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In just 3 days it has received over 100,000 views, which is a fantastic accomplishment for any YouTube video, let alone one produced in Northern Ireland.

The video was put together by one of NI’s talented young cinematographers Matt Good (who incidentally happens to be my cousin). Well done to Matt and all Friends’ staff and students involved in the video.

Makes me want to go back to school. Enjoy.

You can view some of Matt’s earlier work here.

I’ve had bank accounts with Alliance and Leicester, Ulster Bank, Bank of Ireland and the online banking experience has never been good.

However, I just checked out Bank of America and compared to the other banks I’ve tried it’s incredible.

Ulster Bank business banking (Bankline)

Lets say I want to view a statement of recent transactions and see what my overall bank balance is. A very common task for online banking.

Click 1: Go to UlsterBank.co.uk and click business banking

Click 2: Click login

Opens a nice new window.

Click 3: Enter a customer ID and a user ID and click continue

Because one ID isn’t enough.

Click 4: Enter requested numbers from your PIN and requested characters from your password and click continue

There are so many IDs and passwords to remember that you have to write them down somewhere.

Click 5: Read the welcome message and click confirm

Click 6: Click account information

Click 7: Click view account balance

Click 8: Click on your account ID

Result number one. After 7 clicks I’m able to see my balance. Now I want to see a breakdown of recent transactions.

Statement

After 8 clicks, 2 IDs, 1 PIN and 1 password, I’m able to see my statement and my balance.

Bank of America

I’ve recently setup a US bank account with Bank of America. Here’s the user flow for wanting to view the same thing – my balance and recent statement.

Click 1: Enter my username and sign in

It actually remembered my username from last time.

Click 2: Enter my passcode

Statement

The first screen I see after logging in is ‘Account Activity’. Immediately I’m able to see a balance summary and a statement of recent transactions. That’s only 2 clicks and one passcode I had to enter.

Not only do a get a good overview of my bank account straight away, each entry includes detailed information about the transaction, including icons to help me identify what type of transaction it was.

Ulster Bank personal banking (Anytime)

It took me 4 clicks, 1 customer number, 1 PIN and 1 password to see a brief statement and 6 clicks to see a full statement.

Bank of Ireland

I once had an account with Bank of Ireland but I left before I could get a chance to test their online banking.

According to them their online banking service was not compatible with Apple Mac at the time (this was about 2 years ago).

Alliance and Leicester (Santander)

Alliance and Leicester took 5 clicks, 1 customer ID and 1 PIN to view an overview and 6 clicks to see a full statement.

What’s your experience like with online banking?

These are banking sites so obviously security is very important but does that mean the user experience has to be awful?

Until recently I assumed all online banking was terrible, but I’m very impressed with Bank of America.

Who do you bank with and how is their online banking? Why do banks not put more/any effort into UX?

The main question I had in my head was “What do you stand for and why should I vote for you in this election?” but I also wanted to see how they coped in the modern day era of mobile devices (smartphones, tablets etc).

NI political party websites viewed on iPhones

Here are screenshots of my first view when looking up their respective websites.

The examples I’ve used below are of Northern Ireland’s top 5 parties (as of the last election), ordered A-Z.

Alliance

What’s good

• Clear intro to what the party is and stands for

Could be better

• Not optimised for mobile
• Could do with a call to action to guide me towards the 2011 election page
• Navigation doesn’t actually work for iPhone at all

DUP

What’s good

• List of 7 priorities on homepage
• iPhone app available to download

Could be better

• Not optimised for mobile
• Video doesn’t work on iPhone
• Could do with a call to action to guide me towards the 2011 election page

SDLP

What’s good

• Clear intro and call to action for the 2011 election
• From a design perspective, definitely the most aesthetically pleasing
• Video works fine on iPhone

Could be better

• Not optimised for mobile

Sinn Fein

What’s good

• Video works fine on iPhone

Could be better

• Not optimised for mobile
• A splash page with a video blocks me off from the main site (the main site link bottom left doesn’t actually work)
• Could do with a call to action to guide me towards the 2011 election page

UUP

What’s good

• Separate navigation for election

Could be better

• Not optimised for mobile
• Rotating banner lacks call to action

Accessibility

The two major accessibility issues that jumped out for me were:

1. Alliance website main navigation didn’t function at all on iPhone
2. DUP’s video didn’t work/load on iPhone (it’s a YouTube video so I’m not sure why this is)

Loading and page weight

Page download time is also an issue for mobile devices. Mobile users may not have wifi access and they may be paying for the amount of data they download, so the smaller the ‘page weight’ the better.

