Customization allows users to make selections and set preferences in a system, with the intent of giving users more control over the user experience. Customization allows users to select the content, layout, functionality or design that appeals to them. However, customization tools require work and input from users, so need to be designed in a way that entices and attracts usage, and provides adequate payoff for the work invested by the user.
Here are 7 tips for creating a successful customization experience:
1. Show users that customization is available.
It is not enough to offer customization to users. If users don’t know about the feature or can’t find it, they...
On simple, frequently used forms with one or two fields, such as a search box or login form, the strain on memory is less of an issue than with complex or rarely used forms. That is because with simple, familiar forms, users can guess what they are supposed to enter. Although, on even a simple
Whether you're designing web pages, web-based applications (e.g., SaaS), or native mobile apps, one of the basic building blocks is the humble text-input field: a box where the user can enter some text. Uses of this widget are plenty and not the topic of this article. We should point out that there
This Klipfolio dashboard uses a radial gauge (1) to show the value of a particular metric within a range. However, circular visualizations require a lot of space to communicate little information, and rely on angle (which is relatively poor at communicating information in a pre-attentive fashion
9 Blockchains Transforming the Way We Pay, Play, and Work
Look past digital currencies’ nosebleed pricing volatility, and you’ll discover a robust, decentralized, secure database. Brands and technologists are quickly figuring out how to put this powerful ledger to good use. Here are several real-world examples that demonstrate cryptos’
Can Blockchain and Cryptocurrencies Alone Save $2 Trillion in Preventing Cybercrime?
It’s through smart contracts that transactions can be made whilst their details can be kept both transparent and secure. Writing about their new smart contracts-based Ethereum trading platform, Confideal stated: “To put it simply, code is not law, but smart contracts created on a platform
SEO DIY: Optimize Your Startup’s Website Yourself
Anyone who pays attention to the world of search engine optimization knows that maximizing your company’s search results on Google and other search engines is not something you can do with a quick pin here and a hasty status update there. It’s a full-time job. But if you’re
Branding an Intranet
The colors and fonts used in the intranet’s visual design often closely match those used on the organization’s public-facing website, since intranets usually adhere to corporate branding guidelines. In theory, it’s a good idea to for the intranet to support the organization’s sanctioned
and 7 tips for successful customization for
Service Blueprinting in Practice: Who, When, What
Teams that frequently participate in service blueprinting initiatives include design, product/project management, research, and development. Fewer than 50% of participants identified participation from senior leadership, customer support, marketing, or sales, all of which we should participate to
Brand Is Experience in the Digital Age
While “branding” products with an identifying mark (definition #1) has been around since people first began trading and selling goods, the use of brands to differentiate products — to truly attempt to influence consumers’ perceptions and choices within a market (definition #2) — is a
Portfolios for UX Researchers: Top 10 Recommendations
Research professionals are often required to sign a nondisclosure agreement (NDA) before beginning a project. Compiling a portfolio is difficult when you are legally forbidden from sharing past work. However, sometimes it is possible to “sanitize” research documents to the extent that nobody
10 Heuristics for User Interface Design: Article by Jakob Nielsen
Visibility of system status The system should always keep users informed about what is going on, through appropriate feedback within reasonable time. (Read full article on visibility of system status.) Match between system and the real world The system should speak the users' language, with words
Accot-Zhai Steering Law: Implications for UI Design
The Accot-Zhai Steering Law (discovered by HCI researchers Johnny Accot and Shumin Zhai, but also known simply as the Steering Law) is a corollary of Fitts’s Law. The Steering Law is an equation that predicts the efficiency of very common interactions; it describes the particular case of
Hackathon 2019 Goes Boldly Where No Engineers Have Gone Before
While some of that spark comes from our roots as an eight-year-old startup, it’s also part of a pioneering spirit we actively foster through various activities during the year. Arguably some of the most impactful—and most fun—are our bi-annual hackathons, where teams of developers and
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StudioPress Theme Spotlight: Academy Pro Theme
In an effort to help the WordPress community grow and prosper as well as expand and add value to the WP Engine Digital Experience platform, WP Engine recently acquired StudioPress. For our customers, this means, in addition to the Genesis framework, they’ll have access to 35 premium themes. All
A Look Back at the WP Engine London Summit .
