About
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
Featured Posts
Specials
Topics
adobe air blogging collaboration communicating copy writing design tools desktop apps everyday design facebook flash gadgets icons information architecture information design inspiration interaction design interface design logo design mobile productivity requirements research tools shops social twitter usability user experience vector wallpapers web 2.0 webapps web design web dev windows 7Time Warp
July 2010 S M T W T F S « Apr 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 Make Yourself at Home
A Work in Progress
I'm using a free theme until I can make my own. I promise it will be well worth the wait ^_^
Tag Archives: user experience
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
User Experience Research – A Study of Zebra Striping
Sometimes it seems that there isn’t enough collaboration between the academic side of User Experience and the applied side of it. UX practitioners need supporting evidence to back up their decisions when designing interfaces. Those who run studies about UX need to know that the questions they’re researching are relevant in actual practice.
Often I discuss [...]
Two Card Sorting Tools For User Experience Design
Following from last week’s discussion about UX design tools, here are a couple of free webapps that allow you to set up card sorting exercises and analyze the results.
For those who may not know, a card sort is an exercise often used by Information Architects and other UX professionals to reveal natural patterns in the [...]
Posted in Uncategorized Also tagged design tools, information architecture, research tools, webapps 1 Comment
Improving User Experience Design Tools – The Spirit is Willing, But the Flesh is Weak
User Experience professionals are frequently concerned with bridging the gap between themselves and the users of systems they design. However, there is a parallel gap that needs to be closed between UX designers and the developers of UX design tools. A series of surveys conducted in 2006 by associates of The Information Architecture Institute revealed [...]
Posted in Uncategorized Also tagged design tools, information architecture, information design, interaction design, interface design, web design, web dev, webapps 1 Comment
Please Wait…
We’ve all sat in front of our computers watching the words “please wait” blink on the screen, watching some dot move in a circle indefinitely, or worse, watching a progress bar get to 99% in 10 seconds, then get stuck there for hours. Is there anything we can do to improve this user experience nightmare?
When in Doubt – BS Your Way Out!
Business Speak (BS) originally served the innocent purpose of delivering unfavorable messages in a sensitive and gentle manner. It’s always nice to be mindful of recipients’ feelings when we’re forced to criticize them or bring them bad news. Recent trends and general consensus, however, indicate that BS is now being used for everyday communication between [...]
Can We Really Create Experiences?
Lately, I’ve noticed an interesting trend in how web design and interactive marketing agencies are describing their services. Here are some examples:
Designing Web Forms – Label Placement & Primary vs. Secondary Actions