The ZURBlog is where we discuss interaction design and strategy.

Are you still capturing webpages like a brand new Notable user, by typing or pasting the URL? If so, I'd like to re-introduce you to an old friend: The Firefox Toolbutton.

You probably just ignored the Toolbutton figuring that the URL capture is just as good. You're partially right, but the Firefox Toolbutton has significant advantages when it comes to capturing:

• You can capture websites which are behind logins
• You can capture fancy flash elements on a website
• You can capture foreign language websites

We want to make sure you're using the same tools of the trade we use here at ZURB to capture pages and provide feedback.

Here's where you go to install the Toolbutton if you haven't already done it:

Now, get capturing!

You might have noticed by now that Notable has a pretty distinct set up when it comes to sharing your posts with the users on your account. There' s a reason for this! Everything in Notable is set up to encourage you to give directed feedback in order to get follow through.

Here are a couple of things we hear frequently from our customers:

• I let someone in to my account, why can't they see everything?
• I want to share with 50 people, but I can only have 5 users on my account.

It makes sense that you'd want to do this. Sharing online is so easy, it seems natural to just open it up to everybody. That might work for a blog or a forum but an active project needs directed feedback in order to move forward.

Think about it this way: In a real office environment, would you do either of these two things?

• Drop an entire folder with 50 different items on someone's desk and say "Here, do something with this."
• Make 50 copies of the folder, distribute it to 50 people and say "Okay, I want everyone's comments and feedback now."

In the first case, your poor co-worker is likely to be baffled, overwhelmed, and frustrated. In the second case you'll either have to wade through hundreds of comments that may or may not be relevant, or hound the 48 people who didn't even bother to respond to you.

Providing or soliciting directed feedback moves a project forward while tossing something out to everybody leaves a project floundering.

People are super excited about the new annotation feature that allows everyone to make notes on the same page. You can now see what everyone has to say in one simple view. But how do you deal with everybody needing to make notes in the same place? Here are some suggestions to help you stay organized with your notes and get the most value out of this new feature:

• Keep it simple: Make sure you're outlining just the area of the page that you need, and keep your text clear, concise, and directly related to highlighted area.


• Offset your notes: If you want to keep everyone's notes about one area visible at the same time, just offset where you place your note. Then you can scroll over everyone's notes really easily. It's actually kind of fun!




• Hide some notes: If you and somebody else want to make notes in the exact same spot, you can hide one or more sets of notes while you're viewing the page. Just select or deselect which user's note you want to see.




• Use comments: If your feedback is a reply to somebody else's note, drop it in the comments right on their annotation. If it's more of a general remark on the whole page, put it in the comment stream below the page. Ask yourself a couple of questions before making that note: Will I need to edit it later? Does it need to display on the PDF? If it's a "No" to these questions, then go ahead and hit that "comment" button instead.

Tip: Remember that everyone's notes will show on the PDF file even if you hide them while viewing the page. So if you've got internal info you want to "hide", make sure to put it in the comments.

How does the new annotation functionality fit into your workflow? We'd love to hear from you! Reply here, or drop a line to Notable Support.

Those of you who have signed up for Verify private release probably have noticed the new "Verify It" button in Notable. Have you tried it out yet? This new magic button lets you test the feedback you get in Notable before you start implementing it. Here is how we recently used the Verify button here at ZURB:

We were working on a visual design for a client. Our designer created a mockup and solicited feedback from the team. The designer got some conflicting feedback. One team member said we need to display the full date and time in a time stamp while another said we just need to display "3 days ago" instead. Here's how we made our decision:

1. We clicked the Verify button in Notable to ask other people which timestamp they'd prefer.


2. We were directed to Verify. We selected "Preference Test" to ask people which one of our two mockups they prefer and why.



3. We generated a URL for our interactive test and gave it to our Twitter followers. Go ahead and click on the button below to preview the test.


Take the Test »

ZURB's Timestamp Test

Started August 11 at 4:40pm

4. We got data back that helped us decide which timestamp to choose. Click below to view our results.



ZURB's Timestamp Test Results
66 responses over 12 hours
View the Results »

The data told us that 79% of people prefer "3 days ago" version. We went ahead with implementation of the idea which was validated by data. That's how we use that handy Verify button. The whole idea is that we get data to back up our decisions before we implement them. Curious — how do you verify your ideas before you implement them?

If you’re just adding notes to screenshots in Notable without sharing them, you’re utilizing approximately 33.33% of the tool's magic. Notable helps you speed your iterations up when you share your notes. As a result you get a better version of your webpage faster. Lets break it down:

3 reasons to share

• Move things forward: You can make notes for your own reference, but where do you go from there? You have to get your ideas out there to get them implemented.


• Kill indecision: Stuck on a decision? Have a question you need answered? Call in another opinion. You might agree, you might not; either way it’s going to help you push toward completion.


• Get new ideas: You already know what you think, and chances are you tend to do things in a similar pattern over and over. Try getting someone else’s input for a whole new perspective.

3 quick tips on sharing

• Start small: Start with one post that you have some specific questions or suggestions about.


• Create a call to action: Think about what you want the recipient of your feedback to do. This helps to get follow-through on your shared notes.


• Give people a clue: Send a quick heads-up message before you share: "I'm using this cool website annotation tool and I'd like you to look at something I'm working on, so be on the lookout for an email about Notable."