Making Something Great
What does it really take to create something great? A product that inspires, delights, amuses and still and serves a purpose. It’s a tough question, and one that elicits many different responses. However some patterns continue to persist over and…
Persuasive Design with Spencer Gerrol
Recently I attended a great presentation by Spencer Gerrol (Human Factors International) in Atlanta entitled “Beyond Usability: The Science of Persuasive Design”. Gerrol discussed how important it is to not only make our websites easy to use, but to make…
Microsoft is Jumping on the Bandwagon
It seems Microsoft is finally jumping on the bandwagon of user experience. Know primarily for their operating system Windows, it has long been thought that Microsoft was behind pace when it comes to their user experience. Apple has always been the one leading the pack. However it…
Guess What?
One of the core principles of good design is clarity. Interactions on the web shouldn’t make your users guess. As Steve Krug’s first law of usability states “Don’t Make Me Think!”. Anytime a “guess” is brought into the equation you…
Keep it Simple… Kind of.
Simplicity vs. Features Many of us have come across the KISS principle at some point in our lives. The KISS principle is basically an acronym for “Keep It Simple Stupid”. This principle goes hand and hand with Occam’s razor which…
Google Chrome Review
Jumping on the bandwagon I was one of the many to download Google’s Chrome browser the day it was released. I was immediately impressed, then somewhat disappointed. I gave Chrome 48 hours to impress me, but I wasn’t willing to give up…
Usability Design Methods
This article discusses some of the generalized definitions and critiques of different types of usability design methodologies. Generally people tend to advocate one type or another (User Centric, or Task Centric). However, most designers will tell you that while they may…
Usability Lessons from Video Games
Much can be learned about usability through video games. Computer games, unlike computer programs are often chosen much more than required. Many users of large software applications use those applications out of need; many of these applications have few if…
User-Centered Design (UCD) and Activity-Centered Design (ACD)
There are many types of design methodologies: Behavior-Centered Design, Task-Centered Design, Goal-Directed Design, etc. However the two most popular methods are User-Centered Design and Activity-Centered Design. The key goal of all of these methodologies is to create a usable, efficient, effective…
User Experience in Agile Development
I recently attended the 2008 UPA conference in Baltimore Maryland where I had the pleasure of attending a presentation by Jeff Patton. Patton’s name is well known in the Agile community where he focuses on improving UCD within Agile environments….