Created: 22 November 2007 | Watched by: 4 people | Comments: 0 comments

• Add to my
  bookmarks

  Add comment

  0 groups
  1 person
  

  Mobile & handheld usability testing - why it matters 

  http://www.webcredible.co.uk/user-friendly-resources/web-usability/mobile-usability.shtml

  August 2006 Mobile & handheld usability testing - why it matters Mobile phone and PDA usability testing is critical to your business. In fact, mobile and handheld usability testing could be even more important ... than computer-based usability testing . The main reasons for this are: The number of people accessing the Internet from mobile and handheld devices is increasing at a massive rate - in 2008 alone there'll be an estimated 58 million PDA s sold worldwide (source: eTForecast ). People generally have a lot less experience of using their mobile to go online than they do of using their computer. This means that computer-based users can be assumed to have a higher level of existing expertise than mobile and handheld users The platform through which users access your site is far less predictable when using mobile phones. Computer-based site visitors generally only differ from one another in their browser and operating system (i.e. most people will use a screen, mouse and keyboard), where   [More...] [Less...]

  First added: 22 November 2007, by: Suzy Pym  [Report as spam]

  Average rating (1 rating):

  1 2 3 4 5

  Tags:  handheld, mobile, pda, usability

• Add to my
  bookmarks

  Add comment

  0 groups
  2 people
  

  Survey: Software Usability Is More Important Than Features -- Enterprise Software 

  http://www.informationweek.com/industries/showArticle.jhtml?articleID=206901900

  Software companies try to drive interest in their offerings through steady upgrades to features and functionality. But when it comes to realizing the value of a deployment, a new study finds software functionality ... barely matters. Instead, a user community's effective adoption of the software was by far the top-ranking factor for realizing value, cited by 70% of 159 respondents to a survey conducted by venture capital firm Sand Hill Group and consulting company Neochange. Sixteen percent of respondents ranked organizational change and 13% cited process alignment, while just 1% ranked software functionality as the top factor for realizing value. Software user adoption emerged as a strong theme throughout the study, which surveyed both software buyers and vendors in an effort to discover the meaning of enterprise software success. When asked how to best define success, 89% of buyers and 94% of vendors cited value realization. The next-highest-ranking factor for defining success was effect   [More...] [Less...]

  First added: 20 March 2008, by: Suzy Pym  [Report as spam]

  Average rating (1 rating):

  1 2 3 4 5

  Tags:  usability, functionality, software, survey

• Add to my
  bookmarks

  Add comment

  1 group
  2 people
  

  Common Principles: A Usable Interface Design Primer 

  http://www.usabilityprofessionals.org/upa_publications/upa_voice/volumes/4/issue_3/common_principles.htm

  By Rick Oppedisano When users perform a transaction or action, their cognition is often split between learning and operating the system or user interface (UI) 1 . A well-designed UI allows users to focus ... the majority of their cognitive energy on learning, and offers no operational complications. This most general principle of usability is often called the "transparent interface." The transparent interface is commonly defined as one that maximizes user task completion and minimizes interfering factors , such as unnecessary interface complexity or performance. The following are some basic guidelines for minimizing user cognitive processing and maximizing interface efficiency . Consistency of Elements and Style Effective UIs are unified by a common style (layout, fonts, and design or brand elements). Consistency is one of the most important aspects of a repeatable user experience. If users know what to expect, it will be easier for them to build a conceptual map of what should happen next   [More...] [Less...]

  First added: 22 November 2007, by: Suzy Pym  [Report as spam]

  Average rating (1 rating):

  1 2 3 4 5

  Tags:  usability, user interface

• Add to my
  bookmarks

  Add comment

  0 groups
  1 person
  

  37signals: An Introduction to Using Patterns in Web Design 

  http://www.37signals.com/papers/introtopatterns/

  The biggest challenge for web designers is the unthinkably huge number of possible ways to solve any given problem. We usually don't think of this because we have our habits and traditions to fall back ... on, but there are literally billions of possible pixel combinations for each page we make. There is a better way to manage this vast complexity than by making big decisions up front and hoping for the best. To make better sites — sites that are functional, beautiful, and "usable" — we have to break our design problems up into small independent chunks based on the real issues within our requirements. Christopher Alexander, who came up with this stuff, calls these chunks patterns . I'm going to show you how to sidestep your habits and assumptions and use patterns to make better design decisions. A lot of fancy stuff has been written about patterns. To be simple and clear in this introduction, I'll just call them chunks . Step one: List your bits Start by making a list of all the specific b   [More...] [Less...]

