So if you aren’t familiar with Mad Libs yet you better learn about it very quickly. Basically it’s a very identifiable style for filling in blanks in a sentence written context. ( I love _______. )

So what’s all the fuss?

Well in case you missed it last week, Luke Wroblewski put out an instantly viral article, “Mad Libs” Style Form Increases Conversion 25-40%, that overlays a brief study on the conversion success of presenting online forms in a Mad Libs format. Vast.com compared it’s success rates of the forms below and found a much larger increase in user conversions when using the Mad Libs styled form.

This seemed to hit the web by storm making it’s rounds through every social media outlet. It even managed to make it’s way into the hands of one of my clients who immediately made a request for a change on their site. Before jumping on the bandwagon, I wanted to make sure this was the right solution for my client.

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When I originally saw Luke’s article I had immediate hesitation. In my eyes the form layout brought up a few major concerns. And after digging into it a bit more I realized that my concerns were not necessarily wrong but they weren’t enough reasons to permanently terminate this solution. So let’s take a look…

What Am I Filling Out?

The first thing I had a concern with was the amount of time it takes a user to understand what needs to be filled out. With Mad Libs, a user must read each sentence thoroughly to insure they are properly fillings out the form.

A traditional form is styled similar to that of a bulleted list. The points are quickly identifiable, straight forward and can easily be navigated through.

Unfortunately this is not the case with Mad Libs. Mad Libs’ fields are scattered and can be a bit more difficult to identify. This may cause a slight hesitation in a user seeing as they have to double check what they are filling out.

Clicking Through The Form

I am a user who doesn’t make use of my tab ket as much as I probably should. I normally navigate through forms by clicking on the next field. This brought an obvious annoyance for me when filling out the Mad Libs style form. Moving my mouse back and forth to the next input field was actually pretty tedious.

Although this may be a small detail that would only effect a few, I think it’s definitely worth some consideration.

The Messaging

The most important thing for a Mad Libs form to be successful is going to be it’s messaging. Achieving a simple yet compressive copy is what will ease through the process and make it efficient. A great thing about using Mad Libs is that you can provide simple descriptions of what’s needed right within process. There is also an opportunity to bring personality to your forms by maybe adding some humor to it.

With this comes a downside as well though. Larger scale forms may run into repetitive descriptive sentences. It may be difficult to stay away from too many uses of What is…, Name your…, Why do you.., etc.. Creating creative copy may become a daunting task for you to write and for your user to read if it’s overbearing.

My suggestion would be to get a good copywriter if you are planning on using a Mad Libs styled form. Make sure your not filling a user with uninformative language while trying to engage a conversion.

Knowing When To Use It

It’s important not to get carried away when using the Mad Libs style form. It needs to be used at appropriate locations on the site. It’s appropriate use is to engage users to fill out forms, entice them to register, or push communication. Data input forms do not need quirky messaging to follow. Keep things simple.

A form like above should not need Mad Libs. And Im sure as heck no one wants to write the copy to accompany that form. So stay simple and focus and incorporating it in it’s appropriate locations.

So Easy a Caveman Can Do It

Despite the notes above, Mad Libs does provide a thought-provoking, yet easy and familiar way to engage users to interact with a website. It gives a personal feel to a process that is normally dry and unimaginative.

It allows a simple comprehension that even children are familiar with. Ad of course Im sure a caveman can even do it :)

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So are Mad Libs styled forms better or not?

Well if you read through this you can probably tell that there are a few ups and downs of using it. But overall, if used properly I would say that it can provide a huge impact. But I think it MUST be used appropriately.

I’m no genius!

This is a topic I have just jumped into and am seeking everyone elses opinion. Like I mentioned above, I have a client request for a Mad Libs style form and no decision has been made as of yet wether I am going it put in in place. Im still trying to decipher whether it will be an appropriate use.

I would love to hear your opinions.

Are you using a Mad Libs styled form? If so, how has the impact been on your site? Or if you havent used this style yet, do you ever plan on trying it out? Let me know your reasoning. Thanks!

