MockFlow: Online Wireframe Tool Five Simple but Essential Web Usability Tips The web has become a part of our lives. Folks from all walks of life, from upscale parts of New York to dirt road villages you probably will never hear of in Burundi, are all a part of what we call "the internet". The reasons they use the web is highly varied: it could be to search for news articles, directions to the nearest pub, the winter/fall clothing trends, post-grad research, or shopping for a handbag, the list is endless. It could be anyone too. On top of the web’s ubiquity, the web has gotten to an interactive all time high. And it’s only going to get better: we are seeing a myriad of emerging web apps and website trends that are revolutionizing the way we use and obtain information on the web. With this concept in mind, usability, how effortless it is to interact and use your website, is critical to its success. 1. A basic site feature nowadays is a search feature. Locate the search box where users can immediately find it. 2. Use CSS for layout and style where possible. 3. 4.
ANTETYPE: The new prototyping and design application for user interface designers - by ERGOSIGN 24 UX Articles to Start 2010 We’ve just begun a year and already I have been overwhelmed with the amazing UX articles, websites, and projects that have cropped up over the past few weeks. It is exciting to see the growth in this upcoming field. Today we’ve gathered some of the best of the UX-related web that we’ve found. I hope that you find a few new articles you enjoy. As always, if you find a UX resource you love, share it with our community! It’s also a great way to get some extra attention to your articles. What’s Next in Web Design? This post is a great outline of what we may expect to come in 2010’s web design trends. What Am I Saying Yes To? More and more I am beginning to understand the role of copy in user experience. Spending Quality Time with Your Search Log Oh, something we all need to start out the new year doing. A Basic Usability Test on Ten Phones In this article Peter-Paul Koch, mobile platform strategist, conducted a simple usability test on some popular cell phones. Guide to Low-cost Usability Tools
ForeUI - Easy-To-Use UI Prototyping Tool 69 Free (or low cost) Tools to Improve Your Website How wireframing makes your website designs better Written by Brian Cray on December 2nd, 2009 Wireframing in terms of website design means to create a basic "sketch" of your website's user interface. While many web designers jump straight from client meeting to Adobe Photoshop, or even to creating CSS and HTML prototypes, they are missing important opportunities in the website design process. The value of wireframing comes down to a simple idea: Wireframing forces you to think about your user interface design decisions in terms of user needs first, instead of in terms of what looks good. Ideal website design deliverables from start to finish Removing the wireframe from the website design process Without wireframing your website designs, you're vulnerable to these design pitfalls: Lack of focus on strategic UI design. How to start wireframing The important thing is to focus on the strategic why while you sketch things out, and not on what shade of blue you'll use or what technology you'll use. Conclusion
11 Common Web Design Mistakes (Blunders) | Web 2.0 There are tons of website on the Internet, and hundreds or probably thousands are created by day. Here’s a very interesting thing to ponder – What are the elements of a good website? Image Credit: tveskov Building a website can be daunting but the real challenge lies in making it usable. The problem is most web designers forget that the website wasn’t created for themselves but to solve the users’ needs. They give creativity priority over practicality and usability. In this article, we would like to highlight 11 web design blunders that web developers and designers make and some suggestions how these mistakes can be easily avoided. 1. The web is like an archive of information. Suggestions:Google Custom Search is a neat, simple and effective way to get started. Here’s a simple form code to display Google’s search engine on your site too. More: Designing The Holy Search Box: Examples And Best Practice- This article details guidelines for designing the search box. 2. 3. 4. Suggestions: 5. 6.
15 Valuable Usability PDFs You Never Heard Of Here’s a list of 15 valuable Usability Papers in PDF form that you might not have heard of, but should know and can use: I thought I’d list a few helpful papers I use from time to time when going about my usability work. Some of these you may have heard of, some not. I think you’ll find these very helpful from time to time. This list is not meant to be comprehensive, rather, it’s the list of the most thumb-worn papers I leaf through when needed. If you have a special usability PDF you find extremely helpful and it’s not listed here please do share them in the Comments (go ahead, share them right now), that way we can all grow smarter about usability together! I hope you find these helpful! Research-Based Web Design & Usability Guidelines by the U.S. Usability.gov should be in any usability fan’s list. A Comparison of Questionnaires for Assessing Website Usability Assessing Website Usability by Tullis and Stetson, from the UPA 2004 Conference (2004) Another oldie but goodie. Google+
10 Useful Usability Findings and Guidelines « Smashing Magazine Everyone would agree that usability is an important aspect of Web design. Whether you’re working on a portfolio website, online store or Web app, making your pages easy and enjoyable for your visitors to use is key. Many studies have been done over the years on various aspects of Web and interface design, and the findings are valuable in helping us improve our work. Here are 10 useful usability findings and guidelines that may help you improve the user experience on your websites. 1. Form Labels Work Best Above The Field A study by UX Matters1 found that the ideal position for labels in forms is above the fields. 2Tumblr3 features a simple and elegant sign-up form that adheres to UX Matter’s recommendation. Positioning labels on the left also poses another problem: do you left-align or right-align the labels? 2. People instinctively notice other people right away when they come into view. Eye-tracking heat map of a baby looking directly at us, from the UsableWorld study4. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7.
5 Simple Social Design Tips From the Masters This series is supported by Wix.com, an online design tool that enables you to create your own Flash websites, social network layouts, and more, for free. Learn more about Wix here. With so much content competing for users' attention, it's important for content creators to have websites or applications that are accessible, clean and interactive. Joshua Porter, author of Designing for the Social Web defines social design as "designing for the social interactions between people using software." The methodologies and science behind user interface and user experience can be overwhelming for professionals, not to mention the content creator that just wants to have a site that can encourage interactivity with its audience. 1. Whitney Hess is an independent user experience designer based in New York. One of her guiding principles for experience design is to limit distractions. Hess writes: In other words, don't put every single widget and social plugin that you can think of on your site. 2. 3.
The Usable Library The Current State of Web Design: Trends 2010 - Smashing Magazine