CategoryUX

February 18, 2016 — We often want information on what users and potential users of our designs think and how they behave in the context of where they will use our design. Intercepts allow you to engage users in a variety of settings to collect data to inform your design. In this article, Victor Yocco shares a method to design and carry out effective intercepts as part of your user research. You can use the steps and information provided in this article in your own process for intercepting users! Read more…

February 16, 2016 — In this article, Tom Green will describe the methods he uses to get from content to responsive wireframe — and how you can, too. There is no big reveal or other excitement with the creation of content reference wireframes. You can practice content wireframing by deconstructing popular websites into their basic building blocks. Start with rough containers of information, add in the real content, and then start chiseling them into more finalized forms. In doing so, you’ll be better able to design around what users really care about: the content. Read more…

February 11, 2016 — There are many options for a designer to consider. Hopefully, after seeing Dr. Moore and Dr. Chen’s research applied to some modern examples, as well as some insights into what other businesses are doing, you will have enough juice to power your social proof. We can learn so much from the subject of reviews, especially now that experience design is emerging and becoming a force of its own. Through its ethos of bettering customer experiences, we can start to deliver experiences that make people smile. These happy users may then tell everyone else about those positive experiences. And when people talk about you or your products, listen carefully and manage those reviews to your advantage — from start to finish. Read more…

January 25, 2016 — Besides creating the best conditions for users to complete their tasks, it’s important to map their motivation to convert their good intentions into tangible outcomes. When UX combines motivation with users’ ability and triggers, it gets easier to persuade them to perform an action. In this article, we’ll explain from a psychological perspective what drives behaviour, and we’ll share three tips on how you can use these insights along with UX best practices to change your users’ behaviour — and count on the formal model Fogg’s to help you structure research and design processes to ensure that users’ needs are considered. Read more…

January 14, 2016 — Too complex and feature-driven products may not provide the users what they need or want. When designers reduce to the minimum the footprint of their product in the user’s life, they provide better actual usage for digital products. They should be focusing on processes, not screens, to get more results with less interactions. In this article, Goran Peuc will dive into a review of remarkable products and services that actually bring easy solutions through simpler processes. It’s up to you to remove complexity for the user and to minimize the footprint of your product in the user’s life. Yes, this requires a lot of work, but that is how you will differentiate your product from the competition’s. Read more…

December 23, 2015 — By focusing almost exclusively on the user insights that each test is designed to yield, prototype testing can be an impressively efficient method for product teams to run experiments. Regardless of which prototype tools you use or whether you test wireframes, clickable mockups or coded prototypes, what’s most important to focus on is what you want to test and what you want to learn from it. In this article, Michelle Chu gives six tips for designers to consider when creating prototypes specifically to generate user testing insight. Read more…

December 16, 2015 — The state of passwords today causes more headache than happiness. Nearly half of Americans have had their account hacked in the last year alone. Are web designers and developers taking enough measures to prevent these problems? Or do we need to rethink passwords? Passphrases are a better alternative because they are more secure and usable. A few websites out there enforce passphrases. No user should feel like they’ve lost their keys or had their house broken into. But switching to passphrases doesn’t require a technical overhaul. It’s as simple as introducing the concept to users and requiring a higher character length. Read more…

December 9, 2015 — Today, join Cory Shaw while he reflects on some of the mistakes he and his team made, the tools they used, the workflows and guidelines they followed, and even some of the custom tools they built while working on the new Hawaiian Airlines website. All while growing a UI development team from one to over ten people to get the job done. It was a rollercoaster ride like no other, but they have prevailed and built what he believes to be one of the best airline-booking experiences on the web. This article and the information herein has been shared with the explicit permission and generosity of Hawaiian Airlines. Read more…

December 4, 2015 — Yes, deliverables can slow us down and result in documentation that no one reads. But the right deliverables anchor teams in a united product vision, provide early validation for product ideas and speed up (the right) making activities. Those are worth the drawbacks for me. “Get out of the deliverables business” has become quite a mantra in the lean startup and UX movements. What follows is an account of Rian van der Merwe’s journey in navigating stormy design seas together with the community. Remember, deliverables aren’t bad. Bad deliverables are bad. Read more…

December 1, 2015 — User-testing mobile apps and websites is an essential component of the UX toolkit. Running regular mobile usability tests is the only way to gauge how well this channel is working for your customers. A bit of hacking is required. And, after years of experimentation, Colman Walsh thinks he’s figured out the best hack available yet. If you want to test iPhone or Android experiences, this solution is simple, cost-effective and high quality. After your first time getting things together, setup takes about five minutes the second time, and you can have this solution in place for less than $200 if you’re using a MacBook. (By comparison, Morae, the high-end usability testing software, sells for $2,000.) Read more…