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Today I started a little post series on my personal blog called “Flashback Friday“. While reminiscing of the old times I had with friends and family I immediately was driven to think about how I got started in the design world.

What sparked the interest? What made me decide, hmm I think I want to design for a living? I’ve seen some interesting posts around the web about designer’s first projects. Do you remember how and why you got into design?

Here’s where I started

I was able to scavenge through a bunch of old boxes and dig up some of the earliest designs I have on record. They aren’t digital since I didn’t use photoshop until 2002, but these are from a notebook I had in 8th grade (1999). I was determined to start my own clothing line so I would spend all day (in class) doodling fictitious logos & names.

I thought they were pretty funny but pretty cool to still have. As you can tell I didn’t get too good of grades in high school since it appears most of my time was spent doodling.

So what about you

So I ask you, what were some of your first designs? What spakred in interest in design for you? I would love to hear your stories. Maybe you’ve already made a post on this subject. Feel free to share your link!

Tis’ the season for giving!

This holiday season there have been many great giveaways all over the web and I would like to share with you one more being hosted over on the Freelance Show.

Not only does the Freelance Show consistently provide great articles for freelancers but now they are giving their readers a chance at winning some great prizes which include subscriptions to tools like FRESHBOOKS, 37SIGNALS, CAMPAIGN MONITOR and a bunch more!!

The deadline to enter is tonight, December 24 at Midnight (EST) so hurry on over and enter! Also be sure to subscribe to their blog while you are there!

Happy Holidays again! I wish all of you a safe and blessed holiday!

God Bless,
Josh

Do you have one? The tweet you wished a client never would have seen?

Maybe you impulsively decided to rant after a long stressful day. Or maybe you tweet a few selective words from your iPhone after a frustrating conference call. If we haven’t all done it, it’s definitely crossed our minds.

Seeing as most people leave their Twitter accounts viewable to the public, these tweets can easily be tracked by a potential, current or past client even if they are not following you. If a potential client is interested in hiring you the first thing they may do is a Google search with your name. Not only do your tweets show up in searches, Google has implemented a live feed of those tweets. Talk about welcoming anybody to your Twitter feed.

Beware of the Google Feed

Many people will use a business twitter account & a personal account but fail to realize that unless your personal account is private a client still might run across your twitter stream.

Interacting with Clients on Twitter

Personally I encourage my clients to follow me on Twitter. I think the interaction seems a bit more personal and I feel comfortable sharing with a client who I am and what I am doing. But with that comes a responsibility and obligation. If you open your Twitter to the public there is always a time stamp of what you are doing and there are always eyes reading your tweets.

The First Impression Tweet

Take in consideration the client whom you have never spoken with before. A tweet might be the first impression you give them. Go take a look at your latest tweet. What would that client think? Remember that every tweet has the potential to be your first impression on a potential client.

Let’s make an example

Browsing through twitter feeds it was very easy to find people expressing their thoughts about clients. Take a look at a few of these examples and let me how you think a potential client would react to reading them.

The easy solution

Be respectful of your audience, even if it is thousands of people you’ve never met. Would you say what you are about to tweet to your client in a phone conversation? If not, then why say it at all?

There are many obvious reasons why we should watch what we share with our followers on Twitter but if you are a freelancer, or in any business for that matter, being cautious of what we tweet can make or break your business relationships.

What about you?

How do you interact with your clients on Twitter? Do you allow them to follow you? Have you had any bad experiences? I would love to hear your thoughts!

Follow me on Twitter: @joshhemsley

This past month, thanks to 37Signal’s Haystack, I was able to team up with Spicer Matthews (@spicermatthews), owner of Portland local Cloudmanic Labs, and create a brand new identity and website geared to serve as a hub for their upcoming application launches.

Cloudmanic, a software development company, has some exciting products in the works for the near future and was in desperate need for a design to compliment the great ideas behind those products. Here is a look inside the design from identity through the web and also be sure to check out the live site.

Over the next few months I will be working with Cloudmanic designing the user interfaces for some of their upcoming launches. Stay tuned!

