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Locus of Control presents topics that spark discussion among website creators and users, with a focus on enhancing web user experience. It regularly spotlights useful, innovative web applications as well as examples of exceptional design. About the author...Keep in Touch
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Tag Archives: user experience
Wireframing & Prototyping Tools: Balsamiq & Friends
For last month’s meeting of the NHUPA, a number of people did short presentations and demos of a variety of wireframing and prototyping tools.
I presented Balsamiq, a low-fidelity wireframing tool best used for capturing ideas quickly, keeping people focused on concepts/layout or for teaching new user experience designers about wireframing.
I figured someone might find it [...]
Posted in NHUPA Also tagged collaboration, design tools, desktop apps, information design, interaction design, interface design, mobile, productivity, requirements, research tools, usability, web design, webapps Leave a comment
Webitect ~ Conducting Collaborative Design Sessions – Part 4: Maintain
Make sure you never leave your participants hanging after an important meeting. Part 4 of this series will help you maintain a long term relationship with your participants.
Part 1 of this series gave an overview of the purpose behind collaborative design sessions and how to prepare to conduct your own. In Part 2, we showed you how to [...]
Posted in Locus Extended, NHUPA Also tagged collaboration, design tools, productivity, requirements, research tools, web design Leave a comment
Webitect ~ Conducting Collaborative Design Sessions – Part 3: Facilitate
Clients and users need guidance when contributing their design ideas. Part 3 of this series will prepare you for the challenges inherent in facilitating collaborative meetings.
In Part 1 and Part 2 of this series, we explained how to prepare in advance for collaborative design sessions and how to begin your meetings with a solid focus [...]
Posted in Locus Extended, NHUPA Also tagged collaboration, design tools, productivity, requirements, research tools, web design Leave a comment
Webitect ~ Conducting Collaborative Design Sessions – Part 2: Inform
Getting the most out of your users requires that you take the initiative. In Part 2 of this series, you’ll learn how to begin your design session in a goal-oriented manner.
In Part 1 of this series, we discussed the benefits of collaboration with users and clients at various stages throughout the design process. We also provided [...]
Posted in Locus Extended, NHUPA Also tagged collaboration, design tools, productivity, requirements, research tools, web design Leave a comment
Webitect ~ Conducting Collaborative Design Sessions – Part 1: Prepare
Read “Conducting Collaborative Design Sessions – Part 1: Prepare” on Webitect.net »
Perhaps someone noticed I haven’t been posting at my normal rate. Or perhaps no one cares. For anyone who actually noticed the lapse, I appreciate your patience and support. The fact is, I’ve been working on my first paid blogging job! I’ll be [...]
Posted in Locus Extended, NHUPA Also tagged collaboration, design tools, productivity, requirements, research tools, web design Leave a comment
Can You Find the Missing Link in Target’s “Itso Builder”?
So the other day, I stumbled across a cool project called Itso Storage that IDEO did for Target some time last year. The product is the typical IDEO output: clever, practical and elegant. However, the web aspect of Itso appears to be missing an important feature. Either that or I’m blind. (Was that a bad [...]
Posted in Uncategorized Also tagged everyday design, flash, shops, usability, webapps Leave a comment
Determine Your Client’s True Goals Without Jumping to Conclusions
The Problem
When a client asks for a new website or a redesign of their existing site, it’s often difficult to get them to explain why. In many cases, they’re not even aware of the goals underlying their strategic choice to create a new website.
Once you determine the client’s true business drivers as well as the [...]
Samsung Memoir – Product Review with Photos
About a month ago, I bought the Samsung Memoir. The other reviews out there are mostly written from the perspective of people who are highly experienced with using smartphones, comparing them, and writing about them. This review is from the perspective of never having used a smartphone before. Before we begin, I think it’s important [...]
Posted in Product Reviews Also tagged gadgets, interaction design, interface design, mobile, usability 29 Comments
NHUPA – Design Slam!
Last month’s NHUPA meeting had an interesting format, the “Design Slam” workshop. The basic idea was that a non-profit organization presented goals and needs for a new website (to be designed from scratch, not a redesign). Then we all split into groups to plan and design a specific aspect of the site. We determined our [...]
