tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-78489133815924022302012-01-30T16:37:32.140-08:00Thoughts on user experience, usability, user behavior, and interaction design intertwined with tips and tools...Marahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01855387775058377100noreply@blogger.comBlogger191100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7848913381592402230.post-12152749066916138232012-01-30T16:37:00.000-08:002012-01-30T16:37:32.149-08:00

Seen at the Santa Monica pier. Note: there are no other arrows than the ones on the sign.

Marahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01855387775058377100noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7848913381592402230.post-75808229321947384452011-11-01T15:37:00.000-07:002011-11-01T15:38:24.705-07:00

I have been looking for a while for a specifications sheet for designing for multiple devices and today I've come closer to what I am looking for. Today's UX Magazine feature article lists common resolutions for different devices and offers some great guidelines for beginners on how to plan your design strategy when designing for multiple devices. The article outlines some great reminders for

Marahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01855387775058377100noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7848913381592402230.post-92060222701396436052011-01-27T11:15:00.000-08:002011-01-27T11:15:57.032-08:00

Interesting article on a different way to style a web form. Make sure you test it out on your users if you feel creative. Just because it works for some doesn't mean it will work for your primary users. Don't know what mad libs is? Check out the definition from wikipedia.

Marahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01855387775058377100noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7848913381592402230.post-76104076537177664392010-05-26T19:43:00.000-07:002010-05-26T19:44:17.053-07:00

A couple of weekends ago, I found myself in the dreaded position of needing some long sleeve tops. I write "dreaded position" because unlike the majority of women, I don't especially like the shopping process whether it's finding something for me or for someone else. A part from the "I have better things to do than shop" point, the main issue for me surrounds the decision making process in the

Marahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01855387775058377100noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7848913381592402230.post-28887268985777289752010-05-12T18:46:00.001-07:002010-05-19T13:59:41.435-07:00

I see that my blog posts have become much shorter in the last few months. I'd like to blame the warmer weather but I know it's not an excuse. I just came across some great reminders...If you are developing or think of developing and/or then launching a web app (a.k.a web applications), read about what to do once it's launched. Yes, launching is just the beginning...

Marahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01855387775058377100noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7848913381592402230.post-2606711020844060992010-04-05T18:44:00.000-07:002010-05-18T14:42:53.788-07:00

HTML5 has had a slow start but slowly demos and techniques are emerging on the web. It will still take a while for it to become the standard but it's making progress and looking really cool so far.

Marahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01855387775058377100noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7848913381592402230.post-11906865443324648102010-03-30T18:49:00.000-07:002010-05-18T13:25:55.287-07:00

Great article from UX Booth on how consistency is crucial and directly impacts the user experience.The first commentator brings up a interesting point regarding the term 'consistency' and suggests that "coherence" should be used instead.Both consistency and coherence are needed of course but consistency should never be followed if it's at the detriment of the user experience. If being consistent

Marahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01855387775058377100noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7848913381592402230.post-51228078049810395632010-03-23T07:22:00.000-07:002010-05-18T13:13:52.105-07:00

Something light for a change :) ... Enjoy! Dilbert on UX

Marahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01855387775058377100noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7848913381592402230.post-65343120870699824162010-03-06T12:47:00.000-08:002010-05-18T13:03:06.167-07:00

Great presentation on UX (user experience) design. It's very simple but it's a great overview for anyone unfamiliar with the field.Great metaphor on slide 15 that shows that the visual design should only account for 10% of what goes into the design process and that 90% of the time should be dedicated to the rest of the process. yes 90%! I'm still shocked at the importance people put on visual

Marahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01855387775058377100noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7848913381592402230.post-75406479307475308022010-02-02T22:17:00.000-08:002010-05-18T14:22:08.487-07:00

For all UX designers, interaction designers and engineers out there...Apple published its first iPad Human Interface Guidelines Read them when you have a good chunk of time to dedicate to them because it's not light reading material. :)Or need a summary? Check out UX Mag's concise outline or ZDnet's first look at these guidelines.Updated March 4, 2010

Marahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01855387775058377100noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7848913381592402230.post-38953082772907369352010-01-28T20:22:00.000-08:002010-05-18T13:10:57.846-07:00