A quick look at Firefox and YSlow shows how large each site is (remember none of the sites are serving up a mobile optimised site).

• Alliance: 821.2K
• DUP: 1026.5K
• SDLP: 628.3K
• Sinn Fein: 456.2K
• UUP: 1219.7K

Note that these figures don’t take into account the video size.

Is it important for your website to be mobile optimised?

Time and budget are an issue for any project and other things often take priority. But for a campaign where you’re trying to get as many people to back you as possible, you want to make sure everything is accessible to iPhone, iPad, Android, Windows Mobile, Blackberry and other smartphone users.

A responsive design is one option or serving up a separate mobile site is another. At the very least the main desktop version of the website should work on a mobile.

Should the local parties have invested in mobile optimised websites? Does it matter? Have you come across any good mobile optimised political websites?

What is TweetNI?

Old site

1. A directory

TweetNI is a website I set up in 2009 that lists people from Northern Ireland on Twitter.

The hope is that it will help you find people, either to follow or to contact.

If you wanted to find any Northern Irish journalists on Twitter, for example, you could search for journalists and assuming they mentioned the word journalist in their description, they would be returned in the results.

2. A hashtag

After launching TweetNI I included a little Javascript widget that would show any tweets containing the #tweetni hashtag on the homepage.

After a while quite a few people were using this hashtag in their daily tweets, including the likes of @utvlive, @bbcnewsline and @nidirect. There could be up to 200 tweets a day containing #tweetni.

Why the update?

New site

1. The design was a bit awful looking.
2. Tweets weren’t actually getting saved anywhere, so I was missing out on some good data.
3. People were listed by follower count by default meaning anyone who follows lots of people (generally to get more followers in return) still got listed high up.
4. It wasn’t that easy to maintain thanks to my hacked together code.
5. I wanted to try out some Rails 3 development.

How I built it

It’s actually pretty simple to build and there are only a handful of tasks.

Ruby on Rails

The website is developed with Ruby on Rails.

Here’s a great step by step guide on setting up your first Rails application.

If you still need to setup Rails, Ruby and MySQL on Snow Leopard then take a read at this.

Twitter gem

Using the Twitter gem it’s easy to call the Twitter API and find out who is tweeting what.

Search for #tweetni and save the results that are returned. It’s that simple.

HTML5 and CSS3

As with any personal or side project I got to make the most of HTML5 elements and CSS3 goodness.

From Northern Ireland? Be sure to add yourself

To join TweetNI all you need to do is tweet “Just joined Northern Ireland’s Twitter directory http://tweetni.com #tweetni”

Okay, maybe not the nicest way to register people (OAuth is slicker) but one that helps spread the word at the same time and it’s quick and painless to implement.

Have you developed any projects using the Twitter API?

I recently tweeted looking for recommended Northern Irish iPhone apps. Based on a combination of the replies I got, the top 10 local apps from SyncNI and my own personal favourites, I’ve put together this list of apps from Northern Ireland that you should definitely check out.

1. Pocket Universe

Pocket Universe is an easy-to-use app that will help you learn constellations, bright stars and planets. You can literally hold up your iPhone 3GS/4 in front of you, and the app will use the built-in compass to display the same view of the sky you see – but one that’s complete with names and information.

Developer: Craic Design

2. Used Cars NI

Search Northern Ireland Used Cars for sale, Offers, Vans, Farm/Plant, Motorbikes, Caravans/Motorhomes, Salvage and Boats in an easy-to-use application.

