Week 1

Where am I?

Well, not as far as I thought I would be—but this is only to be expected after coming back from break. That being said, I did do some stuff! I finished several interviews and have very detailed notes, and I have another couple of interviews scheduled. At this point, I think I have enough material to write a fairly substantial body of stories (yay!).

I didn’t do much work on the code over the break, but I did update the access permissions on the Firebase database to better reflect this stage in development. I’ll have to change them again when I am ready to put the site up, but for the moment, the permissions need to remain open. I have a very rough html framework, and some preliminary functions written in JavaScript that cover around 20% of the functionality of the site (but a very vital 20%).

In terms of the style and design, I actually regressed. I don’t think that I am sold on my original design at all—actually I don’t like it and don’t think it makes much sense. I think I’m going to be playing with the design of the site for a few weeks. I don’t know if I want to do something more traditional and clean, or something that is a little more artsy and unique and could better communicate the connections/meaning in the site.

Where do I want to be by next week?

By next week, I want to have the html framework finished. I also want half of the stories to be drafted (five stories at around 500-1,000 words) and, if possible, the rest of the interviews completed. I also want to do some research on designs and get closer to settling on something solid. If I am looking at being “artsy” I should start generating graphics for the CSS in week three, because that will take forever.

Looking Further Forward

Week 2: html framework finished, 1/2 stories drafted, all interviews complete.

Week 3: CSS design finalized, all stories drafted, 1/2 stories polished, lantern design begun

Week 4: Firebase operation finished and integrated with HTML, lantern design finalized

Week 5: lantern prototype printed, CSS begun…

What is 50%?

Right now, I think 50% looks like having the lantern prototype printed, the Firebase set up and working, the CSS design finished and roughly implemented, the HTML framework for the site complete, and the externally collected stories written up and housed in Firebase for testing.

What is 90%?

By the 90% mark, I want all JS done, all stories, facts, and articles collected and in Firebase. I also want all of the lanterns to be printed and locations to be planned. The CSS should be perfect for Chrome at this point, and the mobile version should look professional (though not perfect). Essentially, I want the site to be completely finished so I can focus on getting it to be fully functional online and make sure that it looks good on a number of different browsers and mobile.

What is 100%?

The site will be live online, look good on mobile, and work on all browsers. It will house and display all stories, facts, and articles with a professional and creative design. The Firebase will call the correct story when the story title is clicked, and images will be displayed depending on the story. The lanterns will be laser cut, painted if necessary, and placed in the chosen location.