9 Well Designed, Usable Sites, And What Makes Them Great

1) Gmail.com

What is does: Gmail is a web based email service from Google, and it aims to be your primary inbox with a big feature set to boot.
Why it’s good: Many of us use it on a daily basis, but how often do you stop and think about how it works, and if it functions well? Not often?
This goes to show how good a job the Google folks are doing with Gmail. Email is a crucial service, and many of use couldn’t live without it. Gmail is constantly improving and adding new features, while keep a consistent UI that is really easy to understand.
The additions they include always make it easier to use, such as drag and drop attachments, or viewing most Microsoft Office documents inside of Gmail, and they don’t interfere with the user experience at all, and in fact make the whole service much more usable. What it does, it does extremely well, and makes the experience more enjoyable.
Think of all the people you know who aren’t the most computer literate, and then think of sites they use without needing to ask you for help. Gmail is right up there in my experience, and that’s why I think it’s a great, usable site.

2) RetailMeNot.com

What it does: RetailMeNot is a really cool website for sharing coupon codes for a whole range of different sites (from the same people as BugMeNot fame) so you can get discounts online no matter where you are buying from.
Why it’s good: As well as having a huge collection of coupon codes, they have also introduced lots of little useful features to make the site that much more usable, and provide a more enjoyable, easier experience.
People can rate the different codes to show which ones are or aren’t working, so you know which ones to try. People can submit their own codes, so it’s always got new codes on the site. If you want to copy the code, you can click to copy, or if you want to be taken directly to the site, it will try to store the code in a cookie (although this doesn’t work for all sites). It just makes the whole process so easy, and saves you money too – all while looking pretty good. What more can you ask for?

3) Audible.com

What it does: Audible is quite possibly the biggest repository of audiobooks in existence, and are the exclusive provider of audiobooks to Apple/iTunes. If they don’t have it the chances are it doesn’t exist.
Why it’s good: As well as having a fantastic collection of books, they have also worked very hard over the years to add new, useful features to the site, and create a better user experience for their users.
There are many examples of this: the bookmarking system of audible means that you can listen on your iPhone, shift over to your computer and pick up where you left off. They have over the air downloads, a good range of quality choices for users and support for more than 500 different devices. The search system on their site works really well, and the whole procedure from first searching for a book, until you’ve finished reading is really a seemless process, and something for other content providers to aspire to.

4) KiwiBank.co.nz

What it does: kiwibank is a New Zealand owned and run bank which offers all kinds of typical bank services – online banking, text and mobile banking, branch services, travel cards and the like. It’s pretty much a typical bank.
Why it’s good: There are a whole range of different banks out there, and the all offer very similar services, with similar rates. What sets kiwibank apart is the ease of use of the whole site (check out the online banking demo).
Content is very easy to find, navigation is well thought out, and although there is a huge amount of information available on the site, it’s so well organised that you never feel like the information is overwhelming you. This is a great example for how to manage content and navigation.
Add in all the methods they give you for banking (text banking, iPhone app, travel cards and more) and you have a winning site that other banks could learn from.

5) WebDevRefinery.com

What it does: Webdev Refinery is a forum for web developers, designers and other interested parties to get together, share ideas, get feedback, learn and improve and converse on design and development.
Why it’s good: Of course the community is a key part of any forum, and webdevrefinery seems to be doing well in that respect, but they’ve also gone the extra mile from a typical forum to make the whole system that much more functional, usable and enjoyable.
They make it really easy to monitor different posts, give different subscription levels for each topic, have a very simple direct messaging system, a really simple, easy to use input editor for creating and replying to topics/posts, and a nice head-up display for managing the whole affair. In a time where it looks like most forums were designed in the late ’90s, they have made a nice looking, easy to use forum with a nice community around it too.

6) YouTube.com

What it does: YouTube is the biggest video sharing site in the world, and is the number 3 ranked site overall (according to alexa at least). YouTube is to video as Google is to search.
Why it’s good: I would be the first to say, YouTube doesn’t have the most attractive design out there (I thinkVimeo would have to take the cake on that front), but it is so functional, and the design works so well for what it does that it isn’t an issue.
More or less everyone I know can and does use YouTube on a regular basis. My own mother, without any help or advice, has hunted down a huge range of kids TV shows for my nephew to watch, played them full screen, high quality, and bookmarked them for future viewing. This goes to show just how usable and functional it is.
Add in a highly functional search system (hey, it’s Google after all), easy ratings and sharing systems, and ability to embed where ever you want to, and you have a winner.

