“Observe your users” a maxim most user experience professionals subscribe to. But how do you “observe?” When testing websites, generating hypotheses about user behavior can help inform the observation process, structure data collection and analysis, and organize findings.
Continue readingCategory: UX Design
What happens in the end-to-end experience? Can the intended audience find what they’re looking for? What is the actual problem being solved? Are you designing the right product for the customer need? Information architecture, accessibility, findability, taxonomy, interaction design, research, usability, case studies, interviews, surveys, and more.
Learning to Love the Pixel: Exploring the Craft of Icon Design
Designing web-based enterprise software involves creating complex artifacts like architecture wireframes, object models, screen flows, and clickable prototypes in order to articulate aspects of the online experience for product stakeholders. But what does “craft” mean for interaction designers?
Continue readingExamining the Role of De Facto Standards on the Web
Just what are the design practices on the web that have the highest frequency? And are there design practices that all (or nearly all) sites employ?
Continue readingSearching for the center of design
Design is driven by many considerations. But on each project I’ve worked on, there seems to be a consistent center a driver that determines priorities, direction, and the metrics used to measure success.
Continue readingSitemaps and Site Indexes: What They Are and Why You Should Have Them
Sitemaps and site indexes are forms of supplemental navigation. They give users a way to navigate a site without having to use the global navigation. By providing a way to visualize and understand the layout and structure of the site, a sitemap can help a lost or confused user find her way.
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