Well, as a tester I cannot say that I didn’t find bugs on the new Windows 8, but this was to be expected as it is just a Consumer Preview, but what I wasn’t expecting was the User Interface versus the User Experience.

Installation

But let’s start from the beginning: the installation, well, that was quick and didn’t require any special knowledge, which was great. Once installed I had my first user experience on the Metro interface. It was different, somehow I was expecting something more similar with the iOS mobile interface, but it wasn’t. I’d never used a Windows phone before, maybe because of this it was so different for me.

Interface

The User Interface looks good, very appealing to the eyes and very colourful as well - not always a good thing - but it looked good.

If you are used with the usual Windows way to do things, well, forget about it, because the new Windows 8 is different on every way. As a Windows user I have loads ...

I have been trying out some online wireframing tools. These tools are useful for fast access to simple wireframing tools that are easy to use, and can be a useful resource for those creating their own site. Here's just a few of the online wireframing tools I tried out, with some advantages and disadvantages.

Mockingbird provides a variety of widgets for wireframing of websites and has a good setup except for the lack of some widgets. The interface for searching for the right widget is also neglected with the drop down menu provided making the process slower than it needs to be along with a search function that can add confusion as the number of widgets do not really meet the need for an individual search and using this can slow down the process even further these mixed can end up with you settling for a widget that fits but isn’t what you want as you avoid the clumsy menu. While Mockingbird has some issues it widget menu the ...

In my last blog post, I looked at how easy it was to create a slideshow module using Sitefinity’s Module Builder. Overall, the experience was a huge improvement on having to create the entire module through code. With the whole process being quicker and easier, the workflow for site development was hugely decreased.

So that’s it then? Well... no, unfortunately after some further experimenting and pushing the customisation of the Module Builder, I discovered that you could only go so far.

Moving on from the slideshow module, my next task was to create a protected downloads module which used jQuery to create a hover effect. When the front image was hovered, another area would appear containing a title, summary and “download” button which, when clicked, would present the user with a popup requesting their email address before enabling the file download to begin. This email address would then be validated and stored.

Using Sitefinity’s Module Builder, I was able to quickly configure the module and add the fields required. ...

So... Sitefinity’s Module Builder: “the state-of-the-art module builder which allows you to build your own content types without programming”. A big promise, but does it work?

Casting our minds back a little, back to when Sitefinity 4.4 was released, I take a look at the Sitefinity Module Builder to see how effective it is at reducing the amount of programming required for simple modules.

When Sitefinity 4.4 was announced, it boasted a range of new features and improvements to the globally used CMS platform. With a huge emphasis on making it easier and more simplistic to develop websites and applications, most excitement revolved around the news on Sitefinity’s new Module Builder.

The Sitefinity Module Builder claimed that you would be able to build complete custom modules without having to get your hands dirty with programming. Avoiding the standard method of creating custom modules, the Module Builder indicated that it could drastically improve the workflow of site development.

Generally, as a Web Designer/Front End Developer (with minimal development knowledge), I would ...