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Column Two
News and opinion on all things KM & CM |
James Robertson
Step Two Designs
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Written by James Robertson Step Two Designs |
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Articles by Category: Interface design
Interface Design Issues #02: Consistency and standardsAndrei Michael Herasimchuk has written a blog entry on the importance of consistency and standards in interface design. To quote: Consistency is one of the golden rules of interface design. There can be no question about this. It's important on many levels. When applied effectively in a design, consistency creates a foundation for a user to interact with the product in a predictable manner. Consistency creates usage patterns, offering users the opportunity to succeed in the face of an unknown feature encountered for the first time. [Thanks to InfoDesign.] Posted by jamesr at 09:00 AM
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the Diemen Repository of Interaction Design PatternsThe Diemen Repository of Interaction Design Patterns is starting to collect together design patterns for creating websites and other interactive interfaces. To quote: Patterns help us solve design problems - problems that occur time and time again, and are being solved time and time again by designers. Patterns describe practical solutions to these problems and how to apply them in different situations. [Thanks to InfoDesign.] Posted by jamesr at 09:09 AM
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The interdependence of the structure, information and presentation dimensionsPeter J. Bogaards has written an article on the three aspects of documents: structure, information and presentation. To quote: Every paper and digital document shares three basic dimensions: structure, information and presentation. Although these dimensions are always interwoven, some people in the digital world mostly focus on document structures (e.g. information architects), some on the information they contain (e.g. marketers and writers/editors) while others specialize in the (interactive) presentation aspects (e.g. visual designers and Flash developers). The mutual dependence and interaction of these dimensions is the next level of design and does not regularly get the proper attention. In order to better understand the relationship between these dimensions, let us look at each of them separately, and how they inter-relate. Posted by jamesr at 04:08 PM
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User Interface LibraryGabe Zentall has published a user interface library, which provides controls and elements for use in prototype design. It covers Windows, OS X, and Palm. To quote: After years of creating paper prototypes and user interface schematics, Gabe began to assemble a library of commonly-used interface elements. This eliminates the need to re-create buttons, menus, windows, or fields from scratch. These interface elements mimic real, platform-specific interface standards in order to communicate a level of detail that most schematics lack. This, he found, made it easier for clients and test subjects alike to feel comfortable with designs in progress. [Thanks to reloade.] Posted by jamesr at 03:53 PM
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5 ways to get the most from in-house designersKim Goodwin presents some tips for managing in-house designers. Her five tips are:
[Thanks to InfoDesign.] Posted by jamesr at 12:39 PM
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A gallery of onscreen helpUsable Help presents a gallery of onscreen help, consisting of over 190 screenshots of different help systems. The aim is to allow help designers to see how others have approached similar problems and challenges. [Thanks to InfoDesign.] Posted by jamesr at 12:32 PM
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Image search enginesMichael Fagan has released a page on image search engines, just type in your keywords, choose your image sources, and click go ... [Thanks to Inter Alia.] Posted by jamesr at 10:12 AM
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Rough prototype samplesShelley Evenson released a while back a PDF showing sample rough prototypes, along with some explantory text. This is a useful and asthetic PDF, but be warned: it's 6.7MB in size... Posted by jamesr at 12:53 PM
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The quiet death of the major re-launchJared Spool talks about eliminating the major re-launch of sites. Although he focuses on websites, I don't see what this shouldn't also apply to intranets. To quote: Sites re-launch all the time in spectacular fashion. But this is starting to change. Jared points out how the best design teams are slowly evolving their sites, not drastically overhauling them. Posted by jamesr at 11:11 AM
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Views and forms: principles of task flow for web applications (part 1)Bob Baxley writes about the fundamental principles of task flow for web applications. To quote: The hypertext environment of the Web presumes a style of unfettered browsing and exploration that is not particularly conducive to the full and valid completion of specific tasks, operations, or database transactions. Creating web applications that support the full and valid completion of specific tasks, operations, and database transactions, therefore requires some understanding of how to manipulate the medium to that purpose. To wit, the following few thousand words serve to describe both the fundamental building blocks of HTML-based web applications as well as the three ways in which those blocks can be arranged to provide various types of task flows. Posted by jamesr at 10:45 PM
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Six tips for improving your design documentationRyan Olshavsky has written an article outlining six tips for improving your design documentation. His tips are:
Posted by jamesr at 10:42 PM
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Open prototypingCarson Reynolds at the MIT Media Labs has started a new blog called Open Prototyping, where he exposes the design process for the interest of all. For example, has has just published some prototype interfaces (developed using DENIM) for a "homeostatic package manager" for Linux. All very cool. [Thanks to ia/.] Posted by jamesr at 02:45 PM