7) TradeMe.co.nz

What it does: Trademe is the eBay of New Zealand, and one of the most popular sites in the country. It has a huge range of products up for auction, and has a very strong community around it as well, and hence is very successful

Why it’s good: Trademe has a very clear structure, and the way auctions are laid out is clear, consistent and easy to understand. The navigation structure is very easy to follow, and everything is neatly categorized making it that much easier to find. It’s easy to keep track of auctions that you are interested with a well organised watch list, and the design of each page stays consistent throughout the site.
Prices are all clearly laid out, so when you are buying something you’ll know exactly what you are paying, and you won’t have to swap across pages to see all of the most pertinent information about an auction such as delivery costs, sellers location, feedback rating, payment methods and more. It’s what eBay should be.

8) Dropbox.com

What it does: Dropbox is a backup system that allows you to sync your files online, and across many different computers automatically. You can also share files through public links, access files online, on your computer(s) and apps on several different platforms (iOS, Android etc.) – there are really a number of great features.
Why it’s good: Dropbox is a fantastic site for a number of different reasons, but the reason it really stands out is that it just works. Whether you are transferring files in the same room or from country to country, whether you are using mobile devices, Macs, PCs, whatever your usage scenario, it just works.
The fact in, it slips into your workflow so smoothly, you don’t even notice it’s there, and there are so many wonderful features that you don’t really think about until you need them, but they are always there. It’s like they read my mind, and put in all the great features before I needed them, and made it fantastically easy to use too.
Oh, and did I mention it looks great too?

9) GetHarvest.com

What it does: Harvest is a simple time tracking app with a bunch more features thrown in, such as invoicing, expense tracking, budget tracking and more. Pretty useful for freelancers and design companies.
Why it’s good: This is another of those ‘it just works’ kind of sites. It’s really powerful for when you need that power, but it’s really simple for when you just want to get things done. There are more features hidden inside it than you could shake a stick at, and a pretty interface for when you are working with it.
The key thing is that it takes up very little of your precious time, while keeping you on top of your time management, billing, budgeting, expenses and more – which makes life much easier for both you and your clients. Throw in widgets and mobile apps, and you have a winner.

9 Cool Websites You Need To Bookmark To Manipulate Your Photos

The most fun way to use image manipulation technology is by using it on our own photographs. Morphing our photos can produce some very amusing results which will surely entertain us. Many websites offer image manipulation services. For you all I have gathered a list of 9 such entertaining website that let us have fun with our images. Check out each entry in the list and you will definitely find something that will manipulate photos to achieve amusing results.

PhotoFunia

PhotoFunia is another effect-adding website to add interesting and humorous effects to our photos. Visit PhotoFunia.

In20Years

In20years is a free to use website. Its purpose is to estimate what a person’s face will look like 20 or 30 years in the future. We can also choose to add the ‘drug addict’ effect for funnier results. Visit In20Years.

GetGrossedOut

GetGrossedOut is another free website, although its aim it quite different from in20years. With GetGrossedOut, visitors can upload their photos for the site to add disgusting effects to them. These disgusting effects are not ‘actually’ disgusting, since they are visibly cartoonish. Still, we can have a lot of fun with our photos. (Our pictures have the site’s logo on them.) Visit GetGrossedOut.

Fotobabble

With Fotobabble, we can upload our images and record audio with them. Each ‘fotobabble’ consists of an uploaded picture and our recorded audio. We can then share the fotobabble’s URL with our friends so they can view and hear what we have to share. Visit Fotobabble.

MagMyPic

MagMyPic will add a magazine-like look to our pictures. We upload our picture and the site puts it on a virtual magazine cover. Results look real and can easily fool our friends. Just remember to upload a high quality photo so it looks even more authentic. Visit MagMyPic.

Citrify

Citrify does not contain many humorous features, although it does let users to add very interesting effects to their photos which (at times) can be hilarious. The image above, for instance, got the “hulk” effect. Visit Citrify.