Developer: Ecliptic Labs
Website: Used Cards NI

3. Shhmooze

Shhmooze helps you connect with the useful or interesting strangers around you. With Shhmooze you don’t need to ‘work’ a whole room – you can focus on getting to know the people you need to know – quickly and easily! Change the way you meet people with Shhmooze!

Developer: Shhmooze

4. Belfast Music

The Belfast Music iPhone app showcases past legends and contemporary inspirations that have shaped the music landscape of our city. Check out where Belfast legends grew up and cut their musical teeth, and check out the many venues that show off the present wealth of musical talent.

Developer: Filmtrip Ltd
Website: Belfast Music

5. Cool FM

Listen Live to Cool FM on your iPhone, at home, at work, on the move.

Website: Cool FM

6. Rory’s Story Cubes

Rory’s Story Cubes is an invitation to shared creative thinking, just open-ended enough to encourage spontaneity and humor, just structured enough to maintain focus and challenge…Play it by yourself. Play it with friends. Play it with family. Play it at a party. By all means, play it.

Website: Rory’s Story Cubes

7. NI Job Finder

Search through Northern Ireland’s largest selection of jobs.

Developer: GCD Technologies
Website: NI Job Finder

8. Hector

When a hostage crisis erupts in the centre of Clappers Wreake, only one man has the diplomatic finesse to defuse a simmering situation before it boils over into a stew of butchery and bloodshed: Detective Inspector Hector.

It’s not for kids.

Developer: Straandlooper
Website: The Hector Files

9. Rock Out

Think air guitar meets the real thing. A simple interface ensures you can feel the rhythm, follow the beat and rock out to the music in true style.

Developer: The Design Zoo
Website: Rock Out Legend

10. Irish FA

Get the latest information from inside Northern Ireland football.

Developer: Paper Bag
Website: Irish FA

Bonus: Lookaly

Added as a bonus since this is the one I’m associated with. Lookaly helps you find the best places and services in your area based on reviews from others.

Developer: Ecliptic Labs
Website: Lookaly

More apps from Northern Ireland?

Apologies if I forgot any obvious ones or overlooked your own app. There are a lot more that I’ve missed but I’m more than happy to add them to the list here.

• Go Explore NI
• Grand Opera House
• Media Lightbox
• My Webcam
• Property News
• Skunk
• The Ulster Orchestra

If you know any good iPhone apps from Northern Ireland or have developed one yourself, leave a comment below with the link and I’ll add it here.

Created for obsessive-compulsive designers, Build is no ordinary web conference. From internationally renowned speakers to a jam-packed social calendar, Build is bringing the best of the web to Belfast’s Waterfront Studio on the 5th November.

Build presented some of the world’s most respected designers and speakers and it was an honor to meet them and be in their presence: Eric Meyer, Wilson Miner, Ryan Sims, Andy Budd, Mark Boulton and Tim Van Damme.

The conference was a huge success, I thoroughly enjoyed myself not just on the day but across the whole week with various other meetups and Andy deserves a huge pat on the back. Well done sir! I even managed to win a ‘goody bag’ thanks to this tweet – sorry Tim ;-)

I can’t even begin to list all the awesome people I chatted to over the week as there are too many to mention but it was good to meet you all and next time you’re up for a drink in Belfast just tweet me :)

If you’re in Belfast later in the month check out the Adobe CS4 training day Wednesday 25th November (free event).

Round ups

• Front: Build Conference recap
• Pabcas: Building a better web
• Web Designer Notebook: #buildconf
• TaylorMade: Belfast builds giants
• Kyle Boyd: Build Conference – Belfast 2009
• Sam Brown: Build Conference – My experience graph
• No More Art: City of Culture eh? Well 2009 will just have to do

Press

• Wired: Belfast looks to build a hi-tech future
• BBC: The next Twitter or Facebook?

Photos

Front

Keith Anderson

Paddy Donnelly

David Parsons

Maykel Loomans

Yaili

Videos

Tim Van Damme – Designers Designers Designers (from @vectorfunk)

These are just some of the post #buildconf links I have come across. Please feel free to share your blog posts and photos in the comments below.

