16Aug0
Highlights of Week 32/2010
- Real Time Web Analytics Services – Best of (by hongkiat) - which web analytics service do you use?
- Guidelines for URI Design (by Jacob Gillespie) - URI structure is primarily important for user recognition and easy of use, search engine optimization is nice too.
- 8 Ways to Make Your Website Mobile Friendly (by Joel Reyes) - isn't it sweet that our mobiles will drive us towards better web development also? Something we should have been doing for a long time already?
- The ADA and the Web: Concerns and Misconceptions (by Jared Smith) - Is an accessibility law for e-commerce coming? Will this take the look of the web back to 1990? Jared has some nice Q&A there...
- Stop Designing Aesthetics, Start Designing Emotions (by John O’Nolan) - Design for emotions, definitely not a new concept but usually poorly covered. John takes a good stab on it.
- 5 Small Biz Web Design Trends to Watch (by Grace Smith) - Minimalism, Unique Photography, Bold Typography, Clear Calls to Action, A/B Testing - what more to say?
- iPad User Experience Guidelines (by UX Magazine) - with the source doc at Apple's Human Interface Guidelines for the iPad
23Jul0
Highlights of Week 29/2010
- A Complete Guide to A/B Testing (by Cameron Chapman) - convince yourself and your clients of a design that works better - good summary and tool collection.
- It Isn't Minimalism (by Dmitry Fadeyev) - as Dmitry argues: "Simplicity isn’t a design trend, it’s an attribute of good design."
- Complete Beginner’s Guide to Content Strategy (by Andrew Maier) - about strategies to abstract, analyze, collect, publish & manage. Nice!
- Understanding border-image (by Nora Brown) - nice CSS3 tutorial for custom borders - come on Microsoft, you can do it...
- Search Analysis with Google Analytics (by Dave Sparks) - may I introduce, your users. Get to know your users, what they do, what they want, what they are looking for. All invaluable information. Good intro by Dave.
- Best Tools for Testing Cross Browser Compatibility (by Joel Reyes) - every designers nightmare, browser compatibility.
- 10 Tools for Getting Web Design Feedback (by Ben & Jerry’s) -
- Drawing the Line: 6 Things You Shouldn’t Tolerate in Projects (by Sacha Greif) - Thank you, thank you, thank you. Can't reiterate enough. We Designers have to show integrity! Thank you.
13Jul1
Highlights of Week 27/2010
- Debunking the Myths of Remote Usability Studies (by Corrie Kwan, Jin Li, and May Wong) - some myths might seem obvious, but others - drawn from first-hand experience - are not. Anyway, lot's of good advise to be considered.
- How to Communicate With Your Clients (by Joel Reyes) - In short: Listen, Ask, Consult, Respect, Reason
- Beginner’s Guide to SEO: Best Practices – Part 3/3, Part 2/3, Part 1/3 (by hongkiat) - Search Engine Optimization is a must in all our toolboxes. Excellent three-part tutorial, thx!
- 250 Quick Web Design Tips (Part 2) (Part 1) (by Alexander Dawson) - about Browsers, Styles, Techniques, Marketing and all other good stuff.
- Agile UX and The One Change That Changes Everything (by Anders Ramsay) - Start Building Earlier through Rapid and Rich Communication and Just-in-Time Detail.
As always, send me your link or mention it in the comments. Anything related to this blog is much appreciated by all of us. Thanks!
6Jul0
Highlights of Week 26/2010
- Complete Beginner’s Guide to Web Analytics and Measurement (by Andrew Maier) - a really great summary of tools and methods for web analytics.
- Favorite UX & Technology Blogs | Learning About New Web & Mobile Applications (by Janet M. Six) - uxmatters answer to favorite UX and technology blogs and how to learn about new Web and mobile applications.
- 10 New UX Books To Look Out for in 2010 (by Paul Seys) - what more to say...?
- 7 Steps to Better Website Feedback (by hongkiat) - good content but I really love this blog entry for its references.