What can I say more than what's already been said and written about the name for Apple's attempt of a Kindle and smartphone all bundled into one tablet.You would think a large and successful company like Apple, Inc. would have the best market researchers and could have prevented the unstoppable mockery and ridicule surrounding the chosen name. Any 13 and older female could have given Apple's

Marahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01855387775058377100noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7848913381592402230.post-68724756067874754622010-01-18T19:26:00.000-08:002010-05-19T08:11:52.376-07:00

UX Magazine just posted an interesting article about an occurrence called "change blindness." The article includes videos of the experiments carried out that support the phenomenon. The experiments are enlightening, mainly because it's amusing to see the scenarios unfolding. As a spectator seeing how evident the differences are, it's surprising how the subjects in the videos are oblivious to the

Marahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01855387775058377100noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7848913381592402230.post-4077234788774655992010-01-12T21:15:00.000-08:002010-05-14T08:58:43.155-07:00

As a designer, I'm always looking for color scheme tools and wheels that are efficient and fun to use. Color Scheme Designer is the most interactive and fun one to use I have found thus far. It also has numerous features for a free color scheme tool as well.Dislikes:Absence of Reset Button: the only way to reset the colors and start fresh is to refresh the page from the browser refresh

Marahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01855387775058377100noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7848913381592402230.post-84737200857017783972009-12-02T17:56:00.000-08:002010-05-06T14:17:44.856-07:00

Google recently rolled out a fade-in effect to their homepage. After playing with the fade-in experience for a few minutes, I really didn’t see the advantage of the new fade in experience. The article does mention that after months of testing they’ve rolled it out. So my first question is what exactly were they testing? The page seemed minimalistic enough that new and existing users wouldn't find

Marahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01855387775058377100noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7848913381592402230.post-88703448032586496262009-11-06T21:58:00.000-08:002010-05-13T22:20:34.974-07:00

Are you eager to know when a web page was last updated and don't see a last modified date anywhere on the page?Here's an easy tip that will give you that much needed information. Type the following code into your browser's address bar: javascript:alert(document.lastModified)After clicking on the "Enter" key, an alert box will appear telling you the exact date and time the page was last modified.

Marahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01855387775058377100noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7848913381592402230.post-66393768437561317072009-09-18T17:38:00.000-07:002010-05-25T09:09:41.746-07:00

A CAPTCHA is, in technical terms, a challenge-response authentication process. In plain english, it's simply a question on a webform that requires a correct response from the user who is filling out the form to make sure the user is human and is not a computer. The process consists of a computer generated image displaying text, usually a combination of numbers, upper case letter and lower case

Marahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01855387775058377100noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7848913381592402230.post-62088086795633423142009-08-16T20:54:00.000-07:002010-05-14T09:26:42.726-07:00

Web designers, developers and web enthusiasts ask no more! With Font Finder, a new Firefox add-on, you can now quickly get the answer without scrolling through the Web Developer Add-on "View CSS" option or guessing what it might be.1. Install Font Finder2. Restart Firefox3. Select text on a web page4. Right-click on any text on a web page5. Choose Font Finder > Analyze Selection. On the

Marahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01855387775058377100noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7848913381592402230.post-8310220915658330032009-07-19T18:49:00.000-07:002010-05-19T07:16:25.418-07:00

I'm starting this blog to share my thoughts as a User Experience (UX) designer and Usability analyst. I'm still surprised that companies and individuals think that focusing on usability and the user experience can be optional or as the last step in the design cycle. Unfamiliar with the terms "usability" and "user experience?" Check out my definitions. Research shows that to provide high

Marahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01855387775058377100noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7848913381592402230.post-13232013823153588742009-07-10T19:22:00.000-07:002010-05-18T15:36:25.196-07:00

Here are my simplified definitions of the two terms. I know the UX definition is long so should I rephrase and say "Here is at my attempt at simplifying my definitions...Usability is a term that defines how useful (whether it's practical and needed) and how usable (whether it can be used efficiently) something is.User experience often referred to as (UX) or (Ux) refers to how the user experiences

Marahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01855387775058377100noreply@blogger.com0