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More on the BBCi search interfaceMartin Belam writes more about the very interesting BBCi search interface. To quote: The previous iteration of BBCi Search had the best links offset in a box above the tabbed interface, and we found that they were effectively in a blind spot, which is why they were moved into the run of the results. [Thanks to High Context.] (Site note: Martin, you need to make yourself more visible on your blog. I only found your name by discovering an e-mail address on the about page.) Posted by jamesr at 10:47 AM
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A comparison between left- and right-justified site navigation menusJames Kalbach and Tim Bosenick have published the results of recent usability testing on the location of navigation menus. To quote: The usability of two Web page layouts was directly compared: one with the main site navigation menu on the left of the page, and one with the main site navigation menu on the right. Sixty-four participants were divided equally into two groups and assigned to either the left- or the right-hand navigation test condition. Using a stopwatch, the time to complete each of five tasks was measured. The hypothesis that the left-hand navigation would perform significantly faster than the right-hand navigation was not supported. Instead, there was no significant difference in completion times between the two test conditions. This research questions the current leading Web design thought that the main navigation menu should be left justified. [Thanks to Peter J. Bogaards.] Posted by jamesr at 06:20 PM
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"But I can't draw!"Conrad Taylor has written a paper that's caught my eye, called "But I can't draw!", which was created as a result of facilitating workshop sessions in classrooms. To quote: The paper has two broad themes. On the one hand, I take a look at several different approaches to drawing, such as drawing from life, drawing by analysis of the structure of people and animals and things, and applying the conventions of iconic drawing (as many cartoonists do). My hope is that this will show people different avenues of exploration that they can explore in the quest to be a more effective amateur illustrator -- for example, to produce illustrated teaching aids in the classroom. [Thanks to IDblog.] Posted by jamesr at 01:56 PM
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Impact of paging vs. scrollingJ. Ryan Baker describes the results of recent research into the impact of paging vs. scrolling on comprehension of written material. To quote: In this study, we examined the use of paging vs. scrolling in reading passages, including participants' reading comprehension in paging and scrolling conditions. Dyson and Kipping (1998) found that participants read through paged documents faster than scrolled documents, but showed no differences in reading comprehension. (Thanks to William Hudson.) Posted by jamesr at 05:31 PM
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Blurbs: Writing previews of web pagesDennis G. Jerz discusses how to write blurbs, the brief descriptions that summarise what readers will find at the other end of links. To quote: A good blurb should inform, not tease. Usability testing will help you determine the best way to lay out your blurbs, but this document will help you write the content. [Thanks to elearningpost.] Posted by jamesr at 06:07 PM
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Future visions for search UIsA list of workshop submissions for CHI 2003 on building search interfaces has been posted. There's some really interesting topics here, including:
(The full papers have been provided as Word documents, so happy reading...) [Thanks to Ease.] Posted by jamesr at 09:55 AM
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Best practice URL designpixelcharmer has brought together an excellent list of resources on best practice URL design. Excellent stuff... Posted by jamesr at 09:48 AM
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Writing usable software specificationsBrian R. Krause writes about creatives ways of producing usable software specifications, with an emphasis on communicating to stakeholders and developers alike, instead of just producing telephone-book-sized specs. To quote: An effective spec must be inviting and easy to understand so the whole development team can participate in the design. This way they can catch any problems, and their support can be won early. If a spec is so technical that only engineers can understand it, the marketing department will not feel part of the audience and will not look at it carefully. If a spec is not detailed enough or if the details shown are irrelevant --- like unrealistic placeholder data --- the spec will be taken as a suggestion and not the blueprint for the user interface. A spec must be detailed, but not too detailed. Posted by jamesr at 06:56 PM
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How to run a design critiqueScott Berkun writes a detailed tutorial on how to run a design tutorial. To quote: In the early and middle phases of a project, teams need a way to understand and explore the current direction of the design. The challenge is to create the openness needed for good ideas to surface, while simultaneously cultivating the feedback and criticism necessary to resolve open issues. Unlike a brainstorming meeting, where the exclusive goal is to come up with new ideas, a critique meeting is focused on evaluating a set of existing ideas, and possibly identify future directions or changes. Instead of hoping that hallway and email discussions will lead the team in a good direction, it?s generally worth investing time to set up critique meetings to drive the design forward. Posted by jamesr at 08:42 AM
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Visio or HTML for wireframes?Jeff Gothelf has written an article which compares Visio or HTML for wireframes. To quote: As design organizations (design shops, user experience groups within companies, etc.) mature, they inevitably run across the debate of Visio versus HTML wireframes. The decision for one over the other is never a clear-cut one since, as with all things IA-related, it depends. This article seeks to sort out the issues in this debate by describing the pros and cons of each technique and pointing out specific situations where one may be more effective than the other. [Thanks to ia/.] Posted by jamesr at 08:26 AM
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Faceted metadata search and browseSearchTools has released a practical article on using faceted metadata to enhance search. It contains some interesting screenshots, and a gentle introduction to the concepts. To quote: A good solution to these problems involves exposing the facets in dynamic taxonomies, so that the search user can see exactly the options they have available at any time. They can switch easily between searching and browsing, using their own terminology for search while recognizing the organization and vocabulary of the data. [Thanks to Peter J. Bogaards.] Posted by jamesr at 05:00 PM