TiltShift Generator

As the name suggests, this site is a wonderful to add tiltshift effect to our pictures. In case you do not know what this is, tiltshift is the technique to have on a portion of the photo in focus thus drawing the attention there. It can be humorous if we are pointing out the humorous part of a picture by bringing it in focus. Visit TiltShift Generator.

SuperLame Word Balloon Engine

SuperLame Word Balloon Engine provides its visitors with a simple interface to add nice speech bubbles to their images. We can change the font of the text as well as the shape of the speech bubbles. Visit SuperLame Word Balloon Engine.

Wanokoto Labs for Old Images Effect

The last entry in my list is a website in Japanese. The site adds an ‘old’ effect to our photos. I had to make up its name from what I could gather from the URL. But even without knowing the language, figuring out what the site does and how it does it is quite easy. The controls can be recognized through their icons. Visit Old Picture Effect Creator.

10 Excellent Free Web Apps To Create CSS Forms and Grids

CSS forms and grids are something web developers and designers usually employ to create great webpages. If a developer starts writing the code for these forms, it becomes quite a difficult process. That is exactly why numerous online CSS form creators exist, to make the developer’s job easier.
These online CSS creators range from free to paid websites. If one was to explore all the options, it would take a lot of time. Fortunately for my readers who design websites, I have gathered a list of 10 free CSS form creators that competently perform the task they are designed for.
Read my gathered list, find out which one of these entries suits your needs best, and use it to make your job easier.


CSS3 Generator

CSS3 Generator has a drop down menu on its homepage which asks the visitor the element they want to create. Once they select the element (border, box, etc) the options to create it are shown below the drop down field.
Grid Layout Generator

Grid Layout Generator gives users a number of options that create a custom grid. The generated code can then be in HTML or CSS, whatever the user chooses.
nP (netProtozo)

nP’s grid generator has a friendly interface with the adjustable options located in the top right. Once we have created our desired grid, we can obtain its CSS code or download it as a PNG image file.
Blueprint Grid CSS Generator

With Blueprint Grid CSS Generator, users can specify their grid dimensions and details in the given fields and click on the “Generate CSS” button to have the resultant code automatically copy to the clipboard. A side-window displays the code as well. Download a PNG image of the grid is also possible.
Layout Generators

Layout Generator is the parent website of the abovementioned Grid Layout Generator. It provides us with a wider range of options from which we can select our layouts.
CSS Creator

The CSS Creator web tool gives us an impressive number of options to choose from for our layout. We can modify various settings of the layout and achieve the result we desire.
CSS Form Code Maker

CSS Form Code Maker will facilitate developers looking to create tableless forms that are a little colorful. A demo is available on the site that acts as a tutorial for designers unable to understand how the site words.
Form Style Generator

This site lets users modify the options of their form and preview them in real time. Form Style Generator is going to help designers view the effects of their changes as they make them.
ZURB CSS Grid Builder

ZURB is another site with user friendly tools. On the left pane we have the options to modify; on the right pane we have a view of our grid; beneath all of this our CSS code is displayed once we click on the “Get the Code” button.
FAARY

FAARY is a free online CSS form builder that gives users the option to type in required form fields in a text-area then click on “Generate.” A preview of the form can be seen on the right pane. If the form is satisfactory, its code can be downloaded by a link located below the “Generate” button.

Techinline-Remote Desktop Sharing and Customer Support Solutions

Do you own a small company and want to offer remote computer support to clients and customers? You might want to connect to another computer located at any place in the world, transfer files and documents and chat with the customer using a single application. You would also want to deliver online demonstrations and conduct training sessions between two computers.
Check out Techinline – an easy to use Remote Desktop solution which offers all these services under one interface. The service can be used to connect to any computer in the world which has an active Internet connection and a web browser. You can then transfer files, conduct presentations and chat with the customer live from your computer. The service also offers sharing screens so you can visually illustrate anything you want and convey the message on the other side.

How to Connect To a Remote Desktop Using TechInline

The entire process is very simple. Just register an account with Techinline here and they will send you a username and password in your email account. You can then use the web browser to connect to any remote desktop from any computer. There is nothing to download and install and thus you can use the service on any computer – your office, home, workplace, Internet cafe or a friends house.
Here are the step by step procedure to connect to a remote desktop using Techinline browser based service:
1. Start a support session by loggin in to your Techinline account here. You will have to enter the username and password which you obtained during registration.

