User experience: An alternative approach to personas
Personas are a great way to help visualise the people you are designing for. However, sometimes the traditional approach can be a bit overwhelming. Fortunately there is an alternative.
User experience archive
Talks: Social Media is a user experience issue
Integrating social media with our website should be more than just slapping some social media icons on the homepage.
User experience: Are you forcing your users into social silos?
As web designers and website owners we need to think long and hard about how we are using social media, especially how we introduce social elements into our websites
User experience: Using forms with care
Marketers, know your limits! Why is it that so many marketing departments seem determined to make it difficult for people to contact them?
User experience: Can PDF really be used for good?
Yesterday Joe Clark published his long awaited article on PDF accessibility and it did not disappoint. It includes some excellent advice on when to use PDF and dispelled many of the accusations levelled against the format. If you use PDF on your site, you should read on.
User experience: Sticking up for the humble site map
I was working on a site map yesterday and realised how little thought I give them. They tend to be an after thought in the design process. Vowing to repent of this half-assed attitude, I set out to learn all I could about this under appreciated site tool.
User experience: Card sorting
I am currently involved in some usability consultancy for an intranet that is going through a major redesign. One of the tools we will use to decide on the sites new information architecture is card sorting.
Design: Fearing the fold
Its funny how challenging one preconception can leave you totally inspired. I am in the process of reading a book called CSS Zen Garden by Molly Holzschlag and David Shea based on David’s superb site. While reading the book and browsing the associated site I couldn’t help noticing that many of the designs were incredibly long and had little in the way of valuable content above the fold.
User experience: When good shopping sites go bad
I have just finished reading a fascinating article on the BBC web site about the growth of ecommerce. This comes on the sameday that I have watched one of my clients fail to grasp some of the basics of ecommerce.
User experience: Web Accessibility Report Published
As part of my work with Headscape I have released a report which surveys the accessibility of University and further education web sites. I am pleased to say that it has received a lot of publicity which is good news but I hope that people don’t see it as condemning.
User experience: Higher education & web accessibility
By now anybody involved in managing a higher education web site will be aware of the need to make it accessible. However, not all are clear as to why this is important or indeed how to go about it. This article is designed to give you a quick overview of the subject and direct you to some useful resources. What is web accessibility?
User experience: A fundamental flaw
The web has a fundamental flaw; every web site is different. Every time a user visits a web site they are faced with a different interface with a different set of rules.
User experience: Top usability mistakes
I read an interesting article today which outlined some of the top usability mistakes made by major web sites. Here’s your chance to learn from their mistakes.
User experience: Handling missing pages
No matter how well built your website is there is no avoiding the fact that sometimes the page a user is looking for just can’t be found. What matters is how you handle the problem when it occurs.
Design: Get the fundermentals right
Sometimes we get so carried away with the latest technology or the new approach to marketing online that we can forget the fundermentals. Here are just ten of the basic principles that should underpin every site.
User experience: The problem with PDF
PDF seems like an excellent way of quickly and easily putting large amounts of printed content onto your web site with minimal effort. But is it really such a good idea?
Design: Current web site design trends
Need to justify an approach to a client? Want to know what the latest trends are in web design? Look no further.
Design: Why all websites should look the same
Web designers are constantly striving to create something unique. However, is that really the right approach? I would argue that many websites should conform rather than attempt to be unique.
Design: Why all websites should look the same ;)
One of the things I love about my job is the fact that I get to work with all sorts of companies and organisations. Headscape (the company I work for) has just launched www.smallpoxbiosecurity.orgwhich provides information on the threat of an outbreak following the deliberate release of smallpox. Not the average run of the mill web site! Although I have to say that isn’t the most unusual web site I have ever worked on. That accolade would have to go to the chicken incinerator site, but that is a whole different story.
User experience: Dealing with complex navigation
One of the biggest challenges faced by website designers is how to deal with a sites main navigation. It is a particular challenge on deep complex sites.
User experience: Financial benefits of usability
In this article I outline exactly why usability testing is worth the effort and how it can translate into real financial gain.
User experience: Top Tip: Homepage emphasis
The most important piece of real estate on your website is your homepage. So how do you decide what it should include?
User experience: Usability guidelines
Read Jakob Nielsen’s top ten tips to creating a usable website or application.