5 Reasons Why Metaphors Can Improve the User Experience There are many ways to experience the world around us. Especially offline, we can make use of our different senses to collect information, interpret our environment and make judgments. On the Web, however, our senses are more limited. As designers, we need to present information carefully to make sure our users think, feel and do the right thing. A great way to help your users understand abstract content, create a sense of familiarity, trigger emotions, draw attention and motivate action are metaphors. "The way we think, what we experience, and what we do every day is very much a matter of metaphor." - Lakoff and Johnson In their frequently cited book, Metaphors We Live By, Lakoff and Johnson demonstrate the important role of metaphors in our language and in our everyday lives. Let’s look at how you can use metaphors to add to the user experience on your website. 1. Metaphors are a great tool to help your users understand abstract or unfamiliar content. Source Source Source 2. Source Source 3.
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Gestalt principles Gestalt principles, or gestalt laws, are rules of the organization of perceptual scenes. When we look at the world, we usually perceive complex scenes composed of many groups of objects on some background, with the objects themselves consisting of parts, which may be composed of smaller parts, etc. How do we accomplish such a remarkable perceptual achievement, given that the visual input is, in a sense, just a spatial distribution of variously colored individual points? Figure-ground articulation Figure 1: Figure-ground articulation. If the visual field is homogeneous throughout, a situation labeled as Ganzfeld (German for 'whole field'), it has no consistent internal organization. In such cases the visual field is perceived as articulated into two components, the figure (patch) on the ground (surround). The described organization of the display into the figure and the ground is not its only conceivable segmentation. Proximity principle Figure 2: Proximity principle. Common fate principle
Free Texture Download and Resources Link Textures is always a good stuff for a designer to spice out their work or masterpieces. So today, in this article I’d like to present a list of great high resolution free paper and other textures.I've been surfing the net yesterday and made some list for you.Some of them are from my bookmark. I also have pick some of the textures from deviant art. Download and use it for your next masterpiece! Use an adjustable monitor desk mount for better projection of graphic designs on your computer You can checkout more free quality textures at QTextures.net Note:Every stock texture has license.Read them first before using it.. Paper Grungy paper texture v.5 by Bashcorpo Free High Resolution Plain and Grunge Paper Textures by Fudgegraphic Free High Res Grungy Paper Textures by Bittbox Free High-Res Texture Pack: The Anatomy of a *Really* Old Book at Bittbox 5 Fantastically Free High Res Brown Paper Textures Old Paper 1 by mourningstocks Texture: Notebook Paper Old paper texture by Bleeding dragon Grunge
Responsive Web Design The English architect Christopher Wren once quipped that his chosen field “aims for Eternity,” and there’s something appealing about that formula: Unlike the web, which often feels like aiming for next week, architecture is a discipline very much defined by its permanence. Article Continues Below A building’s foundation defines its footprint, which defines its frame, which shapes the facade. Each phase of the architectural process is more immutable, more unchanging than the last. Creative decisions quite literally shape a physical space, defining the way in which people move through its confines for decades or even centuries. Working on the web, however, is a wholly different matter. But the landscape is shifting, perhaps more quickly than we might like. In recent years, I’ve been meeting with more companies that request “an iPhone website” as part of their project. A flexible foundation#section1 Let’s consider an example design. Becoming responsive#section2 responsive architecture .
Gestalt psychology Gestalt psychology, school of psychology founded in the 20th century that provided the foundation for the modern study of perception. Gestalt theory emphasizes that the whole of anything is greater than its parts. That is, the attributes of the whole are not deducible from analysis of the parts in isolation. Gestalt theory originated in Austria and Germany as a reaction against the associationist and structural schools’ atomistic orientation (an approach which fragmented experience into distinct and unrelated elements). Thoughts on Developing A Design Concept A good design begins with a good design concept. You’re trying to solve a problem and your concept will lead the way and give you direction for your design decisions. How do you form a concept? What questions do you need to ask in order to develop one? How does your concept become the roadmap for your design? What is a Design Concept? concept (n) – a general idea used to formulate a plan A design concept is the idea behind a design. Your concept will lead to your choices in color and type. Your design concept becomes the framework for all your design decisions. We can think of design concepts in two ways. Verbal – the verbal parts of your concept might be words you use to describe the site. Typically I begin forming a concept verbally (a process I’ll describe below). Generally verbal concepts come before visual concepts as the visual is really about how you’ll communicate the verbal, though it likely depends on the individual and how you think best. What is your client’s brand? Summary
Personality in Design Our lasting relationships center around the unique qualities and perspectives we all possess. We call it personality. Through our personalities, we express the entire gamut of human emotion. Personality is the mysterious force that attracts us to certain people and repels us from others. Because personality greatly influences our decision-making process, it can be a powerful tool in design. Personality is the platform for emotion#section1 Interface design lives in a broader category called Human-Computer Interaction, or HCI, sitting among computer science, behavioral science, and design. I’ll let you in on a secret. Emotional design’s primary goal is to facilitate human-to-human communication. I’d like you to pause for a moment, and recall a person with whom you recently made a real connection. Hold on to that memory. Let’s think of our designs not as a facade for interaction, but as people with whom our audience can have an inspired conversation. Personas#section3 Brand name: MailChimp
Gestalt Isomorphism Steven Lehar Steven Lehar Ph.D. Peli Lab The Schepens Eye Research Institute 20 Staniford St. Boston MA 02114-2500 (Footnote: Kind thanks to Eli Peli and the Schepens Eye Research Institute for help and support.) Home page: email: slehar@cns.bu.edu Submitted to Behavioral & Brain Sciences September 1999 First revision submitted April 2000 Second revision submitted September 2001 Third revision submitted June 2002 Accepted for publication September 2002 Peer commentaries received February 2003 Response to commentaries submitted March 2003 Response second revision submitted April 2003 Copy-edited article submitted July 2003 Copy-edited response to commentators submitted September 2003 Final paper published volume 26, number 4, pp 375-444, March 2004 Summary of whole review process Open peer commentaries Author's response to commentaries Word Counts Abstract: 97, 226 Main text: 28698 References: 2293 Entire text: 34946 Abstract1 Abstract2 1 Introduction