2. This will take you to the browser plugin install page. Click “Allow” and the required extension will be installed in your browser.

3. Once the browser extension in installed, the browser is restarted and the service is automatically launched. The following interface apears:

Now you are ready to provide remote desktop support to your client.
4. Ask your client to open techinline.net in his browser and he will be asked to install the browser plugin.

5. Once your client has installed the browser extension, the Client Page is automatically launched in his browser. It will appear as in the following image:

This 6 digit client ID is randomly generated by the Techinline server. Ask your client to copy the “Client ID” and give it to you using email or instant messaging. Your client can use the “Send Client ID by Email” link to forward the client ID by email.
6. Once you receive the client ID from your client, simply enter it into the Client ID text box in the Techinline expert application page.

7. Next, hit the “Connect” button and the remote desktop connection would be succesfully established between you and your client.
This is how your screen looks once the connection has been established:

And this will be your clients screen:

You can read more on the setup procedure in the Quick start guide page.

Communicating with the client and providing Real time support

Once the connection is established, you can offer the following support features to your client:
1. Instant messages: This works just like an instant messaging client like Google Talk or AIM. Your client can send a message or ask a question from the browser window. You can then reply to his message and thus the communication continues.
2. Viewing the Clients computer: If you want to view your clients computer, just click the “View Remote Desktop” link from your browser.

This will send an immediate notification to your client that you have requested to view his computer screen. This is how your Client’s computer will look:

When the client clicks “Accept”, you will be granted the required permissions to view his screen. This will open an application window in your computer which will contain the entire view of your clients desktop.

You would be able to see all the mouse movements, windows, application settings and everything that’s happening at your clients screen. Then you an view the screen and send feedback using the instant message panel. Please note that in the “View” mode, you would not be able to control your clients screen in any way. For example: You can not access your clients mouse or change window positions or desktop items. You are just allowed to view your clients screen from your computer.
3. View clients computer and share controls of the mouse and keyboard: This mode is more flexible as it allows you to control your clients computer using your mouse and keyboard. To start this mode, click “share controls of the mouse and keyboard” link from your browser window.

This mode works the same way as the previous mode, your client must grant access you permission before you can view his screen and control his computer using your mouse and keyboard.
4. Other modes: There are two other modes available which lets your client view your computer or control your computer from his mouse and keyboard. Both of these modes can be started by you (not by your client) from the Techinline remote desktop application page. To view all the features of Techinline, head over to this complete Feature set page.

Why Use TechInline for Remote Desktop Assistance ?

There are many web based as well as desktop based applications which lets you establish a remote desktop conection between two computers. Some of the most popular services are LogMeIn, GoToAssist, Bomgar, NTR Global, etc. But here are a couple of reasons why you should prefer Techinline for remote desktop assistance:
1. Cheap pricing Plans: Techinline provides very cheap subscription plans as compared to other services that offer remote desktop services. There are 4 basic subscription plans to choose from and the rates come in really affordable prices. Furthermore, Techinline offers a very flexible “pay as you go” pricing model which practically all of their competitors lack. This pricing model allows a user to purchase a number of credits (”sessions” as they call them) which can be used at any point. This is ideal for sporadic or rare use.
Here are the current plans available with Techinline:

Now let’s compare the pricing plans of Techinline with GotoAssist.com – another service which offers remote desktop and customer support services. The monthly plan at GotoAssist.com is 69$ while the monthly plans at TechInline is only 30$. So you have more than 50 % savings and the feature set is the same in both the services.
2. Easy to Use and Customer Friendly: The most impressive feature of Techinline is the ease of use and simplicity. Everything is kept simple at the clients end and there is nothing to download, configure and install.
Imagine a situation when you are proving support to a client. You ask the client to download a bulky software and send him a 3 page guide on how to configure it. Your client may not be tech savy and will easily get confused. The result: He will prefer using any other company for getting help and you lose one prospect just because the remote desktop setup appeared too geeky to your client.
Techinline simplifies this issue and provides Zero distractions at Clients end. There is nothing to download or install. Your client just needs to send a 6 digit code to you and it’s all done.
Overall, Techinline is one of the best solution for providing an on Demand Remote Support to clients and customers. The company has grown rapidly in the past few years and is surely a better option, when compared to it’s competitors on the field of remote desktop sharing services.

