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Designing for Mobile, Part 1: Information Architecture September 25th, 2012 Around 1993, my dad brought home a large, brick-shaped mobile phone. We were all incredibly excited by the new technology, even though none of us thought it would have a massive impact on our lives. I actually still thought of it as a gimmick, a few years later, when some of my friends decided to purchase them. Today there

Windows 8, expected to be released in October 2012, is the latest version of Microsoft’s flagship operating system. Its release also marks the first time that Microsoft has significantly evolved its design since 1995. Microsoft’s new, touch-oriented design language opens the door to designers, giving them a chance to reconsider their existing applications. Christina and I are graduate students in

Comics and UX, Part 1: Cross-disciplinary Techniques May 22nd, 2012 Comics, cartoons, sequential art. Each of these words implies the same thing: stories told with words and pictures. Much has been written about about how storytelling affects the user experience, but little has been written about how visual storytellers craft that experience. Today, I’m going to share the tricks of the trade that

How to Design a Mobile Responsive Website October 25th, 2011 To build a mobile site or not to build a mobile site; this is a question at the forefront of many a discussion. There is, however, another option: responsive web design. When, why, and how should you go about designing a responsive website? With mobile internet users set to surpass desktop internet users in the US by 2015, with tablets b

7 WordPress plugins for a more User Friendly blog November 16th, 2010 As a web usability enthusiast I spend quite some time looking for ways to improve my blog in an attempt to make the visit as smooth and pleasant as possible. In this article I’ll be talking about some very simple WordPress plugins that will transform your blog in a more user-friendly version with only a few minutes of work. The

Like with wireframing tools, there hasn’t been much consensus on wireframing technique. There are lots of different approaches which range from quick and dirty 30 second thumbnail sketches, to Hi-Fi wireframes using Illustrator, to creating wireframe mockups in HTML. Quick and dirty The quick and dirty approach is especially useful at the outset, as it allows for the broad outlines of the design t

If you’re new to the field of user experience design, welcome! There’s plenty to see and do around here. And although many brilliant contributors have come before us, there’s actually not too much to catch up on—if you know where to look. Because pictures are worth so much, illustrated diagrams have served a critical role in our community. Our community is filled with thought leaders, those among

Through @uxbooks, my twitter feed for all things UX book related, I regularly get asked to recommend books to people and more often than not, it’s to suggest entry-level publications. Normally, when I’m feeling particularly lazy, my default response is to point them in the direction of Steve Krug’s seminal book Don’t Make Me Think. Although deserving of the praise it’s received, I thought it might

People swear by their design processes. Rachel Glaves insists on sketching by hand; Dan Brown urges extensive wireframing; while Ryan Singer goes straight to HTML. Heated debates arise at conferences as advocates staunchly defend their favorite techniques. With all of these different methods to choose from, should you be sketching, wireframing, mocking-up, or prototyping? The answer, simply put, i

Like most things today, the world of interaction design moves quickly. Although a pen and notebook may suffice when it comes to simply jotting down ideas, planning a series of website screens can sometimes demand additional precision and cohesion. This is where today’s wireframing tools come in. Engineered to make the design process as intuitive as possible, these tools allow you to construct a vi

User Experience Designer vs. Creative Director September 8th, 2009 Professionals within our industry are completely awash with opportunities by which they can tweak and cajole better user experiences from their projects. The difficult part is maintaining quality across the channels. Because of how multifaceted a user’s experience can be, designers can begin to take on a more directorial position w

Imagine you’ve just walked into a video rental store. It’s not a big place, and by glancing around you see clear labels for your favorite genres such as action, thriller, and romance (though you won’t admit it to your friends). You make your way to the "Action" section knowing without much thought that’s where the action movies are. After deciding there aren’t any movies that interest you, it’s ju

For some, the footer of a website is an afterthought. However, in many cases, a footer can be a useful and important tool to use for site navigation and to distribute information to your viewers. Footers should not be too information heavy, and it is advisable to keep their design simple and not overflowing with graphics. The information that you do put in your footer can give users an opportunity

In this post I will outline 5 ways to make your 404 error page more usable. In some cases, a 404 page may be the first impression a visitor has of your site. Why not make it a good one? These steps can easily lead to a better user experience if implemented and should be a part of every web site you develop. 1. Ditch the Default Customization of your 404 page is the first step when improving your e

Does your site check off all the items mentioned on this Usability Checklist? After reviewing websites for a few months, I’ve begun to see general patterns emerge that make a site more or less usable. In this post, I’d like to highlight some of the more common problems designers should address on their own sites in a Usability checklist of sorts. Not all of these items will apply to every website,

API, CLI, GUI, oh my! Understanding User Behavior Across Surfaces