Assignment / Zulu Love Letter / Capabilities / Requirements

Capabilities 

This assignment requires us to develop a magazine feature that can work both on desktop, tablet and mobile devices. This already implies that the capabilities for each device may differ. However, each device, in their varying degrees of capabilities, will support HTML5, CSS3 and Javascript. 

For starters, one should be able to create their own Zulu Love Letter which we will have built with Javascript. The user should be able to download their own image and send it. Being able to share their Zulu Love Letter via Facebook, Twitter or email should be something to consider. This will definitely add to the interactive component of our mobi magazine. 

One needs to consider how the users interact with their device according to their device’s capabilities. For example, tablets and smartphones can have touch screens while desktops comprise of keyboards and a mouse. 

As mentioned in class, a slideshow or video could be included in our mobi feature. However, not all  of the devices, such as mobile devices can support this. Additionally, we need to decide if we want to include our Javascript component in our mobile devices. However, most modern mobile browsers are capable of supporting Javascript and HTML5 which makes use of the <canvas> element. 

Requirements 

For this assignment we are required to make use of HTML5, CSS3 and Javascript (to be honest probably the scariest part of it all :/). These elements draw on the knowledge that we have learnt and will be learning at a later date, that is, our technical skills. HTML5 allows us to implement the <canvas> element among many other rad things. If you haven’t done so yet, download, Dive into HTML5 by Mark Pilgrim. CSS3 is what allows us to use media queries which will aid us in creating responsive webpages optimised for mobiles, tablets and desktops. Each device will therefore have unique styling commands according to its capabilities. Javascript forms part of the interactive competent which will be embedded within the HTML5 <canvas> element.  

For the magazine article, we need to write up a snazzy article that educates, entertains and informs the reader. This can include information about its origins and meanings of coloured beads as well as how one can go about constructing Zulu Love Letters. If we think about “mobile first”, the article should be written up for a mobile screen. This means it should not be too long to read as many mobi users prefer to get to the point as quickly as possible. However, we may want to consider writing up a longer article that can be included for desktops as those users are more likely to browse around and muck around than mobile users. Using the hidden element in CSS3 for some sections of text shouldn’t be too much of a problem. 

A magazine layout must be visually simple enough to read (think clean backgrounds and fonts); have a catchy title with a tagline that expands a bit on the heading but doesn’t give too much away and must make use of visuals. If people are too lazy to read the article, they should be able to understand what the images are trying to say and hop on down to the create-your-own-zulu-love-letter section. 

- Have a great day!