ReadMore
Thank you to the mad scientists at Navel Labs for sponsoring the feed this week.
ReadMore is an iPhone application for tracking your reading progress. It’s a reading log that reports your reading habits and motivates you to keep reading through relevant feedback. It helps break large books into more manageable pieces and keeps track of your progress.
Be sure to grab your copy in the App Store today for $1.99.
All the cool cats are “#UX Designers”
Designing the user experience is not a new idea. There have been people thinking about it since the invention of the wheel. The problem is that now it’s hip to be a “UX designer.” It’s marketable.
People ask me how to sell UX to their customers. You shouldn’t have to. People don’t come to you and say “design me something that’s hard to use.” Their request for design implies usability, just as your service implies usability work.
Now “UX” is exploited as a way to make more money. It’s another line item on an invoice. Deplorable.
Can you argue with Flash’s market share?
Market share is not a good way to advocate bad design practices. Adobe claims a 99% market share, although John Gruber points out that their survey was a bit misleading:
Adobe’s own statistics on Flash’s market penetration claim 99 percent penetration as of last month. That’s because, according to their survey methodology, they’re only counting “PCs” — which ignores the entire sort of devices which have brought about this debate. Adobe is arguing that Flash is installed on 99 percent of all web browsers that support Flash, not 99 percent of all web browsers.
If you wanted to build an application to reach the masses, which of these options would you pick?
Satisfy the Cat, a.k.a. User-Centered Design
As a designer of websites, I have to make jolly-well sure that I satisfy the cat first, remember that I’m not a cat, and find ways to play on the cat’s own motivations. Only then does everybody win.
By: John Boykin
Design For People → permalink
When brainstorming and researching ideas for your app, step back and consider the context in which the device will be used by real live people. How does the iPad fit into our lives? In what situations would we prefer this device to a laptop or iPod Touch?
Color Contrast in Web Typography
Last year I wrote a list of 50 tips for a more user friendly website. One of these tips has caused controversy off of the blog, as well as prompted a number of emails asking for clarification.
#23 – Use dark gray text instead of black text on a white background;
My intention here was to point out that a subtle lightening of your black text on a white background actually helps improve legibility. True black text on a true white background is too high of a contrast for everyday reading. Subtlety is key.
Complexity and Simplicity are Perceptions
User interfaces should present the information needed to accomplish the task at hand. Nothing more, nothing less. Complexity and simplicity are our ways of perceiving how difficult or strenuous a task is going to be.
Compare this IRS form, to a similar TurboTax form:
Recommended Reading → permalink
Thanks to Søren for pointing out Jason Santa Maria’s list of recommended design books. There are some great finds in here that I haven’t previously read. It’s definitely worth checking out.
Tumblr Checkout UX pattern causing security confusion
Tumblr.com’s new Premium Theme checkout process is clever. A traditional checkout process would feel a bit clunky in their environment. They should be applauded for taking steps to break that mold. However, I have one major problem with it’s implementation.
Ecommerce is plagued by one UX hurdle that most other sites do not deal with in nearly as much detail: security. Since Tumblr’s checkout takes place completely inline, you’ll never see “https” in your browser. The browser never shows the standard lock icon, indicating that the site was confirmed secure. Rather, they do everything through asyncronous calls which mask the security from the user.
Security is an asset and shouldn’t be masked from people willing to enter their credit card information.
Search
Popular Posts
- 50 Tips To A User Friendly Website
- How to build a Gantt Chart with the Google Charts API
- My Favorite Pomodoro Timers
- Why Flash is Mostly Bad
- Why You Should Outsource Usability Testing
- Sharing the Grid
- The difference between User Research and Usability Testing?
- 10 Tips to Better Google Wave Conversations
- How to Label Submit Buttons
- Goals for 2009
Latest Comments
- George → “ also make sure that the non www version is always redirected to the www version of the website.…”
- faheem → “ Thanks for the nice tips,…”
- Adobe → “ The problems you are talking about are not Flash issues they are design issues . The problem is not Flash, the problem is that there are very few real designers around anymore. As for the plug in every browser for every platform save iOS has it installed when you download it. I am amazed how…”
- هتل → “ great list of ideas. Without a doubt, you are exactly right. As with all design, there is a time and a place to break every rule.thanks for posting…”
- Randy Cox → “ If you suddenly decided to put stop signs on the side of a barn instead of a metal post on edge of a road, a lot of folks would not stop. If there is a really good reason to change the link color then change it, but there will be a cost to your communication. Henry Ford…”