  First added: 22 November 2007, by: Suzy Pym  [Report as spam]

  Average rating (1 rating):

  1 2 3 4 5

  Tags:  design pattern library, usability, usability patterns, web design

• Add to my
  bookmarks

  Add comment

  0 groups
  1 person
  

  Home technology out of control - vnunet.com 

  http://www.vnunet.com/vnunet/news/2212158/home-technology-control-logitech

  European households are full of expensive gadgetry that most people do not know how to control, according to a recent study. The research commissioned by Logitech claims that, in a quarter of homes, there ... is only one person who knows how to operate all the technology. It calculates that Europeans have at around €362bn worth of TVs, hi-fis, speakers, video and DVD players, digital recorders and satellite boxes in their homes. This leads on to 49 per cent of households having five or more remote controls and 87 per cent having three or more. "We commissioned the study to establish the true gap between the money Europeans are investing in technology in their home and their ability to control that technology," said Gregor Bieler, vice president of consumer electronics for Logitech in Europe. "Today's home entertainment systems are getting increasingly expensive and complex but people's needs do not change, they just want their technology to work." One in four respondents admitted to using   [More...] [Less...]

  First added: 20 March 2008, by: Suzy Pym  [Report as spam]

  Average rating (1 rating):

  1 2 3 4 5

  Tags:  consumer electronics, gadgets, logitech, study, technology , usability   [More...] [Less...]

• Add to my
  bookmarks

  Add comment

  1 group
  2 people
  

  Usability News - Feature: The Persistence of Usability Myths 

  http://www.usabilitynews.com/news/article1070.asp

  Feature: The Persistence of Usability Myths Source: UN, 8 May 2003 Submitted by Ann Light Last year we researched the top 10 usability myths. A number of people, including technology pundits, had attacked ... usability. We thought the attacks were based on misconceptions. For example, one misconception was that usability is purely a matter of ensuring fast download times. We conducted an online survey to see whether web professionals agreed with the pundits. In our survey, most respondents worked in web design (97%). They included managers, webmasters, designers, programmers as well as sales and marketing professionals. (Interestingly, few respondents had the same job titles.) The largest group (57%) were involved in interface design, and of those 36% had no formal design training. Only 8% were involved solely in usability. Overall, few respondents agreed with the myths, and so the question remained: why had the pundits got such a skewed view of usability and what does the profession need   [More...] [Less...]

  First added: 22 November 2007, by: Suzy Pym  [Report as spam]

  Average rating (1 rating):

  1 2 3 4 5

  Tags:  usability, usability myths, guidelines

• Add to my
  bookmarks

  Add comment

  0 groups
  2 people
  

  Don Norman's jnd.org / user advocacy and human-centered design 

  http://www.jnd.org/index.html

  ( Design of Future Things now finished: see " Books " below.) Northwestern University offers two programs in design: a one-year graduate program leading to and a new focus of the between Northwestern's ... Kellogg School of Management and Northwestern Engineering: Design and Operations . MMM is an existing two-year program leading to two degrees: an MBA from the Kellogg School of Management and a Master of Engineering Management from the McCormick School of Engineering that emphasizes Design & Operations: design cannot succeed without efficient operations behind the scenes. Operations are always in support or products or services, so the pair makes huge sense. Business Week has already recognized this program as one of the best Design + Business programs in the world. Note that neither degree is designed to produce designers. MS-EDI is designed to produce engineers who understand how to do design thinking and therefore know how to work constructively with designers (instead of the mutual u   [More...] [Less...]