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About Cloudmanic Labs
Cloudmanic Labs, LLC focuses on software development in three main areas; building robust software for our clients, delivering scalable IT solutions to our clients, and building software as a service offering licensed through Cloudmanic Labs. Learn More

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As a designer, time tends to disappear like piñata candy at a 6-year-old’s birthday party. Hours feel like minutes and there are many days where I wish time would just stand still just so I could catch up.

I think we have all hit a point where we are rushing through projects as fast as we can just so we can move on to the next task. Taking projects left and right, not leaving enough time to appropriately provide our best efforts to finding the best solution for each project.

When we do this, not only do we cheat our clients but we are cheating ourselves from progression. Every project should be treated as new learning experience and challenge, as most projects provide their own unique requirements. It’s important to give yourself time not only to do the actual production work but leaving some extra time for preparation, reflection & of course some meditation.

Here are a few tips to help with your time-management. Feel free to leave a comment with your own suggestions!

Set Realistic Deadlines
A client would rather have you tell them the project will take a couple days longer and have the project done efficiently than find out you rushed through their project without giving it your full attention, or even worse missing a deadline because you ran out of time. When possible, try budgeting in an extra day or two to eliminate rushing.

Set A Production Timeline
Planning out hour by hour the specific project tasks is an easy way to get an overall glimpse of the appropriate amount of time you need to set apart to complete the project.

Create Project Phases
Breaking your project up into multiple stages will help make sure all the needed details are addressed and will eliminate the overwhelmingness of large scaled projects.

Get a Second Opinion
A good way to eliminate small errors that might occur if you are rushing is to have another designer take a look at your work. Make time for discussions and revisions from your peers on your projects.

Be Honest to Yourself & Your Client
Under estimating hours on a project sometimes happens. Don’t stress! Having an open and honest communication line with your client will be beneficial to the both of you in the long run. Don’t be afraid to tell your client you need a bit more time to complete the project efficiently. In some cases this might not fly over to well, but it’s important to notify them regardless.

Use Helpful Apps
There are many project management tools with calendars, task managers, to-do lists and deadline notifications to help you smooth out your workflow. Don’t be afraid to put these to use!
Recommendations: BaseCamp, DeskAway, Intervals, Open Atrium

Take Breaks
It’s always good to step away for 30 minutes here and there to refresh and clear you mind. You will find when you come back you are more focused and attentive to you work.

If you have been following me on twitter over the past week you have probably seen about 100 tweets about the Rails Rumble competition. After a grueling 48 hours of competition this past weekend we(Agile Nomads) were able to design, develop & deploy our rails rumble entry PeepNote!

The idea behind PeepNote is pretty straight forward. Its a simple tool to manage your twitter ‘peeps’ with notes & memos. You are able to compile reasons for following & unfollowing your peeps as well as add tags to group and filter your peeps in any customized list.

Being the designer for this amazing tool brought an exciting challenge. Not only did the design require a functional and user friendly interface but it had to establish itself as being inviting and welcoming for a possible large mass audience all in under 48 hours! Below is a quick bite of what we had to chew during the 48 hours competition.

From Sketches to Product

One of the most unique things about the Rails Rumble is the 48 hour time limit. All brainstorming and planning cannot include digital preparation leaving teams with 2 days for full production. Sketches and flow charts quickly become a necessity in the preparation process. Seeing a concept come to life from these in only 48 hours is what makes this competition so exciting to participate in!

The PeepNote Logo

Developing ideas for the logo tended to take place while visiting my friend John who lives in my bathroom down the hall. It always ended up being put on the back burner and it seemed the only time I had set a part for creating ideas was during those restroom trips. Dont judge me! hehe

I strongly felt that creating a strong identity for PeepNotes, if executed correctly, could really set the app apart from the competition. Creating something that would be fun and keep an internet socialite entertained but at the same time relay the message of PeepNote was essential.

The Wireframes & Flow Charts

Seeing as we couldn’t create any digital assets prior I was forced to use my ridiculously awesome hand art skills. …/sarcasm. Despite most of these looking like complete gibberish to the everyday person, they provided the key structure and flow in designing the interface for the app.

But I must admit..I have know idea what have the stuff I scribbled was.

