I have less than 3 weeks until i get off from college (then i’ve exams after that), but i have to complete a web application within that time. Up until now (i’ve had all year to do it) i haven’t really been bothered with it. Today, I gave it a fresh look and it’s amazing how a few small design changes can fire you up to do more…
It’s not a new to trick to keep me motivated though… i’ll often redesign a site just for the sake of it if i’m getting fed up. Generally this blog gets redesigned once a year, mainly because i’m sick of looking at it day in day out. With this college project it was the same feeling. I had great intentions but a combination of having to use asp.net & being stuck with really poor computers in college meant i just sort of waffled my way through it.
How can you waffle your way through building a website? Well after an enthusiastic first couple of months where most of the work up until now was done, i’d just take my time and add a few new features every now and then…. change the location of buttons and images etc… i was working on it but i didn’t want to be. I still don’t want to be but after messing around with the layout and style today, i’ve given myself a slight injection of life…
Before;
After;
They might seem like small changes to you, but to me they’re massive… and that’s what is most important. If i can do something… anything… to increase enthusiasm towards a site it’s a good thing. Ultimately this will lead to more work on the project, probably a better result but most importantly a guilt free few weeks…. getting this project done and dusted will be a great weight off my shoulders.
Next year i have to do it all over again (another project) but i’ll try to invest some time and energy in to that over the summer so that hopefully i’ll end up working with something i love (there are less restrictions next year so i’ll have more say in what sort of project i can do).