At the end of September, we held our 2018 WP Engine Summit in Austin, Texas. Last week, agencies, brands, and digital innovators from EMEA came together in London for the WP Engine EU Summit. Attendees discussed the future of digital experiences, Gen Z’s perception of the Internet, and the
Narrative Biases: When Storytelling HURTS User Experience
But notice that the question asks about a page with very few visitors. This means that the observed effect — a high rate of people who leave the intranet after viewing a certain page — is based on the behavior of just a few people. Small samples frequently generate extreme and misleading data
The Magnifying-Glass Icon in Search Design: Pros and Cons
Icon labels help people make decisions faster: they give good information scent about what will come next. Labels should still be used for newer icons, such as the three-line menu (hamburger) icon. The map-marker icon is another icon with a still cloudy meaning and inconsistent use. Sometimes it
Date-Input Form Fields: UX Design Guidelines
In some cases, users will have only few date choices. For example, Google Express, an online shopping service, makes it possible for customers to order groceries online and schedule a delivery time. Rather than offering blank date fields or a calendar picker of limitless options, Google Express
Blockchain’s Mainstream Debut Awaits Dev Ecosystem Evolution
By storing the bulk of a data on completed blocks of transactions off-chain, the main Bitcoin blockchain will eventually be used as a reference layer upon which nodes can quickly validate transactions without needing to store the entire chain. Ethereum may use a similar proposed model called
Is Your VPN Masking your Online Privacy or Exploiting Your Data? 6 Ways to Find Out
Research has shown that VPNs have their limitations and issues to be addressed. Addressing private security issues is why it is essential to carefully and thoroughly read through every legal document attached to their pages. Okay — at least read through trustworthy VPN review sites that
The Top Futurist Speakers to Have at Your Conference
Gregory Polletta is the founder of iGNITIATE, a strategy and industrial design firm that He is also the co-founder of the international award-winning design brand gregorysung. Polletta is also one of the top guest speakers about design, product development, creativity, and consumer behavior, and is
15 Incredible Women in Business to Watch in 2018 and Beyond
Feinzaig is the founder and CEO of Female Founders Alliance, a community of female startup founders and CEOs based in Seattle, with a chapter also based in New York. With hundreds of members and thousands within the organization’s community, there are plans to open local chapters across the U.S
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A 60-Second Trailer of the 60-Day Report on Cybersecurity
Finally, Hathaway sees this as a unique opportunity for the United States to work with countries around the world, and with organizations on an extremely local level. “We cannot succeed if our government works in isolation,” she added. It requires “leading from the top” from
JS-Kit Score: Turn Your Site into a Localized Digg
Widget provider JS-Kit has released their latest widget this morning, Score. Score adds a thumbs up/thumbs down-style ratings widget to any page content, and then aggregates the data across the entire web site into an info box that can highlight a site’s top content. It can also integrate
7 Tips for Successful Customization | No More Pogo Sticking: Protect Users from Wasted Clicks
No More Pogo Sticking: Protect Users from Wasted Clicks
Pogo-stick behavior on the Redbox website: After specifying a kiosk location, the list of movies still included options not available to rent at the chosen kiosk. This did not match the expectation set by selecting a location, and forced me to pogo stick through each movie in the list until an
The User Experience of Customer-Service Chat: 20 Guidelines
While chatting with a customer-representative on Met Opera’s site, one user was told to wait while the agent was searching for an answer. After a while, she received the message Your session has expired due to inactivity. The user was surprised and disappointed, and she was ready to close the
Customer-Service Information on Websites: The Hub-and-Spoke Model
These labels always performed well in our study. Users were confident that they would find answers when they saw these labels. Alternative names such as Help or Help Center caused confusion. Many users skimmed past them looking for a more promising link and several shared their opinion that Help
