Who Moved My Stuff?
Change is good, and it’s important to keep your site up to date. However change can also be hard to handle, especially when you feel as if you’ve had the rug pulled out from under you. Which is how many…
First Impressions Count
First impressions are worth a lot on the web when competition is only a click away. So what first impression are you giving people when they come to your website? Does your site seem confusing, overwhelming, without focus? One of…
Integrating UX into an Agile Environment
I’ve posted about Agile previously, but each time it has been generalized reviews of the practice. So I decided it was time to really get into the nitty-gritty of what it means to practice user experience in an Agile environment….
The Devil is in the Details
Do you ever obsess about the little details in your website, and then tell yourself “it’s not that big of a deal”. Well it just may be a big deal. Everything on your website has the potential to make a…
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…
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…
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…