Stories
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HTML's Time is Over. Let's Move On.
by David Heller | [119 comments]
As users and builders demand more and more richness from the Web, we need to re-evaluate the technology that 99% of it is built on. It seems no matter how sophisticated our back ends get, the front ends remain stagnant. What other options are there? What are the requirements that we as user experience designers face that newer technologies miss the boat on? more...
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The Lazy IA's Guide to Making Sitemaps
by Stephen Turbek | [64 comments]
The more automated our lives become, the less time we seem to have. And as an information architect, a lot of time is spent making sitemaps ... by hand. How valuable are sitemaps to a project team and to clients? Would your time be better spent doing other tasks than hand building sitemaps? What if we told you, "now you can." Find out how. more...
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The Age of Findability
by Peter Morville | [62 comments]
It doesn’t replace information architecture. And it’s really not a school or brand of information architecture. Findability is about recognizing that we live in a multi-dimensional world, and deciding to explore new facets that cut across traditional boundaries. more...
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Welcome to Boxes and Arrows
by Christina Wodtke | [54 comments]
Many months ago, we started with a crazy dream of a magazine that would tear down the fences we so hastily built between our crafts. An intelligent and jargon-free meeting place for practitioners that would make us all a bit smarter. more...
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Automating Diagrams with Visio
by Michael Angeles | [53 comments]
By doing the demanding intellectual work first and then forcing the tools to succumb to need to produce seemingly speedy deliverables, you can get around the difficulty of choosing between "Good, Fast and Cheap." Here's one approach using Excel and Visio. more...
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Blasting the Myth of the Fold
by Milissa Tarquini | [51 comments]
The need to cram as much into the top few inches of any interface has become nearly branded on the design psyche over the years. Milissa Tarquini considers how the myth of the fold does everyone involved a great disservice. more...
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Fear of Design
by Christina Wodtke | [48 comments]
Not so long ago, on my personal site I posted a little entry on design. And a comment was made: “IA is not design.” This sentence has sat vibrating in my head for months. It speaks of bravado in the face of fear. But why should Information Architects fear design? more...
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Redesigning Boxes and Arrows
by Christina Wodtke | [42 comments]
For a while we at B&A have been feeling unsatisfied with our software and website. It was perfect when we were young turks, but now that we have a larger body of articles, increasingly richer material, and a growing audience, we know we need something different, something that will tell the world we are a magazine on the rise. more...
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Views and Forms: Principles of Task Flow for Web Applications Part 1
by Bob Baxley | [41 comments]
One of the defining elements of web applications is their support for the editing and manipulation of stored data. Unlike the typical conversation that goes on between a user and a content-centric website however, this additional capability requires a more robust dialog between user and application. more...
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Usability Heuristics for Rich Internet Applications
by Jess McMullin and Grant Skinner | [39 comments]
Over the coming months and years, RIAs will move from cutting edge to mainstream. That transformation will accelerate with the Flash and user experience communities working together to understand and develop best practices and shared knowledge. more...
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Card sorting: a definitive guide
by Donna Maurer and Todd Warfel | [38 comments]
Card sorting is a simple user-centered technique for obtaining insight into the structure of a site. But is it really so simple? This definitive guide to card sorting includes detailed instructions on how to execute and analyze a sort, plus helpful hints to improve your sorts. It is the first in a series of articles about card sorting. more...
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Building the UX Dreamteam
by Anthony Colfelt | [36 comments]
Every time you hire someone for your UX team, you make a gut call that their personality and skills are what they seem. Anthony Colfelt looks to arm you with ways to make the hiring decisions that fit the best people into the reality of your business context. more...
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Boxes and Arrows Redesign
by B&A Staff | [36 comments]
UPDATED: Boxes and Arrows Redesign Call: This just in: Hillman Curtis joins the panel of judges. The entry deadline has been extended until August 15th, 2004 and the panelist of judges confirmed. more...
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Real Wireframes Get Real Results
by Stephen Turbek | [35 comments]
Information architects, afraid to step on designers' toes, may actually render wireframes unusable. Stephen Turbek talks about Verizon, the similarities between wireframes and iPods, and how to get real. more...
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Extreme User Research
by Daniel Lafreniere | [34 comments]
Clients don’t know a thing about their users, and designers think that if they like it, everyone will. Sound familiar? Daniel Lafreniere's 30-minute "extreme user research" plan comes to the rescue for those of us facing this exact situation. With this practical method, you can generate loads of useful data that will have a real impact on design, thus making the website more effective and profitable. more...
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Icon Analysis
by Matt Queen | [34 comments]
Icons that are difficult to tell apart can lead to disastrous consequences. Queen shows us how studying the way the human visual system encodes information can lead to more effective icon design. more...
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PDF Prototypes: Mistakenly Disregarded and Underutilized
by Kyle Soucy | [33 comments]
Creating clickable PDF prototypes for new designs is a valuable tool that is often overlooked and underutilized. Kyle Pero Soucy demonstrates how we can replicate most interactive design elements without investing a lot of time and effort. more...
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Visio Replacement? You Be the Judge
by Scott McDowell | [33 comments]
In the same way that the Internet took us to the next level of interaction, complete with rich visuals, simulations are doing the same for application definition. McDowell explores the ins and outs of new simulation tools. Will one of them work for you? more...
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Mission Statements: Why You Might Want One
by Erin Malone | [33 comments]
I recently started a new job. The group I manage is new and all the people on my team have recently been transferred into this group. Additionally, each person has spent a lot of time in the recent past working on individual, solitary projects, and has not regularly been part of a collaborative team. more...
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Under the Boxes-and-Arrows hood
by Christina Wodtke and Liz Danzico | [31 comments]
Think we look different? No, we didn't change our hair. We've launched some new features, and they're all for you. Starting today, you’ll begin to see some changes. And you (yes, you) are invited to be part of it all. more...