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...
With the prevalence of AJAX technologies, the distinction between form and wizard has become fuzzier. For example, the Fidelity page below asks users whether they are current Fidelity customers, and, depending on their answer, shows on the same page either login fields or name and email
In this pattern, labels are placed within the form field as placeholders until the field becomes active and the user moves the input focus into the field. At that point, the placeholder label moves to the top of the field. As a result, the floating label (also known as an adaptive placeholder) is
But Xero might be a more interesting example, simply because it targets the traditionally dry domain of accounting. One of its main features lets users automatically reconcile bookkeeping entries with bank account transactions. As a match is made, the 2 matching entries are removed from the list of
4 Ways to Enter the Blockchain Industry
The technology uses cryptography to make sure that users can only edit their own blocks. Each user has a unique, private key that’s required to alter their own Blockchain file. Additionally, the technology keeps the entire chain of distribution synched. Many enterprises are still
Why Small Businesses Need to Be Vigilant About IoT Security Too
Their staff may not also be trained to apply the best practices in technology use. Untrained end users are likely to commit errors or cause incidences like inadvertently downloading and installing malware from their office devices. Small businesses are also likely to pay the ransom from ransomware
Why Small Businesses Need to Be Vigilant About IoT Security Too
Their staff may not also be trained to apply the best practices in technology use. Untrained end users are likely to commit errors or cause incidences like inadvertently downloading and installing malware from their office devices. Small businesses are also likely to pay the ransom from ransomware
Text Scanning Patterns: Eyetracking Evidence
The commitment pattern usually leads to the best comprehension, even though it is the most time consuming. People spend more time and effort reading than they do when just scanning but reading everything gives them the opportunity to glean more information. Note though, that, even for the
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‘Our Users Are Everyone’: Designing Mass-Market Products for Large User Audiences
One big problem with failing to define your users occurs when you evaluate the design. If you plan a research study with no restrictions on who can participate, you could easily end up with all your participants being quite similar to each other. This is no problem if your system is only intended
Design Thinking 101
In the early 1900's husband and wife designers Charles and Ray Eames practiced “learning by doing,” exploring a range of needs and constraints before designing their Eames chairs, which continue to be in production even now, seventy years later. 1960's dressmaker Jean Muir was well known for
Why Personas Fail
To avoid this pitfall, you must include the persona end users in the process of creating personas. Invite stakeholders to sit in on a research session. Send out a daily recap of the activities undertaken to create the personas. Help people see how your research uncovers the customer segments early
The New Ecommerce User Experience: Changes in Users’ Expectations
Users’ expectations for privacy and security assurance on ecommerce sites have increased, while their patience with issues in such matters has decreased. Heightened standards for security stem from data breaches and broken trust with companies such as Facebook, Equifax, and Yahoo, who have faced
Tesla’s Touchscreen UI: A Case Study of Car-Dashboard User Interface
Yet, Tesla’s map app is always displayed in the background of all apps. As a result, the status bar at the very top of the screen can be hard to read, as it blends in with the map text. Moreover, it can be quite irrelevant (and potentially distracting) to a see a brightly colored street
Cards: UI-Component Definition
A gaze plot of a user's eyetracking session on a card-based layout. The user was asked to find and read a story that looked interesting to her. The flexible-card layout does not clearly indicate a hierarchy of stories in order, so the user looks around back and forth in a semirandom pattern
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UX Retrospectives 101
Retrospectives are a dedicated time to come together and collaboratively improve your team’s process. They can be used at multiple places in the product development cycle and their benefits are varied: stronger communication, increased trust among team members, and a plan for moving forward
Case Study: Iterative Design and Prototype Testing of the NN/g Homepage
This incremental approach also gives us the flexibility to learn as we go. If something isn’t quite right, we can make adjustments rather than getting too far down the road, potentially tripling the re-do work. (And there are always tweaks needed after any launch: if you do enough user testing
WP Engine Raises $30K for Central Texas Food Bank
WP Engine employees are rarely hungry. Our office kitchens are fully stocked with cereal and snacks, and lunch is catered Monday through Thursday, every week, for the entire team. Unlike the 46,000 people who rely on Central Texas Food Bank for food assistance every week, our employees don’t have
WordPress for Good: The Price of Water .
In April 2017, the UNICEF Somalia and East and Southern Africa Regional (ESARO) offices were looking for a new way to raise awareness about the drought affecting millions of people in Somalia. The crisis was getting worse by the day, with thousands of Somalis fleeing home in search of water
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
Nearshoring Basics for Software Development
Nearshoring is the practice of offshoring to a country that is closer geographically to a company’s headquarters. The term “closer” can mean different things: a shorter flight away, or in terms of time zones. It could also refer to close cultural connections, having access to similar
Why There’s a Bright Future in a Cyber Security Careers
If you’re searching for your next career a great place to look is for a job in cyber security. Why? Because the demand for cyber security experts is going up, up, up. Keeping digital assets secure is a vital skillset. As our world grows ever more dependent on the Internet and digital
The future of tokenization and blockchain is not just ICOs
Voting and governance through tokenization has been done through Distributed Autonomous Organizations (DAOs). While in an ideal world the voting rights would work very similar to standard governance in companies, but there are again no regulations. This may prove to be an issue in specific
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
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5 Real Life Blockchain Implementations Outside of Cryptocurrency
Arcade City is a new peer-to-peer rideshare startup whose goal is to disrupt the disruptor. They’re taking on Uber and Lyft to cut out the middleman and protect driver rights, and they’re basing their platform on the Ethereum blockchain. Many drivers have had negative experiences using Uber
Technical Writers are Vital for Technology Startups
Imagine hiring a technical writer for three to 12 months with an option of extending the contract if needed. Also, it will cost double the expense of one full-time writer on site than it is to hire a contractor. Furthermore, if a start-up remains in contact with the writer after a contract ends, an
7 Tips for Successful Customization | Ensure High Contrast for Text Over Images
Ensure High Contrast for Text Over Images
A well-chosen visual adds interest and can set the tone of a website, in addition to (hopefully) conveying some meaning. Eyetracking research has shown that people are attracted to information-carrying photos, when the images are related to the user’s current task. (If instead the images appear
Site Map Usability, 1st study
I have often predicted that Internet Explorer version 8 will be the first decent Web browser. One feature request for version 8 is better navigation support by offering a visualization feature that would pull the site map out of the website and make it a standardized browser element. Unfortunately
Minimize the Need for Customer Service to Improve the Omnichannel UX
We often design for the happy path through our products and services and we don’t necessarily plan for direct customer contact to be part of their journey, but customers often still need one-on-one support to overcome issues. Understanding the common reasons why customers make contact and