The Plan of Attack

My tasks for the project included, logo design, interface design, overall design, front-end development & additional marketing design assets. It literally took me about 4 hours to come up with a strategic plan of attack on the whole process that would allow the rest of my team members to continue with their tasks and not have to wait on me.

When your given only 48 hours and every minute is so critical, having a master plan of attack is very important! Not only that, it feels really rewarding to go back and see all the things you have checked off and accomplished.

The Color Scheme

Bright, friendly & attractive was the goal. We didn’t want something that blended in. There seems to be a similar trend through every other Twitter application and we wanted to steer away from that general look.

The orange and blue comination was definitely a team favorite. The palette originally started with a monochromatic set of blues with an accent green but it wasn’t really setting the mood we were aiming for. We wanted the palette to suck people in and be attracted to the bold colors and instantly distinguish PeepNote from other sites.

The User Experience

When you actually make your way into the application simplicity takes over. This was done to create an easy to use experience for any user. We didnt want to overpower a user with content and allow them to navigation and function to what best fits their objective. Giving simple task objects and easy to find callouts.

The Outcome

Bam! Visit www.peepnote.com to experience the awesomness!

In 48 hours our team worked our butts of and created a product we are all happy with. We have a bunch of plans to continue developing and integrating new features into PeepNote following the Rails Rumble competition, so please share your thoughts with us so we can make PeepNote your easy to use contact management system for you online peeps!!

Check out our team page:
http://r09.railsrumble.com/teams/agile-nomads

PeepNote on Twitter
twitter.com/peepnote

View our blog and video:
blog.peepnote.com

Learn More about the awesome Rails Rumble:
www.railsrumble.com

The Teammates:
Brian Burridge, Steven Pothoven, Linda Olson & Josh Hemsley.

Next weekend I will be taking part in this year’s Rails Rumble 09! If you’re not familiar with Rails Rumble, it’s a competition for Ruby on Rails developing teams to design, develop, and deploy the best web app in 48 hours!

This year I have the opportunity to team up with Brian Burridge & Steve Pothoven, whom have been amazing people to work with so far. Two weeks ago I was approached by Brian via twitter with his idea and an invitation to be his designer and front-end developer for the contest. After entering last year’s Rails Rumble I immediately knew I wanted to take the opportunity to compete again.

Now that we are roughly two weeks into the planning process, our application seems to be headed on the right track and we can only hope it all falls together when competition time strikes!

What’s to come:

Since the beginning stage of our planning, I have been documenting some behind-the-scenes details about our team’s process in brainstorming, planning and constructing the application. Seeing that our team members are spread out from coast to coast, I will also touch on some amazing tools that have helped us with our communication, file-sharing, and interaction.

Once our application is submitted, not only will you be able to go try out and vote for our ridiculously cool app, but I will also be giving you the inside look into the entire creation of a 48 hour app!

Over the last few months I was privileged to team up again with Tim Dorr & Martin Parets of A Small Orange for the redesign of EasyAutoSales.com. I was given the role of designing a brand new overhaul of the homepage along with multiple interior pages.

The Task
The team over at Easy Auto Sales was well prepared to take on the task of redesigning their website. They had a great sense of what they were looking for which made my job easy. With the implementation of some new features as well as re-skinning some of their previous assets we were able to design the brand new Version 3.0! Take a look at the new design below or see it in action here: www.easyautosales.com

Version 2.0

Version 3.0

A litle bit about Easy Auto Sales:
EasyAutoSales, based in Atlanta, Georgia, helps you buy, sell and research over 2 million new and used cars. Sellers are able Upload unlimited photos, optional video and Easy Auto Sales will push your car listing to multiple websites and more!

The site features a community of car enthusiasts from all over the world who share ideas, post photos, or ask a questions.

By combining vehicle listings with consumer car reviews and relevant vehicle discussions, EAS is able to aid consumers in finding their perfect car by helping them see the good reviews and the troublesome issues of various make and models during their car buying/car researching process.

Find Easy Auto Sales around the web:
www.easyautosales.com
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On Flicker
EAS Blog