When I set out to create an online project board powered by ExpressionEngine, I wasn’t sure how the project would turn out. After seeing the setup that the guys at Panic created, I immediately lusted after it, but quickly realized that I didn’t need all of the bells and whistles that they were implementing. My solution needed to encompass two main aspects. It needed to be simple and it needed to be clean.
Before working on any of the interface elements I made sure this project had a solid foundation and would be able to give me the information I was looking for when I needed it. As mentioned in my latest Thinking Out Loud post, preventing scope creep was important, but some additional items did find their way into the process.
Custom Fields are your friend.
The main reason I opted to build the project board with ExpressionEngine rather than creating my own front and backend system was the sheer power that’s under the hood of an EE system. I can create a custom template, a custom input channel, and top it off with custom fields that will do exactly what need them to do. In short, it’s the smart thing to do.
Making a list and checking it…many times.
After setting up the template and the channel for the project board, I needed to set up the fields that would make everything work. After jotting down some initial ideas that I needed, I began thinking about this project down the road and had visions of where I could take it and what it could turn into. The result was a list of entry fields that go beyond what a project board needs, but laying this ground work in the beginning will make expanding the functionality easier in the future.
Power and flexibility.
I’ve never paid too much attention to the Custom Field possibilities that ExpressionEngine offered until I began working on this project. Once I started looking around, I was shocked at the variety of field-types I could choose from. I had wanted a dynamic, JavaScript-driven date box to handle my project Start and Due dates, figuring I’d need to either build one myself or find a suitable option through searching. No need. One of the field types is a calendar-style date selector. Here’s a brief list of other custom field-types:
Text Input
Textarea
Checkboxes
Radio Buttons
Multi Select
Date
File
Relationship
There are some additional field-types that become available when you install select plugins and modules.
I’d like you to take a look at the tools you use each day, for work and for play. They can be computers, music players, phones, golf clubs…anything. Now look at which tools and toys you enjoy using and what you are, for the lack of a better word, forced to use. What’s the difference between the two? The experience or, more importantly, how enjoyable the experience is for you.
Finding tools that suit your style.
I’ve brought up the fact that I’d much rather type and do work on my iPad to co-workers on a few occasions. Their responses are mixed with puzzlement and disbelief whenever I make that claim, but it’s a true statement. That device gives me the best experience for viewing and handling digital content. Why not use something that makes a job more enjoyable rather than just tolerable? Why not find a tool or set of tools that remove themselves from the picture, if only by illusion, and let creativity and focus rule the day?
I challenge you to find tools that you enjoy using and see how they’ll fit into your workflow. Don’t just take a high-level look at them either. Try them out and see what works and what doesn’t. You might surprise yourself.
There are many online resources for designers to utilize, but some of the most important are inspiration showcases. When learning CSS back in the day, I spent countless hours perusing some of the first CSS galleries, closely examining each pixel of a layout, digging into the source and figuring out how folks were getting sites set up without tables. Now that CSS layouts have become the “norm” I still cruise these showcase sites for ideas and inspiration.
I’ve been toting my iPad around in a full-size computer bag for the past year and after getting some flak for it (namely the gross misuse of space) and encountering some instances of social awkwardness (lunch line bumping and airplane head-knocking) I’ve made a move to something a bit smaller.