- 15 Google Chrome Extensions for the Avid Designer (by Joel Reyes) - from Firebug to Resolution test and many more...
- Using Landmarks Makes Page Layout Easy (by Ben Gremillion) - harmony in design is based on well-known layout principles - great discussion by Ben!
20Jun1
Highlights of Week 24/2010
- The end of the killer feature (by Scott Berkun) - Scott points out the downsides of upgrades and compatibility; version management across third-party development, huge field.
- The Experience belongs to the User (by Joshua Porter) - about the effects of over-architecting on the actual user.
- How Well Are You Pricing Your Designs? (by Joel Reyes) - usually I consider previous experiences and their workload in hours, plus/minus additional requirments and the client itself (more communication involved, more/less hand-holding required, etc.) and multiply it with a fixed price. That's my total.
- Apologizing like a human, not a corporation (by 37signals) - we all make mistakes, let's start recognizing them and learn to appologize right - great example!
- Defining the Designer of 2015 (by aiga.org) - aiga teamed up with Adobe to take a look into the future. Capture the attention span of a user, huh?
- Destroying Designer’s Creative Block and Unleashing Your Creativity (by Aidan Huang) - Watch my caffeine intake?? Are you kidding me????
- There's no right answer (by Donna Spencer) - Donna mentions some factors for designing the 'better' solution, the successful design will take all these factors into consideration.
- UCD info graphic poster (by Pascal Raabe) - information graphic poster illustrating the underlying lifecycle, methods, principles and techniques in a user centred design process.
- Using Charts and Graphs for Content (by Chris McConnell) - comprehensive overview and discussion of charting and graphing content.
- Considering Prototypes (by Andrew Maier) - prototypes generate context and questions and move teams in the direction of meeting business demands.
- The Frankfurt Kitchen (by Harry Brignull) - about design perfection that becomes counter-productive.
- Design Better And Faster With Rapid Prototyping (by Lyndon Cerejo) - another great blog post about prototyping - don't overdo it and be aware of scope creep - it's a bloody prototype
- Two Beautiful New Mini Pixel Icon Sets (reported by Paul Andrew) - what more to say, go get them.
- UX Lx Wrap Up (by Theresa Neil) - good wrap-up (with links to material) of the 3 day UX Lx conference in Lisbon last month.
- Master user experience design (by Craig Grannell) - inside UX, well-researched and laid out article, good read.
26Mar1
Highlights of Week 12/2010
I'm still feeling enriched by the exciting sessions presented at the Web App Masters Tour in San Diego. Check out Luke's notes of all the 9 sessions presented - fantastic!
- Techniques for Squeezing Images for All They’re Worth (by Ben Gremillion) - image optimization is key to fast loading web sites.
- UX Design Versus UI Development (by Mike Hughes) - who designs and who builds and where do they overlap? Is it about data?
- Board Releases Draft Refresh of Section 508 Standards and Section 255 Guidelines (by Tim Creagan) - a major step towards WCAG 2.0 becoming a law.
- 20 Portable Applications Web Designers Should Have On Their USB Sticks (by Joel Reyes) - go get a memory stick
- Understanding the Power of Social Media with Infographics (by Paul Andrew) - some real gems there.
- Adobe expanding the accessibility of Acrobat and Flash! (by Jeff Singleton) - don't know how they relate exactly to WCAG but surely welcome to see.
- The Impossible Bloomberg Makeover (by Dominique Leca) - a great example of the kitchen-cabinet problem.
- 10 Principles of UX (by Joshua Porter) - very nice top 10 collection.
19Mar0
Highlights of Week 11/2010
- Google Analytics in Depth: Goals and Funnels (by Dave Sparks) - Money makes the world go round - funnel it (into your pocket)
- The reconstructive nature of human memory (and what this means for research documentation) (by Harry Brignull) - documentation of design decision is important to avoid pogo-sticking re-design or the HIPPO effect.
- Menu Item Usage Study: Part I (by Christopher Jung) - Mozilla's research into menu item usage.
