Todd Astroth

Being Late, or Losing Your Life?

For the fourth time in less than six months, I watched as someone crossed the railroad tracks with warning lights flashing and a train approaching from less than 500 feet away.  And for the fourth time, I watched as the conductor personally escorted the person off the train and had a word with them.  And for the fourth time, I heard the conductor explain to the others on the train that there is another train 10 minutes behind them, and crossing in front of the train is not worth losing your life.

So what is it about these individuals?  Where are they going?  Most likely they are going where I am going - to work.  My first question to that person would be "Are you worried you'll be late to work?"  If they say "yes", then I would respond "If you value your job that much, then why don't you value your LIFE that much?" 

Today, the man I saw cross the tracks was carrying luggage.  It appeared his wife was waiting for him on the other side, so he decided he had better hurry and cross those tracks quickly.  Wrong decision.  Both he and his wife were escorted off the train.  So not only are they both going to be late to their destination, but I would hate to think what his wife thinks of him now.  Again, are you worried you will miss your flight?  There are many flights, but you only have one life.  

This most recent incident occurs during the announcement of the "Another Train Warning System" on my train line, the Union Pacific West Line.  The system is designed to give pedestrians more warning of trains coming.  However, even with the most state-of-the-art technology to warn pedestrians, will it really affect those who would risk their lives to be on time?  Perhaps the money would be better spent teaching the public common sense.  Wait for the train, and you'll be late.  Get hit by a train, and you'll REALLY be late.

Web Design vs. Usability

Living with a Web Developer, and working at a company that develops and maintains a website, I've noticed a trend in web design these days that I don't understand...

It seems that "good" website design entails creating tiny, hidden links and incorporating massive pictures and Flash banners into the page.  While visually stunning, I find that from a usability standpoint, it's lacking.  First of all, when I go to a website, I don't want to watch an intro video.  I'm a busy guy, and I should be able to choose whether or not to watch the video if I am interested and have the time. 

Some sites are literally made out of Flash.  So instead of using those tried and true links I know will get me places, I have to figure out what is clickable in this Flashstravaganza.  And forget about the site working on my Android phone.  Even if Flash was supported on my phone, all the links are so spread out at random that I have to scroll all around my tiny phone's viewing space to find where to click.

Then there are the sites that have expansive pictures covering the page, but the links are tiny and cramped together in a corner.  Again, I do not visit websites to view giant, pretty pictures (unless I'm picture hunting) - I am visiting your website for information.  I need the website to tell me how to navigate so I can get the information I need and be on my merry way.  Why are we hiding that navigation in the corner, when there is so much space to be used?  What does it matter if I can see slightly more of a picture by tucking away the navigation?  Again, I am not visiting the site to look at big pictures - I want to click the links I need!

Also, another aspect that seems to be popular is the expandable menu.  I understand that designers love menus that collapse and expand because then there's more space to display those oh-so-lovely pictures!  But when links are hidden in collapsed menus, it becomes an Easter egg hunt, trying to find the right link in the right place.  And sometimes, with Facebook for example, it is not obvious that a menu even IS expandable!  I think Google has the right idea - The main page is relatively simple, but to view a complete listing of their products and services, all I need to do is click 2 links, both with the word "more" in them.

I'm not sure what the exact reasons are for this visually heavy trend in web design.  Is it because designers want to be bolder, fresher, and more unique?  Or is it because we dream of a world where everything is intuitive, and we can touch anything to go straight to the information we are looking for instantly?  Or is the language barrier causing a push to express everything without words?  Whatever it is, I encourage folks in the web design industry to take a step back and approach the site from the consumer perspective - how easy is it to find your website's information?

In closing, here is a list of five principles I highly recommend for your next project:
1.) Don't be afraid to use more links and buttons - People naturally want to press buttons.
2.) Don't hide links unless they are very unimportant, or they are contained in a section that makes it easy to find them in. 
3.) Try to keep links to one side of the page, preferably the left side.  Smart phones are very common, and people do not want to have to waste their time scrolling across every page.
4.) Limit Flash to only small, unimportant areas of the page.  Flash eats up resources, and some phones don't even support it.  There is no reason your navigation has to be tied to Flash.
5.) Minimize massive banners and pictures.  They will only slow down the page, and they are annoying to have to scroll past.

Pros & Cons of Working in the Suburbs

I've had the chance to work in both the suburbs and the city.  I first worked in Creve Coeur, MO - a suburb of St. Louis.  I now (at the time of this post) work in downtown Chicago.  I've had a couple years in each setting to compare the experiences of each.  Basically, the suburbs are hands down, a much better place to work in my opinion.  Here are what I believe to be the pros and cons of working in the burbs:

Pros:

• No beggars you have to walk by!
• No beggars you have to walk by!  (I feel VERY strongly about this, so it deserves to be said twice)
• Spacious and free parking lots, in most cases
• Much more breathing room than in cities
• No crowded and cramped streets, full of honking cars and way too many taxi cabs
• Newer buildings than in cities
• Closer to where I live, since I prefer to live in the burbs (always have lived here)
• Quieter and more peaceful than a noisy city
• Nicely decorated office parks

• Traffic in daily commutes, depending on where you live 
• More wear and tear on your car, if you could take public transportation to the city instead
• Hard to make use of public transportation, since everything is spread out
• Depending on the climate, you might have to scrape ice off your car in the morning... ugh!
• Often have to drive to lunch

In conclusion, while working in the burbs does have pros and cons, the pros definitely outweigh the cons; and the cons are manageable.

So post a blog, for blog's sake!

HELLO WORLD.

Okay, so this is a little more involved than a simple program to write text to a window, but you get the idea!

My name is Todd, and I have decided to start blogging.  Why?  Well, a few reasons...

1. There have been a lot of things running through my mind in the last few years that I would like to discuss.
2. Blogging is a good way for new people to judge and compare my character.
3. It seems to be the "in" thing to do these days.
4. It's a good way for me to brush up on my writing skills.