Interface design is most often associated with the development of Web pages, computer software or custom applications, and multimedia, but is relevant to the creation of any instructional media or technical equipment.

Success hinges on four major constructs – usability, visualization, functionality, and accessibility.

1. Usability refers to how intuitively or easily your media item is navigated and processed (flow, sequence, instructions, download time). This construct is the most inclusive of the three and is influenced by both visualization and functionality. The foundation of any successful interface, usability is the first step in successful design. Below are methods we use to ensure that the usability of your site is beyond reproach.
   • Planning Your Presentation (flow, navigation) – Regardless of chosen media, we outline your instructional materials prior to production. These outlines usually start with flowcharts and may evolve into more detailed storyboards that provide a more detailed visualization of your site’s flow and navigation.
   • Procedural Scaffolding – Procedural scaffolds are instructions for using an interface or embedded cues/features that help someone use an interface. They take many forms. Depending on the complexity of your website or application, we use tool tips, typographical cues, icons and a variety of other well proven methods to ensure your audience is comfortable and informed. Confusion leads to frustration and frustration typically means people will leave your site.
   • Heuristic Evaluation – Heuristic evaluation is done as a systematic inspection of a user interface design for usability. The goal of heuristic evaluation is to find the usability problems in the design so that they can be attended to as part of an iterative design process. Heuristic evaluation involves having a small set of evaluators examine the interface and judge its compliance with recognized usability principles (the “heuristics”).
2. Visualization is creating visually interesting and aesthetically pleasing media items while avoiding potentially distracting or unnecessary “bells and whistles.”
   • The Visuals and Icons – When designing navigation and content layout and realization for your site, we use a combination of both visual and verbal information to enhance clarity. We carefully select your visuals on the basis of the age, culture, and education of your audience.
   • The Text and Copy – The first and most important rule about designing text for the Internet is remember – the goal is for your visitors to be able to read it. Separate text adequately to enhance readability and using contrast to enhance readability is paramount. Of equal importance is to establish a consistent hierarchy of font sizes and styles for various content depending on its importance.
   • The Colors – The colors of the site should reinforce your brand and be consistent with the ultimate goals of your website. We rely heavily on the psychology of color as it relates to your company and the perception you want your audience to have of your company, services, and products. Like all design elements, all colors used should have a reason.
   • The Foundational Graphic Elements – The elements that make up the foundation of your site need to be consistent with your brand. Consequently, all colors, line weights, and patterns or textures need to reinforce that brand and extend your company’s values while speaking directly to your intended audience.
   • Screen Design and Layout – Art and Advertising tend to use dynamic, informal layouts to attract our attention. For websites however, a formal balance is key. We achieve this balance by creating focal points, considering information density, and creating consistency throughout the site.
3. Functionality refers to the features of your media item and how useful they are for supporting a given task. For example, navigating through content or filling our forms on your site should follow an intuitive, consistent pattern. We use well-proven and recognizable tactics making the user’s experience clear and stress-free.
4. Accessibility is a fundamental Web interface design topic; if not addressed, it will negatively influence Web site usability for users depending on their hardware, operating systems, and preferred browsers. All the sites that we build are built in valid XHTML code to ensure proper function across all internet access points. We tirelessly address:
   • Cross Browser Compatibility
   • Cross Platform Compatibility
   • Spider and Search Engine Compatibility

Designing a website involves a lot of consideration and planning. If you have any questions about our process that were not addressed here, please feel free to contact us, and we will do our best to get you the detailed answers you desire.

Thank you for visiting Coggan Creative!

Non-profit organizations present a challenge to web developers: they typically require a high degree of functionality within the confines of a limited budget. Depending on existing Content Management Systems (CMS) would ideally save custom development time; yet the individual needs of non-profits often necessitate customization and re-configuration of existing CMS platforms. To meet this challenge, the development team at Coggan Creative is creating a custom framework to streamline the process of developing non-profit sites. This framework will mitigate costs while providing non profits with the web capacity to meet their unique needs.

“The main goal here is to provide non-profits with the maximum degree of functionality and customization, for an affordable price,” says Christopher Coggan, CC’s founder and creative director. “The goal is simple: more bang for the buck.”

To accomplish this goal, CC’s development team is in the process of building a PHP-based framework geared specifically to the needs of non-profit organizations. Like many existing third-party frameworks, this one consists of a library of functions that will increase the speed of production and provide high-level, dynamic functionality and performance.

Lance Dockins, CC’s head developer explains, “The idea is to consolidate the needed functionality into a streamlined library with a light server footprint. That way, we’ll be able to utilize this framework on all our non-profit projects without having to reinvent the wheel for each client.”

Ideally, non-profit dollars should be spent on programs, not programming. By providing top-notch, low-cost websites, Coggan Creative will enable these organizations to meet that goal. e as the flagship sites in the non-profit realm.

As of May 5th, 2010, Coggan Creative has entered the production and design phase of two non-profit sites, Pacific Blue Foundation and Predisan USA. These will be the first sites built on our non-profit PHP framework, customized for Joomla. They will serve as flagship sites in the realm of non-profit web design and development.

A brand is a symbol of the personality of a product, service or company. Your brand should be appealing to customers, staff, partners, investors etc. Some people distinguish the psychological aspect of a brand from the brand experience. The psychological aspect, sometimes referred to as the brand image, is a symbolic construct created within the minds of people and consists of all the information and expectations associated with a product or service. The brand experience is the experiential aspect which consists of the sum of all points of contact with the brand.
Here at Coggan Creative, our branding services start with research and end with an identity that is extensible, appropriate, and memorable. Firstly, we get to know your company and your marketplace. The brand image we create needs to be representative of your company values and appealing to your demographic. The colors, line quality and font treatments are of primary importance for the most effective psychological impact. In addition, your brand must be appropriate for its application; in other words, it needs to be consistently represented across all media.

Here at Coggan Creative, our branding services start with extensive research to ensure both the brand image and brand experience are on point. We start by getting to know your company and your marketplace. The brand image we create is representative of your company values and appealing to your demographic. The colors, line quality and font treatments are of primary importance for the most effective psychological impact. What we end up with a brand identity that is extensible, appropriate, and memorable. In addition, we ensure your brand and all treatments are appropriately created with specific guidelines, in other words, we give you all the tools to keep your brand consistently represented across all media.

Since your brand image is the foundation of your business, we are pleased to offer all of our clients a 100% satisfaction guarantee. Our design team won’t rest until your brand image is aligned with your company’s goals.

To visit our branding portfolio to see the limitless potential of our design team, click here.

To visit our identity and logo design portfolio , click here.