5 Excellent Text to Voice Free Applications

Windows Speech Recognition

I am placing Windows native speech recognition at first place because I believe it will be the easiest to use for most Windows users. You will not need to install anything extra and the voice commands will be easily integrated into other Windows functions. For Windows users new to text-to-voice, Windows very own speech recognition is a great starting point.
To Enable Windows Voice Recognition tool click Start > Control Panel > Speech Recognition Options
NaturalReader

NaturalReader is a great text-to-voice option to go with. Some text-to-voice programs work by taking as input text files of a specific format. With NaturalReader however, all we have to do is highlight the text in any document (or webpage), click on the application’s hotkey, and have the text read back to us. Voice options are also adjustable: we can choose to hear either a male or female voice, and adjust the voice’s quality and speed.
iSpeech

Users who, for whatever reason do not want to or cannot install any new applications, iSpeech will serve beautifully. This is an online text-to-voice application. A signup is required before we can use this browser-based service. Once we login, we can either upload a document file of the supported format, or paste in any text we want in the assigned area.
eSpeak

eSpeak, although a tiny sized program, supports many languages other than English. The program includes different voice with modifiable characteristics. WAV files can also be produced of the generated voice. eSpeak has versions compatible with Windows and Linux operating systems.
DSpeech

The last entry in my list is DSpeech. Not only does this program offer us the option to choose from different voices the text is read in, but also allows us to combine the voice or compare them. This way we can even form a dialogue between the two voices. The outputs can be saved as WAV, MP3, and OGG files. Once you have already familiarized yourself with basic text-to-speech techniques, this program will allow you to have quite some fun in your free time.

10 Useful Website Analytics Tools

When you start a website, no matter if you have chosen a top business hosting package or a cheap website hosting package, you will find various website analysis tools in your web hosting admin panel. Website analysis tools, such as Awstats, are typically included in both business hosting and cheap website hosting packages and these tools are indeed good. However, if you want options when it comes to website analytics tools, here are some suggestions.

JAWStats

If you like Awstats, you will certainly appreciate JAWStats as well. JAWStats runs in conjunction with Awstats and produces more graphics than Awstats.

goingup!

Goingup! is one more tool website stats freaks will love because it offers many kinds of statistical data, which is represented in visually attractive ways. A substantial part of the functionality of goingup! is SEO-related, so if you don’t use any other SEO-tools, this tool will do this job as well.

Clicky

Clicky also made the list of useful website analysis tools not only because it has tons of great features but also because it is one of the few website analysis tools you can use from your iPhone.

Google Analytics

Google Analytics is rightfully considered one of the best because it is really a comprehensive tool, which gives you tons of useful data about your site.

W3Counter

W3Counter is a free, hosted website analytics solution for answering the key questions about your website: who’s your audience, how they find your site, and what interests them.

Woopra

Woopra is another excellent website analysis package. It has many, many features and there are webmasters, who name Woopra, not Google Analytics, the most comprehensive website analysis tool.

W3Perl

W3Perl can use server’s logfiles and/or be used as a page tagging tool. The perl scripts analyze logfiles and produce HTML/PDF reports. It can be run from the command line or from the web interface.

Piwik

Piwik has all the features you can expect from analysis application. Its main advantage is that its features come in the form of plugins, which means you can choose which features to get and which to skip.

TraceWatch

TraceWatch lets you keep track of the visitors to your website in real time with detailed statistics and deep analysis using an innovative user interface for FREE and helps you make your website more effective. It can be easily installed on any website supporting PHP and MySQL. You only need to upload some files to your server.

Snoop

Unlike almost all the other tools on the list, which are either used on the server of their developer, or have to be installed on your web host, Snoop is a desktop application. Snoop has a Windows and Mac version and after you install it, it runs in your tray and you get notified if an important event on your site occurs.
Certainly there are other great and useful website analysis tools in addition to the ones we have listed. If you try them and see that they aren’t what you are looking for, rest assured – there are many more website analytics tools for you to try! You can always start with the website analysis tools in your web hosting account but sooner or later you will feel the need to find more tools and get more data in addition to what you are getting for free with your business hosting or your cheap website hosting.