The waiter asks “How would you like that cooked?”

You reply “Medium.”

Then he asks you “What sides would you like?”

You think, shoot, I was so focused on the steak, forgot about the sides. “What are my choices, and how many do I get?”

The waiter sighs then says “You get two sides” and then repeats as if annoyed to be reciting something that’s already in the menu “Rice, baked potato, garlic mashed potatoes, or steamed vegetables.”

You choose confidently “Mashed potatoes and mixed vegetables.”

He asks “Soup or salad?”

You think, wow, so many choices, “Um…what soups do you have?”

The waiter is thinking that you should probably try the family buffet restaurant next time and says “Chicken noodle, chili, cream of broccoli, and barley beef.”

You reply “I’ll have a salad.”

“Of course you will,” the waiter mumbles under his breathe, “Blue cheese, ranch, or Italian?”

You choose Ranch, and your waiter walks off to fulfill your request.

Now I didn’t even get into the drinks, but I think you get my point.

In my real life I design databases, spreadsheets and other technical mumbo jumbo for a fortune 500 company (I’m not going to get into it because it’s very dry).  I am constantly being tasked with creating these tools with little to no real input as to what the final product is designed to accomplish. In most cases, the requestor has no idea of the possibilities and is only aware of what they think they want. In the case about the restaurant, the patron was so focused on the steak he forgot what other options he had available to him and was slightly overwhelmed. 

In preventing this feeling from occurring both at the restaurant and in my projects, when creating (or ordering) something from scratch, I usually like to map out what needs to be done (and what my options are) no matter what the task. It helps me get from stage 1 to stage 2 in the design process.

And the “to’s” have it

Right now in my adventures with E-Money, we have challenged our selves with creating a website to show off our mad skillz. The problem that I foresaw was getting from concept to design to execution to website. The hard part isn’t the parts; it’s the “to” in between the parts.

Concept: Definition - 1: something conceived in the mind: THOUGHT, Definition -  2: an abstract or generic idea generalized from particular instances.

This is easy; I have at least one thought everyday.

To: Getting from concept phase to design phase is a little more difficult. For the website we are designing: What is our content? Where is it going to go and on what page?  Do we have the art work or graphics? Do we need a logo? Are we going to have a sidebar with email list? Will we have blogs? How do the pages link up? Will that drive the design? 

Design: Once the above is fleshed out, the design is like putting a puzzle together with all the pieces and if you are missing a piece you make a new one.

To: Getting to the Execution phase from the Design phase you now need to understand how a website works and start getting technically intimate with your web design software. Need to know about CSS, HTML, Padding, and various other things I don’t yet know.

Execution: Once you have the above knowledge and the designed elements, it’s just a matter of transferring the information into the program.

To: Going from Execution to Website is an easier “to” than the ones above but still takes an understanding of Domain Names, IP addresses, Server information, and file organization. 

Website: Now it’s time to enjoy and let others enjoy the website, don’t forget to keep the information fresh to keep your audience interested.

Just like when you’re ordering something to eat at a restaurant, don’t let decision making or the “to” prevent you from getting your way. You only get stronger when you run up hill. It’s easy to create; the challenge lies in being innovated with the “to’s” to keep your creation going.