Posted in NHUPA Also tagged collaboration, information architecture, information design, inspiration, interaction design, interface design, productivity, web design Leave a comment
Tutorial: How to Get Good Feedback from Website Users
All too often, we think we know what our users want. But the only way of truly knowing is by listening to them directly. You may not think it’s representative of your primary target audience, but it is still valuable nonetheless.
In the previous post we talked about what users can do to make their feedback [...]
Tutorial: How to Give Good Feedback to Website Administrators
User feedback is like gold to web designers and administrators. But from the user perspective, it often seems like feedback isn’t being taken into account. Perhaps that’s because users don’t know how to give good feedback.
Before we begin, let’s set one thing straight. If your feedback is nothing but all-caps rage, it will probably be [...]
Is Banner Blindness a Myth?
Banner Blindness is a term which refers to the theory that users ignore page elements that have typical traits of an advertisement. Animation is one trait of advertisements which users have allegedly learned to ignore. However, a 2003 study by Ping Zhang and Nelson Massad for the Ninth Americas Conference on Information Systems shows that:
Animation [...]
Posted in Research Studies Also tagged flash, interaction design, interface design, usability, web design 4 Comments
Etsy Provides Innovative Ways to Browse Products
Etsy is a site where people can buy and sell homemade goods, craft supplies and vintage items. This site offers over a dozen unique and innovative ways to browse through products. My top 3 favorites are:
Posted in Uncategorized Also tagged flash, inspiration, interaction design, interface design, shops, web design Leave a comment
Error Prevention vs. User Satisfaction – What’s the Deal with Duplicate Form Fields?
Lately, it seems to be increasingly common to find web forms with duplicate fields, particularly for the email address. It’s a low likelihood that a user would make the exact same typo in both fields, so by ensuring that the two fields contain matching data, we can more thoroughly prevent user error.
In his “Eight [...]
Lessons to be Learned from Facebook’s Latest Homepage Changes
Normally I don’t post such negative commentary on Locus of Control, but I decided to make an exception this time. Regarding the recent homepage updates on Facebook, I would like to point out a few things that I think we can all learn from.
Lesson 1: Don’t lie to your users.
Facebook’s preview of the upcoming changes [...]
Posted in Uncategorized Also tagged facebook, information design, interface design, social, usability 16 Comments
Two New Tools for Quick Usability Testing
In a previous entry, I discussed the need for better UX design tools. Now, from the makers of OptimalSort, come two new tools for testing the usability of your IA and interface design.
Treejack
You input a sitemap in the form of a hierarchically structured list and assign tasks for test participants to perform.
Participants navigate through the [...]
Posted in Uncategorized Also tagged information architecture, information design, interaction design, interface design, research tools, usability, web design, webapps 2 Comments
A Picture’s Worth 1000 Words – Using Comics in the Design Process
A few weeks ago I attended a meeting of the NHUPA, held at Mad*Pow headquarters in Portsmouth, NH. Amy Cueva did a very informative presentation about using comics in the design process. She included lots of examples and methods, as well as a bit about why and when to use comics.
As part of the presentation, [...]
Designing Web Forms – Label Placement & Primary vs. Secondary Actions
As previously mentioned, user experience practitioners often rely on common sense, convention and past experience when making design decisions. Usability research may seem like overkill, but even when you’re sure of your assumptions, it’s always good to double check.
For instance, Luke Wroblewski once wrote an article in which he provided some very sensible guidelines for [...]
Conventional Doesn’t Mean Comprehensible – Common Labels That Aren’t So Clear
Has anyone ever noticed how ambiguous certain terminology is online? I’ve heard complaints from users of varying levels of experience, and I’m sure for new users it’s especially confusing. Most experienced web users may not notice how confusing some wording is, and even if they do, it’s not hindering their ability to get things done. [...]
Posted in Uncategorized Also tagged communicating, copy writing, information architecture, information design, web design 2 Comments
Mega IA: Thinking Outside the Box