  First added: 22 November 2007, by: Suzy Pym  [Report as spam]

  Average rating (2 ratings):

  1 2 3 4 5

  Tags:  don norman, usability, web design

• Add to my
  bookmarks

  Add comment

  0 groups
  1 person
  

  Web Developer's Handbook | CSS, Web Development, Color Tools, SEO, Usability etc. 

  http://www.alvit.de/handbook/

  css daily reading 456bereastreet.com A List Apart BlueRobot BrainJar.com Dynamic Drive CSS Library design.Principles meyerweb.com: css / edge htmldog mezzoblue Netdiver PositionIsEverything.net Smashingmagazine.com ... StopDesign Web Design Times Zeldman Jeffrey css in German #css {faq:de;} webdev:webdesign [pf-wiki] CSS - ein Tutorial bs-Markup cssHilfe Intensivstation css4you Dr. Web Magazin* Andreas Kalt Manuel Bieh Carsten Protsch DesignerInAction einfachf ralle Seybold Jand-Andresen Meiert.com hessendrescher.de Vorsprung durch Standards Jendryschik.de Bjoernsworld.de mediaevent stichpunkt.de Vladimir Simovic css.fractatulum.net uckan.info webdevbits Webstandards in Germany web design daily reading Brain Bliss Creationflux Creative Behaviour Design In Flight Design Interact Design Melt Down Devlounge Digital Web Magazine fadtastic Hiveminds Magazine Layers Magazine Mandarin Design PingMag Treehouse UIE Brain Sparks Usability.gov UXmatters UXmagazine Vitamin Web Developer's Journal css   [More...] [Less...]

  First added: 22 November 2007, by: Suzy Pym  [Report as spam]

  Average rating (1 rating):

  1 2 3 4 5

  Tags:  color, css, developers, developing, etc , exploring, handbook, imagination, own, seo, tools, usability, websites   [More...] [Less...]

• Add to my
  bookmarks

  Add comment

  1 group
  2 people
  

  Ajax Mistakes 

  http://alexbosworth.backpackit.com/pub/67688

  This page was created with Backpack Backpack is a tool that lets you easily build pages with lists, notes, images, and files. It's a great way to get organized, publish your ideas, and collaborate with ... others. You pick what's private and what's public. Sign up for your own free account in less than 10 seconds and get organized with Backpack ! Sure Ajax is cool, and developers love to play with cool technology, but Ajax is a tool not a toy. A lot of the new Ajax applications are really just little toys, not developed for any real purpose, just experiments in what Ajax can do or trying to fit Ajax somewhere where it isn’t needed. Toys might be fun for a little while, but toys are not useful applications. The back button is a great feature of standard web site user interfaces. Unfortunately, the back button doesn’t mesh very well with Javascript. Keeping back button functionality is a major reason not to go with a pure Javascript web app. If something I’m clicking on is triggering Ajax ac   [More...] [Less...]

  First added: 22 November 2007, by: Suzy Pym  [Report as spam]

  Average rating (1 rating):

  1 2 3 4 5

  Tags:  ajax, ui, usability, common, mistakes

• Add to my
  bookmarks

  Add comment

  1 group
  1 person
  

  Apogee - Articles - Choice Kills Usability 

  http://www.apogeehk.com/articles/ChoiceKillsUsability.html

  Choice Kills Usability By John S. Rhodes Published - 20 November 2007 One of the easiest ways to improve usability is by focusing on just one thing . When you present something to the user, be sure that ... it's just one thing. All too often we try to hard to offer people several options. The reason many people love Google.com is that it offers just one thing: search. A single-minded focus has enormous implications. Users can clearly understand what Google is about and what it does. Even new users to Google are instantly put at ease because of the outlandish simplicity. If your site or your web page is focused on one thing everyone wins. There are branding implications as well. When people think about search they think about Google and when they think about Google they think about search. This brand strength translates to billions of dollars of market capitalization. Let's get a bit more practical. Here's a bare-knuckle sales page that The Rhodes Brothers put together that sells a service   [More...] [Less...]

  First added: 18 March 2008, by: Suzy Pym  [Report as spam]

  Average rating (0 ratings):

  1 2 3 4 5

  Tags:  choice, guidelines, usability, web design, website design