Erik Gibb
Web-based training

Netscape migrated from Meeting Maker to it’s own Calendar product. Before I joined, the team was asked to build a training module that served new users, but was particularly friendly for migrating users.

The Calendar Zone training module featured a Twilight Zone spoof theme with a training host named Rodzilla, a cleverly disguised Mozilla sporting a Rod Sterling Pompadour. (Mozilla was Netscape’s dragon mascot. Once a beloved character on the netscape.com website, he retired from public life in ‘98.)

I was responsible for upkeep of the module as new features were added to the product. I also added some javascript whizbang to the navigation that

• Kept the nav in sync with the content
• Cued the user where she was in the training (via the iTunes-like dots. Perhaps Apple was inspired by my work?)
• Allowed random access to content.

Continue reading “Netscape: The Calendar Zone Training Module” »

BuyerX was the e-commerce internal procurement system built on Netscape’s Application Server. It was a complex application used by almost everyone in the company. We were asked to build a training module to serve casual and dedicated users.

Calling on our team’s past successes, I concepted and prototyped “Buyer X Files: The truth is in here” featuring

• An arch theme, comfortably fitting into our popular suite of similarly spoof-based training
• Training hosts—”Agents Skoldy and Molder” were icebreaker characters asking both “dumb” and advanced/related questions which provided the human voice
• One of my more imaginative visual designs (Not my forté)
• Navigation that guided casual users needing a quick answer, as well as dedicated users requiring deep knowledge of the full product.
• “Advanced” (for the time) implementation featuring user cues like rollover buttons, javascripted menus and navigation, and a fully liquid layout.
• Common sense help content organized by functional application roles

Continue reading “Netscape: BuyerX Files Training Module” »