to finish loading just the front page. The "index.swf" file is 1.2MB big, and it shows a fancy animation of the restaurant outlook with only another link to click. The contact info is there after choosing a language but just too small to read, and impossible to resize or select as it is in Flash.
Read more »
Market Research Insights and Reports from Change Agent
Posted by Elmer in Design on April 07, 2009
0

Eight Custom Media, a publishing arm of market research firm Synovate, commissioned BeansBox to develop its online magazine website, Change Agent. Change Agent publishes monthly articles about market research insights on brands, customer experience and statistics on emerging markets, based on surveys and findings from surveys across various markets worldwide.

Read more »
BeansBox Goes To iPhone Party, Launches Finger Application
Posted by Elmer in Design on March 23, 2009
0

BeansBox collaborated with Headnix in developing a new iPhone application called Finger that allows you to input Chinese and Japanese on desktop wirelessly using your iPhone’s hand writing function. BeansBox designed the user interface for both iPhone and desktop applications, as well as branding and marketing materials. 
 

This application is now available and has received a few nice feedback from the blogosphere. For more information, please check out ThisFinger.com or buy this application for US$7.99 at iTunes store. On another notably iPhone event, BeansBox joined fellow iPhone lovers at a party held last 17th of March here in Central, Hong Kong. The group, which calls itself iPhanatics, is composed of iPhone and iPod fans. A few dozen friends showed up to share tips, apps, and just about anything else. BeansBox helped organize iPhanatics, along with Popcorn Media Network, and ably supported by Neonpunch, Butterboom, and iKit. We would like to thank all of you who came by, and look forward to the next iPhanatics gathering! For more information, please visit www.iPhanatics.com. Photos of the party can be found here and here.

Read more »
9 Tips on Building Useful Websites
Posted by Elmer in Design on March 23, 2009
0

Effective web design is an important element when building websites. It helps visitors navigate a website seamlessly, easily find what they are looking for, and hopefully perform the desired actions (download software, sign up for newsletters or make purchases) we want them to do.


So we at BeansBox don't just design websites just because it's what our clients want; we also think about how visitors of their websites behave. For example, shall we divide a shopping cart system into several small pages or few longer ones? It's not just functionality that counts, it's also the overall user experience.

From our experience of building websites all these years, we met different types of clients: from demanding ones to those totally relying on our inputs, and from casual to extremely meticulous. Delivering client expectations is one thing, but we think delivering client's customers expectations is another and is more important down the line.

Read more »
Syndicate content