Please also take a moment to review or recommend any cool places you visited over the days of Build on Lookaly (another project of mine). Cheers!

• John Hewitt Bar
• McHughs
• Duke of York
• Ramada Encore Hotel
• Malmaison Hotel

Stay tuned for Build 2010.

I’ll be joining the lineup of Andy Clarke, Drew McLellan, Web Standardistas and others.

The Belfast event is being held in W5 at The Odyssey starting at 8.45am.

Tickets are still available at £59 (bargain for a FOWD event).

I’ll be talking about ‘Rounding the edges of your website‘:

• Minor adjustments to ensure your user has an enjoyable experience
• How to optimise your site for optimal performance
• Essential checks before launching your website

Further links:

• Check out the schedule
• Check out the speaker list
• More Carsonified events

I’m very excited about the event and hope to see a lot of you there. Who’s going?

Here’s a brief roundup.

What is Refresh Belfast?

Refresh Belfast is a monthly event for designers and creatives to meet over an informative talk and a ‘refreshing’ pint.

It takes place every third Monday of the month in The Black Box, and like a lot of web related events happening in Belfast is organised by Andy Good.

More about Refresh Belfast.

Who are Front?

Front are one of Ireland’s leading web development agencies with clients including BBC, O2, Independent News & Media, Carte Blanche Greetings – and lots of exciting new work they’re not yet able to speak about!

Photo source

Paul McKeever, Front’s MD, and Jamie Neely, Front’s creative director, both spoke at the event.

Topics

Paul talked about the user experience, how people will use your site and being human online (and not talking like a robot).

Jamie discussed Front’s approach to design and how it’s not about jumping into Photoshop and starting to design a site. It’s about understanding the user and client needs, scoping out the project with wireframes and sketches and building the client’s online brand.

You can view the round-up, video clips and slides on Front’s website. It’s worth a read :)

What is Lookaly?

Lookaly is an online business directory that lets you rate and review businesses. The objective is to allow you to find the best businesses and services in your area based on ‘the wisdom of crowds’ i.e. feedback from others.

What’s in it for businesses?

Businesses can add themselves for free. Yes, free! If you own a business or are associated with a business, by adding yours you will get a:

• Free directory listing
• Free web page
• Free link to your website

What makes Lookaly so special?

Apart from being beautifully crafted and really easy to use ;) Lookaly is all about helping to promote the best businesses and services in your area. By allowing anyone to signup and review, you can make informed decisions about what restaurant serves good steak or what cinema has comfortable seats.

You can also follow and share reviews with family and friends. Lookaly has a social networking platform so you can setup your own profile and follow your friends, keeping you up-to-date with their latest reviews.

Background

Lookaly was developed by James Gallagher and myself (Lee Munroe). There are a lot of business directories out there but we found them really awkward or depressing to use. Trying to find a list of good recommendations for sandwich bars or coffee shops in Belfast, for example, didn’t seem to be possible. So we made it possible.

Most people now look up businesses online these days but because other directories charge upwards of £120/yr to get listed, there are tens of thousands of businesses missing out. So by offering a free listing service, we’re allowing every business from self employed tradesmen to global Hotel franchises to get listed and found online.

What now?

Check out Lookaly, signup and start reviewing.

For the month of February we’re putting an iPod up for grabs. For a chance to win the iPod, all you need to do is review a business and you’ll be entered into the draw.

We’re currently targeting Northern Ireland businesses but if you’re based in Ireland, England, Scotland, USA or anywhere else feel free to add your business and try it out. You still get your own webpage and link to your website.

Any feedback you want to provide please do.

Thanks

Thanks to everyone who helped test out the app; Paddy, Kyle, Chris, Nick, Andy, Marty, Barry, Andrew, Brian, Liam, Jonny, James Boyce and other family and friends who helped out.

So if you’re from Northern Ireland or have ever visited Northern Ireland I’d really appreciate 60 seconds of your time. There’s nothing complicated involved, honest.

Click here to complete the form.

I’ll post the results soon :)

Thanks

#Edit – View the results here