User Experience Design June 21, 2004 I've been practicing information architecture since 1994, and from Gopher to Google have seen dramatic changes in the landscape of organization, search and retrieval. Through these ten tempestuous years, I've found the infamous three circle diagram to be a great tool for explaining how and why we must strike a unique balance on each project between business goals and context, user needs and behavior, and the available mix of content. Figure 1. While this diagram was conceived with IA in mind, it's equally useful for explaining UX. Facets of the User Experience When I broadened my interest from IA to UX, I found the need for a new diagram to illustrate the facets of user experience - especially to help clients understand why they must move beyond usability - and so with a little help from my friends developed the user experience honeycomb. Figure 2. Here's how I explain each facet or quality of the user experience: Useful. A Different Way of Seeing A Big Hive
The nonagon (Method „A“) « Sacred geometry THE NONAGON (Method „A“)with example of trisection of angles larger than 90° Foreword to Chapter Eight Before we say anything about the nonagon, we will „single out“ one of the fundamental laws of sacred geometry that we might have noticed in our presentations up to now and which will be deepened in our forthcoming chapters. In addition to the fact that in sacred geometry all curves and straight lines are given in their full circumference, meaning in arched full circles and straight lines across all areas of the circles, and as we have said, all intersection points incurred by such inscribing are new data and as “controllers” of the accuracy of the geometric plotting and data, the fundamental law would read: The initial – central circle is the mirror of all the other radii originating outside it and within it. An example is the hexagon (scheme – pattern – validity). The basic or initial circle is a mirror of all geometrical on-going procedures within it or outside of it. with the nonagon
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 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 to do Before Creating a Design Concept Developing a design concept is something of an individual process. What is your client’s brand? Summary
Applying the Golden Ratio to Web Layouts and Objects by anthony on 10/21/10 at 5:36 pm 1.618 is a number all serious designers should know. It’s known as the golden ratio found throughout nature, art and architecture. Seashells, the Mona Lisa and the Parthenon all show the golden ratio. Our faces and bodies are also proportional to the golden ratio. It’s so omnipresent that it’s even found in sounds and intervals of time. The golden ratio gives us a divine sense of aesthetic that we can apply to web design. For example, take your typical 960 pixel width layout and divide 960 by 1.618. You can also apply the golden ratio to the height of your website, assuming your page has a fixed height. Getting the width and height of your layout using the golden ratio is easy to do. Not every interface object is going to have a rectangular shape, but for objects that do have a rectangular shape, we can use the golden rectangle to make the elements proportional to the golden ratio. The example above shows a vertical golden rectangle. anthony
The Golden Ratio: a designer's guide | Graphic design There's a common mathematical ratio found in nature that can be used to create pleasing, natural looking compositions in your design work. We call it the Golden Ratio, although it's also known as the Golden Mean, The Golden Section, or the Greek letter phi. Whether you're an illustrator, art director or graphic designer, it's well worth considering the Golden Ratio on any project. The designer's guide to grid theory In this article, we'll explain what it is, how you can use it, and point to some great resources for further inspiration and study... Closely related to the Fibonacci Sequence (which you may remember from either your school mathematics lessons or Dan Brown's novel The Da Vinci Code), the Golden Ratio describes the perfectly symmetrical relationship between two proportions. If you remove this square from the rectangle, you'll be left with another, smaller Golden Rectangle. Golden Ratio in use Greek architecture The final result is a building that feels entirely in proportion.
Bisection of Yin and Yang The flag of South Korea (and of Kingdom of Korea from 1883) contains the ancient yin-yang symbol (Taijitu in Chinese, Tomoye in Japanese and Taegeuk in Korean) that represents the struggle, merger and co-existence of two opposites (could be hot/cold, male/female, sky/earth, moon/sun, etc.) In the diagram Yin (the negative aspect) is rendered in black, with Yang (the positive aspect) rendered in white. The symbol is composed of two regions of a circle separated by two semicircles of half the radius of the big circle. Solution 1 This one requires no proof. Solution 2 Part of the Yin (black) piece below the horizontal diameter of the big circle is a semicircle with area πR²/8, where R is assumed to be the radius of the big circle, so that the small semicircle is of radius R/2. Solution 3 The dashed circle has radius R/√2. Solution 4 The reflection in the horizontal diameter of the big circle creates a second Yin-Yang pair of regions whose borderline supplies the necessary cut. Solution 5 Reference
Design Basics: A guide to the golden ratio Few design concepts blend the strengths of the left brain and the right brain quite as elegantly as the golden ratio. A formula that traces its roots to the Classical Era in both mathematics and the arts, today the golden ratio is still one of the most vital principles of cutting-edge Internet design. So...what the heck is it? Let's break it down: the golden ratio exists when the ratio of the sum of two quantities to the larger quantity is equal to the ratio of the larger quantity to the smaller one. This yields an irrational mathematical constant with a value of approximately 1.61803399. Simple, right? The ratio is closely related to the Fibonacci sequence—simply put, a series of numbers, starting with zero and one, in which every number equals the sum of the two numbers that precede it. A handy visual representation of this sequence is known as the golden spiral: OK, Math Whiz: Why does it matter? This sequence is reflected in countless natural and man-made objects.
Sri Yantra Research The Golden Ratio Triangles Figure 1 The golden ratio definition Since the Sri Yantra is made of triangles it is worth while spending some time learning a little more about triangles, more specifically triangles in the context of the famous golden ratio. We have to start with the golden ratio which is also known as the phi ratio or the golden proportion. It is the only ratio that satisfies the definition a+b is to a as a is to b show in figure 1. figure 2. If this seems too abstract lets look at it in 2 dimensions. Figure 3 Golden ratio beauty mask Our perception of beauty is actually defined by the the golden ratio. The Golden proportion is 1.6180.. also noted by the greek letter phi (φ). In the case of the golden rectangle things are simple. But since the Sri Yantra is made of 9 interlocking triangles we are mainly interested in triangles. This gives rise to many variations of "golden ratio" triangles. The King and Queen Lets start with the King and Queen of the golden ratio triangles.
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. 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 Old Paper Texture by Playingwithbrush Grunge
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.