- designing for experiences across channels (by Brandon Schauer) - have a look at this picture and let it sit for a while. Making sense?
- Basic CSS3 Techniques That You Should Know (by Joel Reyes) - always good to stay on top of technology, CSS3 is our friend!
- Participating in the Web of Data with Open Standards (by Chris Heilmann) - API's and geolocation made easy with YQL (Yahoo Query Language).
- Writing For The Web: Tips & Common Mistakes We Make (by Kelly Swee) - yet another list of tips, but then again we still don't seem to get it right...
- Rudy Giuliani Shares His Leadership Thoughts (by Bruce Temkin) - Bruce summarizes the 6 leadership principles Rudy Giuliani laid out in his keynote at the Intuit Financial Services.
12Mar0
Highlights of Week 10/2010
Another week of fantastic articles! A little digging (or reading my blog ) will save you time and buying books hehe.
- 15 Desktop & Online Wireframing Tools (by Tom Walker) - I use Balsamiq Mockups, what about you?
- User Experience Books Free to Read Online (by Simon Whatley) - yes, free
- The Future of Wireframes (by Nishant Kothary) - in Nishant's words: holy guacamole!
- Do’s and Don’ts of Usability Testing (by Demetrius Madrigal and Bryan McClain) - my take-away: don't jump to conclusions, that truly is a beginner mistake.
- How to Increase Conversions on any Website in 45 Minutes (by Andrew Follett) - improvement can happen in less than an hour, keep it down to the top 3 items!
- 43 Essential Controls for Web Applications (by Theresa Neil) - just being able to name them properly (not to mention program them) is a huge communication plus.
- How to Choose Right CSS Frameworks (by Joel Reyes) - a must read for any web programmer. Know at least one css framework really well.
- Why you only need to test with five users (explained) (by Jeff Sauro) - I mean, really well explained.
- Email verification – is your call-to-action strong enough? (by Harry Brignull) - it's tough to lose customers that WANT to be customers. Consider lazy registration as well!
- "Call to Action" Buttons: Guidelines, Best Practices and Examples (by hongkiat) - Another really important article. Talks about size, color, labels etc.
26Feb0
Highlights of Week 08/2010
Wow, what a week with truly amazing content which once more shows me how many talented and dedicated people are on the web. Thanks all for sharing your knowledge!!
- Vancouver Olympics Web sites are inaccessible to disabled people (by Joe Clark) - hope at least the website of the Special Olympics will be... Joe, wanna check?
- The Comprehensive Guide to Saving Images for the Web (by Joshua Johnson) - now this I call an essential read!
- E-Commerce Design Resources: The Ultimate Round-Up (by Cameron Chapman) - now this I call ultimate read!
- Life, Below 600px (by Paddy Donnelly) - or, "giving the fold the finger".
- Information Gathering: a Roundup of UX Applications (by James Costa) - James reviews 4 really useful UX applications. Great overview!
- 14 Questions To Ask Your Clients Before and After a Project (by Joel Reyes) - always good to be reminded of the basics.
- Design considerations for article lists (by Anders Toxboe) - Do's and don'ts of article lists are essential knowledge for every designer. Get a hang of it.
- 10 Essential Chrome Extensions for Web Developers (by Samuel Axon) - Firebug Lite, IE Tab, Resolution test and others, a must-see.
- Best Practices for Hints and Validation in Web Forms (by Kean Richmond) - Users hate forms but they are the only way to interact with an application so you better invest some more thought as did Kean.
- The Anatomy of Web Design (by Nishant Kothary) - "Smarter hires, more resources, more time, fewer managers, rational stakeholders, less overhead, stronger leadership, and sensible project management are intrinsic to creating great designs—but they cannot take the place of a strong mission and sense of purpose."
About Me
Michael Gaigg is Lead UI Engineer in Esri's Professional Services Division.
He has been designing map application for over 10 years and can't stop thinking about improving them.
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- Design Guidelines (12)
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