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Using HTML wireframes and prototypesJulie Stanford has written an excellent article on using HTML for wireframes and prototypes. In it, she clearly sells the benefits of this approach, and addresses some of the common concerns. To quote: Mention the use of HTML for wireframing or prototyping, and some information architects and interaction designers frantically look for the nearest exit. In some circles, HTML has acquired the reputation of being a time-consuming, difficult undertaking best left to developers. I’m here to convince you that this is very far from the truth. In fact, using HTML as the basis for your wireframing and prototyping can be a quick and rewarding experience with fabulous benefits, including easier user testing, improved client communication, and faster, more effective use of design time. But wait, there's more! Beyond this issues paper, Julie provides a full Dreamweaver primer designed to get you up to speed on creating your own prototypes. Outstanding. Posted by jamesr at 12:50 PM
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Death to "click here"!Nathan Ashby-Kuhlman has written a passionate blog about the pointlessness of click here links. Taking a usability stand, he highlights that eliminating needless words is always worthwhile. To quote: Television stations do not tell viewers how to operate their remote controls. Newspapers do not instruct readers in removing papers from delivery bags. It’s time news Web sites stopped telling readers how to operate links. [Thanks to ia/.] Posted by jamesr at 10:08 AM
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Lorem Ipsum generatorI have just stumbled across a website offering a Lorem Ipsum generator. What is this? Well, it's the dummy text that you will often see in interface design mockups, and this website will generate as much of it as you need. To explain: Lorem Ipsum, or Lipsum for short, is simply dummy text of the printing and typesetting industry. Lipsum has been the industry's standard dummy text ever since the 1500s, when an unknown printer took a galley of type and scrambled it to make a type specimen book. It has survived not only four centuries, but now the leap into electronic typesetting, remaining essentially unchanged. It was popularised in the 1960s with the release of Letraset sheets containing Lipsum passages, and more recently with desktop publishing software like Aldus PageMaker including versions of Lipsum. [Thanks to John McCrory.] Posted by jamesr at 09:21 AM
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Design really does matterSean Carton writes about the value of good design when it comes to websites, particularly focusing on both appearance and information architecture. He explores attitudes and approaches, and presents a very interesting piece of recent research:
[Thanks to IDblog.] Posted by jamesr at 08:28 AM
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Search interface patternsLiz Danzico explores the different ways that a search interface can be designed. She identifies four different patterns:
This article is useful, in that it helps to define a "language" for describing search interfaces, allowing interface designers to communicate more clearly. (The design of the site itself is also very cool, and has given me a few ideas to store away for a future project.) Posted by jamesr at 10:12 AM
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Broken websitesJeffrey Zeldman writes a passionate and well-informed article on why 99.9% of Websites Are Obsolete. This highlights the curse of hacked HTML, and proposes some ways forward (using web standards). To quote: Peel the skin of any major site, from Amazon to Microsoft.com, from Sony to ZDNet. Examine their tortuous non-standard markup, their proprietary ActiveX and JavaScript (often including broken detection scripts), and ill-conceived use of Cascading Style Sheets—when they use CSS at all. It's a wonder such sites work in any browser. Posted by jamesr at 01:10 PM
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Keep it simplePeter-Paul Koch writes about keeping web design simple. He looks at the trap of "creative designs", and gives a personal case study to illustrate his point. He then looks at the broader issues: First of all sites should be exciting only when their purpose is to be exciting. An entertainment site should be exciting, sure. But what about an e-commerce site? A corporate site? A government site should be a bit dull, I'd think, to underline the importance of the information it provides. This is not just another "Nielsen-esque" rant against interesting sites. Instead, it takes a practical look at why sites the way they are, and he asks more questions that he answers. (Which is a good thing.) Posted by jamesr at 04:34 PM
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Design problems in healthMichael B. Moore talks about Top 10 Design Problems in health systems. This covers the usual suspects, but is useful in that it looks at things from a specific health focus. The main items covered:
Posted by jamesr at 06:21 PM
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Searching from the home pageThe Sydney Morning Herald has published a story discussing the value of having a search form on the home page of a large website. The SMH has a nasty habit of expiring articles, so in case the link stops working, here's one of the best bits: Dr Hawking related the story of an Australian financial institution that invited Internet surfers to type a query word such as "investment" in the search- engine box. "You typed `investment' into the query box and it said `Sorry, no results found'," he says. "I think that's really bad advertising." (Side note: I live in Sydney, and I regularly read the SMH online. Pretty much every day, in fact. Yet, I somehow missed this article, and it took a reference in a US e-mail list for me to find it. The power of the internet in action...) Posted by jamesr at 04:39 PM
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A Solid Intranet in Eight StepsTheo Mandel has written an excellent article titled A Solid Intranet in Eight Steps. This paper outlines a few very practical ways of ensuring the intranet works for its users:
All good stuff, well worth a read. Posted by jamesr at 03:42 PM
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