Trello is my go to Project Management tool, both personally and professionally. I find it reliable, easy to use, flexible, and easy to learn. I’m in it everyday – here are three tips for managing projects in Trello. Boards A board is used to collect details about a phase, process, or organizational structure that is under continuous development. A board can represent anything and have a variety of uses but importantly needs to make sense to participants! Tip 1: Have a “Read Me” or “Start Here” list in each board so any new user can understand what this board represents.…
Read MoreI recently worked with with Cape Clasp on launching a new website. It was a great opportunity to work with a company adamant about giving back to Cape Cod. Here are a few things I learned. The week after relaunch saw 5X more traffic and 2X more time on site compared to the previous week. Simple ≠ Bad A primary goal of the new website was to standardize and better represent the brand online. From the landing page to confirmation page, the E-Commerce process occurs under one domain and has a consistent look and feel. Users are less confused when jumping across multiple…
Read MoreAfter the New England Patriots survived the Ravens last week I remarked to friend and foe that texted congratulations just how stressful the game was. I think the AFC Championship will be more of the same. Why? Because the Colts didn’t make it this far just because of the playoff schedule. They have talent on offense, can pressure the quarterback (certainly better than the Patriots), and it would seem fitting that Andrew Luck would come close, but not dethrone the greatest of all time Tom Brady. In 3 games, Luck has never beat the Patriots and it hasn’t even been…
Read MoreChristmas can be a good reminder of the importance of user personas in a successful website. The task oriented shopper goes to the mall with a plan, budget, and expectations for a painless process. Accomplishing a task doesn’t need to be a delightful experience, just don’t make it hard or confusing! The browsing shopper goes to the mall with a plan, budget, and expectations that change as businesses reset customer expectations for Christmas morning through marketing and advertising. Where do we go from here? Reward users with great content. Know their interests, and provide content and messaging that feels personal and timely.…
Read More1. Domains & Hosting DNS changes take time to propagate but after configuring the install on the web server I sat at my screen for 30 minutes hitting CNTL + F5 unsuccessfully. Something was wrong. I had forgotten that a domain name has to be told where to direct a request. It doesn’t happen “auto magically”. I updated the A record to point to the host IP. Inconsistently over the next 4-6 hours I was able to access the site. 2. Analytics and Indexing Websites are like – we put a lot of stuff in them, hope family and friends visit often, and…
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Hello world. [It seems appropriate to start my first blog post with that, right?] Motivation is an interesting emotion. I’ve wanted to set up a website for years. I had failed to move forward until my my wife called me out. She told me I was spending too much time planning and not taking action. I’ve heard this before from blogs or Podcasts – but when my wife said this it struck a nerve and I knew I needed to stop thinking and start doing. All of us have had their ‘eureka’ moments – where it all comes together. I had mine…
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